Mainly a tiny bit of posterity: Thanksgiving dinner
Oct. 17th, 2025 02:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I somehow mentally misplaced a week when we were booking our covid/flu shots and I was looking at the last market date of the season for the little one on the corner. Unsure how my brain concluded that they were on the same day. (Market's last day is tomorrow, shots are a week from tomorrow, so it's FINE, just...odd.)
The rest of this is entirely about what we did for our little Thanksgiving dinner (with a bit of blood glucose talk), so it's going under a cut. ( cut! )
The rest of this is entirely about what we did for our little Thanksgiving dinner (with a bit of blood glucose talk), so it's going under a cut. ( cut! )
Round 180 Theme Poll
Oct. 17th, 2025 09:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Poll #33735 round 180 theme poll
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 33
Pick the next theme of fancake:
Mystery & Suspense
15 (45.5%)
Protest & Revolt
10 (30.3%)
Whump
8 (24.2%)
Spooks (MI5): Fanfic: Lucas' Idea
Oct. 17th, 2025 04:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Title: Lucas' Idea
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 481 words
Summary: Lucas has a brilliant idea; nearly everyone else is sceptical
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 481 words
Summary: Lucas has a brilliant idea; nearly everyone else is sceptical
Thunderbolts - fanfic - pancakes and other revelatory things
Oct. 17th, 2025 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Title: pancakes and other revelatory things
Fandom: Thunderbolts
Characters: Robert βBobβ Reynolds/John Walker & other members of the team
Length: 845 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: no standard warnings apply
Notes: written for
fan_flashworks βBrilliantβ and Post-July Breaks Bingo βYou know, I almost forgot how much of a jerk you can be.β
More Notes: This is a sequel to βthe beauty of dangerous thingsβ but can easily stand on itβs own.
Vibes: pining, pre-relationship, pre-slash, getting feelings, beginnings, Bobβs POV, food, cooking, breakfast, team as family
Summary: Bob has feelings while watching John make breakfast for the team.
( pancakes and other revelatory things )
Fandom: Thunderbolts
Characters: Robert βBobβ Reynolds/John Walker & other members of the team
Length: 845 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: no standard warnings apply
Notes: written for
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More Notes: This is a sequel to βthe beauty of dangerous thingsβ but can easily stand on itβs own.
Vibes: pining, pre-relationship, pre-slash, getting feelings, beginnings, Bobβs POV, food, cooking, breakfast, team as family
Summary: Bob has feelings while watching John make breakfast for the team.
( pancakes and other revelatory things )
Rejected video for late Fossil Day share
Oct. 17th, 2025 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I decided this video was too duplicative to included in Howtown explains 'What Quetzalcoatlus was really like' for a late National Fossil Day.
due South: Build a Rocket, Boys! by feroxargentea
Oct. 18th, 2025 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Fandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio, Harding Welsh, Renfield Turnbull, Sam Franklin
Rating: Mature
Length: 26,765
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: feroxargentea on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friendship, First time, Action/adventure, Complete AU, In Space
Summary: Androids are going missing on the giant spaceship Chicago! A Mountie and a space cop team up to investigate why, and to find their friend before itβs too late.
Reccer's Notes:
As I mentioned earlier, there are very few due South fics set in space - and this is an excellent one! The familiar due South characters and settings are translated into space, with their base being on the Spaceship Chicago, and Vecchio in trouble over at spacehub Vegas. There's action, adventure, banter, romance, plot and drama as Fraser and Ray work to solve the case and rescue Vecchio. A cracking read!
Fanwork Links: Build a Rocket, Boys!
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio, Harding Welsh, Renfield Turnbull, Sam Franklin
Rating: Mature
Length: 26,765
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: feroxargentea on AO3
Themes: Uncommon settings, Friendship, First time, Action/adventure, Complete AU, In Space
Summary: Androids are going missing on the giant spaceship Chicago! A Mountie and a space cop team up to investigate why, and to find their friend before itβs too late.
Reccer's Notes:
As I mentioned earlier, there are very few due South fics set in space - and this is an excellent one! The familiar due South characters and settings are translated into space, with their base being on the Spaceship Chicago, and Vecchio in trouble over at spacehub Vegas. There's action, adventure, banter, romance, plot and drama as Fraser and Ray work to solve the case and rescue Vecchio. A cracking read!
Fanwork Links: Build a Rocket, Boys!
Write Every Day: Day 17
Oct. 17th, 2025 04:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
"Because in the age of likes and follows, we have confused the reward of creating with the reward of being praised for creating, and why wouldnβt we? Our culture has never celebrated aspiring. Our culture celebrates markers of success. You meet a writer at a party. Oh, have you ever been published? When we could ask: what are the stories that inspire you? What is the story you most want to tell? We have to rewire the way we talk about art, the way we think about artists. The job of the artist is not to skip to the good part. The job of the artist is to make art when no one gives a damn, when no one likes or follows, when we are not being comforted by compliments and praise."
βΒ Leigh Bardugo, via TedX
My day 17: I added 617 words to my flashfic. The story is supposed to be a little missing scene about time travel. Perhaps inevitably, given one of the characters is a deposed king, politics has reared its head, so it's still going. Oops! Not to worry, I still have plenty of time to finish it.
I also slightly tweaked a gift fic. I was thinking about the question of how to portray emotional beats/responses, showing without telling. In tandem with that, I started wondering if my POV characters have been tending too cerebral lately. Do you prefer characters to think through the implications of things or just to gut-reaction? (Does it depend on the character?) How do you express emotional beats? Are your descriptions primarily physiological (pulse, breath, etc) or something else? Do you have a technique for conveying feelings as they arise, or is this just something you do instinctively?
As well as writing, I went with Andrew (partner) to our favourite outdoor cafe (which is being forced to close down in a few months, oh no!) and sat in the blustery northwesterly, then did grocery shopping. This evening our friend is coming over for the last two episodes of Kdrama Low Life, and I'm making enchiladas.
The tally
Day 16:
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When you check in, please say what day(s) youβre checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; youβre always welcome back. And please let me know if Iβve missed you.
Unconventionyule
Oct. 16th, 2025 10:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Unconventionyule is a mini-challenge to help people who like unconventional formats find one another's requests, whether thatβs poetry, epistolary, spreadsheets, social media, puzzles, or other unusual mediums. Please remember that works in the main collection must still be at least 1000 words, but shorter works can be submitted to the Madness collection!
To participate, simply copy-paste the following into a comment:
AO3 Name:
Letter Link:
Requested Fandoms:
Format(s): (e.g. epistolary, poetry, spreadsheets, social media)
(Optional) Prompts:
Tag your work with Unconventionyule and/or Unconventional Format to help others find your works!
To participate, simply copy-paste the following into a comment:
AO3 Name:
Letter Link:
Requested Fandoms:
Format(s): (e.g. epistolary, poetry, spreadsheets, social media)
(Optional) Prompts:
Tag your work with Unconventionyule and/or Unconventional Format to help others find your works!
here's what took place moments ago
Oct. 16th, 2025 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
The Rangers haven't scored in almost 8 periods (if this 2nd period in Toronto ends without them scoring in 2 minutes, it will actually be 8 periods) - and it's not even like they've been shut out by top tier goalies! - but Chris Kreider has 5 points in 3 games so far for Anaheim. They definitely sent the wrong Chris away over the summer. Sigh.
[eta] A goal! For the Rangers! Huzzah!
*
[eta] A goal! For the Rangers! Huzzah!
*
Chromatic Yuletide 2025
Oct. 16th, 2025 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Chromatic Yuletide is a collection post for Yuletide requests that include characters of colour. Posting here doesn't obligate you to do anything, but it helps writers find your requests and treat you.
Posting requirements:
Your request centers around at least one character of colour.
(I acknowledge there are some shortcomings with the "person of colour" descriptor. I'm also not going to police who is or isn't a character of colour; please just use your best judgment.)
To participate, simply copy-paste the following into a comment:
AO3 name:
Letter link:
Fandom:
Characters:
What is it? description of canon or a link to a canon promo (optional)
What kind of thing am I requesting? also optional
If you post a fic for Yuletide with one or more POC characters, tag it with Chromatic Yuletide so people can find it easily!
Posting requirements:
Your request centers around at least one character of colour.
(I acknowledge there are some shortcomings with the "person of colour" descriptor. I'm also not going to police who is or isn't a character of colour; please just use your best judgment.)
To participate, simply copy-paste the following into a comment:
AO3 name:
Letter link:
Fandom:
Characters:
What is it? description of canon or a link to a canon promo (optional)
What kind of thing am I requesting? also optional
If you post a fic for Yuletide with one or more POC characters, tag it with Chromatic Yuletide so people can find it easily!
Daily Happiness
Oct. 16th, 2025 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
1. Got the car stuff taken care of. Apparently there have been two recalls (neither of them urgent) and the most recent one requires a part replaced and they don't yet have the replacement parts, so they'll contact us when they get those in, but they did take care of the first, and did a full tune up and all that, and also washed the car (it wasn't in terrible shape, but always nice to get it washed). They did not have a Kia dealership in town when we bought this car, but they do now, which is very nice. It's technically within walking distance, but it would be a long walk, so I picked Carla up this morning and dropped her off this afternoon.
2. It was nice to have the day off. Didn't do anything special, just relax. I had considered putting together the Billy bookcase we bought a couple weeks ago, but decided against it. I know it won't actually take that long (though it has doors, so it will be longer than just the bookcase on its own), but it feels like such a large project. It was so nice with the furniture for the garage, I could just leave it half done and do a bit each day and it wasn't in the way, but this is for Carla's bedroom, so it needs to be done all at once (though I suppose the doors can be done on another day). Maybe this weekend. We really need more shelf space, so that is a good reason to get it done lol.
3. Molly is such a sweetie.

2. It was nice to have the day off. Didn't do anything special, just relax. I had considered putting together the Billy bookcase we bought a couple weeks ago, but decided against it. I know it won't actually take that long (though it has doors, so it will be longer than just the bookcase on its own), but it feels like such a large project. It was so nice with the furniture for the garage, I could just leave it half done and do a bit each day and it wasn't in the way, but this is for Carla's bedroom, so it needs to be done all at once (though I suppose the doors can be done on another day). Maybe this weekend. We really need more shelf space, so that is a good reason to get it done lol.
3. Molly is such a sweetie.

Webcomic fandoms you can offer/request in Yuletide 2025
Oct. 16th, 2025 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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A roundup all the webcomic fandoms in the 2025 tag set (plus all the characters you can request for each one), including links to where you can read them online. Fandoms are in the order/format AO3 puts the tags in.
I tried to flag everything that was (a) NSFW and/or (b) at least partly paywalled. If I missed any examples of that, please let me know!
( Comics, on the web, (mostly) free to get and easy to read )
King of Ashes, by S. A. Cosby: DNF
Oct. 16th, 2025 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

Roman left the family business, a crematory, and its town to become an accountant to the rich and famous. His sister now runs the crematory with their father, while their younger brother Dante stays on the rolls but his actual profession is being a drug addict and ne'er do well. When the kids were teenagers, their mother vanished. Their father is widely suspected of having murdered his wife and cremated his body, but no proof was ever found. When the book opens, Roman hears that his father is in the hospital, victim of a suspicious accident. He heads home to visit his father and help out his sister. Naturally, he immediately gets embroiled in trouble.
I've loved or liked all of Cosby's previous books and was very excited for this one - especially given the crematory setting. (Cosby himself ran a funeral home with his wife.) Unfortunately, I did not like or feel connected to any of the characters in this one, and so I didn't care what happened to them. Cosby's characters are typically criminals who do bad things, but in his other books, I understand the reasons they are who they are and like them even if I wouldn't want to meet them in real life. But in this one, fairly early on, Roman - who I already didn't feel connected to - commits an act of horrifying cruelty that seems completely unmotivated.
( Read more... )
It's possible that this is explained later, and my guess is that the explanation is "Roman is actually a sadistic sociopath," but I lost all interest in him at that point, and DNF'd the book as I no longer wanted to read about him, none of the other characters interested me either, and the sadistic sociopath explanation doesn't help. I heard an interview with Cosby where he talks about wanting to write a classic tragedy with a very bad protagonist a la Macbeth, which makes his intention make more sense to me, but it doesn't make me want to return to the book.
Cosby is a great author but this book was a miss for me. I HIGHLY recommend Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears for very well-written books where bad people do bad things that are very motivated, and you can't help rooting for them to succeed. I recommend All Sinners Bleed for a well-written book about a good guy fighting both crime and legal bad things. I recommend My Darkest Prayer for a fun, OTT thriller with a very Marty Stu protagonist. I don't recommend this.
Daily Happiness
Oct. 15th, 2025 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
1. We had a nice dinner at Disneyland tonight. The parks were crowded, but it's finally feeling like fall weather, so that made it more pleasant than hot and crowded for sure.
2. Speaking of weather, it rained for a few more hours last night after I went to bed. It doesn't look like we're supposed to get any more in the near future, but I'm glad we got as much as we did.
3. Yesterday at work I saw this sweet potato spread and meant to buy it before going home, but forgot. But today I remembered, and I had a piece of toast tonight with butter and the spread and it was so good! It's not like a sweet potato jam, it's a creamy spread more like peanut butter. The package says you can also spread it on before toasting to give it a real roasted sweet potato feel, so I'm going to try that next.
4. I'm taking the day off tomorrow. On Monday a check engine light went on in the car, no accompanying beeps or message, so it didn't seem urgent, but it did stay on, so Carla called and made an appointment to take it in to the dealership. She's been wanting to get a tune up anyway, and there's some sort of recall that should be looked into as well. The appointment is for tomorrow, and I just decided that even though we have another car I could use, and it's not me taking the car in, work doesn't have to know that, so I put in a PTO request and told my boss I have to take the car to the shop, so I can't come in. (Now today the check engine light was off, but it does still need to get checked out, so we're keeping the appointment.)
5. Look at that leg!

2. Speaking of weather, it rained for a few more hours last night after I went to bed. It doesn't look like we're supposed to get any more in the near future, but I'm glad we got as much as we did.
3. Yesterday at work I saw this sweet potato spread and meant to buy it before going home, but forgot. But today I remembered, and I had a piece of toast tonight with butter and the spread and it was so good! It's not like a sweet potato jam, it's a creamy spread more like peanut butter. The package says you can also spread it on before toasting to give it a real roasted sweet potato feel, so I'm going to try that next.
4. I'm taking the day off tomorrow. On Monday a check engine light went on in the car, no accompanying beeps or message, so it didn't seem urgent, but it did stay on, so Carla called and made an appointment to take it in to the dealership. She's been wanting to get a tune up anyway, and there's some sort of recall that should be looked into as well. The appointment is for tomorrow, and I just decided that even though we have another car I could use, and it's not me taking the car in, work doesn't have to know that, so I put in a PTO request and told my boss I have to take the car to the shop, so I can't come in. (Now today the check engine light was off, but it does still need to get checked out, so we're keeping the appointment.)
5. Look at that leg!

2025 Disneyland Trip #67 (10/15/25)
Oct. 15th, 2025 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
We went down to Disneyland this evening after work. It was windy when we got there, and getting a little chilly, so we both wore sweatshirts, which was nice. I'm sure there will be some hot days here and there still, but I hate how warm it is into October these days, so it's nice to have it actually feeling like fall.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )