#carlynroth

hey stranger :)

5.  What’s your favorite headcanon you use in fics?

Currently, there is really only one thing I use consistently:  Chakotay’s spirit guide is a wolf (thank you, Christie Golden).  not a snake. no snakes. just no.

used to use a lot in the old days, I’ll give you two:

Tom’s spirit guide is a golden eagle and B’Elanna’s is a peregrine falcon.  I got the latter idea with the whole “B’Elanna’s the only one I know who tried to kill her guide” crack Chakotay made.

Kathryn’s middle name is Melanie.  the initial “M” was mentioned in the Caretaker novelization and I gave that to her from that point on since canon never bothered to give her one (and Elizabeth isn’t canon either.  that’s someone else’s fanon pick.  if it were, that’d be cool because then we’d share a middle name!  but it’s not, so i gave her one!) 

15.  Give us a snippet of something from your WiPs!

from Rainbow #2, the intro to the Delta Flyer in an AU way….

“Now that you’re bothhere, do you have a few minutes?" 

"We do,”Chakotay replied.  "What’s goingon?“ 

Instead of replying, Harrytapped his badge.  "Kim toParis." 

"Paris here.” 

“The eagle haslanded." 

"Acknowledged.” 

Kathryn raised aneyebrow.  "Harry?“ 

The ensign grinned.  "You’ll see, Captain." 

The distinct hum of animpulse engine echoing from the west broke the relative stillness.  Kathryn turned towards the sound just as asmall diamond-shaped craft appeared on the horizon, its Starfleet linesbecoming more apparent as it closed the distance.  Swooping over the heads of the gathered crew,the craft banked a wide curve near the opposite horizon and performed a seriesof zigzagging darts above the eastern forest before ascending into thestratosphere and briefly vanishing from sight. 

Kathryn turned to thestill beaming Harry.  "Is this whatI’ve seen you two whispering about the past couple weeks?" 

"Yup.  We wanted to surprise you." 

The swoosh of the craft’s descent drew her attention once more; itreturned much the way it had come, looping past the forest and back overhead,coming to land a dozen meters behind Voyager. As the crew hurried over, the shuttle’s hatch opened.  Tom emerged first, followed by B'Elanna,Seven of Nine and finally Vorik.  Tomweaved through the crowd, accepting the praise and backslaps as he made his wayto the command team’s side. 

"So what do youthink, Captain?" 

"I don’t know whetherto be miffed that you didn’t let me in on this project or to praise youringenuity,” Kathryn admitted. “Maybe a combination of both. But it’s not nice to leave your captain in the dark,” she added,fixing him with a slight glare. 

“Wouldn’t be asurprise if we’d told you, though,” Tom winked, gesturing her to followhim as he headed back to the shuttle.  "Don’tworry, Tuvok supervised.“ 

"How long did it taketo construct?” Chakotay asked. 

“About two weeks,though this is something B'Elanna and I have been working on in concept formfor about six months now.  Because let’sface it—standard Starfleet shuttles just don’t cut it in the DeltaQuadrant.  We’ve needed something biggerand better since we got here. So….” The pilot gestured with a grin.“We built it ourselves." 

"In two weeks,”she repeated, shaking her head in amazement. 

“Beholdthe Delta Flyer. Ultra-aerodynamiccontours, retractable nacelles, parametallic hull plating, unimatrix shieldingbased on a design Tuvok’s been working on, and a Borg-inspired weapons systemcontributed by Seven.”  Tom gave thehull an affectionate pat.  "Wanna goinside?“

@carlynroth got the last one, so this is from/for her (she requested 250 words.) This one is a bit different, it’s set post-endgame but the ep I’m looking for is the one that KJ is recalling.  Ready?  Go!

The slow walk we are taking reminds me of one from a lifetime ago.  We’ve both grown and changed a lot since then.  I think about it now, with every step, just how far we have all come.

“No matter what happens, we’ll make it,” he had told me.  And he was right.

I had never been so scared to enter a cargo bay in my life.  His words should have calmed and reassured me, but I didn’t know him then as I do now.  

We stop short of the doors and I turn to face him.  His hand finds its way to a familiar place on my shoulder.

“I told you…” he says with a burgeoning smile.  “I told you we’d make it no matter what.”

He remembered.

I nod, a lump is forming in my throat.  I want to tell him everything.  I want to thank him and apologize and profess a thousand other things that I think of in bed at night.  But the words won’t come.  No matter. I will find the right moment after the festivities - when we are alone.  

“The bay won’t be empty this time,” I manage.

He shakes his head and I know that he too will be happy to see each and every face, all in one place, for what might be the last time.  

The doors swish open and cheering erupts.  He falls a step behind me.  He is smiling, this I know.  

I’m dying here waiting for S3 to release on Amazon Prime. DYING.

LOL wow, #3 is a popular number this year and it’s only day one of 365.  everyone keep this in mind when drawing lottery numbers and placing bets at the dabo tables ;)  

3 and 12′s answers are here :)

19.  any new fics to start next year

hopefully a certain idea you gave me ;)  we’ll see what the muse decides to do with her time this year.  she’s a fickle little so-and-so :P

4. total number of words you wrote this year

I knew someone was going to ask me this, argh. Lol. I’m going to have to go count now, aren’t I?

Number of words I’ve published this year: 316,791 (and if that’s wrong I’m not going back to double check)

If you count my WIPs and don’t count backspacing, abandoned drafts etc, you can add about another 50-60k to that total, though.

12. favorite character to write about this year

Janeway, Janeway, always Janeway. How could you not love her?