still waters run deep

I can hardly believe it's been over a year (closer to two than one!) since I last posted a story link here. Sheeeeeeesh.

It's been a hell of a year-and-change, for more than the obvious reasons. I got laid off (I'm employed again now, thank heavens) and my younger brother died from lung cancer. My friend's husband of little over a year died unexpectedly too. Two funerals during COVID that weren't COVID-related. I suppose I'm grateful for that much.

I have three Bridget Jones fics in progress, but being so stressed out, my enthusiasm for writing was, perhaps understandably, at a low.

Back in May of 2019, I was digging through my hard drive, found then posted an older Star Trek: TNG story—and by "old" I mean "from 24 years ago"—that I'd written but apparently never shared publicly back in the day. You can find it on AO3 (and on FF.net, but formatting is better on AO3, so read it there).

[Being a TNG fan is probably helpful, but probably not totally necessary to read and enjoy. I focus on character stories, relationships, and motivations, not space battles and science fiction technobabble. (Not that there's anything wrong with those things!) And I have a tendency to explain some of the more esoteric things for those with a passing familiarity.]

One of the highlights of my year was Star Trek: Picard, and while I enjoyed it very much (seeing Data, Will, and Deanna again was like spending time with old friends), there was one very notable absence to me.

…so what do we do, kids, when canon doesn't serve what you want? You make it yourself. Hence the icon.

Title: Per Ardua Ad Astra (Latin for "through adversity to the stars")
Rating: M
Words: ~24K
Summary: Beverly Crusher emerges from a nine-month isolation to discover a lot has happened. (So many spoilers for ST:P season 1.)

As of this post, two chapters are up, two chapters and the epilogue remain.

When I'm done wrangling this, I'll revisit my Bridget fics. *brightly* Hopefully they're not utter crap!

Have no idea if anyone's even reading here anymore, but if your eyes are skimming over this, I hope you're well wherever you are in the world.

More than a month since I posted last? That is blowing my mind.

Been busy with RL stuff--work releases and real life planning of things--but eking out story bit by it. I ended up splitting the story into two at a natural breaking point, but I'm still not sure. First story is just over 60.5K words, and I've already re-read it. Second part, which is still in progress, though nearly done, is ~36.8K words. I haven't been so nervous about prepping to post a fic in a while. Will anyone read it (so long!)? Will anyone like it? I'm fond of it, but I'm a bit biased.

Hope you are all doing well, peeps.

I have still been writing, but man, I've been busy. Current work in progress is 44,220 and I think I started it just after the new year. Chock full of pain and angst. Whee! I can't believe it's March. How is it March*? (* I ALMOST TYPED 'MARK'.)

Hope that you all had a lovely holiday break, whichever it is you celebrate, or don't. I'm cool with you just celebrating the lengthening of the days again. I certainly do.

I was suuuuper busy at work before this week, and suuuuper busy this week taking care of a sick partner, with a smattering of buying, then returning, a new-to-me computer (transferring things to it, then back, very time-consuming). I have managed to get some writing done--finished the story I've been working on--but whether I'll be able to post it before year end *looks at calendar, laughs, cries* is anyone's guess. Gonna try to at least get the first chapter up.

Hope things are rocking in your world. Be well, peeps.

So. Close. To. Finishing: 43,576!

Happy Thanksgiving to my peeps in the USA.

(More for me than anything.) Well, got the foot shot up with cortisone in the hopes that it would reduce the swelling in my foot's nerves and make me a little less gimpy, but thus far it still hurts (though in a different way) and has a large tender bruise on the top. Meh.

Not much progress in the writing arena... finished the olive branch story. Hah. I talked about posting that deleted scene, then never did. D'oh.

Enjoying the thought of not having to get up early tomorrow morning, though!

So I've gotten some nice feedback on The Owl, which makes me pleased if not happy. The most touching was on Fanfiction dot net (here) from Blanca, who lost her husband to cancer and... well, it touched me beyond words, and I only wish I could have replied to her; she left no way to contact her in return. Maybe she'll see this? I hope. Thank you. (And to Drsuebee, I haven't "killed him off too... here"; that's what AUs are for! :) )

Anyway, I have written a couple of new shorter stories post-MATB with Wallaker (who has grown on me, though will never replace Mark in my heart of hearts), which I'll probably post soon. Am now writing the inevitable what-if-Mark-hadn't-died AU, which makes me feel like I'm giving a long, lingering hug to a friend I haven't seen in a while. It's weird to think of Mark as nearly 60 in the present day. O_o

We have a title for the story, at last. \o
(I re-read and realized that the steroids I was taking for the ear thing may have affected my, er, smut writing.)

We have a second, finished story... with no title. /o\

We have a third story in progress! \o/

We have carpet cleaners coming on Wednesday. \o\ /o/
(Me, running around like hair's on fire, so probably I won't get to post just yet.)