*taps mic*

[rainjoyswriting]

Hello, I’m still alive.

Hello, I do mean it, hello anybody around to see this, I really hope you’ve been well, I’m sorry I haven’t been around, I *haven’t* been well. But I have, over a course of fucking months, actually written something, so I’m writing *this* here so I don’t need to leave a novel-length author’s note on it, as some kind of explanation of where I’ve been.

Largely, I’ve been in bed, I’m likely going there again after posting this, they need to invent new words for how tired I am so much of the time, my upgraded wheelchair is worth about as much as my *laptop*, my life revolves around Can I? Probably not. and lots and lots and lots of ‘resting’. I’ve not been well, but please don’t worry, I’ve not been unhappy. This is the golden age of being ill, the sheer quantity of stuff out there to amuse the bedbound – I have books and podcasts, all of Netflix, I practically live on Sky: Children of the Light, when I’m too dopey even for that I have Animal Crossing, when I am genuinely such a puddle of not-human lethargy that all I need is for time to pass until I feel just slightly better again I have videos of other people playing video games on YouTube and I’m sorry my darling baby moths I will pick you up and help you every single time but it will never not be funny watching someone go through Eden for the first time on YouTube, it just never will not make me laugh, oh my gods I’m so *sorry* my loves <3

So anyway, there’s all that, that’s where I’ve been, life really does not work out the way you planned it to, huh? Because outside of my bed, I know I have messages and emails and someone got a tattoo?? You got a tattoo and I’m just really sorry I haven’t been in touch, my energy has to be paid out like a miser, if I want to wash my hair then wow the world is really not getting anything else out of me, you know? But I am still here, and I do still love the things I love. I still think all of it is worth it. I think the world is a *lot* of fun, though I bear in mind that still, and always, we live through very frightening and distressing times. Which actually makes me think we need to cling to the things we love *more*, not less, love makes better people of us, when we let it.

So I did watch the new season of Good Omens when it came out, and safe to say I was not impressed, but it did jog in me the memory that didn’t I write a sequel to it? Yes I did, and it involved *all* that blood. But I reread it – it’s like reading a stranger’s writing after so long – and that jogged the memory: Didn’t you start a sequel to *this*?

Yes I did! Two thirds written, actually, hurrah for my past self. The last third took, I don’t know, when did the new season come out, it took that long. I used to sneeze out this sort of thing. This, now, is getting at my arms, it’ll be another lie down soon. But anyway, the point of all this: I live yet. In the next few days I *hope* I will be formatting and posting a sequel to But Thou Readst Black because of course everyone wants *that* back in their heads again, my gods. And I hope hope hope you’ve been well, I do think of people while I’m stuck doing nothing but pooling my brain out of my ears on YouTube. Look after yourselves, take care of each other, my gods you tattooed yourself I mean more power to you but it alarms me when things I make turn out to be *permanent*, you know? It feels like I barely touch the world anymore, my circumference has become so small, but it makes the world seem only more precious. Take good care of it, and of yourself as part of it. And very, very much love, to anyone remaining to see this, much love <3

Comments

[chromatographic]

Hello! I don't really know you - I stumbled onto AtoG a few years ago now and fell a little in love with it, and started following you because of it. ('a few', i say, deliberately ignoring that it was almost certainly pre-2016 and someone reminded me today that that was now *seven* years ago...)

I am very glad to hear that you live, and are doing the best you can. I'm sorry to hear you're more disabled than I am, these days.

I have similar feelings about tattoos.

I am also vaguely wondering: I hesitate to link people to LiveJournal these days. Is AtoG archived anywhere else? Would you like it to be? (a 'no' answer is always respected here!) If you would like it to be archived on somewhere like AO3 or Squidgeworld, would you like help with that?

I never watched any of Glee!, but AtoG is a story that somehow became dear to me anyway. I think you should at least know that much. :)

Live well.

[foreverbuildingcastles]

I don’t know how a simple life update can make me so emotional.
Hello ☺️
I am so happy to hear from you and get a little peek at how you’re doing. If ever there’s anything us randos on the internet can do to support you or brighten your day, please let us know. I don’t know much about chronic illness but a small tidbit I learned from my mother was the quote ‘it is what it is’. It’s a simple phrase but it helped her so I submit it to you in case it helps. I think she liked it because it was an acceptance of her new normal as well as a summation of the whole journey and encouraged conversations forward.

I will have to look up playthroughs of Eden, that’s one I haven’t seen yet. If you enjoy video game playthroughs, I did used to enjoy the heyday of Roosterteeth (though not all of their content aged well). I’m sure there are many better options out there now but there’s still some gems I can dig for in case you’d be interested. (I’ve recently fallen down the rabbit hole of reaction videos and can feel my brain melting even as I laugh along 😅)
If Netflix has been your thing, I *highly* recommend Nimona if you haven’t already seen it.

I thought of you as soon as the new season of Good Omens came out—mostly because I love hearing your take on anything and everything. (Your sequel was better)
Hopefully it’s not too strange that a stranger from the internet thinks of you and sends warm feelies your way on occasion. Your writing (and you as a person) has made and continues to make an impression that I take with me into my own forays of the written word.
I’m beyond excited that you’ve written another sequel. As always, I can’t wait to read whatever you’re willing to share with us.
Thank you for sharing this update and I hope you’re living well even when you’re not well 💗
—Bobbie (gypsyfootluvr on livejournal)

[sevenall]

I'm very glad to see you here again! So sorry that you haven't been well; please know that you are and have been very much in my thoughts.

I look forward to reading anything you write. Just recommended your works to a recent but dear friend, maybe a few weeks ago?

Wishing you all the best.

[perryavenue]

Thank you for updating. We do appreciate it and care about you. I am and will forever be a fan of your Glee fics, and I continue to re-read them. They stand the test of time. All The Other Ghosts and Grey, and their one-shot sequels, are epic! I am grateful for your wonderful writing, and wish you comfort. All the hugs.

So wonderful to hear from you <33

[klaineship]

I just created an account to be able to leave a comment. I am so happy to hear from you, and even though I'm sorry about your health situation, I am glad that you found a way to make the most of it.
You are and always will be my most favorite fanfic author because of your ability to create worlds that are so multi-layered and thought-through and romantic and dangerous and wonderful all in one. You once granted me permission to translate your fics into German, (Unscripted 'verse and AtoG) which I am immensely grateful for. And it speaks for the greatness of your work that the translations are not an easy task, as I can assure you :-)

Still, I just wanted to say hello, whishing you the best and sending supportive vibes. I hope I'll be able to add some links to my account soon, but I'm not good at navigating the internet, so we will see, how that works

'allo, it's Aurora/Drake. Missed you.

[dormantdrake]

I've just found you again, it seems, in my attempt to return to journaling. So, hi again, I'm sorta-kinda on DW, trying to move away from FB a bit. You would not believe what-all has happened to me since last we spoke.

I'm finally in a place to advocate for my own physical healthcare, and am starting to get the physical stuff diagnosed (and doesn't that involve a long list of specialists!).

I have an even longer list of mental diagnoses than before, but the short of it all is: I'm autistic, and I have ADHD, and the reason my depression never responded to treatment was it was not normal depression, but depression caused by ADHD. So adding serotonin would just deepen the depression, when what I really needed was more dopamine. Which is to say that, comparatively, I'm a whole *LOT* less of a bummer and drama queen these days. Well, mental-health-wise, anyway.

My physical limitations are something else, and my friend-roommates (the three of us are all autistic,and I'm living with my former boss-turned-friend from B. Dalton (way back in 1999) and her husband, and just living with other people whose brains work kinda like mine is just so much less stressful) are threatening to get me a walker/rollator for my bad times. And I'm in Oregon now, and have been for some time. And own and drive a car. Me. Owning and driving a car!

I earned a couple of two-year degrees in California before my health did me in, and I did end-of-life care for a grandparent in Oregon for 8 years (I've been up here almost ten years now, and I've got family coming out of the woodwork up here; I never realized just how much family I *have* because I'd never even heard of most of them! The California branch of my family now only consists of 4 people: my parents, my aunt, and my first cousin. My brother moved to Texas and had a couple kids with his S.O.). Grandpapa ended up almost making it to 100; he was just a week or two shy of that milestone when he passed.

I did finally get around to shutting down my LJ account when Ukraine happened. Politics over here are something else, with everyone trying to influence the elections, the lose of certain healthcare access for women and the rolling back of abortion rights, etc.

I legally changed my name, so now it's Aurora for real as my name, and that was a huge pain in the rear to accomplish.

Anyway, if you'd like to catch up let me know, and I can give you my current email or whatnot. I'm going to be putting in an effort to x-post here a summary of what I post on FB if you don't want to actively talk.

[niniblack]

Hello! I'm not sure if you're checking comments here or not. Or if you remember me from back in FMA and Glee fandom or not, it's been over a decade so I'd be shocked if you did. But I really loved your FMA fic and I was looking to reread it recently and I noticed you'd locked it all. I was wondering if I could access it. Some of it meant a lot to me, mostly due to the time of my life when I read it, and nostalgia, but also it was just some lovely fic. I understand having complicated feelings for things we write in the past, I feel that way about some of my old stuff too. But I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. If you do decide to share it would be for just my private use.

Best,
Nini