Wondering if anyone can help

Oct. 8th, 2025 12:45 am
mickeym: (Default)
[personal profile] mickeym
We've come up short, and Matthew's car insurance has been cancelled due to non-payment. He told me probably $400, since we're having to start over, *again*.

If anyone can help, we would appreciate it so much. We can't afford to have him driving around without insurance, for a number of reasons — not the least of which is that it's illegal.

If you can help, our paypal is kimandmattg6794@gmail.com.

Many hugs and thanks in advance.

lions and tigers and bears

Oct. 8th, 2025 12:02 am
marycatelli: (Cat)
[personal profile] marycatelli
The heroine spends a night in the forest, realizes the danger the next morning, and hurries on.

Then she realizes that she didn't actually know there were bears in the world.

Then, there are gryphons. She might have been in danger anyway.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
[personal profile] marycatelli
The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 5 by Grrr

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

Read more... )
divinemissem13: (Default)
[personal profile] divinemissem13 posting in [community profile] no_true_pair

Fandoms: Star Trek TNG/ The Closer
Pair: Beverly Crusher/ Brenda Leigh Johnson
Word Count: 545
Rating: T
Prompt: New and improved

Upgrade
smellyunfortunate: the anchovy king, a mutated fish from the game dredge. several dark fish bodies are tangled into each other with no clear beginning or end, bulging yellow eyes poking out of the mass. (anchovy)
[personal profile] smellyunfortunate posting in [community profile] booknook
Title: Our Hideous Progeny
Author: C.E. McGill
Genre: Horror, historical fiction, gothic fiction

The cover of the book Our Hideous Progeny. Around the title, various shells, bones, and other parts of animals are arranged. From the center, one reptilian eye stares out.

“I loved it. From the moment I first met its strange and terrible eyes, I loved it.” - Our Hideous Progeny, C.E. McGill

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit suspicious of retellings and spin-offs by nature. There are some great ones out there, sure, but generally my opinion is that if you really want to make a story your own, you should be twisting it out of its original shape enough to fit a new mold. Not unrecognizable, but not reliant on its original form to survive on its own.

I'm happy to report that Our Hideous Progeny fulfilled my expectations in this sense. Billed as a feminist, queer spin on Frankenstein, its protagonist is Mary Sutherland, who carries on the ill-advised legacy of her great-uncle, Victor von Frankenstein himself. While the concept is fun enough, what caught me from the beginning was the cover. It promised one thing that catches me hook, line, and sinker: prehistoric, hideous beasts.

Read more... )

The only laws that love obeys.

Oct. 7th, 2025 09:42 pm
hannah: (Across the Universe - windowsill_)
[personal profile] hannah
When the clouds clear enough, and the moon comes out, it's almost a surprise - only almost, because you've seen it for ages, you know exactly where it is, but it's only when the clouds clear enough and the circle of the moon shows itself that you see it for what it is and not the light it gives. Because until the clouds clear, all you see is the moon's light. You don't see the moon for itself, for what it is, not quite yet. Standing up on the roof, looking skyward, all you see are the clouds and the light, not the moon. You see the reflection, not the thing itself.

Standing up there, the second night of Sukkot, the second night of the yearly harvest festival, the celebration that comes with the night of the full moon, I could see where the moon was by the light that pushed through the dense, dark clouds. Not the celestial body itself, but its light, its reminders and indicators of where and what it was. I could see where the moon was, and I could see, farther south, the breaks in the clouds that I knew would let me see it. I'd come from a Sukkah party of sorts, a dinner at a local synagogue that wasn't so much choreographed as it was loosely hosted: a sukkah built on the rooftop, with people bringing food of their own to have dinner in a sukkah and fulfill the requirements of the holiday. I talked about Greek museums, and riding the metaphor to work in Athens, and Hadrian's wall, and Los Angeles' architecture, and probably a dozen other topics, all while eating food and drinking wine in the temporary structure on the rooftop. There was some wine left over. I took the bottle with me to another rooftop. My parents' building doesn't close its roof the way my own building's does. My father wanted to see if he could see the moon.

It wasn't so much that he could see it as it was that he could see where it was. The clouds were moving south to north, along the eastern part of the sky. To the north, it was largely clear; to the south, the nighttime clouds loomed dark and uncaring, taking up as much of the sky as they could. I could see where they were thin and weak, and stayed to watch. My father had to go, satisfying himself by seeing where the moon was. I waited to see it, if I could. I knew I could, if I waited. I waited to open up the bottle and drink its remains when I saw the moon. I didn't wait long. The spinning of the earth and the motion of the clouds had them thin out and open up so it was more than seeing the light behind the clouds telling me where the moon was: it was seeing the moon itself. Waiting and watching, the darkness stopped for the light to come. It wasn't cold on the roof, not with the thick dress I was wearing and not with the wine I was drinking. The clouds weren't enough to hide the moon from me anymore. The faint spectrum around it, the blues and reds reflected by the thinnest clouds making a rainbow halo, told me exactly what I was seeing. The faintest reflection of sunlight turned into the strongest moonlight.

I watched the moon, and drank the wine. I looked at the clouds, and drank the last of the wine. I left when I was ready, and I don't know when next I'll see it - just that I'll remember having seen it tonight.

D&D

Oct. 7th, 2025 09:22 pm
settiai: (D&D -- settiai)
[personal profile] settiai
Well, I wasn't worried about tomorrow's game until the DM posted this message in the Discord.



Now? Now I think that I'm a little worried. What on earth is Erin planning on doing to our poor characters tomorrow?

ETA: It got worse.

Daily Check-in

Oct. 7th, 2025 06:10 pm
starwatcher: Western windmill, clouds in background, trees around base. (Default)
[personal profile] starwatcher posting in [community profile] fandom_checkin
 
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday, October 08, to midnight on Wednesday, October 07. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #33700 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 18

How are you doing?

I am OK.
12 (66.7%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
6 (33.3%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
6 (33.3%)

One other person.
7 (38.9%)

More than one other person.
5 (27.8%)




Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
 

The Dark Crystal

Oct. 7th, 2025 06:34 pm
senmut: Two seahorse-shaped water splashes facing each other (General: Double Seahorse)
[personal profile] senmut
Have my rambling live watch of The Dark Crystal (1982) below the cut.

this movie is so dear to me )

I quite enjoyed this rewatch. I'd chosen it for background noise, to have a controlled, constant, known audial stimulation while I contended with pain. I honestly didn't mean to get drawn into ACTIVELY watching it, and yet.

(no subject)

Oct. 7th, 2025 05:54 pm
flamingsword: We now return you to your regularly scheduled crisis. :) (Default)
[personal profile] flamingsword
Meow.

I am not sure whether I’m going into a depressive episode or was just really sick this weekend. I had some nausea and intestinal cramping and various issues but I seem to have mostly bounced back from that? I don’t feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for every bad thing that has happened in my life? So I have no clue, but I’m going to keep doing the day-lamp light and hope that that plus my other accustomed workarounds for my mental health will be enough to indefinitely forestall the crushing waves of sadness. Maybe it was the two separate crying jags that I let myself have Saturday night? Actually feeling my feelings might be therapeutic, somehow; who knew? (If you knew, then no you didn’t, 🤫)

In other news, today was a bear. I:
• went to the school super early for hot stone trades;
• mailed the first set of winter packages (before winter! *pauses to be proud of myself*);
• noticed that my car was saying to check my stop lamps, and I did, and one of the lights was out, so I went to an auto parts store and got some of the non-blinding LED lights which I will hope will last longer and will put those in tomorrow afternoon;
• went to the store and got groceries;
• came home and put away groceries;
• Mom and I made leftovers Jambalaya
• put cold packs on the steam-burn I got on my hand, ow;
• we ate - it was pretty good, and then I came upstairs to vegetate and be in a partial food coma even though I didn’t eat that much.

Bodies are weird and mine has been being extra unpredictable this last week. Tomorrow kicks off another three days of school, so wish me luck, and if you are the candle-lighting/hugging/etc. sort, then thank you for the hugs and well-wishes and lit candles on behalf of my brain. Y’all are amazing. 😻

blood draw etc.

Oct. 7th, 2025 05:51 pm
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird
I woke up at about 7:30 a.m., had a cup of black tea, showered, and went to my doctor’s office for a fasting blood, which I wanted to do before I see her in a couple of weeks. There was a little bit of annoying delay: Mt Auburn Hospital is being moved to a different MyChart system, and some balls are being dropped. Specifically, the order for my lab work wasn’t on the new system, so they had to copy it from the old system, which is in read-only mode for a few weeks, after which it won’t be available even to medical staff. Carmen said her office is going to be sending an email to all patients, advising us to follow up on existing referrals and orders for lab work before the end of the month. I hope that doesn’t miss too many people, but I made a point of telling Adrian about it.

Once they had my test tube of blood, I stopped at a couple of stores on the same block as my doctor’s office, to buy (frozen) ground lamb and some more cannabis edibles. Then I treated myself to an apple, grape, and brie crepe for breakfast, which I ate at an outdoor table. After eating the crepe, I went to CVS and got a flu vaccine, then took the subway home. I am feeling very accomplished, and a bit tired.

The flu and covid tests I mentioned in my previous post arrived yesterday.
escapade_team: (Default)
[personal profile] escapade_team posting in [community profile] escapade_con
 Registered for Escapade 36? Check!
Hotel reservation made? Check!
If not, head over here:
https://escapadecon.net/escapade-36-hotel-and-registration-information/
 
Now the fun part, tell us what you want to see for programming!
 
https://escapadecon.net/panels/panel-nomination/
 
We promised that if you're one of those people who loves to bounce ideas off of other folks, we will have panel submission brainstorming parties, and we weren't kidding!
 
Panel Suggestion Parties will be on Discord, in the atrium voice and chat channel, on these dates/times:
Sunday, October 19, 2025 1:00 PM Pacific PDT
Saturday, November 15, 2025 1:00 PM Pacific PST
Saturday, December 13, 2025 1:00 PM Pacific PST
 
Note that these are Pacific Time, and the clocks "fall back" between the October and November parties, so "daylight time" and "standard time".
 
If you want to participate in one of the parties and aren't on Discord (yet), email info@escapadecon.net for an invitation.
 
If you've never made panel suggestions before, the parties are a great way to see how ideas end up as panels and to get inspiration from what others are saying.
 
For the Escapade "Old Timers" among us, come to the parties and share what fannish fun is keeping you going these days.
 
https://escapadecon.net/escapade-36-panel-suggestion-parties/

Offer for pinch hit requesters.

Oct. 8th, 2025 07:51 am
rarepairmod: (Default)
[personal profile] rarepairmod posting in [community profile] rarepairexchange
Hello, Pears!

If you are a pinch hit who would like to add fandoms from the tagset to your request, please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com with the following information (please provide it as it appears in the tagset):

AO3 username:

Fandom:
Relationship(s):
Medium(s):
Optional details: Your likes, DNWs, etc.



You can only request a maximum of 10 requests. Please indicate if I'm to add a ship to one of your existing requests.

Please email me by Sunday 12 October at 11:59pm EDT [ In your timezone + Countdown. ] so your additional requests can be added to your sign-up before the new pinch hits post is published.

I emailed participants who were initial pinch hits before our post-deadline pinch hits were confirmed with this offer, so I thought I would extend this via Dreamwidth again in case those emails were missed. You are not obligated to add fandoms if you do not want to.

If you are interested in taking a pinch hit but need more time than the current deadline (Sunday 12 October at 11:59pm EDT), please reach out, as this deadline is negotiable.

Please email rarepairexmod@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Thank you!
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
[personal profile] marycatelli
The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 4 by Grrr

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

Read more... )

Original - The Ferret's Verse

Oct. 7th, 2025 09:01 pm
smallhobbit: (ferret)
[personal profile] smallhobbit posting in [community profile] 100words
Title: The Ferret's Verse
Original although characters set in Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Rating: G

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

Oct. 7th, 2025 02:58 pm
pauraque: drawing of a wolf reading a book with a coffee cup (customer service wolf)
[personal profile] pauraque
After a couple of failed attempts at Dracula Daily, I have successfully read Dracula for the first time! \o/

The book opens with newly qualified solitictor Jonathan Harker journeying to Transylvania to meet with a client who is planning to move to England. Count Dracula seems like a nice guy at first, only it's weird that he doesn't eat. Or go out during the day. Or have a reflection in the mirror. Uh-oh. Barely escaping with his life, Harker returns to England, but soon the Count arrives too and begins to stalk and drink the blood of women there, including Harker's wife Mina. Harker joins a nascent group of vampire hunters led by Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, and their attempts to outwit and destroy their foe are related in epistolary style through diaries, letters, news reports, and so on.

What surprised me the most about this book is how... cozy it is?? A lot of it is about a gang of loveable characters who all adore each other, bring out the best in one another, and never have conflicts that they can't resolve by just talking about it. They are constantly taking each other passionately by the hand and swearing bonds of eternal trust and devotion, and being moved to tears by how brave and strong and pure of heart everybody is.

This is not a criticism! I actually found it really charming! It just wasn't what I expected. I imagine Stoker's reasoning was that the plot is so scary that the reader would need unimpugnably gallant heroes to rely on or it would all be too stressful. But since it is unlikely that this plot would scare anybody today, you just have this endearing team of well-adjusted, hypercompetent, stoutly ethical people banding together to oppose an external threat that can't possibly break their bonds or their spirit. It's like the crew of Star Trek TNG fight a vampire.

cut for length and some spoilers )

Also, Dracula is described as having a huge, magnificent moustache. I await the film adaptation courageous enough to be faithful to the book in this.

Dracula is in the public domain, so you can read it on Project Gutenberg if you like.

[Edited to correct Jonathan's job title, thank you [personal profile] raven!]
shuufleur93: (Default)
[personal profile] shuufleur93 posting in [community profile] no_true_pair
Title: happily ever after (not really)
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing/Characters: Benny Lafitte & Sam Winchester
Content Notes: Major character death, angst, hurt no comfort, unhappy ending
Prompt: September One - 2 & 6 - and they lived happily ever after

happily ever after (not really) on AO3.

Air Canada reminder

Oct. 7th, 2025 08:13 pm
tielan: aussie flag background with 'aussie aussie aussie' overlay (aussie aussie aussie)
[personal profile] tielan
They sent me an email reminding me to check that I had the necessary visas for travel.

Which, fair enough, because Canada requires an ETA for Australian citizens to travel there. And I was pretty sure that I had one, but I double-checked because one should always double-check.

And then I read the email they'd sent more carefully.

Dear reader, they sent me an email reminding me to check that I had the necessary visa for travel to AUSTRALIA...

Recent reading

Oct. 7th, 2025 07:40 pm
luzula: a Luzula pilosa, or hairy wood-rush (Default)
[personal profile] luzula
I read some fiction! Only novellas though. I nominated them for my turn at book club, and ended up reading both of them.

Clear by Carys Davies (2024)
A poor Presbyterian minister takes a job evicting a tenant from a remote island during the 19th century Scottish Clearances, while his wife stays at home (at least she does at first). He falls and hits his head and the tenant, not knowing what his errand there is, takes care of him. I liked it well enough, but while I am generally a fan of resolving love triangles with poly, I thought the resolution here was much too hasty.

Aerth by Deborah Tomkins (2025)
Meh. It sounded like the kind of ecologically minded SF that I used to read a lot of, but it felt kind of flat to me. It takes guts to reference The Dispossessed so clearly in its plot, and I feel it just did not live up to that. And come on, you can't grow apples in a climate which is so cold that you get regular frosts in June! The flowers would freeze and you'd never get any apples. *grumbles* I did learn something new and exciting from the book, though, which is that runner beans (unlike ordinary beans) are actually perennial! They have tubers which you can dig up, store through the winter, and plant again in the spring (in warmer climates you don't have to dig them up, obviously). I'm totally going to try that with our runner beans, especially as they cross-pollinate and we had two varieties, so I can't trust the seeds to breed true.

Er, sorry to make everything about vegetable gardening.
Page generated Oct. 8th, 2025 05:05 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios