Weekly Reading
Jun. 7th, 2025 04:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torachanCurrently Reading
Murder in Season
33%. Most recent in the Lady of Letters series. Still enjoying this series, but compared to other recent historical mystery series that I'm also following, this one is very noticeably lacking queer and non-white characters. I also don't love the style of writing (everyone's eyes are always changing color with their emotions and the love interest is a former sailor so the MC is always describing his scent with ocean-y words but he literally has not been out to sea in ages so it makes no sense), but the mysteries are fun.
Riding the Rails
20%.
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
37%.
Red Hail
57%.
Architectural Follies in America
73%.
Recently Finished
Murder in Masquerade
Falls to Pieces
Thriller about a woman and her daughter who are on the run from her abusive ex-husband and have been living under new names for the past two years. But then her fiance goes missing, and then her daughter, and she's convinced her ex is behind it. This had some interesting reveals, but mostly it just felt like too many, where each new reveal was like, and now THIS guy can't be trusted and THIS guy is acting shady, etc. It was fine, but I won't be rushing out to read more from this author.
I Hate This Place vol. 1-2
Two volume graphic novel series about a lesbian couple who moves to an isolated farm that one of them has inherited. Farm turns out to be mega haunted and they can never leave the premises again. I liked this quite a lot.
Rock wa Lady no Tashinami Deshite vol. 1
Manga about a girl whose mom remarries into a wealthy family and she's sent to a fancy all-girls school where all the students are super sheltered. In order to become the perfect young lady and make her new family proud, she's determined to leave behind her love of rock instilled in her by her musician father, but then she meets another girl who secretly plays the drums and they decide to form a band. Sounded like a fun plot but the setting was too ridiculous. I don't think I'll be continuing with it.
Bokura no Hentai vol. 1-4
I stumbled across this on an Amazon Japan sale (first volume was free and the rest are all 55 yen each). Reminds me of Hourou Musuko. This focuses on three middle schoolers who meet on a crossdressing forum and then decide to meet up offline. One crossdresses because the boy he likes is only into girls, one because his mom kind of lost it after his sister died and insists that he's his sister so he wears her clothes at home, and one who is trans. (Another character is introduced later who wears a girls' uniform at school just because he prefers it.) I'm really enjoying this one a lot.
Murder in Season
33%. Most recent in the Lady of Letters series. Still enjoying this series, but compared to other recent historical mystery series that I'm also following, this one is very noticeably lacking queer and non-white characters. I also don't love the style of writing (everyone's eyes are always changing color with their emotions and the love interest is a former sailor so the MC is always describing his scent with ocean-y words but he literally has not been out to sea in ages so it makes no sense), but the mysteries are fun.
Riding the Rails
20%.
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
37%.
Red Hail
57%.
Architectural Follies in America
73%.
Recently Finished
Murder in Masquerade
Falls to Pieces
Thriller about a woman and her daughter who are on the run from her abusive ex-husband and have been living under new names for the past two years. But then her fiance goes missing, and then her daughter, and she's convinced her ex is behind it. This had some interesting reveals, but mostly it just felt like too many, where each new reveal was like, and now THIS guy can't be trusted and THIS guy is acting shady, etc. It was fine, but I won't be rushing out to read more from this author.
I Hate This Place vol. 1-2
Two volume graphic novel series about a lesbian couple who moves to an isolated farm that one of them has inherited. Farm turns out to be mega haunted and they can never leave the premises again. I liked this quite a lot.
Rock wa Lady no Tashinami Deshite vol. 1
Manga about a girl whose mom remarries into a wealthy family and she's sent to a fancy all-girls school where all the students are super sheltered. In order to become the perfect young lady and make her new family proud, she's determined to leave behind her love of rock instilled in her by her musician father, but then she meets another girl who secretly plays the drums and they decide to form a band. Sounded like a fun plot but the setting was too ridiculous. I don't think I'll be continuing with it.
Bokura no Hentai vol. 1-4
I stumbled across this on an Amazon Japan sale (first volume was free and the rest are all 55 yen each). Reminds me of Hourou Musuko. This focuses on three middle schoolers who meet on a crossdressing forum and then decide to meet up offline. One crossdresses because the boy he likes is only into girls, one because his mom kind of lost it after his sister died and insists that he's his sister so he wears her clothes at home, and one who is trans. (Another character is introduced later who wears a girls' uniform at school just because he prefers it.) I'm really enjoying this one a lot.
Fic for oui_oui: The Affair of the Statutory Duel
Jun. 7th, 2025 05:38 pmholmesticemods posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
holmesticeTitle: The Affair of the Statutory Duel
Recipient: oui_oui / OuiWee
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Sherlock Holmes (ACD); The Grand Duke (Gilbert & Sullivan)
Characters/Pairings: Mycroft Holmes., Sherlock Holmes, Grand Duke Rudolph
Words: ~2600
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Either the following material is an out-and-out forgery...or just possibly, Gilbert and Sullivan owe the central plot device of their last operetta to none other than Sherlock Holmes. (Which is to say, the story to which this summary is attached raises a hell of a lot more questions than it answers.)
Read on AO3: The Affair of the Statutory Duel
Recipient: oui_oui / OuiWee
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Sherlock Holmes (ACD); The Grand Duke (Gilbert & Sullivan)
Characters/Pairings: Mycroft Holmes., Sherlock Holmes, Grand Duke Rudolph
Words: ~2600
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Either the following material is an out-and-out forgery...or just possibly, Gilbert and Sullivan owe the central plot device of their last operetta to none other than Sherlock Holmes. (Which is to say, the story to which this summary is attached raises a hell of a lot more questions than it answers.)
Read on AO3: The Affair of the Statutory Duel
JFC what is it about Greeks?
Jun. 8th, 2025 08:49 amconulyA shocking number of people will blithely tell us all about the book they read, in English, on an English-language subreddit, and never tell us that they didn't read it in English. I can only catch so many of them - if they don't say "English isn't my first language" or make any obvious foreign language errors then I'll never know. (Some of them say "I read this in my own language" and then don't tell us what that language was.)
Most of these people, if prompted, will tell you what language they read it in. Three times now, I've had to ask twice because they refused to answer the question in a useful way, and every time that person has been Greek.
I thought it was a little funny the second time, but three times is the start of a worrying pattern, especially as it's not at all the most popular not-English language posted there. Maybe there's something going badly wrong with their school system?
(And, sidenote, even if you're certain it was translated from English you still ought to tell us the language it was written in. At least in theory this can help us weed out false positives, although I may be expecting too much of fellow commenters to that subreddit.)
***************
( Read more... )
Most of these people, if prompted, will tell you what language they read it in. Three times now, I've had to ask twice because they refused to answer the question in a useful way, and every time that person has been Greek.
I thought it was a little funny the second time, but three times is the start of a worrying pattern, especially as it's not at all the most popular not-English language posted there. Maybe there's something going badly wrong with their school system?
(And, sidenote, even if you're certain it was translated from English you still ought to tell us the language it was written in. At least in theory this can help us weed out false positives, although I may be expecting too much of fellow commenters to that subreddit.)
( Read more... )
Courses - May/June 2025
Jun. 7th, 2025 01:42 pmsmallhobbitFutureLearn
Italian for Beginners (Part 2 & Part 3) (Open University) I'm definitely learning something. If I really worked at it I'd learn more, but learning lots of vocabulary no longer appeals, so I'm working on the general repetition basis and some of it is going in.
Film Audience & Spectator Experience (Film Distributors' Association) I don't go to the cinema very often, although this year I have seen 'Conclave' and 'Mr Burton', but nevertheless this is a well-presented course, which I enjoyed doing and from which I learnt a little. It's also improved by having the main tutor responding to comments.
OpenLearn
Transport & Sustainability
A Level 2 science course, which I was delighted to be able to follow and do the calculations. An interesting look at different forms of transport and their relative sustainability, including being realistic about the current greener options.
Basic Science: Understanding Numbers
Continuing with the Maths theme. Quite interesting, but covers a lot of the ground I've done previously. I'm now looking at taking some Level 2 Maths courses, which should require rather more mental input, which is one of the reasons for my taking courses!
Understanding Autism
Another badged course. Well worth doing. Although I've had contact with people with autism and their needs before, I felt the course taught me a number of things. Within a church setting, it doesn't hurt to be aware of needs and be as accommodating as possible.
Italian for Beginners (Part 2 & Part 3) (Open University) I'm definitely learning something. If I really worked at it I'd learn more, but learning lots of vocabulary no longer appeals, so I'm working on the general repetition basis and some of it is going in.
Film Audience & Spectator Experience (Film Distributors' Association) I don't go to the cinema very often, although this year I have seen 'Conclave' and 'Mr Burton', but nevertheless this is a well-presented course, which I enjoyed doing and from which I learnt a little. It's also improved by having the main tutor responding to comments.
OpenLearn
Transport & Sustainability
A Level 2 science course, which I was delighted to be able to follow and do the calculations. An interesting look at different forms of transport and their relative sustainability, including being realistic about the current greener options.
Basic Science: Understanding Numbers
Continuing with the Maths theme. Quite interesting, but covers a lot of the ground I've done previously. I'm now looking at taking some Level 2 Maths courses, which should require rather more mental input, which is one of the reasons for my taking courses!
Understanding Autism
Another badged course. Well worth doing. Although I've had contact with people with autism and their needs before, I felt the course taught me a number of things. Within a church setting, it doesn't hurt to be aware of needs and be as accommodating as possible.
Daily Happiness
Jun. 6th, 2025 10:44 pmtorachan1. Got up early to take Carla to the airport this morning. She's going to be visiting family for the next week and a half. She flew out of one of the smaller local airports rather than LAX, which means it was a longer drive to get her there, but it's just so much easier all around. Waaaaaaaay less crowded and much more chill. And not only did she have an easy check-in experience, but the flight arrived in Chicago half an hour early! Plus it's not that far from Disneyland so while I couldn't stop by there today after dropping her off, I will be able to stop in after work before picking her up when she comes back.
2. Last night the power went out at two of our stores, and while one of them came back on during the middle of the night, the other was out until around noon today. Thankfully they were able to keep loss to a minimum with dry ice, but it was a pretty hectic day. One of the things I most like about being the area manager rather than the store manager is that I'm no longer the one who directly has to deal with stuff like this when it happens.
3. When I took a walk around the neighborhood this evening I noticed that the junior high a couple blocks from us has a huge Pride flag out front. And there's a church down the street with one, too.
4. Very glad it's the weekend. Since it's just me, I'm going to save my Disney trips for after work next week (easier to coordinate going directly from work when it's just me) and just stay home and relax during the weekend.
5. This is one of my favorite pictures of Ollie and Jasper ever. Ollie loves plopping down next to (or sometimes on) Jasper and snuggling, and Jasper is not always that into it, but he can be pretty tolerant. He actually stayed like this with Ollie for longer than I thought he would.
2. Last night the power went out at two of our stores, and while one of them came back on during the middle of the night, the other was out until around noon today. Thankfully they were able to keep loss to a minimum with dry ice, but it was a pretty hectic day. One of the things I most like about being the area manager rather than the store manager is that I'm no longer the one who directly has to deal with stuff like this when it happens.
3. When I took a walk around the neighborhood this evening I noticed that the junior high a couple blocks from us has a huge Pride flag out front. And there's a church down the street with one, too.
4. Very glad it's the weekend. Since it's just me, I'm going to save my Disney trips for after work next week (easier to coordinate going directly from work when it's just me) and just stay home and relax during the weekend.
5. This is one of my favorite pictures of Ollie and Jasper ever. Ollie loves plopping down next to (or sometimes on) Jasper and snuggling, and Jasper is not always that into it, but he can be pretty tolerant. He actually stayed like this with Ollie for longer than I thought he would.
Fic for flowing_river: Reinforcements
Jun. 6th, 2025 10:46 pmholmesticemods posting in holmesticeTitle: Reinforcements
Recipient: flowing_river
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Granada
Characters/Pairings: Holmes & Watson
Rating: M
Warnings: Blood and injury, graphic depictions of violence
Summary: When Holmes is injured while on a case, he conceals the extent of his wounds from Watson. They still have to ride back to town, and he doesn’t want his friend to worry. Unfortunately, their journey back is perilous, too.
Read on AO3: Reinforcements
Recipient: flowing_river
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Granada
Characters/Pairings: Holmes & Watson
Rating: M
Warnings: Blood and injury, graphic depictions of violence
Summary: When Holmes is injured while on a case, he conceals the extent of his wounds from Watson. They still have to ride back to town, and he doesn’t want his friend to worry. Unfortunately, their journey back is perilous, too.
Read on AO3: Reinforcements
Random Guardian meme and pic
Jun. 7th, 2025 11:17 amchina_shopI was just clearing out my screenshot folder and re-found some things I made a couple of years ago during the Guardian rewatch. They amused me, so: repost!
:D
[Tumblr post #1 | Tumblr post #2]
:D
[Tumblr post #1 | Tumblr post #2]
99PI Staffer Goes Deep Into Assistive Tech
Jun. 6th, 2025 04:08 pmjesse_the_kKurt Kohlstedt has spent ten years creating audio and print stories for the design podcast, 99% Invisible. He also co-authored the 99% Invisible City book.
Last year, 99pi’s Kurt Kohlstedt suffered a severe injury that incapacitated his right arm and dominant hand. In the aftermath, new everyday challenges led him to research, test, and evolve accessible design solutions. These experiences set the stage for Adapt or Design, a twelve-part project of 99% Invisible in three acts, available at the short link 99pi.org/adapt
The Adapt or Design series includes many groan-worthy puns related to hands; six essays exploring assistive designs for people with one functional hand; three design hacks and mods that helped Kurt manage long-term rehabilitation; and three final essays diving deep into adaptive writing technologies including a free one-handed "mirror keyboard" for Windows PowerToys.
While the first article posted in April, I just heard about it via the 99% Invisible podcast 630, where Kurt and Roman talk about all these things.
Big splat of 15 Monkey Island fic recs
Jun. 6th, 2025 01:18 pmarcanetriviaI've been sitting on these for a while, oop. Putting the extended info like author's notes, my comments, and quotes from the fics behind cuts, as this is gonna be kinda long anyway.
Fire & Ice by![[fanfiction.net profile]](/img/userheads/ff-icon-192.png)
jen-kollic
Characters: Morgan LeFlay, Jugbender, Dante Dragotta
Rating: Teen
Words: 18,083 (abandoned WIP)
Author's summary: So, what exactly is Morgan LeFlay's backstory, and how did she become a Mighty Pirate Hunter? We get a lot of vague details in 'Lair of the Leviathan', but how to put them all together is anyone's guess...( Read more... )
-----
A Tale of Two Dread Pirate Zombie Captains byEmerald-Embers
Fandom: Monkey Island/Pirates of the Caribbean
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush, Jack; references to Guybrush/Elaine and Jack/Anamaria
Rating: K+
Words: 2720
Author's summary: Monkey Island/Pirates of the Caribbean crossover; the importance of pirate training.( Read more... )
-----
The Road to Monkey island byThreepwillow
Fandom: Monkey Island/The Road to El Dorado
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush/Elaine, LeChuck, Miguel/Tulio
Rating: Teen
Words: 15,351
Author's summary: What do an irritated governor, two fast-talking Spaniards, and a voodoo MacGuffin have in common? Guybrush Threepwood is stuck on a ship with all three of them, on another adventure to the dubious Monkey Island.( Read more... )
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Largo LaGrande Meets LeCrew by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
MinMinGood
Characters: Largo LaGrande, LeChuck, Iron Rose, Flair Gorey, Apple Bob, Gullet, Putra, Flambe
Rating: Teen
Words: 4224
Author's summary: Somehow, Largo LaGrande has ended up on LeShip, and LeChuck is willing to give him another shot at being on the crew. But he needs to find a job to do, and he needs to not irritate everyone around him.( Read more... )
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In the Cards bythedevilchicken
Characters: Guybrush, Voodoo Lady
Rating: Teen
Words: 2149
Author's summary: A Yuletide gift for tahanrien! A little slice of backstory for Guybrush, and the Voodoo Lady. She's always there, just like she's always been.( Read more... )
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The Search bythe_angst_alchemist
Pairing/Characters: Elaine/Guybrush, Original Characters
Rating: General
Words: 1631
Author's summary: Elaine has been at sea for a few weeks now, and her crew is starting to worry about her and how she keeps looking around the ship for something that isn't there. ...Or, rather, someone.( Read more... )
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Symbiosis byMinMinGood
Characters: Flambé, Iron Rose, LeChuck, Largo LaGrande mentioned
Rating: General
Words: 701
Author's summary: Flambé appears to have actually done his job, for once. Surely this can't be right?( Read more... )
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Pinchpenny byMinMinGood
Characters: LeChuck, Largo LaGrande, Original Character
Rating: Teen
Words: 2224
Author's summary: LeChuck needs money, so he heads to Pinchpenny Island to meet with someone who might be able to help. He also has a back-up plan if they can't.( Read more... )
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I Am Afraid of Eternity Too byRandomArceus
Characters: Largo LaGrande
Rating: Mature
Words: 2384
Author's summary: You have died. And you find that, with there being nobody around to bury your body, you have to do it yourself.( Read more... )
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May-Hem #1: 28, Volcanic Eruption, Curse of Monkey Island by Laridian
Characters: Guybrush, Griswold Goodsoup, Madame Xima
Rating: Not rated; maybe Teen
Words: 742
Author's summary: Things go a lot worse here than they did in the game. For those who haven't played, Guybrush has just dropped some cheese into the caldera of Mount Acidophilus, home to a volcano god with very strict dietary rules.( Read more... )
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Multi-Faceted bythe_angst_alchemist
Pairing/Characters: Elaine/Guybrush
Rating: Teen
Words: 8891
Author's summary: The legend of the Devil's Mirror has been told a thousand times, but when Elaine and Guybrush go to retrieve such a treasure, it's obvious that something much weirder has to happen-- it wouldn't be one of their adventures otherwise! When Guybrush accidentally looks into it, splitting himself into multiple fragments, it's up to Elaine to get her husband back together.( Read more... )
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Vagabond byCaptMickey
Characters: Guybrush, Original Characters
Rating: General
Words: 47,149
Author's summary: Before he became a husband and father, before he became a Mighty Pirate, before he washed ashore to Melee... he was just a lost child looking for a place to call home.( Read more... )
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Much Ado About Monkey Island by![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
introsquirrel
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush/Elaine, Morgan LeFlay
Rating: G
Words: 1355
Author's warnings: Kind of a love triangle situation, but not really; this is unedited( Read more... )
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Portrait byRandomArceus
Characters: Largo LaGrande
Rating: General
Words: 200
Author's summary: LeChuck's gone. And you're still thinking about him.( Read more... )
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There Is No Escape byMinMinGood
Characters: LeChuck, Largo LaGrande, Iron Rose
Rating: Teen
Words: 3250
Author's summary: Largo never wanted to try and find Big Whoop. And he was so over hearing about Elaine Marley. So, he ran. But someone wasn't far behind him.( Read more... )
-----
Fire & Ice by
jen-kollicCharacters: Morgan LeFlay, Jugbender, Dante Dragotta
Rating: Teen
Words: 18,083 (abandoned WIP)
Author's summary: So, what exactly is Morgan LeFlay's backstory, and how did she become a Mighty Pirate Hunter? We get a lot of vague details in 'Lair of the Leviathan', but how to put them all together is anyone's guess...( Read more... )
-----
A Tale of Two Dread Pirate Zombie Captains by
Emerald-EmbersFandom: Monkey Island/Pirates of the Caribbean
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush, Jack; references to Guybrush/Elaine and Jack/Anamaria
Rating: K+
Words: 2720
Author's summary: Monkey Island/Pirates of the Caribbean crossover; the importance of pirate training.( Read more... )
-----
The Road to Monkey island by
ThreepwillowFandom: Monkey Island/The Road to El Dorado
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush/Elaine, LeChuck, Miguel/Tulio
Rating: Teen
Words: 15,351
Author's summary: What do an irritated governor, two fast-talking Spaniards, and a voodoo MacGuffin have in common? Guybrush Threepwood is stuck on a ship with all three of them, on another adventure to the dubious Monkey Island.( Read more... )
-----
Largo LaGrande Meets LeCrew by
Characters: Largo LaGrande, LeChuck, Iron Rose, Flair Gorey, Apple Bob, Gullet, Putra, Flambe
Rating: Teen
Words: 4224
Author's summary: Somehow, Largo LaGrande has ended up on LeShip, and LeChuck is willing to give him another shot at being on the crew. But he needs to find a job to do, and he needs to not irritate everyone around him.( Read more... )
-----
In the Cards by
Characters: Guybrush, Voodoo Lady
Rating: Teen
Words: 2149
Author's summary: A Yuletide gift for tahanrien! A little slice of backstory for Guybrush, and the Voodoo Lady. She's always there, just like she's always been.( Read more... )
-----
The Search by
Pairing/Characters: Elaine/Guybrush, Original Characters
Rating: General
Words: 1631
Author's summary: Elaine has been at sea for a few weeks now, and her crew is starting to worry about her and how she keeps looking around the ship for something that isn't there. ...Or, rather, someone.( Read more... )
-----
Symbiosis by
Characters: Flambé, Iron Rose, LeChuck, Largo LaGrande mentioned
Rating: General
Words: 701
Author's summary: Flambé appears to have actually done his job, for once. Surely this can't be right?( Read more... )
-----
Pinchpenny by
Characters: LeChuck, Largo LaGrande, Original Character
Rating: Teen
Words: 2224
Author's summary: LeChuck needs money, so he heads to Pinchpenny Island to meet with someone who might be able to help. He also has a back-up plan if they can't.( Read more... )
-----
I Am Afraid of Eternity Too by
Characters: Largo LaGrande
Rating: Mature
Words: 2384
Author's summary: You have died. And you find that, with there being nobody around to bury your body, you have to do it yourself.( Read more... )
-----
May-Hem #1: 28, Volcanic Eruption, Curse of Monkey Island by Laridian
Characters: Guybrush, Griswold Goodsoup, Madame Xima
Rating: Not rated; maybe Teen
Words: 742
Author's summary: Things go a lot worse here than they did in the game. For those who haven't played, Guybrush has just dropped some cheese into the caldera of Mount Acidophilus, home to a volcano god with very strict dietary rules.( Read more... )
-----
Multi-Faceted by
Pairing/Characters: Elaine/Guybrush
Rating: Teen
Words: 8891
Author's summary: The legend of the Devil's Mirror has been told a thousand times, but when Elaine and Guybrush go to retrieve such a treasure, it's obvious that something much weirder has to happen-- it wouldn't be one of their adventures otherwise! When Guybrush accidentally looks into it, splitting himself into multiple fragments, it's up to Elaine to get her husband back together.( Read more... )
-----
Vagabond by
Characters: Guybrush, Original Characters
Rating: General
Words: 47,149
Author's summary: Before he became a husband and father, before he became a Mighty Pirate, before he washed ashore to Melee... he was just a lost child looking for a place to call home.( Read more... )
-----
Much Ado About Monkey Island by
Pairing/Characters: Guybrush/Elaine, Morgan LeFlay
Rating: G
Words: 1355
Author's warnings: Kind of a love triangle situation, but not really; this is unedited( Read more... )
-----
Portrait by
Characters: Largo LaGrande
Rating: General
Words: 200
Author's summary: LeChuck's gone. And you're still thinking about him.( Read more... )
-----
There Is No Escape by
Characters: LeChuck, Largo LaGrande, Iron Rose
Rating: Teen
Words: 3250
Author's summary: Largo never wanted to try and find Big Whoop. And he was so over hearing about Elaine Marley. So, he ran. But someone wasn't far behind him.( Read more... )
-----
Art for Penaltywaltz: One evening
Jun. 6th, 2025 05:15 pmholmesticemods posting in holmesticeTitle: One evening
Recipient: Penaltywaltz
Artist: REDACTED
Verse: The Great Mouse Detective
Characters/Pairings: Dawson & Basil
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: A peaceful evening accompanied by some music
( Read more... )
Recipient: Penaltywaltz
Artist: REDACTED
Verse: The Great Mouse Detective
Characters/Pairings: Dawson & Basil
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: A peaceful evening accompanied by some music
( Read more... )
it's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams
Jun. 6th, 2025 04:24 pmmusesfoolThe Mets lost a game yesterday they should have won, but I guess it doesn't matter that much because they took the season series from the Dodgers, which means if they are both divisional winners and meet in the NLCS in October, the Mets will have home field advantage. I mean, it would have been nice for them to win on a day when both Atlanta and Philly lost, but I guess you can't have everything.
Anyway, staying up for the previous games in the series (they were out in LA) caught up with me and I couldn't keep my eyes open last night, so I ended up going right to bed at 8:30. It wasn't even fully dark yet! But I slept through till 4:15, got up to use the bathroom, and then slept through again till my alarm went off at 8:15, so I guess I really needed it. I had a lot of dreams, but the one that stuck with me was something where I was already in the hospital visiting someone, and the doctor was like, "we need to talk about your appendix, it needs to come out!" And I was like, "that's news to me since I haven't had an appendix since 1976!" (truth!) And she was like, "what?" and I was like, "what?" and then the dream moved on - I don't remember anything else.
There's really not a whole lot else going on. Work is busy - our CFO keeps trying to steal me away from my boss, but like, there's nothing in Finance for me to do? My main job is board support, and that belongs either in legal or the CEO's office, so...*hands* I guess if something ever happened to my position I might consider trying to transfer, but I just don't see how that would work. No one is indispensable, but no one else in this organization does what I do (and frankly, no one else wants to). If a new CEO comes in and has different ideas, that could be a problem, but I'm trying not to think about that too much. There are closer threats to my job right now. *gestures at everything*
*
Anyway, staying up for the previous games in the series (they were out in LA) caught up with me and I couldn't keep my eyes open last night, so I ended up going right to bed at 8:30. It wasn't even fully dark yet! But I slept through till 4:15, got up to use the bathroom, and then slept through again till my alarm went off at 8:15, so I guess I really needed it. I had a lot of dreams, but the one that stuck with me was something where I was already in the hospital visiting someone, and the doctor was like, "we need to talk about your appendix, it needs to come out!" And I was like, "that's news to me since I haven't had an appendix since 1976!" (truth!) And she was like, "what?" and I was like, "what?" and then the dream moved on - I don't remember anything else.
There's really not a whole lot else going on. Work is busy - our CFO keeps trying to steal me away from my boss, but like, there's nothing in Finance for me to do? My main job is board support, and that belongs either in legal or the CEO's office, so...*hands* I guess if something ever happened to my position I might consider trying to transfer, but I just don't see how that would work. No one is indispensable, but no one else in this organization does what I do (and frankly, no one else wants to). If a new CEO comes in and has different ideas, that could be a problem, but I'm trying not to think about that too much. There are closer threats to my job right now. *gestures at everything*
*
Two Discworld fic recs
Jun. 6th, 2025 12:49 pmarcanetriviaAnd There Will Be A Reckoning by (Anonymous)
Fandom: Discworld
Pairing/Characters: Tiffany Aching, Granny Weatherwax
Rating: General
Words: 1420
Author's summary: It was the sort of cold where - if you were out in it for too long - you went right around in a circle and started to feel warm again.
Author's warnings: Chose Not To Use
Additional tags: Implied/Referenced Character Death, In that it is the apocalypse and most people are dead by this point (Fic was written for Apocalyptothon 2014)
Quote:
She was distracted from these thoughts by a "Caw!" from high above. She had barely seen the raven before her hands were out in front of her.
"Thunder on my right hand. Lightning in my left hand. Heat above me. Frost below me."
As she stole its heat, a curl of warmth sprang up inside her chest.
The raven fell dead from the sky. She never saw where it landed.
-----
The Case of the Vanishing Vampire by (Anonymous)
Fandom: Discworld
Pairing/Characters: Reg Shoe, Visit, Vimes, Vetinari, Carrot, Angua, Cheery Littlebottom, William de Worde, Otto von Chriek, Rufus Drumknott, Death, George Pony
Rating: Teen
Words: 19,552
Author's summary: Reg and Visit are drawn into a mystery at the heart of Ankh Morpork's undead community. Why would a lifelong black-ribboner suddenly try to kill his landlady? And why have his ashes mysteriously disappeared? With the rest of the Watch focused on a threat to the new underground rail network, Reg and Visit will need to work together to solve the case, because if the two of them can't manage to put aside their differences, somebody's going to get away with murder...
Author's notes:
Q. Why is this fic like the Ankh-Morpork coat of arms?
A. They were both supported by hippos.
This fic is dedicated to the good people of #Yuletide: Doranwen and Fran who dropped ropes when I fell into my own plotholes, SteelNeko who came up with one of the OCs, Kurushi who agreed to beta-read despite an impossibly tight deadline and TL whose gentle command of "This is never going to be finished on time, you need to start writing an alternate fic NOW" is the only reason I'm not perma-banned from Yuletide.
But most of all it's dedicated to my recipient, who has the patience of the saint and whose prompt basically amounted to "One's an evangelist, the other's a zombie; together THEY FIGHT CRIME!" which is clearly the most awesome prompt in the history of Yuletide.
Author's warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional tags: Complete, Action/Adventure, Bechdel Test Pass, Blood, Canon Compliant, Case Fic, Crimes, Drama, Friendship, Gen Fic, Gift Fic, Humor, Minor Canonical Character(s), Mystery, Mystery Stories, Past Tense, Photography, Police, Politics, Post-Canon, Prompt Fic, Religions, Teamwork, They Fight Crime!, Trains, Yuletide, Vampires, Whodunnit, Zombies, #Yulechat Challenge 2010
My comment: (Chapter 5) "I don't suppose the dwarf symbol for "mine" resembles a circle with a horizontal line through it, by any chance?"
(Chapter 8) "Kinda love that Visit now basically has one of those things you get by laying a penny on a railroad track. (Don't do this, kids.)"
Quote:
'We're in the middle of a heatwave and Detritus has never been particularly swayed by debate even when his brain's at a reasonable temperature.'
'Yes, but we can't just walk away.'
'No.'
'Oh.'
'Yeah.'
'Stoneface is going to go absolutely Bursar.'
'Well, if you want to let a murderer get away because you were afraid of getting in trouble.'
'Oh shut up.'
'No, you shut up.'
'No, you shut up.'
The two corporals turned to Detritus and smiled.
"Fair enough, Sarge. Can you just move to one side for a minute so we can turn the cart around?"
Fandom: Discworld
Pairing/Characters: Tiffany Aching, Granny Weatherwax
Rating: General
Words: 1420
Author's summary: It was the sort of cold where - if you were out in it for too long - you went right around in a circle and started to feel warm again.
Author's warnings: Chose Not To Use
Additional tags: Implied/Referenced Character Death, In that it is the apocalypse and most people are dead by this point (Fic was written for Apocalyptothon 2014)
Quote:
She was distracted from these thoughts by a "Caw!" from high above. She had barely seen the raven before her hands were out in front of her.
"Thunder on my right hand. Lightning in my left hand. Heat above me. Frost below me."
As she stole its heat, a curl of warmth sprang up inside her chest.
The raven fell dead from the sky. She never saw where it landed.
-----
The Case of the Vanishing Vampire by (Anonymous)
Fandom: Discworld
Pairing/Characters: Reg Shoe, Visit, Vimes, Vetinari, Carrot, Angua, Cheery Littlebottom, William de Worde, Otto von Chriek, Rufus Drumknott, Death, George Pony
Rating: Teen
Words: 19,552
Author's summary: Reg and Visit are drawn into a mystery at the heart of Ankh Morpork's undead community. Why would a lifelong black-ribboner suddenly try to kill his landlady? And why have his ashes mysteriously disappeared? With the rest of the Watch focused on a threat to the new underground rail network, Reg and Visit will need to work together to solve the case, because if the two of them can't manage to put aside their differences, somebody's going to get away with murder...
Author's notes:
Q. Why is this fic like the Ankh-Morpork coat of arms?
A. They were both supported by hippos.
This fic is dedicated to the good people of #Yuletide: Doranwen and Fran who dropped ropes when I fell into my own plotholes, SteelNeko who came up with one of the OCs, Kurushi who agreed to beta-read despite an impossibly tight deadline and TL whose gentle command of "This is never going to be finished on time, you need to start writing an alternate fic NOW" is the only reason I'm not perma-banned from Yuletide.
But most of all it's dedicated to my recipient, who has the patience of the saint and whose prompt basically amounted to "One's an evangelist, the other's a zombie; together THEY FIGHT CRIME!" which is clearly the most awesome prompt in the history of Yuletide.
Author's warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional tags: Complete, Action/Adventure, Bechdel Test Pass, Blood, Canon Compliant, Case Fic, Crimes, Drama, Friendship, Gen Fic, Gift Fic, Humor, Minor Canonical Character(s), Mystery, Mystery Stories, Past Tense, Photography, Police, Politics, Post-Canon, Prompt Fic, Religions, Teamwork, They Fight Crime!, Trains, Yuletide, Vampires, Whodunnit, Zombies, #Yulechat Challenge 2010
My comment: (Chapter 5) "I don't suppose the dwarf symbol for "mine" resembles a circle with a horizontal line through it, by any chance?"
(Chapter 8) "Kinda love that Visit now basically has one of those things you get by laying a penny on a railroad track. (Don't do this, kids.)"
Quote:
'We're in the middle of a heatwave and Detritus has never been particularly swayed by debate even when his brain's at a reasonable temperature.'
'Yes, but we can't just walk away.'
'No.'
'Oh.'
'Yeah.'
'Stoneface is going to go absolutely Bursar.'
'Well, if you want to let a murderer get away because you were afraid of getting in trouble.'
'Oh shut up.'
'No, you shut up.'
'No, you shut up.'
The two corporals turned to Detritus and smiled.
"Fair enough, Sarge. Can you just move to one side for a minute so we can turn the cart around?"
Fic for Snycock: Afterglow
Jun. 6th, 2025 03:22 pmholmesticemods posting in holmesticeTitle: Afterglow
Recipient: Snycock
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Rating: M
Warnings: n/a
Summary:
Afterglow (n). 1: A glow remaining where a light has disappeared. 2: A pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced, or achieved.
Solstice, sex, and Sherlock and John basking in the afterglow.
Read on AO3: Afterglow
Recipient: Snycock
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Rating: M
Warnings: n/a
Summary:
Afterglow (n). 1: A glow remaining where a light has disappeared. 2: A pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced, or achieved.
Solstice, sex, and Sherlock and John basking in the afterglow.
Read on AO3: Afterglow
Made in Korea by Jeremy Holt (2022)
Jun. 6th, 2025 12:47 pmpauraqueNext up for Pride Month media, I read Made in Korea, a graphic novel about an android called Jesse who is purchased by a childless couple to be their daughter. Both the author Jeremy Holt and the illustrator George Schall are nonbinary (they/them).
I had mixed feelings about this one. On the positive side, I really liked how the themes of identity and coming to know oneself were explored. Jesse's story is at least partly a metaphor for transnational adoption (Holt is an adoptee) and also resonates with more general feelings about not being the child your parents expected and needing to grow out of their narrative about you. Gender identity is directly addressed, which I love to see in an android story! It bugs me when androids uncritically accept a binary gender role based on the anatomy they're built with, even when the story digs into their personhood and free will in other ways. This book does not assume that an android built to look anatomically female is a girl, nor does it assume that if androids existed they would all be built with binary anatomy!
The major aspect that did not work for me was the plot element of ( a school shooting. (cut for content) )
So there was a lot that I liked, but also a pretty big section of the narrative that seemed totally out of place and mishandled. I don't regret reading the book and I think some aspects will stick with me in a good way, I just wish it had kept the focus on its strengths.
I had mixed feelings about this one. On the positive side, I really liked how the themes of identity and coming to know oneself were explored. Jesse's story is at least partly a metaphor for transnational adoption (Holt is an adoptee) and also resonates with more general feelings about not being the child your parents expected and needing to grow out of their narrative about you. Gender identity is directly addressed, which I love to see in an android story! It bugs me when androids uncritically accept a binary gender role based on the anatomy they're built with, even when the story digs into their personhood and free will in other ways. This book does not assume that an android built to look anatomically female is a girl, nor does it assume that if androids existed they would all be built with binary anatomy!
The major aspect that did not work for me was the plot element of ( a school shooting. (cut for content) )
So there was a lot that I liked, but also a pretty big section of the narrative that seemed totally out of place and mishandled. I don't regret reading the book and I think some aspects will stick with me in a good way, I just wish it had kept the focus on its strengths.
Tags:
Signed up for driving school...
Jun. 6th, 2025 03:58 pmcimorene...to learn to drive stick shift, which I did not learn as a teenager. (Automatic transmission is rare here.)
Email received from the school: "Welcome! Your place is booked and here's your password for our website! We suggest that you proceed in the following order: 1. Apply for a learning permit from the government at [This Link]; 2. Start reading the theory lessons on our site; 3. Come in and book driving lessons at your local office once you receive the permit!"
I clicked on [This Link], thinking, "How nice - I didn't have to search the government website for the link myself!"
An hour and a half later, I have six browser tabs open in three languages from two different government-related sites and am waiting for my wife to get off work so she can read them and check my comprehension, or do I really have to book an appointment to visit a government-associated office to make the application in person?
Email received from the school: "Welcome! Your place is booked and here's your password for our website! We suggest that you proceed in the following order: 1. Apply for a learning permit from the government at [This Link]; 2. Start reading the theory lessons on our site; 3. Come in and book driving lessons at your local office once you receive the permit!"
I clicked on [This Link], thinking, "How nice - I didn't have to search the government website for the link myself!"
An hour and a half later, I have six browser tabs open in three languages from two different government-related sites and am waiting for my wife to get off work so she can read them and check my comprehension, or do I really have to book an appointment to visit a government-associated office to make the application in person?
- it's good to have your application filled out in advance when you visit this office,🙂
- but you can't get it anywhere else but this office. 🤔
- They want you to make an appointment in advance when you visit this office,🙂
- even though they want you to just drop off the papers when you're there,🙂
- which they want you to have prepared in advance,🙃
- even though they won't give them to you in advance?? I'm. 🫠
Friday Five - oh why not
Jun. 6th, 2025 03:23 pmtielan1. Have you ever been to summer camp?
No. But 'summer camp' is not a thing here in Australia the way it seems to have been in the USA. There were camps, yes, but they were very directly related to school - a week is the longest that I remember and I was 12. After that, it was school excusions, yes, or band camps, and a couple of times Beach Mission (yes, literally, Christian mission in the middle of summer at a beach).
2. Have you ever made a s'more?
Yes! Back visiting some friends in upstate NY in the early 2000s when their sons were just born. Her family had a holiday house on a lake and we went and stayed there, and they taught me about making s'mores.
3. Have you ever slept under the stars (no tent/tarp)?
Possibly, depending on how you take it. I've slept on a wooden porch, huddled up with a bunch of other people. We were doing an "all nighter" purely for the sake of doing it. It wasn't fun.
Actually, wait yes, I have slept under the stars. At a 'B&S' (Bachelors' and Spinsters' ball) out west, in the tray of a utility truck. We'd tossed a bunch of mattresses in, and there were about a half-dozen of us all sprawled out to sleep after the ball. It wasn't terrible. We were young, and that makes a difference!
4. Have you ever had a member of the opposite sex sleep over at your house?
Only after I became an adult. House-sharing in Sydney means you have housemates who have all sorts of people staying over.
5. What type of bed do you have (queen, twin, bunk, etc.)?
Twin. I had a queen-size at our last house (and had a queen-size pretty much since I was 24) but when we moved out into this place, there wasn't space for a queen-sized bed, so I downsized to an IKEA twin with an under-bed storage space. And, as it turns out, the queen-mattress fitted sheets fit on the twin-size when you have a super-thick mattress.
No. But 'summer camp' is not a thing here in Australia the way it seems to have been in the USA. There were camps, yes, but they were very directly related to school - a week is the longest that I remember and I was 12. After that, it was school excusions, yes, or band camps, and a couple of times Beach Mission (yes, literally, Christian mission in the middle of summer at a beach).
2. Have you ever made a s'more?
Yes! Back visiting some friends in upstate NY in the early 2000s when their sons were just born. Her family had a holiday house on a lake and we went and stayed there, and they taught me about making s'mores.
3. Have you ever slept under the stars (no tent/tarp)?
Possibly, depending on how you take it. I've slept on a wooden porch, huddled up with a bunch of other people. We were doing an "all nighter" purely for the sake of doing it. It wasn't fun.
Actually, wait yes, I have slept under the stars. At a 'B&S' (Bachelors' and Spinsters' ball) out west, in the tray of a utility truck. We'd tossed a bunch of mattresses in, and there were about a half-dozen of us all sprawled out to sleep after the ball. It wasn't terrible. We were young, and that makes a difference!
4. Have you ever had a member of the opposite sex sleep over at your house?
Only after I became an adult. House-sharing in Sydney means you have housemates who have all sorts of people staying over.
5. What type of bed do you have (queen, twin, bunk, etc.)?
Twin. I had a queen-size at our last house (and had a queen-size pretty much since I was 24) but when we moved out into this place, there wasn't space for a queen-sized bed, so I downsized to an IKEA twin with an under-bed storage space. And, as it turns out, the queen-mattress fitted sheets fit on the twin-size when you have a super-thick mattress.
Daily Happiness
Jun. 5th, 2025 09:02 pmtorachan1. I had a nice work from home day. Pretty chill. Got a lot done.
2. My Switch 2 arrived this afternoon! I have not taken it out of the box yet as I do not have time to set it up and transfer all my stuff from the Switch, so I will do that tomorrow or Saturday.
Last night Carla decided to swing by Best Buy just to see what the situation was, thinking that the store would not open until midnight, but actually they were opening at 9pm (midnight for east coast stores). She went by around 10:30, saw a bit of a line but not much but didn't want to hang around until midnight (we still thought that was the timeline) so she came home, and then ended up going back about an hour later to see if they were still open. They were, and they did not have the bundle left, but did have both the system and the cartridge version of Mario Kart, so she got both. Now we both have Switch 2s! Really surprised it was so easy to get one after all the fuss with the preorders. Since she is going out of town tomorrow, she didn't end up setting hers up yet either lol.
3. Gemma is so cute! How is she so cute!?
2. My Switch 2 arrived this afternoon! I have not taken it out of the box yet as I do not have time to set it up and transfer all my stuff from the Switch, so I will do that tomorrow or Saturday.
Last night Carla decided to swing by Best Buy just to see what the situation was, thinking that the store would not open until midnight, but actually they were opening at 9pm (midnight for east coast stores). She went by around 10:30, saw a bit of a line but not much but didn't want to hang around until midnight (we still thought that was the timeline) so she came home, and then ended up going back about an hour later to see if they were still open. They were, and they did not have the bundle left, but did have both the system and the cartridge version of Mario Kart, so she got both. Now we both have Switch 2s! Really surprised it was so easy to get one after all the fuss with the preorders. Since she is going out of town tomorrow, she didn't end up setting hers up yet either lol.
3. Gemma is so cute! How is she so cute!?