* I realized that the fictional hockey team name in this original fic would not work. Klickitat Cats is an amazing sounding name, a Portland reference and a cryptid reference. But the street/region name comes from a local tribe and no way would a Portland team would overlook that and use the name that way unless they were themselves Klickitat.

Poly-b-us would be an amazing pun name for a local team, but the amount of Portland brain rot you'd need to fully get it is too much. Like, a team would use the name but the layers would be lost on readers. (Could use it as a one-off background joke, though. Also, Oregon is the Beaver State so I'm surprised none of our IRL recc league teams haven't snagged Beaver Skate)

* Guess who walked 2.6 miles for a PDXWLF exhibit that turned out to not be there? Yup, that's our PDXWLF. I think I am going to hit one more location, one that I am hopeful for, and call it good for this year.

* Heated Rivalry related link - This is a really good breakdown as to how Shane and Ilya being in the same division effects them and the story.

Would hospital care after minor dog attack injuries expose a first trimester pregnancy?

Details:
I have a story I'm currently working on set in a modern type world, and a plot point where one of the two main characters is attacked by a pack of street dogs and gets some minor scratch and bite injuries. I'm thinking just a few stitches at most. I can guess they'll need "just in case" antibiotics and rabies shots because of the bites, but would common care involve any tests that would expose an early pregnancy?

Goals:
I'm trying to keep the pregnancy a surprise for the other main character later in the story, so a "some hospitals would do these tests but some wouldn't" could be ruled that this time it wasn't done. But if it's very common to do certain blood or other tests that would easily reveal a pregnancy, that's a problem. And having the other main character who's acting as their savior/caregiver in this scenario decide not to get them treatment wouldn't be in character or suit his arc in the story, even with minor wounds that in theory could be treated at home.

Do I need to change details of the attack, or depict this medical team as negligent? Or is the stealth of this pregnancy safe?

It’s been hectic here.

I’ve been sick as heck with cedar fever. Just miserable enough to want to take off work but not enough to actually do it.

Bad Bunny - what an amazing show!

Ella - she ate a toadstool today and had to go to the emergency vet. She’s ok (she threw it up almost immediately) but she’s very unhappy about having to fast.

Folks who use Discord, are y’all leaving it and if so where are you going? Even if I was cool with providing my ID to use it, I have zero confidence that they would keep my info secure. No other organization seems to be able to.

I guess I will just gradually disappear from the internet as age verification kicks in everywhere. I miss the early, wild days.

Title: 'Déjà Vu'
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted to ficlet_zone

( Déjà Vu )

Title: 'Interrogation'
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: PG (Warnings for implied future torture)
Notes: Crossposted to vocab_drabbles. ( Challenges used under the cut due to length. )

( Interrogation )

So this is gonna be a ‘bunch of random stuff post’.

First off, last week I watched the 4K of The House With Laughing Windows which I’d won. I’d have posted at the time but… I was doing the stuff I love post and didn’t wanna lose what I had or include it as an unrelated add on so it’s going here. (Also I need to chase up the Anaconda stuff I won cause that’s awol but… that’s a tomorrow problem)

( Read more... )

I also finished horror’s greatest season 2, which has been interesting. I did note down some stuff from the last ep (I wish I’d noted recs as I was going along with others) cause the last was space horror. There were some obvious ones (Alien and Aliens), as well as Event Horizon and a brief mention of Sunshine too. And it made me wanna rewatch Life (I need to stop finishing things to rewatch).

I also managed to take pics of the Finished Creel house which are here

I had hoped to get back to Heated Rivalry, or start The Beauty, this weekend but my eyes went annoyingly achy and I didn’t have the focus. Maybe it’s the storm that happened, maybe it’s the eye stuff I’m waiting on, but it’s still annoying. Bleh.

(I did at least manage to fic so maybe that’s a good sign)

Also annoying mum’s friend is coming this week and it’s the worst day. She’s coming Thursday which… bleh. It’s an annoying day, mostly cause I was thinking of going out on Friday (more on that later) cause my money goes in then. That would’ve also been better cause I’m sure she’ll do her usual annoying wanting and I’ll have to head out. Bleh.

Also annoying, mum being bitchy this morning and disturbing me mid uni reading to do it. Ugh.

A good thing though, I finished Pokémon Legends ZA today. Well I’ve not fully finished it, I still haven’t got every Pokémon or finished the side missions (or dlc) but I got to the credits rolling. (I’m sure there’s more to do of course, and I finished a few little main things after that)

Overall I really liked it. The change to battling took some getting used to but by the end I really liked it once I did. I also loved the new characters, Corbeau was my fav (maybe cause he’s hot) but I loved how everyone had their own personality and managed to be so different from each other (and similar in some ways)

I think the main flaw is that you’re just in Lumiose. While it has managed to be varied and with the wild zones too, it does feel a tad… limiting. And also it feels bizarre that certain characters aren’t there. Where’s the professor? There’s Clemont and his gym? But at the same time I liked that it let with the fallout of x and y (although honestly, it’s been so long my thoughts are hazy). And the ending was surprisingly emotional.

I had said to myself (even saying it Sunday), that I had meant to get Hyrule Warriors on release but didn’t want to get it till after finishing ZA. Alas that took longer than I expected oops. But now the timing is so bad. Part of me does wanna get Hyrule Warriors but then Resident Evil Requiem is coming soon and then Pokopia is. And also there’s a Star Trek Voyager game that looks really interesting too (and has some of the actors returning for it). So ahhh I’m so indecisive. I’ll have to give it all some thought. But knowing me I’ll get paralysed by it and do nothing.

(And oh there’s a demo of the Voyager game, I’ll download that and report back)

As mentioned above there was a stuff I love thing last week for standalone stuff and this week is series. I’m planning on doing two posts for it, one for shows, one for films, so stay tuned for that (who knows when that’ll be).

I also wanna go to the cinema Friday (or Saturday) but I’m caught in a dilemma of what to see. This time it’s not due to a lack of films but rather I wanna see a few things. They are:

*Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up - releasing Friday I saw the trailer and it looked like it’d be pretty funny
*Send Help - I’ve seen trailers and heard good things, but I’m indecisive on it
*Whistle - Looked really good from the trailer but Friday has the only daytime showing despite it being new
*Kangaroo - Looks cute and fun and has baby kangaroos. I thought I’d missed it cause it wasn’t listed after Sunday but it’s back from Saturday for another week at least

I can do my usual thing and see two but the question is which 2. Plus there’s the issue, Whistle only has a morning showing Friday (all the rest are night) and Kangaroo isn’t showing Friday at all. I know I could watch something next Friday because I’m definitely going to see Cold Storage but it feels like some won’t be around then (and I won’t know for sure till Monday argh)

I’ll have a ponder and see what works best. On the plus side the cinema is also confirmed to be getting Exit 8 in April, yay!

(And unrelated there’s a record store in town doing Record store day then too so I’ll have to find that cause there’s a Sleep Token thing in it)

Title: 'Finale'
Fandom: Original Poetry
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted to anythingdrabble

( Finale )

Had some cinnamon tea, did a whole bunch of laundry, took out the garbage and did some other cleaning up. I'm really worn out.

* I got jumped by an off-leash dog, who knocked my headphones off and my phone got pulled from my pocket. My phone is alright, but my headphones are toast.

* The largest obstacle towards Jason Hawes acquiring the Conjuring House has been cleared. Things are not final, but the shithead's attempt to snipe the house has been thwarted. Things are looking... good?

I expect you've all seen this?

Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
Discord will soon require age verification to access adult content

Just, UGH.

Y'all, I cannot stop thinking about The Testament of Ann Lee, which I saw last Thursday at our incredible local indie theater. I think it’s going to end up being one of my favorite films.

A movie about a religious figure that presents someone with true faith without winking at the audience all, “you know how dumb it is to believe this”??? When was the last time I saw that? Neither I nor the filmmakers believe what Ann Lee believed, obviously, but there’s no doubt she believed it, and the film respects that. It’s honestly a hagiography in a way that you usually only see historically for Catholic saints? But it’s such an inspired way to approach this story? So stylized and gorgeous? But also sincere?

A film about a woman who finds her meaning and satisfaction in her spirituality and religious vocation? Whose main relationship is with her understanding of God? Yes please!!! (Her second most important relationship is with her brother, which was equally moving.) When she sings, "I hunger and thirst for true righteousness," I believe her. That's what she wants! Not a romance, not a family, not standing in society, not money or power or anything else. (Though she does end up having a certain amount of power and I think she really loves having it. People contain multitudes!) I can't remember seeing a mystic portrayed onscreen like this before? (I am the opposite of a mystic, but I have always been very fascinated by mystics, especially women mystics, so I dug this.)

Amanda Seyfried is mind-blowing. Casting of all time. It’s rare that I see a performance and I think, “No one else could have ever possibly played this role.” I often think, “No one else could have ever played this role like this,” but I almost never think, “No one else could have played it period.” But I feel that way about her. Her face, her voice (her voice!!!), her range! Goodness gracious. I’m in awe.

THE MUSIC and the dancing! Using the original Shaker hymns but updating them with really unexpected production was a genius move, and the choreography really felt like a kind of religious rapture. I know that the Shakers’ dancing didn’t look like that, but it I am positive that it felt like that. I have had the soundtrack on repeat since I walked out of the theater. Fuck me UP, Daniel Blumberg! I will have to seek out more of his music because it was really genius.

The film was also visually gorgeous, especially when it leaned into the Shaker aesthetic in the last third (it also made me want to go back to Shakertown, which I haven't visited since high school). I know that aesthetic had not really emerged during Ann Lee’s life, so it was technically historically inaccurate, but it does not matter because that kind of beauty found through extreme simplicity and order was absolutely the manifestation of Ann Lee’s teachings, so it was entirely appropriate to have it onscreen. Choosing the spirit of history over the letter.

I really loved how much of the script was direct quotes from the first-hand Shaker accounts from the early 19th century. And the places where it diverged from historical fact all made sense.

The speculation on why Ann Lee might have insisted on celibacy seems to have been drawn from Nardi Reeder Campion (as, again, is some of the language of the script), and I think it was entirely appropriate. I personally like to think that Ann Lee was just so asexual that she started a religion about it, but yeah, the trauma thesis is a strong one.

I just kind of can't get over how perfectly tailored this film was to my interests and priorities? Ann Lee's life was difficult and painful in many ways, so it's not an easy film to watch. But I was swept away by it I want to rewatch it again and again. I wish I could see it in the theater again, but it's already left here, alas.

This is how you make an unconventional, artsy period piece. I’m enraptured.

I know other people did not react to this movie in the way I did--there are people who hated it, people who have a lot of complaints about it--but f you like: stories about unconventional historical women, religious faith treated seriously but not at all polemically, unorthodox approaches to the musical genre, beautiful but slightly unnerving music and dance, films that lean into their own weirdness without being weighed down by it…you should watch this movie. Preferably in a theater, but if you can’t swing that, any other way.

If you do see it, come back and tell me what you thought. Even if it doesn't work for you, I would love to read your thoughts about why because I know I can trust y'all to be thoughtful!

I watched the new mini(?) drama (I'm never quite sure how the classify the ~20 minute ones) Duet of Shadows this weekend.

( Read more... )

It's available on iQIYI.

RL continues to conspire against me, but I am determined to finish this challenge, damn it. So here is #9!






Challenge #9

Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)

For this challenge, I'm going to talk about my favourite tropes in fic.

1. Genderswap, specifically M > F in specific canons/contexts.

Genderswap is one of my favourite tropes, especially in canons where it would make a massive difference. I just love seeing what the story would be if it were Rose Potter rather than Harry, Clara Kent rather than Clark, or Stephanie Rogers rather than Steve, not least because I just find women more interesting. And I'm always here for M/F romances that aren't your standard Heterosexual Nonsense, lol. As a bonus, girls are women just aren't allowed to be the same kind of stupid that boys and men are, which usually makes for a much better story. 


2. Fix-it fics

Sometimes canon is stupid, so you reject it and insert your own. I love all kinds of fix-its, whether they're canon divergence or time travel. It helps that I grew up in HP fandom and later fell into MCU, both of which canons started well and then spectacularly shat the bed, lolsob. I also enjoy fics that give characters a smoother path to happiness - this is my favourite kind of Pride and Prejudice variant. What can I say, I just want my blorbos to be happy and live easy lives!

(Important note: I do not enjoy the kind of self-proclaimed 'fix-it' endemic to the Harry Potter fandom where it's clear that the author does not understand that Harry Potter started out as a silly kids' series that got so big JKR couldn't cope. No, you're not super smart for going 'ohoho the WW is a dystopia populated by sheep'; you just don't understand how genre conventions work. And that HP shifted mid-series in the most goatfucking stupid way possible.)


3. Competence porn

Keep your hot messes, y'all, I'm enough of one already, I don't want to read about or watch them for entertainment, thanks. One of my favourite parts of fiction is watching smart, skilled people do their jobs well - I blame all the romance novels with bad-ass heroines I read as a child. Also all the HP AUs and fix-its that consumed my adolescence, and falling headfirst into Superbat, because you don't get more competent than those two. There's just something so invigorating as well as reassuring about the quiet confidence that skill brings with it. I don't have to worry - my blorbos have it. 


4. Confessions

Look, I'm a romance girlie, okay? Confessions are the best part! Especially if they come after pining, or when the characters have no idea their feelings are reciprocated. Bonus points if the confession happens in a situation of great peril, or is prompted by one or both of the characters nearly dying. 


5. Pining

Look, instalove is all well and good, but sometimes you need the happy ending to be EARNED. Especially if it's two clueless idiots who have no bloody clue and insist the other just sees them as a friend. (Never mind their lives are basically 'Friends Don't' by Maddie and Tay.) Look, Superbat is one of my OTPs for a REASON and that reason is that pining is DELICIOUS. 


6. Fake dating

The only way to make pining better? Put the blorbos in situations where they have to pretend to be a couple For Reasons. Marriage of convenience, undercover, keeping family/friends/whoever off one's back... so many ways to have them go 'but they would never like me like that' while situation after situation happens that proves the opposite, lol. 


7. Better than canon/the real world

Look, I read for escapism. Plain and simple. I don't want tooth-rotting fluffy curtain-fic, but at the same time... if it's darker than canon? NOPE. Get the behind me, Satan. I don't want a HP universe that is a sexist hellscape where Muggleborns are little better than animals, or a dystopia run by sheep that needs to be saved by the oh-so-advanced Muggles. I don't want Bruce and Clark, or Steve and Tony, at each others' throats. I don't want Darcy and Elizabeth to have to go through hell before they can have their happy ending. 


8. Geeky girl with non-intellectual-but-smart-jock who loves her brain

Look, I've been a Hermione/Viktor fan since I was fourteen. If that doesn't explain my love for this trope, I don't know what does. Hilariously, I was reminded of how much I love it by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Because there's honestly nothing sexier than a guy who is secure enough in his masculinity to revel in his woman's success. Also? Just because someone isn't an intellectual, or is into sports, doesn't mean they aren't smart and capable and great partners. Much more so than Intellectual Art Boys, in many cases. 


9. Being picked over a supposedly 'better' romantic option

This is tied to my love of the previous trope. There is nothing that makes me swoon like someone telling their partner, 'No. I choose YOU, because you are a be choice for me and fuck what society/anyone else thinks.' Because at the end of the day, that's what true love is to me, more than fate or soulmates or whatever - choosing to be with someone. 


If anyone has recs with these tropes, I would love to hear them! My reading fandoms are HP (no Snape though please), Numb3rs, Superbat, Stony, Star Trek AOS, LOTR/The Hobbit, The Goblin Emperor, Hawaii 5-0, and Pride and Prejudice.

+ Butches in Books. Found a bunch I hadn't heard off, looks to be a solid list.

+ 2025 Recommended Reading List by Locus. Really appreciate the addition of a translated novels category.

+ How RPGs Became A Haven For Women In South Korea.

+ What Was Luke's Plan in 'Return of the Jedi'? The ever escalating amount of hostages XD

+ We need to talk about Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron.
Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron are both talented skaters from the Ice Academy of Montreal, who teamed up in 2024. They are both very striking, with beautiful skating quality that makes them captivating to new and old fans alike. But there's a darker side to the beginning of their partnership that has escaped the notice of a lot of casual fans.

+ Green's Dictionary of Slang is now available online for free. Allows lookups of word definitions and etymologies for free, and, for a subscription fee, it offers citations and more extensive search options.

+ Trans athletes may not have fitness advantage in women’s sport, landmark study finds.
Trans women in the studies were found to have significantly greater amounts of body fat than cis men, but levels comparable to those of cis women.

However, while trans women appeared to have more muscle mass, there were no observable differences in upper or lower body strength, the study found.

+ Saving this for later: Wonder Man by Abigail Nussbaum (so very likely to be good).

+ Very informative step by step recap of Bad Bunny's Half Time concert.

Knight in Shining Ardour
by adore

My rage clawed out of my chest
And stood looking around fiercely for the enemy.

He was a radiant boy,
Never allowed to be anything else.

He blazed so that my eyes were drawn to him, fascinated.
Avidly, I watched him for what he would do next.
He didn't disappoint.

When he destroyed something, I was satisfied.
I had always wanted to be rid of it.
But I'd had too much guilt or too little courage.

When he screamed, I fell in love with his voice.
He was my rockstar.

When he cried, I collected his tears in a shot glass and cheered
Before downing them in one go.
They were a tonic.

What he killed made him more alive.

He was my knight in shining ardour
And I loved him best
When he crawled back in my chest
To recover in the warm dark quiet.

My entire weekend got swallowed up by pineapple tarts, as I decided to make the tarts on Sunday. I made two batches of pastry, one batch with cheese and one without, following this recipe. I basically ignored the family for much of the day in order to do this, but still had to take various breaks to make lunch for the kids, eat myself, tidy up, intervene in quarrels, etc. So there were various shenanigans by way of: had to stop making tarts so put pastry in the fridge for too long and it had turned into granite by the time I returned to it; someone must have butt-dialled the oven so it wasn't the temperature I set it at and the tarts came out darker than they should be; threw away the egg wash then remembered I had 6 remaining tarts to egg-wash so they only got a milk wash and are not as pretty; etc. etc.

The cheesy batch of pastry in particular was terribly stiff and hard to work with; I couldn't roll it without it cracking all over. I think I might have overworked the dough? In any case, my pastry doesn't seem to come together the way What to Cook Today suggests it will, so I'm going to put a rewritten recipe for pineapple tarts below -- what worked for ME. Fortunately the resulting tarts all taste great. I keep eating them to try to figure out if I like cheese-free or cheesy better, but it's hard to decide!

( Pineapple jam recipe )

( Pineapple tarts recipe )