The FanFiction Story I Wasn’t Supposed to Write, and Why I Did – Blogmas 2022

December 19, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Let me set the scene.

It’s fall 2021. I’m still active on a certain Discord. Things are still going fine, no real drama or arguments to speak of, at least not ones that are making me question my sanity. Whumptober has passed, Advent is looming, but there’s time in the middle to breathe.

I’m browsing the prompt channel. I didn’t go in there often, as I usually didn’t like writing prompts given by someone. They were too conflicting or too rigid or too “Buddie-centric,” enough that I just didn’t care anymore. So imagine my surprise when I came across one that caught my eye enough to warrant a second glance.

The prompt was hilarious almost word for word the basic premise of a fic I had just began plotting out. I immediately tried to claim it, but someone swooped in and said that they already had a piece that was in the works and this prompt matched. I tried to be the bigger person, so I let it go and put the fic in mothballs in my Google Drive, never to be seen again.

Months passed. Spring came, and with it drama. By May, I was leaving that Discord, done with being made to feel like trash for having a difference of opinion. I figured, however naively, that I’d still be in the fandom, I didn’t need the backing of the discord.

Then June 20th happened.

I won’t rehash the details of that dark week. It’s not worth it, but it does bare mentioning. That day and the week or so that followed was a dark time in my life, full of baseless accusations and me scrambling to put a damn wall between my professional life and my online life, one that was already there but one that had been torn down by the same people I had once considered close.

Six days later, I decided to repost everything. It took a long eleven days of editing and retagging and posting, all the while I was in training with my job and just trying to keep my head above water mentally.

(But what exactly does all this have to do with a story? I’m almost there, I swear.)

As soon as the last fic was posted, I revisited a work that I’d been working on literally up until the moment everything came crashing down. That would be my “Buck on BookTok” fic, which I’ll discuss another day, I think. That ended up getting posted about two weeks after the fallout. It was a safe fic to post, as it mostly just featured Buck after the bombing, without touching on the tsunami or the lawsuit or anything else. The response was amazing.

The moment I had hit post on that fic, I went back into Google docs. I had a few fics that I’d been playing with at the same time, though nothing stood out. It just felt like more of the same.

Until.

I saw it.

And I grabbed it.

I spent two days scouring two different Fandom Wikis to make sure I had my details right. I created a timeline and lists and literally debated between two different locations for what seemed like years, but was probably an hour and a half (the length of a standard lecture during work training, because priorities). I rewrote my author note regarding the origins of the fic, before deciding that I didn’t want that connection at all.

Instead, I went vague, I handed it off to be quickly edited by the most begrudged editor in the known universe (aka my mother), and posted my 9-1-1 / 9-1-1 Lone Star / MCU Fusion fic.

Yes, this was the fic I wasn’t supposed to post, because someone had claimed the prompt. The problem was, it had been nine months at this point and there wasn’t any movement. I also clearly wasn’t part of that discord anymore (and I have in the past been slightly vocal about it). I had waited this entire time, thinking I would post it around now if they actually had posted the fic.

But they didn’t, so I did. To great damn success.

The next month I wrote the first sequel that I had thought of but never thought I’d get to actually write. And then, last night, I finished off the trilogy.

Am I sad to see that I have it marked as complete? Absolutely. It was a fun little world to play in. But I also wanted to put a pin in it. I left it well enough that if I wanted to, I could return to it at any time. For now, at least, it’s complete.

As for that other fic? It’s still never been posted. I assume it’s gone the way of most prompt fics off of that discord, into a dark pit of nothingness and despair that fuels their bullshit. (Or I missed it, but I’m being vivid today.)

Should I talk about a few of my other fics that I’m wrapping up this week? Hmm… Decisions, decisions.

Until next time!

Dealing with the Holiday Writer’s Block – Blogmas 2022

December 15, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

So, I’m gonna be totally honest. December is the worst time for me to try writing. I’m so very destracted.

This came up on r/fanfiction on Reddit about dealing with writer’s block, and it got me thinking – when was the last time I sat down and wrote some fics? I realized it had been a bit, and I realized I was in writer’s block mode. Which is a bit of a problem. Whoops?

Normally, I would get out of writer’s block in a gradual fashion. I would go focus on something else for several weeks, such as a video game or a book series or a tv show that’s been on my list (which in this case would be Outer Banks because a dear friend will not stop hounding me about it). I’d take the time to basically relax my brain and just work on other things. Maybe do a new cross stitch, something I was enjoying doing in the summer before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

But. Well. I don’t really have time for that.

Remember the other day when I talked about my list of fics I want to try to finish by the end of the year? Yeah, I really want to get to those. And that’s just slightly a problem when I’m dealing with writer’s block.

I have a plan though! I really do! I think. I hope.

I’m not going to worry about anything until this weekend. I’m just going to think of work, and watch Outer Banks on Netflix (I’ve been promising a friend I would watch it, it’s about time I just do it at this point), and maybe get the layout for my planners tentatively laid out. I’ll keep a blank Google doc open for any idea dumping, but it won’t be something that I push. And, of course, I’ll also post here, hopefully at a normal hour instead of right before midnight PST because I keep starting posts in the morning and forgetting to finish until right before I head to sleep.

Hopefully by taking this little complete reset, I’ll be able to pull myself out of writer’s block pretty quickly. That’s not my normal way, considering I normally have writer’s block for a solid month twice a year (should’ve figured it was coming, last time I was this bad was in July so…).

Wish me luck, we shall see what comes of this insanity. *wink*

Until next time!

Whumptober 2022 Wrap-Up – Blogmas 2022

December 13, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

For my final challenge of the year, I decided to do things a little bit differently.

Since I was going to be working on Whumptober while also trying to fix up some other things, prep for Nanowrimo, and also work my stressful job, I decided to allow myself the ability to do something a bit different. I gave myself permission to write drabbles. If you don’t know what a drabble is, it is a piece of writing that is exactly 100 words. I ended up writing several double and triple drabbles (or 200/300 words) to some of the prompts, which was both a challenge and a test, and I think some of those fics ended up being some of my favorites.

As with my other challenge write ups, I’ll be following my Whumptober 2021 Wrap Up set up, to break down the event in a few different ways. I’ll be touching on some of my favorite fics, as well as the ones that did amazing.

Challenge Overview

Before we get into the major breakdown, let’s go over the full challenge.

Over the course of the challenge, I wrote 31 fics between October 2nd and December 5th, 2022.

My total word count for the event was 25,163 words, focused on 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lone Star, The Old Guard, and The School of Good and Evil, with minor crossovers and mentions of CSI:NY and Criminal Minds.

As it’s been a bit over a month since the end of the challenge, I’ll be putting up the top three for each section below. However, since there are some that are more popular than others, I’ll be noting the ones that repeat and then including the next ones until I have three fics per section.

Most Popular by Hits

I’m not really sure what inspired “Overlooking the Head,” but I’m glad that I wrote it. In a way, it was a subtle way of telling the people who had been attacking me that I actually did like Chimney Han, I just didn’t like him in one specific storyline (shock of all shocks). This is something I’d been thinking about for a while, so I’m glad I got it down and posted.

“A Different Kind of Heat” is my ode to the differences of climates. I’m someone who really doesn’t do well in humidity, especially in Texas, where I was one of the people who nearly collapsed that year. I just don’t like the heat. Yes, TK would know better, but it worked for the story, so I’m happy about it.

I think I have a thing for dropping Buck down staircases, as seen in “Staircase Tumbling.” Why Buck? Because it’s Buck, and if the writers won’t give us what we want, it’s up to fic writers to do it for them. I really enjoyed coming up with this one, which was written while I was at my writer’s club at my library. I enjoyed it a little too much, haha.

Most Popular by Kudos

I already have talked about “Staircase Tumbling.”

I was alwasy going to write a sequel to “BuckBookTok” and thus “BuckLifeTok” was born. I very much enjoyed bringing this to life, especially since I got to once again play with the tsunami and what damage it left behind to LA and the 118. I have a final fic in this trilogy in the works, it should be posted soon.

“Family Crashes” was very much inspired by the frankly ridiculous amount of traffic I could see from my office window when I have to go into LA for my in office day. The Buckley parents appearing just kinda forced themselves into the show, even though I didn’t plan on them. It worked in my opinion.

“Avoiding a Family Fight” was written not because I didn’t like the Buckley parents, but instead to get my temper down about being forced to do things because “family”. I very much enjoyed bringing this fic to life, even if certain people didn’t understand or get my full intentions at the time.

Most Popular by Comments

I already have talked about “Staircase Tumbling,” “Family Crashes,” and “Avoiding a Family Fight”

I decided early on to include Lou Ransone at least twice during this challenge, with “Gun to Temple” being his first appearance during the month. I think I really enjoyed this one, to the point that I would love to keep going with this fic if I so chose. Maybe one day I’ll do something else along these lines. (No, Remy, no getting more ideas, you have too much to work on right now as is!)

“Long Shift Surprises” was born from one of my Buck and Audie fics getting nominated for a fanfiction awards thing, but because I had two fics nominated in the same category, I had to choose one or the other. Since I went with the other, I wrote another Audie fic to balance it out. Sleepy Buck and Audie for the win!

The thing about “Potentially Scarring Questions” is that it was born out of people asking invasive questions about others. That’s it, that’s the inspiration. For men, that’s always bothered me, so this came to be. I enjoyed bringing this one to light and I’m very happy with my results.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I already have talked about “Staircase Tumbling,” “Family Crashes,” “Avoiding a Family Fight,” “Potentially Scarring Questions,” “Overlooking the Head,” “Gun to Temple,” and “BuckLikeTok.”

“Stuck” is another Lou Ransone fic, but it was also brought upon thanks to so many people deciding what was and wasn’t going to be in Seasons five and six (and being so wrong about it). I’m also very happy with how this one came out.

I came up with “An Atypical Effect to a Head Injury” simply because of how many times it seems like Buck has been hit on the head. No, seriously, that’s what did it. This got a lot of love for being so short and I’m happy with that. Plus, injured and surly Buck is always fun.

I’m not surprised that “Taken Away” has been bookmarked a good amount of times. It’s one of my incomplete fics that I really need to get back to by the end of the year (see yesterday’s post). I just have to find my notes first and I’ll be able to really knock it out…

Length

I already have talked about “BuckLikeTok,” “Family Crashes,” “Staircase Tumbling,” “Avoiding a Family Fight,” “Potentially Scarring Questions,” “Overlooking the Head,” “Gun to Temple,” and

Considering they are best paired together, I’ll be talking about them together. “Firestarter” and “Only Embers Left Behind” are both part of my “Immortal Genius” series, with Buck taking the forefront for five total fics. Here, Buck is dealing with an arsonist and ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time… but his immortality keeps him alive. For me, I wrote it to show that Buck was finally starting to accept his lot in life, leading into the finale of his arc. They aren’t the most popular, but I’m okay with that. I write what I love, damn it.

“Crutch Time” was just good clean fun. I hated being on crutches when I sprained my foot and I’m still salty about it, and that was in like 2008 (I can hold a grudge). It’s another Audie fic, one that I absolutely had a great time writing since it practically wrote itself.

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention

I had a great deal of fun with working on “Almost Dead on My Feet,” only because it presented me with the challenge of remembering how to timeline. Something that I’ve struggled with this year. I enjoyed it a lot and I’m glad that it came out alright, even if it didn’t get a majorly great reception (my 9-1-1 Lone Star fics rarely do).

“An Unlikely Friendship” was the final Ransone fic of Whumptober, this time dealing with the aftermath of his attack in 5×02. I tried to make it clear that he and Buck were friends that might become more, though I’m not sure how much of that came through. I did like it, and I enjoyed the challenge I gave myself with it.

Wrap Up

While I wasn’t successful in completing Whumptober in October, I do think I am hapy with the quality of many of the fics that I posted. Several of them are fics that I very much enjoy and I’m happy to see that they have gotten love over the past few months.

If you want to read any of them, they are all up on my AO3 account! Just look for any that are part of the “Remy’s Whumptober 2022” series. They are all in prompt order.

Until next time!

End of the Year Writing Goals – Blogmas 2022

December 12, 2022December 13, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Something that I normally do at the beginning of December is make what I call “the list.”

What is “the list,” you might be asking? Well, it’s my list of fics that I really really want to finish by the end of the year. Most years it’s short, maybe one or two fics that I would love to finish or at least update. Last year it was longer as I was knee deep in working on fics for that discord’s Advent challenge.

This year, I have ten fics that I’d like to at least update, if not complete. Yeah, it’s a lofty goal. Yeah, it’s probably not going to be finished in December, especially since I lost a lot of my writing time while being sick, and I literally just made the list last night instead of sleeping.

But let’s go over it, because why not? It’s content.

The Immortal Genius

Last year I started a sequel/spinoff to my Criminal Minds / The Old Guard crossover series. I crossed in 9-1-1, starting with the tsunami and going forth from there. It’s had a decent reception, especially since I think that Buck and Spencer Reid would have a good friendship if they were ever to know each other in reality.

I had always envisioned the 9-1-1 portion to be a trilogy event. An introduction, a compilation fic in the middle of major moment, and a conclusion that wrapped up Buck’s main arc (accepting his immortality and the thought of eventually leaving his found family) while also leaving it open for Buck to return as a background character should I decide to continue with the larger story.

Well, that was until Whumptober 2022, when I decided to do a two part fic instead of that conclusion that continued Buck’s story without ending it. I enjoyed writing both fics, even if they weren’t very well received.

My goal for the end of 2022 is to hopefully find a way to wrap up the side story. This one may be put on the back burner depending on how I do with the other fics that I really need to get finished with.

The Adventures of Buck and Audie

The fun little series where Buck has a therapy dog that has a funny personality. This is a series that I come back to when I have writer’s block. There’s no real “end” to it. I somewhat want to add one more story that can be something of a finale, if only to leave a somewhat satisfying conclusion. (And I’d like Aislinn the dog sitter to finally make an appearance, especially since her only part of series with her character is that her school really likes to lose her transcripts.)

BuckTikTok

I had only just started working on this fic when everything started going down in the 9-1-1 fandom (yes, I’m keeping it brief for a reason). I ended up posting it about a month later, not entirely satisfied with what I’d written, but wanting to get it out into the world so that I could move on.

It went over very well. So well, in fact, I ended up writing a sequel. And now it’s time to conclude the trilogy. The project had always been conceived as a three part series. The only problem is my notes have vanished (my notepad decided to grow legs and wanted away). I’m hoping in the next few days to come up with something that will be a good conclusion to this little fic.

Fire!Fam DigiDestined

This is a maybe/maybe not addition to the list.

My 9-1-1 / Digimon series was my first fic in the fandom, but it has been tainted by everything that has happened to me in this fandom. I did end up writing another fic at the end of July (post drama).

The conclusion of “Chance Reunion” is pretty good. I could say the series is done and not feel back about it. But I also feel like I can write another fic that could tie things up more. I’m not really sure. We shall see.

Back Again from Beyond

“Once Was, Is Now” was a labor of love for over a year. I had started it while still on that discord, but someone claimed the prompt out from under me, and I let it go. Nearly a year passed with it in my head and the other person never posting their claim. So, back in July, I finished and posted the fic, with an explanation that I waited on posting out of respect, but it had been over a year and I was done waiting.

When I dropped that fic, I realized that I had to write this as a trilogy. The set up and two conclusions, one with Buck and one with Carlos (as May would be with Buck’s ending). I’ve since written Buck’s conclusion and now I have to write Carlos’. I can always write them with a more open ended finish so that if I want to come back and add to it, I can, but the goal has always been three.

This one is on the list for sure.

“Next in Line” / “Late Night Knocks”

I opened a can of worms with “Next in Line”, because I discovered that in my exhaustion I’d forgotten to include a line that didn’t make Bobby come out to be a terrible person. So I wrote “Late Night Knocks” and included that explanation, but I also left it open for a finale.

I would really like to give the three fics a good finish, tying them up without leaving anything to chance. With Jay Halstead out of Chicago PD, this is this is the time to do so. If I can finish it this December, that would be brilliant.

“Held Back (What a Detriment)”

I have a slight wish to continue this fic, as I think the premise I set up in interesting. My biggest issue is that I’ve never been a fan of writing “shifter” fics, which is somewhat of a problem considering the fact that the fic is about shifters (prompt fic during Writer’s Month).

I’d like to give it a second pass to at least finish up my thought process. If I can finish it during December, that would be a plus. If not, that’s okay too. it’s just something I’d like to work on.

Life Saving Magic

I pulled “Life Saving Magic” out of nowhere during my cleanup for Whumptober. I seriously don’t even know where the idea popped in my head. I just wrote a triple drabble and sent it out… and got a few messages asking me to continue. So… I guess I will one of these days.

This is one that, if I get to it this month, I won’t be updating until the end of the month. I need to plan first.

Friends Helping Friends

How do you annoy people? Make Buck and TK friends and have them still be friends long after the crossover episode. Yeah, I did that, no I don’t care. “Far Reaching Friends” was one of my most popular Writer’s Month fics that absolutely demanded a sequel, which I wrote during Whumptober.

I’d like to wrap up Buck’s impromptu trip to Austin with one more fic. It wouldn’t take much to tie this little trilogy up with a bow, even if it wasn’t originally planned from the get-go. I can probably knock that out in one night if I sit down and do it.

Taken Away

This one is majorly important for me to at least get the next chapter out. I’ve been sitting on this since the beginning of Whumptober.

“Taken Away” is the sequel to “Kidnapped Away”, which was written during Febuwhump 2022. The basic premise is that TK is kidnapped by the Cabbie Killer in New York City and Carlos and Owen must work together with the NYPD Crime Lab and Reed Garrett, Mac’s stepson and TK’s only real friend back in NYC, to get him back.

I posted the first chapter during Whumptober that set up the background to the story, while “Kidnapped Away” serves as basically the first chapter of a sort. It’s high time I sit down and just knock out at least one chapter.

…That Seems Like a Lot

It is. That’s ten fics that I want to work on, most of which need to be longer than just 500 words or so. But actually typing this out has helped me come up with some semblance of a plan to attack this , with some things being regulated to the back burner as necessary, while others are needed to be updated/completed in an more immediate fashion.

As for now, I’m going to spend tonight planning and prepping to move forward with this, along with everything else I already have on my plate. This is shaping up to be a very busy end of the year…

Until next time!

[Edit: sorry this is so late, apparently I can’t have a healthy week this year, to top off why 2022 still sucks…]

Writer’s Month 2022 (Delayed) Wrap-up! – Blogmas 2022

December 9, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Well, my first attempt at Writer’s Month went… well… I at least completed the challenge. Two months late. It’s a whole thing. But I really did enjoy the different prompts, so I will probably give this one another try next year, when I can dedicate more time to it while not stressing myself out.

As with my other challenge write ups, I’ll be following my Whumptober Wrap Up set up, to break down the event in a few different ways. I’ll be touching on some of my favorite fics, as well as the ones that did amazing.

Challenge Overview

Before we get into the major breakdown, let’s go over the full challenge.

Over the course of the challenge, I wrote 31 fics between August 2nd and November 14th, 2022.

My total word count for the event was 29,703 words, focused on 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lone Star, The Old Guard, and Fusionfall with brief mentions or crossovers with Hawaii Five-O, SWAT, and Teen Wolf.

As it’s been over a month since the end of the challenge, I’ll be putting up the top three for each section below. However, since there are some that are more popular than others, I’ll be noting the ones that repeat and then including the next ones until I have three fics per section.

Most Popular by Hits

By far one of my most popular fics this year thus far, Far Reaching Friends was born out of wanting to have some sort of crossover between 9-1-1 Season 5 and 9-1-1 Lone Star Season 3. I remember knocking this one out in no time at all and really loving bringing this to life. I actually wrote a sequel to during Whumptober 2022 and I think I want to play in this world one more time.

I ended up coming up with Late Night Knocks on a whim, but it also became a tribute to one of my favorite One Chicago characters, Jay Halstead, who was (horribly) written out this season. This is another idea that came up out of the blue that I enjoy and I’m happy to see that others have enjoyed it as well. I have one more planned for this mini series.

So, confession. I have an irrational fear of earthquakes. Home Shakes popped into my head while I was pacing my room trying to come up with something. I joking said that this fic’s secondary theme was “writer’s block due to annoyance.” This one ended up being a good quick little writing exercise that I enjoyed knocking out.

Most Popular by Kudos

I already have talked about “Far Reaching Friends” and “Late Night Knocks.”

The amount of times I rewrote Cards from the Heart is frankly embarrassing. I could not decide what to do, then I had an idea and backtracked, and finally I just ran with what I posted. It’s probably one of my favorites just because it’s cute, and that’s what matters.

And Now, To Tomorrow is the sequel to one of my favorite fics I’ve written this year, mostly because it’s the crossover I was never supposed to write, and yet I did. This sequel was difficult to write only because I knew what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure how to say it. But I’m happy with how it came out, and the third fic should be completed before the end of the year if all goes well.

Fat Lip came out of wanting to write about the catfish incident but in the current day, and give Hen a voice to the situation since she didn’t really get one during Season 1. I really enjoyed working on this one, especially sarcastic Buck coming out. Surprisingly I wasn’t in the best of places mentally when writing this, as well as suffering from food poisoning during the majority of that week.

Most Popular by Comments

I already have talked about “And Now, To Tomorrow.”

I got “in trouble” because of the joke behind Teaching Knots. Yes, it’s a BDSM joke, no, it’s completely clean, and yes, I had way too much fun with setting that bullshit up. I’m happy with it, even if I got some funny pseudo-pissed off messages.

Pain Day was born out of the thought that Buck’s injury might not have healed as perfectly as the show implied. So I decided to explore that. I’ll be totally honest, I was looking for a prompt that would fit this plot, instead of the other way around. This one worked well, and I love it.

Held Back (What a Detriment) holds the distinction of being the first fic I’ve ever posted with the wrong title (I misspelled detriment). I also marked this fic as incomplete, as I’m still not sure if I’m going to come back to it or not. I’m just not into writing about shifters, but I way decide to do so in the future. Only time will tell.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I already have talked about “Pain Day,” “Far Reaching Friends,” “Home Shakes,” “Fat Lip,” “Cards from the Heart,” “And Now, To Tomorrow,” “Teaching Knots,” and “Held Back (What a Detriment).”

I unintentionally sat on Rainbow of Thanks for awhile. This was a fic that I had a barebones idea for, but I ended up enjoying what I ended up writing for it. Hell, I love any fic that makes Christopher special, because I love that kid.

I also got in trouble for Next in Line. ANd by “in trouble,” I mean I pissed off a lot of people because Buck didn’t get to go to Chicago. I had everything planned out, but no one believed me. (Late Night Knocks” is the sequel to this fic, and there is a third tentatively planned.)

My literal only speculation for Season 6. Worrying Away from Home was born simply to prove that I could write a speculation fic, even though I don’t like speculation fics. Also, it totally turned into an anti-Buckley parent’s fic because why the heck not. Worth it.

Length

I already have talked about “And Now, To Tomorrow,” “Late Night Knocks,” and “Far Reaching Friends.”

I spontaneously decided to write a Fusionfall fic, and Three Days On Fire is the result. I pulled it out of nowhere just because I could. I really enjoyed playing around in that world again, so much so that I want to do it again just because.

What is Silk Nights? I still don’t know. I just pulled it out of nowhere. I can’t explain it, nor will I. It’s… a thing. Just go with it.

King of the Lego Castle was written as a tribute to Lego’s 90th birthday. No, seriously, that’s the whole inspiration. But it was fun and I’m happy about it. That’s about all I have to say on the subject.

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention (aka All the 9-1-1 Lone Star fics)

I came up with Music From a Former Life thanks to listening to Ronen Rubinstein’s music. It was a fun little fic that I really feel like deserved more love.

I still have a love for my Buck and Audie fics, and I wrote one from Audie’s POV. It’s Hard Being Popular ended up not being popular, but it was a fun little experiment. Can I help it? Audie is a sassy pup.

I don’t normally write future fics, but there was something about writing a fic from an adult Christopher Diaz’s point of view. The Story of Our Lives is a fun little fic that almost made the cut on several categories for this wrap up, missing by only one point here or there.

Did I really write a fic about TK and Paul going to where TK almsot froze to death? Yes, yes I did. And no, I don’t have a problem with that. It’s therapy. It’s called This is Where I (Nearly) Died and it didn’t get nearly enough love, damn it.

And finally, something that I’m mildly hoping for 9-1-1 Lone Star for Season Four is some Carlos!Whump, so I wrote some myself. Role reversals are fun sometimes. I called this pain Waiting for the Wake Up, and no, I have no regrets.

Wrap Up

I really enjoyed this challenge, only because the prompts are different’ then ones I’m used to. I’m happy that I have it a shot even if I didn’t get to complete it in August. It was worth the attempt. I may or may not take part in it next year, depending on life circumstances, but I have no real complaints. Heck, one of my favorite things is that they give a seven day grace period on posting! No one else does!

All in all, it was a good challenge and I’m happy to move onto other things.

If you want to read any of them, they are all up on my AO3 account! Just look for any that are part of the “Writer’s Month 2022” series. They are all in prompt order.

Until next time!

The 118 Discord Bingo Wrap Up

April 14, 2022September 19, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

August 2022 Edit:

Hey everyone, before you read this post, I just want to give a quick disclaimer. I was a member of the 118 Discord up until May 2022, when I left due to a… difference of opinion on something that happened in the 9-1-1 fandom and how people might handle it, as well as seeing that the mods had become people I was no longer comfortable with supporting in any way. It’s my personal belief that the 118 Discord is have become a dangerous place and probably will never be a safe place in fandom again, unless you cast aside your ability to have an opinion and only follow their personal opinions and beliefs about this fandom. You can make your own opinions. I won’t be removing the references to that discord from this post, as that would be disingenuous (unlike their handling of many things in fandom), but I want it clear that I do not represent or support them in any way. These fics mentioned here were written before this all came to light. All reference to the discord have been removed from the fics, both tags and author notes. As a added point of clarity, this post has remain unedited beyond this note, a brief note at the end of the post, and the links to the stories. My comments written here do not reflect how I currently feel about the discord or any named members.

Thanks so much for your understanding.

My first attempt at doing a writing bingo, and it went… pretty well, actually.

Last year, when I got into the 9-1-1 fandom, and onto the 118 Discord, I signed up for the bingo they were hosting on a whim. I picked a 5×5 card, which included 25 prompts (including the free space) and figured that I’d have no trouble finishing it.

Yeah, I’ll never make that mistake again.

I ended up finishing 21 out of 25 fics, which I’m really proud of. Some were short, some were long, some I thought of while half asleep, while others took weeks for me to make work. It was a challenge in every sense of the word. But let’s dive into it.

For context, the Bingo started in April 2021 (I think). I got my card in June or July, and it officially finished January 31, 2022.

Challenge Overview

Before we get into the major breakdown, let’s go over the full challenge.

Over the course of the bingo, I wrote 21 fics between September 4th (when I remembered I’d signed up for this challenge) and January 31st.

My total word count for the event was 27,239 words, focused on 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star, with no crossovers with other fandoms.

As it’s been a few months since the end of the challenge, I’ll be putting up the top three for each section below. However, since there are five that are very popular, I’ll be noting the ones that repeat and then including the next ones until I have three fics per section.

Most Popular by Hits

By far my most popular Bingo fic, “Back in Class (to Protect Those I Love)” was something that I had been quietly working on for a while. I wanted to do a “5+1” style fic, and this was something I thought was plausible. This is also one of my favorite fics I wrote last year, hands down. There’s just something about it that makes me smile when I read through it. If there is just one bingo fic you want to flip through, make it this one. (I could gush about this fic for days if I wanted to, but I’m trying to keep this relatively short. You’re welcome! :P)

“Doze the Afternoon Away” was the first bingo square I filled. It’s also probably one of the softest and fluffiest. It’s just calm and quiet and I even wrote it from Hen’s point of view. I don’t have too much to say about it, except that it’s just a quick blink and you miss it type of fic. I like it.

“Trauma Takes Many Forms” was a look at post traumatic stress disorder and triggers, all in under a thousand words. Writing from Eddie’s point of view is always hard, but this… this ended up being one of the fastest prompt fills I did, if I remember right. It’s one I wrote to show that trauma can be remembered in a myriad of ways, and can affect someone’s normal life without even realizing it.

Most Popular by Kudos

I’ve already talked about ““Back in Class (to Protect Those I Love),” “Doze the Afternoon Away,” and “Trauma Takes Many Forms.”

“Paint Fight” was just pure fun. I love fics that are moments in time, where there isn’t any trauma or drama, just good happy fun. And this one… it’s just one of those that I reread when I need a pick me up.

Okay, there’s a story behind “Dancing Past and Future.” It all came about because the Discord watched MindGamers and Step Up: Revolution back to back. Suddenly I had a terrible idea, but it actually worked and I was so glad that the person I gifted it to enjoyed it. It’s a fun little play on the actors’ careers prior to 9-1-1. It didn’t go exactly as planned, but it came out alright in the end.

“Firefighting… Gamers?” was a total joke. I wrote it after getting prompted, and it’s based on the game Animal Crossing New Horizons (which… well, I’ll have a post about that one of these days). Anyway, I just wanted to do something humorous, and this worked well in my opinion.

Most Popular by Comments

I’ve already talked about ““Back in Class (to Protect Those I Love)”,” “Firefighting… Gamers?,” “Doze the Afternoon Away,” “Dancing Past and Future,” “Trauma Takes Many Forms,” and “Paint Fight.”

“Returning the Favor” is another Audie the dog fic. I wanted to have Dad!Bobby, and I randomly decided that having Buck be minorly hurt worked well for the story. Audie is a very sassy sarcastic dog, and I actually wrote one of my favorite lines for this fic, I swear. It was well worth it to me.

So, I wrote “Frozen Hearts Still Beat” with the thought that the “Gwyn is dead/going to die theory” was a possibility after 3×03. Of course, I ended up right four episodes later. This one is one I’m pretty proud of, though it didn’t get the love I wanted it to get. But I really think I captured Carlos’ broken emotions of seeing the man he loves unconscious in the hospital.

“The Beautiful Aurora” is one of those fics that I just decided to do. I wanted to expand on the final scene of Tarlos in 1×10. It’s pretty short and there’s really not a lot for me to say about it, honestly. It just happened to work for what I needed.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I’ve already talked about “Back in Class (to Protect Those I Love)”,” “Doze the Afternoon Away,” “Dancing Past and Future,” “Returning the Favor,” “Paint Fight,” and “Firefighting… Gamers?”

“Wedding Bells (Visit Hell)” was a fic that I came up with on a whim, and it happened to fit with one of the bingo prompts. I decided to jump on the “Diaz parents suck” trend with this, but I did have a little bit of fun with it. It kinda ran away from me, but I did enjoy it.

“Christmas Postcards” was something that I’d been thinking about a lot. Buck sent a postcard to Maddie during his probie year, before she escaped Doug and joined him in LA. But who took the photo? That’s what I wanted to explore, and I think it came out pretty well in the end.

“Rainy Day Shopping” is just a quick little weird fic that I didn’t particularly like writing. I tied it into Advent, but I just wasn’t particularly happy with it. It happens.

Most Popular by Length

I’ve already talked about “Back in Class (to Protect Those I Love),” “Returning the Favor,” “Wedding Bells (Visit Hell),” “Dancing Past and Future,” and “Christmas Postcards.” Seeing a pattern yet?

“The 118 Wordle Competition” was a funny little fic that I wrote because of the Wordle craze. It blossomed into a post-5×10 fic. I had a bit of fun with this. It didn’t get much of a glance from people, but I don’t mind. It was the final Bingo fic I wrote.

“Summerville Tales” was an attempt to write an Alternate Universe fic, featuring both 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star in a small town setting. It was a fun little experiment that I may or may not return to. The drive isn’t there (and the person who initially sparked it isn’t someone I want to speak to right now…). But I may jump back into it at some point.

I blasted out “A Veteran Talk” in about two hours, wanting to get the plot that popped into my head down on paper. I wanted to do a fic that touched on Eddie’s status as a veteran, which isn’t something that often gets touched up in this fandom. It unfortunately was posted late on Veterans Day and was pretty much ignored. I’m not bitter about it, just disappointed.

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention

I had a good deal of fun writing “Quite the Bell Ringer,” as it was just a “firefam” meetup fic. It wasn’t anything special, but I enjoyed it. I’m not surprised it didn’t really hit anyone’s radar, honestly. I just thought it was fun to write, and it was a cute way to write this prompt.

Wrap Up

For my first actual Bingo, I think I was pretty successful. I finished 21 out of 25 prompts, which was honestly more than what most people wrote, as most people chose a 3×3 card, something I didn’t take into consideration when I picked up this challenge. ~~In the future, when the 118 Discord hosts this again (because apparently they will be?), I’ll be sure to only pick a 3×3 card, if only for my sanity.~~ (August 2022 Edit: This will not be happening, see the note above.)

I managed to get seven bingos, two horizontal, two vertical, both diagonals, and the four corners. The four prompts I didn’t get to do were Detective AU, Lifeguard AU, Soulmate AU, and Meet Ugly.

I’m glad that I took part in this challenge, but I’m also glad that it’s done. Mostly because I got hit by burnout after doing this, Whumptober, Advent, and Febuwhump back to back.

If you want to read any of them, they are all up on my AO3 account! ~~Just look for any that are part of the “Remy’s 9-1-1 Bingo 2021” series. They are all in prompt order.~~ (August 2022 edit: The collection has been deleted. If you would like to know which fics are bingo fics, please look at the first comment below. I’ve listed them out in order. Thank you!)

Until next time!

Febuwhump 2022 Wrap Up

April 10, 2022August 7, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

February has come and gone, and with it was Febuwhump! This was my second time participating in Febuwhump, and I had a blast with it (even if I lost steam for a bit due to job search related shenanigans). I’m really happy with how everything came out. Please enjoy this quick little write up about the entire event!

Challenge Overview

Before we get into the major breakdown, let’s go over the full challenge.

Over the course of the challenge, I wrote 29 fics between February 1st and March 1st, 2022.

My total word count for the event was 35,376 words, focused on 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star, with brief crossovers with The Old Guard, Criminal Minds and CSI:NY.

Most Popular by Hits

To my upmost surprise, “Hidden Bruises” has been a fic that consistently gets hits and kudos every day. I was having a very hard time with the prompt for this one, if I remember right. I’m glad that people enjoy it, as it’s my requisite “Buck pushed himself too much #2” fic.

Though the theme of the entire challenge is “whump”, I really wanted to do some lighthearted fics as well. “Accident Prone” is one of them, taking place in a nebulous time after Lone Star 3×04. Just having Carlos both worry over and tease TK was a balm my heart needed.

“Stumbling Out” was a little fic that I came up with at the last moment, as I had just had some bad work-related news. I don’t really remember what was my inspiration behind this, but it worked. I think it got popular simply because it was pretty current to the season.

Most Popular by Kudos

I already have talked about “Hidden Bruises” and “Accident Prone.”

I personally love “His (Head’s) Own Worst Enemy.” It’s probably one of my favorite fics I wrote during February, and I got to make a crack at the lack of care Buck let’s himself get during 5×06. Writing characters that can’t outright describe where they are due to injury is something I love doing, and writing Buck with a head wound is always fun.

All I can really say about “Please Don’t Go” is this. It’s very personal to me, because it’s some of the same thoughts I had when my father died. It was a dark time for me, and wow did it come out on paper for this.

Something I planned early on for Febuwhump was to have a fic with a character in a fever. I decided to place “Fever Guardians” early in Season One, simply because I was doing my rewatch at the time, and wow Buck has had some character growth.

Most Popular by Comments

“How Long? (Check the Clock)” was an absolute blast to write. I’d wanted to do a 5+1 for a while, and this just made it possible. It also helped with me getting over my issues with Chimney this season, and wow am I happy with how this came out. This is one of the best fics I wrote in 2022.

“Kidnapped Away” was an indulgence fic. I’d been quietly planning to write a 9-1-1 Lone Star / CSINY fic for a while now. This is the the beginning to a much larger fic that I really want to work on this year, once I get out of my writing funk. It got a good reception.

“Separated at Birth” is based on a fan theory that popped up right after the character Lucy Donato was announced, and I absolutely ran with it. I’m still happy with it, though the second chapter isn’t as good as I wanted it to be, due to the fact that I ended up rushing it. But it’s a fun non-canon fic.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I already have talked about “Hidden Bruises,” “His (Head’s) Worst Enemy,” “Accident Prone,” “How Long? (Check the Clock),” “Kidnapped Away” and “Fever Guardians.”

Something I’d already planned on doing during the first part of 2022 was write the second chapter to “Rude Wake Up Call”. Chapter 2, called “After” was one that slowly came into being and just happened to work for this challenge. I’m happy with how it came out, and that it has hopefully set up a satisfying conclusion. At some point, anyway.

There’s a lot about Buck’s past that we have only touched upon, and “Cold Shoulder to Thanks” was a story that just poked at one of those times. (Seriously, it’s one of my only peeves with Buck Begins, as it’s more of a Maddie origin story compared to a Buck origin story…). I always figured there were reasons that Buck never stayed anywhere long until joining the LAFD. Here’s a fun answer as to why.

I have no real idea why I made “Misunderstanding on an Epic Scale” as crazy as it ended up being. I did go to Target that day, and I did have an argument with someone in the book section (but it was about me still wearing my mask, which apparently was infringing on this guy’s rights or some other nonsense…). But my brain got weird and this popped out. Go brain?

Length

I already have talked about “How Long? (Check the Clock).”

“Gettin’ Taken for a Hike” is the sequel to one of my favorite fics from Whumptober. I had a lot of fun with this, mostly because I really really wanted to do a sequel to the first fic. It’s somewhat annoying that it didn’t get as much love as I feel like it deserves, but fine, people are lame.

“Learning Boundaries” ended up being the latest in my Criminal Minds/Old Guard/9-1-1 series. I always gave fun adding new stories to it. This one was actually attempt number two, as I ended up having to set aside my first attempt because I completely messed up the timeline. I really enjoyed touching on some of the highlights of Season 3, but adding an immortal twist.

I absolutely wanted to do at least one Bob Evans fic, and “Falling on the Highway” was one of them. I was in a pretty angsty mood when I wrote this, but it’s one of my favorites. I really took the time with every part (and made a fun reference to my county while I did it!). I also put a lot of love in it, and I’m glad that people have read it.

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention

Though I flat out will say that this fic is a bit of a mess, I still loved working on “All the Scars We Cannot See.” And dammit, I’m in love with the title, and I will fight people because of it. It’s a good fic about the consequences of words. (And, fun fact, it was always the fourth fic on each of the categories for above, once the already mentioned fics were removed per category.)

I absolutely had to write a crack fic, and “It’s a Pasta Hostage Situation” is absolutely that. It’s just fun, and I had a good time working on it. Oh, and I got Thin Mints for writing this, so it was absolutely worth it.

One of my other favorite pairings is 4 Alarm Fire, and thus “Burning Hot and Cold” was born. The title is a pun, but wow did I like writing this one. It was supposed to be a text fic that I quickly lost interest in formatting as such, so instead it because a full fic and I think it worked out better like that.

My other Bob Evans fic was “Untriggered Breakdown.” There was a joke running around the Discord was on that everyone was writing breakdowns for Buck and Eddie. So, this was my contribution. I also didn’t plan to write Bob Evans, but I’m glad it kinda happened all on its own.

And finally? “Clowns in School” was the additional prompt, affectionately titled FebuClown. I absolutely had fun writing this, because I got to bitch about Pennywise the Clown. I don’t like clowns, I actively avoid them, and wow was this fic therapeutic.

Wrap Up

Febuwhump was a good show of my writing skills, working with prompts that I normally wouldn’t touch, pairings that aren’t well known or well liked in the fandom. For the most part, everything was very well received and it was a real confidence boost when I needed it. I’m taking a bit of a break from writing right now, for a few reasons. If things work well in April, I’ll probably get back to writing in a few days. (Provided that Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga stops sucking my soul in.)

If you want to read any of them, they are all up on my AO3 account! Just look for any that are part of the “Remy’s Febuwhu m p 2022” series. They are all in prompt order.

Until next time!

Advent Wrap Up

March 26, 2022September 19, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

August 2022 Edit

I’ll be the first to admit that I am beyond behind getting these challenge wrap ups done (I have three total, this is the first). But there is a reason for that.

For context, “Advent” was a holiday-themed challenge hosted by the 118 Discord. I had a blast doing the entire event – to the point that I think I was one of only two people to finish it. I technically was a few days late, but it’s totally cool.

I’ll be following my Whumptober Wrap Up set up, to break down the event in a few different ways. I’ll be touching on some of my favorite fics, as well as the ones that did amazing.

Challenge Overview

Before we get into the major breakdown, let’s go over the full challenge.

Over the course of Advent, I wrote 25 fics between December 1st and December 31st.

My total word count for the event was 32,684 words, focused primarily on 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star, with one crossover with Digimon.

As it’s been three months since the end of the challenge, I’ll be putting up the top three for each section below. However, since there are five that are very popular, I’ll be noting the ones that repeat and then including the next ones until I have three fics per section.

Most Popular by Hits

“A Time to Celebrate” has consistently remained one of the most popular fics I’ve written. It’s a sequel to a fic I wrote for the 9-1-1 Bingo, so I won’t go into too much detail. What I will say is that I wrote this after the 5A finale, though I didn’t mention a few details that came up during that episode. I remember having a time with this fic, as I knew what I wanted to write, but I got lost in my plans and didn’t get to the expected end point. It’s on my list to continue one of these days.

“Buck the Dad Dog” was something I was working on before the Advent challenge, and it just happened to fit the prompt perfectly. I love the idea of Buck having a therapy dog, and Audie wrote herself. This one didn’t give me too much trouble… considering it wouldn’t end. But that’s okay, because it inspired me to write more in this ‘verse.

I can’t explain “The Mistletoe Incident”. I just can’t. It’s one of those fics I think I wrote quickly with no idea what my plan was when I got started. However, I did get a kick out of rereading it so that I could write up this little blurb. I know why it got a lot of views, anyway. Most Buddie fics do.

Most Popular by Kudos

I’ve already talked about “Buck the Dad Dog,” “A Time to Celebrate,” and “The Mistletoe Incident.”

“Surprise Santa Meetings” was one of my first “Chim screwed up and is still blaming Buck” fics. I actually forgot about it, which is hilarious, considering I’m constantly getting kudos for it. I also included my own personal headcanon for where Maddie is, though 5×12 is going to completely destroy it. Whoops. But it’s a good fic in my opinion.

When I started “A Letter to St. Nick.”, I never expected to be writing a fic touching on Buck’s life with his parents, comparing it to how he was helping raise Christopher with Eddie. It ended up being angsty, but I really liked it (and rereading it for the first time in over four months).

“The Results of Snap Decisions” was my attempt to feel better after the downer that was 5×10. (Wow, did I not know what the future held for us.) It’s a good little fic that I really wish the showrunners would have looked at, as it deals with what happens when you make a quick decision without taking into account all the factors. It’s one of the better fics I wrote during December.

Most Popular by Comments

I’ve already talked about “Buck the Dad Dog,” “A Time to Celebrate,” and “Surprise Santa Meetings.”

One of my goals during Advent was to write fics with pairings I normally wouldn’t. “Ornamental Traditions” was one of my first, featuring the pairing of May Grant and Ravi Panikkar, two characters that I think would have some great chemistry. I had a lot of fun with this one actually, which is always good, and the whole point of Advent.

“Audie’s First Christmas” was a continuation of “Buck the Dad Dog”, because I fell in love with having a dog character that was adorable and somewhat sassy. I also wanted to write an actual Christmas dinner with the rest of the characters, similar to 3×10. It’s just a fun, feel good piece, with a dog.

“Cookie Based Distractions” was my first attempt at writing one of the other rare pairs that I fell in love with in this fandom. Bob Evans is the pairing of Buck and Bobby, and it was a blast to give it a go, even if I did have to deal with an idiot trying to “mansplain” why it was wrong. I’ve done a couple more with this pairing (most notably during Febuwhump, post coming soon). And cookies! Cookies are a major feature.

Most Popular by Bookmarks

I’ve already talked about “Buck the Dad Dog,” “A Time to Celebrate,” “The Mistletoe Incident,” “The Results of Snap Decisions,” “Surprise Santa Meetings,” “A Letter to St. Nick,” and “Audie’s First Christmas.”

“Return to Big Bear” was one that I’d had in the back of my head long before Advent. I wanted to see how Buck would react if he had to go back to Big Bear, as the last time he was there was when he was saving Maddie (or, rather, just bringing Maddie home, since she saved herself). This was self-indulgence, but it worked, and I got to write a panic attack and everything.

So… “Stargazing for Christmas Dinner” was one where I saw the prompt and promptly swore. The prompt was “Christmas Dinner”, but I’d written three Christmas dinners by this point (and was well on my way to burnout). I wanted no part in doing another, so I decided to have a bit more fun with it, by featuring something that I really miss doing – stargazing. The problem with living in a highly populated area is that you don’t really get to see the stars…

“Christmas Eve Floods” was a little fic where I was totally burned out, but I really wanted to write sad!Buck. And thus, I flooded his apartment and didn’t edit the fic. It was a good little fic, but it never really got looked at surprisingly.

Length

I’ve already talked about “A Time to Celebrate,” “Buck the Dad Dog,” and “A Letter to St. Nick.” Seeing a pattern yet?

I really wanted to do a 4Alarm fic, so “Announced via Ugly Sweater” was born. I also have never understood why ugly sweaters are a thing, so that absolutely came through in the prose. But it was fun to write, since trying to really get four characters at the same time is somewhat difficult. But I really enjoyed it (and I wish others had as well).

“A History Defined by Christmas Crackers” was a fun one, since I actually managed to throw in a bit of the cooking lessons I was being taught. I’ve never really been able to get my hands onto real Christmas crackers, so most everything I used was from Google or Harry Potter fanfiction. But it was still a lot of fun.

With “Yule Log Apology Cakes,” I wanted to write a possible reason for Chimney to have been suck a dick to Buck, both in canon and in the previous fic to this one. I really liked how this one came out, and in a way helped me get over my issues with Chimney (or at least, began to).

My Favorites That Didn’t Get a Mention

I’m still kinda mad that this one has been mostly overlooked. “The Well Worn Path to Together” is a Tuck fic, that being the pairing of TK and Buck. It’s all soft and wonderful and I spent a good deal of time learning about Hanukkah for this one. I really enjoyed how well this came out, even if it is still the only (or maybe one of the few) fics that didn’t even get a single comment.

“Digi Christmas Morning” is the third of my 9-1-1/Digimon series that I’ve been doing. It’s the required Christmas fic, along with the required engagement fic. I liked this one because it was a great way to end Advent without being too heavy. And it’s Digimon, so nothing can go wrong there.

Wrap Up

Advent was a process. Like I said at the top, I was only one of two people to finish the full thing, which was fine because the point was to at least do one prompt. I took a few extra days to complete everything. But I will say this: while I’m happy with what I came up with, I was honestly really glad when it was over. I felt so drained by the end.

It also didn’t help that I went directly from that into finishing the bingo and then into Febuwhump… but those are posts for the next few days.

If you want to read any of them, they are all up on my AO3 account! Just look for any that were posted in December 2021. They are all in prompt order.

Until next time!

A Disappointing Advent – Blogmas 2021

December 10, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’ve mentioned it before, a lot actually, that I’m doing an Advent fic challenge for the month of December (because of course I am). I’m not to the halfway point yet, but I did notice something and I wanted to talk about it.

One of my biggest goals during this challenge was to focus on non-traditional pairings in the 9-1-1 fandom universe. I wanted to branch off and try something different, which is something I’m normally never comfortable with.

At this point of the month, I’ve posted ten fics. Two have gotten a good reception. The rest? Well, mostly ignored.

I knew this going into December. Writing a pairing that isn’t one of the canon pairings (or the one pairing that everyone wants to be canon) basically means that only fans of that pairing will touch it. It doesn’t matter how good the writing is, or how well the summary is written, or if the tags intrigue the readers. If it’s not one of like four pairings, it won’t get noticed.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a let down. I know that several of the fics I wrote this time weren’t the best, including one of the two that is getting a great reception. But I was hoping for more. And it’s sad.

I just wanted to do something different, something that would be more creative and would let me focus on characters I normally wouldn’t touch. And it’s not working.

I took a risk this December, and I’m not sure if it’s gonna pay off.

…

There is another reason, though. One that I didn’t want to consider, until I sat back and looked at the situation with the Discord.

There are several of us writing fics that aren’t getting noticed, which is opposite from how Whumptober went. Now, I know that part of it is oversaturation, as we wrote a lot of fic. But the other part…

We’ve been critical of several plot lines this season.

I’ve mentioned in my episode reviews for 9-1-1 season five that there have been several storyline choices this year that don’t really work, or are just plain awful. The biggest one, of course (excluding the final moments of 5×10) was when Chim punched Buck. Hell, Chim’s whole storyline this season, now that I think about it. I’ve been very vocal about how punching Buck was over the line, as well as Chim taking his daughter to chase after Maddie, after Maddie told him to not follow after her. (I’ll do a detailed post about this issue and the fallout later, as it’s something I can dedicate some actual time to.)

Several of my fics this December have either made mention to this storyline (and have my feelings towards it), or I’ve outright stated it in the author’s notes. I’m not going to lie and say that may have had an effect on the readers.

It’s something I didn’t consider until this evening, working on the fic for prompt 11, which I’m using as a sequel to my Paramedic!Buck story I wrote during November (I’ll talk more about that in the coming weeks, when I get into my Bingo card). I had written a line that basically made Chim not come out very nicely, and I don’t regret it. And now of course that line will affect the new story… and I’m okay with that. It may not be the popular choice, but it’s my choice.

Like I said, I’m somewhat disappointed with how some of my advent fics are being received. Maybe in the future, that might change.

Fingers crossed.

Until next time!