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lycomingstI went to another new store. It’s odd in that there are 3 different hardware stores situated next door to each other. This one specializes in animal feed; I wasn’t there for that but for garden soil. I couldn’t figure out their system. It seemed to involve getting a ticket and going somewhere around the corner to pick up the package. But there were no instructions or floor workers to ask. So I went back to reliable Jerry’s where I knew where things lived. The weird thing about Jerry’s is that they stop stocking bedding plants by the end of June. One big sale and then empty shelves.
It’s been hot here off and on; the heat index is always about 10 degrees higher than the temperature. So, hot.
Agents of Shield is a lot to take as a binge. The writers are working through a lot of trust issues that they probably should see somebody about. Every story involves betrayal. Can’t trust nobody. Also, aliens are interesting; nazis are not. Kyle Maclachlan is having the time of his life actIng out as Crazy Dad. Bust that furniture!
I just read actor Kenneth Colley died. I was a fan of his since I saw him in Pennies from Heaven on tv in the 70s. Always a welcome sight in any tv show or movie.
It’s been hot here off and on; the heat index is always about 10 degrees higher than the temperature. So, hot.
Agents of Shield is a lot to take as a binge. The writers are working through a lot of trust issues that they probably should see somebody about. Every story involves betrayal. Can’t trust nobody. Also, aliens are interesting; nazis are not. Kyle Maclachlan is having the time of his life actIng out as Crazy Dad. Bust that furniture!
I just read actor Kenneth Colley died. I was a fan of his since I saw him in Pennies from Heaven on tv in the 70s. Always a welcome sight in any tv show or movie.
hearthousesFrom Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022)
IT (Movies - Muschietti)
The Lost Boys (Movies)
Riverdale (TV 2017)
Scream (Movies)
Supernatural (TV 2005)
( From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series )
( Interview With The Vampire (TV 2022) )
( IT (Movies - Muschietti) )
( The Lost Boys (Movies) )
( Riverdale (TV 2017) )
( Scream (Movies) )
( Supernatural (TV 2005) )
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lightbirdMany thanks to brightknightie who put this on my radar!
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Getting the serious stuff -- and the huge elephant in the room -- out of the way, I'm trying to just keep living my life while The Sword Of Damocles hangs over my head (a feeling many of us are sharing no doubt). I'm continuing to take enjoyment wherever I can, helping where I can. I'm very concerned about the amount of people that are and will be experiencing food insecurity, so I've been and will continue to donate to a couple of local groups in my neighborhood: one serves hot meals, both at their facility and delivering to homebound, and the other distributes packaged food and sundries in the park every Saturday. And of course I'm donating to orgs like the ACLU who continue to do great work. Looking for other ways I can help.
Starting on July 14, I will be attending Karen Attiah's "Race, Media and International Affairs 101" class. She used to teach the class at Columbia, but they cancelled it because DEI (eyeroll). She took a survey on Bluesky to see if people would be interested in attending it as an independent series on Zoom and there was overwhelming interest. She's posted information on the class here (she's calling it Resistance Summer School). Summer session filled up, so she was offering a Fall session too and not sure if that has filled up yet. There's different pricing tiers and depending on which tier you choose there are certain perks. It looks to be a really interesting and informative class, so I'm looking forward to it.
I'll be continuing to swim and work out and do my best to stay fit. And reading. Lots and lots of reading, both serious stuff and light-hearted poolside.
On the creative side, I've taken up needlepoint and completed my first project. I started small, with a bookmark, and while the result is kind of sad (and the backing that came with the kit didn't fit the canvas well so I had to cut, and I have issues cutting in a straight line), it's not bad for a first try. And at least I chose a cute pattern. I'll be continuing to try different canvases.
( not quite a masterpiece under the cut )
I also wrote a story for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
intoabar, which I got some nice feedback on:
Title: Serendipity
Author: lightbird
Prompt: Fa Mulan goes into a bar and meets... Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender)!
Fandoms: Mulan (1998), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Word count: 872
Rating: T
Summary: When she walked into the tea shop, she immediately recognized the girl sitting at the table...
And I'm already working on another story, which I hope to finish this summer.
brightknightie who put this on my radar!Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Getting the serious stuff -- and the huge elephant in the room -- out of the way, I'm trying to just keep living my life while The Sword Of Damocles hangs over my head (a feeling many of us are sharing no doubt). I'm continuing to take enjoyment wherever I can, helping where I can. I'm very concerned about the amount of people that are and will be experiencing food insecurity, so I've been and will continue to donate to a couple of local groups in my neighborhood: one serves hot meals, both at their facility and delivering to homebound, and the other distributes packaged food and sundries in the park every Saturday. And of course I'm donating to orgs like the ACLU who continue to do great work. Looking for other ways I can help.
Starting on July 14, I will be attending Karen Attiah's "Race, Media and International Affairs 101" class. She used to teach the class at Columbia, but they cancelled it because DEI (eyeroll). She took a survey on Bluesky to see if people would be interested in attending it as an independent series on Zoom and there was overwhelming interest. She's posted information on the class here (she's calling it Resistance Summer School). Summer session filled up, so she was offering a Fall session too and not sure if that has filled up yet. There's different pricing tiers and depending on which tier you choose there are certain perks. It looks to be a really interesting and informative class, so I'm looking forward to it.
I'll be continuing to swim and work out and do my best to stay fit. And reading. Lots and lots of reading, both serious stuff and light-hearted poolside.
On the creative side, I've taken up needlepoint and completed my first project. I started small, with a bookmark, and while the result is kind of sad (and the backing that came with the kit didn't fit the canvas well so I had to cut, and I have issues cutting in a straight line), it's not bad for a first try. And at least I chose a cute pattern. I'll be continuing to try different canvases.
( not quite a masterpiece under the cut )
I also wrote a story for
intoabar, which I got some nice feedback on:Title: Serendipity
Author: lightbird
Prompt: Fa Mulan goes into a bar and meets... Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender)!
Fandoms: Mulan (1998), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Word count: 872
Rating: T
Summary: When she walked into the tea shop, she immediately recognized the girl sitting at the table...
And I'm already working on another story, which I hope to finish this summer.
Tags:
innitmarvelous_og
Coming our FIRST challenge at the end of the month: Hodge Podge! What's Hodge Podge? Well, Hodge Podge is a low-pressure challenge in the new challenge comm Dreams and Mayhem where the fandoms YOU LOVE are all welcomed!
es, that's right! We're a multi-fandom challenge where each week players will fill prompts to score points by writing fics or poetry or even make graphics like icons or wallpapers or moodboards! The choice will be up to you once the game opens and we are underway!
So if you like to have fun and have a fun competition, do come and join us please! Sign-ups are opened July 3rd through July 19th!!!
Dreams and Mayhem sign-ups are on the Hodge Podge page! Please see the example HERE for how to sign up!
svgurlsunshine_revival is active through the month of July! There will be 7 challenges, one posted every four days. There is also a Friending Meme.allbingo is running Winterfest in July. There are both pre-made bingo cards or you can create your own based on the available prompts.allbingo is also running a Western Bingo Fest. Premade cards and the option to make one yourself are both available here as well. littleblackdressex, a fic/art/podfic exchange based on works about your "little black dress" character (the one you feel goes with everything/you multiship), is open for sign-ups until July 6th, 11:59PM EDT. Nominations have also been reopened. battleshipex, an event where you join a team and race to clear a board of targets by creating fanworks, has opened sign-ups until July 9th or until they reach 280 sign-ups. Nominations are also still open.narniaexchange, a Chronicles of Narnia fic exchange, is open for sign-ups until July 11th.no_true_pair has opened sign-ups for their No True Crossover Event, where you sign up with four different fandoms and use the posted prompts that uses all the fandoms in different combinations, and you create works using those randomly made crossovers.fancake's theme of the month is: working together. Click on the banner below to find out more!
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kaffy_rThey Did It
I mean, there was no way it wasn't going to pass, but it's still like a knife twist, like salt in the wound that knife left, like the laughter of the people who brought knives and salt to the scene.
Motherfuckers. Murderers.
I mean, there was no way it wasn't going to pass, but it's still like a knife twist, like salt in the wound that knife left, like the laughter of the people who brought knives and salt to the scene.
Motherfuckers. Murderers.
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svgurlChallenge #1:
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Goals for July:
-write and complete at least one fic (writing more non-exchange fics has been a constant goal and I am hoping to get there)
-read three books (I keep checking books out but I need to actually finish them and find the motivation to read again)
Goals for the rest of the year
-get more organized (a constant struggle)
-try something new (vague but it's easier when it's broad)
-make more solid traveling plans
-try to write a little very day (I'm hoping consistent habits will be good for me)
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community
I made 5 summer-y icons.
purplecatWe had a "free" day in Cusco, but there were some suggestions of activities that our guide could organise for us. Two other people in the group were interested in seeing the Moray Ruins and the Salt Mines of Maras and we were happy to tag along and make the excursion cheaper.
Moray was the first Inca Plant laboratory we encountered. As noted previously, it wasn't quite clear to us why it earned the status of laboratory.
( Pictures under the Cut )
The Salt Mines are not actually mines, but a salt extraction plant that predates the arrival of the Spanish and which are still worked today. Mineral rich water from the mountains comes in and fills clay lined pools. The water then evaporates and the salt is collected. They are owned by 300 families and there were people working them - flattening the clay lining - when we visited. I bought salt.
( Photos under the Cut )
Moray was the first Inca Plant laboratory we encountered. As noted previously, it wasn't quite clear to us why it earned the status of laboratory.
( Pictures under the Cut )
The Salt Mines are not actually mines, but a salt extraction plant that predates the arrival of the Spanish and which are still worked today. Mineral rich water from the mountains comes in and fills clay lined pools. The water then evaporates and the salt is collected. They are owned by 300 families and there were people working them - flattening the clay lining - when we visited. I bought salt.
( Photos under the Cut )
badfalconSo the creative prompt for sunshine_revialchallenge 1 is: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Mpreg is kinda popular on tennisblr right now - both Carlos/Jannik and Jack Draper/Jannik - and the other night before I went to bed,![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
deliriouslyshipping had posted responses to a couple of asks she'd had. One of which involved
( “I’m a grown man,” Simone says with confidence and absolutely no foresight. “I can bathe my own child.” )
sunshine_revialchallenge 1 is: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Mpreg is kinda popular on tennisblr right now - both Carlos/Jannik and Jack Draper/Jannik - and the other night before I went to bed,
I could see Simone or Darren putting her on their knee while they sit, guiding Jannik from wherever they are, trading off as needed. But they'll also set her down and let her explore more, try to teach her how to toss the tennis ball., I fell asleep with visions of Darren and Simone with a baby and... well.. y'all know I ship those coaches. So this happened (and apparently in mpreg it doesn't matter if you're 59 - you can still give birth)
( “I’m a grown man,” Simone says with confidence and absolutely no foresight. “I can bathe my own child.” )
badfalconChallenge #1 Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
June was a bit of a blur, honestly. I read a lot — but only finished four books. I posted 8 fics and wrote a lot more in my head. I got very distracted by Roland Garros (because how could you not?!), and now Wimbledon’s here to steal what’s left of my focus. That’s okay.
So I’m going into July with gentleness. Here’s what I’m hoping for, aiming toward — not in a pressure-y way, but in a “this would feel good if it happened” kind of way.
📚 Reading Goals
I want to read 6 books this month, or at least finish 6. There are currently 12 books in progress. Oops.
Also:
✍️ Writing Goals
There’s a lot on this list, but I’m not expecting to do all of it — I just want to keep the creative momentum going, especially when the ideas are flowing.
🌿 Life Goals
Soft intentions. Low stakes. Good food. Hopefully fewer appointments. But also:
If I do half, still pretty great.
If I just read something I love and write one scene that lights me up, that’s enough too.
Let’s see what July brings 💛
June was a bit of a blur, honestly. I read a lot — but only finished four books. I posted 8 fics and wrote a lot more in my head. I got very distracted by Roland Garros (because how could you not?!), and now Wimbledon’s here to steal what’s left of my focus. That’s okay.
So I’m going into July with gentleness. Here’s what I’m hoping for, aiming toward — not in a pressure-y way, but in a “this would feel good if it happened” kind of way.
📚 Reading Goals
I want to read 6 books this month, or at least finish 6. There are currently 12 books in progress. Oops.
Also:
- Prioritise a few summer TBR titles
- Tackle my mountain of library loans (13 books out, most nearing their final renewals 😬)
- Catch up on posting reviews
- Keep going with “20 mins a day” as my baseline
- Read for joy, not pressure
✍️ Writing Goals
There’s a lot on this list, but I’m not expecting to do all of it — I just want to keep the creative momentum going, especially when the ideas are flowing.
- Finish A Field Guide to the Sinner Pack
- Update:
- You Wouldn’t Take My Word for It If You Knew Who Was Talking
- I Had the Time of My Life Fighting Dragons With You
- The Courage of My Convictions
- Wolf-Tethered
- You Wouldn’t Take My Word for It If You Knew Who Was Talking
- Maybe write or post a one-shot, just because·
- Keep sharing, even if it’s scary — people want to read these stories
🌿 Life Goals
Soft intentions. Low stakes. Good food. Hopefully fewer appointments. But also:
- Make a doctor’s appointment to talk about the arthritis diagnosis
- Day trip to the RAMM in Exeter + sushi 🍣
- Visit Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm 🦙
- Reclaim one chaotic space at home (possibly the laundry chair)
- Come back to Dreamwidth, and stay
- Cook something that feels like summer
- One proper lie-in, no guilt
- One evening offline with candles, music, or silence
If I do half, still pretty great.
If I just read something I love and write one scene that lights me up, that’s enough too.
Let’s see what July brings 💛
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lotesseAlas that stress also means need for dentist. I think the filling repair my dentist did last month already broke; it might not be the only bit of my dentistry crumbling under the current tension levels. And going to the dentist is so painful and scary :(
vriddyCommunity Thursday challenge: every Thursday, try to make an effort to engage with a community on Dreamwidth, whether that's posting, commenting, promoting, etc.
Final (;v;) vigilantes chit-chat on bnha_fans, for this season at least!
Commented on common_nature.
Book chit-chat on booknook.
Commented on littleblackdressex about a duplicate nom..... My first exchange sign-up this year! Excited :D :D
Signal boost:
- sunshine_revival started! Each (chill) challenge will have journalling prompts, and so on. A good way to be active and meet other active people around Dreamwidth! There's a friending meme, too! As happens way too often (and I'm going to need to address that at some point...), I'm too overwhelmed with other things to take part in social challenges at the moment, but wishing everyone a super fun time with it! And who knows, maybe I will manage to squeeze in one or two challenges, too... It could happen!!
muccamukkThe whole Diddy thing. It doesn't matter how much proof there is.
Brad Pitt, who is known to have struck his wife and his children then perpetuated lawfare on them for years to the point where several of his kids no longer want contact with him, has the number one movie right now. Best opening weekend of his career. Most of the coverage doesn't even mention the violence.
On the anniversary of Tortoise Media publishing allegations of rape and sexual assault against Neil Gaiman, Netflix is dropping season two of The Sandman. Meanwhile, Gaiman is forcing one of his victims into arbitration. Not because she's libling him, but because she broke an NDA. Everything's gone very quiet, which I assume is what he wanted.
Some thoughts from smarter people:
Rebecca Solnit: Cynicism Is the Enemy of Action.
Tarana Burke: Tarana Burke doesn’t define #MeToo’s success by society’s failure.
Brad Pitt, who is known to have struck his wife and his children then perpetuated lawfare on them for years to the point where several of his kids no longer want contact with him, has the number one movie right now. Best opening weekend of his career. Most of the coverage doesn't even mention the violence.
On the anniversary of Tortoise Media publishing allegations of rape and sexual assault against Neil Gaiman, Netflix is dropping season two of The Sandman. Meanwhile, Gaiman is forcing one of his victims into arbitration. Not because she's libling him, but because she broke an NDA. Everything's gone very quiet, which I assume is what he wanted.
Some thoughts from smarter people:
Rebecca Solnit: Cynicism Is the Enemy of Action.
Tarana Burke: Tarana Burke doesn’t define #MeToo’s success by society’s failure.
Some people want to judge the movement on specific outcomes, so when a case is overturned, Burke said, “people are like, ‘Oh the #MeToo movement has failed.’” Instead, she said, such outcomes are proof of the difficulty of the work.
“It’s not about the failure of the movement; it’s the failure of the systems,” Burke explained. “These systems are not designed to help survivors, they’re not designed to give us justice, they’re not designed to end sexual violence.”
“When we bind ourselves to the outcomes of these cases, we are constantly up and down with our disappointment, our highs and lows,” Burke continued. “What they tell us is just how much work we need to change the laws and the policies but most importantly, to change the culture that creates the people who commit, who perpetrate acts of harm.”
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beatrice_otterThe hardest thing about writing Peter Wimsey fanfic is the quotes. Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have an encyclopedic knowledge of the literature of their era (and the literature that was considered classic/important in that era), and quote it often.
Today I posted on the Gaud Squad Discord that it would be awesome if we had a searchable database of the literature and poetry that they knew or could reasonably be expected to know, searchable by keyword and theme, so that one could look things up easily. And that I would be willing to do the data entry, but had not the technical skills to set it up.
supertailz responded by setting up a Notion instance and is noodling around with the technical aspects of it, so it looks like this is happening!
The easy part is getting the literature that Peter and Harriet quote added--all I have to do is read through the books (no hardship there!) and source the quotations. Although I know there are some annotated versions floating around, and if anyone has a copy of the annotations, that would be lovely.
The hard part is getting the right mix of things that Peter and Harriet would have known. Because what is considered "classic literature" changes over time. Some things rise in acclaim, some things fall out of favor. What would be really handy is a curriculum for Eton ca. 1900 and for Oxford ca. 1910, but so far I haven't found anything. Does anybody know how to search "what literary works were considered classics in 1920"? Or have a good list of where to start?
Today I posted on the Gaud Squad Discord that it would be awesome if we had a searchable database of the literature and poetry that they knew or could reasonably be expected to know, searchable by keyword and theme, so that one could look things up easily. And that I would be willing to do the data entry, but had not the technical skills to set it up.
supertailz responded by setting up a Notion instance and is noodling around with the technical aspects of it, so it looks like this is happening!
The easy part is getting the literature that Peter and Harriet quote added--all I have to do is read through the books (no hardship there!) and source the quotations. Although I know there are some annotated versions floating around, and if anyone has a copy of the annotations, that would be lovely.
The hard part is getting the right mix of things that Peter and Harriet would have known. Because what is considered "classic literature" changes over time. Some things rise in acclaim, some things fall out of favor. What would be really handy is a curriculum for Eton ca. 1900 and for Oxford ca. 1910, but so far I haven't found anything. Does anybody know how to search "what literary works were considered classics in 1920"? Or have a good list of where to start?
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shadowkat1. Texted my brother today, we're at least in agreement on most television shows. We both loved The Bear to little bitty pieces, and agree with The Atlantic Review which states as it's heading, Thank God for The Bear, this is the television show we all needed. "I can forgive The Bear almost anything, because it’s one of the few shows on television now still willing to wrangle with the mess of being human—with what it means to try to live differently."
The Bear was renewed for a fifth season. Yay.
I'm admittedly in the minority? (not on the Bear, it's very popular). As apparently is my brother. Perhaps we're related after all? Neither of us could get into or liked Severance (which is insanely popular with thirty and twenty-somethings), we're on the fence with Murderbot, and so-so on Foundation, it's pretty overwrought, although very pretty overall.
He asked about the Buffy Reboot, and I regaled him with my knowledge on it - then realized, damn, I'm like a frigging info-dump on some things, aren't I? Hope it's not too annoying?
2. Crazy Org is being amusingly and charmingly passive aggressive towards our current political situation, and in some ways aggressive when it needs to be. (It took the DOJ to court and won.) As I told my brother, say what you will about Crazy Org - it's a tough old agency, and much like the city it resides in - it can stand up in a fight, and mostly win.
This was how it ended an email regarding the upcoming fourth of July holiday:
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), The Declaration of Independence
The Bear was renewed for a fifth season. Yay.
I'm admittedly in the minority? (not on the Bear, it's very popular). As apparently is my brother. Perhaps we're related after all? Neither of us could get into or liked Severance (which is insanely popular with thirty and twenty-somethings), we're on the fence with Murderbot, and so-so on Foundation, it's pretty overwrought, although very pretty overall.
He asked about the Buffy Reboot, and I regaled him with my knowledge on it - then realized, damn, I'm like a frigging info-dump on some things, aren't I? Hope it's not too annoying?
2. Crazy Org is being amusingly and charmingly passive aggressive towards our current political situation, and in some ways aggressive when it needs to be. (It took the DOJ to court and won.) As I told my brother, say what you will about Crazy Org - it's a tough old agency, and much like the city it resides in - it can stand up in a fight, and mostly win.
This was how it ended an email regarding the upcoming fourth of July holiday:
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), The Declaration of Independence