Fortress Of Merriment

Time to wrap up 2025! ☺️

As always, all stats are only for stories/poems that have been posted to AO3, Dreamwidth and LJ. They do not include original stories I wrote or fanfic/poems not yet posted.

I wrote 20 stories with a total word count of 44,837. Top pairings were Frank/Adam, Clark/Bruce and Bruce/Dick at 5 fanworks apiece.

I didn't think I would be writing any comics-based fandoms this year, but I did manage to write a Clark/Bruce story in the spring, and then it was fall.

As any reader of this journal knows, Halloween is my favorite holiday. 🎃 I always try to write something for it. I wasn't sure if I would have anything this year, then wham! I received total inspiration, mostly Bruce/Dick, and my one Marvel-based story starred Natasha/Pepper. I also let Frank/Adam of Naked City have some fun. 🎃

I also managed to write a Clex Thanksgiving story and 3 Christmas stories.

I finally loosened a logjam with Book IV of my Bruce/Dick Edwardian AU, The Raven And The Nightingale: The Phantom Of The Ballet, and began posting in the fall. I got sidetracked by the holidays and writing fic for that, and one of my goals for 2026 is to get back on track with that series, especially since I started writing Book V! 📝 ☺️

My other goal will be to edit and post a long queue of fic/poems that I wrote with a burst of creativity but had no time to put online.

Despite being an obscure fandom, I will be continuing to write in the Naked City fandom in 2026. The show works for me, as it's set in the early 1960s, an appealing era to me, and the May/December nature of the Frank/Adam romance. I'd like to explore the age gap as well as what it means to be a cop in this era in New York City. This is a new twist for me, excepting Bruce/Dick, but there's many layers to that onion! 🧅 ☺️

Number of stories since 2006: 872

Word count since 2006: 2,296,078

Let's hope creativity rules in 2026! 🍾 🍸 ☺️ 🍸 🍾

Cross-posted: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1603182.html

Happy New Year to all! 🧨 🎇 🎉

So, Christmas went well. Lots of good food, good company and wonderful presents! 🎁 ☺️ 🎁 And Happy Boxing Day! 🥊 ☺️ 🥊

Yikes, lots of things to do next week, though the tree stays up until after New Year's. Still, the day after I'll probably start swapping out knickknacks and putting away stuff. Luckily the presents are put away. Just leaving my calendars under the tree. I got Peanuts, Puppies and Bird calendars. ☺️

I'll start gathering my thoughts in fic wrap-up for the year. Should be interesting. ☺️

It snowed last night, so a White Christmas for us! Yay! We had snow but it disappeared a few days ago when the weather warmed up and it rained, so nice to see about an inch on the trees and ground. 🎄 ☺️ 🎄

Finished my regular housecleaning for today. More cleaning tomorrow as I'm having company over for Christmas. Don't want dust 🐇🐇. 😄

Don't be surprised to see some Halloween icons mixed in with the Christmas ones. I didn't have the full package back then so am planning using some spooky ones. Just having fun! 🎃

Title: The New Frontier VII: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (1/1)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: Lucas 'Snapper' Carr, Diana Prince, Clark/Bruce, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Linda Danvers, Barry Allen, Roy Harper, J'onn J'onzz, Various Unnamed JLAers and Teen Titans
Fandom:DC Comics
Genres: Fluff, Historical, Holiday
Series Notes: Well, it's no secret that I absolutely love Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier. As I read it I got all sorts of ideas, and will collect them under the title ofThe New Frontier. Stories could range from slash to gen and het. ☺️ I'd like to focus on many different characters within the framework of The New Frontier universe, or use it as a jumping-off point. All stories can be found here.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Th Silver Age JLA throws a Christmas party December 24, 1961.
Original DW/LJ Date Of Completion: November 14, 2025
Original DW/LJ Date Of Posting: December 22, 2025
Disclaimer; I don't own 'em, DC Comics does, more's the pity.
Original DW/LJ Word Count: 2140
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author's Notes: The two TV shows mentioned in this story actually did broadcast Christmas episodes on Christmas Eve (Christmas At the 53rd (1x15); Gabrielle (3x14)). These were the days of TV seasons that were 39 episodes long, so there were no winter hiatuses. Also, no Rudolph cartoon yet (that would premiere in 1964) but he became famous from a song sung by Johnny Marks in 1949 based upon a poem written by Robert L. May in 1939.

( It felt cozy in here. While it snowed outside, it was all warmth and light and laughter in this room. )

This story can also be read on AO3.

Cross-posts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1601405.html

November was a busy month. ☺️

( Details behind the cut )

Cross-posts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1595622.html

"Sunday, December 7, 1941, a day that will live in infamy..."

On a quiet Sunday morning, the bombs fell, and the United States entered World War II, 84 years ago today.

🇺🇲 🥺 🇺🇲

Cross-posts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1601844.html

Title: The Raven And The Nightingale Book IV: The Phantom Of The Ballet (7/24)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Bruce/Dick (Dick does not appear in this chapter), Danny Endicott
Fandom: DC Comics
Genres: Angst, AU, Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Rating (this chapter): G
Warnings (this chapter): None
Spoilers: None
General Summary: During his estrangement from Dick, Bruce searches for a former lover in Boston. Meanwhile, is the Gotham Ballet Company performing in a haunted theater in the same city?
Chapter Summary: Bruce follows a lead and reunites with an old friend.
Original DW/LJ Date Of Completion: April 12, 2022
Original DW/LJ Date Of Posting: November 25, 2025
Disclaimer; I don't own 'em, DC Comics does, more's the pity.
Original DW/LJ Word Count: 1416
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
The entire series can be found here.

( He noticed an apple orchard in the distance and walked down the sandy path. )

This story can also be read on AO3.

Title: A Very Kent Thanksgiving (1/1)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: Clark/Lex, Jonathan/Martha
Fandom: Smallville
Genres: Fluff, Holiday, Slice-Of-Life
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: On Thanksgiving Day, Lex truly appreciates a Kent-style holiday.
Original DW/LJ Date Of Completion: November 7, 2025
Original DW/LJ Date Of Posting: November 20, 2025
Disclaimer; I don't own 'em, Marvel and Paramount do, more's the pity.
Original DW/LJ Word Count: 785
Feedback welcome and appreciated.

( The smells of cooking and baking permeated the Kent farmhouse, soothing Lex as he set the dining room table with the good silverware from the corner hutch. )

This story can also be read on AO3.

Cross-posts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1600104.html