spacetimeconundrum

Happy 2022 everyone! I hope you're all staying healthy and warm out there this January.

I don't think I've made a secret of the fact that this past year was a bit of a rough one for me (and many of you too, I'm sure) mental health-wise.* And yet, according to AO3, 2021 was somehow my most productive year so far in terms of writing: 58,500 words! That's basically a whole novel's worth of fiction! So for fun, let's look back on all the things I wrote in 2021:

Not the Time Dad- Due South, Gen, 600 words, Benton Fraser, Bob Fraser, Diefenbaker, werewolves, awkward conversations
Bob picks an inconvenient moment to drop in on his son.

Short scene / entry into my Due South, but Make Everyone Werewolves series that I wrote in May, in an attempt to shake free of writer's block (I hadn't been able to write anything since late November at that point.) It worked, because I was finally able to start making progress on my C6D Big Bang fic after this. And any excuse to write Bob Fraser should be embraced, really.

A Canadian Werewolf in Las Vegas- Due South, T, 29.7k, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio, Victoria Metcalf, werewolves, Las Vegas, established relationship, kid!fic, family feels, road trips
“It’s… look, there’s no good way to say this. It’s Victoria. She’s in Vegas, in Intensive Care..."

Originally the idea for this story came to me in the summer of 2020, but I lacked the time and energy to get more than a few scenes written before that year's C6D Big Bang, so I put it on the agenda for 2021 instead. Written in concentrated bursts while working an obscenely stressful job this summer, I'm incredibly proud of this story, even if it's gotten far less attention than a few of my others this past year. It's about the unexpected shapes family can take, forgiveness, and yes, werewolves. (It's also part of the aforementioned werewolf AU series.) Plus, it's pretty funny in places, or at least I think so. (If you haven't jumped into this one yet because kid!fic and/or Victoria aren't your jam, I get that, but I promise this story isn't what you're expecting it to be.)

Icing the Pack - Due South, G, 6.9k, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio, hockey AU, werewolves, didn't know they were dating
Ben Fraser is an NHL defenseman in Chicago. When his best friend is traded to Florida for a late round draft pick and a scrappy right winger a few years from retirement, he isn't expecting his entire life to change. Or the secret his new teammate is hiding...

Written in August immediately after I wrapped up work on A Canadian Werewolf in Las Vegas because I was still buzzing with writing energy and wanted to use it, this was the product of a Discord conversation where I asked my friends there what I should write. The suggestion I got was "werewolf hockey player Ray K and suspicious teammate Fraser", which, if you know me well, you also know that this was something I absolutely HAD to write immediately. I had a lot of fun writing it and am particularly proud of the jump scare. You don't really need to know anything about hockey to enjoy it, but it can't hurt.

A Little Less Conversation (A Little More Action) - Due South, T, 9.6k, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Elvis, Renfield Turnbull, Francesca Vecchio, Harding Welsh, accidental marriage, fake/pretend relationship, modern setting
Ray and Fraser accidentally get married. Well, as accidentally as one can deliberately go through all the required steps to marry someone and then somehow be surprised by the result. It's complicated.

Also written in August, after leaving the terrible job that was making me miserable, this turned out to be the most popular out of anything I wrote in 2021. Another product of zany Discord discussions, this story started as a joking comment about how I wanted to write an accidental marriage plot that snowballed into a fully formed story in nearly record time. I'd already written one Vegas-set story, how about another? I also set it in the vaguely present-day, instead of the late 90s, because marriage equality is way more fun, especially when you're trying to write a silly 'oh no, I accidentally married my best friend in Vegas' storyline. Ray and Fraser succumb to peer-pressure, Turnbull bonds with a stripper, feelings are felt, there's a shower scene, it's a good time.

Drop It Like It's Hot- Due South, M, 11.6k, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Renfield Turnbull, Bob Fraser, curses, magical realism, first time, crack treated seriously
What do you get when you mix two Mounties, a Chicago police detective, a half-wolf, and an opinionated ghost with a bit of cursed pottery? A little romance, if you're lucky.

My entry into this year's due South Seekrit Santa, and the reason I couldn't write this post until after New Year's. I wrote this for Wicked3659, who is a good friend and frequent enabler (she's already convincing me to write more silly things for this year, so you all have that to look forward to), and requested some magical case fic for F/K. I gave her a cursed vase, ghost shenanigans, and possibly the steamiest scene I've ever written (again, so far).
( Read more... )

Started a new job this week. Yes, that means I was successful in my efforts to find more work after the last temp job ended! This one should be longer term, maybe even permanent, depending on how it goes. It's a bit different than my usual fare, and in many respects that's what I've been wanting to do - transition to different, more challenging work, but on the other hand, not sure how I feel about it just yet? I'm assuming it'll get less stressful once I've settled in more and gotten more familiar with everything.

Second vaccine dose is this Sunday, so I guess that means I'd better get a few things I've been procrastinating on done tomorrow in case I have a stronger reaction to this shot. First one was mostly a sore arm for a couple days, maybe a little more tired day-of. This means I'll be fully vaccinated and can go see my family again soon! ...except I have no idea how the new job thing is gonna impact my ability to leave town for a few days yet. Sigh. I'll figure something out. Hopefully I can just say to the new job, "hey, I haven't seen my family in over a year because of the pandemic, I'm gonna need a few days this summer" and they'll understand.

Actual writing happened! It's not much, but it's something: archiveofourown.org/works/31065011
"Not the Time, Dad" - more from my dS werewolf verse, just Fraser having an awkward conversation with his dad, as you do.