A grab bag of fandom and life things

[sholio]

I got some new comments on Navy Cross, the Agent Carter story I wrote back in 2016 in which Jack is exposed to lethal doses of radiation (contains no actual character death, due to handwavy MCU science), and I reread it and really enjoyed it. I genuinely think I did some of my best writing in that fandom. (Also, now that I've experienced a major health crisis, I think it's kind of hilarious how I nailed my own emotional reactions to it almost exactly in that story - I don't think there's anything I would write differently now.)

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sheron reminded me that Biggles, even in middle age, is canonically a bit of a hottie. From Biggles Goes Alone:

Her name was Vera Harrington. A vivacious brunette with a ready smile, quick-witted, always well dressed and neatly groomed, she was undeniably attractive, so it was easy to understand why Paul was obviously more than a little interested in her. According to Gower she had for a time worked in London as a model, but having decided she preferred a country life she had returned to her mother, who had a house in the village and at that time was still alive. Biggles knew her well by sight, but had never spoken to her, Paul having pointedly declined to make the introduction.

He's the guy you don't introduce your girl to. XD

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It's been a bit of an animal-lite summer so far, but as well as the moose, I heard a pair of boreal owls calling while I was out walking around yesterday evening (or maybe 1 owl, or 12 owls, it was sort of hard to tell because the call was deceptive and seemed to be coming from all over). I've occasionally heard them very far away - it's a unique call that sounds absolutely nothing like an owl, a yodeling sound (Orion said he thinks they sound like Muppets XD) - but this was by far the closest I've ever heard them. I spent some time trying to see if I could see them, because apparently they're rarely seen; they're a small, shy, nocturnal owl, and it would be really neat to see one. Alas, wherever it/they were, it wasn't close enough to see. But that was neat! Boreal owls use woodpecker holes for nests, and we've had a ton of those around lately due to the leaf-miner-related aspen die-off, so it makes sense that a pair might be nesting around here.

I saw and heard great horned owls quite a bit early in the spring, so evidently it's a good owl year.

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I decided to sign up for a field sketching class in July. This is kind of a gamble, because I'm having to go out of town a lot for family stuff right now (aging parents and health/life/etc issues, nothing really bad, but they need me around a lot more than they used to). I have decided to cross my fingers and gamble that I can get two uninterupted weeks in the middle of July. TBH I think they'll be willing to work with me on this, because they know they've been imposing on me a bit lately.

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That being said, though, my trips out of town this spring have really helped a lot with the burnout that crashed down on me like a ton of bricks in the middle of winter, and I'm writing much more easily. I'm really looking forward to reveals for both fluffityfluffexchange and hurtcomfortex, I'm also signed up for justmarriedexchange and summerofhorrorexchange. Fingers crossed this isn't too much, but so far it hasn't been, and it's nice to be back in the exchange ecosystem again.

Comments

[yalumesse]

Not that I'm the least bit biased, but I loved your Agent Carter fics and I was sad when that fandom faded out after season 2 ended.

I think I read Navy Cross when you first wrote it, but only the once. It's damn good :)

Field sketching sounds fun? I'm not entirely sure what it is. My first thought was like life drawing, going out to some pretty landscape and and sketching it, but I think I'm wrong.

Very glad your burnout seems over <3

[philomytha]

Those fighter pilots are well known to be devastatingly attractive! And I think it's in Sets A Trap that a woman asks what Biggles's interest in her boyfriend is :-DDD

I hope the field sketching works out and is a good break for you. And all the exchanges - I didn't sign up for Just Married in the end but there may be treats or just fic inspired by some of the prompts...

[lunabee34]

Those owls sound so cool. I looked out the window this morning and a deer was nibbling the shrubs up against the house. LOL

I agree that you did some awesome writing in the Gateverse--some of my favorite fics of all time.

[leesa_perrie]

So cool to hear those owls, maybe one day you'll catch a glimpse of one of them! I hope you get to do the sketching class in July, sounds like something you'll enjoy!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I love your Agent Carter fics! That's a particularly good one, too.

I have only ever seen owls at zoos, aviaries, or bird shows (Ren fests and the like).

I hope you can do the field sketching class without problems! And I'm glad you had your trips and are finding writing easier.

[osprey_archer]

Ooooh, a field sketching class sounds like so much fun! I hope you get to go and that you have a wonderful time.