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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 10:31 am
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 10:05 am
Last weekend I was in Sheffield with Cambridge Huskies, playing in the BUIHA Non-Checking Tier 1 Nationals. Spoiler: we won. It was a lovely weekend, full of hockey and team and hard work and silliness. I am so glad I got to go. I am so glad we won, especially for the people who are leaving soon. I love this team very much.
Friday:
- picked up 9-seater van, packed it full of kit and passengers at the rink, drove to Sheffield and our airbnb
- went out in Sheffield, joined the BUIHA social involving white tshirts and sharpies
- skipped the clubbing, sat up late chatting and watching teammates playing pool in the airbnb instead
Saturday:
- team brunch, kit van to the rink, shopping at Puckstop
- three group-stage games at roughly 3pm, 6pm and midnight. We won one, lost one, went out to dinner and strategised, redid the lines, went back and won the third
- post-game maccies and then more pool back at the house
Sunday:
- packing up and getting out of the house by 11
- IKEA brunch for some of us
- two more group-stage games at roughly 2pm and 7pm (I had the most amazing nap in between thanks to a teammate with a room in the hotel next to the rink) - we won them both
- gold semi final at ~10pm and final at ~midnight
- celebrations on the ice and in the changing room, and then eventually the mundanity of packing kit and people back into the van and the assorted cars
Monday:
- drove back to Cambridge in the small hours, dropped people off as near as I could get to their colleges, got home about 04:30
- woke up at 7 as usual to do the morning school run, moved the van to my friend's street without residents parking restrictions (easier than trying to get it into my off-road parking space), went back to sleep for a few hours
- took the van back to the rink, met captain to unload all the remaining kit into the club storage, returned the van to the hire place, went back home and let the post-event drop hit me
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 01:55 am
I had to have an EkG today, before Thursday. That's the big day of my Broncoscopy. The girl that did my ekg said it was a little off. What a dumb thing to tell me. If no one calls me, I'll know its still on. I can't seem to focus right now. I hope to start posting soon. Take care of yourselves. Hugs.🌹🌹🌹🌹
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 05:02 am
Read so many recs to watch the original Speak No Evil. I am speechless, that was so disturbing and nothing at all compared to the remake. The OG version is so much darker.
My question is: i'm watching it on Tubi, when the subtitles that say [speaking Dutch] (when Patrick and Karin speak it), are there other streaming sites that have what they actually say or was that not included in the original showing?
[link] [comments]
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 08:30 am
This is how the body speaks— of its thirst
or hunger, its pangs wrought by memory or a full
bladder rousing you from sleep at 3 AM. The house
breathes the way some places do, a kind of engine
humming in the background. You walk downstairs
to the kitchen in your bare feet for a drink of ice
water, then give in to the urge to snack on leftover
dim sum from dinner at Jade Villa just hours ago—
four round tables lined up to make one long one,
talk mingled with the smells of leeks, chili oil,
pressed duck, and the deep orange clutch of chicken
feet marinated in soy and jalapeno and steamed until
any memory of them scrabbling through gravel has melted
almost unctuously away; and one of the students who won
the essay prize at school is shyly dipping her soup spoon
into a bowl of noodles and the other is cheerfully and
efficiently clicking her chopsticks from one dish to
another, everyone else reaching in, too, for flavor.
The poets on the farthest end of the table are laughing
and the visiting scholar on the other end is trading
jokes with the futures trader, and no one quite notices
when the waiters come to fill and replenish cups of water
and tea. Your colleague is rhapsodizing over the thick
clouds of chicken and corn in the soup, and you give
your whole mind to all of this, for here as in the world
attention is a practice that asks nothing from you except
to be here. Though when all of you walk back into the night
and the air is cooler and all are hugging and waving goodbye
or someone is suggesting you find somewhere else to go and
have margaritas, you know the world is waiting to slip into
your mouth again— another kind of communion, the kind
you have every day, the kind that stains your fingers
and leaves a slight film of oil, even now in this kitchen
where, standing barefoot on cold tile, already you are
chewing on the future. And you know you will be tested
by one more terrible thing or another, just as Rilke
said the purpose of life is to be defeated by greater
and greater things— let's say love or unavoidable
circumstance— which molds you and gives you the chance
to do this work for which all other is but a preparation.
Not despair, but training; the practice of lifting what
you can, then being lifted by what you cannot. Days
and nights feed you so you can wake and feed others,
so you give in again, opening your mouth to say yes.
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 08:13 am
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 05:59 am
Been on a binge lately watching people chat/dissect horror movies, and I've been around the houses with the bigger Horror Youtubers - Dead Meat, Found Flix, Sick Flicks etc... - but there's just so damn many horror YouTubers that are out there, it's been a struggle to lump through them and find ones worth watching. Production values don't bother me so much as peoples delivery. If they're passionate about what they are discussing that rubs off on me well.
Are there any recommendations for smaller Youtube Channels people have that go under the radar but make quality content? I prefer good editing rather than someone just holding up a DVD and talking about it, but genuinely will check out anything people recommend.
[link] [comments]
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 09:15 am
I've been working my way back through some albums I haven't listened to in decades, to see how they hold up.
I just started a shower with Sisters of Mercy: Floodland, and sang along with the whole first song, despite not having heard it in 30 years.
Brought back a lot of university memories too.
Funny thing, memory.
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 08:57 am
A drabble I wrote for ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sarajayechan during Snowflake Challenge 2025.
-
A family home is not unlike a battlefield. Alliances are forged and broken, battle lines drawn and moved, loyalties tested and betrayed. Petty squabbles become of the utmost importance within the bars of a daughter’s birdcage.
The outside looks in, but can never gain the full picture. Theories will be discussed, rumors will be spread. Winner, loser, and scapegoat, all roles aptly assigned according to untruths instead of facts, all complexities sanded down for the better and easier understanding of the simple-minded.
Harbinger, warbringer. But Merricat wasn’t the dreaded omen, and she didn’t bring the war.
She only finished it.
sarajayechan during Snowflake Challenge 2025.Title: of narratives.
Fandom: We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
Character/Pairing: Merricat Blackwood.
Rating/Warnings: M, none.
Summary: For the prompt: "Shirley Jackson's "We Have Always Lived in the Castle", Merricat, Harbinger."
Word count: 100.
read more
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A family home is not unlike a battlefield. Alliances are forged and broken, battle lines drawn and moved, loyalties tested and betrayed. Petty squabbles become of the utmost importance within the bars of a daughter’s birdcage.
The outside looks in, but can never gain the full picture. Theories will be discussed, rumors will be spread. Winner, loser, and scapegoat, all roles aptly assigned according to untruths instead of facts, all complexities sanded down for the better and easier understanding of the simple-minded.
Harbinger, warbringer. But Merricat wasn’t the dreaded omen, and she didn’t bring the war.
She only finished it.
Friday, April 24th, 2026 11:37 pm
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 05:02 am
Ranked: What Makes Europeans Most Proud of Their Country?
Key Takeaways
- Culture, people, and history are the top drivers of national pride across Europe.
- The UK (29%) and Hungary (23%) stand out for high levels of negative sentiment.
- Sweden is a major outlier, with 53% citing politics as a source of pride.
What people take pride in says a lot about how they see their country.
Across Europe, those sources range from culture and history to political systems and personal freedoms. But in some countries, a notable share of people say they feel little pride at all.
This visualization by The European Correspondent, based on Pew Research Center data, breaks down the top three sources of national pride in each country surveyed.
Top Sources of National Pride, by Country
Here’s a closer look at the top three sources of national pride cited by adults in each country:
| Country | Top Source | Second Source | Third Source |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sweden | Politics (53%) | Landscape (32%) | People (26%) |
 Italy | Culture (38%) | Landscape (24%) | People (23%) |
 Greece | History (37%) | People (31%) | Negative feeling (19%) |
 Germany | Politics (36%) | Economy (18%) | Freedom (16%) |
 Spain | People (32%) | Negative feeling (25%) | Culture (16%) |
 UK | Negative feeling (29%) | People (25%) | Politics (22%) |
 France | Culture (26%) | People (24%) | Freedom (22%) |
 Netherlands | Freedom (24%) | Economy (21%) | Politics (21%) |
 Hungary | Negative feeling (23%) | History (21%) | People (20%) |
 Poland | Identity (21%) | History (20%) | People (18%) |
 Türkiye | People (20%) | History (12%) | Identity (10%) |
Culture dominates in countries like Italy (38%) and France (26%), while history plays a major role in Greece (37%). Meanwhile, Sweden stands out with 53% citing politics—by far the highest single-category share.
The Core Drivers of Pride Across Europe
In much of Europe, national pride is rooted in shared identity and heritage. Southern European countries like Italy and Greece emphasize culture and history, reflecting their deep historical legacies and global cultural influence.
Elsewhere, people themselves are a key source of pride. Spain (32%) and France (24%) rank highly in this category, suggesting a strong sense of national community and social cohesion.
Where National Pride Is Weakest
Not all sentiment is positive. In the UK, 29% of respondents cite “negative feeling” when describing their country, which is higher than any single positive category. Hungary (23%) and Spain (25%) also show notable shares of dissatisfaction.
This aligns with broader research. According to Pew, individuals who express less pride are often those who do not identify with the governing political parties. In the UK specifically, findings from British Social Attitudes surveys suggest national identity has become more fragmented in recent years, often tied to political divisions.
These dynamics help explain why politics can be both a source of pride—as in Sweden—and frustration, as seen elsewhere.
Politics as a Source of Pride—and Division
Sweden stands out sharply, with 53% of respondents citing politics as a source of pride, which is the highest share of any single category in the dataset.
Germany (36%) follows at a distance. Meanwhile, in other countries, political dissatisfaction helps explain rising negative sentiment, particularly among those who feel disconnected from leadership.
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 05:54 am
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 12:56 am
This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject.
Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Previously I posted about "How to Get Good at Anything." That touched on "The 3 Book Rule to Become An Expert." The premise is that, if you have read just three books on a subject, you know more about it than the general level of knowledge. You don't know as much as a professional should, but you know enough to answer about 80% of questions on the matter. This is enough to be useful to most people regarding most issues in that area. The really complicated or difficult stuff can be left to the professional level of experts.
( Read more... )
Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Previously I posted about "How to Get Good at Anything." That touched on "The 3 Book Rule to Become An Expert." The premise is that, if you have read just three books on a subject, you know more about it than the general level of knowledge. You don't know as much as a professional should, but you know enough to answer about 80% of questions on the matter. This is enough to be useful to most people regarding most issues in that area. The really complicated or difficult stuff can be left to the professional level of experts.
( Read more... )
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 05:21 am
All I can remember is a scene where a family has stopped in the middle of nowhere and are either camping or on a road trip having a picnic (maybe by a lake?) and some men show up and approach them with guns and start messing with them and scaring them. Not sure if they kidnap one of the kids or anything like that but its similar to something like Eden Lake but it's definitely not that and also not Killing Ground or The hills have eyes. I feel like it's possibly an Australian film but I keep coming up with killing ground and while that's also a great / fucked up movie it's definitely not that one.
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 01:32 pm
ABOUT
The FESTA is an event focused on reading, sharing, and commenting on fics from all fandoms, as well as building community. We try to run this event twice a year and our current round is scheduled to start MAY 2026. We have bingo sheets, a stamp rally, and will have weekly chat sessions on Bluesky. ALL fic ratings and topics are welcome. No AI generated content will be promoted.
LANGUAGE
English and Spanish
Pueden encontrar esta información (y más) en nuestras páginas del evento.
THEME
Our May (Round 3) Themes are: SPRING & FLOWERS! We also have 30+ bingo prompts related to May Holidays, Mental Health Awareness, and Community Building.
MINIMUM COMMUNITY GOALS
We encourage everyone to leave at least 2 comments during the FESTA! And if you play our stamp rally, the more comments you leave, the more stamps you can collect.
SCHEDULE
5/1: The FESTA begins
5/9: Chat Session #1
5/16: Chat Session #2
5/23: Chat Session #3
5/30: Chat Session #4
5/31: Last day for fic submissions but the games continue
6/1: Spotlights begin
6/30: Last day of games & commenting sprees
7/4: Roundup of fics & community achievements LIVE
Chat sessions are scheduled for Saturdays, US CST evenings (6pm).
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Readers are encouraged to join our commenting team!
Writers are encouraged to submit their fics!
Everyone is encouraged to read, share, and comment on fics!
Everyone is encouraged to grab a bingo sheet, join our stamp rally, and participate in our weekly games!
MORE INFORMATION
Bluesky | Tumblr | Dreamwidth
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fanfictionfesta HAVE QUESTIONS?
Ask away! You can also look at our August (R2) archive
---
The FESTA is mainly held on Bluesky, but you can participate via Tumblr & DW too.
Signups are not required but are encouraged.
Podfics are also allowed.
Tags:
- due: 2026-05 (may),
- due: 2026-06 (jun),
- fandom: multifandom,
- format: bingo,
- format: recs,
- format: support,
- format: teamwork,
- format: varied challenges,
- frequency: biannual,
- keyword: low pressure,
- keyword: multilingual/other language,
- keyword: spring,
- medium: fic,
- medium: podfic,
- posting: 2026-05 (may),
- sign-up/claiming: 2026-04 (apr),
- sign-up/claiming: 2026-05 (may),
- sign-up/claiming: not required,
- site: any/multi,
- site: ao3,
- site: bluesky,
- site: discord,
- site: dreamwidth,
- site: tumblr
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 12:07 am
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. During this time, people post content only visible on Dreamwidth (although it can be reposted elsewhere after the event ends). There's usually a flurry of activity as bloggers share anchor posts, new fiction, icons, banners, questionnaires, friending fests, memes, and other goodies. Community hosts often hold special activities in their communities too. Watch your reading page for more festivities. (See the introductory posts from 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.) To find posts for this event, follow the Threeweeks feed.
This year I plan to post about becoming an expert by reading three books on a subject. See "My Blog Is About..." for an overview of my blogging in general.
I have also posted about this event in my communities. See the entries:
* THREE WEEKS FOR DREAMWIDTH: INTRODUCTION inallbingo
THREE WEEKS FOR DREAMWIDTH: SHARE YOUR CARDS
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction inbirdfeeding
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction incrowdfunding
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction ingoals_on_dw
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction innewcomers
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction inreddit_refugees
( Read more... )
This year I plan to post about becoming an expert by reading three books on a subject. See "My Blog Is About..." for an overview of my blogging in general.
I have also posted about this event in my communities. See the entries:
* THREE WEEKS FOR DREAMWIDTH: INTRODUCTION in
allbingoTHREE WEEKS FOR DREAMWIDTH: SHARE YOUR CARDS
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction in
birdfeeding* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction in
crowdfunding* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction in
goals_on_dw* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction in
newcomers* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction in
reddit_refugees( Read more... )
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Saturday, April 25th, 2026 04:17 am
It started out strong with a lot of subtle tension and potential for scary moments, but then after the first couple episodes basically drops horror completely to become another millennial writing family trauma / mental health dump and millennial melodramatic relationship drama.
There were a lot of interesting horror plot points from the first episodes that were never brought up again (dead dogs, ice cream killer, the box, the caterer who left his baby in the car, injection needle, etc). You could say they were red herrings but just seems like bad writing to me.
Not to mention there just happens to be a guy waiting around to explain the curse in full detail, they just happen to have an occult book with the exact concoction etc.
Because of sunk cost I watched all the way until the end but yeah do not recommend.
[link] [comments]
Friday, April 24th, 2026 11:45 pm
Just for funsies, we wondered: what countries have bestowed works on our bookshelf? We chose countries both based on authors BORN in said countries, authors who were now CITIZENS of said countries, or, in the case of interviews, where the interviewer was from even if they didn't get credited as an author, since for fuck's sake, they provide all the material!
( Library atlas )
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Friday, April 24th, 2026 09:39 pm
I ended up going to see Hadestown with L while it was touring SF. I heard from her last year that she wanted to see it, so as soon as dates in SF popped up – I apparently get all these live performances ads now on Insta, after getting Ed Gamble tickets – I texted her, and she got two tickets, intending it to be for RH and herself. But I told her that if it did not work out for him to go (because at the time he lived in Napa, and it would’ve been a long drive on a weeknight), I was happy to be her plan B, and that’s what happened. ( The show and the experience, with marked spoilers )
So, I’m glad I ended up going to see it with L. I would not have bestirred myself on my own, but listening to / watching my favorite songs from the show on YouTube, I can tell I got stuff out of the live experience that I would not have gotten otherwise, and also, I’m glad I got to see this particular Hades. And L is the perfect musical theater buddy – she likes discussing stuff and knows more than me, and in this case there was also the shared interest in Greek myth (which is what we had with the Harry Potter play, too). B would’ve absolutely hated every aspect of it, from the crowd to the jazz to the singing, which all three of us agreed on, heh.
Oh, right, and when we came home, since we were talking about how much I like bass voices, I showed L some Tim Foust videos (whichaletheiafelinea introduced me to back in the day), like Champagne Taste (On a Beer Budget) and Long Black Train , and the Home Free sea shanties.
*
Taskmaster s21e03 – I like Kumail’s shirt, with the white o white design. And Amy’s polka dot pinafore thing is very cute, too. ( Spoilers )
Joanna is the podcast guest, and she talks at the same density and speed as on the show, with Ed just sort of occasionally putting in a sentence or two XD ( Slight spoilers? ) Anyway, that was a ton of fun, and that was one I made a point of watching on YouTube rather than listening to, because I wanted to watch Joanna light up with laughter, and Ed’s expression as she just kept talking over him. What an absolute delight she is XD
*
Hugo nominations are out! ( Category by category thoughts )
*
And I should take this opportunity to finally write down my Cinder House thoughts. I read it, what, during my trip to Arizona, I think, and that’s been 6 weeks.
4. Freya Marske, Cinder House – I liked it a lot! I was not super swayed when I heard the premise – I have no particular devotion to Cinderella retellings, and ghost stories aren’t really my genre, and I wasn’t sure how this premise would play to what I’ve heretofore seen of Freya’s strengths as a writer in both pro and fanfic, but it’s just a really good book. ( More, with spoilers )
*
At some point I should also catch up on another 6 months of Elis & John Radio X shows, and a ~2 months worth of current E&J and adjacent things like How Do You Cope (newly returned) and John making appearances on other podcasts to promote Thirst, but that'll need to wait. (I have preordered a signed copy of Thirst, but how I'm going to get to read it before I seecafemassolit whose house it's being shipped to is still unclear...
So, I’m glad I ended up going to see it with L. I would not have bestirred myself on my own, but listening to / watching my favorite songs from the show on YouTube, I can tell I got stuff out of the live experience that I would not have gotten otherwise, and also, I’m glad I got to see this particular Hades. And L is the perfect musical theater buddy – she likes discussing stuff and knows more than me, and in this case there was also the shared interest in Greek myth (which is what we had with the Harry Potter play, too). B would’ve absolutely hated every aspect of it, from the crowd to the jazz to the singing, which all three of us agreed on, heh.
Oh, right, and when we came home, since we were talking about how much I like bass voices, I showed L some Tim Foust videos (which
aletheiafelinea introduced me to back in the day), like Champagne Taste (On a Beer Budget) and Long Black Train , and the Home Free sea shanties. *
Taskmaster s21e03 – I like Kumail’s shirt, with the white o white design. And Amy’s polka dot pinafore thing is very cute, too. ( Spoilers )
Joanna is the podcast guest, and she talks at the same density and speed as on the show, with Ed just sort of occasionally putting in a sentence or two XD ( Slight spoilers? ) Anyway, that was a ton of fun, and that was one I made a point of watching on YouTube rather than listening to, because I wanted to watch Joanna light up with laughter, and Ed’s expression as she just kept talking over him. What an absolute delight she is XD
*
Hugo nominations are out! ( Category by category thoughts )
*
And I should take this opportunity to finally write down my Cinder House thoughts. I read it, what, during my trip to Arizona, I think, and that’s been 6 weeks.
4. Freya Marske, Cinder House – I liked it a lot! I was not super swayed when I heard the premise – I have no particular devotion to Cinderella retellings, and ghost stories aren’t really my genre, and I wasn’t sure how this premise would play to what I’ve heretofore seen of Freya’s strengths as a writer in both pro and fanfic, but it’s just a really good book. ( More, with spoilers )
*
At some point I should also catch up on another 6 months of Elis & John Radio X shows, and a ~2 months worth of current E&J and adjacent things like How Do You Cope (newly returned) and John making appearances on other podcasts to promote Thirst, but that'll need to wait. (I have preordered a signed copy of Thirst, but how I'm going to get to read it before I see
cafemassolit whose house it's being shipped to is still unclear...Tags:
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 03:39 am
one of us sends a link to this article.
And when next we meet for our regular
cocktails and conversation, we share
our amusement over bowls of mussels
steamed in wine and garlic, hunks
of fresh bread on the side. At last,
recognition that women who know what
they want aren't fanged or intimidating.
One of us says casually, between bites—
We don't really want to train anyone
how to be emotionally mature, or have
to explain what we want, period. And so,
if they've finally learned what we know,
well and good. We want companionship,
a voice responding in conversation not
in grunts but thoughtfully. Someone
who doesn't assume we'll naturally
remember birthdays, call plumbers, doctors
or teachers, absorb every emergency like
a sponge. Perhaps it's true that someone
younger might now be wise enough to know
they have their own growing up to do.
Though some of us are close to retirement
and a few have actually crossed that line,
we are not old-old, which is important.
We're not afraid of being fully ourselves.
Tired of following protocol for its sake,
we'e arrived at our certainties,
embrace our desire, enjoy the view.