Retrospective: Fire

Two cities are on fire -- one literally, one symbolically.Two men (Tony Stark and Harold Finch) are trying to put out those fires. With a chronic lack of time, resources, and allies, the best they can do is offer a little emotional support across a quick interdimensional phone call.This is a personal message to my readers from both major fandoms; even if you tend to avoid crossovers, I hope you'll at least read the notes.ETA: First chapter is a conversation between Harold Finch (POI) and Tony Stark (MCU). Chapters 2-4 are simply a bunch of preview clips from work I've already written but haven't yet gotten into shape enough to post, sorted by fandom (POI, MCU, and then everything else). If you're curious about my upcoming fics and chapter updates, come take a look!

At the end of 2018, my Retrospective noted: I've been chronically running on five hours' sleep most nights. And then it said I'd come back and update the notes when I had a chance, which apparently I never did.I didn't take my own advice from that fic; I'm still juggling too many projects. But at least I'm getting better sleep.This installment's theme is "everything's on fire and I'm cut off from all the support I used to rely on." Had this posted on New Year's Eve of 2019, as planned, I would be looking back at it going "why the hell did I think 2019 was so hard?" But it's 3/4 of the way through 2020, and this feels like a good summary for the past 1.75 years.Unlike the previous Retrospectives, this time I'm juggling two fandoms, and the conversation turned down some unexpected pathways. So while the key frustrations are the same between the characters and me (lack of allies/support/resources, trying to do too much at once, and an unstable world), the specifics are character-based, not writer-based. (E.g. there's nobody in my life who's done anything like Steve did to Tony, and I have no guilt/regrets on par with either character's backstory.)Anyway, it's time, again, to thank those who've helped and supported me through the past two years. The "gift" part of this fic is less about the fic itself, and more about highlighting a few faces among the many, my friends and fellow fans who have meant so much to me during this time.IMelopsittacus, let's start with you. Not so much because we've been in frequent contact, but because you're the one who suggested a crossover between Tony & Harold or between their AIs. I've been working from that concept while trying to write this, and it turned out quite fruitful; thanks for the idea ^_^MulaSaWala, my dear friend: My greatest skill is in the use of words, and yet they are inadequate to convey what you mean to me at this point in my life. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and companionship, especially when I doubt myself.tilla and Crazy_Cat_Lady, I have much enjoyed working with you, and your reactions to my tales are a thing I return to many times when I need a boost of energy. Thank you both for putting up with my slow beta reading.Ioga, I wish I had the time and energy to be in contact with you more frequently; our conversations have meant a lot to me. You give me a much-needed sense of perspective, and I'm glad that we've been able to weather the moments when our expectations unexpectedly clash. I truly value your friendship.EndlessStairway, I include you as the author who's continually engaged me over the past year, both via writing and via our interaction in the comments section. Your material may be the kind I wouldn't recommend to sensitive readers, but it's always great to wake up to a notification of a new installment.Achika, I'm still tickled to have become a recurring character in a fan comic, even before you knew what I looked like. Our conversations have been quite enjoyable, and I look forward to many more. (At some point I'll have to go back through our emails, because I'm juggling way too many projects right now, and I've completely lost track of what we were doing off AO3.)And for all of you, I hope you're managing to stay safe and relatively sane during the Year to End All Years. I've heard the curse "May you live in interesting times"; well, here's hoping 2021 is a bit less "interesting."