Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 12:07 am
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer  is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "Recovering from Setbacks."  Leave prompts, get ficlets!
Monday, April 20th, 2026 10:41 pm
Amy and I managed to head toward home starting at about 7 AM ET this morning. It looks like someone didn't show up for their shift at American customs at Sarnia, because there was only one lane open for cars and traffic backed up for over an hour. But they opened a second lane just as we were getting near the front, so we used that and got through customs and to a friendly gas station with a rest room. :)

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, the conversation was good, and we were able to drop Amy off to catch a bus home. I've been catching up with Gretchen this evening following the approximately 13 hour trip.

I am really tired. I will probably say more about the con later, but right now, I am going to go unpack...
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Monday, April 20th, 2026 11:31 pm
Here are the entries for this week's challenge:

List of entries )

In order to vote, please reply to this post using the form provided. All comments are screened, and entries are listed in the order they were submitted. For your vote to qualify, you must fill out your entire voting card (all three spots) in order to be counted. First place votes are worth 3 points, second place votes are worth 2 points, and third place votes are worth 1 point. Meeting the bonus goal on an entry gets an extra point for that submission.

When voting, please copy/paste the ENTRY NUMBER and the FIC TITLE from the list above into the spot you're voting for (this prevents accidentally mis-numbering a vote and casting it for the wrong entry). It should look like this:

First Place: 61. Fic Title Here
Second Place: 88. Another Fic Title
Third Place: 47. Finally a third fic title goes here

Please note that you cannot vote for your own entry, and that votes cannot be made anonymously. You do not have to be a member of the community in order to vote, nor have submitted an entry for this week; everyone is welcome to participate in the voting. IP addresses are logged to prevent duplicate voting.



Voting closes Wednesday, April 22, at 9:00PM EST.
Monday, April 20th, 2026 10:59 pm
So as I mentioned my majors (the pre professional crew, not my nurses) BEGGED me to move the exam today because they weren't ready. Well the two who would have had an A last week got them. The other five scored so badly they should explain to me how they could do this badly on cardiovascular, literally the easiest thing we do this semester. This is a year where I could easily pass just two students. There really isn't an excuse for this but this is also what happens when several of them are part time students at best between choices they make and the sports they play. My empathy is running dry here.

At least there was water aerobics and I love that. I've decided even if we don't pay for this in fall I will do this on my own. Hell I will lead our little group if need be. We can trade off. This is good for us.

Today my hard copy of the last anthology I'm in arrived unexpectedly today. I'm thrilled Myths Reborn: Modern Tales of Cryptids & Dark Folklore check it out. I love the cover


Called the Cleveland Clinic because they're blowing up my phone to get my gastric paresis appointment. I get them and they go oh...you're still in the entrance process. We're not ready to give you an appointment. So why the fuck won't you stop texting me?!? They'll call me when it's time to make an appointment.


It's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is # 22 a song that describes you, Share my friends, share



this is hard )





here's the whole prompt list

All under here )
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Monday, April 20th, 2026 11:22 pm
Read Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed, a graphic novel in translation from Arabic, set in a world where wishes are real, and regulated, commodities, but most people can only afford sketchy third-class wishes; in Cairo, Egypt, a small neighborhood kiosk with three genuine, first-class wishes for sale changes three lives - a recent widow barely scraping by; a wealthy student struggling with depression; and the kiosk's owner - for better or worse. Clever world-building, with interludes between the three volumes/chapters(?) in the form of world-building infographics and an eye to the way inequality could/would still exist in a world where, theoretically, anyone could wish themselves rich, to solve world hunger or for world peace, etc. (The short answer is who has access to wishes as a resource, on both an individual level and, e.g., which countries have the raw resources vs. the corporate headquarters, a la the history of extractive colonialism.)

Read Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, a contemporary Japanese novel about a budding friendship between two socially isolated thirty-year-old women - an office worker and a homemaker blogger - that quickly grows toxic; picked this up at [personal profile] osprey_archer's recommendation. From the description, it seems like the plot should be "Misery, but about a parasocial relationship with a social media personality," and might have been more satisfying if it was, but actually I found it most interesting when the two women's storylines ran in parallel, exploring themes of, like... to what extent is any given interaction with someone else a matter of performing the version of yourself that they expect...? And, like, the extent to which other people can have such different worldviews - not even in a political or religious sense, but just, a way of approaching things - that when trying to interact they both just end up baffled. (Speaking of which, I did find the recurring, and perhaps overall, theme of Gendered Expectations in Friendships utterly baffling myself— I think it is to some extent reflective of a cultural difference, but I have definitely encountered the American version of this online in terms of, like, she's a girl's girl! or POV your boyfriend's pick-me girl friend and it always makes me feel like a space alien.) ANYWAY. Shades of Ottessa Moshfegh and Halle Butler, which is to say I found this deeply off-putting but couldn't put it down. ... )

It is officially LIBRARY USED BOOK SALE SEASON; I acquired a box set of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series from the one I went to last weekend, so I guess I will finally get around to reading that. As 2025 was the Year of Twelfth Night, 2026 really is shaking out to be the Year of As You Like It, because I also stumbled across and acquired a copy of Rosalind: Shakespeare's Immortal Heroine by Angela Thirlwell, a self-described "biography" of the character through interviews with actors, directors, etc.
Monday, April 20th, 2026 08:52 pm

  • A Rome of One's Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire by Emma Southon (2023): Did not finish, through no active fault of the book's own. The author does her absolute best to present a whole lot of misogyny with humor and clarity, but it does not hide the fact that this is all a lot of misogyny being presented. I skipped around, read a few chapters, and just couldn't stomach it. But what I read of it was good!


  • The Lady With the Gun Asks the Questions: The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Story Collection by Kerry Greenwood (2022): Did not finish. These are short stories, some very short. It poses an interesting question to the reader of what, precisely, makes a mystery/detective book. Should we see the process of the mystery being solved? Should we be able to solve the mystery? Do we need interiority in the solving process? This book has none of that! The stories are stories, very short, as we watch Phryne Fisher encounter a crime/confusing event (I hesitate to even call them mysteries) and then relay the solution, with a minimal amount of detectiving. Some stories have more than others. Some are just essentially lists of events. The short stories are not bad, in of themselves. And not all of them are murder mysteries! They are, however, not at all what I want in my quest for "can I please have a mystery book that isn't a murder mystery".


  • The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (2025): I have gotten this out from the library twice and had to return it before getting more than a chapter or two into it. I may have to accept the fact that I don't find it very interesting or gripping. But maybe... maybe the third time out from the library... I'll actually read it.


  • The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson (2023): DNF. Speaking of acceptance of my literary tastes, I likely must also accept the fact that I don't find Brandon Sanderson books entertaining to read. I read some of it. I flipped to the end, and the ending part did not clearly follow at all from the beginning, so I am certain many many things happened in the meanwhile to get from point A to point B. However, I don't really care. I guess I was hoping for something more like the Tough Guide To Fantasyland or Discworld or something, you know... funny, based on the title. It's a shame because this is, iirc, the third Sanderson I was "meh, this is boring" on, and if I could like his stuff, there would be so many books for me to read.


  • Strange Houses by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion (2025): I finished a book! I liked it! This is a "murder mystery" book told via The Author getting interested in a floor plan, talking to someone who is convinced it means the house was being used to murder people, then a bunch of interviews/discussions with people about floor plans of multiple houses and if the floor plans mean that the house must have been used to murder people. This started off as a really convoluted, very "why would they go to all that effort of hiding a child's existence" and then swerved into fantastic "wait so what actually happened" territory, including how much do you trust various sources and various documentary evidence, and ends with a great highlight on "yeah we don't actually know how much of what was presented here is true and what was fabricated and if so by whom and when". There's this hanging plot hole that the epilogue sort of jumps on top of as well, to wit: Read more... )

    This book is pretty short, which is contributed to by when it refers back to a floor plan, it shows that part of the floor plan, which makes it really easy to follow along but also, frankly, pads the page count. Quick, zippy read, more of a puzzle-that-never-gets-solved book than a murder mystery.


Monday, April 20th, 2026 09:30 pm

PROFILE GENERATOR

Click here for links to the generator

The Profile Generator lets you build a full RP profile layout with themed presets, manual colour controls, curated font pairings, image layouts ranging from a single image to multi-image grids, and a mix of fixed info blocks plus collapsible sections for longer content. You can fill in basics, quotes, tags, mini info modules, and dropdown sections for things like history, headcanons, personality, trivia, or whatever else your character has accumulated after refusing to stay simple.

It has: a live preview that updates as you edit, a separate browser preview for checking the finished result on its own, dark mode for when your eyes are tired, and an A11y mode when you want a clearer, higher-contrast editing interface. When you are finished, use Copy Code and paste the generated HTML into Dreamwidth. with included( <lj-raw> wrappers) and paste it onto Dreamwidth.


Monday, April 20th, 2026 09:27 pm

 

Animated preview of ten Signal Static playlist codes

 

Signal Static · batch 01

The first ten Signal Static playlist codes, built around older media, signal graphics and retro hardware.

The set started as a playlist code for my character in Diadem, then grew into a broader run of layouts. The reference point is retro hardware, display graphics and older media formats rather than literal transit styling.

01. Amber Shift 02. After Hours 03. Silver Dial 04. Blue Current 05. Stereo Deck 06. Archive Edition 07. Pocket Glow 08. Autochanger 09. Teal Register 10. Chrome Signal

Full post with live previews and copy boxes: here.

Monday, April 20th, 2026 06:15 pm
Intro/FAQ
Days 1-15

My check-in: Received the first round of beta notes on a story (not the longfic), and accepted a number of minor edits. Beta and I will get together and talk about possible bigger revisions later tonight.

Day 20: [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] ysilme

Day 19: [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] carenejeans, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] cornerofmadness, [personal profile] dswdiane, [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] the_siobhan, [personal profile] trobadora, [personal profile] ysilme

Day 18: [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] carenejeans, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] dswdiane, [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] the_siobhan, [personal profile] trobadora, [personal profile] ysilme

More days )

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
Monday, April 20th, 2026 06:06 pm
 
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, April 20, to midnight on Tuesday, April 21. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34505 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 17

How are you doing?

I am OK.
10 (58.8%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
7 (41.2%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
7 (41.2%)

One other person.
5 (29.4%)

More than one other person.
5 (29.4%)




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.
 
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Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 11:31 am
 
Yes, Virginia, you can make buttcheeks clap.

[The LOTR illustrations by Frank Frazetta, a man who truly, from the bottom of his heart, hated pants.

Mordor needs no pants!
]

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Monday, April 20th, 2026 04:22 pm
Our new challenge is our eighty-fifth:

AMNESTY



During amnesty challenges, you can post works for any of the challenges we've had to date: Complete list of prompts )

See the Community Report for a sortable list of prompts.
Both reports have a random "Any Challenge" button, and the Creator Report also has a random "Unfilled Challenge" button.


Of course, you're always welcome to post multiple works to any challenge if you finish them before the challenge closes, but that isn't always possible. So dust off those unfinished works and half-formed ideas -- now is the time!

In amnesty rounds, include the challenge you are posting for in the subject line of your post (eg, Blanket: Heated Rivalry: Fanart: If on a winter's night).

Each work created for this challenge should be posted as a new entry to the comm. Posting starts now and continues up until the challenge ends at 4pm Pacific Time on Friday, May 1st. No sign-up required.

Mods will tag your work for fandom. When you've posted entries to three consecutive challenges, you will earn a name tag, and we'll go back and tag all your previous entries with your name.

All kinds of fanworks in all fandoms are welcome. Please have a look at our guidelines before you play. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact a mod. And if you have any suggestions for future challenges, you can leave them in the comments of this post.

You can view stats for [community profile] fan_flashworks entries and search and filter them via the Community Report and Creator Report. See our FAQ post for more details. Please let us know if you have any trouble accessing the reports.

Also, keep an eye out for the next [community profile] ffw_social post, which will go up in the next couple of days. If you haven't joined the comm yet, it's never too late to come and check it out. (Remember, posts are locked, which means you have to join to see them.)
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Monday, April 20th, 2026 06:22 pm
Topographic map reveals vast ocean on Mars three billion years ago

Across the northern lowlands, the terrain holds an unusually broad belt of flat ground far below Mars’ reference level.

Tracing that belt across the planet, Abdallah S. Zaki at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), linked it to the kind of coastal margin oceans leave behind on Earth.

Rather than preserving one sharp edge, that ancient coast seems to have survived as a wide zone built and reshaped over long stretches of time.

Monday, April 20th, 2026 05:50 pm

My favorite Apple-oriented publication celebrates 36 years and 1800 issues this month. Their well-moderated forum talk.tidbits.com provides excellent tech support for thorny issues. This week I learned about a super-cool article for us old graphic geeks:

How a poster that morphed Hokusai’s Great Wave into The Wave of the Future, showing its original woodblock changing into bitmaps then raytracing was actually created by hand, because in 1981 it would have been too expensive to do it digitally.

Monday, April 20th, 2026 06:11 pm

⌈ Secret Post #7045 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 27 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1006.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.