(no subject)
May. 24th, 2026 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuuago+ I took some time to read fanfiction this weekend. It's not something that I normally have time to do. On the one hand, I probably could have done something else - there are Tasks that went unfinished - but on the other hand... I'm feeling weirdly inspired to work on my own projects after experiencing someone else's enthusiasm about something they enjoy. That's always nice.
+ Speaking of which, it only just occurred to me, after reading the aforementioned fic, that Project Hail Mary is a good fandom for gen. And this makes me think I should go poking around in it more. Though my own fic output is the exact opposite, I really do appreciate a well-executed genfic. Will have to put this on the to-do list. Among many other things.
+ My fic for FTH is coming along. And considering everything, I think I might do my best to work on it in the evenings in the upcoming months. With the summer weather coming - it was +25C the other day - it's getting to that unpleasant point where electronics are throwing too much heat. Better for me to limit that, and spend time working with pen and paper instead. We'll see. Depends on whether I can get my brain in the right mode, I guess.
+ Speaking of which, it only just occurred to me, after reading the aforementioned fic, that Project Hail Mary is a good fandom for gen. And this makes me think I should go poking around in it more. Though my own fic output is the exact opposite, I really do appreciate a well-executed genfic. Will have to put this on the to-do list. Among many other things.
+ My fic for FTH is coming along. And considering everything, I think I might do my best to work on it in the evenings in the upcoming months. With the summer weather coming - it was +25C the other day - it's getting to that unpleasant point where electronics are throwing too much heat. Better for me to limit that, and spend time working with pen and paper instead. We'll see. Depends on whether I can get my brain in the right mode, I guess.
Kisses and Days
May. 24th, 2026 09:36 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
ao3_highlanderseries_feedby Feygan
A nameless, anonymous Immortal man trudging through his personal eternity.
Words: 789, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
- Fandoms: Highlander: The Series
- Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
- Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
- Characters: Original Highlander Immortal Character(s)
- Additional Tags: Introspection
Fic rec: Project Hail Mary - "Without a Doubt"
May. 24th, 2026 10:26 pmyuuagoHere, have a Project Hail Mary fic rec: Without a Doubt by Voidknight.
Grace & Rocky gen, 18k. A very fun exploration of Eridian languages, linguistics, and culture. I thought that the author did a really good job of illustrating the dynamic between Grace and Rocky. Also, their worldbuilding ideas about Eridian grammar were really interesting!
Definitely worth a look; I'm really glad I took a moment to read it - it was a really fun time.
The author's summary is an excerpt from the first chapter:
Grace & Rocky gen, 18k. A very fun exploration of Eridian languages, linguistics, and culture. I thought that the author did a really good job of illustrating the dynamic between Grace and Rocky. Also, their worldbuilding ideas about Eridian grammar were really interesting!
Definitely worth a look; I'm really glad I took a moment to read it - it was a really fun time.
The author's summary is an excerpt from the first chapter:
Petulantly, Rocky says, “Grace sound stupid. Like child.”
“I’m just talking how you talk, buddy.”
“Yes. This is because I talk like child, to speak to stupid human.”
“Well, you don’t have to do that,” I say without thinking.
“♪♫♩as this♪ when, underst♪♪♫d ♪me, question?” Rocky says.
“What?”
“Can♪♪♫will understa♫d it ♫think talks♫♪ as this♪ Eridian you♩♫, question?”
Day 24 Write Every Day
May. 25th, 2026 12:08 amdswdianeIntro/FAQ
My check in: I deleted about a 1000 words and have written about 800 to replace them, maybe more because I've done more rewriting to make the plot fit the time line better. Which then changes some of the plot which I'm not finished changing, but am too tired to keep working on tonight.
PLEASE If I make a mistake and don't count you on a day, please let me know.
Day 24sanguinity, dswdiane, the_siobhan
Day 23sanguinity, dswdiane, the_siobhan, china_shop, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness,
Day 22dswdiane, goddess47, carenejeans, sylvanwitch, ysilme, badly_knitted, the_siobhan, sanguinity, china_shop
Day 21dswdiane, badly_knitted, sanguinity, the_siobhan, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, ysilme,
Day 20china_shop, ofmonstrouswords, dswdiane, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness, ysilme, sanguinity, carenejeans, the_siobhan
Day 19china_shop, dswdiane, ysilme, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, ofmonstrouswords
Day 18ysilme, china_shop, dswdiane, cornerofmadness, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, sanguinity
Day 17dswdiane, goddess47, cornerofmadness, sanguinity, carenejeans, badly_knitted, ofmonstrouswords, sylvanwitch, ysilme, china_shop, the_siobhan
Day 16china_shop, dswdiane, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, badly_knitted, ysilme, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, ofmonstrouswords
Icon Dragon flying over a peaceful forest with a destination in sight.
My check in: I deleted about a 1000 words and have written about 800 to replace them, maybe more because I've done more rewriting to make the plot fit the time line better. Which then changes some of the plot which I'm not finished changing, but am too tired to keep working on tonight.
PLEASE If I make a mistake and don't count you on a day, please let me know.
Day 24
sanguinity, dswdiane, the_siobhanDay 23
sanguinity, dswdiane, the_siobhan, china_shop, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness, Day 22
dswdiane, goddess47, carenejeans, sylvanwitch, ysilme, badly_knitted, the_siobhan, sanguinity, china_shop Day 21
dswdiane, badly_knitted, sanguinity, the_siobhan, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, ysilme, Day 20
china_shop, ofmonstrouswords, dswdiane, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness, ysilme, sanguinity, carenejeans, the_siobhanDay 19
china_shop, dswdiane, ysilme, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, ofmonstrouswordsDay 18
ysilme, china_shop, dswdiane, cornerofmadness, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, sanguinityDay 17
dswdiane, goddess47, cornerofmadness, sanguinity, carenejeans, badly_knitted, ofmonstrouswords, sylvanwitch, ysilme, china_shop, the_siobhan Day 16
china_shop, dswdiane, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, badly_knitted, ysilme, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, ofmonstrouswordsIcon Dragon flying over a peaceful forest with a destination in sight.
Air Fryer Fun
May. 24th, 2026 11:34 pmsettiaiFor the record, I've discovered that cooking hot dogs in the air fryer on 385°F for five minutes (turning them over halfway through) makes them turn out absolutely delicious.
I normally either boil them or cook them on my George Foreman grill, but I decided to experiment this weekend. It took a bit of trial and error, but the temperature and time that I mentioned above turned out to be the winner. I mainly only eat them in the summer, but it's good to know that I've found a quick and easy way of cooking the considering they're one of those foods that's filling but cheap.
Also? I dipped potato chips in melted chocolate, which was an A+ idea that I should definitely make again sometime.
I normally either boil them or cook them on my George Foreman grill, but I decided to experiment this weekend. It took a bit of trial and error, but the temperature and time that I mentioned above turned out to be the winner. I mainly only eat them in the summer, but it's good to know that I've found a quick and easy way of cooking the considering they're one of those foods that's filling but cheap.
Also? I dipped potato chips in melted chocolate, which was an A+ idea that I should definitely make again sometime.
meme time!
May. 24th, 2026 08:28 pmsenmutTell me one of the three following, and I will reciprocate:
1. A favorite fandom with what calls you to it
2. A favorite character and why they get your love
3. A song that you have strong positive feelings about
1. A favorite fandom with what calls you to it
2. A favorite character and why they get your love
3. A song that you have strong positive feelings about
MerMay The Twentyfourth of 2026 a little late
May. 25th, 2026 09:14 amleecetheartist posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
drawesomeTitle: Acrobatic Mer youth
Artist: leecetheartist
leecetheartist Rating: G
Fandom: N/A
Characters/Pairings: N/A
Acrobatic Mer for the 24th of MerMay, posting late but never mind.
I was flat out yesterday but I did this energetic fellow yesterday before sleeping, with the other Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen I got as a cheapy. The ink is some random cartridge.
For today, the glorious 25th, I'll have to think of something...
More Hugo Homework and Taskmaster ('tis the season)
May. 24th, 2026 04:10 pmhamsterwomanHugo homework continues. I'm posting about it real time on the sync read post, but also posting here as I finish things I consider stand-alone books (novellas and longer) and complete categories:
6. Annalee Newitz, Automatic Noodle – Hm. I don’t think I’ve read anything by Annalee Newitz prior to this, but I've read them and other people talking about their books, which set my expectations pretty low. And thencyanmnemosyne finished this novella and described it as, “If I had been asked to blurb it, my blurb would be ‘Great for fans of the Monk and Robot books’” – and since I HATED the first Monk and Robot book – well, OK, I strongly disliked the book itself and HATED that it won the Hugo – that further lowered my expectations.
But actually I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, where it’s all getting to know our plucky band of misfit robots, making noodles (I do want some noodles now), and traipsing around future!San Francisco, and getting to hear what NorCal is like post ?the war of secession?. So, I was pleasantly surprised for the first part of my reading journey. But then I got to the parts where there are supposed to be, like, emotional arcs? and maybe themes more serious than “yum, noodles!”, and from here the book worked considerably less well for me. ( More, with spoilers )
7. Naomi Novik, The Summer War – this isn’t new ground for Novik, but she’s doing a thing she does well, and that I enjoy her doing, so, like, no complaints from me. This hasn’t got, for me, the iddy appeal of Uprooted’s central relationship, or the poignancy of Miryem the well-realized Jewish protagonist of Spinning Silver, but I do really enjoy Novik’s fairytales as a baseline, and her fey, with their alien morality that makes them at once laughable and compelling, which is a neat trick. And Novik also just writes prose in a way I really enjoy, which is on display here, and which was a big part of how much I liked this novella. ( Spoilers from here )
Short stories: ( Tia Tashiro, Isabel J. Kim, Thomas Ha, J.R.Dawson, Samantha Mills, Effie Sieberg )
Short stories (6/6): Missing Helen > Wire Mother > In My Country > 10 Visions > Laser Eyes > No Award > Revise You
Novelettes:
( Never Eaten Vegetables, H.H.Pak )
( The Millay Illusion, Sarah Pinsker )
( When He Calls Your Name, Cat Valente )
( Rapport, Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy, Martha Wells )
( The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For, Cameron Reed )
( Kaiju Agonistes, Scott Lynch )
Novelettes: (6/6) Never Eaten Vegetables >> The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For > When He Calls Your Name / Kaiju / Millay Illusion (I keep fiddling with the order... I think the Valente one has more of a point, under the thicket of words, though admittedly I found 'Kaiju' more fun and 'Illusion' less of a slog > the ART one (I liked the additional ART canon, I love ART, but in no way is that worth a Hugo).
*
Taskmaster also continues:
Taskmaster s21e07 – Amy looks really cute in her patterned dress and her boots and with her hair like that! ( Spoilers from here )
John Kearns was the Taskmaster Podcast guest and, wow, I really do find him unlistenable. I multi-tasked through most of the episode, because otherwise I would’ve turned it off, and I did want to hear Ed’s thoughts on the episode, which I don’t think I got any of, just pause-ridden unrelated rambling from Kearns, and fell asleep during the last bit, which I’m not going to attempt to repeat. Ah well.
Taskmaster Australia s5e03 – I keep looking forward to Anisa’s outfits and she keeps not disappointing! ( Spoilers )
6. Annalee Newitz, Automatic Noodle – Hm. I don’t think I’ve read anything by Annalee Newitz prior to this, but I've read them and other people talking about their books, which set my expectations pretty low. And then
cyanmnemosyne finished this novella and described it as, “If I had been asked to blurb it, my blurb would be ‘Great for fans of the Monk and Robot books’” – and since I HATED the first Monk and Robot book – well, OK, I strongly disliked the book itself and HATED that it won the Hugo – that further lowered my expectations. But actually I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, where it’s all getting to know our plucky band of misfit robots, making noodles (I do want some noodles now), and traipsing around future!San Francisco, and getting to hear what NorCal is like post ?the war of secession?. So, I was pleasantly surprised for the first part of my reading journey. But then I got to the parts where there are supposed to be, like, emotional arcs? and maybe themes more serious than “yum, noodles!”, and from here the book worked considerably less well for me. ( More, with spoilers )
7. Naomi Novik, The Summer War – this isn’t new ground for Novik, but she’s doing a thing she does well, and that I enjoy her doing, so, like, no complaints from me. This hasn’t got, for me, the iddy appeal of Uprooted’s central relationship, or the poignancy of Miryem the well-realized Jewish protagonist of Spinning Silver, but I do really enjoy Novik’s fairytales as a baseline, and her fey, with their alien morality that makes them at once laughable and compelling, which is a neat trick. And Novik also just writes prose in a way I really enjoy, which is on display here, and which was a big part of how much I liked this novella. ( Spoilers from here )
Short stories: ( Tia Tashiro, Isabel J. Kim, Thomas Ha, J.R.Dawson, Samantha Mills, Effie Sieberg )
Short stories (6/6): Missing Helen > Wire Mother > In My Country > 10 Visions > Laser Eyes > No Award > Revise You
Novelettes:
( Never Eaten Vegetables, H.H.Pak )
( The Millay Illusion, Sarah Pinsker )
( When He Calls Your Name, Cat Valente )
( Rapport, Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy, Martha Wells )
( The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For, Cameron Reed )
( Kaiju Agonistes, Scott Lynch )
Novelettes: (6/6) Never Eaten Vegetables >> The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For > When He Calls Your Name / Kaiju / Millay Illusion (I keep fiddling with the order... I think the Valente one has more of a point, under the thicket of words, though admittedly I found 'Kaiju' more fun and 'Illusion' less of a slog > the ART one (I liked the additional ART canon, I love ART, but in no way is that worth a Hugo).
*
Taskmaster also continues:
Taskmaster s21e07 – Amy looks really cute in her patterned dress and her boots and with her hair like that! ( Spoilers from here )
John Kearns was the Taskmaster Podcast guest and, wow, I really do find him unlistenable. I multi-tasked through most of the episode, because otherwise I would’ve turned it off, and I did want to hear Ed’s thoughts on the episode, which I don’t think I got any of, just pause-ridden unrelated rambling from Kearns, and fell asleep during the last bit, which I’m not going to attempt to repeat. Ah well.
Taskmaster Australia s5e03 – I keep looking forward to Anisa’s outfits and she keeps not disappointing! ( Spoilers )
you're dangerous, you don't know what you want
May. 24th, 2026 06:36 pmmusesfoolFrequently when we reschedule something because of a bad weather forecast, the weather turns out to not be that bad after all, but this weekend, it was the smart move. It seems to have finally stopped raining for bit after it rained heavily for most of yesterday and all of today. It's been a real chilly and kind of gray spring, tbh, those few days of high 80s/low 90s notwithstanding.
Anyway, I've taken the chance to try out some recipes - yesterday, I made chicken meatballs with garlic butter orzo, which is good and I have some leftover, but I would say that the meatballs are sort of unnecessary? And the garlic butter needs a little more seasoning imo - some rosemary and oregano and basil would not go amiss - but the orzo in garlic butter is good stuff.
I also made Ina Garten's shortbread, though I kept the teaspoon of almond extract from the pecan shortbread and covered them with chocolate sprinkles - I made the dough yesterday and then baked them off this morning. 20 minutes was probably a minute or 2 too long in the oven, but they still taste good.
I also baked a loaf of bread, on which I might make French bread pizza tomorrow. We'll see. I might also bake some kind of lemon cake, since I have a bunch of lemons, but maybe not. Again, I'll see how I feel. But for dinner tonight, I made these ricotta and breadcrumb balls. Which again, I seasoned to my own taste rather than following the instructions. They're pretty good if you like ricotta.
I think that's one of the most important things you can do when you learn to cook - learn to make things taste the way you like them. I save a ton of recipes and have a bunch of cookbooks, but mainly I need them for measurements and techniques, not flavorings. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes they will come up with a combination that would never have occurred to me which is delicious! But a lot of the time, I'm going, I'll swap in X for Y and I will like it better. If there are too many of these in one recipe, then it's not really that recipe (not that I would comment to say so!), but the technique might be useful just the same.
*
Anyway, I've taken the chance to try out some recipes - yesterday, I made chicken meatballs with garlic butter orzo, which is good and I have some leftover, but I would say that the meatballs are sort of unnecessary? And the garlic butter needs a little more seasoning imo - some rosemary and oregano and basil would not go amiss - but the orzo in garlic butter is good stuff.
I also made Ina Garten's shortbread, though I kept the teaspoon of almond extract from the pecan shortbread and covered them with chocolate sprinkles - I made the dough yesterday and then baked them off this morning. 20 minutes was probably a minute or 2 too long in the oven, but they still taste good.
I also baked a loaf of bread, on which I might make French bread pizza tomorrow. We'll see. I might also bake some kind of lemon cake, since I have a bunch of lemons, but maybe not. Again, I'll see how I feel. But for dinner tonight, I made these ricotta and breadcrumb balls. Which again, I seasoned to my own taste rather than following the instructions. They're pretty good if you like ricotta.
I think that's one of the most important things you can do when you learn to cook - learn to make things taste the way you like them. I save a ton of recipes and have a bunch of cookbooks, but mainly I need them for measurements and techniques, not flavorings. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes they will come up with a combination that would never have occurred to me which is delicious! But a lot of the time, I'm going, I'll swap in X for Y and I will like it better. If there are too many of these in one recipe, then it's not really that recipe (not that I would comment to say so!), but the technique might be useful just the same.
*
Round 160 Schedule
May. 24th, 2026 05:23 pmxandromedovna posting in fic_rushAt last! Don't forget that Round 160 is next weekend, 29-31 May. Mods, please confirm your availability by claiming an anchor post—that goes for you too, Mod Squad hopefuls who've never modded a Round but would like to!
| GMT | EDT (Boston) | CDT (Chicago) | PDT (Seattle) | BST (London) | CEST (Berlin) | AEST (Brisbane) | Designated Mod | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour -23 | midnight | 8pm Thu | 7pm Thu | 5pm Thu | 1am Fri | 2am Fri | 10am Fri | xandromedovna |
| Hour -17 | 6am Fri | 2am Fri | 1am Fri | 11pm Thu | 7am Fri | 8am Fri | 4pm Fri | |
| Hour -11 | 12pm Fri | 8am Fri | 7am Fri | 5am Fri | 1pm Fri | 2pm Fri | 10pm Fri | |
| Hour -5 | 6pm Fri | 2pm Fri | 1pm Fri | 11am Fri | 7pm Fri | 8pm Fri | 4am Sat | |
| Hour 0 | 11pm Fri | 7pm Fri | 6pm Fri | 4pm Fri | midnight | 1am Sat | 9am Sat | desertvixen |
| Hour 1 | midnight | 8pm Fri | 7pm Fri | 5pm Fri | 1am Sat | 2am Sat | 10am Sat | |
| Hour 6 | 5am Sat | 1am Sat | midnight | 10pm Fri | 6am Sat | 7am Sat | 3pm Sat | |
| Hour 12 | 11am Sat | 7am Sat | 6am Sat | 4am Sat | 12pm Sat | 1pm Sat | 9pm Sat | |
| Hour 18 | 5pm Sat | 1pm Sat | 12pm Sat | 10am Sat | 6pm Sat | 7pm Sat | 3am Sun | desertvixen |
| Hour 24 | 11pm Sat | 7pm Sat | 6pm Sat | 4pm Sat | midnight | 1am Sun | 9am Sun | desertvixen |
| Hour 30 | 5am Sun | 1am Sun | midnight | 10pm Sat | 6am Sun | 7am Sun | 3pm Sun | |
| Hour 36 | 11am Sun | 7am Sun | 6am Sun | 4am Sun | 12pm Sun | 1pm Sun | 9pm Sun | |
| Hour 42 | 5pm Sun | 1pm Sun | 12pm Sun | 10am Sun | 6pm Sun | 7pm Sun | 3am Mon | desertvixen |
| Hour 47 | 10pm Sun | 6pm Sun | 5pm Sun | 3pm Sun | 11pm Sun | midnight | 8am Mon | xandromedovna |
| Hour 48 | 11pm Sun | 7pm Sun | 6pm Sun | 4pm Sun | midnight | 1am Mon | 9am Mon | xandromedovna |
| Round Ends | midnight | 8pm Sun | 7pm Sun | 5pm Sun | 1am Mon | 2am Mon | 10am Mon | xandromedovna |
Question!
May. 24th, 2026 11:38 pmtrobadoraStill reading the 520 Day collection, but I'm also writing!
Among other things (which I can't talk about because exchanges), I'm currently working on an original thing, and I'm having trouble with a character that won't quite come together. I know rather a lot about them, but I don't have a real feel for them as a character yet.
Now, part of the reason is no doubt that I haven't fully settled on a name - characters never entirely come together for me until I've found the "right" name for them - but maybe some outside inspiration would help, too. Sometimes it does help to think about similar characters/archetypes, and where the differences lie!
To that end: if you know any good mentor characters who remain in the story after their "student" surpassed them or no longer needs them, please tell me about them! I'd really appreciate it. ♥
Among other things (which I can't talk about because exchanges), I'm currently working on an original thing, and I'm having trouble with a character that won't quite come together. I know rather a lot about them, but I don't have a real feel for them as a character yet.
Now, part of the reason is no doubt that I haven't fully settled on a name - characters never entirely come together for me until I've found the "right" name for them - but maybe some outside inspiration would help, too. Sometimes it does help to think about similar characters/archetypes, and where the differences lie!
To that end: if you know any good mentor characters who remain in the story after their "student" surpassed them or no longer needs them, please tell me about them! I'd really appreciate it. ♥
New Vid: My Redemption | Star Trek: Discovery & Star Trek: Section 31
May. 24th, 2026 05:24 pmaurumcalendula posting in viddingTitle: My Redemption
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery & Star Trek: Section 31
Music: My Redemption by Halestorm
Summary: 'don't need saving to save myself/ don't need forgiveness to bless my guilt'
Notes: Premiered atwiscon_vidparty 2026!
Warnings: quick cuts, flashing lights, blood, violence
AO3 | bsky | DW | tumblr | YouTube
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery & Star Trek: Section 31
Music: My Redemption by Halestorm
Summary: 'don't need saving to save myself/ don't need forgiveness to bless my guilt'
Notes: Premiered at
wiscon_vidparty 2026!Warnings: quick cuts, flashing lights, blood, violence
AO3 | bsky | DW | tumblr | YouTube
DS Story: March
May. 24th, 2026 04:47 pmgrey853 posting in ds_noticeboardTitle: March
Series: 29th in The Due South Alphabet Series
Author: Grey/Grey853
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Tags: Male Slash, Alternate Universe-Canon Divergent, explicit sex and language, emotional hurt/comfort, deaths of secondary characters
Word Count: 46,664
Summary: Ray worries about a possible danger out of Chicago. A major investigation is carried out against a racist Mountie. Ray suffers from a serious personal loss and doesn't handle it well despite Ben's best efforts.
Link:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85465611
Snippet:
Ben finished his tea and stood up. ″I should shower and get ready for work. Would you like to shower first?″
″No, that’s fine. You do it. I’m going in a little later today. I’ve got some appointments first.″
″What appointments?″
″I need to pick up my new Canadian passport for one.″
″And the other?″
Ray touched the sidepiece on his glasses. ″I’m tired of changing these out for readers a hundred times a day. I called last week about getting some old folks’ glasses.″
″Old folks glasses? Do you by any chance mean bifocals?″
″Yeah, like I said, old folk glasses. He made me up a pair. I go pick them up this morning. I’m officially old old now.″
″Old old?″
″Old bones, old eyes, just plain old.″
Ben smiled and leaned down for a quick kiss. ″You’re younger than I am and I love you in glasses.″
″Or without.″
″That, too, yes.″
Ray grinned, suddenly imagining all the things Ben could do to make him stop worrying so much. ″How about we shower together?″
Ben didn’t answer with words, but with another kiss. He grabbed Ray’s hand and led him off to jump start the day. Who knew getting clean and dirty could happen at the same time?
Series: 29th in The Due South Alphabet Series
Author: Grey/Grey853
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Tags: Male Slash, Alternate Universe-Canon Divergent, explicit sex and language, emotional hurt/comfort, deaths of secondary characters
Word Count: 46,664
Summary: Ray worries about a possible danger out of Chicago. A major investigation is carried out against a racist Mountie. Ray suffers from a serious personal loss and doesn't handle it well despite Ben's best efforts.
Link:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85465611
Snippet:
Ben finished his tea and stood up. ″I should shower and get ready for work. Would you like to shower first?″
″No, that’s fine. You do it. I’m going in a little later today. I’ve got some appointments first.″
″What appointments?″
″I need to pick up my new Canadian passport for one.″
″And the other?″
Ray touched the sidepiece on his glasses. ″I’m tired of changing these out for readers a hundred times a day. I called last week about getting some old folks’ glasses.″
″Old folks glasses? Do you by any chance mean bifocals?″
″Yeah, like I said, old folk glasses. He made me up a pair. I go pick them up this morning. I’m officially old old now.″
″Old old?″
″Old bones, old eyes, just plain old.″
Ben smiled and leaned down for a quick kiss. ″You’re younger than I am and I love you in glasses.″
″Or without.″
″That, too, yes.″
Ray grinned, suddenly imagining all the things Ben could do to make him stop worrying so much. ″How about we shower together?″
Ben didn’t answer with words, but with another kiss. He grabbed Ray’s hand and led him off to jump start the day. Who knew getting clean and dirty could happen at the same time?
Resident Evil Requiem [2026]
May. 24th, 2026 12:55 pmmyrmidon posting in fandom_icons[ leon s. kennedy ]
[ here @
axisandallies ]Sorting through books
May. 24th, 2026 07:32 pmschneefinkI'm going through all my things in anticipation of my move, including my bookshelves. I've already given away over a dozen books (some to my mom, some to a friend, some to the open bookshelf around the corner), but there's several more I'm not sure about. So I thought I'd try to write down my thoughts in the hope it'll help me decide.
Night Watch; Day Watch; and Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukianenko (in German): Over two decades ago this was some of the first urban fantasy I read, and I was fascinated by it. I remember being very impressed by so many of the abilities and magic, and the "light and dark need to co-exist" set-up.
I started a reread once, also many years ago, and I was much less impressed that time, especially by the writing. I don't think I'm going to ever read it again. The author's political stances are another reason.
Most likely going to get rid of these.
Empire of Ivory (Temeraire #4); Victory of Eagles (Temeraire #5) by Naomi Novik: I enjoyed this series while reading, but there were plenty of elements I rolled my eyes at, and I'm definitely not going to reread the whole thing. But I think #4 and #5 were some of my favorites? It's been a long time. I still have very fond feelings for the fandom in particular, there's some great fics.
I think I might keep these for now.
Side Jobs, Ghost Story, Cold Days, Skin Game (Dresden Files #12.5 - #15) by Jim Butcher: I was a big fan of the series at one point, but gradually lost interest; I haven't even read "Twelve Months" yet, though I might at some point if they get it at the library.
I asked LB if he wants them since he was also a fan at one point, that would be ideal, but I suspect he won't. In that case I think I might keep them a little longer.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: it was okay, but I didn't like it so much that I'd want to keep it. I had a vague thought at some point that I should reread it eventually because I think I would enjoy it more without the high expectations, but that's not likely to happen any time soon.
Most likely going to the open bookshelf.
The others I was thinking about I think I talked myself into keeping already, but for completeness' sake: Black Wolves by Kate Elliott (I barely remember anything about it but my review said I loved it so I might read it again one day), A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (I gave away books #1 + #3 because I didn't find them very interesting but I remember really enjoying the second one), The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan (one of my favorites of the whole series), Heaven's Net is Wide (Tales of the Otori 0.5) by Lian Hearn (I'm emotionally attached to the other four books in the series and I think I'll keep the prequel for completeness' sake because it has a sufficiently pretty spine), Myriad Lands #1 + #2 by David R. Stokes (ed.) (I got those at my first Worldcon and while I barely remember the stories - though according to my reviews I liked them - the covers and spines are just so very pretty.)
This helped with decision-making, mission success.
Night Watch; Day Watch; and Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukianenko (in German): Over two decades ago this was some of the first urban fantasy I read, and I was fascinated by it. I remember being very impressed by so many of the abilities and magic, and the "light and dark need to co-exist" set-up.
I started a reread once, also many years ago, and I was much less impressed that time, especially by the writing. I don't think I'm going to ever read it again. The author's political stances are another reason.
Most likely going to get rid of these.
Empire of Ivory (Temeraire #4); Victory of Eagles (Temeraire #5) by Naomi Novik: I enjoyed this series while reading, but there were plenty of elements I rolled my eyes at, and I'm definitely not going to reread the whole thing. But I think #4 and #5 were some of my favorites? It's been a long time. I still have very fond feelings for the fandom in particular, there's some great fics.
I think I might keep these for now.
Side Jobs, Ghost Story, Cold Days, Skin Game (Dresden Files #12.5 - #15) by Jim Butcher: I was a big fan of the series at one point, but gradually lost interest; I haven't even read "Twelve Months" yet, though I might at some point if they get it at the library.
I asked LB if he wants them since he was also a fan at one point, that would be ideal, but I suspect he won't. In that case I think I might keep them a little longer.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: it was okay, but I didn't like it so much that I'd want to keep it. I had a vague thought at some point that I should reread it eventually because I think I would enjoy it more without the high expectations, but that's not likely to happen any time soon.
Most likely going to the open bookshelf.
The others I was thinking about I think I talked myself into keeping already, but for completeness' sake: Black Wolves by Kate Elliott (I barely remember anything about it but my review said I loved it so I might read it again one day), A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (I gave away books #1 + #3 because I didn't find them very interesting but I remember really enjoying the second one), The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan (one of my favorites of the whole series), Heaven's Net is Wide (Tales of the Otori 0.5) by Lian Hearn (I'm emotionally attached to the other four books in the series and I think I'll keep the prequel for completeness' sake because it has a sufficiently pretty spine), Myriad Lands #1 + #2 by David R. Stokes (ed.) (I got those at my first Worldcon and while I barely remember the stories - though according to my reviews I liked them - the covers and spines are just so very pretty.)
This helped with decision-making, mission success.