capri0mni | Reading

So this year, I decided to change up my home desk calendar a little bit. It's the same basic layout, but I made the box for the days/dates a little different, and I haven't bothered with any of the tracking stuff I was using, so I dropped all that in favor of a One Line A Day page and boxes for books, movies, and household notes (like "new contact lenses" or "changed furnace filter").

Also, every year since I have started doing this, I've run into a month where I ran out of time to decorate the pages and ended up grabbing some old Far Side Page-A-Day calendar pages and used those. This year, I colored them in with colored pencils.

pedanther

. The group from the board game club that sometimes meets on Sunday afternoons to play longer games met on Sunday afternoon to have another shot at Tainted Grail, a long-form game (the kind where there's a mechanism to save your progress because you're definitely not finishing in one session) that involves exploring and learning the stories of a land being overwhelmed by chaotic magic. ( Read more... )

. We had another long session on the regular board game day, because it was a public holiday so we started in the early afternoon instead of being restricted to the evening.

We took advantage of the extra time to play Nemesis: Retaliation, ( Read more... )

Afterward, to finish off on a lighter note, we played a game of Jamaica, a game in which each player is a pirate competing to sail back to port with the most gold and best treasures. ( Read more... )

. I spent much of the week reading Sansûkh, and ended up being happy I'd put in the time. The ending is pretty satisfying, as long as you're able to take it on its own terms and not worry about how much or little it has to do with Tolkien's Middle-Earth.

. I had another go at Zombies Run; I took a water bottle with me, which contributed to having a significantly better experience than last time I tried it.

. I'm currently running a few episodes behind on Natural Six, but the advantage is that when I hit a big cliffhanger like the one at the end of episode 43 I don't have to wait a fortnight to find out what happens next. I might be able to catch up again soon; part of why I've been lagging is that the last few episodes had been making me uncomfortable waiting for a plot shoe to drop, and Episode 44 dropped it good and proper.

. Speaking of an absence of shoes, my week came to an unhappy conclusion when I was getting ready for bed and banged a toe against a piece of furniture I was too sleepy to successfully navigate past. I think it's just bruised, but it complained loudly and at length. It seems to have mostly settled down now.

pedanther

#6: A book whose title has the same first letter as the name of the previous book's author

James Randi: Psychic Investigator, the companion volume to the 1991 TV series of the same name.

An introductory overview of a topic and a person I was already interested in, so there wasn't much in it that was new to me except in the details, but it was an entertaining overview and an enjoyable refresher, and now there's one less unread-for-over-a-decade book on my shelves.

#7: A book with the same number of words in the title as the previous book

It took me over a week to pick a book for this prompt, because I kept trying to match the previous book to the extent of having four proper words with no articles or prepositions, which leaves a lot of candidates out (anything titled "The X of Y", for a start). In the end, I settled on:

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche in which Psyche's sister decides it's time to tell her side of the story.

Another unread-for-over-a-decade book; as an adult, I've developed a tendency to distrust Lewis. In this case, I'm glad I finally read it.

Orual makes an interesting protagonist and narrator: she's not a nice person, proud and selfish, but it's always clear why the things she does made sense to her at the time. And, balancing the fact that she's ready with a justification for her bad actions, she's also capable of doing signficant good and doesn't always recognise how good she's been. (I was reminded of the saying about how life is like working backstage at a theatre or doing an embroidery from the wrong side, where you're always aware of the messy scaffolding that nobody else can see and only have an indistinct idea of what it looks like to everyone else.)

#8: A book with a cover in the same colour as the previous book

The cover of Till We Have Faces has a full-cover illustration with a very similar colour scheme to the previous book I had for this prompt last year, which would have been a useful thing to notice then but now means that, unless there's another such book lurking unnoticed on my shelves, I'm facing a similar struggle to find something to match it.

matsushima posting in

dw_community_promo

fandomocweekly is a low commitment challenge community for sharing your fandom-based original characters. Every week, there is a gen prompt and a relationship prompt. You can post fills in any format/medium (fic, icons, art, etc.). OC x canon, yume, self-shipping, Mary Sues, etc. all welcome! ✨ This week's prompts are ideal & consideration.

Despite the name,

fanmix_monthly is not only for fanmixes and the monthly prompts are optional. You're invited to share any mixtapes you've made any time! This month's theme is relationships.

Current Mood: hopeful

pedanther

Fiction books
Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs. Monstrous Regiment (stage adaptation)
Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition (re-read) (ish)
Andrew Cartmel, Ben Aaronovitch, Lee Sullivan. Cry Fox (e)
Andrew Cartmel, Ben Aaronovitch, Lee Sullivan. Water Weed (e)
Brian Daley. Han Solo at Stars' End
Mark Dunn. Ella Minnow Pea (e)
Dashiell Hammett. Red Harvest (e)
CS Lewis. Till We Have Faces
Jean Webster. Daddy-Long-Legs (e) (re-read)
Jean Webster. Dear Enemy (e)

In progress
EW Hornung. The Amateur Cracksman (e)

Abandoned
Arthur W Ryder. Twenty-Two Goblins (e)

Non-fiction books
James Randi. James Randi: Psychic Investigator

In progress
Jason Morningstar. Fiasco (re-read)
Keri Smith. Wreck This Journal Everywhere

In hiatus
James W Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me (e)

( short, screen, and stage )
( books bought and borrowed )

Top of the to-read pile
Hazel Gaynor. Before Dorothy (e)

dialecticdreamer

Shoring Up
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1a of 1
Word count (story only): 631
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 9 am]

:: Now it’s time to take care of Ed and Amber. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::

“First, can you eat a little something?” Vic asked his younger brother. “I’ll make something for you and Amber. We’ll eat in the kitchen at the island, so Nik and the others can talk about whatever they need to.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: blank

fred_mouse

not much in the way of medical TMI this time, but still, content note for cancer treatment details.

Healing (external) looking good. The scar is as long as my little finger, and quite dark (almost like a lightly faded black permanent marker). It is no longer raised or itchy. Little bit red either side, possibly because it is difficult to get the breast in a position to see the scar, and it means I was pulling on the skin. I continue treating with the scar therapy gel, in hopes that that decreases my chance of it going stiff (I have a history of cheloid scarring on my knee, which the doctor that did the surgical tidy up of the scar attributed to issues with the original stitching / treatment)
Internally I'm assuming there is still a bit of healing to go because there is infrequent discomfort, mostly if I end up in an odd position and the breast is not supported. Also noticeable last night while chopping veggies, so I may need to look at what is wrong with my posture there.
I'm still wearing the surgical recovery bras; I've now moved to not using them at night because my skin was getting quite irritated under the band. Of the four I started with, I have misplaced the good one, and one is a size too large. Fortunately, I have found an old sports bra which is appropriately soft and has no underwire to wear while the two are in the wash. A couple of times I have tried wearing one of my usual, which I think of as soft, but have underwire; in each case the surgical area has become noticeably sore. I'll keep doing that every few weeks until it isn't an issue, then transition back to my usual bras. I have decided against going to the specialist bra shop to get more, mostly because I don't have the necessary time + energy.
radiation: appointment one with the radiologist, who was all 'this is your choice, ...' and then gave info that summed up approximately to 'given your age/situation, I'd do it anyway'. Also implied, I think, was the fact that there were cancerous cells further from the cancer site ('the margins'), necessitating the second surgery; my take from that is that it was moving quickly. Thus I am skipping over the expensive test and going straight to radiation. I think if the cancer site had been elsewhere in the body, it might be different, although I did not get a feel for which way the likelihood went. But being in the breast duct, there is a lot of potential for cancer cells to have moved a long way and be starting up again. Thus, radiation of the whole breast.
Appointment two with the radiologist is Monday. They can treat me at the local public hospital (literally next door to the private one I had the first surgery at). It will be three weeks, multiple sessions. Likely noticeable side-effects are sun-burn like sensation and some other minor discomfort. Slight change in the breast tissue (ongoing) may occur, so it might feel different to the other, but as it already does, eh. And there is a slight chance that a small bit of the lungs behind will be damaged, but in a way that I am not likely to perceive.

pedanther

I was pondering a possible rule set for a chess variant inspired by Doctor Who, when I had one of those revelations that make you wonder if you've overlooked something obvious that everybody else spotted immediately.

It's this: In "The Curse of Fenric", the winning move in the chess puzzle is the same as the winning move in the Doctor's real conflict with Fenric.

In my defence, the story presents a much more conspicuous explanation for the symbolic significance of the chess puzzle, which makes it harder to consider that the chess puzzle might represent more than one thing.

( spoilers under the cut )

feng_shui_house

The parcel I mailed from Florida to Arizona (Priority more than $68 postage) on Jan 6 first showed up on Jan 16 in Puerto Rico. On Jan 19 it wound up back in Florida (nowhere near me) on Jan 26 it got to Arizona (nowhere near the destination, but I had a moment of hope).

Jan 28, it was scanned in Aurora, Colorado.

Jan 31, it was scanned in San Francisco, California.

It's like they're just tossing it on the nearest vehicle heading out.

igenlode

This book looked interesting enough to start off with (and seemed to be doing a decent pastiche of Watson), but managed to annoy me in two different directions. First of all and chiefly, the author has gone for the oh-so-trendy revisionist take of 'the heroes are really the villains and the villains are really the heroes' ( Read more... )

Secondly, while I was initially impressed by the job the author was doing in reproducing Watson's narrative voice, the suspension of disbelief started to break down when the author perpetrates a series of howlers( Read more... )

As pastiche B-movie mashup thrillers go, it's not badly done. But I've read better Sherlock-Holmes-meets-Cthulu spinoffs and better Holmes fanfic; this one managed to annoy me with its subliminal air of superiority and revisionism. Christian Klaver is no Kim Newman; I didn't *enjoy* "Anno Dracula", but that is undoubtedly a much better book.

ysabetwordsmith posting in

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newcomers is a community for people who are just getting started on Dreamwidth, in the tradition of

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reddit_refugees. This community supports former users of other platforms who are moving to Dreamwidth because their previous platform has become untenable or has closed. As such, it will increase activity with each wave of new users, in hopes of helping them get settled in Dreamwidth so they want to stick around. It also serves previous users returning after a long hiatus, people who want to do more with a Dreamwidth blog that was only intermittent, or anyone else who wants help connecting and figuring out how to use this venue.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith posting in

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goals_on_dw is a community for people who like goals and goal setting. A key focus is New Year's resolutions, that being among the most popular contexts for such activities. Although the most common time is January 1, "new year" can also refer to other calendars or cultures, whatever works for you. Alternatively, just pick a time that works for you and go for it. You can introduce yourself or make new friends here.

We talk about different goal systems, pros and cons of resolutions, arts and crafts for tracking goals, human psychology, and more. You can share your resolutions or other goals. There are weekly check-in posts in January, and monthly ones in the rest of the year, for folks to talk about their accomplishments. December-January is the most active period, and it starts ramping up in November as lots of people begin thinking about their goals for the next year.

2026 Free Printable Calendars, Planners, and More is the guide post for this years goal-setting activities. For more details on relevant topics, see "Things You Can Talk About Here."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Unanswered Questions
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1315
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 9 am]

:: With Ronna… elsewhere… the humans focus on Aesh, wanting more information. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::

As soon as Ronna disappeared, the din of overlapping voices made Aesh take a broad step backwards. “What’s the matter? She’s not going to disturb you, or endanger any more lycanthropes,” she began.

Beverly crossed her arms. “We’d like to know what happened to Amber’s grandparents. We’d like the names and the places where they lived when Ronna attacked them. Are they still missing? Did they concoct a reason to move away? We don’t know.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: blank

siliconshaman

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: amused

snowgrouse

Title: Requital
Author: Snowgrouse
Fandom: The Longest Day in Chang'an (2019)
Pairing: Gan Shoucheng/Jiao (Original Male Character)
Rating: NC-17
Genre: PWP, Slash, Whump, Hurt/Comfort
Warnings: Very brief but graphic threats of extremely sadistic violence at the start (less than 200 words), and later, slightly dubious consent (but it's soon given).
Length: ~3100 words
Summary: Jiao dreams of rescuing a very badly beaten Gan and nursing him back to health--and, later, Gan paying him back with what Jiao most desires: if not his love, then a night of passion at least.

A/N: Jiao is back! And again, dreaming his dreamy dreams of his big, bad General. But it's all very tender this time, with no thwackings in sight (I know, I know!) but lots and lots of whump, hurt/comfort and slash mush (slush?) and so on. Because Jiao deserves a little romance for his troubles. Gan may be the one getting the hurt/comfort in this one, but it's Jiao comforting his own hurt with these fantasies, isn't he? Anyway, this is my way of giving the poor little bugger a hug.

(Gan has been given sick leave, and ordered by Lin Jiu Lang to stay in his apartment until this terrorist cell has been eliminated; Gan grumbles about not being some fragile female witness in need of protection, but Lin Jiu Lang's decision is final.

Jiao is in his element, getting to play the nurse: he gets to cook for Gan, wash him and tend to his wounds, even feeding him with his own hands.

"You're quite the little housewife," Gan mutters, and Jiao beams: he couldn't be happier.

And so it happens that one day, when Jiao has washed and shaved Gan--his privates included--and begins to massage him, they end up making love.

Gan is lying naked, face down on his bed on some towels, Jiao massaging him everywhere with musk-scented oil, Gan's favourite; as Jiao kneads the firm muscles of Gan's shoulders into relaxation, Gan moans sensually, his body shifting in a way that tells Jiao he must be erect.

It's only the natural progression of events when Jiao slides down Gan's body, spreads his buttocks and begins to lovingly kiss his arse; Gan moans very, very loudly at that, clutching the towels, pressing his hips into the bed. When he lifts his arse to meet Jiao's kiss, Jiao can see he was right: Gan is fully erect, and he doesn't protest as Jiao gently pulls his genitals back between his legs, so that now, his prick presses into the bed between his thighs.

"I knew you were going to do this, you sneaky little faggot," Gan groans. "Yes, I know I owe you," he mumbles into the towels. "It's thanks to you I still have an arse in the first place," he laughs nervously, then glances at Jiao over his shoulder.

Jiao pauses, his hands upon Gan's buttocks. He remembers a Persian once saying there's a good spirit perched on everyone's right shoulder and an evil spirit on the left, each trying to persuade the human soul to vice or virtue, respectively.

"Yes, sir, but only if you want me to" would be the right thing to say.

Yet, this time, Jiao finds himself siding with his demon instead.

"Yes," he hears himself saying. "Yes, General, you do owe me."

Gan bursts into laughter, lifting up a little to better see Jiao's face. "You ruthless little cunt. I never knew you had it in you!")

soc_puppet

I kinda wish it were possible for logged-in users to leave guest-marked kudos on archive-locked works. Or like. Kudos by users who would prefer to remain anonymous? (In general would be great, honestly; yes, you can just log out and log back in again, but that's more of a hassle than most people want to go to.)

Being able to leave anonymous comments on archive-locked posts seems like a recipe for harassment, but just leaving anonymized kudos? Might help with the problem of logged in users being reluctant to leave kudos on Explicit fics, particularly those with more stigmatized kinks.

IDK, I'm not sure how it would work, but I think the idea has at least a little merit. ~~And me wanting my explicit fics to get more kudos and attention might be part of it, too.~~

Current Mood: contemplative

dialecticdreamer

Braggodocio and Benevolence
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1135
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 9 am]

:: Ronna keeps making the situation worse for herself. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::

Aesh repeated the first question. “Why have you attacked werewolves? They have treaties with the flame-touched, and you broke that.”

“THEY BROKE EVERYTHING FIRST!” Ronna screamed.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: awake

soc_puppet posting in

moodthemeinayear

Here come another three moods!

This week's Minimum, Medium, and Maximum moods are: Scared, Thoughtful, Working

Something important to note here is that Working is technically the final mandatory mood. If you've completed a graphic for all of the moods for the first five weeks, then congratulations! You technically have enough for a full mood theme!

That said, it doesn't count as enough for the free Dreamwidth points; you need to complete at least three more moods for that. I strongly suggest next week's moods for that, since they'll give you the greatest variety of mood graphics for your effort, but they can technically be any mood; if you want to plug all of the remaining moods into a random selector and get three out of that, those would work!

You may have guessed from reading the above that there's only one week left after this for Part 1! That's three moods this week and three moods next week. How have you been doing with the moods so far? Are you having any trouble with this week's moods? Need some help generating some ideas? Or have you already finished and want to show off? Let's talk about it!

soc_puppet posting in

queerly_beloved

Got time for some more Thursday Recs?

Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!

Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!

dialecticdreamer

Braggodocio and Benevolence
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 385
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 9 am]

:: Ronna keeps making the situation worse for herself. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::

Aesh flicked her fingers. Inside the shielded circle of salt, Ronna began to wake. “We only ask questions of Ronna, right?”

Mayim sighed. “But you said that we’re only here long enough to find out what happened. How else can I learn about--”

The blonde clicked her tongue, and he fell silent. “We’ll talk about it later. In private,” Aesh insisted.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: awake

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Ann

February 2025

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Page generated Feb. 1st, 2026 06:25 pm

Harmonies and Counterpoints

Reading

My February Home Calendar

Week in review: Week to 31 January

Book Chain 2026: Weeks 4 & 5

fandomocweekly and fanmix_monthly

Fiction log - January 2026

69 Shoring Up (part 1a of 1)

Breast update

The Game of Traps

Package continues its random tour

"Sherlock Holmes & Mr Hyde", Christian Klaver

Newcomers

New Year's Resolutions and Other Goals

68 Unanswered Questions (part 1 of 1, complete )

W.T.F ?!

FIC: Requital (Gan Shoucheng/Original Male Character, NC-17)

AO3 musing

66 Braggodocio and Benevolence (part 2 of 2, complete)

Part 1, Week 5

Thursday Recs

66 Braggodocio and Benevolence (part 1 of 2)

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February 2025

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