conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-06-12 10:28 am

Why do things always go from bad to worse? Why can't they go from bad to somewhat less bad?

I don't want this getting lost in the links: A Journey Through the Dystopiaverse (some of those poems hit hard)

In personal news, how many nos is one expected to get before they get a yes?

********************


I managed to find some non-doom-and-gloom links to shove in here as well )
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-06-11 06:00 am

Hot Summer Reading Grab Bag Giveaway

Posted by SB Sarah

a rendering of a shipping box with a stack of books on top in orange, grey, cream, and coralWe’ve got romances and we’d like to share them!

What do you get if you win? A box full of books! And we have two boxes to give away!

We can promise they are new, unread, and printed on paper. We can also promise there will be at least five books, possibly more, in the box. And there will be stickers, too, for fun and sticking.

There may be a mix of formats and sub-genres, but most if not all will be romance or with Strong Romantic Elements (the kind of Romantic Elements that are So Strong, they can rotate your tires, defrost and move your freezer, landscape the yard, and build a pergola for your reading).

Our goal is to give you a mighty-mighty TBR to start your summer reading with, and we hope you receive a book that becomes your new favorite, or the new favorite of one of your friends. Share the love, share the romance, is our goal here.

All you need to do is drop your information in the form below, and you’re entered to win.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway, aside from sharing books with people who we hope will love them. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and ready to read read read. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Address information collected will be used for prize shipping only. We will not sell nor share your information, except to tell one another how very, very cool and admirable you are. Entries will end around noon on Friday 13 June 2025, and winners will be announced and notified shortly afterward.

Happy Almost Summer, and Happy Summer Reading Season!

torachan: karkat from homestuck headdesking (karkat headdesk)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-10 11:17 pm
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #39 (6/10/25)

Took an after work trip to Disneyland for dinner. Traffic was not bad at all getting down there (and even better getting home) and as of this week both the lower level pass holders are blocked out, so the crowds are lighter. Nice weather, too!

Read more... )
conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-06-13 01:48 am
conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote in [community profile] agonyaunt2025-06-11 01:09 am

(no subject)

Dear Pay Dirt,

My brother and his wife recently bought a broken-down house. They asked my husband, who runs his own construction company, for a quote to fix it up. My sister-in-law brightly chimed in, “and we expect the friends and family rate.” Well, my husband immediately drew a hard line.

He responded that he would prefer not to engage in a business agreement with family, as it can lead to misunderstandings, and he recommended another company. Well, my sister-in-law completely lost her mind.

She screamed at him and said that they would never have bought the property if they knew he wasn’t going to help them. It seems that they, without any encouragement, expected him to offer his services at a significant discount and are now in a bind because they cannot afford the reconstruction and will make a huge loss if they sell.

Now my entire family is being drawn into a massively acrimonious discussion. My brother and sister-in-law are claiming we “betrayed them” and left them bankrupt. I get daily calls from my weeping mother begging my husband to reconsider, while my father has threatened to beat him up. It’s insane. I don’t want to lose my family, and I can’t ask my husband to change his mind, so what do I do?

—Built on Sand


Read more... )
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-11 12:04 am
Entry tags:

Hard Things

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-10 11:36 pm

Unsold Poems for the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl

The following poems from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."

Read more... )
mindstalk: Tohsaka Rin (Rin)
mindstalk ([personal profile] mindstalk) wrote2025-06-11 12:37 am
Entry tags:

The power of one-lane streets

I want to talk about one-lane city streets: streets with only one travel lane (and are thus also one-way, at least for cars.)

Advantages:

  • They're great for pedestrians, with only 3 meters to cross to get out of the active car zone. (A pedestrian refuge between each lane would give similar benefit; in reality you'd likely only get that in a one-lane-each-way street.)

Read more... )

cornerofmadness: (writing)
cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-06-11 12:34 am
Entry tags:

Write Every Day Day 11




I edited and posted that [community profile] getyourwordsout Yahtzee story. And I’m 500 words into a new Hazbin story


Let me know what day you’re reporting in for. If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.

Day ten [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] lilly_c, [personal profile] cornerofmadness, [personal profile] nafs, [personal profile] luzula, [personal profile] cmk418, [personal profile] trobadora, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] carenejeans



other days )
alterkrmn: Nozue from the manga Old Fashion Cupcake. His expression shows confusion. (Default)
Carm ([personal profile] alterkrmn) wrote2025-06-10 10:21 pm

Currently reading/watching/making - Part II

Ok. I’m back to talk about the other shows I watched last week.

There’s not much left until Break Up Service ends, and I still haven’t seen this week’s episode. I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t bored me a little, but I think I’m still invested enough to want to know how the story wraps up. At first, I was only annoyed by the concept of the fictional company Break Up Service, but now, with how things have unfolded in the last few episodes, even the rival company, Destiny, seems pretty questionable, lol. But something I liked in the last episode was that the girl Junior’s character wanted to win back ended up being honest about their relationship and breaking things off. If anything, the series has made me think a lot about romantic relationships and all the mental and emotional effort they require (no wonder I’m single, oops… not that I’m looking for a relationship or anything).

My Stubborn has me hooked. First of all, I’m really enjoying watching Sorn (the walking red flag) paint himself into a corner, because at some point (probably next episode… let it be in the next episode, please, please), he’s gonna have to admit his feelings for Jun (Juin? Jwin?? I don’t even know the right way to romanize his name anymore). I don’t think Sorn’s intention is to hurt him, but he did… And I’m looking forward to seeing Sorn suffer when he realizes he messed up with what he said… and I hope he cries. But that’s just a personal preference. I love watching pretty men cry. On the other hand, I’m surprised by the commitment to high heat… so far, we’ve gotten steamy scenes in every episode. Though I don’t have much to compare it to, since I think this is the Thai BL with the most NC scenes I’ve seen so far. I wonder which others are similar in that regard. Only four more episodes left.

Boys in Love is such a nice Sunday watch, and I’m really enjoying it. I don’t know, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I see a lot of my own 15-year-old son’s behavior reflected in how the characters act. Teenagers are, by default, pretty annoying, but that’s normal. Their hormones are a mess, they’re learning to be themselves, they’re adapting to a world where their own role is pretty confusing. I like watching Shane and his inner conflicts, even though it breaks my heart to see him so lost in so many ways. Thankfully, Kit is a boy with a lot of emotional intelligence and always gives him space to work through things, even if he gets conflicted himself. It’d be so nice if most adults were that sensible, lol. Then there’s Mon and his need for acceptance, which also tugs at my heartstrings. Tar annoyed the hell out of me and I was a bit angry at what he did to Per, but in the end they talked about it and they made up. And the teachers… gods, I’m living for the crumbs they’re giving us. But I love their relationship and I want more, give me more… give Podd and Papang their own series!

And last but not least, The Ex-Morning! Only three episodes in, and I’m already hooked. There were some reveals about how certain events happened in Tam and Phi’s relationship, but we still don’t know why they happened that way. What I’m enjoying is the tension between them… even though they’re exes, it’s obvious there are still feelings there. Another thing I really like is how the past scenes are woven into the present; the transitions are well done and don’t feel forced. And on top of all that, Singto… very aesthetically pleasing to look at. Krist is handsome too, but personally, I like Singto more.

Aside from the shows already on my official list, I watched the first episode of Sweetheart Service and thought it was okay. I want to keep watching, but I don’t want to commit to new series because I’ve had really busy days lately and end up exhausted. I also joined a watch party to rewatch Secret Relationships, and that show is still a delightfully toxic, melodramatic mess… so much fun to watch. And rewatching it makes me want to read AUs where the four main characters form an evil polycule, lol.

Anyway, last week I didn’t watch Leap Day, and I didn’t really miss it… I’m not sure if I’ll watch it this week or just wait until the series ends to binge the remaining episodes. I’ll have to think about it because this week and next week are also packed. Sigh.

And that’s it for now.
estirose: A girl in odd clothing dances in front of some fuzzy creatures (Erion)
estirose ([personal profile] estirose) wrote2025-06-10 08:17 pm

Fantasy Life i - first Life mastered

Just like the original 3DS game, when you accomplish enough to get to the rank of Master, you get something special.
Small spoilers )
full_metal_ox: A gold Chinese Metal Ox zodiac charm. (Default)
full_metal_ox ([personal profile] full_metal_ox) wrote in [community profile] c_ent2025-06-11 12:00 am

Xiao Zhan as Zang Hai for Wet Man Wednesday!

Which I’ve arbitrarily decided is a thing.

Courtesy of [tumblr.com profile] linggluu:

Lengthy_picspam. )
cornerofmadness: (Default)
cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-06-10 10:28 pm
Entry tags:

The weather today was actually lovely

After all that rain. I even sat outside and worked some. Tried to garden but the empty pots were filled with spiders and bugs and I ran away. I shall try again another day. Zucchini and me and spiders don't mix.

I've also been learning odd things lately like in my search for things to do in Kansas City MO (for my conference next year) I was nosing about a historic cemetery and found this lady. I am always interested in the women who went up the ranks from prostitute to madam to one of the richest women in town, like Madam Dufran in Deadwood SD. Well meet Leannah Loveall She had the same career path as Dufran and something amuses me about a prostitute named Loveall. If I wrote that people would be annoyed at me being clever.

Also I'm reading a book with the tag line Klimt, Freud and Jung meet the bride of Frankenstein (Anima Rising) it's not what I was hoping for (I have a love/hate relationship with professional RPF usually falling on the hate side) but it mentioned Felix Salten, the author of Bambi, is now considered the probable author of Josephine Mutzenbacher or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself , a famous early erotic novel (not one I've read and I've oddly read a lot of these things, none of which that were very good IMO)

So my brother calls me yesterday to tell me it's my turn to rent a cabin in the Hocking Hills (he did it last year for the group) and he has the perfect one for me to rent because I love caves. He said he'll kick in 100$. It's 1600/night....dream on, bro but man, it's something. Check it out




I am a bit tired so I'm pushing off my fannish 50 women of fandom til friday. Instead I'm going to fall back on a fannish 50 standard for me: the fan animatics.

Satana came out with a new one for Hazbin a few weeks ago (but YT just recced it to me) and they have another one to the song ricochet by starset. The new one is to Paranoid DJ's fan songs for Hazbin. I've recced their work before. This song Get Hooked is not my favorite by them but I love that DJ experiments with style. This one has a mumble rap feel which is what I don't like because the lyrics are very hard to hear over the unbalanced instrumental but the animatic is pretty amazing. Satana does not make Angel smooth around the bend like a Ken doll like so many fan artists do. He's decidedly male.

Warning BOTH animatics have Angel Dust in his drug-addicted, sex worker role (including pole dance/stripping) and the allusion to sexual assault is very apparent. His and Val's relationship is a toxic abusive mess. This doesn't shy away from that. (Honestly as prudish as YT is getting i'm surprised they haven't been hidden)




hannah: (Interns at Meredith's - gosh_darn_icons)
hannah ([personal profile] hannah) wrote2025-06-10 10:42 pm

Aches.

At some point in between sitting down to write and finishing the night's wordcount, something went nasty on the right side of my neck. Suddenly and without any seemingly inciting cause, too. Not even lifting more weight than I should've tried or falling and landing badly. The oddness of it doesn't help the pain, but at least it seems to point to an acute cause that should, ideally, clear up after a hot shower and some sleep.

Waking up to hail this morning was a surprise; getting out of the subway after the day's rains had all passed to leave the air in one of those hauntingly fragile summer afternoons was just as much a surprise, if a far more pleasant one.
sweetsorcery: (Default)
SweetSorcery ([personal profile] sweetsorcery) wrote in [community profile] addme2025-06-11 09:53 am

Square Peg in a Round Hole

Posting here because I haven't in years, and I struggle to find people who share even one or two interests with me, so the suggested template doesn't fit me any better than most things. I'll use what I can of it, and I apologise for being very rambly. :)

Name: [personal profile] sweetsorcery

Age: well over 18

I mostly post about: Writing, Fandom Events (Exchanges, Challenges, etc.), Life and Health Challenges. After that, it gets murky, because I often want to post about the many, many things that interest me and then just talk to myself about them instead, because my tastes couldn't be less mainstream.

What are these interests: Writing M/M (see fandoms), Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories/Horror/Weird Fiction, Golden Age Adventure Stories, Audiobooks and Vintage Radioplays, WWI and WWII (specifically British Military History, Aviation, and Naval warfare), British Social History from the Victorians through to the middle of the 20th Century, Ancient History, Art (esp. Romanticism, Neoclassicism and Surrealism) and Architecture (esp. Art Deco, Tudor, Jacobean), Archaeology, Ancient Egypt, Paganism, Spirituality, Reincarnation, Mythology, Folklore, Parapsychology, Taoism, British Dance Bands from the 1920s - 1940s, Baroque Music (incl. Opera very selectively), Romantic Era Music, Pop from the 1950s - 1980s, Dancing (sadly mostly passive these days), Romantic Poetry, Old Movies (I say 'old' instead of 'classic' to avoid confusion, because again, my favourites are pretty obscure to most people and include a lot of War Movies), Silent Movies, Age of Sail, etc.

My fandoms have been many over time, but these are the ones I'm most likely to read/write now and in future: Biggles - W E Johns, Famous Five - Enid Blyton, Vienna Blood (still on my first run-through of the TV series, but loving it), Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson, Vintage Ghost Stories (I keep adding to the list of inspiring ones to write about), Vintage War Movies (ditto), 18th and 19th Century RPF, Ancient Egypt RPF

I'm looking to meet people who: share one or more of my eclectic interests

My posting schedule tends to be: What is a schedule?

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: You might assume from my old-fashioned interests that I'm rather conservative. Nope, not unless it comes to wishing people were still polite and well-spoken. Think of me as a kind of Ariadne Oliver type... and if that means anything to you, we might get along well. ;)
While I don't post or read about Politics if I can possibly help it, please keep on your side of the enclosure if you're homophobic, transphobic, racist, ableist, anti-science, anti-personal freedom, supportive of fascist regimes, or prone to diving down conspiracy theory rabbit holes. If you don't believe in the motto "Live and Let Live", we won't get along; that extends to writing too, because while I don't write anything needing AO3 archive warnings, you'll regularly find themes and pairings in my writing that offend conservatives and antis. Also, you must be over 18 too - I don't censor my writing or my posts.

Before adding me, you should know: I'm a Pisces with a Scorpio ascendant, and an INFP, so I'm consistently spinning day dreams and easily distracted. I avoid conflict, but I have claws/pincers for emergencies. I'm agoraphobic and aegosexual.
I have CPTSD and Fibromyalgia, and I do talk about that. I mention this because it's cost me "friends" before, so if you easily get sick and tired of people whose daily life mostly consists of being sick and tired, and who sometimes need to vent their grief about that in their own journal, you might like to avoid me. It's unfortunately part of who I am, but I promise, I don't post detailed medical horrors. If I do post about it, it's usually as an apology for disappearing for a while and under a cut.
I sparingly use generative AI art to help me visualise literary characters of whom no proper visuals exist, but I don't use AI in writing. I don't claim AI art as my own, and fandom icons are about the most public use I make of it; if you're going to lecture me on that, please just move on.
I get hyper-fixated and will post about my fixations at length with the least amount of encouragement.
renay: photo of the milky way from new zealand on a clear night (Default)
Renay ([personal profile] renay) wrote in [community profile] ladybusiness2025-06-10 09:37 pm

The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

I devoured The Witch Roads in three days. Read more... )
nnozomi: (Default)
nnozomi ([personal profile] nnozomi) wrote in [community profile] guardian_learning2025-06-10 09:44 pm

第四年第一百五十二天

部首
凵, kǎn
凶, terrible/violent; 凸, convex; 凹, concave; 出, to go out; 击, to strike pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=17

词汇
题目, subject; 标题, title; 话题, topic; 试题, test question; 专题, special collection pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
你看到的凶手有多高, how tall was the criminal you saw?
现在当务之急是要理清楚这些题目之间的关系, right now the urgent matter is to clarify the connections among these subjects

Me:
他是什么时候出去的?
这个题目我不太了解。
stepnix: an expression of confusion or dismay (cute knight)
Stepnix ([personal profile] stepnix) wrote2025-06-10 07:39 pm

WIR: The Everlasting (1)

I was browsing the RPG shelves at Half-Price Books and found 1.5 editions of an obvious World of Darkness knockoff called The Everlasting. So I guess that's what I'm talking about now.

Read more... )