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birdfeeding2025-07-19 01:08 pmSaturday 7/19/25
Saw a few Tree Swallows on the golf course early this morning!
stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote in sweetandshort2025-07-19 12:46 pm[10 out of 20] Sherlock Holmes (ACD): Gen
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Rating: Gen
Length: 300
Prompt: door
Note: POV building
Summary: How 221B helps divert its occupant.
( Read more... )
senmut) wrote2025-07-19 11:20 amNo True Pair: Crossover mini-event
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragonlance, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Raistlin Majere, Dalamar [Dragonlance], Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Crossover
Summary:
Drizzt gets shoved off-plane and meets a Dark Elf... by some standards.
Wary Arrival
Drizzt Do'Urden was not a man to allow anything to leave him flat-footed for long. The tail had whipped around too fast, flung him back through the gate when it stole his breath with the thud against his chest, but he rolled with the blow, and came up, swords already back in their ready position… to find the gate had no visible sign on this side, and his eyes were streaming tears from the change of tree-dappled shade and sun to the glare of multiple light sources in a confined space.
Sound told him two bodies, both in loose rustling clothes, and the air pressure spoke of several obstacles in a small space.
"Deal with him; he's some sort of elf," a voice said, and Drizzt realized the sound of it was being translated through the arm-band he'd been gifted with, an artifact for translation.
Thankfully, it worked on his words too.
"Peace, unless you are in league with the dark ranger and druid I was fighting," Drizzt said.
"Magic," a second voice said, and now Drizzt knew where both were more clearly.
"How interesting," came a sardonic reply to that, and Drizzt could all but feel the jaded sense in the speaker.
"If you are both familiar with magic," he hazarded, "I can try and trade knowledge," he offered, smelling books and ink, "for a return to my rightful place before any of the archmages I work with come seeking me."
"Deal," the second voice answered, with only the slightest sigh from the first. As a show of peace, Drizzt flipped his swords into their scabbards, and ignored his injuries in favor of forcing his eyes to work. One elf, one… that was not quite a human, if he were to guess, for all the man likely had begun as such.
"Drizzt Do'Urden."
"Dalamar Nightson," the elf with bronze skin said. "And he is Raistlin Majere," he added when the once-human did not respond to the question of names implicit in the introduction. "Let us get our impressions of the portal that spit you out, and then we will decide further how to proceed."
Drizzt nodded once, and started working on his injuries, relieved that Mielikki's magic could aid him still — and aware that the one called Raistlin was studying him more than where he'd fallen from. There was a sense of foreboding, and Drizzt would stay on guard.
Or read at the community
no_true_pairselenak) wrote2025-07-19 06:02 pm
Foundation: 3.02
( Spoilers want more time )
dustandhoney) wrote in addme2025-07-19 04:14 pm(no subject)
Name: Patch
Age: 34
I mostly post about:
Quiet living, books with margin notes, tea blends, visible mending, soft rituals, and the small things that anchor a day — light through curtains, a sentence that stays with you, a note Rae once wrote.
My hobbies are:
Reading (especially secondhand or annotated books), mending clothes by hand, brewing tea like it’s a spell, walking in the woods, archiving, journalling, and noticing the in-between moments.
My fandoms are:
Discworld (especially the witches), gentle fantasy, soft folklore, The Last Unicorn, Stardew Valley, and anything that feels like wool and wonder.
I'm looking to meet people who:
Love longform blogging, notice quiet details, have soft rituals of their own, and enjoy the kind of friendship that builds slowly and kindly over time.
My posting schedule tends to be:
Weekly-ish — sometimes more if I’m feeling thoughtful or tea-drowsy.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
Cruelty masked as “honesty,” bigotry, mockery, or a lack of care for the softer parts of others.
Before adding me, you should know:
I’m quiet and sentimental, I tag generously, and I write as if I’m tucking things away in a drawer. Rae (she/her) appears often in my posts — she’s someone I love, even if I rarely say it aloud. If you like slow friendships and soft mornings, I’d be glad to meet you.
oursin) wrote2025-07-19 03:47 pmSome v misc things
The Case of the Missing Romani American History:
The history of Romani Americans is missing. Although the experiences of other marginalized and immigrant American groups are now well-represented in mainstream historical scholarship, Romani Americans remain absent from American history. This absence has detrimental effects to Romani Americans who are placed outside historical time. It also harms scholars whose work could benefit from the placement of Romani people in the histories they tell.
***
A ‘new Canterbury Tale’: George Smythe, Frederick Romilly and England’s ‘last political duel’:
In the early hours of 20 May 1852, six weeks before polling in that summer’s general election, two MPs travelled from London to woodland outside Weybridge in a bid to settle a quarrel provoked by the unravelling of electioneering arrangements in the double-member constituency of Canterbury. Frederick Romilly, the borough’s sitting Liberal MP, had issued a challenge to his Canterbury colleague George Smythe, whose political allegiances fluctuated and who had notoriously been embroiled in four previous prospective duels. The pair, accompanied by their seconds, who were also politicians, exchanged shots before departing unscathed. None of the participants faced prosecution but neither Smythe nor Romilly was re-elected.
A challenge to a duel was in fact by this time a common-law misdemeanour, and killing one's opponent counted as murder, though apparently there were few prosecutions in either case. It is perhaps disillusioning to the readers of romantic fiction to discover that politics seems to have figured so heavily as the casus belli.
***
Do not foxes have the right to enjoy the facilities of the public library system? London library forced to briefly close after fox 'made itself comfortable' inside - this was a London library, rather than the London Library.
***
Two entries in the People B Weird category:
Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok drama:
Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines. The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.
(What next, Wombles porn?)
And
I'm 16 and live entirely like it's the 1940s (I bet he's not eating as though rationing is still in force, what?):
"I liked the clothing, how they dressed, and the style," Lincoln explained. "Just the elegance of how everyone was and acted... with the time of the war, everyone had to come together, everyone had to fight, and everyone had to survive together.
"Most people back then said it was scary, but it was quite fun to live then, and they could go out, help each other and apparently there's not that much stuff today that is similar to what that wartime experience was."
Lincoln said he loved the music of the time, including Henry Hall, Jack Payne and Ambrose & His Orchestra.
The teenager's wardrobe was also entirely made up of clothes from the era, which he said he preferred to modern-day clothes.
He even cycles on a 1939 bike when out and about researching and finding items for his collection.
We wish to know whether he gets woken up by a siren in the middle of the night to go and huddle in the nearest air-raid shelter. Singing 'Roll out the Barrel'.
nverland) wrote in recipecommunity2025-07-19 07:21 amShrimp and Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
Total time: 30 mins Servings: 4
Storage: Refrigerate the shrimp for up to 2 days; the sauce for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
For the sauce
2 cups (2 1/2 ounces) packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
Water, as needed
For the salad
2 ripe avocados (11 ounces total)
1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted and chilled
1 cup (6 ounces) grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1 pound peeled and deveined, cooked, chilled jumbo shrimp (16-20 count)
Steps
1. Make the sauce: In a blender, place the cilantro, scallions, serrano peppers, mayonnaise, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, vinegar and salt and blend on low to combine, then increase to high and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste, and season with additional salt, if needed. You should have a scant 1 cup.
2. Make the salad: Halve, pit and peel the avocados, and place the flesh of 1/2 an avocado onto each of the 4 serving plates; mash it with a fork. Top each with 1/4 cup each corn and tomatoes, and some of the red onion, then drizzle with the lime juice and sprinkle with salt.
3. Place 4 to 5 shrimp on top of each mound, then spoon the sauce over and serve.
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-19 08:53 amBooks Received, July 12 — July 19
Four works new to me. three novels, one TTRPG supplement. Two appear to be fantasy, one SF, and one is a mystery (by an author famous for their fantasy). Two appear to be stand-alone and two are series.
Books Received, July 12 — July 19
Which of these look interesting?
The Bloody and the Damned by Becca Coffindaffer (April 2026)
11 (36.7%)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Sea Wardens of Cothique by Dave Allen, Dominic McDowall, Michael Duxbury, Jude Hornborg, Naomi Hunter, Steven Lewis, Simon Wileman, et al (4th Quarter, 2025)
1 (3.3%)
Boy, With Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald (February 2026)
14 (46.7%)
Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer (February 2026)
9 (30.0%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
21 (70.0%)
nanila) wrote in awesomeers2025-07-19 02:07 pmJust One Thing (19 July 2025)
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
malada) wrote2025-07-19 08:33 am
Oh Mr. Colbert ....
I've heard you're being canceled next May. That's a shame. May I suggest approaching a more... understanding network to continue your fine show.
PBS.
Oh, you may not get a great time slot and they'll pay you in tote bags and coffee mugs (and maybe some sweet Masterpiece DVDs) but you'll be free to do what you do best:
Sticking it to the Man.
Without commercial interruptions.
Just a thought.
rolanni) wrote2025-07-19 08:31 amMusings on the craft
What went before: Had a nap. Wrote +/-720 new words, bringing the WIP to 57,600-ish total words.
Please do not send me Instagram links -- Instagram will not let me in, no matter how nicely I ask, which, honestly? Is probably Just As Well.
It really was a very pleasant day today, weatherwise. Sadly, it will be warmer again tomorrow, but then perhaps we'll have a thunderstorm or two to look forward to on Sunday.
For those interested in the Fate of Our Papers (not a joke; several people have Expressed Concern), I will at the end of this update provide links to our two archives: One at Northern Illinois University, and the other at the Cushing Memorial Library at Texas A&M.
I'm knocking off for the day to do a little embroidery, and fingers crossed that the cats will let me sleep.
Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll see you tomorrow.
Links: Northern Illinois University Cushing Memorial Library
Saturday, sunny and still cool. Windows OPEN.
Tali is playing with a spring. Trooper has had his envelope of gravy with meds stirred in. Rookie is on the prowl and Firefly is in one of the open windows in my office.
First cup of tea is brewing, which I will drink while completing the process of waking up. Breakfast will be half a blueberry muffin. Probably. Lunch will be the postponed-from-yesterday salmon cakes, with veggies.
So, I've been thinking about the WIP -- I know, What A Surprise -- and about Diviner's Bow, which was originally going to be a Completely Nother Book, dealing with Padi's adventures during the audit of the Iverson Loop.
Only, I got to thinking about the set up there on Colemeno, and the Matter of the Deaf -- not necessarily of the Haosa, though there was some of that. I mean, a society where two-thirds of the population are, by definition, non-people really isn't tenable. And while the Deaf on Colemeno have only just recently fought themselves to a seat at the table, where their voice could be heard, the Haosa don't even have that.
It never came up, but I'm guessing that, if the Deaf are allowed to, say, testify in court, their "disability" would prevent them from giving a Whole and True Account, and thus not be compelling evidence. And the Haosa! The Haosa might as well be norbears for all the rights they hold under Civilization.
Which comparison would, I expect, amuse the Haosa greatly.
So, that's how Diviner's Bow became a book about -- as so many of our books are stories are about -- What Does It Mean To Be Human, with a side of We're All Better When We Help Each Other, instead of Padi's Grand Adventures on the Loop.
In my naivety -- writers are -- no, I can't say that. There are writers out there who are Positive, Firm, and Stern; they take No Nonsense from their characters, and they are Realists about the business of their craft. That's admirable, and I'm in awe.
So I should say that, yes, I'm a wanderer, naive and gormless; quite often amazed, and delighted, with the process of writing and the shines that the characters get up to.
Thus! In my naivety, I initially thought that this book I'm working on now, nameless as it remains, would take up the Iverson Loop, only -- Shan was going to Tinsori Light (so far as he knows), and he had arranged for people to meet him there to assist in bringing systems and protocols into the present, and there's still the on-going business of never mind cleaning, but scouring the old core, and getting those repair bays gone, oh! gone and -- here we are at Catalinc Station.
And, I should say, I'm having a tolerably good time there, though the characters have informed me that, while my concerns are worthy, and they will certainly see those items I mention taken care of in good time, there are Other Matters that More Nearly Concern Them, which they'll be taking care of, front and center, and wouldn't I be better for a nice cup of tea over there in the corner and out of their way?
Readers have for the last -- oh, three? four? -- books been reporting that the title they've just finished reading is The Last Liaden Book. In fact, there are three (3!) more (more!) Liaden books under contract -- the one I'm working on right now, and two others. I'm not going to tell you what the other two are about, because, as I've just demonstrated, I'll probably be wrong. It is, as I've also said before, my Goal to give readers a soft landing, and the characters each a solid and sustainable base from which to go forward and grow, on their own, if need be. It's not like they really need authorial guidance.
Well.
Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.
dancing_serpent) wrote in c_ent2025-07-19 01:57 pmWeekly Chat
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
fred_mouse) wrote2025-07-19 07:38 pmFarewell: Tess Williams
I have been informed that Tess Williams passed away earlier this week.
Tess was a family friend*, a valued member of the local fannish community, and a gifted writer. I thoroughly recommend their books Map of Power and Sea As Mirror if you can get hold of them.
They will be missed.
*in this case, part of my mother's extended social crowd in my teenage years.
spikedluv) wrote2025-07-19 07:09 amThe Day in Spikedluv (Friday, July 18)
I visited mom from 11am to 3pm. I also hand-washed dishes and scooped kitty litter. I grilled chicken legs for Pip’s supper, cut up chicken for the dogs, and hard-boiled eggs.
I read more in Rivers of London, started and finished another Kindle cozy, and watched the first new ep of Strange New Worlds.
Temps started out at 59.7(F) (I wore a sweatshirt and was still chilled during the walk from the house to the garage) and reached 77.7 with sun and a breeze. It was cool enough this morning that I wore a scarf and pair of light gloves on my walk around the park, but by afternoon the temps were perfect. That’s pretty much my ideal.
Mom Update:
Mom was doing well today. ( more back here )
sovay) wrote2025-07-19 05:38 amWe rented a glass-bottom boat, we got farther from shore
Although its state-of-the-art submarine is nuclear-powered and engaged in the humanitarian mission of planting a chain of seismometers around the sunken hotspots of the globe, Around the World Under the Sea (1966) plays so much like a modernized Verne mash-up right down to its trick-photographed battle with a giant moray eel and its climactic ascent amid the eruption of a newly discovered volcano that it should not be faulted for generally shorting its characters in favor of all the techno-oceanography, but Keenan Wynn grouches delightfully as the specialist in deep-sea survival who prefers to spend his time playing shortwave chess in a diving bell at the bottom of the Caribbean and the script actually remembers it isn't Shirley Eaton's fault if the average heterosexual male IQ plummets past the Marianas just because she's inhaled in its vicinity, but the MVP of the cast is David McCallum whose tinted monobrowline glasses and irritable social gracelessness would code him nerd in any era, but he's the grit in the philanthropy with his stake in a sunken treasure of transistor crystals and his surprise to be accused of cheating at chess when he designed and programmed the computer that's been making his moves for him. If the film of The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) had not made its inspired change in the nationality of its aeronautical engineer, McCallum could have knocked the part out of the park. "No, you don't get one," he almost gets the last word, distributing his sole precious handful of salvage among his fellow crew with the pointed exception of the captain played inevitably by Lloyd Bridges: "You blew the bloody submarine in half."
spatch and I have seen four films now by the husband-and-wife, director-and-editor team of Andrew L. and Virginia Stone and on the strength of Ring of Fire (1961), The Steel Trap (1952), The Decks Ran Red (1958), and just lately The Last Voyage (1960), the unifying theme of their pictures looks like pulp logistics. So far the standout has been the nail-biter noir of The Steel Trap, whose sprung ironies depend on an accumulation of individually trivial hitches in getting from L.A. to Rio that under less criminal circumstances would mount to planes-trains-and-automobiles farce, but Ring of Fire incorporates at least two real forest fires into its evacuation of a Cascadian small town, The Decks Ran Red transplants its historical mutiny to the modern engine room of a former Liberty ship, and The Last Voyage went the full Fitzcarraldo by sinking the scrap-bound SS Île de France after first blowing its boiler through its salon and smashing its funnel into its deckhouse without benefit of model work. The prevailing style is pedal-to-the-metal documentary with just enough infill of character to keep the proceedings from turning to clockwork and a deep anoraky delight in timetables and mechanical variables. Eventually I will hit one of their more conventional-sounding crime films, but until then I am really enjoying their clinker-built approach to human interest. Edmond O'Brien as the second engineer of the doomed SS Claridon lost his father on the Titanic, a second-generation trauma another film could have built an entire arc out of, and the Stones care mostly whether he's as handy with an acetylene torch as all that.We were forty-four minutes into Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940) before anything remotely strange occurred beyond an impressive protraction of soap and with sincere regrets to Lew Ayres, I tapped out.