alee_grrl | Recent Entries

So who am I? Well, I'm a geek; genderqueer, asexual, and demi-romantic; disabled; a middle-aged lawyer/research attorney; a creator; a voracious reader; a survivor; mended and patched; a little odd and a bit awkward. I'm me, every changing and growing.

I've lived all over the U.S. courtesy of parents who like moving (but weren't military, at least not when I was born...maybe they got used to it before then, don't know). Spent two years in the Peace Corps as a community health aide. Attended high school and college (undergrad) in Northern Louisiana, and law school in Vermont. Have also lived in Arizona, Washington state, and northern Virginia (near Washington D.C.).

When not working or sleeping, I can usually be found either hanging out online, reading (yes, I take a break from reading by reading), or finding something creative to do: dancing, singing, knitting, drawing, writing. It's all kind of hit and miss and depends on my mood and my energy levels. I also enjoying geeking out with friends, watching favorite shows while playing board games or doing some crafty stuff.

In addition to posting my creative work, I also write about my life and observations. I have a whole host of health issues, and so those tend to be a topic for discussion. I may jot down my thoughts on numerous subjects (music, movies, spirituality and religion) as the inspiration comes. I may occasionally post fanfic as it gets written (I am one of the world's slowest fanfic writers). I may also post fanfic recs from time to time as most of my reading time is spent on fanfic these days and there are some pretty amazing authors out there. Feel free to read what you want, to ignore what you want and to comment as you will. It is always interesting to hear what others think of your words and ideas.

That pretty much sums it up. Feel free to poke around. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

Please note that all works contained herein are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license. This means that you are welcome to share the work (copy, distribute and transmit) and to remix the work (adapt it). However you must attribute the original work to the author (me). You may not use these works for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: home
Current Music: Tamlin / Devil In The Strawstack / Farewell To Tchernobyl by Airdance
Crossposts: http://v-mures.insanejournal.com/502.html http://v-mures.livejournal.com/5161.html

This month's workshop focus was on Hunger and poetry, more specifically poetry as activism and how it can be used to fight empty stomach hunger. I really appreciated that they distinguished empty stomach hunger from other forms as there are a lot of poems on metaphorical hunger, on emotional hunger, etc. Apparently there aren't as many on the topic of empty stomach hunger. The poet running the workshop also helped organize this website: Poetry X Hunger, which focuses on using poetry to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger worldwide. He encouraged us to submit our poems and I am considering doing so.

This topic is one that hits very close to home for me given that I grew up in a working class and struggling family and am currently on SNAP (food stamps) benefits since I am only working part-time. The rough poem I penned during the workshop turned into two separate poems by the time I was done.

This first one feels more like a spoken word piece, one that is meant to be performed, but I haven't had the spoons to try recording myself reading it yet. The second poem was originally part of the first, but ultimately taken out and reworked as it felt like it's own poem entirely. It's more of a standard blank verse poem. ( I am putting these under a cut because they deal with food and poverty issues as a whole and not just hunger as a topic. Content warnings: Implied disordered eating. Mentions of and references to sensory issues with food, diet culture, poverty shaming, and fat shaming. )

The second pride workshop was on spoken word poetry. This poem is one that I feel could be enjoyed both on page and performed, though it probably leans more towards traditional on page format than it does spoken word format.

Merry Go Round

Do you remember?
Hot metal on bare skin
As you first grasped the rail
Running, speed increasing, before jumping on and holding on
The clang and screech of each turn;
A bass line to the song of giggles and laughter
---we spun---
Trees and sky and playground sliding by and by
The dizzy joy of just being
Not thinking of what each turn brings

Do you remember?
Hard landings and skinned knees
Only to jump back up and spin again

Somewhere Somewhen
We are still there
Being kids
Spinning for no reason but joy
Letting go to see if we can fly

Do you remember?

The first Pride Poetry workshop I attended focused on Odes, and one of the poems we read was Ode to Smoked Salmon Jerky by Irène P. Mathieu At the end of the workshop we were given about 20 minutes or so to write our own Odes, or at least the start of one and a list of words to help prompt us. I ended up choosing the word lilacs and going from there. One of the things I loved about the poem above was the interweaving of present sensory moments with past memories and historical elements. I tried to do a similar thing with my poem, though I did not follow the exact format of the inspiring poem.

Ode to Lilacs

Born to the lilac city
Long before the lilacs would bloom
Yet their sweet fragrance remains
A stale perfume haunting my memories

This delicate flower brought
From the cradle of humanity
And carried far and wide
Finding a home here
Rooted deep in the valley of the sun’s children
Rooted deep in me

Lush blooms in early spring
Twilight clouds – white, pink, purple
Glowing against verdant leaves
Blooms brief but sweet, returning yearly
A scent of hope lingering in the back of my throat
Taking me back to a home rarely lived in
Yet still such a part of me

The scent fills my lungs and the colors fill my vision
Such brief and potent beauty
A token of spring
And a promise that renewal has come again.

A reminder that I may have wandered far from the roots I sprouted from
That I may be a late bloomer in so many ways
Yet every year I bloom just that much more.

Sorry to have been so quiet. Life keeps marching on and I just haven't had a whole lot to say. Still trying to sort out varying fatigue issues and trying to stay a bit more active to help with my knees and other arthritic joins. Still working freelance as a paralegal and professional services consultant (with editing and other creative consulting done as well). I have one steady gig that provides me with 20 hours a week, and a few other clients who have short projects for me from time to time. ( Putting the rest under a cut as it got long. Also content warning for discussion of health issues (mostly fatigue, hormone treatment/balancing, allergies, arthritis). Nothing terribly detailed, but I know not everyone has spoons for health stuff all the time. )

So all in all, I'm doing okay and have no real complaints. Just taking most days as they come. Been listening to a lot of music on the drive to and from work. Highly recommend Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album, it's gorgeous. But another song that has completely caught my heart is the one the title of this post comes from, "On the Road" by Walk Off the Earth.

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: On the Road by Walk Off the EArth

(This is copy/pasted from my Tumblr)

The above may be a head-tilting title to some. US culture treats aging as if it is something horrific in a lot of ways, and many people actively avoid thinking about themselves aging. Many more do their best to slow the visible signs. But until recently I honestly could not picture myself older, probably because I expected to die young (mostly thanks to C-PTSD and severe depression and anxiety).

So I made it to my forties and have tried to celebrate every grey hair and laugh line as signs that I survived and am doing well. I’m out here living my life and that is awesome. But I still found it a struggle to truly envision myself older. The future just seemed impossible to visualize.

However, I recently tried a new therapy modality, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). It’s similar in a lot of ways to EDMR therapy, which I had heard of but never tried. Most of my previous therapy was talk therapy or cognitive behavior therapy.

ART was really strange and I had to actively work on letting go of my desire to overthink and logic the hell out of everything. But I decided to give it an honest go and was really surprised by how effective it was. It definitely gave me some handy new tools to use going forward.

But honestly one of the most profound aspects for me was the moment when I realized that I could see myself older–by days, by weeks, by years, by decades. And there is something so profoundly beautiful in being able to imagine that, in being able to see a future for yourself. Maybe it’s a vague future, but it’s still a future.

For me, the inability to see myself old wasn’t related to fear of aging. Nor am I blinded by a romanticized idea of aging. I have paid too much attention to my loved ones as they’ve aged to think it will be all great. But I also know from those same observations that it can be wonderful even with all the failings our bodies and minds can experience. We can still experience so much and I certainly have cherished the moments I’ve had with older friends and relatives. Life keeps going. We keep learning. We keep loving. And while I’ve always tried to believe that, it wasn’t until recently that I could actually see that for myself.

And I can only hope for that for everyone. May you be able to see a future for yourself. May you see yourself growing, learning, and loving for decades to come.

Current Mood: mellow

Hi, y'all. Sorry for the long silence. Life has been crazy this year. One of my heart-sisters had a heart attack in August and a second one a few weeks later. She is thankfully fine and recovering well, but it was terrifying for everyone. Job hunting was exhausting and demoralizing, but ultimately I decided to go freelance and focus more on part-time work for now so I could also work on fixing some of the health issues I was having. This gave me time to devote to therapy, both physical and mental, which has been very needed. I'm thankful that I could move back in with chosen family and also thankful for the available government aid (it isn't much, but every little bit helps--particularly having insurance through Medicaid). Part of me feels guilty for even applying for those benefits because there are days I don't feel particularly disabled. But then I realize that disability is disability. Even though I wouldn't qualify for social security disability because I can still work, just not 40 hours a week, doesn't mean I'm not disabled at all.

Apparently, I have developed full-blown osteoarthritis in both knees, so that's been fun. It was only discovered because I fell in August while carrying a box down the stairs. Thankfully, I was towards the bottom of the stairs, so I wasn't badly injured. I bruised my knees, scraped my shin and one ankle, and twisted the same ankle weirdly (but managed not to sprain it). The x-rays taken post-fall showed the arthritis. So that sucks, but after talking with my PCP I agreed to try physical therapy and I've been amazed at how helpful that has been. It's helped relieve the pain a lot and has built up my endurance a bit.

I can now walk a mile without thinking I'm going to die or needing to sit down partway through. I can stand comfortably for longer periods of time and my balance is improving so I'm less terrified while on stairs. It's been a mix of aquatic and land-based PT too, which has been nice. I need to look into the discount memberships for the local community gym that the aqua PT is held at as it would be nice to do that on my own time as well as during official PT.

I also started a new therapy program over the summer, one using a newer neuropsychology modality called accelerated resolution therapy. I have a post I put up on Tumblr about it that I'll copy/paste here after I get this post up. It was odd but incredibly helpful. I was honestly surprised how how effective it was. We completed the sessions just after Thanksgiving and I'm still doing well. I'm to call if things come up or get worse again, but, otherwise, I just get to keep going on with these new tools in my arsenal.

Let's see, what else to update....in September I landed a regular contract position as a paralegal for 20 hours a week, and I've been doing a lot of small projects here and there. Consulting, research, and graphic design work for one of my law school friends, and developmental editing and beta reading for some of my writer friends. I've even been able to get some writing done and have a new fic that will be going up on Tuesday (it's for a Secret Santa exchange, so I can't post it til then).

Now if I can just kick this absolutely wicked strain of strep, I'll be very good. Prior to this, I didn't even know strep could cause ear aches, but, wow, can it cause ear aches. I'm on the second round of antibiotics for it cause the symptoms came back the day after I finished the first round. Good times. But even with this nonsense, I'm doing better than I have in a long time. I feel a lot more grounded than I'd been feeling, which is really nice.

So that's the state of me. I hope y'all are all doing well and that your holiday season is as low-stress and happy-making as possible.

Current Mood: mellow

The past month and a bit has been super stressful. Allergies turned into a nasty case of bronchitis and then I lost my job. I'm recovered from bronchitis and looking for work while applying for weekly unemployment benefits that I've yet to receive (there is a delay for the first week plus an extra delay because I was paid for the remainder of my last week even if I was let go late in the day on a Wednesday). I've filed for SNAP benefits (which is basically what they call food stamps these days) and Medicaid as well. I will likely not get the SNAP benefits because my former employer is ghosting me on my requests for a termination letter. I let the social worker know this, but who the fuck knows if it will help anything.

On the brighter side, I've had some good interviews and am hopeful about a couple of positions. Both had more interviews to do and warned me it might be closer to the end of the month before they make a final decision, but I've got my fingers crossed and in the meantime will continue to submit applications to various positions. I'm thankful for a supportive chosen family, so I won't be at risk of becoming homeless or starving. Things are just going to be really tight for a while and I hate that I'm basically adding to the stresses and burdens of my loved ones while I hunt for work. But I keep reminding myself that if the positions were reversed, I'd not bat an eye at helping them out and would never consider them a burden.

So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. Holding on by a thread, but surviving. Hope life is treating you all okay.

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Resilient by Rising Appalachia

Just wanted to let folks know that my move was safely managed. Not sure if some of my stuff was damaged or not, as when I got something out of the truck last night the load had definitely shifted pretty badly. But hopefully it was all packed well enough that nothing is seriously harmed.

I'm happy to be here though. I'm staying with family for the moment and will be putting most of my stuff in a small storage unit for a bit. Will start hunting for work this coming week.

But the move went well, even if it was exhausting. If I have to drive a moving truck again, I will definitely get better tie-downs (I used bungee cords this time). But all in all it went well and I survived driving a 15' truck more than 500 miles.

Hope all is well with everyone. Much love to you all.

Current Mood: accomplished

It's been nearly a week since my last day at my old firm and it is truly remarkable how light I feel, even with the stress of moving looming large. Somehow I feel more settled in my skin and more sure of my abilities. I've had some brain weasels as I pack (mostly that I'm not moving fast enough, which is ridiculous because I'm absolutely on the path to being fully packed well before next Thursday which is when the movers will be here to load the Uhaul I've reserved). But mostly what I've been feeling is contentment and joy. I'm a little sad to say goodbye to this apartment as I've truly loved living here. It's a warm and comfortable space with great energy. But I'm passing that on to the next tenant, which is a happy-making feeling as well.

It seems fitting to be moving during this season of transitions. But it seems even more fitting that my final week at work and this first week of packing coincide with another monumental, but much more devastating change in my life. Eight years ago today, we laid my father's ashes to rest in the Veteran's Cemetary--a bit more than a week after his passing. This is the first year that the anniversary didn't hit me like a sledgehammer. The grief is still there, as it always will be, but the load is lighter this year.

As I packed and did laundry in preparation for more packing, I found myself thinking of cycles and change and how it's all just part of the rhythm of life. Sometimes the changes are out of our hands, and sometimes we initiate them ourselves. The outcomes of both kinds of change can be good and bad. There were good things in those final weeks with my dad, and there are hard things with leaving a job I've had for five years and packing up an apartment that I've lived in for seven. And I once find myself at the end of a chapter of my life-long adventures, but this time I feel ready to face the next chapter with open arms and a lighter heart.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: I Shall Be Released by Eddie Vedder, Jack Johnson, and Zach Gill

Today was my last day at the firm I've worked with for the past five years, and mostly I just feel a stunning amount of relief to be done with it. Talking with my heart-mom this evening made me realize how much I hadn't even acknowledged to myself the issues and frustrations I had with this particular workplace or how toxic it was. Unlike the last really shitty job I had, the red flags were way more subtle and took a long time to really notice. I do think my boss, his wife, and the other senior attorney at the firm are not bad people necessarily, just deeply self-involved and out of touch with the reality that most of us deal with on a day-to-day basis.

But over the last year, I've really paid more attention and realized that while they say all the right things, their actions often don't back them up. They might say they support your need to take sick leave, but will then make little snide comments or passive-aggressive remarks that suggest that they really think that maybe you're just lazy. And you could never predict if you were going to get the kind and supportive co-worker/boss or the passive-aggressive one.

It's easier to see now that the depression, anxiety, and physical health issues I've dealt with contributed to my refusing to admit to anyone (myself most especially) that I was miserable and frustrated and that the workplace was not a healthy one. I had hoped I'd gotten better about not lying to myself to try to survive shitty situations, but, apparently, that's a lesson I still need to work on. Thankfully, I am doing the work.

And now I'm quit of the place and hopefully have learned to better see more subtle workplace issues and red flags. The next two weeks will be busy with packing and cleaning. Then I'll haul my stuff and self down to Virginia and work on getting settled into my temp lodgings with family. Then it will be job hunting and settling in further. All part of the next adventure. I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes me.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: New Soul by Yael Naim

So I posted this over on my tumblr, but it's a good post for here too.

Stranger Things 4 has me thinking about the enduring power of music, which in turn got me thinking about meaningful albums in my life.

When I was around 5 or so I got a little portable boombox for Christmas one year to go along with the Get In Shape Girls toy set thing. Shortly after this I convinced my mom to get me my first non Disney sing along cassette tape, and that tape was Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual.

My favorite song was, unsurprisingly, Girls Just Want to Have Fun. And a whole lot of the innuendos and references of the songs on the album went right over little me’s head. But I loved the beats and dancing to it and it stayed in play for quite a while before eventually falling to the back of a drawer.

Fast forward a decade and a bit and you find teen me sitting in a movie theater falling in love with To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. I had just started realizing I might not be straight (forgive a kid for growing up primarily in the rural South in the 80s and 90s being a tad slow on the uptake). More importantly, I was starting to realize that being queer didn’t make me some freak of nature that didn’t deserve to exist. That there were other people like me who lived happy and fulfilling lives. The movie ends with a scene that includes both Cyndi Lauper and an updated version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

This reminded me that I had that cassette somewhere and prompted me to revisit the album, which suddenly made a lot more sense and was meaningful in very different ways than it had been originally. I suddenly had more appreciation for She Bop, for instance, but my new favorite song was probably Money Changes Everything. I actually listened to that tape enough after finding it again that I wore it out.

I still love Cyndi Lauper (and not just the She’s So Unusual album). I even got to see her live in my early 20s. And Girls Just Want to Have Fun always brings back fond memories, not just of little me or teen me, but also of me singing it with friends at Karaoke in my 20s, me dancing to it at Pride in my 30s, and even just me bopping around my house in my 40s. I have a feeling it will always make me smile. I still jam out to She Bop from time to time and giggle over my teen self’s realization that it was about masturbation. And I still sing along to Money Changes Everything and feel the melancholy vibes of it in my soul. And some of Cyndi’s other songs still echo through my soul as well. Time After Time and True Colors can still make me cry. The Goonies R Good Enough never fails to make me smile (or to make me think of one of my favorite childhood films).

It’s just fascinating to me that all these years later, I can still remember getting that album and wanting to be like the cool woman on the cover with wild hair and style. There are lots of other artists and albums that have made a lasting impact on me, but that was the first. May I never stop wanting to have fun.

Current Mood: contemplative

I finally decided to create a fandom specific dreamwidth. I'll still share links here as well, but things like Evil Author day snippets will only be posted there.

You can find my new fandom journal here under the same user name I use for ao3, vmures.

There will be a snippet and some art going live tomorrow in honor of Evil Author day. :D

Current Mood: tired

Yes, that is a deliberate misquote in the title. 😄

The week just before Christmas was insanely busy so I didn't get a chance to post my Steter Secret Santa fic here as well as everywhere else, so I'll be doing that at the end of this short update.

The main reason it was so busy was I was trying to get everything in order at work before I left for vacation the day before Christmas Eve. My holiday plans involved traveling to Virginia to visit my chosen family and it was a fabulous week with them. I left Virginia yesterday and had a chance to spend the afternoon and evening with a very dear friend. Said friend and I were able to find rooms at the same hotel so we even got to have breakfast together today before going our separate ways to travel onwards to our own destinations. I was as safe as one can be while traveling during these times, but am still dreading taking a rapid covid test before I return to work. There is always the worry that no matter how careful one is that you will get it. But I will take the test before returning to work just to be on the safe side. I'm thankful I bought a few kits before the holidays (I wanted to test before I went, just to be extra careful).

But despite the pea soup fog that I drove through today, it was a lovely day and a fabulous trip overall. I'm glad to be home and am very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I'm also glad I took Monday off as well as I'm sure the extra days to rest before returning to work will be needed. I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year! 💖💖💖

And now, back to the Steter Secret Santa fic that I mentioned before. I was delighted to write the following story and create the title art for DiscontentedWinter who is one of my favorite Steter writers.

A Change of Luck (8115 words) by vMures
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski
Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Peter Hale, Derek Hale, Cora Hale, Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 05 AU, College Student Stiles Stilinski, Werewolf Stiles Stilinski, Canon-Typical Violence, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Good Parent Sheriff Stilinski, Pre-Slash, Getting Together, Cuddling & Snuggling, Steter Secret Santa 2021
Summary:

Stiles curses his bad luck. Figures he’d survive Beacon Hills and get bitten by a rogue alpha while attending college. But maybe the bad penny in his life isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

So upon waking on my 42nd birthday I did not miraculously have some greater understanding of life, the universe, and everything. But I have had a lovely day filled with self-made Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy references and a great deal of love from friends and family.

It is somewhat stunning to realize I've lived 42 years on this Earth. Younger me certainly felt like such an age was forever distant. 😂 Most days I don't feel that different from my younger self, but I know the reality is that I've grown and settled in my skin in ways younger me wasn't sure was possible. I am still learning who I am, that is a process that never stops (nor should it stop), but I am so much more comfortable in my own sense of self these days. Sure there are hard days where my brain lies to me and my anxiety skyrockets and everything seems uncertain and a struggle. But for the most part, those days are far fewer now.

Today I have had the opportunity to reflect on the sheer number of lives that intersect with my own. The amazing people who I am blessed to call friends. And I find myself feeling spoiled with love, which is a wonderful feeling and one I wish for all my friends and family.

And perhaps I don't know the magical answers to life the universe and everything, but I do know that our connections with one another are one of the most powerful things in that universe. So thank you for being in my life. Much love and light to you all. 💖💖💖

Current Mood: happy

My firm does a newsletter 3 times a year and I have been supplying a poem for said newsletter for a couple of years now. I've used most of the ones I had written that were not too deeply personal or too sad, so I am finding myself having to craft new ones. This isn't a bad thing, sometimes I need the prompt to sit down and write poetry. Our fall newsletter theme is renewal, and I have been inspired by the beauty of changing leaves against fog on my way into work several times this week. So I sat down and wrote this. It's another etheree, as I find that form to be really inspiring and easy to work with and it fits this sort of piece so well.

Autumn Mist

Fog
hushes
the forest,
softens the world.
Leaves glow red, orange, gold--
beacons in the muzzled
grey. Breathe in quiet stillness;
exhale the busy mind's anxious
worries. Enjoy crisp leaves underfoot;
woodsmoke tinted air. Rest brings renewal.

Current Mood: creative

I went through and polished up my Rough Trade project from July. The final version is now on ao3.

A Merry War (19225 words) by vMures
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Chris Argent/Sheriff Stilinski, Danny Mahealani/Jackson Whittemore
Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Sheriff Stilinski, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore, Danny Mahealani, Peter Hale, Talia Hale, Cora Hale, Derek Hale
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Fluff, Good Chris Argent, Good Peter Hale
Summary:

After his dad suffers an injury at work, Stiles decides to take his step-dad up on the offer to co-run his training gym. It’s weird to be back in Beacon Hills after all this time, but one thing is for sure--the Hales are every bit as gorgeous and weird as he remembers. He’d been content to ponder their weirdness from afar, just as he’d done as a kid. But then he meets Peter and he can’t decide if he’d rather climb the man like a tree or strangle him with one of his outrageously expensive neck-ties.

I'm beyond ecstatic to announce that I completed my first Rough Trade challenge. This month's challenge to complete a paranormal romance novella. I decided to sign up to write a Teen Wolf romance and had a blast doing so.

July Rough Trade - Perceptions Challenge (Paranormal Romance)
Title: A Merry War
Rating: R (though it turned out to be more Teen)
Warnings: None (all the were used on the RT site were just in case as we had to put the warnings in our project file, none were needed in the end)
Fandoms: Teen Wolf
Genres: Alternate Universe, Paranormal, Romance, Slash
Category: m/m
Relationships: Stiles/Peter, Sheriff Stilinski/Chris Argent, Jackson/Danny
Tags: AU-No Hale Fire
Word Count: 19,420
Summary: After his dad suffers an injury at work, Stiles decides to take his step-dad up on the offer to co-run his training gym. It’s weird to be back in Beacon Hills after all this time, but one thing is for sure--the Hales are every bit as gorgeous and weird as he remembers. He’d been content to ponder their weirdness from afar, just as he’d done as a kid. But then he meets Peter and he can’t decide if he’d rather climb the man like a tree or strangle him with one of his outrageously expensive neck-ties.
Author’s Notes: The rating and warnings are all just to be on the safe side given the underlying canon. Better to err on the side of caution in these things. The potential character bashing would be towards Scott McCall.

Title from Much Ado About Nothing
There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her:
they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them.
-Act 1, Scene 1

In this universe the Hale Fire never happened. Christopher Argent discovered what his dad and sister were up to long before Kate set her sight on Beacon Hills and turned them into his great aunt, the Argent Matriarch at that time. He ended up divorced and leaving hunting forever. Since the fire never happened, Scott was never bitten, Stiles wasn’t introduced to the supernatural world in high school, and Beacon Hills is a calm and peaceful territory.

My project file for the story can be found here. The project file has links to all six parts.

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Walls (No. 3) by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Well, today would have been my dad's 69th birthday and it hit me kind of hard. Mostly because I can imagine just how many terrible jokes he would have made about being 69. It also hit me that he won't be around to make Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy references when I turn 42 in November. So I shall have to remember to do so in his honor.

It's so strange to think he's been gone from the mortal plane for over six years now. Sometimes I still find myself thinking of things I want to share with him, or wish I could get his advice on. Even if he didn't know what to offer, he could usually make me laugh. Though he could just as easily make me huff in exasperation. So I wish you happy birthday, dad, wherever your spirit may be. You live on in my heart and memory.

***

For those who may have wondered, I've been doing okay otherwise. I'm back to working in the office four days a week which was an adjustment after working solely from home for some months. Things have been fairly quiet for me, and I'm still working on various writing projects in my free time.

I'm even participating in the Rough Trade challenge this month (the theme for July's challenge was Paranormal Romance). You can find my project file and story posts here: A Merry War by vMures. I've got three parts done so far.

When July is done, I'll go back to working on Hanging On. I just needed a short break from it for a while.

So that's the state of me. I'm heart-sore today, but that's okay. I'm being gentle with myself and trying to give myself room to grieve. Sometimes that's the best thing we can do.

Much love to you all. <3

Current Mood: sad
Current Music: Let Me Go by Cake

The Just Write Discord held a weekend write-in this weekend, and I wrote a cute little fluffy story for it.

Kismet (2881 words) by vMures
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Danny Mahealani/Stiles Stilinski
Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Danny Mahealani, Chris Argent, Peter Hale
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Alternate Universe - Human, Established Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Background Relationships, Future Fic, Fluff
Summary:

Sometimes the universe brings people back into our lives at just the right time. It’s not always a life-saving or big world-changing moment, sometimes, it’s just someone rescuing you from a shitty night out and a bad date.

Current Mood: tired

It's my friend, amejisuto's birthday today, so I thought I'd take a moment and wish her a happy birthday here.

Hope you have a glorious day, my dear!

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Manda

April 2024

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Style: Cozy Blanket for Ciel by nornoriel

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Page generated Jun. 28th, 2025 03:45 pm

The Freedom Song of the Jigsaw Girl

salsa with the sunbeams; dance across your universe

Recent Entries

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Ode to Lilacs

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Oh wow, it's been a while

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Safely arrived in Virginia

I see my light come shining

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Come home in the morning light

New fandom journal

Home from the Holidays - plus a newish fic

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May you be looking in on us and smiling

New short fic: Kismet

Happy Birthday, amejisuto!