inna

1. Carla grilled today. Hamburgers and corn and tri-tip. The burgers and corn were delicious, and while I didn't have any of the tri-tip tonigh, it smells amazing and I can't wait to have some on sandwiches.

2. I feel like this picture sums up their relationship very well.

torachan

Currently Reading
Sister Outsider
17%. Collection of essays by Audre Lorde. I have never read any of her writing before, so when this came up on a Kindle sale I was browsing, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I've only just gotten started, but the first essay was about her trip to the Soviet Union in the 70s, which was very interesting.

A Terrible Nasty Business
41%. Sequel to A Most Agreeable Murder, which I liked a lot. This is just as amusing and fun.

Riding the Rails
43%.

How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
69%.

Recently Finished
A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge
As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't love this one as much because I was so frustrated by the MC's bad choices, but I am definitely still interested in reading more books in the series.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms
This was fun. It looks like there's a sequel coming out later this year, so I'll definitely check it out.

Horrorstör
I think this is the third Grady Hendrix book I've read and they all end up being good but not great. I did like the premise a lot, though.

These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart
Dystopian murder mystery novella with clones. I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely read more in this universe.

Linus and Etta Could Use a Win
Cute middle grade novel about a trans boy at a new middle school who makes friends with a girl who's recovering from a bad friend break-up, but unbeknownst to him, her enthusiasm about him running for student council is due to a bet with her ex friend. I really liked this a lot, but was frustrated by the fact that the friend breakup didn't have a satisfying resolution. It was this whole thing about the friend cutting Etta out of her life with no explanation and we never get an explanation!

Dwellings
Graphic novel featuring various horror stories set in the same town. I liked it, but the cutesty art style (kind of Richie Rich/Casper vibes) made it hard to tell characters apart and also hard to tell their ages (I kept assuming people were kids and then realizing belatedly they were adults). It was all right.

Ojisama to Neko vol. 15
Yet another new character whose issues are fixed by getting a cat lol.

Kindaichi Papa no Jikenbo vol. 1
New Kindaichi series, set seven years from the Kindaichi Age 37 series. Now he has a kid who goes mystery solving with him. Still good mysteries.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? vol. 24
This was a bittersweet volume. I love this series.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Deadloch
Characters/Pairings: Dulcie Collins/Eddie Redcliffe/Cath York
Rating: Explicit
Length: 5010
Content Notes: not kidding about the rating
Creator Links: kirazi on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Femslash, Polyamory, Friends to lovers

Summary: “This is not a good idea, love,” Dulcie says, keeping her tone level. “I know I said I’d try to be more open to change, and I hear and respect your opinion, I truly do, but this is — it’s like the hobby farm. It’s really not going to work.”

“I just think,” Cath says, bright-eyed and earnest, “that it would be a healing experience for me. For us both! To share that kind of intimacy. I am committed to working through my anxiety about you fucking your partner and I’m sure that would be so much more manageable for me if we fucked her first. Together.”

(Eddie needs a gruck. Dulcie and Cath offer to help her out.)

Reccer's Notes: This is a polyamory fic where Cath decides she and Dulcie should have sex with Eddie so as to manage her anxiety that Dulcie might be unfaithful with Eddie (as happened in the past with a former partner at work). There's some nice psychological and historical exploration as Dulcie tries to work out what's going on, and the eventual sex is hot and well-written. What I like most is the character voices and dialogue for the three of them, which are spot on. It's also very funny, as are Eddie's creative takes on the English language.

Fanwork Links: Keep On Gruckin'

rydra_wong

Disco Elysium is currently 90% off in the Steam summer sale, making it a mere £3.49.

Play Disco Elysium, everybody. Yes, even if you don't play video games.

(It was the first video game I ever played -- apart from having once(?) played Pac Mac as a child, many many decades ago -- and it was a perfect choice.)

If you understand the principle of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, have a vague sense that "stats" and "levelling up" are things, and can grasp "click to go to a place/interact with an object," you are sufficiently equipped.

torachan

1. Between when I was talking about it last week and payday, I totally forgot my bonus was coming, so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my balance today to pay bills!

2. It was very warm and sunny this morning when I walked up to the farmers market. I usually go around ten so that I can pop in the library, too, but this morning it was already seeming waaaaaay too sunny when I was doing my morning chores around eight, so since I didn't have anything urgent I needed to pick up at the library, I went earlier, around nine, and it was still so sunny and not particularly pleasant. But! At the stand that sells fruit leather that I've been frequenting recently, I spotted that they also had bottles of watermelon lemonade, nice and cold, so I got one of those to drink on the walk home and it was perfect! It reminded me of that delicious watermelon lemonade we were getting a bunch last year at DCA, but alas they don't have it this year. Adding the watermelon just makes it feel so much more refreshing.

3. Posing for her portrait.

torachan

Welp, surprise Disneyland trip last night as there was availability and we decided to go down for dessert and parade.

( Read more... )

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Annie: I have always felt like the odd one out in my family. I love them deeply, but I cannot ignore the quiet, persistent feeling that I do not quite belong. My two younger brothers, "Tom" and "Michael," are close with each other and with our parents, especially our mom. They talk every day, go on trips together and always seem to be in sync.

I, on the other hand, have always felt different. I was more sensitive, more artistic and more emotional growing up. While they were into sports and fixing things with Dad, I was reading, journaling or off by myself. I was teased for being "too dramatic" or "too much," and I learned early on to keep my feelings to myself.

Now that we are adults, not much has changed. Family group chats often go on without me. I find out about birthdays or get-togethers after the fact. When I try to bring it up gently, I get told I'm imagining things or taking things too personally. My mom says she loves me just as much, but I still feel like I'm standing on the outside looking in.

I want to be part of the family, not just in name but in heart. I want to feel seen, heard and valued -- not like the extra piece that doesn't quite fit. Is there anything I can do to shift this dynamic, or is it time to accept that things may never change? -- Outside in My Family

( Annie's advice is better than I would've hoped for )

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

1. DEAR ABBY: My son and daughter-in-law had their first child three months ago. This was the first grandchild on both sides. Her mother stayed with her for two weeks after the cesarean birth. I have no issues with that.

My issue is, my son told me I needed to leave when they and the baby came home from the hospital. Mind you, I live 6 1/2 hours away. I fought him to get at least three days when they got home. Then he said I needed to leave, but he never told his father-in-law to leave. Also, on the days I did stay, they asked me to get a motel while her parents stayed with them. I only got to go over during the day.

When I told my son my feelings were hurt, he said I was being a drama queen. I did respect everything they asked. I just want to know if I was wrong for sharing my feelings or should I have remained quiet. It has caused friction between us now. -- SECOND-CLASS IN TENNESSEE

( Read more... )

*********

2. DEAR ABBY: My 19-year-old son, who is on the spectrum but high-functioning, has left home. He's legally an adult but wouldn't allow me to teach him normal survival skills, such as balancing a checkbook, paying with a debit card, etc. He knows very little about the world; he learns from his online friends.

It has been four months, and he has now changed his phone number and won't call, email or text. He moved across the country to live with an online friend. I'm very concerned about him. What should I do? I don't email him often, but when I do, I just tell him I love him, and I never say anything negative. -- LOST IN CALIFORNIA

( Read more... )

torachan

1. We had an award ceremony for one of the stores today and I got some cakes for the ceremony and they were really good. Would definitely get from that bakery again.

2. This evening after I got home Carla asked if I'd be interested in going down to Disneyland for an after dinner trip and even though we just went yesterday, I decided going tonight and then having Saturday and Sunday just for staying home and resting would be nice, so we went down there tonight and had dessert and watched the parade. I'm super tired now but I had a great time.

3. It's the weekend!

4. Yawn!

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Care and Feeding,

I just learned my son has been doing something truly vile.

The warmer weather has been back in our area for a little over a month now. Many of our friends and relatives have swimming pools (we do, too). Last weekend, we were at my sister’s place and had been in the pool for a good three hours when it came time to leave. Before we went home, I asked my 7-year-old son, “Noah” if he needed to use the restroom, and he said, “No.”

On the drive back home, I joked that Noah must have a bladder of steel since he’d had no fewer than three iced teas while he was in the pool! Noah replied that no, he just urinated when he was in the pool, so he didn’t have to get out and use the bathroom. I was horrified and asked if this was something he had done before. He said, “All the time.”

I laid down the law with him. I made clear that this was never to happen again. I explained how harmful and disrespectful it was to everyone in the water around him and that it throws the pool chemicals out of balance. Noah agreed not to do it again, but I’m not sure I completely trust him. I got the sense he didn’t seem to think he did anything wrong. What can I do to make sure he keeps his word?

—Parent of a Pool Pisser

( Read more... )

reeby10 posting in

fancake

Fandom: Midsommar
Characters: Dani Ardor, Hanna, Siv
Rating: T
Length: 4,212
Creator Links:

Selkit
Theme: female relationships

Summary: In her dreams, dark smudges crowd the edges of the world. One looms larger than the rest, twisting into impossible shapes, morphing into a figure with many faces, all of them howling with rage.

When she jolts awake, the dream-figure lingers. She tries to ignore it. She’s no stranger to nightmares. Her whole life has been one ever since her family’s deaths.

But things are different now. This is a new life. A new family.

Right?

Reccer's Notes: I love seeing what happens with Dani after the events of Midsommar, and this is such a good look at the continued ritual of being the May Queen! I am a known ho for ritual, but especially building off of the existing worldbuilding in such a believable way. I really enjoyed seeing more of Dani interacting with the other women of the Hårga as she learns to be part of her new family and culture. Plus the parts with Maja’s (and Christian’s) daughter were just perfect.

Fanwork Links: on AO3

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: original work
Characters/Pairings: powerful mage/warrior bonded to her
Rating: G
Length: n/a
Creator Links: creators have been revealed but the artist chose to make the work anon.
Themes: Female relationships, Femslash, Female characters, Characters of color, Magic

Summary: none provided

Reccer's Notes: Another gorgeous work from the recent Everything is Femslash exchange. It's in a fantasy setting, featuring a mage and her warrior. I love the warm earthy colours, and how, the mage being a little shorter, their faces and bodies fit together perfectly, and the way they're linked by the swirl of the magical bond. Beautiful. (Note that the post is locked to AO3.)

Fanwork Links: Always with you

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3108/

To combat the threat, many airlines are installing wing-mounted spray bottles.

https://xkcd.com/3108/

sinesofinsanity posting in

fancake

Fandom: DC Comics
Pairings/Characters: Pamela Isely/Harleen Quinzel, Bruce Wayne
Rating: Teen
Length: 1,882 words
Creator Links: Unpretty on AO3
Theme: Female relationships, Canon lgbtq+ characters, humour, superpowers

Summary:
Bruce Wayne deals with supervillains almost as much as Batman does.

Reccer's Notes:
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy break into Bruce Wayne's office to stop Wayne Enterprises from doing evil corporate stuff. Or kill him. Bruce plays dumb. It's glorious.
I love Harley and Ivy's relationship in this. They're so true in how they love and support each other but are definitely super-villains who will definitely kill and/or main whoever gets in their way. Also Bruce's line about how Pamela probably wants to kill him because Harley finds him hot :D Bruce being smart by playing dumb is one of my favourite things.

Fanwork Links: Office Meeting
Also has a podfic!

cimorene

Driver's license learner permit acquired! Total cost:

Application fee: 25€
Driving lessons: 875€
ADHD tax: 152€

I'm going through the obligatory little quizzes and informational videos about traffic safety and they've been machine translated without proofreading and then dubbed into English with an AI that speeds up or slows down its talking speed sometimes multiple times per sentence to ensure that it takes exactly the same amount of time in English as in Finnish (which means a lot of surreally slow talking that sounds like a tape got stuck in the player and might catch fire soon).

torachan

1. I had a nice birthday! Other than going to Disneyland, we didn't really do anything, but Disneyland was fun. And it was nice not having to go to work, though I kept thinking it was Saturday and now I have to go back to work tomorrow (boo).

2. I got a little storage cabinet to organize all our extra legos. The sets usually come with an extra piece for all the small ones. I guess they figure those are most likely to get lost. Up until now we've been putting them in ziploc baggies with the name of the set they belong to, but that's gotten out of hand and also they don't need to be separated by set. I just started sorting them out today and I imagine that will take some time, but it should make everything more organized and save on space once it's done.

3. Love those big Chloe yawns!

torachan

Birthday trip! I don't ever bother getting a birthday badge or anything because I don't need random people telling me happy birthday (and also there's usually a long line) but I do like going to the parks on my birthday.

( Read more... )

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Star Trek: Reboot
Characters/Pairings: James Kirk/Leonard 'Bones' McCoy
Rating: G
Length: n/a
Creator Links: storietellers on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Domestic, Femslash

Summary: "Having fun, Bones?"
"Just working out the tension. You really keep it all in your wrists. Keep reading, darlin'. I wanna know what happens next."

Reccer's Notes:
The 'Everything is Femslash' exchange has just revealed creators, and this is a gorgeous artwork of Rule 63 (always a girl) Kirk and McCoy chilling out. The lighting is warm and their likenesses are really well done. It's relaxing just to look at.

Fanwork Links: Relaxing

rydra_wong

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/06/25/trans-westminster-lobby-ehrc/

The organizers are estimating circa 900 people showed up, putting it on a par with the biggest LGBTQ+ lobbies ever (against Section 28).

Outstanding work from the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, who also organized the legal briefing for MPs in May:

https://www.attitude.co.uk/news/trans-legal-experts-warn-supreme-court-ruling-could-be-breaching-human-rights-in-parliamentary-briefing-483801/

You can support them and get the "Maybe I'm trans?" badges or just support them without badges:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/maybe-im-trans
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/solidarity-projects-campaigns-fund

torachan

1. I am taking the day off tomorrow for my birthday! (I do have to go in to work on Friday, and it's going to be a busy day, but at least I have a mini break.)

2. Molly!

leecetheartist posting in

celiac

The gluten free expo is on this weekend in Perth, Western Australia

Always worthwhile and I do like the change from being in the city, it's much better at the Claremont Showgrounds.

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3107/

Once you add the balloons into the model, it makes forecasting easier overall--the forecast is always 'cold and dark, with minimal solar-driven convection.'

https://xkcd.com/3107/

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

Original post

( Read more... )

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

Original Post

( Read more... )

cimorene

I got a great idea that I was going to make image posts on Tumblr for my top lists of fountain pen ink (favorite inks and inks at the top of my to-buy list), but you need good swatches for that. Or I mean, that was my vision: the whole point is they're pretty.

And so I went to my favorite ink review blog, Mountain of Ink, and discovered that she's got a no-rightclick javascript over all her individual ink swatch images. Obviously, since I'm a 42-year-old millenial who has been using computers since I was a toddler, I could get around this, but I don't want to use her images if she doesn't want people to use them. (I would only have done so in the good-faith belief that normal credit and linkback was all that courtesy required. And I would have earnestly recommended her blog too, because that's what I always do!)

So that means I'd have to make and photograph my own ink swatches. Making's easy (if slightly time-consuming), but taking good photos of them is hard! Like here's some swatches I had knocking around in my folder: my favorite CRAZY expensive ink, Sailor Ink Studio 160 (a light minty green); my favorite all-purpose ink, J Herbin Vert Réséda (a bright teal with a very slight leaning towards green); a lovely dark moody ink, J Herbin Poussière de Lune (a saturated reddish plum purple).

click for bigger

See, it's overcast but bright today - the sky is a solid opaque cool milky white. I took these photos two feet from an open window, with my bright light therapy sunlamp shining from the other side at the same distance. And the color reproduction is still not good! You can see it in the whites - everything looks cooler and dimmer than reality.

Sure, I could color correct them with an image manipulation program, but I think that defeats the point of swatches. And I'm not into it enough to, like, sign up for a Skillshare course in photographing art. So IDK. Maybe I will get more into making swatches. I actually bought a glass dip pen for this exact purpose a couple of years ago, only I broke the tip of the pen the first time I used it and then I didn't buy another (I have regular dip pens though so it's not really necessary).

Daily Happiness

Weekly Reading

Deadloch: Keep On Gruckin' by kirazi

PSA

Daily Happiness

2025 Disneyland Trip #45 (6/27/25)

The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference

Gosh, I wonder why these adult kids don't want their overbearing parents in their lives...!

Daily Happiness

(no subject)

Midsommar: a queen for all seasons by Selkit

Original Work: Always with you by Anonymous

Laser Danger

DCU: Office Meeting by Unpretty

motor vehicle here I come

Daily Happiness

2025 Disneyland Trip #44 (6/26/25)

Star Trek Reboot: Relaxing by storietellers

Looks like the mass lobby got NUMBERS \o/

Daily Happiness

Gluten Free Expo Perth is this weekend.

Weather Balloons

Ask a Manager: Should I Have Called The Police?

Ask a Manager: Should I Tell My Boss About My Coworker's Heart Attack?

Fountain Pen Ink Swatches (and Wishlists)

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July 2010

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