The Finish-a-thon approaches

[kerravonsen]

Okay, I'm planning to participate in the finish-a-thon (at multific) this year, rather than attempt the au_bigbang like I did last year.

But I don't want to make it too stressful, either, because my Muse vanishes when that happens. Still, I'm pondering what I might do that is more fun than dutiful. Of course, as ever, I have more plot bunnies than I know what to do with... but some are more solid than others.

Here are the leading contenders:

Fandom: Harry Potter
Description: AU. What if Harry had taken refuge in the library as a child, and read a lot of SF/F books? How would he interpret his accidental magic? (Based on the premise in "Harry Potter The Arch Magus" by DragonBard)
I'm hoping that I can approach this one with more fun than I have been lately. Of course, it could bite me because I'm not really sure what will happen once Harry gets to Hogwarts, nor at what point to finish the story. But it is a fun idea.

Fandom: Doctor Who
Description: "By Any Other Name" - a complete rewrite of my earlier finish-a-thon story of the same title. Yet another "Parting of the Ways" AU, involving pocket watches, Jack's two-year gap in his memory, Romana, Rose, self-sacrifice... and stuff. And no Bad Wolf.
I've been putting this rewrite off so long that I think it needs a finish-a-thon boost.

I'm not putting up my Draco Time-Travel story because it was for the AU BigBang and while the rules of the finish-a-thon allow you to have one unfinished-in-another-ficathon story, I personally count "By Any Other Name" in that quota. Not to mention that I have writer's block on the Draco story too.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Buffy
Description: "You Can't Go Home Again": Sequel to "Doesn't Look Like A Hell Dimension" (see http://www.katspace.org/stories/Kathryn_Andersen/Doesnt_Look_Like_A_Hell_Dimension) in which Buffy and the Doctor have adventures and stuff.
This one is suffering from writer's block; I know where I want to go, but I can't get there.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Blake's 7
Description: Another "Cally and the Doctor" story. (See http://www.katspace.org/fiction/stories/Cally_Doc/ for other stories in this AU crossover universe) Probably their first adventure together.
It would be nice to get back to this universe. I'd have to rewatch the Ninth Doctor and B7 to get in the groove, but that wouldn't be a hardship.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Stargate
Description: The further adventures of Samantha Carter and the 10th Doctor. Sequel to "Tempus Fugit" (see http://www.katspace.org/stories/Kathryn_Andersen/Tempus_Fugit)
I have a start for this; I've written a scene where they meet up again. Unfortunately, I have no idea what happens after that, which means I probably shouldn't put it up, because I will have no hope of finishing it if I don't know what the end is supposed to be.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Highlander
Description: "Unhuman Nature"; Ten and Methos have a chat after *Human Nature*.
A contender because I don't imagine it would be very long; just a bit of a missing scene and character stuff.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Highlander
Description: Sequel to Jinxed Wood's "The Choice" (see http://jinxed-wood.livejournal.com/89401.html) (yes, I have permission) Romana enlists Methos's aid in searching for the Key to Time, so that she can restore Gallifrey. (This ignores "The End of Time", obviously)
I'd have to rewatch a lot of stuff to get into the mindset of these characters, but they're fun characters to play with.

Fandom: Doctor Who/Sapphire & Steel
Description: Time is out of joint. Both the (5th) Doctor and Sapphire & Steel investigate, and are caught up in its coils. (inspired by the dream described at http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/162925.html)
This one deserves to be written, but the ideas are fading fading fading.

Fandom: Labyrinth
Description: Jareth is put under a curse, and Sarah is the only one who can save him.
This one started off well, but it's come to a halt, partly because my thoughts on the next parts of the story are too vague. Why isn't writing easy?

Fandom: Blake's 7
Description: Butterfly Effect #4; an alternative "Power"; Avon and Cally and the Seska.
This has been a very long-neglected series. I had ideas for this story, but the approach wasn't working.

Fandom: Blake's 7/Highlander
Description: Winning is the Only Safety #3 -- Avon looks for a teacher
Another long-neglected series. This particular story has had more than one false start, and I'm not really sure what to do with it.

Fandom: Harry Potter
Description: AU. Snape's shade, dying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, goes back in time and warns his past self.
For this one, I wish I could just write the first scene and the last scene and skip all the stuff in-between.

Fandom: Doctor Who
Description: AU. The Master (Jacobi!Utopia!Master, not Jacobi!Shalka!Master) is injured, on the run, in the Doctor's stolen TARDIS. It materializes, and the Master staggers out... in front Jo Grant. He regenerates into Simm!Master - but he has regeneration amnesia. Jo naturally thinks he is the Doctor, and behaves accordingly. A redemption-of-the-Master story.
This one I got a certain distance and then got stuck. (That seems to be becoming somewhat of a refrain in this list!) Why do I keep on thinking of fun ideas that are so hard to execute properly?

Fandom: Harry Potter
Description: AU. Severus Snape/Hermione Granger. My own take on the "Marriage Law" and "Yenta Livery Company" challenges.
I've figured out how to get them married. However, since it takes place during an AU 6th/7th year, Voldemort is still out there, and I haven't a clue as to how they're going to deal with that, so it's pretty much dead in the water.

Fandom: Harry Potter/Highlander
Description: AU. Methos unexpectedly discovers the Wizarding World, during the events of Chamber of Secrets.
I've figured out the start and end of the plot, but the middle is blank. And it feels as if it will be a very long story, seeing as it is supposed to be an AU for CoS.

Fandom: Harry Potter
Description: Post-Voldemort. EWE. SSHG. One of those stories where Hermione is an animagus, Snape encounters her in her animal form but thinks she's someone's familiar.
Just an idea at this point, but it's an idea I'd like to try, because I've seen this trope done more than once, and what usually happens is that Hermione carries on the deception and then it all goes pear-shaped when he finds out. That seems out of character to me, for Hermione; I'd like to see what happens in a situation where she anonymously confesses the next day that what he thought was a familiar was an animagus.

So... that's sixteen ideas, which I'd like to cut down to between three and ten... what do you think?

Comments

[kalypso]

Well, as you know, I really would love to see more of Jo and the Master, but if it's stuck it's stuck. I'm also drawn to "By Any Other Name", because I like your Rose better than the one on screen. And I'm keen on an alternative to "Power" - I think I've missed earlier instalments of this so I must go and look when I've time - because that was an episode with so much potential which was written so badly, and I want someone to put things right.

[estirose]

Ah, plotbunnies and WIPs. Working on trimming down a list of those for finish-a-thon, myself.

Anyway, from examining what you said (and in one case a bit of pure selfishness on my part), here are the ones that sound like they might be the least stressful/most fun:

* "By Any Other Name" sounds like you're mostly procrastinating on it and could be one of the easier ones to finish.
* The "Cally and the Doctor" story. If reviewing canon is the biggest thing you have to do, it might be an easy one to put on the poll.
* "Unhuman Nature", as you mention, might be relatively easy to complete.
* The 5th Doctor/Sapphire and Steel one. Now, I admit I'd like to see this one (just got into Sapphire and Steel), but it sounds like this one is less writer's block than lack of motivation from what you're saying here as well.
* The "Hermione is an Animagus" one also sounds like it might be feasable, and it sounds like an interesting trope to play with.

I hope this gives you some help.

[kerravonsen]

"By Any Other Name" sounds like you're mostly procrastinating on it and could be one of the easier ones to finish.

Yes, I think so. Basically, I'm ripping out Jack's entire backstory and putting in something completely different, but the "front" story will be basically the same. This means I'll have to figure out a slightly different ending to it, but I'll worry about that when I get there.

The "Cally and the Doctor" story. If reviewing canon is the biggest thing you have to do, it might be an easy one to put on the poll.

Actually, no... because the reviewing of canon would also help in giving me an idea of what the heck to do with them... oh dear.

The 5th Doctor/Sapphire and Steel one. Now, I admit I'd like to see this one (just got into Sapphire and Steel), but it sounds like this one is less writer's block than lack of motivation from what you're saying here as well.

Well, not exactly. Because it is inspired by a dream, that means I have bits and pieces of scenes that I'd like to do for it, and I have to piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle. Which is definitely not how I normally write; I'm normally much more structured and linear. But being non-linear and atmospheric is probably the best way to approach writing Sapphire & Steel, which probably explains why I've never written S&S before. But it also explains the urgency in writing it, because all the atmospheric bits have faded as the memory of the dream has faded.

The "Hermione is an Animagus" one also sounds like it might be feasable, and it sounds like an interesting trope to play with.

I think I'm more attracted to the "Harry Reads SF" one as far as "fun to play with" goes. But I do keep on getting these plot-bunnies which are prompted by seeing a trope and wanting to twist it in a different direction.

[watervole]

Master = Jo Grant.

Dr Who + stargate

Dr who + Sapphire and Steel.

[dreamflower02.livejournal.com]

My hopes are for the "Tempus Fugit" sequel, the "You Can't Go Home Again" sequel, and the HP/Highlander crossover with Methos.

Can you tell I like your crossovers?

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

The "By Any Other Name" rewrite, the Sapphire & Steel crossover, and the DW/SG-1 continuation would be my votes. :) Although most of them sound cool, and all but the Highlander ones I would read.