kaberett | Network

Note to future self, don't bother booking time off work in April if working on the house is the goal. It never seems to work out the way I want it to. (This time because of the weather.)

I did get one day that was merely damp and so the upper part of the yard is now graded and seeded.

And I discovered that at some point the rain and wind had pulled down two of the dead phone lines that cross my yard. They are now sagging from the poles and cross the yard at chest height. That means I have to deal with Bell again. Joy.

***

Lord Brock went back in for bloodwork and the numbers that concerned the vet show much improved. I never did get the urine sample because he flat-out refused to enter his litter box while it had the medical litter in it. It's basically tiny plastic beads so I can't entirely blame him, they would be slippery and uncomfortable.

So he goes back to the vet for a $60 hanging-out-until-he-pees session on top of the $30 I paid for the kit. This fucking cat. Maybe they'll reimburse me for the kit if I bring it back.

***

I think I've mentioned in here that my sister and I have been trying to gently persuade my dad's wife that it's time to move out of their house into a place with no stairs. It came up again this week because my dad climbed over the gate in front of the basement stairs and then couldn't get back up. (How he did this nobody can figure out, the man can barely walk.)

Sister found a link to a really nice condo for sale in their neighbourhood and it turns out it was in a building where they have friends. And they stayed there briefly while their bathroom was being renovated and their friends were on vacation. MIL was still hemming and hawing about it and apparently I said the magic words, "If you are worried about the work of packing and downsizing, I will come over and help." Next thing she called her realtor and two days later her offer was accepted.

So Friday Daughter and I went over and helped pack. Y'all, they have So Much stuff. There are two full-size book cases in the basement just for shoes, and that's not counting the two shoe-racks on the ground floor for the shoes they actually wear. A dresser AND a wardrobe AND two clothing racks for clothes, and that's just in the basement. There are three bedrooms on the top floor all will full closets and dressers.

Well, between the three of us we got 7 full contractor bags out of there just of stuff that has to go away. Today four more family members descended on the place to continue packing. The real estate agent wants to get the place on the market ASAP because apparently sales drop off when the weather gets good. So we've been strategizing ways to get as much stuff out of the house as possible as fast as possible, even if it means doing the actual purging at the other end. This is probably going to suck up all my free time for the next month at least.

The actual possession happens in August so fingers crossed she can keep my dad from going down the stairs bucket-first until we can get them moved.

***

Saturday Daughter and I took a taxidermy class. Not the best timing, given everything else that was going on, but I had already paid for it and I was looking forward it to it, so we went. I now have a stuffed rat in my living room. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the practice - including what I will do differently the next time I try to do any taxidermy.

***

Back to work this morning and I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Three people on my porch asked me for permission to take a picture of the front of my house - one of the women had grown up here, the second had grown up across the street, and woman #1 had met her husband when he was boarding with woman #2's family. The couple had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

I invited them in so I could show them around the house and described what it looked like when I bought it 20+ years ago. They were super sweet and told me stories about what the area was like when they lived here 65 years ago.

Hilariously, she is a big Elvis fan. (Ex housemate loved Elvis and we still have a sticker on the door.) So we also talked about Graceland.

This is the second time somebody has knocked on my door because they grew up in my house. Advantage of having a house over 100 years old I guess.

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ
Days 1-15

Would anyone like to volunteer for May? Or for half of May, if you'd like to split the month with someone! Please volunteer in the comments!

My check-in: Alibi sentence just now so I could check in for the day. (Indeed, his flesh had the gaunt and livid look of a cockfish who had ceased to take food.) More writing once I get this posted.

Day 26:

china_shop,

sanguinity,

ysilme

Day 25:

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

glinda,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 24:

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

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!

hannah

The lentil soup recipe I settled on called for three cups of lentils. I had one cup each of three kinds of lentils. The solution was exactly that simple. It didn't come out spectacular, but it came out well enough I want to try it again to see if I can get it to come out better, and not just to keep working through the lentils.

A side-effect of my TV viewing still being Rome had me looking at a giant pot of lentils that were cooking down to porridge with some vegetables and herbs and thinking, "Yeah, that looks about the same." I've got tomatoes and more spices than the Romans did back in the day, and I don't think they'd developed rapini yet, but in the ways that matter, it's about the same.

Related, in browsing the drink aisle, I found there's a company called Ancient Drinks selling modern versions of ancient drinks - not that they're saying "modern" on the label, but Rome didn't have maple syrup as an available ingredient, so I don't know what else to call it. Modern lentils, modern posca - and it's still lentils and posca.

Idly, this has me thinking of a conversation from a few weeks ago where an Italian-American related a story of drinking wine with some French people, who commented on the development of glass bottles, and he said that the French had the Italians to thank for wine and related technology. As it was Passover and we were kicking it very old school, I had to say, "Yeah, but you stole it all from the Greeks."

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: nothing now

ceitfianna

From

petra Reply to this post saying 'icon', and I will tell you my favourite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favourite icon.

This was actually really hard to pick a favorite icon but I love this one which I call 'running towards a happy ending'. I just love the hopefulness of this. It feels like where I am today as well since the day ended up warming up and being sunny, it felt like Spring for the first time in a bit.

Current Mood: good

post_punk_kitchen_feed

Posted by Isa Chandra

https://www.theppk.com/2026/04/glazed-blueberry-meyer-lemon-scones/

https://www.theppk.com/?p=14519

Makes 12 scones / Active time: 30 minutes / Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

_{Photo by VK Rees}

These vegan blueberry lemon scones are tender, buttery, bursting with juicy blueberries, and finished with a tangy Meyer lemon glaze that makes them pop.

Meyer lemon is the secret here. It’s sweeter and more floral than a regular lemon, with a slightly orange tinged flavor that pairs beautifully with the blueberries. Regular lemons work too, just brighter and tangier. The glaze is the same either way: powdered sugar, lemon juice, a touch of coconut oil and vanilla. Pourable, drizzly, sets up glossy.

I also want to put in a good word for the scone shape. Once in a while, it’s fun to go traditional with the rounded triangle. It makes you feel a little refined, like you’ve got it all together. Late with your taxes or have a run in your stockings? No problem, not when you’ve got triangular scones. But if you want to make drop scones instead, use a 1/4 cup measure and plop 12 scones onto the baking sheet.

Either way, mwah, they are amazing scones. Toasty golden brown bottoms, crumbly inside and deliciously shortbread textured on top.

Pair these with a strong cup of black tea and a reckless amount of jam, or (maybe even better) some espresso or strong coffee, and watch the day become more manageable.

These vegan scones are great for Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, midnight snack, afternoon tea or any time you could use a little tart sweetness boost.

What All Is In This Vegan Scone Recipe?

Meyer lemons. Sweeter, more floral, and slightly orange-tinged compared to regular lemons. Find them in winter and early spring at most grocery stores. If you can’t get Meyer, regular lemon works. Just expect a tarter, brighter glaze.

Vegan milk + lemon juice. Curdling the milk with lemon juice gives you a quick vegan buttermilk that helps the scones rise and tenderizes the crumb. Any thick, unsweetened nondairy milk works (soy, almond, oat).

Refined coconut oil. Refined doesn’t taste like coconut. It works the same way butter does in a traditional scone, cutting into the flour and creating those flaky pockets.

Fresh blueberries. Frozen will work in a pinch but they bleed more and your dough turns purple. Fresh holds up better and avoids purple dough syndrome.

Tips For The Best Vegan Blueberry Scones

Don’t overmix. Once the dough comes together, stop. Overmixed dough means tough scones. A few flour streaks are fine.

Fold the blueberries gently. Cut, don’t squish. A few broken berries are fine, but you don’t want a pile of mashed berries. And, again, I am going to recommend fresh blueberries, not frozen.

Drizzle warm for thin glaze, cool for thick glaze. Warm scones soak up some of the glaze and you get a thinner, glossier finish. Fully cooled scones hold the glaze on top in a thicker, bakery-style layer. Both are good. Pick your vibe.

Storage and freezing. Room temperature in an airtight container holds for 2 days. They also freeze beautifully (glaze and all) for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 300°F for 10 minutes. The glaze will melt in, you won’t mind.

Glazed Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Scones

Tender vegan blueberry scones bursting with fresh blueberries and finished with a tangy Meyer lemon glaze. Toasty bottoms, crumbly inside, shortbread on top. Perfect for brunch, tea, or any morning that you want to make a little special.

Course Baked Goods, Breakfast, Brunch

Keyword vegan blueberry scones, meyer lemon scones, vegan scones, glazed scones, brunch scones, blueberry scone recipe, easy vegan scones, dairy free scones

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 30

Servings Scones

Author Isa Chandra

Ingredients

For the scones:

1 1/4 cups unsweetened vegan milk soy, almond, or oat
1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup refined coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 heaping tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk and lemon juice. Set aside to curdle.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil in small clumps and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut it into the flour until the texture is pebble-like.
Create a well in the center and add the curdled milk mixture, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix with a wooden spoon until about half of the flour is incorporated. Fold in the blueberries and mix until all the ingredients are just moistened. Take care not to overmix.
Place a piece of parchment on the counter. Divide the dough into two blobs. Shape each blob into a disk, roughly 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut one disk in half, then cut each half into thirds, so you have 6 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the baking sheet. Repeat with the other blob.
Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and firm to the touch.
While the scones are baking, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir vigorously until a thick, smooth, pourable icing forms. If it seems too thick, add warm water by the teaspoon until the desired texture.
When the scones are done, transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly, then drizzle with the glaze while still warm. Serve immediately, or allow the glaze to set for a few minutes first. For a thicker, opaque glaze, wait until the scones are fully cool before drizzling.

The post Glazed Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Scones appeared first on Post Punk Kitchen.

https://www.theppk.com/2026/04/glazed-blueberry-meyer-lemon-scones/

https://www.theppk.com/?p=14519

oliviacirce

I really love this poem, but also, I don't know, it definitely feels like a good one for today (this week, this month, this year, this decade).

( Protest Poem )

astrogirl

I'm still a round behind on

genprompt_bingo (although, showing some sense for once in my life, I didn't actually sign up for the current round knowing I hadn't even started on the previous one). But here I am making a start, at least! With some kind of structurally weird... something.

Title: Mind and Matter, Skin and Stone
Fandom: Gravity Falls
Characters/Relationships: Bill Cipher/Ford Pines
Rating/Warnings: Rated teen for some non-explicit sexual content.
Tags: Second and third person, non-linear narrative, experimental structure, Bill and Ford's messed-up relationship, touch
Length: ~1700 words
Summary: Touch in the mindscape can be unsatisfying. Touch outside it can be horror. Stanford Pines, be careful what you wish to touch.
Author's Notes: Written for Gen Prompt Bingo, for the prompt "Flesh and Bone."

Mind and Matter, Skin and Stone

Current Mood: accomplished

shadaras

so the last time I posted here was at the beginning of the month, hm. well! hello, I still exist!

1.
I've been at a different work site for 2.5wks, which was a lovely break. Chill worksite, small job; just me and one journeyman who I enjoy working with. He was like "this is one of the best jobs I've ever worked" about it, which is a wild contrast to how the big job we'd both been working (and are returning to tomorrow) is one of the worst.

The little job isn't fully done, but we can't do anything else until they get all the remaining parts in. The hope is that when that happens (in a month, maybe...? nobody had estimates.) they'll call us back to finish it, since we know what's going on and what the plan was. This is especially pertinent because we were not given particularly detailed plans, and then proceeded to change a lot of it (memorably: one unit we were supposed to install couldn't be installed where they wanted it because of service requirements, so it had to be flipped and therefore everything coming from it had to be re-routed to accommodate that).

also, we just want to go back, since it was a nice job.

Back to the big job tomorrow, and...

well, not looking forward to it. In theory it'll wrap at some point this summer. idk when. But it's a job site where everyone always seems stressed and that trickles down and makes it so much harder than it needs to be.

(also, like, having lunch at 10:30am as the only break in the day is. not ideal? yes we get out at 2:30 but man the clock usually feels so slow between 11am-2pm...)

2.
I drew a cover for On the Lord's Estate the other week!

[Click to View Image]

Left to right: Mal, El, and Benny.

I've known more or less what I wanted to draw for bk2 since... mm, the halfway mark of writing it, maybe? Important to have all three of them together, important to show Mal happy, important to place it in the conservatory. I'm very happy with how it came out—especially Mal. <3 Mal turned out just as I was hoping as far as expression/vibe goes.

This also means that

hafnia and I have started posting bk3! Of the Lord's Family is the happy ending. <3 featuring healthy communication, family feelings (if the title wasn't a giveaway), and everyone settling into their lives. It'll be the end of this trilogy, and then it'll be time for various stories about the kids.

(which means more thinking about what I want to do with Rhei, and also continuing to noodle about Tolly... many ideas, only so much time and energy, but also no rush beyond my own internal "BUT I WANNA HAVE THIS DONE SOONER" feelings. xD)

3.
I've been keeping up with the new Star Wars cartoon Maul: Shadow Lord, and it is such a funny example of Disney Star Wars Overconnected Bullshit in a few very specific ways.

a. No characters are really introduced. You are expected to simply already know who they are. Even as someone who has watched pretty much all the Star Wars cartoons, I was not aware of who some characters were because some of them were introduced in comics about Maul. (Additionally: the prequel comic series for this show has 2/5 issues out as of right now, as the show airs. I think this is hilarious.) HOWEVER.

b. Even the characters who were not previously introduced are given particularly in-depth introductions. This is mostly confusing because I expected them to be introduced somewhere, since it took until episode three for two major characters to have their names spoken on-screen. Their names have been known via promo material? But didn't show up in the show? This is fine if it's intentional but it's so weird when it's the same vibes as characters who were introduced in comics.

c. I mean this isn't a Disney problem specifically but it sure is very Star Wars: There is only one (1) prominent female character, one (1) prominent secondary female character, and one (1) tertiary female character allowed at a time. It was honestly really funny when the tertiary character got Sent Away and then a new tertiary female character showed up a couple scenes later?

anyway I like it well enough when it's not Fight Scenes, and sort of don't care when it's Fight Scenes, but since it's a show for like tweens I think it's forced to have Fight Scenes in every episode. Which, like, that's fine but I find it more fun to watch Maul attempt to seduce everyone into helping him than I do watching the flashy lights show of a combat sequence involving blasters and/or lightsabers.

4.
It is finally spring. Flowers are blooming, the trees are turning green with new leaves, and the weather is consistently above freezing! These are all good things!

5.
anyway while I'm thinking about it, right, I meant to post this (which I wrote like a month ago at least) and now I have! Mouse! :D

The Question of Crushes, 2.4k, gen, wherein a teenager is interrogated by a like eight year old about if they have a crush on the kid's oldest sibling.

mecurtin posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, April 26, to midnight on April 27 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34523 Daily check-in poll

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 9

How are you doing?

I am OK
6 (66.7%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
3 (33.3%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
3 (33.3%)

One other person
3 (33.3%)

More than one other person
3 (33.3%)

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.

nnozomi posting in

guardian_learning

部首
水 parts 30-33
漂, to float; 漆, paint/lacquer; 漏, to leak; 演, to perform; 漠, desert; 漩, whirlpool; 漱, to rinse (the mouth); 潮, tide/moist; 澄, clear; 澡, bath; 激, to excite; 灌, to irrigate/to install
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=85
犬 parts 1-2
犬, dog; 犯, to violate; 状, condition; 狂, mad; 狐, fox; 狗, dog
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=94

语法
3.25 又 X 又 Y, both X and Y
3.26 一边 X, 一边 Y, doing X and Y at the same time
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-3-grammar
4.1 part 1 并 before 不/没 for negative emphasis
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-4-grammar

词汇
本科, undergraduate program; 本来, originally; 基本, basic; 基本上, basically
笨, foolish
鼻子, nose
笔试, written test
毕业, to graduate; 毕业生, a graduate
便于, to facilitate; 不便, inconvenient; 顺便, in passing; 随便, whatever
( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/

玩玩
Lu Zhuo 船, Jiang Dunhao 我的轻舟是我自己, Zhou Shen 行舟问柳, just for the common theme.

大家过得怎么样？我还行，但我的小草莓第一次结果了🍓

aurumcalendula

Snagged from

regshoe:

Reply to this post saying 'icon', and I will tell you my favorite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favorite icon if you're one of those inhuman things that are actually capable of choosing between ~~YOUR PRECIOUS BABIES!~~ userpics.

(It was so hard to choose an icon for this post!)

torachan

Sunday was Carla's birthday! We didn't do anything special...other than taking a trip to Japan lol.

( Meetup at Osaka Castle )

muccamukk

( Five of Coins )

( What is this about? )

wychwood

It's

3weeks4dreamwidth time! I'm not sure how much I have to contribute (and I already know that I'm never going to succeed at any sort of "post every day" routine), but I'm enjoying seeing other people's posts about it.

This has been an entirely delightful weekend of doing basically nothing; I did a handful of one-off tiny tasks, which is always very satisfying (e.g. Tesco finally brought me the funnel I had ordered, so I decanted shower gel from the big tub I used to capture the contents of the leaking shower gel refill packet a few months back into saved and washed-out shower gel bottles) and the laundry, but that was about it. I do need to get back into doing the washing up more-or-less every day, though; after three days of avoidance I forced myself to do it this afternoon, but only had space for half on the draining board, so it's all to do again tomorrow...

But the weather has been beautiful (I've had all the windows open except when I was out at church) and I have done some pleasant reading, including some fanfic and most of the Tablet backlog, and I've done another grocery shop because I suddenly realised that my entire fruit and veg stock was down to two-thirds of a cabbage and some apples, and I played some more Terra Nil, and I have not touched any of the obligations I might have done, and sometimes that is just what I want from a weekend.

And then tonight it's "Signs and Portents" and shit is about to get real on Babylon 5. Excited to see it!

pushkin666

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair

starandrea

It's been a little dry here, to the point where I've been wondering: will I have to start watering the gardens in April?? But today I noticed the daffodils are shriveling as soon as they try to open and the poor Icelandic poppy is fading again, plus I'd been meaning to put more water on the transplanted blueberries, so hose time has arrived.

I got the front and back hoses hooked up, and I brought out the hose butler for the fence gardens. Then since I was there anyway I watered some of the shade garden, and I've left the long hose out there because I spotted my neighbor pulling out pachysandra. I asked if he was going to throw it away, and when he said yes I asked if I could have it. So now I have a cart full of pachysandra and a new plan for the evening.

What I do not have is groceries, but that's really not as important as plants, so.

I got a couple more mesh protectors set up for my winter sown seedlings, just to keep the squirrels out when I take the tops off to give them fresh air and extra sunshine. I watered the greenhouse houseplants and didn't entirely forget that I have a couple of coreopsis still in the canna greenhouse (in the sense that I walked past it, thought "oh right," and kept going).

Now I'm pondering an Untamed series about the cave under the cold springs (still a little puzzled about the geology of that area) based on

lilly_c's ficlet a day prompts for

3weeks4dreamwidth. That would be fun, although though I have no idea what would happen in it. But the cave is both pretty and magical, and that goes a long way.

Daphne says I'll be taking her out first. Then probably the pachysandra. Then... not groceries, I'm guessing. So writing, clearly.

trobadora posting in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purple sky with stars. Text reads, "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid_guardian.dreamwidth.org"

Hi, welcome back to our Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Watch half an episode a week, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here is the first half of episode 14. On to the second half!

Episode 14, from 21:05:

Summary: Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan meet with Minister Gao, and a flashback reveals how Zhao Yunlan persuaded Shen Wei to join the SID (not without first putting his foot in it, that is). Minister Gao brings up Zhao Yunlan's father, and Zhao Yunlan reacts badly. Shen Wei steps in to redirect Minister Gao towards the actual topic of the meeting, which turns out to be Cong Bo. On their way out, Vice Minister Guo invites Zhao Yunlan for dinner, and Zhao Yunlan invites Shen Wei along. Cong Bo spies on the SID with bugs and drones. Chu Shuzhi trains Guo Changcheng. Vice Minister Guo has dinner with Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei and Xiao-Guo, and wants Xiao-Guo to leave the SID. Shen Wei drops his chopsticks, and they leave uncle and nephew to talk it out. Da Qing talks to alley kittens, asks about Kunlun and wonders why he can't speak cat. Chu Shuzhi accosts a spying Cong Bo. Zhao Yunlan takes Shen Wei to eat street food with the SID team and introduces him as their new consultant. Later, in the hallway between their flats, Zhao Yunlan tells Shen Wei to come to him if he's too excited to sleep. Cong Bo is spying again, recognises Shen Wei from the wedding, and decides to investigate.

Zhao Yunlan reacts to Shen Wei shaking him off

Quote:

Zhao Yunlan: "Is he Dixingren?"

Minister Gao: "He's more terrifying than Dixingren! That Cong Bo is a professional professional paparazzo and online reporter."

Detail:

One of my favourite underrated little details in an episode that has so many fantastic moments:

When Zhao Yunlan introduces Shen Wei to the team, everyone claps - except Zhu Hong, Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi. Chu Shuzhi even pointedly takes a drink from his bottle while everyone is clapping! Zhu Hong just looks put out. *g*

Questions:

What is your favourite part of this half-episode? Any favourite lines? How great is that little bit of flashback about Zhao Yunlan convincing Shen Wei to join the SID? (Do you have any thoughts on why this is only revealed now, rather than included in that scene?) Is Minister Gao right about Cong Bo being more dangerous than Dixingren? Does Cong Bo already know about Dixingren, or is there some other reason why he doesn't seem to react to seeing Dixing powers at all? Before this, did Shen Wei have any idea there was something wrong between Zhao Yunlan and his father? Why does Shen Wei drop his chopsticks at the restaurant? What's Shen Wei's opinion on the street food on offer at the SID? What do you think about the team's reaction to Shen Wei becoming their consultant? And finally, any thoughts about how any of this compares to the novel?

(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)

Here is our schedule for the current batch of episodes - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

maevedarcy posting in

newcomers

the August 8th cluster from Sense8 lifting Sun in celebration

Are you a tumblr user moving to DW who misses moving images? Are you a seasoned DW user who wants to try their hand in a new medium? Do you have an extensive gif catalog that you'd like to show off? Do you like gifmaking and want to share your knowledge to others? Then this comm might be for you!

We have a post showing you how to embed images on DW as well!

maevedarcy posting in

dw_community_promo

merrileemakes posting in

3weeks4dreamwidth

voiceinmyear, a comm for podcasts, audio drama, audiobooks and podfics, is joining in the 3W4D fun. We'll have a few posts over the weeks for people to share what they're listening to and what they recc.

We'd love some new members or people to driveby comment and share what they're filling their ears with.

grrlpup

I was scrolling through the friending meme for Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, then realized there's actually a large handful of people whom I know at least a little on Dreamwidth but who have somehow fallen out of my Reading Page or not been added correctly. I catch them haphazardly via comments, secondhand news from sanguinity or other mutuals... but tidying up my circle is a better way. :D

So if you are one of those getting a notification that I've subscribed and/or granted access, that's what's going on, and thank you for sharing DW with me!

used_songs posting in

3weeks4dreamwidth

Over on

beautifulmechanical , a music sharing and discovery community, we are inviting people to share music and musicians they discovered through dreamwidth.

Everyone is welcome to join and post. We are a community of people who get excited about music and love to share it.

musesfool

Okay, crispy rice = pretty good. I tossed 1 cup of cooked rice with 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil, a sprinkling of garlic powder, and 1 diced shallot, spread it on a foil-lined sheet pan, and cooked it at 400°F for 25 minutes. I still have a bunch of rice left, so I might make fried rice tomorrow.

The salad part was less successful. I cleared some stuff out of the freezer - an old bag of frozen corn, a handful of frozen roasted chicken chunks I got in my misdelivered grocery order a few weeks ago - and then I added some toasted sesame seeds, some dry-roasted peanuts, and some arugula. The dressing was lime juice, toasted sesame oil, ground ginger, and olive oil (all scaled down for one serving) - it was ok, but I wouldn't make it again.

The stuff in the salad was mismatched and didn't go well together, which is my own fault, since I didn't really think about anything but the rice ahead of time. If I did it again, I might use shredded cabbage instead of arugula, and leave out the corn and the peanuts. I might also just dress it with olive oil and vinegar.

If I do it again, I will probably eat the crisped rice by itself, maybe with some scrambled egg like in fried rice, and some scallions. And I'd keep the toasted sesame seeds, because those are always tasty.

Here is today's poem:

An old story
by Bob Hicok

It's hard being in love
with fireflies. I have to do
all the pots and pans.
When asked to parties
they always wear the same
color dress. I work days,
they punch in at dusk.
With the radio and a beer
I sit up doing bills,
jealous of men who've fallen
for the homebody stars.
When things are bad
they shake their asses
all over town, when good
my lips glow.

*

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Music: Mets losing to the Rockies

narnialover7 posting in

dw_community_promo

Are there any Yellowstone fans that would like to have a battle?

Go H E R E to sign-up!

erinptah

- Feel the urge to see a drag show, haven't been to one since I moved to this city, turn to the internet
- Find a listing for a show that has performances every weekend, at a great central location that's easy to get to
- 3 tiers of tickets, with the cheapest being "if the rest of the crowd fills the seats, you're standing." Consider paying the cheap price and showing up early, but you know what, I'm in a mood to invest in my community, I pay for premium
- Get a ticket for Friday
- Customer support texts me late Thursday. There's a problem with the venue, the acts have no control over this, very sorry, they offer a free transfer to a future show -- good in multiple cities, even, they're a franchise -- and will throw in some perks for my trouble
- They also have other offers, some of which involve upsells, but no thanks, I just want to see a show
- Reschedule for Saturday, same city, this is the one I live in
- Support texts me again late Friday. Same copy-pasted stock message, the venue has a problem Saturday, they can give me another free transfer or an upsell
- Except this time it includes the name of a different drag show
- I ask what's up with that
- Awkward admission that they're a third-party support agent who works with multiple shows (not a stock answer, I can believe a human wrote this)
- I say, fine, give me a transfer to next weekend
- No Friday show scheduled next weekend, so they move me to the next Saturday
- That would've been yesterday
- Guess what text I got two days ago
- Different stock message this time, the next show is canceled because of "lower than expected ticket sales"
- Well, now I'm suspicious of the idea that "audience might go to standing-room-only" is a real concern
- Little suspicious of the whole process, tbh. Is this all a bizarre elaborate scheme to funnel buyers into giving up on the regular show and shelling out for the upsell instead?
- Well, I don't want the upsell
- Each cancellation has offered a full refund, and this time I'm seriously considering taking it
- But: I'm not going out of town any time soon, and now I'm morbidly curious to see how long this can go on for
- (how long it can drag out for, even)
- Ticket is currently for a show on the first Saturday in May
- Will that show materialize, or is the whole thing vaporware? Will they reuse one of the earlier excuses, or come up with a new one? Place your bets now

i_like_the_stars

Today's highlighted song from my backlog is...

Supernova by rai1367 Ft. ANRI Arcane

I want you to take me home. I won't let you die alone.

Quick Thoughts
* Rai has such a refreshing sound in the English vocal synth scene! I adore their stuff immensely.
* YURI!!! ALIEN YURI!!!!!
* Softer and more wholesome than most of the rest of Rai's discography.

Lyrics/Vocals
* Fitting to use ANRI in this song, her sweet voice really sways the listener, compels them to close their eyes and soar through the sky.
* A love song! Rai doesn't do these often, at least not like this.
* I'm a sucker for three things: clown/circus imagery, parental beings, and celestial imagery. This song features the latter most in such lovely ways!
* I'm impressed by how Rai manages to make the vocal synths they use sound human in their singing--in this case, how plain ANRI's voice is. It suits the track.

MV
* Nothing to say here, since it's just (stunning) art with lyrics on screen. I really love Rai's art, though, and this is one of my favorites on their channel, I think.

Instrumentals
* THAT GUITAR!! Oh, it is so splendid! That and ANRI's vocals really sell the imagery of soaring through the stars (alone).
* Like I said in Quick Thoughts, Rai's sound is a little more unique compared to the rest of the English-speaking vocal synth scene. I really enjoy everything I hear from them.

Current Music: Seriously listen to Rai's stuff it is SO good

elyusion posting in

3weeks4dreamwidth

On the off chance someone here likes visual kei, my community

vkotd is currently hosting a raffle where the winner will get enough points for 6 months of a paid account :] Please stop by if you're interested.

Current Mood: excited

joseph_teller

Watch on YouTube

Something to keep my mind off of the overload of news...

stonepicnicking_okapi

There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale

(War Time)

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

princessofgeeks

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

senmut

AO3 Link | Notes of Desperation (9102 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zaknafein Do'Urden, Jarlaxle Baenre, Malice Do'Urden, Drizzt Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden, Original Drow Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Torture, Escape, Rebuilding, Reunions
Summary:

A winding tale of how three Do'Urdens find family in full.

2 new chapters

Chapter Three

Vierna only rarely came to the west coast wanderers, having her hands full managing the permanent village in the north. Mynera, however, would never ask lightly, and her people were well able to do the work without her.

Dhaeln would keep track of harvest and preparation tasks that needed to be done still while she was gone. That dwarf was always on top of organization, to Vierna's eternal gratitude.

The moonbridge had only just faded out when Lleona and Neerbryn caught her attention for the concealed camp they had, with the bard being the one to take her hand and bring her across the wards.

"I do appreciate you coming, though I admit I may be reaching for star dust with the tale I have for you," Lleona said. "Well, Shana and Neerbryn will tell the actual happenings, and I'm just involved because I remembered a story you told us once."

"We had an encounter in Skullport that may have impact for you," Neerbryn said, leading back to the center of the camp, where everyone was working on gear, except Starneth who looked to be actually sleeping with his familiar sleeping on top of him.

"Spell rebound," Zira commented idly. "He's out cold, but otherwise unharmed by it."

"He sleeps so rarely and poorly that I chose not to heal the effect," Ilmryn said with a grin.

"Can't really argue with that," Vierna agreed, knowing how high-strung the magic user was. That he had reason did not detract from how difficult it made him.

"So I recently too Neerbryn and another fighter down into Skullport, to trade and see if we could get any further rumors of the power situation, as it has shifted some," Shana began. "I think I may have met the drow responsible for several of the Dragon Hoard's ventures foundering of late.

"He approached us, though, and we did not have time to confirm who he works with or for, as he had a question for us. He wished to know if our people provided teachers to those who were… how did he say it, Neerbryn?"

"For ones that couldn't be practical in how they lived, or something like that," the fighter said, shaking his head. "No bats, no spiders, no sigils of any kind," he added.

"Wouldn't we have already known if one of our Lady's searchers was down there?" Vierna asked, to get a feel for this. "Or is the one he is questioning for not drow? We have seen some of Vhaeraun's take elven children to raise."

Shana shook her head. "The man called this boy his only surviving child, and his reaction to my offer for them both to come our way made me feel like he truly believes in the bond of family. Now, let me describe him for you, as Lleona thought this was very important.

"He's a little tall for a deep drow male, and there was no doubt he was one, as deeply light-drinking as his skin was. He had most of his hair unbound, with just two side braids linked behind to keep the mass out of his face in the breezes. He wore well-made clothing of surface manufacture; I could not make out the armor beneath it but know it was there. Most strikingly, he carried two swords, equal length, of the style I would describe as full-length, not the short swords some fighters use in pairs."

Vierna had steadily grown more interested in the description, and Neerbryn spoke up.

"He gave his name as Zaknafein, and once Lleona asked for you, the rest of us recalled your tale of the Weapon Master."

"But if his son is like us, why have we not heard it? How is he all the way here? What became of the House, so that he could escape the Matron's grip on him?!" exploded from Vierna.

"He said the boy is third born who survived. Scrying and other magics, even divine healing, fail with him, the father said," Shana said. "I promised to have someone meet with him a month from that meeting, intending to ask for Xinval and probably Rylla to go, once Qilué had considered it, but… if you think this man is connected to you, how do you wish it to be handled?"

Vierna knew good and well her own protector was likely to want to shake her for what came out of her mouth next. "I will go. But I will lean into the Silverhands for support on this."

Mynera nodded. "Wise. Outside magic, especially of such a strong family, might be the best for detecting what was done to the boy… or if this is an elaborate ruse of some kind. I do not think it is; your family name is rarely uttered, and the connections between your enclave to the rest of us is kept quiet among the clerics, for the most part."

"Exactly," Vierna said, pleased that her reading of the situation matched that of these veterans of intrigues in the Underdark and on the surface, people who risked everything to get others to safety on a frequent basis. "Now, since I am here, fill me in on doings among the bands?"

"Oh, now she's done it. She's invited Lleona to talk at length," Jhuldrin said with amusement.

Even with Thyl in the same tavern, sitting away from her, Vierna realized she had not felt this vulnerable in a very long time. She was away from the seat of her power, in a city where evil reigned more than not, and specifically held people of her Goddess's Twin's influence. She knew that others of her faith traded here regularly. It was ridiculous to feel this way —

— and she realized it had far more to do with who she was here to meet. She had enjoyed her days of instruction under the Weapon Master, had come to an almost certainty that he had to be the one who fathered her. If he reacted poorly, it was going to wound her, soul-deep.

She waited, trying not to be impatient or show outward signs of looking for someone, annoyed by the modesty veil she had decided would give her a chance to at least speak to the man before he reacted to her features. After all, she knew good and well how much she favored the matron of the house she had been born to.

After what seemed like forever, but had likely been less than a full hour, the memory from her past walked in, wearing surface clothing and gear, hair still as thick and lush as ever, though the side braids did keep it out of his face. That was sensible, anywhere there was wind to stir it. The man noted her, took note of the others around, then sauntered to her table as if he had control of the entire world around him.

Given his combat skills, she had no doubt of that in this meeting.

"You were prompt," he said, sitting down at the table opposite her.

"How could I be anything but, when my cousins pulled me to them and told me your name." She reached up to push the veil back. "Hello, Weapon Master. I did survive, and much of that was your teaching to me."

He stared at her a long moment, then took a long breath in, letting it out slowly. "Well, seeing you makes me more convinced that everything since I made a deal to steal my son out of the House has been nothing but a death dream," he said equitably.

"No. You live. And if it is your son you seek teaching for… I am more than certain that you really are my father too," she said in a low voice, half-worried he would deny it.

"Argued with your mother over your upbringing, got removed from patron for it. The small gifts I managed… they were because I wanted to be your father in full, raising you, preparing you for the world!"

She smiled brightly, then laid her hands in the middle of the table. "I knew the Temple would kill me. I was never going to hide my heart the way it would have taken… and it would have destroyed me as I was to try.

"But I also couldn't risk involving you, not when she was so peculiar about you. My goddess showed me a way, and took me to a strong protector." She then laughed. "He will have words for me coming into this city like this, with only one to guard me."

"The half-elf?" Zaknafein asked, even as he laid his hands in hers, tightening his fingers around hers in acceptance of this meeting.

"Yes. Wizard-fighter, and hopefully able to tell why my Lady cannot perceive your son — my brother! — when She is supposed to be able to call to all goodly drow."

Zak looked over at Thyl a moment with very little movement of his head, mostly his eyes, then nodded. "Take a room here; it's the safest place for you. I'll return with Drizzt, so you can meet him, and we can talk more."

She squeezed his hands at that. "Gladly, father."

Seeing him soften to that made her heart sing, before they parted, temporarily, to arrange matters.

Drizzt's first impression of the people he was to meet was the sound of laughter and a playful argument about who was getting the door, and why it was supposed to be which one. He caught the male voice saying she needed to be careful, and the female voice saying that the man would be scary to a new person.

Drizzt made himself brace for anyone that could be scary as the laughter increased and it seemed like the man had won the point. When the door opened, he had to look up and his eyes did get a bit large. He had seen half-human elves, but none so tall, and never wearing a mage robe with a sword!

"That would be your sister's guard," Zaknafein said dryly.

"Thyl. Inthylyn Aerasumé, if being very formal, but please don't. I try not to do anything that warrants it," Thyl said as he stepped back, letting them in.

Drizzt caught the wry look on his sister's face — he had an actual sister, the one that had made Zaknafein emotional to speak of! — and wondered at it. He was fixing it in his mind that she looked more like himself, seeking the ways she favored their father, because the initial resemblance to his mother hurt.

Malice had treated him well, and even though he had realized it was a ploy, to keep him loyal to her only, Drizzt had struggled to remember she was as evil as Briza and Maya.

Or, had been, rather, given the House had died the night Father escaped.

"And I am Vierna, though I am sure Father told you that," the priestess said warmly. "Your name is Drizzt?"

"Yes. And I knew your name already! Father spoke of you in my second year of training with him, because I tried the same counter you did to a maneuver." He grinned at the memory.

"Zaknafein, though I am sure you already knew," the eldest of them said to the half-human.

"Vierna has entertained us over the years, speaking of your skill, sharing what she learned with us," Thyl told him. It made Drizzt feel even more warmth for this woman he was just meeting, to know she had carried Zak's legacy and shared it further.

They all got comfortable in the room, with Thyl sitting away from the family who chose to share the couch in the room. Vierna sat on one side, having reached for Drizzt to grasp his hand and squeeze in greeting, with Zak at the other end.

"First question, to both of you," Vierna said seriously. "If we can learn why Drizzt wasn't known to my goddess, will you be willing to come to where I live, for lessons for him? If not, something could be arranged with the local bands, but they have not yet made a permanent place to live that is safely under rock."

Zaknafein was the one to answer first. "While I would love to live with both of you, I have not yet repaid the man that made it possible for Drizzt to live free, not the way I count it. In a few years, maybe. But either way, I'd prefer he be with you… if that is his choice."

Drizzt considered, then sighed. "I am too unlike the others to safely stay here," he admitted. "I've done well enough so far, but it's like when I was in the mercenary's care; I am too different and people don't like what is different." He turned to look at his father. "You would come, in time?"

"As long as your sister's goddess doesn't decide I'm too typically drow for Her tastes to be near Her people."

Vierna shook her head. "You are the utter strangeness that is a drow who found the middle path, Father. I did check before offering. If you had not been… I would have begged the more senior cleric to assign one of her strongest to take over long enough for me to help Drizzt get his feet under him as a different kind of person from you."

"You… really?" Drizzt asked, something about abdicating whatever role she held, even for a temporary period of time, filling him with awe. They'd only just met!

"Take over?" Zak asked, catching more nuance than his son did.

"Vierna is the First Cleric of the only permanent village on the surface for good drow," Thyl said lazily. "She was one of its founders, and still leads, as much as leadership is needed, along side a few elders of the races that live there.

"That senior cleric she mentioned is in the process of carving space out of Undermountain, but it is slow going, with all the magic and regeneration spells in there."

"Did well for yourself," Zak said, proud of her.

"For my people. We needed a safe haven away from the Underdark, so I went above with others. A few of those first ones are still with me; others took up the roving life that many of ours do, both Above and Below." Vierna looked back to Drizzt. "Yes, I would. Family is very important to us; we want it to be a source of comfort and strength.

"One of the few things our people have in common with most of the ones who follow the god worshipped here."

Drizzt's face got cloudy for a moment, then he nodded. "Then yes. I want to go with you, and for Father to join us later, and maybe we will be a full family that works the way my heart feels they should."

"Then I guess I need to earn my keep and see if I can at least figure out why you are hidden… but I might need a lot of help to get it taken care of once I know," Thyl said.

"Fortunate for us that you have lots of help in your family," Vierna said sweetly, making them all smile a bit.

Zaknafein was unable to go with his children to meet the archmage that would look at what Thyl had found. He threw himself into studying the city all over again, trying to find the best paths to information, the right investments to make in the power structure, as part of readying to turn this over to someone else once his pride was satisfied he'd paid for Drizzt's freedom.

He had no intention of remaining so far from his children now that he knew he could be with them, not for long. He was back at the Dimmed Lantern on the third day after their leaving, to see Thyl, Drizzt, and another half-human that looked like Thyl but not Vierna.

"Son?"

Drizzt gave a small smile. "It's alright. My sister is helping the archmage that helped me remove a curse that affected her sister!"

"When I headed out, I didn't know that the local Aunt would immediately have a task that Vierna could help with. Honestly, I should have already asked her if she'd look at the curse," Thyl said. "And I had already intended to introduce you to the local brother," he added, turning to the other half-human.

"Boesild Aerasumé. I do prefer Bo, but don't flinch from the full name as some of my brothers do," Bo said for himself. "You are Zaknafein Do'Urden, and if I have pieced together the puzzle down here, you are not associated with the Temple or the mercantile company that gives us so much trouble down here."

Zak inclined his head. "And the introduction is because?"

Bo gave a tight smile for that bluntness. "So I can find you, or you me, just in case, as I have just learned that my brother is tied up in your family via your daughter. If things happen, communication should follow."

"Ahh. Well, that does make sense." Zak looked Drizzt over. "What of why you went? And other things?"

Drizzt sighed. "I was hidden, at birth, directly by Her," and he made the profanity with his hands, causing both the tall men to grin. "It's gone, and I am going to go to my sister's village, to learn more about the Surface and how to be me."

That had Zaknafein opening his arms, and the boy flew into them, hugging tightly, to the warm looks of both half-humans. Zak had decided that family — obviously — had strong meanings for them, so he would let them see this.

"Then we'll get you packed up, so Thyl can take you on to wherever Vierna is… and as soon as I think I have given full measure, I'll find my way to you, through the Dancers' communications."

"That… sounds great," Drizzt breathed.

It would be more time separated, but Zaknafein needed his son to be safe and well… something this place had not given him in full.

Chapter Four

"He's painfully young," Vierna confided in Thyl, once they had managed to get Drizzt to go to bed, despite being in the home of a very powerful Surface human. "And his curiosity is so brazen!"

Thyl chuckled, stroking her hair, letting the familiar sounds of his Aunt's home soothe him from everything.

"Reminds me a little of seeing my brothers at that age," he agreed. "We were encouraged to be curious, but from all I have seen of your people… it's a dangerous trait and not one easily relearned to have."

"Father said he was removed from the House before the Academy, but I cannot see an all male mercenary band having been nurturing to that either. Especially knowing that any daughter of Malice's would have scarred him in his mind," Vierna murmured. "Never mind that mass of silver on his back."

Thyl growled a little at the memory of seeing those. A shared soak in a mansion had left all of them pointedly making light conversation around Drizzt to avoid revealing their horror at the scarring, when the boy was absolutely oblivious to them.

"Aunt Laeral is curious if he was chosen for that hiding spell due to some destiny, or just the meddling spider seizing an opportunity for chaos. Aunt Syluné finds him intriguing because of all of his questions about her tinctures and potions and plants." Thyl smiled softly. "I'm looking forward to seeing him interact with our people at Spirit Sanctuary, and learn how they encourage him to find who he wants to be."

Vierna's soft smile, as Thyl claimed the work of her lifetime as one of his homes made her settle back from her worry. Drizzt was young, had yet to mature past the constant questioning… and she had concerns on how well that would be handled by her more suspicious survivors of the Underdark. However, she could and would make it possible for her brother to learn all he wanted, with the help of her lover and his kin if necessary.

Syluné rested a hand on Vierna's arm, gently stopping her forward momentum, and raising a finger to her lips. The cleric followed the elder woman's line of sight to where her brother was sprawled on the ground, laughing softly as a young fox sniffed and licked and bounced around him. A more mature fox, likely the mother, was sitting at a distance, watching, but not protesting the play.

"What in all the realms," Vierna breathed. "Those are not tame creatures!"

"No. They do not bother my coop, but that's because Aumry," her voice hitched slightly, "made a point of setting game entrails in a specific spot, a habit I've asked my grounds-keeper to maintain. They've known for years to go there for plenty of food.

"But they are not tame, and yet the kit has been playing with your brother's hair and fingers for several minutes."

Vierna nodded. She was so very glad she had been able to give insights to the curse present on the body, so that Syluné might yet find a way to have her love returned to her.

Having two people watching must have made an impression, but neither woman was sure if it was Drizzt or the foxes that had noticed it. Drizzt sat up, slowly, and the pair of foxes melted off into the twilight.

"You made a friend," Vierna said, once they had vanished, coming out fully into the garden, smiling at the radiant peace on Drizzt's face.

"I did!" He grinned, then bounced fully up to come hug her in an exuberance of emotions. "The sunset was so beautiful! Also, Thyl said Lin needed him, and he didn't know how long until he'd be able to return to you."

"Lin is his twin, a brother born at the same time as he was," Syluné said, coming to take a seat in one of the chairs around the table kept there. The other two joined her, and she focused on Drizzt. "You have a magical artifact, Laeral said, one with a mingling of void and astral energies.

"Are you willing to have me look at it and see what I can learn? I know she was too tired after aiding you."

Drizzt considered, then slowly removed the figure from his pouch, setting it on the table but not yet relinquishing it. "Father said he banished a planar creature that looked like the statue, but so very big. It was in the spoils he'd taken off the hunters that tried to stop him from escaping the House being destroyed.

"Along with other magic components; we used most of those to trade with, but this? It felt good to me, made me… I don't know. I could calm and center if I held it, even when I saw drow being very drow."

Almost twenty years in his father's keeping, and he still felt so much discomfort at what Zaknafein found pragmatic. Drizzt was more relieved than he had wanted to admit that his father had found a different way for him to explore living free.

He made himself meet Syluné's eyes, decided that yes, he did trust her enough for this, and pushed the figure to her. Vierna took one of his hands to help him stay calm, as the arch-mage studied the magical artifact.

"One moment, while I confer with an older expert," Syluné eventually said.

A few minutes later, a wizened man with a pipe emitting blue smoke and a crooked wizard's cap teleported to the spot within the wards used by the extensive family, striding over with a swiftness that belied his elderly appearance.

"You found the legendary Guenhwyvar?! By the stars, what a lucky man you must be," the wizard exclaimed, looking directly at Drizzt.

"My father found the figure, saer, and gave it to me for keeping," Drizzt said politely, even as his chest felt tight. A legendary thing? Surely they would take it from him now.

"You heard the name? Can you repeat it?" Syluné asked, as she slid the statuette back to him, making Drizzt's eyes widen, betraying his worst thoughts of them.

"I believe so."

"Guenhwyvar," the wizard said slowly. "You'll want to move to the clearing there; legend said she was nearly twice the size of a material plane panther."

Vierna watched her brother do just that, while the wizard took the vacated seat.

"Cleric Vierna, I take it? Good to meet you."

"You must be Elminster; I've heard stories," she told him, but her eyes never left her brother.

Drizzt was centering himself, and decided to sit on the ground, uncertain what size a normal panther would be. He left both hands on the figure, intently pushing his thoughts of being friends even as he said the unfamiliar name.

"Guenhwyvar, please come here," Drizzt said, unaware of how that courtesy word only elevated him further in the eyes of the two humans. A black mist formed from the warm statuette, and then… then there was the most magnificent cat, not a fleck of color in her fur but the deepest, truest black, and intelligent golden eyes that stared intently, weighing Drizzt to his bare soul.

"The figure remains, she did come… this is indeed Anders Beltgarden's masterwork, accidental as she was," Elminster murmured.

Drizzt heard none of the discussion at the table, his eyes fixed on the cat's for several heartbeats. Then, rising up only to his knees, he reached one hand out to her, transfixed by the hope he felt beating at him from the cat's own spirit.

"We are both of us free, here above, and can be friends, if you wish it," Drizzt said softly.

That brought Guenhwyvar close, sniffing the hand, before offering her full head for petting. She moved all the way into his space, and he devoted himself to finding all the itchy spots, to stroking that sleek fur, silently promising her that he was going to make sure she never regretted trusting him.

"I think they are both content?" Vierna said, awestruck by the massive predator and her slender brother bonding at a level that looked almost divine.

"I think that touch of wild in your brother may be opening them to a lifelong bond," Syluné said, catching whispers of a Weave around the pair. What was this boy that one goddess had thought to use him as a catspaw, and now he was invoking ranger gifts without any patron of his own?

Jarlaxle sighed loudly, feet up on the edge of Zaknafein's desk, but it was all for show. He'd known, ever since Drizzt had been in his keeping, that he would not have Zak's swords and skills forever.

"You'll keep the sending stone?"

"Of course. Will do my damnedest to make friends with a wizard that can get me places swiftly even," Zak told him.

"But your son — and your daughter! — are elsewhere, and you have more than repaid my investment."

"I still say you were still on the minus side in my ledger," Zak drawled, before they both started laughing.

"Alright, alright… but you're staying with me while I am here for this visit." Jarlaxle's one visible eye glinted, and he watched Zak's features take on that lustful danger he so loved.

"Might not get any work done," Zak rumbled, standing from his chair. That was the only invitation needed for more private activities.

Thyl himself came for Zaknafein, and made certain to teleport them when it was full night in Spirit Sanctuary. Vierna came to key the wards to allow her father inside.

"Drizzt is away with a teacher, but will return soon," Vierna told him, showing off the village on a tour that let everyone get a glimpse of the legend that had trained her and 'their ranger', as Drizzt was affectionately called. "He found a calling, and spends most of the warm months away from here now."

"I'd swear it's only been two years since I gave him to your care," Zak said gruffly.

"So it has been, but he's always in good hands when he leaves us," Vierna assured. "Drizzt is thriving in his chosen path, has this place as home, and a need to explore that we cannot — will not — hamper."

"If he's not with the ranger that is trusted to know this place exists," Thyl interjected, "he's with my aunt, who is also a ranger. Or her husband, another one."

"Hmph." Zak sighed, then shook his head. "So, tell me all about what I need to know, to make a place for myself here, and what my dancer has been up to on this path he's chosen."

"Gladly, father."

Rafi leaned against the rock, Zak not far from him, both of them watching as the siblings sparred with smiles on their faces.

"I thought life was pretty perfect to find Vierna, with all of her skills and drive, so that we could make a place safe for us out of the Underdark," Rafi murmured. "But then she brought her little brother here, and he's sparked so many smiles and laughter, helping even our most vulnerable ones move forward with hope just by being who he is.

"And we owe both of them existing to you, Zaknafein. You're damned amazing, to have survived so long, but you also are the reason they are as they are."

Zaknafein looked over at the other man, one he was settling into a true friendship with. "I might take credit for her… I tried to influence her as much as I could. But that faerie-souled boy is something else altogether," he said with a half-smile.

Rafi had to laugh; Drizzt was still strange, even here, but the strangeness made him more a part of them all, instead of less.

"I suppose that's fair. House Do'Urden lives… in three unusual drow that shredded the webs around them."

Zak's eyes gleamed, considering that a fine revenge on Malice for her unwillingness to change, even a little. "A fitting fate."

languagehat_feed

Posted by languagehat

https://languagehat.com/ad-acta/

https://languagehat.com/?p=19598

I was reading a Russian post on Facebook when the Latin-alphabet phrase ad acta jumped out at me. Not being familiar with it, I looked for it in my fairly comprehensive Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (hey, I’m a book guy, what can I say), but it wasn’t there, so I went to the internet like a good 21st-century denizen and found it in Wiktionary:

ad acta

German

Alternative forms

● ad Acta

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ad ācta.
[…]

Adverb

1. (higher register) to the files

etwas ad acta legen ― to be done with something (literally, “to file”)

Usage notes

In modern times this almost only occurs in the phrase “etwas ad acta legen”, which means to put something to the files or, figuratively, to close the matter on a topic.

So it’s used primarily in German, which explains why it’s not in my English-language reference book… but it’s also used in Russian, doubtless due to the deep immersion in German culture it got before WWI. The Russian national corpus turns up two examples, both using the phrase without explanation:

1. С. Н. Булгаков. Дневник (1924)

Но, конечно, он — гений и свои творения складывает ad acta…

2. В. Н. Ламсдорф. Дневник (1896)

На этих бумагах, хранимых в Азиатском департаменте, имеется помета «ad acta», сделанная рукой благородного Капниста.

Is anyone out there familiar with this simple-looking but obscure phrase? (For another Latin tag used by Russians, see Feci quod potui, and for a fake-Italian phrase, see Финита ля комедия.)

https://languagehat.com/ad-acta/

https://languagehat.com/?p=19598

jazzfish

I want to be reading What We Are Seeking (Cameron Reed's new book). It is extremely brain-intensive, though. After a week of gaming and not-sleeping-super-well on a hotel pillow, I am just not there.

Midway, aka Not O'Hare, is a perfectly decent little airport. I seem to be the only person I know without at least one O'Hare horror story, but then it's been over a decade since I've gone through there. Regardless, Midway's probably nicer. Also it seems that all airport wifi now has "watch a thirty-second ad before we let you connect," which both irritates me and makes me a little sad. And the glory of the world is less than it once was.

My iPad's charging port is dead yet again. The Enter key on my keyboard is failing to register sometimes. Bah, technology.

I'm in Midway for another couple of hours and then I fly to Minneapolis for a week. And on Friday I have an interview for a "document analyst" position, which sounds like "tech writer with extra steps." The interview is in-person, which I wasn't expecting; I'm just glad it's coming at a halfway convenient time. Sometime this week I shall have to go out and acquire Interview Clothes. This is less annoying than it might be since I don't actually own much in the way of Interview Clothes, at least not that fit.

I'm trying not to think too much about the interview. Not til I'm someplace where I can relax a bit more, anyway. It's with the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, so it's an In to Local Government which is where I'd like to be. Per the job description it's got some GIS-esque stuff going on; and by my back-of-envelope calculations it pays enough to live on and save a bit. It would be nice, I think. It would certainly be nice to have one of my two Big Immediate Problems solved.

My fingers have been vaguely itchy for the viola the last several days. This is... it's new. I'm enjoying it. I left my violin at Steph's last time so I'll have some outlet / ability to practise, at least, and I've got a flashcard app so I can see how many tunes I can actually remember.

I wish I'd realised sooner how... how good musicking is for me? How it's something that can actually call to me? Something like that. I'm honestly a bit startled that anything does, let alone music. I'd just sort of assumed that Feeling Drawn To A Thing was yet another thing about me that doesn't work like everyone else.

And I don't know how I could have possibly gotten here, not just from where I was but from any plausible diversion from that. If my folks had let me take bass instead of cello, like I wanted to, I'd probably wind up playing bass guitar, which would be pretty cool but not really the same. If one of my early cello teachers had offered something outside of Standard Classical Repertoire... I might have gone somewhere with that? I really don't know. Water under the bridge, regardless. I wish I'd gotten to "here" sooner; I'm pretty happy with where I've gotten to.

Ann C--, a violinist who shared a teacher with me for several years in Fayetteville, pinged me last month to let me know that our teacher had died. I'd been vaguely intending to reach out to Dr Boyce and let her know that I'd picked up viola, but never got around to it. Every so often I try to look up Ms West née Wiley, the bassist/cellist that Dr Boyce handed me off to once I'd gotten past her level of expertise on cello, and I never manage to find anything on her. Tegen, my pre-plague viola teacher, has gotten married, moved down south, and started cranking out babies, Jesus aphorisms, and MLM crap, which is disappointing but not surprising. Musicians: just as human as everyone else. (Ann, incidentally, is also Jesusy, but she appears to at least be the kind of Jesusy that's appalled by the current mask-off Republican party.)

No real resolution to this, which seems fitting for something written in a liminal space. I think I shall go and try to find some tea, and sit and think and zone out for awhile.

My centre is collapsing,
my right is in retreat.
Impossible to manoeuvre.
Situation excellent.
I am attacking.

--Marshal Ferdinand Foch, First Battle of the Marne

stonepicnicking_okapi

A is for Agatha Chrstie.
B is for Belladonna.

Here's a fun anecdote from A is for Arsenic: The poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Markup.

In 1977, a Frenchman added eyedrop solution (atropine, the dominant toxic compound in belladonna) to a bottle of wine and gave it to his uncle intending to kill a friend of his uncle's. The intended victim didn't drink the wine, but the uncle and aunt did, much later. Uncle died, aunt in coma. No foul play suspected until a carpenter and the uncle's son-in-law stop by the house to put uncle's body in the coffin and drank some wine (like you do) and ended up going to hospital.

Here's where it gets eye-rolling...police found a copy of Agatha Christie's Thirteen Problems where Miss Marple solves a case of eyedrop solution as poison...and the relevant sections were underlined.

Hey, kids, make sure you tidy up your research when you're trying to top somebody...hmmm?

ashelterofpages posting in

3weeks4dreamwidth

So, on the off chance you haven't had your fill of tarot-related prompts, I decided to offer up some myself.

Please feel free to drop by and grab a few cards, I'm always wanting to encourage people to make cool stuff!

ashelterofpages

Why yes, I am behind on many things and will be making another post later, but for now...

goodbybird has inspired me to join in the tarot fun and do prompts for Three Weeks For Dreamwidth!

Leave a comment with a request for one of the following decks and anything up to 4 cards and I'll draw some for you! You can ask for more than one prompt, but please do so in a separate comment and maybe give me a few days before you do.

The decks on offer- :
- Dark Wood Tarot
- Ghosts and Spirits Tarot
- Hayworth Tarot
- Embroidered Graveyard Oracle
- Outgrow Yourself Oracle
- Wild Unknown Archetypes

Feel free to use them in any way you like, and definitely come back here and show me! I'm so excited to see what people do with these!

dinogrrl posting in

little_details

I'm (still) writing a fantasy story set in early 18th century Venice, and there's several scenes of the main character and her family attending Mass or otherwise being inside their church. It's not a big cathedral, more like a well-attended neighborhood church.

My question is probably very stupid but where the heck do the men put their hats while attending Mass or whatever else they're in there for? Do they just like, put their hats beside themselves on their seats? Or just hold onto them on their laps or some other way? Or would your average 18th century Catholic church have a sort of coat room or somesuch? My google-fu is failing in finding a church layout from that time period or text explanation, though I did find a good article about priests wearing wigs...

petra

First off, an offer for

3weeks4dreamwidth -- prompt me for a drabble or a poem (probably a limerick) in a fandom or crossover of fandoms that I know, any time in the next three weeks, and ye shall receive!

For those of you who have oft perused my fandom's list, the new entry is: T. Kingfisher's Paladins series, #1-3. I have not dug into the whole universe yet and I have #4 on hold from the library, but I got distracted when it took a while to come in.

*

In honor of

3weeks4dreamwidth, a meme that

sanguinity gakked from

regshoe, who had it from

goodbyebird:

Reply to this post saying 'icon', and I will tell you my favourite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favourite icon if you're one of those inhuman things that are actually capable of choosing between ~~YOUR PRECIOUS BABIES!~~ userpics.

*

Regarding my favorite icon, which is the one I use Everywhere, I have finally gotten around to putting the source page's relevant bit on Dreamwidth:

I don't remember why I saturated it slightly more than the original art. I guess I needed the red to pop.

Tim is just So Heterosexual. Absolutely. Why would anyone ever think otherwise? Seriously, DC Editorial, took ya long enough.

Also, I cannot read that page without wanting Dick/Babs/Tim, and I cannot think of that threesome without thinking of

minoanmiss, so I guess now my default icon comes with heartache. That definitely doesn't mean I'm going to change it -- I know the grief will become more nost and less algia in time -- but right now, damn.

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: In another dimension with voyeuristic intentions

feurioo posting in

tv_talk

Beginning on May 1, fans will be able to stream the 2003 "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries, all four seasons of the "Battlestar Galactica" series (2005–2009), and the 2009 movie "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan" on both Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

All 19 episodes of "Caprica," the 2010 "Battlestar Galactica" prequel series, will also be available to stream on May 1, but those will only be found on Paramount+.

Read More.

osx_daily_feed

Posted by Paul Horowitz

https://osxdaily.com/2026/04/26/create-ascii-art-designs-easily-with-mockdown/

https://osxdaily.com/?p=134457

ASCII art is a unique plain text art style that you might have seen over the years when connecting to a remote server via the command line, or perhaps a BBS, or something silly like watching Star Wars in ASCII art from the Terminal. It’s a distinct style of artwork for plain text situations on ... Read More

https://osxdaily.com/2026/04/26/create-ascii-art-designs-easily-with-mockdown/

https://osxdaily.com/?p=134457

only by balancing move

What All Is In This Vegan Scone Recipe?

Tips For The Best Vegan Blueberry Scones

Glazed Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Scones

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For the scones:

For the glaze:

Instructions

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