Hi! As far as I can tell, there's no existing copy of Operation Salvation hosted online anywhere, but I know I have a copy from my personal fic archive. Let me see what I can do.

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I have the fic. It's safe, it's preserved, it's backed up.

The bad news is that the HTML is totally FUBAR and quotations and apostrophes aren't displaying in rich text.

Translation: It's gonna be a bitch to get this thing reformatted to a point where it's legible.

enjoy

https://youtu.be/zSgiXGELjbc?si=U2jcumSWYJAlWVdX

God this is beautiful. Thank you.

(You don't have to answer if the ask makes you uncomfortable)

It's so kind of you to offer help, thank you. I appreciate it tremendously.

My post was a little vague; I'm self-conscious about airing my personal struggles, so perhaps I gave the impression that I'm still suffering. But I'm very happy to say that the worst appears to be over. I'm getting the help I need for the medical emergency I had on the 13th*, and the situation with my partner's job situation is resolved. Like, miraculously. It exceeded my highest hopes. Whatever good vibes everyone was sending me last week, I received them in full. I can't thank you all enough. I feel like asking anything more would be too much. I'm alive, I've got a roof over my head, a car that works, and renewed hope. I'm still trying to find my new "normal", so I'm not yet back to enjoying my hobbies, but let me tell you, receiving email notifs about nice comments on my fics and posts and art when I was Going Through It™ was like finding tiny glittering diamonds in a world that had turned to pure shit. I'm very grateful for those precious distractions.

Thanks so much for reaching out and for caring. I'm supremely grateful ☆♡

Proton! Specifically, Proton Docs, which is currently a feature of Proton Drive. Pretty much exactly like Google but without the bullshit.

The timing of this ask couldn't have been better; I just got home from the library a few minutes ago, and my selection is a pretty good indicator of my current academic interests:

Shark Trouble, Peter Benchley (nonfiction)

The Math Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained series)

Astronomy for Dummies, Feinberg

The Wave: In Pursuit of Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, Susan Casey

Easy Algebra Step-By-Step, 2nd ed., McCune & Clark

I've almost finished Carl Sagan's Billions and Billions, which I've been reading piecemeal since February (it's a good supplement to his extremely enjoyable Cosmos series), and of course a rampaging monster novel for pure entertainment. 😆

The math books are to brush up on my algebra skills in anticipation of learning calculus (guided self-learning), and I have a deep (ha) and abiding love for the ocean and sharks. I'd originally intended to check out some amateur radio books—I'm a Level 1 Technician but I let my license lapse and need a refresher to renew—but there were none to be found. I'll look again later.

But to answer your question, if time and money were no object, I'd go back to school for multiple things—and probably end up a lifelong scholar. I'd work on earning my Masters in English or Creative Writing first (I have an Associate's in the former), maybe even a PhD (oh, to be Dr. Hal Bender!) and take more language classes, too. A degree in Art and/or Illustration would be agreeable to me as well. Wouldn't mind getting back into symphony either, though I probably wouldn't study music formally. Same with Film; I learned more about storytelling from a film class than I did in any lit class I've taken.

The arts are my most developed skill set, but I love the sciences, particularly oceanography, geology, GIS, and computers. I've only recently taken a keener interest in astronomy (thanks, Carl), though I don't see myself ever getting a degree in it. (Unless?)

Oh my goodness. Thank you for such a lovely note, my friend. I hadn't thought of lower_tadfield in years, but oh boy, those were some great times! Just reading those usernames brought back a deluge of fond memories. The fics, the art, the icons, the conversations—what an experience! I'm so happy to be counted among those memories, especially yours. I'm fortunate and grateful to have been a part of the Good Omens community back then—and in a way still am, thanks to wonderful people like yourself.