Found via coffeeandink:

Take five books off your bookshelf. (Mine were all from my Print TBR bookcase. Yes, it is a whole bookcase.)

Book #1 -- first sentence: "The Saturday after Labor Day, at the last party wrung from the summer, my friend Kathy showed us a picture of her brother's two boys."

Book #2 -- last sentence on page fifty: "So I read science fiction and dreamed."

Book #3 -- second sentence on page one hundred: "Hold the bucket and belay, there."

(I chose the second complete sentence.)

Book #4 -- next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty: "Vanessa's domestic skill and organization brio have been extolled by nearly everyone she knew."

(The last sentence was incomplete, but most of it was on the page, so I counted it.)

Book #5 -- final sentence of the book: "But if the Islamic world managed it before, it can do so again."

Make the five sentences into a paragraph:

he Saturday after Labor Day, at the last party wrung from the summer, my friend Kathy showed us a picture of her brother's two boys. So I read science fiction and dreamed. Hold the bucket and belay, there. Vanessa's domestic skill and organization brio have been extolled by nearly everyone she knew. But if the Islamic world managed it before, it can do so again.

(Well, that's a bit Dada!)

Book #1: The Smoke Week, Sept. 11-21, 2001 by Ellis Avery
Book #2: Mammoths of the Great Plains plus... by Eleanor Arnason
Book #3: The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian
Book #4: Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Msrriages by Katie Roiphe
Book #5: The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili

• letzan talks about f/f fandoms currently in flux (growing rapidly or post-peak) and asks for f/f recs for them. Have a look at the post to see what they are and if you might have recs to share! Some of the fandoms include The Pitt, Stranger Things, and others.

• There was a hiccup around posting/commenting via email on Dreamwidth for about a day at the end of May, see this post on dw_maintenance. If you used email to post around May 31st/June 1st, double-check it went through!

• Via charliejane_feed, I enjoyed this rant about escapism. Don't let only the haters write and enjoy the wish fulfilment stories!

Robby's Terrible Horrible No Good Actually Awesome Day
The Pitt | Jack/Robby | ~1500 words | Thanks to sheafrotherdon for audiencing.

(Also on AO3)

( 'Your first declarations could do with a little more finesse,' Jack said. 'C'mon, do over.' )

Just started book 7 (This Inevitable Ruin).

( Random spoilers )

Got any Follow Friday-related posts to share this week? Comment here with the link(s).

Here's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".

Fandom: Project Hail Mary
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Grace, Laika
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: enthyrea on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: The movie's finally on streaming so I got to watch it. Ryland Grace with Laika, aww!
Link: patron saints of one way trips, backup link here

I was out with a friend and we were talking so long I missed the last métro home. So I went back on foot, which took around 90mn and was quite lovely. I only had to check a map thrice, on account of my brilliant strategy of "follow Seine to [Landmark], know how to get home from [Landmark]". Idk why I'm feeling so proud of navigating a city I've lived in my whole life, but I do.

It's been three weeks now that I've had new kitty and things seem to be going very well. I did have embarrassingly bad stuff with the ferry on the way over, less said about that the better, but I did make it down to Gig Harbor and the instant I met her, I was in love. She had been sitting in the foster person's window well, and as soon as the door opened, she came running to meet me, and loves to head-butt and rub her face on yours. She's such a lovebug that it's bananas: she just wants to be next to you or on you or rubbing against you at all times.

So it was no question that she was coming home with me. The person who runs the group and the foster coordinator had said something funny to me--"I'll go get her from the prison and we should be back in plenty of time"-- and I thought maybe that was their inside joke about a shelter with cages or something. But as I was driving down, I went past a sign that said "Women's Correctional Facility Purdy" and multiple signs saying "Do not pick up hitchhikers." I still didn't quite put two and two together but at the foster's house, she mentioned the prison again, and at my confusion, she finally said "Oh, did she not tell you about the prison program?" Apparently this rescue group has connections with one of those prison programs where they train dogs (most commonly) or work with cats to make them adoptable (in this case, they work with feral kittens and feral adults who show interest in being with humans, as well as other cats that are going to be adopted).

The first time I saw one of these programs was on Pitbulls and Parolees, and I thought it was so cool--the inmates learn really valuable skills that can translate to the post-prison world, and they get to take care of another being that depends on them. Most of these programs have waiting lists, because everyone wants to be part of them. The inmate who cared for Hazel (what I have named her) gave me a great list of things she likes, her behaviors, etc. I've always thought these programs are so cool and I've been joking that Hazel was in prison before she came here, but it's the first time I've had direct experience.

She settled in really fast. She's just really even tempered, and she loooves to chase her tail, anywhere, any time. (She even chased her tail inside a paper bag that I was putting clothing to donate to the food bank's clothes line and fortunately didn't destroy the clothes, but did destroy the paper bag.) She desperately wants to go outside, so I have to figure out some kind of catio situation--she escaped the other day and immediately beelined under the deck, so this needs to be addressed. But she was a perfect angel on the drive home, not even making a peep on the road or on the ferry, which is loud and stinky.

She has the tiniest, sweetest meow, and dainty little feet like Olive's, but they are deadly when she puts them on like my femoral artery and it reminds me a lot of my dear miss Ollie. At night, she wants to be so right up on my head that she does this Alien face-hugger thing and it's this horrible battle of wills because I cannot breathe but she just tries over and over and I have to keep pushing her away. I do love her, but she has definite opinions. She is a bit of a chonk, but I think I can get her weight down a little. And she had all but her bottom canine teeth removed because of dental disease, but she can still bite, as my nose can attest. Her finickiness with food is slightly annoying, though.

( Pics of Hazel )

Yikes, can someone tell me how the hell to make those pictures normal size??

In other news, I had chemo last week and Dr. Li came in with "big news": the fuckers who bought the Polyclinic, where I have been going my whole adult life and which had a great reputation around the area for like 80 years, are shutting down his department. So no more hematology oncology. So he has two months to find placements for all his hundreds of patients, and there are limited spots where those of us in active treatment can really find this type of care. It's not that you can't go to a general oncologist, but they don't know the ins and outs of this very weird rare cancer, and blood cancers have their own special needs. I really don't want to go to Fred Hutch, despite it being a premier cancer center, for various reasons, so he's going to try to send me to the system I had radiation at and still see a doctor as well as a physical therapist at, but I don't know how long they're going to maintain their identity, since they "merged" with a large Catholic hospital system a few years back (I have very strong feelings about women's health at Catholic hospitals and am really angry that multiple Catholic systems are now running most of the hospitals here). I have no idea what to expect, if I'll get another horrible oncologist like the one I had at the beginning, or what. I'm filled with anxiety.

Because he's a great doc, though, he was careful to go through the calendar and my treatment schedule to make sure my prescription for pomalyst, the thalidomide analog that basically keeps me alive, will get phoned in before shuttering the office so my treatment isn't interrupted (though I have no idea how this whole thing will work and how soon I would be able to see my new doctor). So as of July 31, he's in early retirement (as is his great receptionist), and I will have to get used to a new normal somewhere else that I know nothing about.

Man, I'm so glad i have a cat with all this happening. I would hate to not have something to snuggle (her fur is SO SOFT). I still miss Blues like mad, and I still cry a lot about him, but it helps so much to be able to kiss a kitty head.

⌈ Secret Post #7090 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 07 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1012.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Cordelia: Come in, Nighthawk! Everything okay?
Buffy: (taken aback) Nighthawk?

~~Dead Man's Party~~

---

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for a new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more.

---

[Chaptered Fiction]

• 
• in friendly recompense, Ch. 3 (Spike/Buffy, M) by LadyInQuest
• Faith, and How I Fell, Ch. 26 (Faith/Buffy, M) by Willowhand
• ArtTori Endgame, Ch. 1 (Crossover w/ Victorious, iCarly, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, Angel/Cordelia, M) by CangelBigFan1
• i'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back, Ch. 4 (Crossover w/ The Three Musketeers Series, Historical RPF, Giles, Darla, Drusilla, Kendra, Not Rated) by stealthofdays
• What Remains of Hope, Ch. 16 (Crossover w/ Star Wars, Buffy, M) by Angelinasway
• flos., Ch. 4 (Giles & Scoobies, G) by carryingstarlightinherwake
• The Dollar Princess, Ch. 18 (Complete, Angel/Buffy, M) by Janis70
• 
• Your Unfriendly Neighbor, Ch. 3 (Complete, Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by LadyInQuest

[Images, Audio & Video]

• 
• I Dare You (Spike, SFW) by EnchantedWillow
• The Bells of Notre Dame (Buffy/Spike, SFW) by CheekyKitten
<\ul>
• 
• Fan Edit: Faith Edit by hoechlins-hole
• Designs: BTVS in Paralives by A.M. Sims Designs on Patreon. (Drusilla, Buffy, Faith, Spike, SFW) by amartanddesign
• Art: Happy Pride / WIP Wednesday! I’m normal about these two. The most normal someone can be, anyways. (Fuffy, SFW) by jigsaw-yer/
• Playlist: I’m not sure of your genre of choice, so I’ve provided a wee mixture of vibes from the most toxic depths of my playlists. by domoarigateaux



[Reviews & Recaps]

• 
• I don't particularly care for Dead Man's Party by badwolfwho1
• 
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 6 Episode 18 - Entropy by Sh*t 90s Shows Taught Me



[Recs & In Search Of]

• 
• Request: i just want people to send me their ships so i can make them a wee five song playlist by domoarigateaux
• 
• ISO Info: just thrifted this japanese dvd box set. does anyone happen to have anymore info on it? by cosmicangels03



[Fandom Discussions]

• 
• Sry to all the 'Spike is a dog'-truthers, I see you, I hear you and I disagree. by youlivhere
• Was talking to a friend today and realized there are some fascinating parallels between Willow and Cordy. by cookiedough87
• S4 is so packed on plotlines, I'm speechless. by fallintomidnight
• one of the interesting things about new moon rising for me is that it plays off of the queer subtext/allegory by fancyhalloran
• one of the only times when werewolves genuinely feel scary to me in btvs. by fancyhalloran
• Ok, I've finally gotten around to reading all the posts about last week's episode Anne! by thesearemycurrentobsessions
• Maybe I just relate to her a little too much by she-posts-nerdy-stuff
• Dead Man's Party is another Faithless episode so let's have some fun, once again close our eyes, and imagine what might Faith Lehane be up to around about this time. by badwolfwho1
• Imagine Spike and Drusilla both playing piano/harpsichord by paint-me-in-watercolour
• 
• Opinions….was buffy too harsh on the scoobies by jordiesboy17
• What would you say is the Buffy of other genres by InfernalClockwork3
• I just got 12 of the buffy vhs tapes for ten pound in a local charity shop, in tears right now by Adoptmetrading22
• Watching Buffy made me realize I was autistic. by luckie_harms
• Season 7 fan theory by the_great_pastulio
• just thrifted this japanese dvd box set. does anyone happen to have anymore info on it? by cosmicangels03
• I wish we had more Fuffy (Faith/Buffy) subtext scenes by itsascreambaby96
• Ghost of the robot. by ceecee1909



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click through to the fruit salad

<lj-raw> 01.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/offcampus107_13.54.png" width="100" title="Off Campus | Fig"> 02.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/longballad148_13.18.png" width="100" title="The Long Ballad | Cherry"> 03.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/turquoise127_26.50a.png" width="100" title="Love on the Turquoise Land | Papaya"> 04.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/crossdress122_32.18.png" width="100" title="The Cross-dressed Union | Mango"> 05.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/turquoise127_26.47.png" width="100" title="Love on the Turquoise Land | Mango">1-5 <br/> 06.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/turquoise126_31.55.png" width="100" title="Love on the Turquoise Land | Coconut"> 07.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/moment135_15.24d.png" width="100" title="A Moment But Forever | Dragonfruit"> 08.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/nothingbut21_06.30.png" width="100" title="Nothing But You | Lemon"> 09.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/offcampus104_10.14.png" width="100" title="Off Campus | Lime"> 10.<img src="https://tinpix.de/2026/nothingbut06_18.52.png" width="100" title="Nothing But You | Blueberry">6-10 </lj-raw>

A few years ago I reconnected (on Facebook - where else?) with someone I went to school with for 10 years but hadn't had any contact with since I was 16 and she was 15. We've exchanged pleasantries/small pieces of news sporadically since we reconnected, and it's been good to have this contact. It had become clear that we both like to walk and both walk almost daily, and somehow she learnt that I had finished my walk around the US. (It was on Facebook.) When she heard that I was planning on doing a virtual walk around the UK and Ireland she asked if I wanted a virtual walking companion, so now we're exchanging details of our daily walks and keeping track of where we're each up to.

So, the missing shoes got delivered to Christian and he sent me a text last night that he had them safe and sound. I allowed as how if he didn't get here sooner, I'd pick them up on the 19th. He said he's likely be here sooner and I said no hurry but that I'd treat him to bkfst/lunch/coffee whatever he had time for. And then... he said... "Copy. I'll download the Anthony drama." WTF???? New news, I need those shoes now!!!

Anthony was the kinda long time director of facilities whose departure was abrupt and announced after he was gone. The rumor mill nearly imploded. Anthony was kind of a weird dude anyway. And it had always been clear that he had major issues with LCS - the cult's parent company in Iowa. And he was big on promises and not so big on delivery but he did do good stuff - like tweaking the generator to enable us to have hot water when the electricity went out for a month.

Anyway... Christian's work here - designing/redesigning apartment interiors - means he works closely with facilities so he is in the know and now I want to know!!

Plus, about two months before Anthony split, they hired Michael as second in command so he became temporary head. Except today, it was announced that Michael is leaving for a better opportunity.

Apparently facilities management is hard.

Also remembering your email address is hard. The Susan Dennis in West Liberty, Ohio, is on the ordering bandwagon and is also the chief suspect in the signing up for newsletters lately. Of course, since I placed an order for shoes using a 3 year old address recently, I probably should just squelch the snark.

I am out this morning to take my Amazon returns. I may or may not swing by Trader Joes.

At 11 I'm meeting Bonny in the elbow so we can check out the puzzle table situation in a couple of other elbows. Marketing owes us a puzzle table and they are trying to pawn off a dining room table instead. NFW, I say BUT Bonny's in charge of saying and I'm happy to go with whatever she wants.

No baseball but after today we have nearly two weeks of east coast baseball which means start times before lunch or mid afternoon. Perfect.

Ok, time to hit the road.