Post and Jam: Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto (1982)
Mar. 28th, 2026 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
delphiFandom 50 #6
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, 1982 is just a good old-fashioned banger.
Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, 1982 is just a good old-fashioned banger.
Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto
Farmer's Market -- 28 March 2026 (Daffodil Day, 8th of Germination, Year 234)
Mar. 28th, 2026 01:54 pmneotomaRamps! A loaf of whole wheat bread, dark chocolate walnut cookies, locally grown popcorn, Lucy Glo apples, frozen garlic pork soup dumplings, frozen lamb & scallion dumplings, masaco empanadas, chorizo & egg empanada, vegan vanilla donut, vegan guava donut, six macarons, and apple schitz.
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga; this is a prayer of resistance.
Mar. 28th, 2026 12:45 amtwistedchickThis is a prayer for Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for the magic of chicken feet, the heat of old hates, the way old bones hurt. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for hat knitters, sign-carriers, Congress-callers. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for casserole-bakers, newsletter-writers, nuisances. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for phone-bankers, neighborhood-canvassers, early-voters. Old women make up the Resistance.
When the Moon is full, I call to Her.
I bring coals for Her oven. I bring flour, to cover Her tracks. I bring paprika salve for Her old, sore joints.
I bring a list of complicit women. I bring a doll poked with pins and bound with vines. I bring a bottle of ancient anger.
“Come, Baba Yaga,” I say. “Come find me alone in the woods.”
She comes as she always comes: after a long, scary wait.
She comes as she always comes: riding a mortar, a mop handle, a big, black bird.
She comes as she always comes: hungry, grumpy, alone.
“Old One,” I cry, “We are deep in the darkness. We stand on the front lines, but we are afraid.”
Old One,” I say, “We are tired, our legs get shaky, our fingers are sore.”
“Old One,” I whisper, “It seems to us as if we have worked all our lives and only gone backwards.”
“Oh, shut up,” Baba Yaga says, grabbing all the cookies and putting them into her bag. “Give me those for my cat,” She demands, pointing to liver mousse, sausages, cheese.
She pulls down the skin below my eyes. “Not enough yogurt,” She decides.
“Oh,” She says, turning her chicken hut around and going way past the speed limit, “You’ll be fine. I saw it in some tea leaves. This all works out in the end.”
“Build you a fence made of bones,” She says. “Write this on your wrist: ‘By my mother’s blessing.’”
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for women in sneakers. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for one more phone call. This is a prayer for Resistance.
-- by Hecate Demeter
* * *
She did not write one for Ostara, but I found this one, from near the same time of the year a few years ago, and I think it's suitable on the eve of NO KINGS.
This is a prayer for the magic of chicken feet, the heat of old hates, the way old bones hurt. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for hat knitters, sign-carriers, Congress-callers. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for casserole-bakers, newsletter-writers, nuisances. Old women make up the Resistance.
This is a prayer for phone-bankers, neighborhood-canvassers, early-voters. Old women make up the Resistance.
When the Moon is full, I call to Her.
I bring coals for Her oven. I bring flour, to cover Her tracks. I bring paprika salve for Her old, sore joints.
I bring a list of complicit women. I bring a doll poked with pins and bound with vines. I bring a bottle of ancient anger.
“Come, Baba Yaga,” I say. “Come find me alone in the woods.”
She comes as she always comes: after a long, scary wait.
She comes as she always comes: riding a mortar, a mop handle, a big, black bird.
She comes as she always comes: hungry, grumpy, alone.
“Old One,” I cry, “We are deep in the darkness. We stand on the front lines, but we are afraid.”
Old One,” I say, “We are tired, our legs get shaky, our fingers are sore.”
“Old One,” I whisper, “It seems to us as if we have worked all our lives and only gone backwards.”
“Oh, shut up,” Baba Yaga says, grabbing all the cookies and putting them into her bag. “Give me those for my cat,” She demands, pointing to liver mousse, sausages, cheese.
She pulls down the skin below my eyes. “Not enough yogurt,” She decides.
“Oh,” She says, turning her chicken hut around and going way past the speed limit, “You’ll be fine. I saw it in some tea leaves. This all works out in the end.”
“Build you a fence made of bones,” She says. “Write this on your wrist: ‘By my mother’s blessing.’”
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for women in sneakers. This is a prayer for Resistance.
This is a prayer for one more phone call. This is a prayer for Resistance.
-- by Hecate Demeter
* * *
She did not write one for Ostara, but I found this one, from near the same time of the year a few years ago, and I think it's suitable on the eve of NO KINGS.
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate (2023)
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:56 ampauraqueBack in 2008 the creators of Homestar Runner released a short escape-the-room Flash game starring Strong Bad's nebulously-defined private eye/crooked cop alter ego, Dangeresque. I played it, it was fun. Then in 2023 they revamped the original game and re-released it with two brand new episodes, so of course I bought that, and it sat in my Steam library for a year. Then they threw in a free DLC that added another episode, and it sat in my Steam library for two more years.
But this year I'm going to get my Steam backlog under control. This time for really real.
The first episode has Dangeresque trapped in his office until he can "solve" a cold case (i.e. fabricate evidence out of whatever's lying around). I think it's pretty close to the original Flash game, though I haven't played that in 18 years, so who knows. In the second episode, Dangeresque flees the scene but runs into car trouble (i.e. a bomb under the hood that he has to defuse). The trilogy wraps up with Dangeresque forced into an alliance with his gangster nemesis Perducci, whose other enemies are plotting to bump him off. Once you've beaten the three main episodes, you unlock the fourth, this time starring Homestar's alter ego Dangeresque Too as villanous goons have him trapped in an elevator. All told, it's about three hours of gameplay.
If you like Homestar Runner and you like point-and-click adventure games, you will like this. I do, and I did. The writing is funny, the puzzles are absurdist but fair, and if you blow yourself up the game just puts you right back where you were before you did the dumb thing you did. I would play ten more of these if they made them, though I can't guarantee I would play them within a punctual timeframe.
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate is on Steam for $7.99 USD, and includes the free DLC.
But this year I'm going to get my Steam backlog under control. This time for really real.
The first episode has Dangeresque trapped in his office until he can "solve" a cold case (i.e. fabricate evidence out of whatever's lying around). I think it's pretty close to the original Flash game, though I haven't played that in 18 years, so who knows. In the second episode, Dangeresque flees the scene but runs into car trouble (i.e. a bomb under the hood that he has to defuse). The trilogy wraps up with Dangeresque forced into an alliance with his gangster nemesis Perducci, whose other enemies are plotting to bump him off. Once you've beaten the three main episodes, you unlock the fourth, this time starring Homestar's alter ego Dangeresque Too as villanous goons have him trapped in an elevator. All told, it's about three hours of gameplay.
If you like Homestar Runner and you like point-and-click adventure games, you will like this. I do, and I did. The writing is funny, the puzzles are absurdist but fair, and if you blow yourself up the game just puts you right back where you were before you did the dumb thing you did. I would play ten more of these if they made them, though I can't guarantee I would play them within a punctual timeframe.
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate is on Steam for $7.99 USD, and includes the free DLC.
wednesday reads and things
Mar. 25th, 2026 06:27 pmisisWhat I've recently finished reading:
Cinder House by Freya Marske, which is a gothicy Cinderella retelling except that Cinderella is a ghost. For some reason I had osmosed it was f/f, which it is not, though it's not strictly het. The various analogs to the fairy tale were mostly quite charming, and the various rules of ghostness and magic as well - I enjoyed it a great deal. More of a novella than a novel.
What I've recently finished watching:
It looks like I didn't say anything after I finished Pluribus; it was...okay, interesting, some weird plot-gaps (not exactly holes, but) that had me thinking, "yes, but..." a lot.
We watched A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which was enjoyable enough, though I could have done without certain graphic disgustingness.
Bridgerton S4 was fun as usual. Sophie was delightful (another Cinderella story, hee, complete with evil stepmama!) and the resolution there surprised me a little but I liked it. I was expecting a different outcome of Francesca's story due to osmosis about the books, but I guess that will happen next season. I was completely gobsmacked to see Cressida again but as usual her terrible sartorial choices made for excellent comic relief.
Okay, this was definitely a shorter media review than usual, but I need to finish packing - we're heading out on a camper van roadtrip vacation tomorrow morning. See you all sometime in April!
Cinder House by Freya Marske, which is a gothicy Cinderella retelling except that Cinderella is a ghost. For some reason I had osmosed it was f/f, which it is not, though it's not strictly het. The various analogs to the fairy tale were mostly quite charming, and the various rules of ghostness and magic as well - I enjoyed it a great deal. More of a novella than a novel.
What I've recently finished watching:
It looks like I didn't say anything after I finished Pluribus; it was...okay, interesting, some weird plot-gaps (not exactly holes, but) that had me thinking, "yes, but..." a lot.
We watched A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which was enjoyable enough, though I could have done without certain graphic disgustingness.
Bridgerton S4 was fun as usual. Sophie was delightful (another Cinderella story, hee, complete with evil stepmama!) and the resolution there surprised me a little but I liked it. I was expecting a different outcome of Francesca's story due to osmosis about the books, but I guess that will happen next season. I was completely gobsmacked to see Cressida again but as usual her terrible sartorial choices made for excellent comic relief.
Okay, this was definitely a shorter media review than usual, but I need to finish packing - we're heading out on a camper van roadtrip vacation tomorrow morning. See you all sometime in April!
Remembrances for MinoanMiss & visiting friends
Mar. 25th, 2026 06:51 pmpetraMinoanMiss's obituary. Which I will eventually be able to read.
If you knew her and you have some cash to spare, there is a GoFundMe for burial & memorial costs.
*
I am hanging out withjackabug and teland this week, after meeting katarik and having a meal with Jack, Kat, and jadelennox after the memorial last weekend.
It is good to be on vacation.
I am mostly Not Thinking about the event this weekend, to which I was going to takeminoanmiss, because when I think about it, it makes me want to cry. On the plus side, I will have quite a few other people I know there to talk to, sing with, and hug.
If you knew her and you have some cash to spare, there is a GoFundMe for burial & memorial costs.
*
I am hanging out with
jackabug and teland this week, after meeting katarik and having a meal with Jack, Kat, and jadelennox after the memorial last weekend.It is good to be on vacation.
I am mostly Not Thinking about the event this weekend, to which I was going to take
minoanmiss, because when I think about it, it makes me want to cry. On the plus side, I will have quite a few other people I know there to talk to, sing with, and hug.Old DVD commentaries posted to AO3 today
Mar. 24th, 2026 04:49 pmpetraAshes to Ashes + DCU Crossover:
Holiday makers - Alex Drake, meet Barbara Gordon.
Avengers (2012):
Nutritious high protein - Why Steve Rogers's shirts fit the way they do. (Gen)
DCU:
A bird in the hand - Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson, the first identity porn story, Brucie Wayne/Nightwing. With Jamjar.
Also from the How to Marry a Millionaire verse, Mussels, with Bruce/Dick/Clark.
À la recherche de la honte perdue - Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson, in which Dick dresses as Marie Antoinette (just like in canon) and Bruce dresses as Louis XVI (canon!) and then they have sex (okay, that was me).
If you're on fire - Steph Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Kon-El have Adventures.
In Flagrante Delicto - Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson, co-written with Rubynye, as were the commentaries. (Yes, I do know how much it's going to suck for people to get a heads-up from her, but it's better than losing her words.)
So unlike a wife, Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson with crossdressing, Selina Kyle, and sharp edges.
DVD commentary by Petra onteland's Entelechy - Dick Grayson/Tim Drake, content some readers may find disturbing. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Good Omens:
Holy unnecessary - a snippet of the story where Crowley wakes up with a penis (no interpersonal sexual contact)
Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes:
Ease my worried mind - Take Clothes Off As Directed (Dom/sub roles as socially normative/constructed), Sam/Gene, Sam/Annie.
L'appel du vide - Several stories deep into a series of Gene Hunt/Alex Drake/Sam Tyler/Annie Cartwright. With thatyourefuse.
Star Wars:
The letter and not the spirit - Obi-Wan/Anakin, a snippet of the story, involves cuddling
Holiday makers - Alex Drake, meet Barbara Gordon.
Avengers (2012):
Nutritious high protein - Why Steve Rogers's shirts fit the way they do. (Gen)
DCU:
A bird in the hand - Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson, the first identity porn story, Brucie Wayne/Nightwing. With Jamjar.
Also from the How to Marry a Millionaire verse, Mussels, with Bruce/Dick/Clark.
À la recherche de la honte perdue - Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson, in which Dick dresses as Marie Antoinette (just like in canon) and Bruce dresses as Louis XVI (canon!) and then they have sex (okay, that was me).
If you're on fire - Steph Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Kon-El have Adventures.
In Flagrante Delicto - Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson, co-written with Rubynye, as were the commentaries. (Yes, I do know how much it's going to suck for people to get a heads-up from her, but it's better than losing her words.)
So unlike a wife, Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson with crossdressing, Selina Kyle, and sharp edges.
DVD commentary by Petra on
teland's Entelechy - Dick Grayson/Tim Drake, content some readers may find disturbing. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3Good Omens:
Holy unnecessary - a snippet of the story where Crowley wakes up with a penis (no interpersonal sexual contact)
Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes:
Ease my worried mind - Take Clothes Off As Directed (Dom/sub roles as socially normative/constructed), Sam/Gene, Sam/Annie.
L'appel du vide - Several stories deep into a series of Gene Hunt/Alex Drake/Sam Tyler/Annie Cartwright. With thatyourefuse.
Star Wars:
The letter and not the spirit - Obi-Wan/Anakin, a snippet of the story, involves cuddling
The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories, ed. andré m. carrington (2025) [part 4]
Mar. 24th, 2026 04:27 pmpauraqueThis is part four of my book club notes on The Black Fantastic. [Part 1, part 2, part 3.]
"The Final Flight of the Unicorn Girl" by Alex Smith (2018)
( Superheroes are co-opted into the system as tools of oppression, and younger superpowered people fight back. )
"Calendar Girls" by Justina Ireland (2019)
( In a misogynist dystopia, an illegal contraceptive dealer... well, it's hard to summarize. )
"Shape-ups at Delilah's" by Rion Amilcar Scott (2019)
( A curse causes all barbers to lose their hair-cutting abilities, except for one woman. )
"Habibi" by Tochi Onyebuchi (2020)
( Two young men in solitary confinement, one in California and one in Gaza, forge a magical connection. )
"The Final Flight of the Unicorn Girl" by Alex Smith (2018)
( Superheroes are co-opted into the system as tools of oppression, and younger superpowered people fight back. )
"Calendar Girls" by Justina Ireland (2019)
( In a misogynist dystopia, an illegal contraceptive dealer... well, it's hard to summarize. )
"Shape-ups at Delilah's" by Rion Amilcar Scott (2019)
( A curse causes all barbers to lose their hair-cutting abilities, except for one woman. )
"Habibi" by Tochi Onyebuchi (2020)
( Two young men in solitary confinement, one in California and one in Gaza, forge a magical connection. )
Tags:
- book club,
- books,
- books: author: alex smith,
- books: author: justina ireland,
- books: author: rion amilcar scott,
- books: author: tochi onyebuchi,
- books: editor: andré m. carrington,
- books: genre: fantasy,
- books: genre: speculative fiction,
- books: theme: dystopia,
- books: theme: magic,
- books: theme: queer,
- books: type: short stories,
- books: year: 2018,
- books: year: 2019,
- books: year: 2020,
- books: year: 2025
Love for a dollar - Singin' in the Rain OT3 fluff for Katarik
Mar. 24th, 2026 01:05 ampetraLove for a dollar (1167 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Selden
Characters: Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown, Kathy Selden
Additional Tags: Gift Fic, Domestic Disputes, Domestic Fluff, Polyamory Negotiations, Happy Ending
Summary:
( Read more... )
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Selden
Characters: Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown, Kathy Selden
Additional Tags: Gift Fic, Domestic Disputes, Domestic Fluff, Polyamory Negotiations, Happy Ending
Summary:
When R. F. recognizes Cosmo's genius and gives him a raise, he wants to pay rent. Don and Kathy have opinions about this.
( Read more... )
but it's my destiny to be the king of fail
Mar. 23rd, 2026 03:09 pmjadelennoxAfter Ny's memorial I felt like a complete awkward pony; I talked myself down from an anxiety spiral with the very jadelennox-branded pep talk of, basically, "Stop being so damn full of yourself, kid, literally nobody is going to notice or remember how bad you were at personing in a room full of grieving people in shock, many of whom primarily know each other online. Nobody was looking at you."
Anyway I have heard from three different people, one of whom I see in person regularly, that I either didn't see them at all when they tried to talk to me, or I saw them and talked to them like they were strangers.
Honestly I think this is an achievement. Being so Not At My Best I was noticeably out of it even in a room full of people Not At Their Best. Awkward pony gold star!
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (1993/2016)
Mar. 22nd, 2026 10:09 ampauraqueThis sequel to Maniac Mansion picks up the story five years later, when one of Dr. Fred's tentacle monster creations accidentally drinks toxic sludge that gives him super intelligence and an unquenchable thirst to take over the world. This brings Bernard (the nerdy kid from the first game) back to the mansion, this time with his college roommates Hoagie (a laid-back metalhead) and Laverne (an endearingly nutty medical student). Dr. Fred tries to send the trio back in time to prevent the catastrophe, but Hoagie ends up 200 years in the past with no electricity to power his time pod, and Laverne ends up 200 years in the future when tentacles reign and keep humans as their pets. As the player you control all three protagonists and guide them to ensure that the terrible, eponymous Day of the Tentacle never dawns.
This was one of my favorite games as a kid, but I hadn't played it since the remastered re-release came out, ten years ago today. When I was looking into it I noticed that it happens to be the #1 rated DOS title on MobyGames. Is this actually the best DOS game of all time? Let us investigate!
( Read more... )
Day of the Tentacle Remastered is available on various platforms for $14.99 USD, and on Steam it's currently on sale for $2.99 USD, so if you never got around to it, now's the time!
This was one of my favorite games as a kid, but I hadn't played it since the remastered re-release came out, ten years ago today. When I was looking into it I noticed that it happens to be the #1 rated DOS title on MobyGames. Is this actually the best DOS game of all time? Let us investigate!
( Read more... )
Day of the Tentacle Remastered is available on various platforms for $14.99 USD, and on Steam it's currently on sale for $2.99 USD, so if you never got around to it, now's the time!
Recommendation - Quartetto, due South story by sixthlight
Mar. 21st, 2026 06:04 pmpetraQuartetto (146039 words) by Sixthlight
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: due South
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski/Stella Kowalski/Ray Vecchio, Stella Kowalski/Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Kowalski/Stella Kowalski, Benton Fraser & Stella Kowalski, Ray Kowalski & Ray Vecchio
Characters: Stella Kowalski (due South), Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski
Additional Tags: Polyamory, Slow Burn, Trauma Recovery, Queer Themes, Feminist Themes, Bisexuality, Female Protagonist, Second Chances, Post-Canon, Roman fleuve, Foursome - F/M/M/M
Summary:
This story digs deep into the situation implied in the phrase, "I swing both Rays," in that Stella always has, and so does Fraser. Eventually, after some lovely family tension and gloriously due South coincidences, they find their way to a dynamic sort of domestic peace, in defiance of all the canon's fear of limerence.
This was very, very good for my heart, with its rampant bisexuality and careful, thoughtful exploration of how these characters -- some of whom have solid reasons at the outset not to like each other very much -- find attraction, and joy, and above all banter. The banter is fucking golden. I love Fraser's voice, and this reflects it; I love RayK when he's flustered, and there is plenty to fluster him here; I love Vecchio when he is sharp and sweet and sardonic, and oh my heart.
And. Possibly most importantly, Stella. I have never spent much time thinking about her, but how I adore her in this piece: incisive, driven, sure of herself even when things are going completely bananas all around her, because women are the real straight men in due South, except when they're Frannie. (Who is also great here, don't get me wrong.) Stella's family works very well in their role in the narrative, both as foils of what her parents will tolerate (Francis!) and as what they thought Stella should be (ah, Jean, heartbreaking to get everything right). Stella with her view of reality that isn't quite the parareality of due South -- she may talk to Dief, but she doesn't entirely believe he understands her, nor that he talks back, despite the convictions of the people around her. She lives on a different wavelength than Fraser, and even RayV, as the quintessential Woman Who Got Away, but it is deeply satisfying that here, she doesn't get away, and instead, she gets everything she ever wanted.
Every single bowling reference made me make the :D face. Thank you, sixthlight, for saving Stella and Vecchio from the bad, bad canon, and instead delivering them to this much better situation.
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: due South
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski/Stella Kowalski/Ray Vecchio, Stella Kowalski/Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Kowalski/Stella Kowalski, Benton Fraser & Stella Kowalski, Ray Kowalski & Ray Vecchio
Characters: Stella Kowalski (due South), Ray Vecchio, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski
Additional Tags: Polyamory, Slow Burn, Trauma Recovery, Queer Themes, Feminist Themes, Bisexuality, Female Protagonist, Second Chances, Post-Canon, Roman fleuve, Foursome - F/M/M/M
Summary:
So, men. Maybe Stella was over that.
*This story digs deep into the situation implied in the phrase, "I swing both Rays," in that Stella always has, and so does Fraser. Eventually, after some lovely family tension and gloriously due South coincidences, they find their way to a dynamic sort of domestic peace, in defiance of all the canon's fear of limerence.
This was very, very good for my heart, with its rampant bisexuality and careful, thoughtful exploration of how these characters -- some of whom have solid reasons at the outset not to like each other very much -- find attraction, and joy, and above all banter. The banter is fucking golden. I love Fraser's voice, and this reflects it; I love RayK when he's flustered, and there is plenty to fluster him here; I love Vecchio when he is sharp and sweet and sardonic, and oh my heart.
And. Possibly most importantly, Stella. I have never spent much time thinking about her, but how I adore her in this piece: incisive, driven, sure of herself even when things are going completely bananas all around her, because women are the real straight men in due South, except when they're Frannie. (Who is also great here, don't get me wrong.) Stella's family works very well in their role in the narrative, both as foils of what her parents will tolerate (Francis!) and as what they thought Stella should be (ah, Jean, heartbreaking to get everything right). Stella with her view of reality that isn't quite the parareality of due South -- she may talk to Dief, but she doesn't entirely believe he understands her, nor that he talks back, despite the convictions of the people around her. She lives on a different wavelength than Fraser, and even RayV, as the quintessential Woman Who Got Away, but it is deeply satisfying that here, she doesn't get away, and instead, she gets everything she ever wanted.
Every single bowling reference made me make the :D face. Thank you, sixthlight, for saving Stella and Vecchio from the bad, bad canon, and instead delivering them to this much better situation.
yes we've had one, but what about second winter?
Mar. 21st, 2026 10:14 ampauraqueThe other week we had a bunch of above-freezing days and made quite a bit of headway in melting the snow. There were even places where you could see the ground! At one point I was out walking and I wasn't even wearing a coat, and some guy walking past me who was certainly old enough to know better opened his arms expansively and announced in glee, "It's finally here!!" I just smiled and didn't disillusion him.
Shortly afterward, the temperatures plummeted back down to the teens Fahrenheit (single digits below zero C) and stayed there, and yesterday we got several inches of snow, so the ground is well covered again.
The birds, however, are certainly aware that winter will end eventually, and are continuing their preparations. The year-round residents are doing more singing and less quiet foraging, and the early migrators are starting to roll in. I've heard flocks of Canada Geese honking over the neighborhood and seen Turkey Vultures wheeling and teetering through the sky. (In the dead of winter we only see Black Vultures, which can find carrion by sight; Turkey Vultures need to smell it, so below-freezing temperatures are a problem for them.) Walking around town I saw the Common Grackles are back, and I heard the year's first Red-winged Blackbird call from the muddy fields near the grocery store. I spotted a Song Sparrow quietly hanging out with our usual Dark-eyed Junco group in the yard (looking a bit underdressed in his casual stripes next to the juncos' tuxedos), and the next day he was singing.
A lot of people associate American Robins with spring, but not all individuals migrate. Even in the coldest part of the winter I still see them occasionally out in the woods. But the ones who do migrate are definitely on their way in, and before it started snowing again there were even enough open lawns in the neighborhood for them to forage there. I always find it funny how they spread out equally spaced when they forage, almost in a grid.
Since my last bird update I also added Pine Siskin and European Starling to my year list. They've been around, I just hadn't seen them since New Year. Pine Siskins should actually be heading out soon, as they breed further north, in Canada. I love their buzzy little upward zipper call.
So that's 46 birds for my 2026 list so far. Soon the main migration wave will hit and it'll fill up faster!
Shortly afterward, the temperatures plummeted back down to the teens Fahrenheit (single digits below zero C) and stayed there, and yesterday we got several inches of snow, so the ground is well covered again.
The birds, however, are certainly aware that winter will end eventually, and are continuing their preparations. The year-round residents are doing more singing and less quiet foraging, and the early migrators are starting to roll in. I've heard flocks of Canada Geese honking over the neighborhood and seen Turkey Vultures wheeling and teetering through the sky. (In the dead of winter we only see Black Vultures, which can find carrion by sight; Turkey Vultures need to smell it, so below-freezing temperatures are a problem for them.) Walking around town I saw the Common Grackles are back, and I heard the year's first Red-winged Blackbird call from the muddy fields near the grocery store. I spotted a Song Sparrow quietly hanging out with our usual Dark-eyed Junco group in the yard (looking a bit underdressed in his casual stripes next to the juncos' tuxedos), and the next day he was singing.
A lot of people associate American Robins with spring, but not all individuals migrate. Even in the coldest part of the winter I still see them occasionally out in the woods. But the ones who do migrate are definitely on their way in, and before it started snowing again there were even enough open lawns in the neighborhood for them to forage there. I always find it funny how they spread out equally spaced when they forage, almost in a grid.
Since my last bird update I also added Pine Siskin and European Starling to my year list. They've been around, I just hadn't seen them since New Year. Pine Siskins should actually be heading out soon, as they breed further north, in Canada. I love their buzzy little upward zipper call.
So that's 46 birds for my 2026 list so far. Soon the main migration wave will hit and it'll fill up faster!
What's Making Me Happy Today: Sew into You (2025)
Mar. 20th, 2026 05:08 pmdelphiContinuing the queer short film recs, thanks to muscle_wizard sharing this one in my last post:
An older woman with a crush on someone in her circle approaches her younger co-worker for advice on how to ask out another woman for the first time. This really got me—charming and moving at the same time.
muscle_wizard sharing this one in my last post:An older woman with a crush on someone in her circle approaches her younger co-worker for advice on how to ask out another woman for the first time. This really got me—charming and moving at the same time.
Recommendation: nothing and everything - Hamlets vid
Mar. 20th, 2026 07:41 pmpetra[VID] nothing and everything (0 words) by hartknyx
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hamlet - Shakespeare
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Characters: Hamlet (Hamlet)
Additional Tags: Good Friend Horatio (Hamlet), Canon-Typical Violence, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Health Issues, Lighter than it sounds, emo kid hamlet
Summary:
Hamlet + Green Day = FUCKING INSPIRED. I howled with laughter at the song choice before clicking, and the vid lives up to it.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hamlet - Shakespeare
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Characters: Hamlet (Hamlet)
Additional Tags: Good Friend Horatio (Hamlet), Canon-Typical Violence, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Health Issues, Lighter than it sounds, emo kid hamlet
Summary:
do you have the time to listen to me whine?
*Hamlet + Green Day = FUCKING INSPIRED. I howled with laughter at the song choice before clicking, and the vid lives up to it.
Our Land Was a Forest: An Ainu Memoir by Kayano Shigeru (1980)
Mar. 20th, 2026 01:15 pmpauraqueThe Ainu are an indigenous people native to northern Japan and nearby parts of Russia. Kayano Shigeru (1926-2006) was a leading activist for Ainu rights in Japan, and eventually became the first Ainu member of the Japanese legislature. But his career in the Diet came after the publication of this book, which mixes memoir, history, and ethnography.
Kayano relates what he knows of his people's oppression in the 19th century, when the Japanese government pushed many Ainu groups onto marginal land and conscripted people for forced labor at minimal pay. This leads into his own childhood, when his family's generational poverty was exacerbated by his father's alcoholism. As a young man Kayano came to feel ashamed of being Ainu, culminating in a demeaning job at an Ainu-themed attraction, performing sacred dances five times a day for gawking tourists.
But the tourists' ignorant questions sparked Kayano's realization that there should be a real Ainu museum curated by actual Ainu people and fostering respect for their culture. He was inspired to travel the Ainu lands collecting one traditional tool or piece of clothing at a time (and always paying the people who made them) and eventually succeeded in opening the museum and renewing his own sense of pride in his heritage.
This short book highlights important issues, but I have to be honest—I found the presentation pretty dry. Maybe it's partly the translation? I also noticed that Ainu women weren't given much attention; Kayano has a wife, but her only character trait shown in the book is "supportive of her husband". But I'd say the book is still a good resource on a significant figure in global indigenous rights.
(As an aside: This book was on my TBR list for at least 15 years. This year I'm really trying to either read some of the long-time lingerers or admit I'm not going to read them, so having read this is a great success for me!)
Kayano relates what he knows of his people's oppression in the 19th century, when the Japanese government pushed many Ainu groups onto marginal land and conscripted people for forced labor at minimal pay. This leads into his own childhood, when his family's generational poverty was exacerbated by his father's alcoholism. As a young man Kayano came to feel ashamed of being Ainu, culminating in a demeaning job at an Ainu-themed attraction, performing sacred dances five times a day for gawking tourists.
But the tourists' ignorant questions sparked Kayano's realization that there should be a real Ainu museum curated by actual Ainu people and fostering respect for their culture. He was inspired to travel the Ainu lands collecting one traditional tool or piece of clothing at a time (and always paying the people who made them) and eventually succeeded in opening the museum and renewing his own sense of pride in his heritage.
This short book highlights important issues, but I have to be honest—I found the presentation pretty dry. Maybe it's partly the translation? I also noticed that Ainu women weren't given much attention; Kayano has a wife, but her only character trait shown in the book is "supportive of her husband". But I'd say the book is still a good resource on a significant figure in global indigenous rights.
(As an aside: This book was on my TBR list for at least 15 years. This year I'm really trying to either read some of the long-time lingerers or admit I'm not going to read them, so having read this is a great success for me!)
I have not managed to return to this regularly
Mar. 20th, 2026 03:59 pmsamiI'm still just so tired.
Today is my son's second birthday, which does not feel real or plausible. Also feeling implausible: his brilliance. In the last few weeks his language skills have been improving by leaps and bounds, with new turns of phrase and complexities of language use seemingly daily.
As I type this he and his father are playing with Duplo and he's giving complex descriptions of his plans and instructions to Daddy. He's really good at assembling Duplo now.
The latest thing he's been determined to learn is the months of the year.
Some of his descriptions are fascinating, because his vocabulary is obviously a little limited and he hasn't yet fully internalised the rules of adjective order in English. So we get "that long big bit" and he has two small balls that are, very specifically, "little ball" and "cricket little ball".
He has an amazing imagination. Earlier today he explained that the little holes on the hips of the Duplo people are their pockets. He loves pretending to play cricket, and sometimes this involves his foam cricket bat and a ball and sometimes this involves him swinging his cricket bat to hit pretend balls and sometimes it involves him using another object (could be anything) as a pretend cricket bat to hit pretend balls.
He's learning manners. He says hello and goodbye (including to inanimate objects). Asking for things politely often takes the form of: "Please may I have [thing] pleeeease?"
"Thank you" is now comprehensible to people who aren't us, even, because at first we'd prompt him to say thank you and he'd say "inkyee" and we had to tell people that was thank you, because Toddler, words are hard.
He's still amazing and wonderful in every way.
Today is my son's second birthday, which does not feel real or plausible. Also feeling implausible: his brilliance. In the last few weeks his language skills have been improving by leaps and bounds, with new turns of phrase and complexities of language use seemingly daily.
As I type this he and his father are playing with Duplo and he's giving complex descriptions of his plans and instructions to Daddy. He's really good at assembling Duplo now.
The latest thing he's been determined to learn is the months of the year.
Some of his descriptions are fascinating, because his vocabulary is obviously a little limited and he hasn't yet fully internalised the rules of adjective order in English. So we get "that long big bit" and he has two small balls that are, very specifically, "little ball" and "cricket little ball".
He has an amazing imagination. Earlier today he explained that the little holes on the hips of the Duplo people are their pockets. He loves pretending to play cricket, and sometimes this involves his foam cricket bat and a ball and sometimes this involves him swinging his cricket bat to hit pretend balls and sometimes it involves him using another object (could be anything) as a pretend cricket bat to hit pretend balls.
He's learning manners. He says hello and goodbye (including to inanimate objects). Asking for things politely often takes the form of: "Please may I have [thing] pleeeease?"
"Thank you" is now comprehensible to people who aren't us, even, because at first we'd prompt him to say thank you and he'd say "inkyee" and we had to tell people that was thank you, because Toddler, words are hard.
He's still amazing and wonderful in every way.