Oldest WIP is finished and posting has begun!

[dbskyler]

I can hardly believe it, but I have FINISHED my oldest, and longest, WIP!

I started this fic so long ago, I'm not even sure how old it is, but after poking around on my computer's hard drive, I think I began it in 2001. OMG, that was a long time ago! It's also my longest fic, coming in at over 26,500 words.

The fandom is the 1969 version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Not many people know it -- it qualifies for Yuletide -- but even so, I am beyond thrilled to have this finished and finally posted to the world.

First chapter is now up, and the rest will be posted at the rate of about one chapter per day (the fic is 8 chapters long). If you're interested, you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15216503

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

I have already read the first bit now, but w00t! Yay! Well done! *\o/*

[eve11]

Me too! I am not familiar at all with the fandom but I got the gist of it and enjoyed it very much & bookmarked :)

[dbskyler]

Wow, I'm so excited you enjoyed it even without knowing the fandom! But of course my first thought is, if you enjoy reading about these characters, you really ought to check out the show. Here, try one of the episodes out: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6fs6ii

[dbskyler]

Thanks for checking the fic out, and thanks for the congratulations -- it feels pretty great! And AO3 exists now to post it in and everything! I remember there was some old R&H fanfic repository that I used to read, and I was going to post it there, but I couldn't even tell you how to find it now. Most likely it's long gone.

[thisbluespirit]

Probably! Some of it might be on the Wayback Machine or something, though. And it's a good fic, anyway, so the pleasure is mine. :-)

[eve11]

Woot! Congratulations! That's awesome. Such a great feeling to finish something!

Also, hey, it must be the season for it :) But you've got me beat; the one I'm finally updating again is (a) still not finished and (b) only from early 2011.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw that you've updated Principal Components! Congratulations on getting back into writing that one! I'm excited to read it, and excited to have an excuse to go back and re-read the earlier chapters.

[eve11]

Thanks! I didn't realize (or possibly forgot; it has been years) you were reading it! :D

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't think I left you a review. I remember enjoying it, though! I have a special fondness for hurt/comfort, and you hit the sweet spot of a hurt Doctor who is still extremely competent. Plus, statistics! ;) Anyway, I'm hoping to be able to settle down and do some re-reading soon, and I promise to review this time.

[eve11]

Oh, no obligation. I swear I'm not fishing for compliments; I'm just super excited. And thanks!

Yeah, my take on writing this story was basically, "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right." A major theme is that you are not defined by what is taken from you; the core of yourself is always there--possibly indeed the principal components of who you are, though there is also serendipitously a statistical technique by the same name that is associated with organizing data along its own intrinsic orthogonal axes. I . . . get a lot of mileage out of math metaphors.

[aralias.livejournal.com]

AMAZING!!!

well done for finishing it.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

The crazy thing is, when I finally came back to it, I discovered it was a lot closer to being finished than I'd thought. There was a big scene that I thought I'd have to write, but it turned out I'd already written it! I honestly hadn't remembered. But on the other hand, it was really nice to be honestly motivated to finish it instead of slogging my way to the end, which I think is how I felt about it the last time I left off.

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with everyone! Congrats for finishing! It's nice to be able to tick something off.

I actually do know Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)! Funny the things you learn when you are a fan of British actors... I know exactly one episode, the one with David Tennant in it. That was - weird ;) But yeah, I know a lot of British stuff through him or others, and then you find more familiar faces, as the acting pool seems to be very small. I always think it must be like a class reunion if they all meet on a new production.

"Spot the guy that was in Doctor Who" is also a nice game ;)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- I do feel great about it!

And yes, David Tennant was in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), but he appeared in the 2000 remake, not the 1969 original series. I actually have to struggle to remember he was in it, because he does such a great acting job, it really doesn't seem like him! But speaking of Doctor Who connections, the remake also featured Tom Baker in a recurring role. : )

"Spot the guy that was in Doctor Who" is always a great game!

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Ah, I hadn't known that there were two series with the same name. I learnt something today.

So I assume your fic is about the original? Might qualify for another "first in fandom" then!
I have just started my second Bodyguards fic... recommended the series to a new friend on Twitter, was excited that she loved it instantly and ended up watching it again, which got me inspired...

I don't remember much of DT's episode either and probably understood only half of it, but it was weird and amazing at the same time. He really is great in everything he does, and so different each time.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

No, there are a few other fics from the fandom on AO3, including one that was gifted to me for my very first Yuletide, so it's not a "Be the First" contender. But still a rare fandom.

That's awesome that you're about to Be the Second with Bodyguards, and that you've recruited a new fan to the fandom! Well done!

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Yesterday I started to watch "Harrow" because of Ioan Gruffudd, and I liked it very much and went to search for fic, but there are none to find... do I have to do everything myself here?!?
I guess it's just not well-known which is a pity. I like it. I'm still sad about "Forever" ending, but this is a good replacement. And he is again a medical examiner.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I’m impressed that you finished! I have ancient WIPs that I intended to finish and never did, despite good intentions, so it’s great to see someone else wrapping one up.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Yes, it can happen! But it was a very disjointed process. There were periods of time when I worked on it, then I would put it away and literally not even think about it for years. But at least I always knew it was possible to finish it, as I had worked out the major plot points when I first started. It was just hard to keep going on it because of its length, because I wasn't sure if anyone would ever actually want to read it (small fandom), and because I became distracted by writing other fanfic with a more immediate reward.

There's another type of WIP, the "I really don't know what happens next" type, that is a different challenge to finish. I have one of those, too, but I'm now inspired to go back and try tackling it.