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+ Doing poorly at getting enough sleep. I hereby decree that if I go straight in the shower and then straight to bed after work for the remainder of the trip, I get to order a batch of the damaged chocolates from Jentene På Tunet the next time the offer comes up + one new tarot deck (or just the oversized Buffy one? idk).

+ We did get two more days of orcas last week. Day one was just a solo boisterous youngling aggressively darting after the net, but the next day? The biggest pod yet! And best of all: after the net was up on deck they slowly glided alongside the ship, letting me observe them from the deck under water (which was crystal clear that day). I stood outside until all feeling left my hands and snot was running freely. ( Read more... )

+ Comics! My brain is so cooked, the only reading I've attempted was the physical trade of Batman: Secret Files that I picked up for a song during the New Year's sale. Made it half-way through the first story before my brain went "no thanks, I'm full". And I know The Gardener is in there! Brain tired. Sucks.

Know what doesn't suck? Poison Ivy still has an ongoing written by G Willow Wilson and Harley is in it as well and it is beauuutifull. Vol 2 of Absolute Wonder Woman is dropping in a few days. Meanwhile THIS HERE is Diana showing up in Absolute Batman (the writing is excellent, but THE LOOK woohee).
Absolute WW built like a truck

I'm waiting for it to be collected, but Harley & Ivy is bringing so much cuteness. Lookit!
Harley & Ivy variant cover by Jasmine Putri; they're both in front of a full body mirror, trying on each other's outfit and clearly having a good time.

Harley & Ivy variant cover by Jasmine Putri; they're both in front of a full body mirror, trying on each other's outfit and clearly having a good time.

+ I really wanna whine about work but I'm not gonna. Big sigh though.

+ hrrmm I need to cut my nails.

Current Music: Lord Huron - Is There Anybody Out There?

lucy_roman posting in

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notfreyja posting in

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event banner showing the title in 70s style font

A month long writing challenge focused on tropes, tags, and formats that have (for better or worse) fallen out of style.

From May 1st to 31st, creators will post their takes on each of the days' prompts, in any medium. Fan fiction, original stories, poetry, meta-analysis, and (even though writing is in our name!) yes, visual art as well! Currently all event documentation is on Tumblr, so the links below will redirect to the appropriate Tumblr posts.

Quick Links:

bluapapilio

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Current Mood: tired

calimac

At last, on my way home in the third hotel of this trip, I've finally found one with a working guest-usable computer, so I can cross-post to all the versions of my blog at once, because copying and pasting is beyond anything I can do on a tablet.

But I'm going to leave the reason I was in Portland, Oregon - for the Le Guin exhibit at a local museum - aside until I get home, and write now about my thoughts about Portland:

1. Not a sign of the hellhole that some people claim the city is. I saw a busy and prosperous city.

2. And the people are cheerful despite the weather. The regular Saturday farmer's market downtown was happy and bustling despite the cold and rain.

3. Powell's Books has changed utterly. They've moved a lot of sections around since I was last there, but the big change is this. It used to be a used book store with some new books salted in. Now it's a new book store with some used books salted in. The only part I saw where the used books outnumbered the new ones was the small section for books on comic strips.

4. Millennium Music long ago abandoned its separate classical store, but now the classical section has been reduced to one long row. Still, there was a lot of interesting stuff in there.

5. Portland specializes in road signs that point in the wrong direction, e.g. left where it should be right.

6. And its slower drivers prefer to be in the left lane.

7. The commuter-time traffic is really grim. I stayed out near the airport (it's cheaper there). where a hidden back road (Columbia Blvd) gave me a straight shot to the museum, but to get anywhere else at those hours was a puzzle.

setsuntamew

So, after nearly two years, I've finally changed my profile in engstars...

BECAUSE I GOT MADARA'S GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE CARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so excited; he looks so good and I love him and I do not want to talk about how much I spent to max this card XD Very glad to have a supportive wife (who also maxed a global gacha card last year, so we're in it together lmao).

Also, I wanna change the card layout to include Kohaku at some point but I'm not feeling creative enough XD So right now it's just Mr. Ice Cream Thief as a testament to my ~~spending problem~~ devotion ♥

sobs I love them ;w;

I wanna make some new icons with his new outfit but I have to figure out what MV(s) to record him in...it's such a specific look that I feel like I don't quite know where I wanna put him :T

~~also I have icon challenges I wanna do but my brain is just MAMAMAMAMAMAMAAA soooooo~~

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: Garwyn Oaks, MD
Crossposts: https://kirrianu.insanejournal.com/51227.html

but_can_i_be_trusted posting in

100words

Title: 'Made Of'
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted to

ficlet_zone

( Made Of )

mific

So many WIPs - I never used to read the damn things, but HR has corrupted me! The advantage of having several WIPs on the go is that something updates every day, often more than one. The main downside is remembering which plot or AU storyline the WIP is about. I often reread the last chapter, esp. if it's a few days since the fic updated.

I know where to draw the line by magneticwave (wrote the great AU where Shane's a surgeon). It's a new WIP (10,000 word 1st chapter) and is really excellent, with a mature 26 y.o. Shane with a trick knee who's in the Metros with 22 y.o. hotshot Ilya. Lots of hockey detail, great writing & characterisations, a closeted oblivious Shane, and Ilya on the prowl.

My two other main fave WIPs are Basingstoke's Lovers, or English is a damn funny language which continues to be brilliant, and Glittercity's Never Been Bitten, the vampire AU with interesting power dynamics (rich obsessive club owner vampire Shane who's nervous of the ingenuity and aggression of humans and Ilya, the chaotic bartender who's trying to seduce him.)

I've also been charging through all CorvidCordelia's works.

I read Half Agony, Half Hope a while back - it's a longfic based on the premise that Ilya gets traded to Montreal about 3 years after Shane breaks it off after the tuna melts hookup, so they're now on the same team. A great mix of angst, drama, lust, and of course, the requisite happy ending!

Careful Fear and Dead Devotion is another longfic, a complete AU in which Shane and Ilya are young actors looking for a break who are cast as Finn and Dane in the TV series "Ember and Ice". It uses the Quinn audio-erotic story as the plot of the drama they're starring in, so if the mention of Ember and Ice as a "fandom" put you off, don't be - no knowledge is needed of E&I and the inherent ludicrousness of that work doesn't intrude. Scott and Kip are the showrunners! It's kind of analogous to Hudson and Connor in HR, without being in any way RPF. It's a great story, and I loved it.

And Walking Through Windows a fork in the road AU where Ilya fucks up the Tampa All Stars reconciliation (after Shane accepts he's gay), and they then only see each other on the ice when their teams play, for ten years. Which is inherently very sad, but the story starts then, when they're both recently retired and Ilya learns that Shane's about to marry a man. You can imagine what happens, and I was unsure if I'd like it as I dislike partner betrayal, but CorvidCordelia is a bloody good writer and absolutely sold it to me, with a wonderful story that I couldn't put down (gave myself eyestrain again, damn it!)

chopwood_carrywater_feed

Posted by Jess Craven

https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-210-211

Hi, all, and happy late-Tuesday into Wednesday!

I’m so sorry I never sent an email today—I hit the ground running this morning here in DC and never came up for air. I thought I’d have some time to sit in a coffee shop and get the newsletter out this afternoon but it wasn’t meant to be; I’m here with a bunch of political content creators and there were too many things going on!

Tomorrow will be even crazier, as we’ll spend the whole day on the Hill—first at a press conference for the Epstein victims and then at the Senate, where we’ll meet with various senators, as well as Don Lemon and the CEO of Democracy Forward. Whoo! I’ll let you know how everything goes, but suffice it to say I won’t be getting you a newsletter tomorrow either.

This, then, is my late-night “makeup” edition.

Because it’s been a long day I’m going to quote a passage from Indivisible’s email from yesterday to catch you up on where we are with the DHS funding fight. It’s important, and I’m too tired to write it out myself.

They say:

Department of Homeland Security funding runs out on Friday.
Democrats have pledged to withhold their votes from any funding bill that fails to include significant restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol. Despite Americans being killed in the streets, Republican leaders don’t seem ready to pass anything to address ICE and CBP terror.
Four things could happen this week:
Dems cave fully and pass a bill that doesn’t do much to rein in ICE and CBP;
Dems cave partially and agree to another temporary funding bill;
Republicans cave and we win;
There’s no agreement, and there’s a partial government shutdown.
Despite Republican posturing, the politics are on our side. The vast majority of Americans think ICE’s actions have gone way too far. Republicans are obviously feeling the heat -- that’s why they’re willing to negotiate at all.
Our job: Keep up the pressure on both parties. Republicans need to agree to rein in ICE. Dems must not agree to anything that falls short -- including another continuing resolution that would kick the funding battle down the road and continue the untenable status quo of deadly ICE/CBP violence.

So that’s where we are as we move towards Friday’s deadline. We need calls from everyone, especially those with Republican reps. And not just about ICE, of course, but also on the voter suppression bills Republicans are still keen to pass. And on tariff resolutions coming up for a vote as soon as today!

It’s a lot, but we’re up to it!

Sending so much love from the beautiful city of DC. I’ll be back on Thursday with a normal newsletter. Thanks for your forbearance as I try to juggle too many things at once.

Let’s go to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

[If Democrat or Independent:] I’m calling to ask Democrats to please stand strong. Do not fold or pass another Continuing Resolution if Republicans keep refusing to give in to our very reasonable and necessary demands on ICE. If the government has to partially shut down then it has to. There can be no more negotiating with people acting in bad faith. We will never get this leverage again, and lives are at stake. Hold strong and stand by our demands. ICE must be reined in. Thank you.

[If GOP] I’m calling to demand that Republicans give Democrats what they’re asking for in these DHS funding negotiations. This can’t be about party, and it can’t be about who “wins” or “loses.” This is about human lives. ICE agents have been given free rein to terrorize all of us and it won’t stop until Republicans make it stop. If they refuse they will be voted out of office in historic numbers, and no amount of voter suppression will stop it. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I know that Rep. Meeks has two measures up for a vote this week—one to overturn tariffs on Canada and the other to overturn tariffs on Mexico. I want the Congressmember to support them both. Trump’s tariffs are a disaster. Groceries and goods are unaffordable, the economy is crashing, and job numbers are disastrous. Tariffs are to blame for much of it; I want them repealed.

Also, I strongly oppose the SAVE Act, the MEGA Act, and the SAVE America Act. Any of these bills would cost a fortune to enact, disenfranchise millions of people, and throw our elections into chaos. They’re a so-called “solution” to a problem that simply does not exist. I want the Congressmember to vote no.

[If GOP add:] I will work to vote out any lawmaker who works to suppress my vote. Thanks.

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

If you read nothing else on messaging this week PLEASE read Josh Marshall’s “Trump’s Big Loser Energy and Other Tales From the Annals of Political Messaging.” It encapsulates everything I believe about this moment and rebukes the general “Trump is going to steal the elections and there’s nothing we can dooooo!” message in a way I could never have articulated. Please read. Please internalize. And never forget that “contempt, scorn and, yes, laughter are the only proper responses to Trump’s claims and demands.”

Give 💰 — SENATE!

Force Multiplier presents Mary Peltola, candidate for Senate from Alaska, with special Guest U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth! Thursday, February 12, 7–8 pm ET on Zoom

Democrats need to win only four Senate races to re-gain the majority and retake power. Mary Peltola’s entrance into this race is giving us a path to do that. Together we can win. Come hear Peltola and Duckworth tell us why it matters and how we’ll pull this off.

Suggested donation $100. If you can give more, please do. If not, please give what you can and join us.

Grab your Wallet! 💳

Americans For Tax Fairness has just launched ICE’s Corporate Collaborators: Exposed, a project revealing huge tax savings for giant corporations aiding mass deportations.

The first reports profile Amazon, Microsoft, AT&T, Home Depot, and Palantir. Their CEOs collectively received an estimated $124 million in personal tax giveaways, while these corporations received roughly $19 billion in tax cuts annually from Trump’s tax laws. This project will be updated with new reports on other major corporations collaborating with the administration’s cruel tactics—providing citizens with the tools they need to hold these corporations accountable. Please share!

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PUDLBB to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

I am a concerned constituent writing to express my opposition to the SAVE America Act and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act.

Most Americans believe our democracy is stronger when eligible voters have equal access to the ballot box and when the voices of everyday Americans can be heard. These bills move us in the wrong direction by making it harder for eligible citizens to register and vote.

Non-citizen voting is already illegal, and election officials already have systems in place to verify voter eligibility. These bills would not improve election security. Instead, they would restrict widely used voting methods and increase the risk that eligible voters are wrongly removed from voter rolls.

The bills would also take election authority away from the states and give the executive branch vast new powers to interfere with elections, actually making our elections less safe, less free, and less fair.

I urge you to oppose the SAVE America Act and the MEGA Act and to focus on protecting the freedom to vote and ensuring that every eligible voter’s voice can be heard.

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-210-211

hidden_variable

I wrote two things recently! In a departure from my usual habit of rambling on for 10-15k, these are both fairly short—really short, in one case.

For Half a Moon, the prompt “The Scholar” immediately made me think of The Incandescent. One of the things I really enjoyed in the book was the description of everyday campus life at a magical school—or, more precisely, a very realistic school that happens to include magic among its subjects. I will take any amount of quotidiana relating to demons in an educational setting. My fic is set slightly pre-canon, or possibly in the early days of canon, a few weeks into the academic year. It is, however, somewhat spoilery about something that is revealed later in canon.

A Creature Was Stirring (2184 words) by hidden_variable
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Incandescent - Emily Tesh
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sapphire "Saffy" Walden, Lilly Tibbett (The Incandescent)
Additional Tags: magic in academia, Demonic Possession, Office Supplies, Mice, no mice were harmed in the making of this fic
Summary:

Chetwood faculty are reminded not to store food in their offices, as this may attract unwanted pests. Any actual or suspected cases of demonic possession, no matter how minor, should be reported at once to the Director of Magic, in person or via the campus web portal.

Part of the inspiration for this story was an actual incident of finding a mouse in my office years ago. The initial setup was almost exactly as in my fic: I got a bag of candy from some campus event, left it in my office and forgot about it. Some weeks later my printer complained of a paper jam, and I opened the paper tray to find bits of candy wrappers everywhere. Later that day, I was startled by a noise that proved to be a gnawed hunk of Tootsie Roll dropping onto my desk. There’s a fabric-covered vertical panel at the back of the desk to cover cables and things, and I could hear something scrabbling around in the space between the panel and the wall. Then I saw a small whiskery face peering out from the bottom of the panel, presumably looking for its Tootsie Roll.

My second short fic is a drabble—first one I’ve ever written. It’s based on an idea that occurred to me during Yuletide, when I was requesting fantasy snake fight crossovers. But I couldn’t exactly write a Yuletide treat for myself. It was self-contained enough that I decided I could fit it into a drabble, which was kind of a fun exercise, and I submitted it for Seasons of Drabbles, which is now de-anonymized.

A Matter of Taxonomy (100 words) by hidden_variable
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns, Derkholm Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Deucalion (Derkholm), Corkoran (Derkholm)
Additional Tags: Drabble, magic in academia, Dragons
Summary:

Corkoran faces an administrative conundrum at the University. Deucalion is no help.

I think this could be read without knowing canon for Derkholm; all you really need to know is that Deucalion is a dragon, while Corkoran is an inept temporary head of a magical university.

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[Challenge #481: Roar] Original Fiction: 'Made Of'

Some gripping HR fics I've read lately, and WIP madness

Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/10-2/11