2015 in review

[extrapenguin]

Now that 2015 is done, I'll do some retrospective thinking on 2015.

In 2015, I found a few new fandoms (Rivers of London, Imperial Radch, Goblin Emperor), and re-joined Fandom properly after taking most of 2014 off due to The Busy. I did well in my studies, got a long-term summer job as a research assistant (and maybe eventual PhD student if I play my cards right), and acquired a dishwasher, which saved my sanity. I wrote a total of over 27k words over 21 works,

Ficwise, the top 3 in some categories:
Hits
Jane Doe in a Cardboard Box (Rivers of London, accidental baby acquisition)
The Red Queen of Sergyar (Vorkosigan, my cracky speculation fic on what Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen won't be like)
vfgbbekzh (Monitoring the Teens) (Vorkosigan, epistolatory-ish where Tumblr has come to Barrayar and there are fangirls on it)
...I don't understand fandom. Surely I have written things that look more interesting? Wouldn't the RoL fandom be more interested in In the Deep?

Kudos
Lady of the Sea (Rivers of London, casefic for Yuletide)
Jane Doe in a Cardboard Box
vfgbbekzh (Monitoring the Teens)
Okay, vfgbbekzh is hilarious, so I can see where the kudos are comin from, but Lady of the Sea is there on Yuletide spirit. I've written better stuff.

Comment threads
vfgbbekzh (Monitoring the Teens)
Daughter of Fishes (Imperial Radch, fluffy fic for Yuletide)
Lady of the Sea
...Okay, fandom. Why. vfgbbekzh created a load of squee, and thus lots of comments, but the other two are there on Yuletide spirit.

Also, vfgbbekzh has 3 subscriptions, and 2 people have subscribed to me!

Fics of mine I like most, 2015 edition:
Not Victorious and Rather Nonstellar (E for Effort) (Incompetent Time-Travelling Saxophone Haters) [funny, worked in actual science]
Sing the Song of Future Power (Kalevala) [best poetry award, also queering of traditional mythos]
In the Deep (Rivers of London) [casefic-lite with Finnish mythology and thus international comparative thaumaturgy]
The Red Queen of Sergyar (Vorkosigan) [unrepentant Cordelia-centric crack]
The Vorish Class (Vorkosigan) [equid-adjacent casefic with my two OCs for outsider POV, and also Vorparadijs]

Seeing as philomytha didn't make a 2014 Bujold Fest, I took over, and the 2015 Bujold Fest produced some fic. I'll make a new one next year, and maybe advertise it a bit more. (Read: PM advertisements to everyone who requested Vorkosigan saga this Yuletide.)

I also discovered how to Yuletide properly (write assignment, then write treats). My Kalevala poem, Sing the Song of Future Power, had an awesome reception, from which I can safely say that the best way to Win Yuletide is to write poetry in Madness. I also wrote some dirtybadwrong porn (The Hand That Takes) that I'm actually happy about, and even managed to convert the recip to the Simon/Negri ship!

Based on both Yuletide and other experiences, I decided to sign up for as many exchanges as possible in 2016. fandom_stocking  is still going on, and I've signed up for Chocolate Box. I've just heard of space_swap , and if it gets off the ground, I'll sign up. (Oh ten billion obscure SF book canons of my heart, how I want fic for you.)