przed | Reading

What I Just Finished Reading

Naomi Novik, The Summer War: Fantasy novella about a girl who ends up unwillingly married to a fairy prince as part of a treaty and/or revenge. Is it petty of me to be annoyed that an author who got here by writing queer fanfic and then did not write anything queer professionally (as far as I know; I haven't read the Scholomance books yet) has decided that now there can be queer characters in the background but mostly in unflattering ways? And also that the main character still needs to basically be rescued by her brothers even though the story wants me to believe she is Smart and Independent? Yeah, probably.

Cat Sebastian, We Could Be So Good:

lysimache keeps telling me I should read the second book of this historical m/m romance series but unfortunately I am the type of person who has to Read The Whole Thing From The Beginning so I said, no, I was reading the first one first. So this is the first one. It was kind of meh. It had a great 1950s NYC setting but nothing really happened and then it just kind of ended. Also we all know exactly what books the author read about being gay in NYC because there are only two and everyone's historical gay romance regurgitates the same facts from them (seriously, you can go to places other than the Navy Yards, I'm pretty sure) so I was really confused that the author seems to have missed the part where "fairy" actually has a really specific meaning. I guess now I read the second one? The second one is baseball.

What I'm Reading Now

Comics Wednesday!

( Captain America #9 )

What I'm Reading Next

I guess the second Cat Sebastian book in that series? Probably?

Current Mood: full

olivermoss

All The Lost Boys: The Invisible and Infamous Stories of Gay Men, Murder, and Media is listed under a psued, but if you look up that psued's tiktok account that's him and I Do Not reccomend doing so. Only a few posts, but... gross.

This isn't him first attempt at a comeback, but hopefully this attempt also crashes and burns. Everyone who said his plagiarism would not be detectable in the AI era, guess we're putting that to the test! (The funny part is that if his tiktok was just AI slop it wouldn't be obvious that it's him)

olivermoss

Hockey can be beautiful sometimes. Gritty's dreams are coming true

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Happy Wednesday!

I'm taking search offline sometime today to upgrade the server to a new instance type. It should be down for a day or so -- sorry for the inconvenience. If you're curious, the existing search machine is over 10 years old and was starting to accumulate a decade of cruft...!

Also, apparently these older machines cost more than twice what the newer ones cost, on top of being slower. Trying to save a bit of maintenance and cost, and hopefully a Wednesday is okay!

Edited: The other cool thing is that this also means that the search index will be effectively realtime afterwards... no more waiting a few minutes for the indexer to catch new content.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Radek Zelenka
Rating: Mature
Length: 13,319
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: Rachael Sabotini on AO3
Themes: Arranged marriage, AU - royalty, Diplomatic marriage, Politics, Mutual pining

Summary: "It is your duty to the empire to marry Rodney McKay."

Reccer's Notes: This is an interesting romantic romp set in a somewhat steampunk AU where John is married off by his cousin the empress Elizabeth, to Rodney, a leader in the neighbouring nation. John is part of treaty agreements to negotiate peace. Consummating his marriage proves difficult due to Rodney being a workaholic, anxious about never having had sex with a man before, and, that common marriage of convenience trope, as John can end the marriage after a year and a day if he chooses. There are obstacles and pining and inadequate communication, but eventually John makes a place for himself in Rodney's labs, proves his loyalty, and we get the happy ending. A fun read!

Fanwork Links: The Spare

dine

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sineala

So Marvel Trumps Hate, a fannish charity auction that I have occasionally participated in, has people offering fic and art and various other fannish crafts and services for charity. There are usually a few people offering fanbinds of Marvel fanfiction, and in 2024, a bunch of people got together and organized a group bid for

zerosconsort to bind two of my stories. I had no idea this was happening! It was awesome!

So I talked with Zero about it -- mostly in the spring and summer of 2025 -- and we settled on doing two anthologies of my shorter Steve/Tony fic, split by POV. So there would be one Steve book and one Tony book. I know we talked about what stories should go in there and how to balance the word count, but this was also the period of time where I was getting 20-25 migraines a month for about five months straight, so I don't actually... remember... a lot of last year especially well, my capacity for coherent reasoning was at about 0%, and I figured whatever Zero wanted to do was probably going to be good and I would just be pleasantly surprised when Books Got Here.

(I am really sorry. It was a lot of migraines.)

Zero did also mention that she was additionally working on a fanbind of my Trek AU and would send me that too, and I thought that was really sweet of her. She commissioned additional art, also, which is definitely above and beyond. It's really nice art.

So I was expecting three books in the mail yesterday and opened the box and got FIVE BOOKS and my first thought, honestly, was, "Oh, my God, I have had so many migraines, and I don't remember talking about five books. Is this something we actually talked about that I was supposed to know about or is this supposed to be a surprise that I don't know about?" But it was in fact not a thing I was already supposed to know! It was a surprise! So that's good! I didn't entirely break my brain! Whew.

Yeah. It has been A Time.

(The two additional books, that I did not know about, are Thrust Issues and my Ults soulmate AU. The Ults soulmate AU has every occurrence of the word "soulmate" in red. Hooray for rubrication.)

Anyway, if you want to see them, I personally am terrible at taking pictures so nobody wants me to take any, I promise you, but Zero made a very nice masterpost on Tumblr with more detail about all of the books.

The Star Trek AU is black with SILVER SPARKLES. Like spaaaaace. Eeee.

Current Mood: pleased

seleneheart

Here's some of the things I've been up to in April. Work has been crazy busy since the middle of March when two of the people I work with quit and their last day was on the same day. One quit in the normal way with 2-weeks notice; the other ghosted us to the point where we were afraid something had happened to them. Anyway, I've been pulling the load for three people, although we have one replacement but they have a learning curve.

Some of the fun things I've been doing:

Movies

We saw Project Hail Mary in the theaters last weekend. So glad we went while it was still there - everyone I know has been recommending this to me. And they were all absolutely correct! What an amazing movie!

TV Shows

Stranger Things: I watched the whole season last week. I'm very glad for people who tagged their posts and put spoilers behind cut tags - I was able to remain unspoiled for the whole thing. I have thoughts, but mainly, I'm sad that it's over. I thought the passing of the torch from The Party to Holly's group was perfect. I enjoyed that Robin was back to being smart and competent instead of whatever she was in S4.

Bridgerton: I'm in the middle of Season 4. So far, I'm enjoying it.

To Your Eternity: I watched Season 3 of this anime. I highly recommend this show for the first two season. S3 was very sketchy at first but managed to redeem itself by the last 3 episodes.

Video Games

I'm back on Breath of the Wild - I'm doing a semi hundred percent. I'm NOT going to find every single of the 900 koroks. What I am doing is every one of the original shrines, all the side quests, all the DLC items, and all the DLC shrines. I've got one more original shrine to go, several DLC items, and 15 of the 16 DLC shrines. Plenty of things to do yet! *dances happily*

I caved and got a Switch 2. It is definitely faster and the joycons work better than my old Switch. My amibos all work on it, too.

I am planning to offer Dreamsheep again for

3weeks4dreamwidth - keep an eye out for that post making the offer.

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Chet Faker - No Diggity

olivermoss

Wow, good to know, Rufus the Amazon AI. I've been sleeping on Wuthering Heights all these years

olivermoss

Trying to remember how to make icons feels like trying to pry open a rusty can of paint in the back of my mind. I've just gotten worse at it over the years. But, still, only so much you can do with a few pixels and some programs have gotten worse. I made icons with clear text in paint ages ago, paint can no longer do readable text that size.

I've made a few hockey icons, and hopefully will keep making some until I find ones I am happy with. I also cleaned out some old icons.

lettersmod posting in

unsent_letters_exchange

The mail carrier will arrive for pickup (assignments are due) in just over 4 days, at April 25, 11:59PM UTC (countdown)! Please drop your correspondence in the mailbox by then.

Please ensure that your work:

is posted, not saved as a draft
is for a fandom, relationship and epistolary type your recipient requested

does not contain any of your recipient's DNWs

is at least 1000 words, of which at least 500 are of the requested epistolary type

We have 4 existing pinch hits and 2 new ones:

PH 1 - Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's x2, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Metal Fight Beyblade | Beyblade Metal Saga, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime 1997-2023), ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/UnsentLetters2026/user/Audrelite

PH 2 - Minecraft: Story Mode (Video Game) x2, The Protomen x2, Bionicle (Generation 1) x2
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/UnsentLetters2026/user/bluerosekatie

PH 6 - Bugsnax (Video Game), Crossover Fandom (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Keroro Gunsou), Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Keroro Gunsou (Anime)
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/UnsentLetters2026/user/malachiical

PH 8 - Dune (Movies - Villeneuve), Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson, The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/UnsentLetters2026/user/primeideal

PH 12 - Doctor Who (2005), House M.D.
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/UnsentLetters2026/user/Bones_Bard

PH 13 - CLAIMED

Collection opening will not wait for pinch hits with less than 3 unique fandoms.

These pinch hits are due 1 May, which is six days after the assignment due date and 24 hours before scheduled collection opening.

To claim a pinch hit, please comment on this entry (all comments are screened) or e-mail unsentlettersexchange @ gmail with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number or recipient name.

I've been made aware that at least one pinch hit claim by email never reached me, so if you write in about a pinch hit and do not receive a reply within 1-2 days, please check back again.

dine

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mrkinch

Since we didn't get rained out, U and I walked up the road today in the pre-storm quiet. We heard our first of season Swainson's Thrush! There have been a few reports so we weren't surprised, only gleeful.:) Only other interesting events were seeing, finally, two tiny beaks poking up from the Anna's Hummingbird nest over the Lake. I'm fairly sure they were there four days ago but my eyes and bins weren't good enough to be certain; I expect they will have fledged by next week. We also saw a female Mallard with six quite small chicks, not on the Lake but in the spillway below, feeding in the very shallow water. ( The list: )

When we got back to the parking lot the weather was sunny, and though I knew it wouldn't last, after she left I climbed Lower Packrat to the bench and ate my apple while listening to a very loud Orange-crowned Warbler. I heard two Swainson's Thrushes! I wasn't there very long and my list is somewhat shorter but I heard two species we had not heard earlier, Downy Woodpecker and Orange-crowned Warbler. ( Another list: )

It's been raining since I got home and will continue through tomorrow, looks like.

dine

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mrkinch

This morning was even more interesting than four days ago: MacGillivray's Warbler! I heard them right away, two, in fact, one near the gate and one in the expected location. Spring is really here. A good start, but there was much more. Both Western Warbling Vireo and Black-headed Grosbeak at last made it over the ridge, but while I was waiting for the sun I also heard Cassin's Vireo and Western Tanager. There were the usual Orange-crowned Warblers and Wilson's Warblers, even a Townsend's Warbler, which becomes less and less likely every week. There was a Lazuli Bunting in the corner as earlier, and it looked to me as through he was flying the boundaries of a large territory, from the willows to the bay tree, up to the tall weeds on the hillside and back down to the mustard below the trail, singing at each stop. While I was watching him, I happened upon a pair of (silent) Western Kingbirds fluttering along the fence at the top of the ridge, something I usually see just once a year. As well, nearly all the local residents made an appearance, making quite a long list. ( The list: )

One of the Northern Flickers was sitting up in the highest power tower drumming on metal. They seem to appreciate the extra resonance.:)

machinistm

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machinistm

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Current Music: Let's Make a Deal - Peter Peter

seleneheart

The Party Crasher by Sophia Kinsella

Blurb:

It's been over two years since Effie's beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had. Since then, she's become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista. And now, more earth-shattering Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie called home her whole life, has been sold. When Krista decides to throw a grand "house cooling" party, Effie is originally left off the guest list-and then receives a last-minute "anti-invitation" (maybe it's because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista totally deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway). Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house. Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating. As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping through trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren't just in the dusty passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring. Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears conversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light. Then she runs into Joe-the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who's still as handsome and funny as ever-and even more truths emerge. But will Effie act on these revelations? Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family? And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for? Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she'll ever be able to face her future--

I got this book because the library had it tagged as 'humor' and I needed something for the bingo square. Also, I read "Confessions of a Shopaholic" a long, long time ago and enjoyed that. This book didn't seem very funny at first, because the protagonist is NOT OKAY. Her inner monologue is pretty tragic, actually. I think this book would be much better as a movie - the screwball comedy type. However, as the book went on and Effie starts to get over herself, the story became laugh-out-loud funny.

With that, I have my third bingo:

Current Mood: weird
Current Music: Hollerado - Juliette

dine

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olivermoss

Sabrina who? I'm more into Firkus Circus

The Kraken's AHL team is the Coachella Valley Firebirds. I intend to make really terrible jokes until one lands. And yes, same place as the music festival currently going on.

(Our AHL team is where we park some of our prospects and rookies, the baby squids) Firebirds are in their playoffs, currently fighting for home ice. And my favorite player has been bounced back to CV for the play offs. I've heard another fave should be there for the Calder Cup run, also they've got the baby goalie who had the iconic debut.

I didn't know Coachella was the name of a place. At the start of the Kraken season, when people kept talking to Coach Lambert about spending time with other coaches in Coachella, I thought that was like the tongue in cheek name for a coach conference or event. In my defense, this sport has a *lot* of slang that is used very causally like everyone understands it. At that point I was still constantly looking up phrases, it's not as silly as assumption as it sounds, I swear. The ONE time I try to pick up meaning from context instead of looking everything up.

Two Kraken franchise teams are in their play offs, just not... uh... The Kraken. So, I am watching the fire type cryptids instead of the water type cryptids.

Profile

przed

April 2026

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Page Summary

sineala - Wednesday Reading Meme
olivermoss - Somehow, James Somerton has returned
olivermoss - Tonight is Gritty's first playoff game
mark in dw_maintenance - Search maintenance
mific in fancake - SGA: The Spare by Rachael Sabotini (wickedwords)
dine - stupid Canadian wolf bird
sineala - Books for me, by me!
seleneheart - An April Update
olivermoss - (no subject)
olivermoss - (no subject)
lettersmod in unsent_letters_exchange - Assignments due in just over 4 days; existing PHs 1-2, 6, 8, new PHs 12-13
dine - guess who's back, back again?
mrkinch - 4/20/2026 Tilden Nature Area
dine - honey, pass me my bathtime toaster please
mrkinch - 4/19/2026 Inspiration Trail
machinistm - oh baby I just buckle
machinistm - Shane Hollander vs The World / Heated Rivalry fic recs
seleneheart - Book Bingo: 04 | Humour | The Party Crasher
dine - time is fleeting child. it waits for no one, not man, nor Sidhe, nor wizard
olivermoss - In my Coachella Era

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