4 Oct 2025 11:41 pm
beccaelizabeth: my Watcher tattoo in blue, plus Be in red Buffy style font (Default)
[personal profile] beccaelizabeth
I am rereading a fic set in late season BtVS
and they just got started being told 'from beneath you it devours'
and this time around my brain has decided
it's not that deep?
well, obviously,
the Sunnydale sinkhole was just that deep,
but it's not that deep/obscure/symbolic.

Something was yelling at the whole town that it was about to be swallowed.

Then the town mostly evacuated, except people who wanted to fight the being swallowed, which... I mean, it wasn't swallowed into a hell dimension as far as we know? So that fighting maybe helped? Or the fighting triggered it. But in a year when the other outcomes were worse.

But due to the past/reruns/fiction not being something you can have a conversation with I cannot tell the characters that.

Also the show really tried to make it seem like supernatural evil
rather than a giant cave collapsing
so it's probably not intended to be simples.

But like, from beneath them it devoured.
Tags:

Hmm. Well, the muses are fickle.

NSFW 4 Oct 2025 05:41 pm
Tags:

Oi, the lot of ya

4 Oct 2025 05:57 pm
gs_silva: My character cheerfully saying hi (Default)
[personal profile] gs_silva posting in [community profile] addme
Name: GS

Age: old

I mostly post about: Comic book creation, art and writing in general, character development and musings, my personal experiences, my cat, exploring and subverting tropes, maybe politics idk, random shower thoughts

My hobbies are: household management, gardening, native ecology, world travel, language learning

My fandoms are: Whatever you're writing! If you show an interest in my WIP, I'll show an interest in yours. There are a very few genres and themes that I find impossible to engage in. Unfortunately, they tend to be very common: super awesome superlative hero good-and-evil stuff, or gritty dark stuff where everybody's horrible.

But I believe very strongly in reciprocity, and if those themes are your passion, you won't like my book much either. So if you create something that's light and humorous, or raw and honest, or speculative and political, I'll be there for you if you'll be here for me!

But I also enjoy reading and meeting people who aren't into any of that and who just want to be DW friends.

I've lived in Saigon and Shanghai and been to Cambodia and Philippines, and now I'm in the US and not terribly happy about it, so I'd enjoy meeting people with connections to those places. Or Lyon, France! Part of my book takes place in Lyon.


When I add people, my dealbreakers are: Oh, I don't know. Really toxic anger and hateful opinions, I guess. Usually if someone irks me, I'll disappear quietly.

Before adding me, you should know: I'm a naturally chaotic person. I know most of the unspoken rules of society but I don't always care. I've had the usual amount of life traumas but I don't often talk about them. My profile pic is my male MC, Maurice. I'll probably talk about him a lot. I'm not a quiet creator. A lot of what I write is Maurice this, Maurice that, Cathy this. I call my characters by name because I want people to remember them.

Autumn Between Two Worlds / Осень между двумя мирами

5 Oct 2025 12:44 am
fox_in_me: fox.in.me (Default)
[personal profile] fox_in_me


📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Приветствую всех, кто читает меня. Хочу оставить небольшую запись, находясь за пределами Украины, поделившись своими мыслями о происходящем дома и о том, что вижу здесь, в Европе. Меня греет мысль о том, что скоро я вернусь домой, но только потому, что нахожусь здесь по служебной необходимости — без полноты свобод и возможностей. Иногда ловлю себя на том, что скучаю даже по шуму улиц, по запаху мокрого асфальта после дождя, по коротким разговорам с прохожими. Всё это становится странно дорогим, когда ты далеко.
Последние дни в Украине были очень неспокойными. Потоп в моем родном городе — вызванный не стихией, а бездействием власти. Город продолжает переименовывать улицы, менять разметку, рисовать велодорожки где попало, но коммуникаций для схода воды как не было, так и нет. И вот результат — более десятка погибших людей. Все знали, что это может произойти, но никто не сделал ничего. Это самое горькое — когда гибнут люди не из-за войны, а из-за безразличия.
Я стараюсь никого не осуждать, но не могу не сказать о впечатлениях от наших людей в Европе. Иногда мне просто стыдно: в музее кто-то громко разговаривает по телефону на родном языке, обсуждая бытовые дела, совершенно не обращая внимания на окружающих. Я не требую идеальности, но хочется, чтобы мы были примером уважения, а не раздражения. Мне грустно смотреть на сытых мужчин, на тех, кто уверенно чувствует себя в любой ситуации, зная, что их не коснётся война. Таких хватает и дома — тех, кто остался не потому что не смог уехать, а потому что им и не нужно. У них есть связи, власть, свои правила. А простых людей продолжают силой рекрутировать в армию. И с этим ничего не поделаешь. Как и с тем, что теперь в Украину завозят рабочих из Бангладеш, Пакистана и Индии — в страну, где наши мужчины либо воюют, либо прячутся, либо уехали. Какая-то горькая ирония.
Будь я по-настоящему свободным человеком, я бы хотел иметь возможность жить там, где есть уважение к правам, свободе и человеку. И приезжать домой, а не наоборот. Но сейчас всё наоборот. Отдав годы службы, потеряв частично здоровье, я не вижу, что получаю взамен. Недавно обратился к офтальмологу — теперь ношу очки по вечерам, особенно за рулём. Это вынужденная мера, но в ней есть какой-то символизм — всё вокруг стало размытым, буквально и метафорически.
Мне жаль тех, кто не имеет выбора. Люди устали. Политики продолжают говорить о великом будущем, но в реальности — лишь бедность, усталость и неопределённость. Осень принесла первые холода, а значит скоро снова начнутся отключения света, воды, тепла. Простые люди чувствуют на себе всё: экономический кризис, усталость, страх. Цены на продукты в Европе почти такие же, как в Украине, но разница в зарплатах колоссальна. Мне неловко говорить, сколько я получаю — в Европе это даже не минимальная ставка. Но как тогда можно говорить, что мы защищаем Европу, если те, кто её защищает, не может позволить себе даже европейского минимума?
Много слышу, что Европа «готовится к войне». Но мне кажется, что людей просто пугают. Тренировки, тревоги, репетиции эвакуаций — всё это не защита, а попытка удерживать общество в постоянном напряжении. Ведь настоящая война идёт у нас, в Украине. К чему тогда здесь эта паника? Люди хотят просто жить, ходить на работу, растить детей, гулять у моря, не думая о бомбёжках. Но страх стал новой валютой.
Я замечаю, как любая мелочь — поломка автобуса, задержка поезда — выбивает европейцев из равновесия. Они не привыкли к хаосу. Им трудно стоять в автобусе дольше нескольких остановок, трудно ждать. Но именно это и показывает, насколько хрупка их стабильность. И, может быть, именно поэтому им страшно — потому что они знают, что всё это может однажды закончиться.
И всё же, несмотря на всё, на фоне военных кораблей люди продолжают запускать воздушных змеев, гулять, смеяться, кормить чаек. Я смотрю на них и понимаю, что жизнь всё равно сильнее страха. И мне хочется, чтобы так было всегда — чтобы осень снова была просто осенью, а не сезоном тревог.
Наступают дожди. Мне повезло увидеть их и здесь, и дома. Но больше всего я хочу встретить их в Украине, ближе к родным. Ведь с холодами придут тьма и отключения, и я хочу быть рядом, чтобы помочь своим близким пережить это время.
В новостях редко говорят о Сумской, Харьковской, Черниговской, Днепропетровской, Запорожской областях — где уже постоянные отключения света. В Полтавской — и света, и воды, и газа. А Херсон всё так же под огнём. Нет правдивой картины происходящего, и, кажется, уже не будет. Люди просто учатся выживать в тишине, когда новостей нет, а усталость — есть.
Мне хочется увидеть больше золотой осени. Больше простых, живых моментов. Той осени, которая пахнет листьями и дымом, а не тревогами. Той, в которой можно просто вдохнуть и не ждать беды. Пусть она будет длинной, пусть она задержится. Пусть это всё наконец закончится — не под фанфары и речи, а тихо, почти незаметно. Чтобы однажды утром просто проснуться — и понять, что больше никто не стреляет, что в небе нет дронов, что дома целы, а ветер снова пахнет миром.


Note translated in assistance with AI.


Hello to everyone who reads me.
I want to leave a small note while being outside Ukraine, to share some thoughts about what’s happening at home and what I see here, in Europe. What keeps me warm is the thought that soon I’ll return home — but only because I’m here out of duty, without the sense of freedom or possibility. Sometimes I catch myself missing even the noise of the streets, the smell of wet asphalt after the rain, the brief talks with strangers. All of that becomes strangely precious when you’re far away.

The last few days in Ukraine have been deeply unsettling. The flood in my hometown — not caused by nature, but by the negligence of authorities. The city keeps renaming streets, repainting lines, drawing bike lanes anywhere they please, yet the drainage systems remain nonexistent. And here’s the result — more than ten people dead. Everyone knew this could happen, and yet no one did anything. That’s the bitterest part — when people die not because of war, but because of indifference.

I try not to judge anyone, but I can’t stay silent about what I’ve seen of our people here in Europe. Sometimes I just feel ashamed: in a museum, someone talks loudly on the phone in our language, discussing daily matters, ignoring everyone around. I don’t ask for perfection — only for a bit of dignity. I want us to be an example of respect, not irritation. It saddens me to see well-fed men, the ones who feel confident in any situation, knowing that war will never touch them. There are plenty of such men back home too — those who stayed not because they couldn’t leave, but because they never needed to. They have their connections, their power, their own rules. Ordinary people keep being forced into the army, and there’s nothing anyone can do. And now, workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India are being brought into Ukraine — into a country where our own men are either fighting, hiding, or gone. There’s something painfully ironic in that.

If I were truly a free man, I’d want to live where there is respect — for rights, for freedom, for human beings. And I’d come home to visit, not the other way around. But for now, it’s the opposite. After years of service, after losing part of my health, I no longer see what I’m receiving in return. Recently, I went to an ophthalmologist — now I wear glasses in the evenings, especially when driving. It’s a small, necessary thing, but it feels symbolic somehow — the world has become blurry, both literally and metaphorically.

I feel for those who have no choice left. People are tired. Politicians keep talking about a bright future, but in reality, there’s only poverty, exhaustion, and uncertainty. Autumn has brought the first chills — and that means soon there will be blackouts again: electricity, water, heat. Ordinary people bear it all — the economic crisis, the fatigue, the fear. Prices for food in Europe are nearly the same as in Ukraine, but the difference in wages is enormous. I feel awkward even mentioning what I earn — in Europe, it’s below the minimum. So how can anyone say we’re “defending Europe,” if those who defend it can’t afford even a European minimum?

I often hear that Europe is “preparing for war.” But I think people are simply being frightened. Drills, alerts, evacuation rehearsals — it’s not defense, it’s a way to keep societies tense. Because the real war is ours — in Ukraine. So what’s this panic here for? People just want to live, to go to work, raise children, walk by the sea without thinking about air raids. But fear has become a new currency.

I notice how easily Europeans lose balance — a broken bus, a delayed train, and they’re already frustrated. They’re not used to chaos. It’s hard for them to stand for a few extra stops, hard to wait. But maybe that’s exactly what reveals how fragile their comfort is. And maybe that’s why they’re so afraid — because deep down they know it can all vanish someday.

And still, despite everything — despite the warships in the harbor — people keep flying kites, walking, laughing, feeding seagulls. I look at them and realize that life is still stronger than fear. And I want it to stay that way — for autumn to simply be autumn again, not a season of anxiety.

The rains are coming. I was lucky to see them both here and at home. But most of all, I want to meet them in Ukraine — closer to my loved ones. Because with the cold will come darkness and power cuts, and I want to be there, to help my family through it.

The news rarely mentions Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia — where blackouts are already constant. In Poltava — no light, no water, no gas. And Kherson is still under fire. There’s no honest picture of what’s happening — and maybe there won’t be anymore. People are simply learning to survive in silence, when there’s no news, only exhaustion.

I want to see more of the golden autumn. More simple, living moments. The kind of autumn that smells of leaves and smoke, not of sirens. The kind where you can just breathe — and not wait for disaster. May it last longer. May it stay.
May this all finally end — not with speeches or fanfare, but quietly, almost unnoticed. So that one morning, you just wake up — and realize that no one is shooting anymore, that there are no drones in the sky, that homes are still standing, and the wind smells like peace again.

Tags:

Watching roundup: Taskmaster and in-flight things, including Thunderbolts*

4 Oct 2025 02:43 pm
hamsterwoman: (Avengers -- flying monkeys)
[personal profile] hamsterwoman
Catching up on Taskmaster s20, the most recent two episodes:

Episode 3 -- I got to see this episode on actual UK TV (on catch-up), with not just the ad breaks but also with really annoying ads, and also with [personal profile] cafemassolit's cats periodically distracting me, heh. So that was an interesting experience! As for the episode itself, WTF is Maisie wearing XD ( spoilers from here )

Episode 4 -- ( spoilers )

*

Also, this seems as good a place as any to talk about the stuff I watched on planes. (I also read on my return trip, but have not yet finished the new RoL book, because my phone battery was low and either the USB port on my seat or my cable weren't working, and I didn't feel like trying to fish out my powerbank from the backpack stuffed with half a dozen books from England, so I had to switch over to watching the in-flight entertainment).

Thunderbolts* -- it has been a while since I watched anything MCU related -- OK, less time than I thought, because I did watch Agatha All Along in Nov'24, but even that was almost a year ago, and I guess Deadpool and Wolverine was technically also MCU. Anyway, still a while, and much longer since I've watched a 'main storyline' kind of thing, with GotG 3 in summer 2023, and it was 2022 when I was watching anything MCU related regularly. And I still have not seen, and chose not to bother with, though it was also on offer, Captain America: BNW. ( More, with marked spoilers )

The Ballad of Wallis Island -- This is a kind of movie I would've never even been aware of before my descent down the Britcom rabbit hole, but because Tim Key co-wrote and is costarring in it, it was mentioned on Elis and John (John was grousing about not being invited to the UK premiere, except he probably was and couldn't go and forgot) and also [personal profile] qwentoozla went to a special screening in LA, with the creators there, and posted about it. I probably still would not have gone to the effort to track it down, because I always find Tim Key at least slightly annoying, but as I was scrolling through Virgin Atlantic's entertainment list, the movie was right there, near the start, and I was like, hey, I'm on a Taskmaster-adjacent trip to the UK, I should watch a Taskmaster-adjacent movie as part of the experience. And I did, and actually really enjoyed it, and found it both funny and moving.

( More with spoilers )

[personal profile] qwentoozla's write-up also mentioned that the film was an expansion of a short film that could still be found on YouTube, so, because I'm always curious to see different versions of the same story if it's a story I like, I went and tracked it down (part 2). And I don't know what I was expecting from the short version, but my main takeaway is basically that everything I liked best about the feature film was new to it -- Herb's backstory, Herb/Chris and Nell, Charles's backstory, where it leaves Charles -- and also the acting was SO MUCH BETTER. I mean, it makes sense, right, because it's the same people after 18 more years of practice, and as writers they had both the same extra years of practice and a bigger canvas to work with. But everything just works so much better in the 2025 movie. I'm glad I watched it first, because I probably would not have bothered with it if the short film had set my expectations first.

And also I tried War of the Rohirrim, and made it a couple of scenes in but it was too anime-y for me, and nothing interesting was happening, so that also didn't last very long.

The rest of the time on the plane I watched random TV shows that were available to me, and might as well capture my thoughts here, although I didn't watch anything in full, and mostly not in any kind of coherent way either.

Fleabag, season 1 -- Well, that was a bit darker than I enjoy my comedy. Like, I did find it really well done -- in particular ( SPOILERS from here )

Peep Show, season 9 -- I've been aware of the show for a while, but had no real interest in it, despite enjoying David Mitchell as himself on WILTY. But I decided to give it a shot, hoping to catch Dobby (the character played by Isy Suttie, i.e. Elis's wife, for reasons-for-the-trip-adjacent reasons). It was a season that didn't have Dobby as a regular, but I did get her for an episode later on, which suited me -- but there in the very first episode I watched was Tim Key again XD Dobby was adorable! I wish there had been more of her (but, like, I already think Isy is adorable). I was reasonably amused by David Mitchell's character, although he feels like the worst parts of his comedic persona + choices that make me dislike him. This was my first exposure to Robert Webb, and I was originally a lot less fond of Jeremy, but he did kind of grow on me by the end. Some of the scenarios did make me laugh, though. If I had easy access to this, I'd probably watch more series, but mostly for Isy...

On the way back, having run out of British shows I recognized as something I wanted to watch (I also gave The IT Crowd a shot, but did not make it past the first scene -- the laugh track was annoying me, and I really wasn't finding it that funny), I switched to an American show I'd heard good things about:

Abbot Elementary -- looking up the titles, looks like it was the first 5 episodes of season 4. At first I wasn't finding it that funny, but I think it's just that I don't find the younger characters (Janine, Gregory, and Jake) that funny, and once the show moved on to episodes more focused on the older cast, I was more on board.( Spoilers ) I also found the principal lady a lot of fun, and quite enjoyed Barbara the Jesus-referencing kindergarten teacher. It's not something I feel invested in enough to want to watch more of, but it was a nice way to pass the time on a plane.

I then moved on to a British show whose title I *didn't* recognize, and didn't quite have enough time to finish out the series:

Amandaland -- I did not realize until looking it up later that this was a spin-off of something else. I think I made it 3 episodes in, and it might not have even been the full 3 episodes, until we landed. This one was a show where I didn't actually recognize any actors (except, retrospectively, I do know Joanna Lumley, who plays Amanda's mum, I just didn't recognize her now she's older). Mal looked intensely familiar, but looking at his filmography, I've not seen him in anything, so presumably what I recognize him from is Doctor Who gifs on Tumblr... Who I did recognize in the credits was Holly Walsh, as one of the writers, as I've enjoyed her on panel shows. Mal was definitely my favorite character, and I also like Anne and Della (the chef). (Possibly the fact that I liked both Della and Anne a lot means I should finally watch Derry Girls, like people have been telling me to do for ages...) As for the show itself, I did find it suitably engaging. My favorite moments were ( spoilers ) From reading the Reddit thread on this show, it sounds like the season maybe goes downhill / the resolution is not as good as the setup, so maybe it's just as well that I didn't finish it out.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, October 4

4 Oct 2025 11:28 pm
veronyxk84: Editor icon for su_herald (_Herald Editor#1)
[personal profile] veronyxk84 posting in [community profile] su_herald
GILES: Oh, there you are.
JENNY: There who is?
GILES: Our new friend Spike. He's known as 'William the Bloody'. Earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Very pleasant. Well, here's some good news: he's barely two hundred. He's not even as old as Angel is. Oh.
XANDER: That's a bad look, right?
GILES: I think your suggestion of running away this Saturday might've been a good one. Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and... he's killed them both.

~~BtVS 2x03 “School Hard”~~


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Filadelfia Colony House Museum in Filadelfia, Paraguay

4 Oct 2025 05:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/colony-house-museum

The Colony House Museum

On the dusty Main Street of a small ranching town, in the middle of Paraguay’s endless Chaco territory, a collection of one-room museums tells one of the often overlooked stories of an already overlooked country: the story of Paraguay’s Mennonites.

Many arrived in the 1920s and 30s after fleeing the anti-religious legislation of the newly formed USSR, the refugees found a hot, dry landscape full of swamps and strange creatures. Many had recently fled through Siberian winters to China and still carried their thick winter coats and hats. They were adaptable, however—their ancestors had already fled Germany to Russia in the years of Catherine the Great.

Soon they had built three collectives: Neuland, Menno and Fernheim (of which Filadelfia is the largest town). Over the years they expanded from farming and ranching to various types of industry, though agriculture remained the lifeblood of the community.

Today, German-speaking Mennonites only make up about a quarter of Filadelfia’s population, but their history and culture has left its mark, from the wide, grid-like streets, to the Mennonite dishes served in the Hotel Florida across the street from the museum.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/colony-house-museum

Aten't dead

4 Oct 2025 10:40 pm
dhampyresa: (Default)
[personal profile] dhampyresa
Wish I could blame being tired on giving platelets earlier this week, but no, it is La Maladie TM. And the less said about that the better.


Things I've been enjoying recently:

- L and I finished watching Arcane recently and now I have brainrot.

- T and I are watching Andor (currently on s2e3). It's fine? With occasional moments of great, but somehow I expected more. Hype got me, mea culpa.

- The colours of K-Pop Demon Hunters made my brain go brrrrrrrrrr.

- I've fallen back into the SCP Foundation hole, to no one's surprise. My hole, made for me, etc. I wonder if I could make a rec list?

- The pilot for Knights of Guinevere was fun!

- The first 5 seasons of the White Vault podcast (I've not listened to more yet). I'm not sure it does anything new with eldritch beings but it is well done.

- Did I ever do a proper rec post for the music of The Mechanisms? I should.

- October means it's Short Box Comics Fair. As ever I don't know where to start.

- The two issues of the Sing O Muse zine.

- The Missing Madonna is a true crime podcast mini-series that's not about murder.


There should be more. But alas.

Anyway, soon the yuletide tagset will be out and that's kind of like a rec list, innit?
Tags:

Care bears

4 Oct 2025 09:51 pm
[personal profile] cosmolinguist

Had a fun afternoon celebrating (belatedly) the birthdays of a couple who are both among my favorite people. One asked for sourdough pizza and a wander around the market at Manchester Leather Weekend.

I bought a trans-pride earring at the market and was delighted to see, but didn't manage to determine if available in appropriate size, a t-shirt with a lot of Care-Bear-looking colorful cartoon bears with symbols on their tummies, including a rainbow which is canon in one of the bears I remember from my childhood, but this time the other bears have trans/leather/bear/pup symbols or flags. It seems the absolutely perfect thing for someone like me or A who had to live through being a girl in the 80s but are now cautiously leaning into our bear-y selves. (Like I told the other birthday boy, I, this week when he lamented Fat Bear Week coming to an end: hey, some of us are here all year!)

D bought himself a leather waistcoat too which he looks amazing in, so that's fun. I tried on one like it was that technically my size but made me feel unusually dysphoric. I'm glad the market included vendors with explicitly trans stuff but it also had a lot of very normative bodies. Or, diversity of some kinds but not others. I guess it's why I've always steered clear of such things, despite my long-term yearnings...which I used to think were (just) yearning to be with rather than (also) to be -- lots of queers have this problem.

It was great to hang out with our friends and be silly together for an afternoon/evening.

Tomorrow will be busy in a really different way so I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Tags:

Fic or Treating

NSFW 4 Oct 2025 02:01 pm

Viking Traffic Lights in Aarhus, Denmark

4 Oct 2025 04:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/viking-traffic-lights

Aarhus began as Aros, a fortified Viking settlement at the mouth of the Aarhus River in the late 700s. Excavations show it was an important center for trade and craftsmanship, and many downtown streets preserve traces of the city’s Viking past in their names and layout.

Since 2019, Aarhus has replaced the standard red and green walking figures at several pedestrian crossings with small Vikings holding axes and shields. The lights are installed at multiple locations, including points that follow the outlines of the original fortifications.

These traffic lights have gained popularity and attract both visitors and residents. The design highlight how Viking history is still visible in modern urban life.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/viking-traffic-lights

Week Four

NSFW 4 Oct 2025 04:21 pm
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A Cunning Art Fraud, Complete With A Goose

4 Oct 2025 08:29 pm
thisbluespirit: (reading)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
I will try and make a post again soon, but am now recovering from parental visit (due to me and the ME/CFS, not any fault of said parents). Yesterday, though, I got lucky at the BNA while searching for a newly-discovered address for an ancestor's siblings and found him accidentally involved in a plot to steal a painting by Petrus van Schendel. (London ancestors are v hard to find, especially when they have common names, but the joy of London is that every so often your relatives are briefly entangled with someone or something famous).

Anyway, the fraud was discovered, I was rewarded by a description of two rooms in a relative's house (29 St Mary-at-hill) and I thought some of you might enjoy the resulting magistrate's hearings:

( A Cunning Plot )
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Thirty-six hours to Guardian Wishlist reveals!

4 Oct 2025 09:03 pm
trobadora: (Guardian - SID team)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
If all goes well, it's only about thirty-six hours until [community profile] guardian_wishlist reveals!

As of now, there are 41 gifts across the 22 wishlists, in a range of media. One wishlist still needs a gift, so take a look and see if you can help out!

And there's still time, so regardless of which wishlist inspires you, keep going if you feel like creating another gift or two! You can keep posting right up until reveals (or even after, if you don't quite finish in time). The spreadsheet includes a gift tally, and all wishlists are tagged for fandom and media!

Reveals will happen no earlier than 7am UTC on Monday, 6 October. (What time is that for me? | Countdown)

Thanks so much, everyone! You're amazing! We're nearly there!
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Prompt 2626: Pattern

4 Oct 2025 08:23 pm
immortalje: Typwriter with hands typing (Default)
[personal profile] immortalje posting in [community profile] dailyicons

Today's prompt is: pattern



• You have 2 days time to submit an icon for this prompt (in other words, until prompt 2628 gets posted)!
• Prompt 2624 has been closed.
• If you have any questions regarding the prompt, feel free to ask in a comment.
• To submit an icon you simply reply to this post with the following information:
Icon:
Claim: (only necessary if it's a specific claim)
Status: (e.g. #1/10 - number of icon completed/table size)

Pre-formatted

Hong Kong People Statue in Hong Kong

4 Oct 2025 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hong-kong-people-statue

In front of the main entrance to Hong Kong’s Conrad Hotel stands a cast-bronze statue created by the late American artist Kirk Newman. Completed in 1990, the statue portrays one of the artist’s favourite subject areas, exploring the complexities of people in the modern world.

The statue itself comprises 15 human figures, performing a variety of actions commonly seen in the city. Among the more eye-catching are a man performing tai chi, a tourist photographing skywards, and a businessman greeting an acquaintance while presumably rushing to his next meeting.

Despite its prestigious location in front of one of the city’s top hotels, the statue is on a section of road that doesn’t receive much foot traffic. Many guests arriving back to the Conrad likely ignore the statue to return to the comfort of their rooms. 

But for fans of public art exploring Pacific Place or nearby Hong Kong Park, the “Hong Kong People” statue is worth a detour. While it remains unknown to many, this understated sculpture succinctly captures the bustling nature of daily life in the city.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hong-kong-people-statue

Birdfeeding

4 Oct 2025 01:05 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly sunny and sweltering.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/4/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/4/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it.








.
 
  • Current Mood: busy
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Good Intentions Buried

4 Oct 2025 01:00 pm
yourlibrarian: DeadTuesday-smidgy06 (SPN-DeadTuesday-smidgy06)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) From [personal profile] osteophage, a post about The Good Web Graveyard, "a link compilation on departed websites that had marketed themselves in terms of ethics." I think one doesn't have to be an out and out cynic to assume that it's difficult for a company to do well when it's not on a level playing field with unethical companies. But it's good to consider that good intentions aren't enough in surviving long-term online.

2) My Britbox subscription has run out, and at an inopportune moment. I was speed watching Passengers, by which I was skipping some of, or entire, episodes and relying on their recaps to keep up with developments. Unfortunately I was interrupted near the end of the final episode and by the time I got back to it, the subscription had ended. ( Read more... )

4) Some interesting details of the AOL sale: "AOL's website traffic has grown 20% year-over-year among the users aged 25 and 54, outpacing the growth in the category of users aged 55-plus...The growth was driven by the introduction of multiple new content categories to AOL.com, including Health, Fitness, Animals, Science & Tech, Home & Garden, Lighter Side, True Crime, Local, amongst others"

I wonder if AI searches can account for this? Granted the nature of these new topic pages was designed to attract views, but I've hardly ever seen AOL as a site turn up in any searches I do.

"Bending Spoons... agreed a deal to take private video platform company Vimeo for $1.38 billion, its largest acquisition to date." I was also surprised to find out that AOL owns Last Pass, so that has a new owner now as well.

4) I know everyone's upset at the rising cost of everything. But sometimes it's the little things that make you mad. My main supermarket has recently switched its sales period from Wednesday to Tuesday after 20+ years (maybe always, for all I known) of doing Sunday to Saturday. This is making a mess of their shelf and data system, because the ad says one thing but there's nothing showing on the shelf and they don't ring up on sale. ( Read more... )

5) "Consumer Reports’ fourth annual digital assessment shows a 50 percent increase in texting and messaging scam attempts over the past year. Meanwhile, a 10,500-person poll from Talker Research indicates that Americans field around 100 scam attempts per month compared to an average of 84 in the United Kingdom. Australians, however, experience half the number seen in the US. But while scams continue to frequently target older demographics, one of the most dramatic upticks concerns younger populations."

The main reasons? Group texts which disguise unknown numbers, and quick access to money apps.


Poll #33689 Kudos Footer-543
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
3 (100.0%)



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QOTD: Charles Baudelaire on regular work

4 Oct 2025 12:09 pm
brithistorian: (Default)
[personal profile] brithistorian

"Inspiration is merely the reward for working every day."

— Charles Baudelaire (in Curiosites Esthetiques [1868])

Certainly not the first or only person to say some variation on this, but I think it's an aesthetically pleasing statement of the concept.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons

4 Oct 2025 12:58 pm
settiai: (ACNH -- settiai)
[personal profile] settiai
Since the universe has made it clear that I have no control whatsoever when it comes to my actual life, I decided to focus on one of my virtual ones instead for a while.

I've never really stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons since it was released in 2020, but the last few years I've mostly been logging on for 10-15 minutes each day to do my "dailies" and talk to my villagers since all of my collections are already at 100%. Since it's October, though, I decided to not only put out all of my (many) fall and Halloween decorations but also change some things up as well.

I'm not done yet, but I definitely spent a few hours last night and this morning curled up on my bed with the cats as I changed up some cliffs and rivers, dug up some flowers, planted new ones, moved some trees, etc. all while putting out enough pumpkin-related decor that every single one of my villagers commented on it.

Does it change much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really. But, you know, if I can't keep my actual life from imploding on me regularly, I can at least control the world of my tiny little digital island.
  • Current Mood: accomplished
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Yesterday and today

3 Oct 2025 12:09 pm
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
The picking up of the sofa cushion was every bit the nightmare I though it would be. Driving around in a web of undermall parking surrounded by downtown one way streets and traffic looking for a really horribly identified place with no signage. Well, there was a sign, actually, once you got there. Not helpful. I was so pissed off. But, I got the cushion and got the fuck out of there. I do not ever have to go back. Well, maybe next time Scott and Julie come from New Zealand but that won't be for two years. I'll be recovered by then.

I did go to Uwajimaya after. It's a decent sized store. I couldn't find the sandos but I got my noodle salad and a few other goodies plus a few dinners worth of Mongolian beef. And a banana milk cake. The beef made the car quite aromatic. It was fun to see all the stuff again. They are, supposedly opening here a store here next year. Their poke is my favorite but I did not get any this time. Should have. The noodle salad was not nearly as good as I remember it. And the Mongolian beef was a fail. BUT I'm still glad I went.

Then I also stopped at Daiso on the way home to get a couple of things that I cannot get anywhere else. Then, uneventfully, home. I was going to stop and fill the tank but it's not yet below the halfway point so I didn't.

This morning's volleyball was cut short. Linda and Bob are in Canada, Cecil was missing (he's the asshole so it's hard to count this as anything but a win), Wally had to leave early and Tina always does so we had a great time and then called it at 8. This gave me enough time to run take my Amazon returns to UPS. Turns out there was also enough time to pop into Safeway but I didn't think of that last bit until I got home. I may go later.

The first baseball game is at 11 just after elbow coffee but it is the one, out of the four today, that I really don't care about. Maybe I'll pop out then and also pick up some lunch. Then the games at 1 and 3, I do care about and, of course, the Mariner game at 5. Full day.

And now I have a fully cushioned sofa to enjoy it on.

20251003_195755-COLLAGE

The Witch House of Belleville in Belleville, Kansas

4 Oct 2025 12:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-witch-house-of-belleville

The Front with Signage

In the quiet streets of Belleville, Kansas stands a house that seems to know it’s being watched. Built in the late 1800s on a quiet Belleville street, the house hosted a succession of reclusive women. Locals eventually named it the Witch House, though the reasons differ by teller. Its reputation grew from warnings and half-remembered stories that no one would own.

Those who linger on the road have reported strange phenomena: flickering lights in the basement that begin only when people step into its concrete corridors, engines stalling when headlights sweep the façade (most often in October), shapes passing behind curtained glass, whispered chanting between 11:00 PM and 3:30 AM, and the smell of smoke or roses where neither should be. Inside and outside, a woman’s voice is heard singing between midnight and dawn.

Unlike staged haunted attractions, the Witch House offers no welcome. Its power lies in the unanswered question, whether it is haunted, cursed, or simply tuned to some older, stranger frequency. It remains a fixed point in Belleville’s landscape, the kind of place that pulls the gaze and stirs unease long after you’ve walked away.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-witch-house-of-belleville

FAKE: The Wrong Man [Amnesty 47, using Challenge 423: Drop]

4 Oct 2025 05:21 pm
badly_knitted: (Dee & Ryo black & white)
[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] drabble_zone

Title: The Wrong Man
Fandom: FAKE
Author: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: OMC, Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 470: Amnesty 47, using Challenge 423: Drop.
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: So much for the backup Dee and Ryo requested.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.



The Wrong Man


  • Current Mood: tired
  • Current Location: my desk
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FAKE Double Drabble: The Wrong Man

4 Oct 2025 05:14 pm
badly_knitted: (Dee & Ryo black & white)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: The Wrong Man
Fandom: FAKE
Author: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: OMC, Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 470: Amnesty 47 at [community profile] drabble_zone, using Challenge 423: Drop.
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: So much for the backup Dee and Ryo requested.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.
 


 
  • Current Mood: tired
  • Current Location: my desk
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Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins 2 #3

4 Oct 2025 12:11 pm
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Doctor Who Drabble: Restaurant Panic

4 Oct 2025 05:04 pm
badly_knitted: (Eleven & TARDIS)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Restaurant Panic
Author: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 963: ‘Scruff’ at [community profile] dw100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: There’s an alien creature causing chaos.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who, or the characters.
 
 


  • Current Mood: tired
  • Current Location: my desk
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Double Drabble: On The Trail

4 Oct 2025 04:54 pm
badly_knitted: (Cross Puppy)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: On The Trail
Author: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto-crow.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 885: Search at [community profile] torchwood100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto-crow undertakes an important search.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble. Set in my Were-Crow ‘Verse.
 
 


  • Current Mood: tired
  • Current Location: My Desk
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Hello? Justice League H.R Department....

4 Oct 2025 11:33 am
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Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - So

4 Oct 2025 11:20 am
[syndicated profile] smbc_comics_feed

Posted by Zach Weinersmith

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/so



Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
This works best with the smallest possible local news organization.


Today's News:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/so

Searching for a sense of community

4 Oct 2025 04:09 pm
hmmm_tea: (Default)
[personal profile] hmmm_tea posting in [community profile] addme
Name: Owen

Age: 45

I mostly post about: A real mix of things: life, single parenting, interesting stories I've found in my family history, politics (left wing), vegan cooking and whatever else springs to mind

My hobbies are: Cooking, genealogy, gardening/allotment, hiking, former morris dancer

My fandoms are: Not really into fandom, but happy to meet people who are

I'm looking to meet people who: Want to be part of a friendly online community. I used to be active on LJ some time ago (previous posts have all been imported so should give an idea of what I used to share - older now, but not necessarily much wiser) and would love to find the sense of community there used to be there.

My posting schedule tends to be: As and when

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: I'm generally open minded

Before adding me, you should know: I'm not really sure, but you can always unadd me later if you change your mind

Weeks #514-517: "haunt" and/or "scare" is open!

4 Oct 2025 08:02 am
squidgiepdx: (SGA - Stargate Atlantis)
[personal profile] squidgiepdx posting in [community profile] sga_saturday
That's the ticket!

In communing with nature and the season, with the cooler weather and everywhere you look ghosts and goblins are starting to pop up, we thought it would be an amazing time to bring forth appropriate prompts for the next few weeks.  So knowing that, welcome to "haunt" and/or "scare" for the next four weeks!

The great thing is, not only do these prompts fit with the season, but they also can slide in to any other challenge you might be doing this spooky Halloween season.  Maybe Jeannie Miller has some sort of haunting premonition about her brother Rodney who's stuck all the way in another galaxy?  Maybe there's another mission to walk into a bug cave and the thought of it scares John because he knows how those things think now.  

But you could totally take it another direction.  Maybe Elizabeth finds herself back on Earth, in a life so perfect that she's almost scared to ask what's going on (could it be alien influence? Who knows - you tell the story!).  Or maybe it's as simple as Evan Lorne showing Ronon around his old haunts in San Francisco.

Whatever the case may be - and whatever you decide to do to the characters - you've got until the first weekend in November to get it written down and posted.

Boo!
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fic or treat - melo's door

4 Oct 2025 10:57 am
luckyzukky: cassandra cain from dc comics (dc | cass #3)
[personal profile] luckyzukky
Fic or Treat
[community profile] ficortreat

melo's Door
DW username: [personal profile] luckyzukky

Light is on for: any mutuals/friends and anyone in the neighborhood! if you don't count in either and want to pop in anyway, that's fine, just be kind!

What's in the Bowl?
  • short fic from any of my fandoms as listed here. by "short" i mean under 1k words, but if i go over then bonus treat!
  • 1-4 icons, any fandom
  • song recs! please let me ramble to you about idol music
Let Me Know: if you're requesting fic then please give me a prompt of any kind, even if it's just a word or something. i'm using prompt very loosely here; basically, give me something to go off of, be it an idea or AU or a song lyric, anything you can come up with! i just work way better with some guidance like that. also, if you want icons, let me know if you want gifs (if the source material allows for it) or static icons (the default).

Other info: i reserve the right to refuse requests and take my time within the duration of the event. also, if i'm uncomfortable with a topic, i'll just tell you and you can try again lol
  • Current Mood: tired
  • Current Music: zenbu kakete go!! - juice=juice
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Weeks #510-513: "grand" and/or "storm" is coming to a close!

4 Oct 2025 07:59 am
squidgiepdx: (SGA - Awesome John)
[personal profile] squidgiepdx posting in [community profile] sga_saturday
Happy round-up Saturday! For the last few weeks people have been writing to fill prompts for "grand" and/or "storm" - and we are here for it! We even have a new poster - welcome [personal profile] lucy_roman !

The harvest was good this perdiod!

[personal profile] brumeier  gave us A Gathering Storm
[personal profile] lucy_roman  gave us Perfect
[personal profile] mific  gave us Storm Off Grand Banks
[personal profile] squidgiepdx  gave us Beta-Omicron-Omicron

More prompts to come! And if you're working on a fill for "grand" and/or "storm" but you're not quite done, you have until Sunday evening, 10/5/25 to get it posted. Alternatively, you can simply ping me and let me know when you're done and I'll add you to the round-up.
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Anchor Point Stones in Pune, India

4 Oct 2025 10:00 am
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/anchor-point-stones

In the premises of the Pune Head Post Office, there are several interesting historical objects kept on display for the public, silent reminders of a bygone era.

In the post office’s garden near the front porch, two semi-spherical stones coated in vibrant red paint (the color closely associated with the postal service) stand as anchors. These weathered stones once played an unusual but important role in postal history.

Back when animals carried the mail, elephants (and horses) were used to transport postal material. During that era, these stones served as anchor points for those animals. To honor and preserve the memory of the elephants and horses that contributed to the service, the stones are now preserved and displayed so that the public can see how postal delivery used to work.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/anchor-point-stones

UoT Opera in the RBA

4 Oct 2025 10:47 am

Friends, swimming

5 Oct 2025 03:24 am
mific: (palette)
[personal profile] mific posting in [community profile] drawesome
Title: Friends, swimming
Artist: [personal profile] mific
Rating: G
Fandom: original art
Content Notes: For the [profile] drawtober prompts "friendship" and "pool". Made in Procreate.


( full sized pic under here )
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Drawtober 2025 Prompt 3. Friendship

4 Oct 2025 10:30 pm
leecetheartist: A lime green dragon head, with twin horns, and red trim. Very gentle looking, with a couple spirals of smoke from nose. (Default)
[personal profile] leecetheartist posting in [community profile] drawesome
Title: Day 3 - Friendship
Rating: G
Content Notes: Drawn directly with a nib pen, no pencil. This time it's the Early Dusk Ink from Diamine.


If you're an Amphisbaena , you're never alone. This one seems to be getting along just fine with itself. Itselves?
 
 

The two heads of an Amphisbaena cuddle up together


Lego figures show off the ink for number 3

As a bit of a take on friendship that's me and [personal profile] rdm in the Lego. :-)
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TV News: Eric Dane & Lioness

4 Oct 2025 10:17 am
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
1. I just discovered that Eric Dane has ALS. He’s only 52. This article is about one of his shows, The Last Ship. They recommend it, and I do, too.

Eric Dane’s 5-Season Apocalyptic Thriller Was a Must-See Sleeper Hit Series Before ‘The Last of Us’ (collider.com)


2. Lioness has been renewed for a third season!!

All the Canceled and Renewed TV Shows This Month (October 2025) (tvguide.com)
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Random Doctor Who Picture

4 Oct 2025 03:11 pm
Tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Oct 3)

4 Oct 2025 09:32 am
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
I got my flu and covid vaccines this morning. *fingers crossed* I don’t have any major reactions. I also hit Walmart and Agway while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park.

(I was awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night being all irritated about Monday’s appointments and wondering just how disruptive mom’s radiation appointments are going to be (since they’re daily for five weeks), and I decided to get the things I already had on next week’s Walmart list today so I could at least stop being annoyed about having to miss my usual shopping day. So, that’s one thing off my mind now.)

I hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I also went to the bank, donated to my local public radio station, and placed a Chewy order.

I typed in ~1,300 words of fic and hand-wrote ~800 more on a different fic. I was on a fic roll today! I also watched some HGTV.

Temps started out at 51.8(F) and reached 75.9. The morning temp was a huge surprise. TWC originally called for it to be 39, then last night when I looked it said 43. I did not expect it to be over 50.


ETA: Tonight's visitors. No more spots!




Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay. ( more back here )
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Free for All Saturday, Week 40 [DW Edition]

4 Oct 2025 08:28 am
creepy_shetan: cropped movie screenshot of Bard and Thranduil side by side on horseback (and elkback), Thranduil looking at Bard, Bard looking ahead (Tolkien // the Bowman & the Elvenking)
[personal profile] creepy_shetan posting in [community profile] comment_fic
[ If you're interested in being a Tuesday-Thursday guest host, you can sign up here. Thanks! ❤ ]
↑↑↑ Available dates:
October 14 & 16
October 28 & 30
November 4 & 6

Well, hi there. ^_^ It's Saturday once again, which means it's time for a Free for All. There are no themes to follow for prompts or fills. If you've had any ideas this week that didn't really work with Tuesday's or Thursday's posts, today's your chance to prompt 'em. Be free, and have fun! ✎

Just a few rules:
1. No more than five prompts in a row.
2. No more than three prompts in the same fandom.
3. Use the character's full name and the fandom's full name for ease in adding to the Lonely Prompts spreadsheet.
4. No spoilers in prompts for a month after airing, or use the spoiler cut option found here. Unfortunately, DW doesn’t have a cut tag, so use your best judgment when it comes to spoilers.
5. If your fill contains spoilers, warn and leave plenty of space, or use the spoiler cut.
6. If your story has possible triggers, please warn for them in the subject line!

Prompts should be formatted as follows: [Use the character's full names and fandom's full name]
Fandom, Character +/ Character, Prompt

Are today's prompts not catching your eye? No worries, because we have plenty of older prompts that just might do the trick! You can browse through the comm's calendar archive (here on LJ or here on DW) for themed and Free For All posts, or perhaps check out Sunday posts for Lonely Prompt requests. (Or, you can be like me, and try to save interesting prompts as you see 'em... and then end up with multiple text doc files full of [themes + links + prompts] that you can easily look through and search for keywords.) Multiple fills for one prompt are welcome, by the way! Oh, and you are very likely to find some awesome fills to read as well, and wouldn't it be nice to leave a comment on those lovely little writing distractions? ~_^

We are on AO3! If you fill a prompt and post it to AO3, please add it to the Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2025 collection.

If you are viewing this post on our Dreamwidth site: please know that fills posted here will not show up as comments on our LiveJournal site, but you are still more than welcome to participate. =)

If you have a Dreamwidth account and would feel more comfortable participating there, please feel free to do so… and spread the word! [community profile] comment_fic

A friendly reminder about our posting schedule: Themed posts for new prompts go up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturdays are a Free for All day for new prompts of any flavor. Sundays are for showing Lonely Prompts some love, whether by requesting for someone to adopt them or by sharing any fills that you've recently completed.

Bananas!

18 4 Oct 2025 08:04 am
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Book Review: Amusing Ourselves to Death

4 Oct 2025 08:21 am
huxleyenne: (deal me in)
[personal profile] huxleyenne posting in [community profile] booknook
Full Title: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Author: Neil Postman

First Published: In the United States of America by Viking, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 1985

Today I would like to briefly discuss a book I first read two and a half years ago, but has undoubtedly rocked my world, shaken my perception of entertainment, and every television/Internet-connected screen in which I find myself parked and glued.

This book, published in 1985, is as relevant as ever 40 years later, despite being a critical discourse on American television and its role in society.

Postman digs into all sorts of media, none of which he bombards with more side-eye than television news, which he basically regards as the apex of brainrot back in the 1980s, and quite frankly, I think he’s right.

I grew up in America, raised on a glut of television programs and commercials. If I had read his book any time before late 2016, I would have assumed this author was just kind of poo poo and anti-tech, or perhaps I would have likened him to the same kind of people who blame violence in schools on video games. I cannot see myself reading and accepting Postman’s work before 2016.

Now? Of all authors I’ve ever read in my life, I don’t think any have predicted America’s future with haunting accuracy the way Brave New World by Aldous Huxley has. It was Postman’s work that led me to Huxley (I already read Orwell in school by the time I found Postman, but Huxley was new to me.)

The value of reading Amusing Ourselves to Death in 2025 is that it can give readers, both open-minded Americans and folks in other countries, a picture of how it came to be that we, the people, are so easily influenced and swayed by hypnotic video media, and why that might be. It’s like, most of us see it, but don’t quite have the words for it. Instead, many people would lazily dismiss this as mere ignorance/stupidity and walk away feeling superior for the sake of feeling superior, probably.

I'm not here to express a "superior" or "heightened" awareness, as it were, but I am here to encourage everyone to think about what they watch, why, and how it might affect them. I think everyone has a right to know, especially because propagandists and advertisers don't want us to. It's not in the best interest of their bloated wallets for us to think critically about media consumption.

Anyway, Postman, a man who considered himself a “media ecologist,” expressed many concerns regarding television (and many of those concerns apply to how we use the Internet as well.) He has serious doubts about its ability to educate people, especially when education is the intent. He doesn’t regard it as a good source of information at all, least of all that which we call “news.” Heck, this man Postman, especially his 1980s self, would probably argue that a solid half hour of someone swimming in poo is of higher intellectual value than Fox News from an entirely unironic point of view.

As with any nonfiction book, I wouldn’t encourage anyone to read this and take it as gospel. It’s here to help you think, open your eyes, and draw your own conclusions, which is what Postman himself would want, I believe.

Postman was a critic with plenty of critics, and rightly so, I’m sure. Even so, he’s given me so much to think about, and I don’t know for sure if he’s the driving force or just a little piece of the puzzle, but the way I watch television now is different. I don’t know if I’d call it heightened awareness or disillusionment, but I’m relieved to have a voice from the decade in which I was born to give words to much of what I’ve been thinking of news, programs, and memetic culture over the past ten years. Take Postman's work with a grain of salt if you must, but do give him a chance if social sciences and humanities are of interest to you. Thank you.
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The Street With No Name in Manchester, England

4 Oct 2025 08:00 am
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-street-with-no-name

The Street With No Name

Despite being created more than 160 years ago, this street outside the Levenshulme train station in Manchester has never had an official title. Neighbours began to refer to it as “the street with no name” and over the decades it has stuck.

As recognition of its unique status, nearby residents put up a sign bearing the curious moniker. Sadly, the sign disappeared later that summer, but eventually it was replaced with a new, larger sign, installed 12 feet off the ground to discourage thieves.

Nothing to do with U2, as far as anyone knows.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-street-with-no-name

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

4 Oct 2025 07:39 am
torino10154: Glass of firewhiskey (Firewhiskeyfic)
[personal profile] torino10154 posting in [community profile] firewhiskeyfic
Hey, everyone! How are you doing out there? Did everyone survive intact? Hopefully, no one suffered any morning after ill-effects. :)

If you turned in your piece, by now you should have gotten confirmation. If you've emailed it in but didn't hear back, please send it in again! Our email is fwfdrunkmods@gmail.com.

You have until midnight EDT Sunday to turn in your piece if you haven't already. Remember, no editing allowed! If you passed out before you finished or need to add a header, that's acceptable, but no correcting or editing with the fics and/or art itself.

All pieces will be posted anonymously on Monday all in one go and then voting will commence! A post on voting will go up then as well, with all the details.

Can't wait to share all of the drunken masterpieces!! :D

Quote from Shakespeare, of course. I considered one from Stephen King but it was a little too on the nose. "We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."
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Drawtober 2025 Prompt 2. Molten

4 Oct 2025 07:30 pm
leecetheartist: A lime green dragon head, with twin horns, and red trim. Very gentle looking, with a couple spirals of smoke from nose. (Default)
[personal profile] leecetheartist posting in [community profile] drawesome
Title: Day 2 - Molten
Rating: G
Content Notes: Drawn directly with a nib pen, no pencil.
 
Two young dragons, not old enough to have fire of their own have a good firedrake friend who will help them with their fondue problem.
This was fun to draw, loose and easy straight after drawing the first one, I am still in catch up mode.


Fondue is being made by three dragons

Ink and pen on stand




 
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Spooktober Fic 4 - Dead Men Tell Tales, BTVS, Spike/Giles

NSFW 4 Oct 2025 11:42 am
pushkin666: (Buffy - Spike vamped)
[personal profile] pushkin666
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )
  • Current Mood: awake
  • Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair
  • Current Music: the voices in my head :D
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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz

4 Oct 2025 11:01 am
steepholm: (Default)
[personal profile] steepholm
When I was learning to read, my parents got hold of a rhyming ABC book. It was American, and inevitably I was frustrated by the final page. I don't think it was Dr Seuss's ABC, but we had quite a few of his, and his ABC illustrates the problem well enough.

Big Z, little z,
What rhymes with Z?
I do.
I am a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz
As you can plainly see.


Why, I asked, has this book abandoned its rhyme scheme at the final hurdle, having been so strict about it hitherto? My parents, as I remember, hastily changed the subject. The loss of Britain's cultural hegemony was not, after all, a subject for the nursery, especially just before bedtime.

Later, of course, I learned the awful truth about the American pronunciation of the letter I had always known as Zed. Later still, it started to seep into British usage. I think that the phrase "Generation Z" was really the death-knell for Zed, already battered by the popularity of various rapper names, etc. In the mouth of a young person, especially, Zed will soon sound like a hipsterish affectation. Although it will probably be tolerated from elderly people such as myself, it will be at best a charming throwback to a former age, much like a penchant for the works of Vera Lynn.

Two (long) recent YouTube videos that I watched show this process in action. Both had their British presenters (one in his thirties, the other in his forties) pronounce the letter Z inconsistently. First Shaun, in his latest (excellent) analysis of the book The War on Science, starts with Zee, then goes to Zed, then back to Zee. Meanwhile, Simon from Cracking the Cryptic is equally unstable, saying Zed, Zee and then Zed again, while taking a frustratingly long time to notice that "NZ lamb dish rats" is an anagram of "Brahms and Liszt". Neither appeared to notice his own inconsistency. And why should they? In the grand scheme of things, etc....

But I do draw the line (of course, there is always a line) at British people and Australians saying "Dragonball Zee", especially if they are also fluent in Japanese and are thus aware that the Japanese pronunciation of that character is actually "Zetto". Yes, Trash Taste boys, I'm looking at you.
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Strasbourg cathedral

4 Oct 2025 09:44 am
cmcmck: (Default)
[personal profile] cmcmck
It's reckoned to be one of the finest on the world.

You firsr see the west front from down a narrow Street and yes, it was supposed to have two spires but one never got built! It was at one time the tallest building in the world.



( More pics! )


  • Current Mood: photographical
  • Current Location: 'ereabouts

R. F. .Kuang: Katabasis

4 Oct 2025 11:00 am
selenak: (Claudius by Pixelbee)
[personal profile] selenak
This is the third novel of R. F. Kuang I've read (after being impressed by the The Poppy Wars, first volume, but also emotionally so exhausted I didn't read the rest of the trilogy, amused and captivated in an emotionally distant way by Yellowface, and turned so much by Babel that I only read the first twenty pages or so and then gave up), and I think my favourite so far. There is academic satire but also genuine emotion throughout, there is great ambition epically realised (i.e. writing a trip to the underworld in the grand tradition of all the obvious suspects, but specifically one that reflects the present), and the horror parts hit home in a way that feels not derivative but specific for this particular version. (The novel is set in a universe where magic is real, but isn't concerned with how this altered history or not, just what it means you can study it at university.) Our main character, Alice Law, is the kind of messy, complicated and morally ambiguous (and not in a "nice" way) woman the author specializes in, though for me personally preferable because I had the sense of the narrative being on board with what it was saying about Alice's strengths and weaknesses through her initially very skewered perspective. Also she had a genuine learning process through that trip through the Underworld, and... but that would be spoilery.

( Spoilers realize the Underworld is modelled on a British University )


Also improving my week: This trailer for Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein:

  • Current Mood: contemplative
  • Current Location: Bamberg
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