Calais Reno

Every now and then a difficult period like this comes along: so it's time to request some assistance.

I've kind of been neglecting my vision for the past year or so, aware that I needed new glasses (and to go have a consult for possible eye-related surgery), but putting it off... and now the situation has, as it were, come home to roost.

The other day, when I was typing something and then (to check it before posting) had to pick up the Mac and hold it up to my nose to see what I'd typed... I realized that if this went on much longer, even with dictation (because after you dictate, you still have to edit...), I wouldn't be able to write.

That would be bad.

I need to go see my Eye Lady, get examined, and get both sets of glasses re-fitted with new prescriptions. This—as usual, each time it needs to be done every year and a half or two years, due to Weird Eyes—is going to run into a low-four-figure-ish kind of money. And due to other recent unexpected medical expenses, right now there's not enough dosh around (or spondoolicks or whatever term you prefer...) to get things sorted.

Therefore: can I get people interested in keeping a writer, you know, writing (as I've got three novels working at once at the moment...), to consider doing one of these things?

(a) Go over to Ebooks Direct and buy a book. (Or a bundle. Or a gift card for somebody else who might like my work.) And if you do: thanks so much!

(b) Stop by my Ko-Fi and drop a little something in the pot. It'll be most appreciated.

And if you can't do either of the above:

(c) Reblog this and let other people see it?

Shout out to @curiouspupsicle, who ran with the Throwback Thursday retrospective look at older Good Omens fics several weeks back (check out their blog). This week, @carry-the-sky joins in with a tasty-looking (you should pardon the expression) read: putting the "sex" in excessive. (Because they should have their picnic, as many times as we want to write it.) And @quitequaintrelle offers feel the earthquake in the room -- post-season-2 husbands finding their way back to each other, bonus Jesus doing cannonballs in the hotel pool. Smashing that to-read button.

I almost forgot it was Thursday, myself. But for some reason, I've been thinking repeatedly about this fic lately:

This tale grew in the telling, as a famous author once put it. I only meant to write a wistful one-shot, built around the idea of Crowley's forging a bond with the surviving unicorn in the cold open, and what that could mean given the mythic characteristics of unicorns. I wrote it under the influence -- of a poem, that is, Augusta Gregory's Donal Og, which is full of regret for giving one's heart: "You promised me a thing that is not possible."

And as will happen... Sixteen thousand words later it was a trip through the ages, angst, feelings unspoken, reconciliation, and resolution.

That You May Be Without A Mate Until You Find Me -- rated M, ~16,000 words

The long fingers were moving in the silvery mane. To Heaven, Crowley was outcast and damned, curst above all cattle and every beast of the field, but the unicorn didn't seem to know that, or care if it did.  Aziraphale paused briefly, knowing his approach would startle the beast. The sight cracked his heart, which he was morally certain he had (their corporations had been made in the perfect image of mortals, down, so far as he could tell, to every niggling detail) but not sure he needed. That might be a good thing. He was even less sure it belonged to him any more.

Twelve chapters, spanning the period from the Ark to after "to the world," and saturated in all the history and literature I soaked up in college and didn't get to use much in "real life."

Do you have a fic that took on a life of its own? Drop a link in the notes!

Tagging in the replies as usual; drop a note if you want on or off the list.

It was only legalized in 8 US states (the 8th only a few months before), and wouldn’t be legalized nation-wide until 2015.

It was only legal in TEN COUNTRIES in 2011. We wouldn’t hit 20 countries until 2017. (Australia was 23rd)

As of today (April 14, 2026), I believe only 38 countries have fully legalized same-sex marriage. Out of somewhere around 200 countries in the world. That’s only ~19% of countries.

Sherlock fandom.

This is the first of my two fics for the Fandom Trumps Hate 2026 event. I've been dying to share It Takes a Village with you all. My highest bidder @redmondcollege wanted an AU where neither of the characters needed to have their normal jobs - hence why I've moved them all to the idyllic village, Arboreta Combe. My generous bidder also wanted either parent!lock or a retirement fic. As you may have deduced from the picture above, I chose the former, but with a twist. Welcome to my hairdresser!lock universe!

A big thanks to @keirgreeneyes for the great beta job. You're a star!

Chapter 1 - The Biggest Secret

Summary: Sherlock is alone in his hair salon, tidying up after some hectic weeks. Most of the work is muscle memory, allowing his thoughts to wander freely. Unsurprisingly, they opt to relive his first meeting with John, which took place in this very establishment. Years later, the man is still an enigma to Sherlock, and he's no closer to deducing John's secret, but when the bell over the salon door chimes, announcing new customers, the mystery solves itself, and Sherlock's heart is about to break.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

@totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @raina-at

@meetinginsamarra @safedistancefrombeingsmart @gregorovitch-adler @topsyturvy-turtely @peanitbear

@phoenix27884 @bs2sjh @brandiwein1982 @a-victorian-girl @221beloved

@ninasnakie @7-percent @lhrinhampstead @chriscalledmesweetie @missdeliadilisblog

@salmonsown @oetkb12 @jawnscoffee @gay-ass-bitch @acumberlockedgirl

@willamholmeswatson @whatnext2020 @mydogwatson @redmondcollege @thegildedbee

@ilovegayangels @elizabethhoodstyles @xmengal03 @riversong912 @givemesherbet-blog-blog

@couldbecannibal @2old2b-fangirl @dw91165 @jonkwatson @binx72

@macgyvershe @kholkate @fookincarrotsandpotatoes28 @talkativeanxiousturtle

@twoandahalfdimes @desi-yearning @johnlock-and-tea @llcsecret @jobooksncoffee

@original-welovethebeekeeper @readingwithgwen @gomielka @rosemelodyshah @221biandconfused

@ghostofnuggetspast @quiscustodiet @battledress @xjessicafaithx @peggyhh

@procrastinatorasfuck @writing-is-like-breathing @susanwhynow @debzwez @hot-on-my-watch

@solarmama-plantsareneat @the-cat-writer @futurewr1ter @copperplatebeech

i'm in so much pain and i can't wait until this bloody tooth gets pulled on friday. i haven't been able to eat on the right side of my mouth for a year all because my implant failed (2 years later) due to bone degradation (I'm one of the unlucky 1% of failed implants, apparently) and possibly the metal plate of my implant may be broken but the specialist won't be able to tell until i get the surgery done. I have to get it taken out and the whole area bone-grafted and redone. it took six months to see the specialist, and then another month before i could get the surgery. the metal base of my implant is currently just sitting above a hollow space in my jaw, and in turn the tooth is just loosely sitting there in the space. In turn, it's loose and it hurts so much and pain killers aren't doing anything anymore because it's inflamed. AND I grind my teeth at night so I wake up with a jaw that hurts SO much.

I just want to pull this whole tooth out on my own omgggg.

I can't eat solid food anymore because any movement of my tongue jostles the implant and accidentally chewing too hard chomps down on the implant and sending immense pain through my whole right side of my face.

I'm just so upset because this initial implant cost me about 10K WITH insurance and a year and a half from start to finish, and now I have to spend another 10K and another year to fix it.

why is dentistry (AND EYES OMG) NOT COVERED UNDER OHIP UGHHHH.

sorry, I shouldn't whine about this. i know i've got it good since my insurance is REALLY good because of my job (it's covering half of my surgery on friday. it will still cost me 2000$) but then I have to wait until 2027 for my insurance to reset to finish phase 2 of the implant.

I'm feeling a bit better today because I finally had some sleep last night and forced myself to rest today (it's REALLY hard for me since I go do 2+ hr high-intensity workouts on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and I'm not allowed to do that for at least another 3 days UGGGHHHH) I did go for a little walk to soak up the sunshine at the very least, and GOD I'm SO HUNGRY ALL THE TIME right now because I can't eat anything super solid. I've just been eating scrambled eggs and meal replacement shakes.

I CRAVE POPCORN. I CRAVE CHICKEN. I AM CRAVING PIZZA AND CAKE AND OMG SOBS. I haven't had any of those in nearly 2 months because of the pain in the original tooth, and now I can't have it because I have to keep chunky stuff out of the wound area while the bone graft heals. Two more weeks until post-op, but I'm allow to start eating SOFT solids (so long as they aren't crumbly) starting tonight. ggguuuuh.

ALSO thank you for the suggestion of ice on the spot, so relieving before my codeine kicks in. It's a bit hard for me right now because the WHOLE area is bruised and hurts for me to even touch it, so I can't keep it there too long. Hopefully the lighter ice pack (that's basically a plastic sheet with ice bubbles in it) I bought will be ok for bedtime.

I worked from home today because I'm still really lightheaded from not eating or doing much on the weekend (I literally haven't left my apartment since Friday afternoon), and FINALLY the swelling has gone down and I can touch the side of my face again without pain. Now that I could open my mouth wider again, I inhaled half a spinach pizza, some eggs, and pasta for my meals today, and I'm feeling a lot better after having a lot more food. Hopefully I'll feel better to go to work tomorrow.

I really appreciate and am FLOORED by all the love and support y'all have shown me for this. I feel happy knowing that you guys do genuinely care. Baby steps, my friends. I'm trying every day to carry on. The pain is manageable now with OTC meds, which is a blessing because I hate taking codeine as it makes me drowsy and feeling worse.

Chapter 18 ~ Under Starry Skies

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight Never in life had I seen such a sight!    It’s a dream to be wished   That I’d not know I missed Which has lead to my heart taking flight!

Captain “Corbie” Wiggins,  Baker Street Irregulars

-=<+>=-

A heartfelt thank you to all my dear readers!

It's never too late to start...

LMK if you want on or off the list...

The Three Gables

The subdued omnipresent strain of period-typical racism that runs throughout the entire canon is at its worst in this shoddily plotted story. Though it gives us a hasty peek at the formidably under-used Langdale Pike, Holmes’ gossiping columnist friend, there is nothing that can redeem this adventure. Holmes is indeed a product of his time and privileged place in society, and as such displays a complex array of prejudicial attitudes, but it is hard to reconcile his relaxed mood at the conclusion of “The Yellow Face” with his aggressive racism toward the figure of Steve Dixie. The case itself is a rehash of an already twice-used plot, growing weaker each time: it is basically identical in premise to both the events of the Red-Headed League and the missing Garrideb, with clues that apparently no one but the reader picks up on, a Holmes with a remarkable absence of foresight, and the villain(ess) undeservedly getting away with her crime. One is left to wonder why it was considered for publication at all. 

Chapter 5 of a Chance of Showers is up on Ao3 for you now! Enjoy!

Summary: When the Watson's shower becomes unusable, John asks Sherlock if he can shower at 221b for a while. Now if only he could figure out why this feels so right.

Or start at the beginning here.

"Well, maybe he'll realise-" she began.

"Don't," Sherlock said, trying hard not to snap. "Please. He made his choice and it wasn't me."

"Not much of a choice that, if he didn't know all his options," Mrs Hudson tutted. "Really, Sherlock, I think if you had just told him …"

"If I had told him, he would have walked away and I would have never seen him again," Sherlock said firmly. "You know it's true."

What if the children go to schools unafraid of tear gas and bullets?

What if the birds come back, and the bees are healed, and every species moves from endangered, to threatened, to thriving?

What if the rainforest ADVANCES?

What if every parking lot had solar panels? What if every structure had solar panels? What if we built climbing gyms and terraced gardens in the skeletons of old coal power plants?

What if you baked your neighbor bread, and they shared their home-grown blackberries?

What if every person who needed a home, had one? What if every person who needed healing was healed?

What if every body was treasured for what it was, not what it should be?

What if every trans child's parents attended their graduation, their wedding, their new-name-day?

What if every warehouse became a closed-circle repair station? Goods flowing out, and back, and out again? What if landfills started to SHRINK?

What if the water and air were clean? What if there was enough public transit that the cars dwindled, leaving the streets safe for kids on bikes, evening deer, midnight cats and foxes?

What if we win?

The condors are back. The whales are saved. The sea turtles are no longer endangered. The cranes are back. The bees are recovering. The air in LA and Tokyo and London is clean again. The aquifers in the LA Basin are refilling.

Children are kinder than previous generations. Parents are stopping the abuse cycle. Being trans and queer is more acceptable than ever on a ground level.

It's hard to see if you're young, if you don't know how to step back from social media and the news. But remember--bad news sells, and the algorithm knows despair keeps you scrolling. It's a skewed lens.

We are fighting and we are winning against this adminstration's bullying. We are coming together against the bullies and they are running away scared because they don't understand that we will do that.

People are working hard every day to find ways to make sure fewer animals get hit by cars and planes and rockets.

Maker spaces are more common than ever. Solar and wind are more common than ever. Coal plants are shutting down every day.

Unprecedented numbers of acres are being bought back or given back to their rightful stewards, and the world heals because of it. People are working hard every day to learn how to help a forest recover faster.

We are not at zero. We are at decades of effort to heal the world. We've come SO far.

In 1982 there were only 22 California Condors left in the world. In 1992, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), with its public and private partners, began reintroducing captive-bred condors to the wild. In 2001 the first wild nesting occurred in Grand Canyon National Park since re-introduction. In 2002 there were only 8 pairs of wild nesting birds population-wide. In 2008, for the first time since the program began, more California condors were flying free in the wild than in captivity. Today there are nearly 500 – more than half of them flying free in Arizona, Utah, California, and Baja Mexico.

When I was born, there were no condors in the wild. I'm 37 now, and there are over 250 condors flying free.

When my mom was born in 1955, there were days when she wasn't allowed to go outside to play, because of the air pollution. When I was born, that never happened anymore.

When I was born, humpback whales were critically endangered, and people thought they were going to go extinct. Today, they've recovered to exceed their recorded numbers. Other whales too!

We fixed it.

Since 1990 extreme poverty has decreased worldwide by over HALF.

This amazing author - who had to work so hard to be recognized as a legit science fiction writer - predicted Donald Trump's America in a book published 31 years ago, set in the year 2024.