Daily check-in
Jun. 8th, 2025 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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7 (29.2%)
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13 (52.0%)
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4 (16.0%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Timing
Jun. 8th, 2025 07:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
It was only with great effort that I resisted shouting "BEHOLD! I AM Marshall McLuhan" before helping.
The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook
Jun. 8th, 2025 09:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

A decrepit fleet sails from Germany to play its role in a futile war, crewed by sailors who seem more eager to kill each other than the perfidious Australians.
The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook
Let's Get Literate! June 2025 Hopefuls
Jun. 8th, 2025 01:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Myy May TBR turned out to be more of a suggestion.
- The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
- Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life you Deserve by Drew Afualo
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
- Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
- Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I read What Moves the Dead because I managed to read What Feasts at Night. And although I didn't get to The Brides of High Hill, I did reread The Empress of Salt and Fortune and grab When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain on my way to it. :D
( Read more... )
Nebula winners announced
Jun. 7th, 2025 11:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Best Novella: The Dragonfly Gambit, A.D. Sui (Neon Hemlock)
Best Novelette: Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita (Clarkesworld 11/24)
Short Story: Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 2/24)
Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts, Vanessa Ricci-Thode (self-published)
Best Game Writing: A Death in Hyperspace, Stewart C Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Isabel J. Kim, Sara S. Messenger, Naca Rat, Natalia Theodoridou, M. Darusha Wehm, Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Infomancy.net)
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Dune: Part Two by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve (Warner Bros)
Kevin O'Donnell, Jr Special Service Award: C.J. Lavigne
Daily Check In.
Jun. 7th, 2025 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25
How are you doing?
I am okay
13 (52.0%)
I am not okay, but don't need help right now
12 (48.0%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans are you living with?
I am living single
9 (36.0%)
One other person
12 (48.0%)
More than one other person
4 (16.0%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Late today because of a dinner with our organist search group. Last Saturday thing. :)
Trails of Cold Steel: Moon Door IV: Beyond
Jun. 7th, 2025 05:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Pairings/Characters:
Laura S. Arseid/Duvalie, Ines/Ennea, Victor S. Arseid/McBurn
appearances by other assorted Cold Steel characters and hints of other ships Rating: M
Length: 22442 words
Creator Links: Rosie_Rues
Theme:
Grief/Mourning, Dreamsharing, Recovery, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, changing roles in life, loss of limb
Summary: With the Great Twilight over, Duvalie follows Laura home to Legram. She's not entirely sure why she's here, or when she's going to leave, but she can't bring herself to regret her choice.
Meanwhile, Victor's dreaming of the only man in the universe still willing to offer him a challenge...
Reccer's Notes: While I have read this fic several times, the most recent was some time ago, I always remember it as being roughly half of one ship and half of another- I note this here because one of those ships is M/M. In my rereading, I see the balance is more 2/3 to 1/3, with the bulk of it being the theme-compliant Laura/Duvalie, who begins as something of a lost and reluctant guest in Laura's home in the wake of the loss of the woman who saved her. The emotional metamorphosis of Duvalie's canonical hostility towards Laura- already very much blunted as the story opens, turn to friendship and later towards attraction is an absolute treasure. There are many smaller moments of many relationships of varying sorts between her and otter female characters throughout the story, some of which absolutely beg for stories of their own.
The M/M ships is Victor/McBurn, and they are a prominent part of the story- really a story occurring in parallel, but separately- until it suddenly isn't. While I don't want to dwell on them in this post as they are not germane to the theme, it bears mentioning that they are there in case they would turn anyone off from reading. But I will say that their development is quite astounding, a sword master who has lost an arm, a god who has lost his world and any connection to it and what they become to each other.
This fic deals with grief in many forms, over many different kinds of loss, from loss of friends, comrades in arms, loss of a limb, loss of connection to oneself and an entire world. It's all very sensitively written, and even the absolutely fantastical loss of a god from another dimension with his entire world somehow becomes much less fantastical than one might expect.
There are also themes of many different changes in life that come with time passing and with dealing with these griefs. Oh, and the very cracky-sounding, but utterly sincerely dealt with coping with the shock of learning that your father is banging the demon god from another dimension. (that needs to be a tag, ok)
This is just one of my favorite ever fics, by one of my favorite authors.
Fanwork Links: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45897169
Just Stab Me Now
Jun. 7th, 2025 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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A comic tale of a writer taking off into fantasy romance for a break. And to escape her frustrating job.
Her notion of a heroine hits the actual heroine, who is middle-aged, a widow, and the mother of two children trying desperately to protect them.
( Read more... )
Taskmaster: Team of Sue by thingswithwings
Jun. 7th, 2025 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Characters/Pairings: Sue Perkins/Susan Wokoma
Rating: Gen
Length: 00:02:06
Content Notes: no archive warnings apply, and there are no video-specific warnings.
Creator Links: thingswithwings on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Friendship, Team, Humor
Summary: If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me.
Reccer's Notes: This is gorgeous and hilarious as the Sues stumble about carrying out the endless ridiculous tasks, laughing, triumphant, and always there for each other.
Fanwork Links: Team of Sue
Camera Obscura (by Mandysbitch) (Explicit)
Jun. 7th, 2025 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Rec Category: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Characters: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Evan Lorne
Categories: M/M
Words: 3273
Warnings: none apply
Author on DW: n/a
Author's Website: Mandysbitch on Wayback
Link: Camera Obscura on Wayback
Why This Must Be Read: it's Earth Christmastime, but on Atlantis it's mid-summer and the Australians have organized a barbeque. This is one of Mandysbitch's sweeter stories in which the boys get tipsy and end up in bed. It's hot and steamy, a nice slice-of-life, and soft-centered. Lovely writing, and a feelgood ending.
( snippet of fic )
Daily Check In.
Jun. 6th, 2025 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 26
How are you doing?
I am okay
18 (72.0%)
I am not okay, but don't need help right now
7 (28.0%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans are you living with?
I am living single
8 (30.8%)
One other person
13 (50.0%)
More than one other person
5 (19.2%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Welcome To The Neighborhood, AeCha Cafe!
Jun. 6th, 2025 07:03 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
A couple days ago, my cousin sent me a Facebook post from AeCha Cafe that said they were having their soft opening. A new bubble tea shop was opening in Tipp City and this was the first I was hearing of it?! Though I wasn’t able to go to their actual soft opening on Tuesday, I did make it out there yesterday with my cousin and her three kids.
AeCha Cafe is smackdab in the middle of Tipp City’s historic downtown, and has the prettiest blue tile storefront:
We walked in and took a look at the menu. They offer milk tea, fruit tea, some coffee options, lemonade, matcha, all that good stuff:
I had never heard of Cha Dum Yend before, so I asked about it and was told that it’s like Thai Tea without the milk. My cousin doesn’t drink milk so she actually ended up getting that, and I got an iced strawberry matcha. I know, I know, I should’ve gotten bubble tea since I was at a bubble tea place, but a strawberry matcha just sounded so nice and refreshing in the moment! I promise I’ll try the bubble tea next time.
Initially, I thought that the space was pretty small, but it turned out there was a whole other section of the shop with a decent amount of seating, and it even had this comfy looking couch section:
I noticed a couple of wall decorations that were perfect backgrounds for aesthetic photos, like this neon-sign and wall sticker set up:
After careful consideration of where to take my drink photo, I chose the latter:
I’m glad that this cute little shop moved in, and am excited to visit here more this summer with my cousin and her kids. It’s a great location and I’m looking forward to seeing more from them once they’re all settled in and in the groove of things.
If you’re in the area, be sure to check them out and support them in this first week of being open! Their hours are Tuesday-Friday from 8am-8pm and 10am-8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
What’s your favorite milk tea flavor? Do you like popping pearls or tapioca pearls? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS