Canary and the Coal Mine

Hey all you beautiful lil souls!

First off I just wanted to genuinely thank you all for the sweet messages I came back to. I feel like I say it all the time, but your kindness and concern always blows me away, and you guys have no idea how much it means to come back to your compassion. 

I’m so sorry I stepped away as suddenly as I did. A bit ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with COVID, and as she was already very high-risk, it was very touch-and-go for a bit. The last couple of weeks was exceptionally difficult, and on Thanksgiving she was moved to hospice. 

It’s been very difficult on myself and my family, but my mom especially. I was already in a not-so-great place as many of you know, and having all of this come down on us unexpectedly literally took me out at the knees and I haven’t really been able to get myself standing again. 

I took a step back from writing - and social media - while I focused on myself and my family, and to be totally honest it’s taken everything I’ve had to keep my head above water the last few months. I really did try to keep writing (as this story and all of you have always helped me in the past) but I couldn’t focus and really, you guys deserve so much more than the meager writing I was able to come up with while I was away. 

Though things are still rocky, I’m finally in a better spot mentally. I was really worried about coming back after leaving so suddenly because I knew I’d let a lot of you down without the steady updates, and I truly feel so bad. I know how much SLAS means to you all and that it was something you guys could look forward to. I can’t apologize enough for taking that away from you all, and I really hope you can understand why I chose to step away. 

That being said, to come back to so many sweet and caring messages from you guys literally brought me to (very happy) tears. I’ve felt really alone since this all started - the last few weeks especially - and to log in again and have all your kindness, love, and concern was honestly the best thing that’s happened to me since October. 

I have a lot of messages, and I’ll reply to them as I can throughout the day, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am alright and that I’m back. 

I plan to have an update for you guys tomorrow, and I plan to keep up the regular updating. As more progresses with my grandma I may need to take some time off between an update but I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I can so it’s not so sudden.

Sorry, this totally got away from me, but if you took the time to read all this just know how much I love you and appreciate you. I’m so sorry I disappeared and hope that I can start making it up to you for being so incredibly patient and understanding. 

Thank you so much. 

ocfairygodmother’s Twist with a Twist 3K Giveaway {44/?}

Canary and the Coal Mine - WWE

A comment on a fic more than once gave me the idea or inspiration I needed to add another part to that fic. It helped me to produce even more of the content that the reader who left it enjoyed so much.

A comment on an older fic reminded me that my fics don’t get lost 24 or 48 hours after posting. True, that’s when most fics get the majority of their hits, kudos and comments, so a writer sometimes feels like if a fic hasn’t done well in that time frame, it’s as good as gone. But some people discover and love such fics later on and that’s incredible.

A comment once stopped me from deleting my AO3 account. For reasons, I was feeling really low, like I had no talent and nothing to offer. Like everything I was posting was banal and worthless. And as my finger was hovering over the ‘delete account’ button, a mail notification let me know that someone left a comment on one of my fics. I went to read it and it was absolutely lovely. And it complimented not just that fic, but my writing overall. It helped me get through a rough moment.

Your comments can mean so much more than you know. You have more capacity to do good and help content creation in the fandom, that you and others enjoy, than you realize.

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Look at this absolutely amazing coaster @reidswords made for me! I am IN LOVE 😍 this is soooo pretty! And for my CATCM readers, look! I am so happy to have Jamie and Dean on a coaster!

Four years ago today I first posted Canary and the Coal Mine, and today I wanted to celebrate and thank all of you that have supported both the story and myself the last few years! Please read below for details on the giveaway, and then click ‘Enter Now’ at the bottom to be taken to the survey!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

To be eligible, you’ll need to be either following the story on FF, have it bookmarked on Ao3, or have it recommended on Mibba (having it marked on multiple sites doesn’t increase your chances of winning). I just need to know you’re actually a reader! That’s it, no other hoops to jump through! All you need to do is fill out this survey before July 20th. I’ll be picking 3 winners total - 1 grand prize winner and 2 runner ups - that will be announced on July 21st with the posting of Chapter 27. Grand Prize: A WWE gift package including a Dean Ambrose MITB Action Figure, your choice of either a Dean Ambrose Shirt Relic Card (#263/299) or a Roman Reigns SummerSlam 2015 Mat Relic Card (#147/199), and a Dean Ambrose keychain, as well as either having yourself or your OC added into the story or having a personalized one-shot of either yourself or your OC with Dean, Roman, Seth, or all of the above! See below the cut for terms. Runner Up Prize: Have either yourself or your OC added into the story or have a personalized one-shot of either yourself or your OC with Dean, Roman, Seth, or all of the above! See below the cut for terms.

Enter Now!