Reading

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Batman: Say Uncle by Megaerakles

Fandom: Batman
Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd, Tim Drake
Rating: teen
Length: 46k
Creator Links:

Megaerakles
Theme: food, fork in the road AU, domestic, family, fixit, gen, happy endings, secret identity reveal,

Summary: Tim is prepared to take the steps necessary to ensure that Bruce will not feel obligated to adopt Tim when a comatose Jack Drake inevitably dies. But what could be better than preventing Bruce from ending up with a son he doesn't want? Bringing back the one he does.

Jason agrees to the Replacement's stupid, stupid plan to invite some strange adult man he's never met to come live with him, if only to keep the idiot alive long enough for him to serve his purpose in the Great Red Hood Revenge Scheme.

Might this new roommate situation have an impact on either of their worldviews? Surely not...

Reccer's Notes: Both Tim and Jason are oblivious idiots in the best way in this. And Jason shows love through cooking (and teaching how to cook).

Fanwork Links: Say Uncle

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MCU: Dinner In Other Languages by tielan

Fandom: MCU
Pairings/Characters: Steve Rogers/Maria Hill
Rating: Gen
Length: 3107 words
Creator Links:

tielan
Theme: food, working together, friends with benefits, female characters,

Summary: Maria can manage professional colleagues with Rogers, but she values her place in S.H.I.E.L.D more.

Reccer's Notes: Tielan's specialty is female characters who get overlooked by the rest of fandom, and I love the way she writes Maria Hill: a complex woman doing a difficult job in a world that doesn't respect her. And I love the way she writes Steve: a man who deeply and sincerely respects (and falls for) competent women.

Fanwork Links: Dinner In Other Languages

Entry tags:

meme

the kids are alright

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9/1/2025 Lower Packrat Trail

Chris is still away so U walked Lower Packrat with me. A lot more people on that trail today! Unsurprising, a lovely holiday morning when it's been unusually warm. There was a report of spectacular migrant birding at Jewel Lake (I guess I believe it all but gosh) that we found a bit of: many Warbling Vireos in two locations, still Swainson's Thrushes whitting everywhere, Wilson's Warblers chipping and even singing, and multiple Western Tanagers, Blackheaded Grosbeaks, and Western Flycatchers. Everyone seemed riled up; it's the time of year when the day length mimics Spring and birds seem to react to this, especially the local birds. Right in the parking lot four California Towhees, seemingly two pair, were yelling, chasing, and fighting in the air. It was fascinating to watch, and to hear. ( The list: )

U saw her first Townsend's Warbler of the season, but that was the only Fall warbler despite the amazing report. By now Jewel Lake is so low the Mallards, when they bother to be there, are walking on the bottom. And yet we heard a Belted Kingfisher. I imagine they were disappointed.

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Sherlock Holmes: Tea, Coffee, and a Bite of Beef by MadamzelleG

Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Books/Granada)
Pairings/Characters: Holmes/Watson
Rating: G
Length: 1114 words
Creator Links: MadamzelleG
Theme: food & cooking

Summary: Holmes never orders dinner for himself, but Watson has long since stopped asking why. Instead, he allows the quiet ritual to unfold—Holmes sipping his coffee, stealing a bite here and there from Watson’s plate with effortless precision. In the warm glow of the Café Royal, amidst the murmur of conversation and the clink of silverware, an unspoken understanding lingers between them: Holmes takes, and Watson never minds.

Reccer's Notes: An intimate little scene of Watson and Holmes dining out together. With some exploration of Holmes' canon issues around food, but not in clinical way, more like Watson observing Holmes.

Fanwork Links: Ao3

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Round 178: Food & Cooking

Photograph of steel spoons and spices in a dramatic setting with added text that gives it the look of a gourmet magazine cover: September 2025. Food & Cooking, at Fancake. Steel teaspoons are arranged in an elogated oval to suggest a fish, with the bowls acting as scales and some of the handles left visible to create the fins and tail, giving the creature a spiky appearance. The concave bowls are dusted with a powdery orange spice for color and one spoon at the front of the fish is filled with a coarse black spice to create an eye. The fish is on a black surface with a rough texture and around it are three skinny green peppers, a mound of salt, a mound of orange spice, and a dipping bowl filled with a clear amber liquid.

Our theme for September is food & cooking!

The tag for this round is: theme: food & cooking

If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance. Because food can be a sensitive subject, you might want to indicate things like disordered eating, food allergies, dieting, weight loss or gain, food policing, fatphobia, and body shaming.

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The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Aug 31)

I did two loads of laundry (both washed, dried AND folded!), hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher and emptied it, went for several short walks, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals and cut up said chicken for said meals, changed kitty litter, and showered.

I did not visit mom today as my three siblings had plans to go out, but I did check her mail and had a brief telephone conversation with her. I also hit Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. We had the ziti I put together yesterday for supper tonight.

I finished Amelia Peabody and read some fanfic, watched an HGTV program, and got in nearly a mile and a half in walks! I haven’t gotten that much in a long time.

Temps started out at 46.8(F) and reached 76.5. It was sunny with a slight breeze.

I forgot to include this pic in yesterday’s post, but this was the sight at the bird feeder last night (Saturday). Not only the buck and two does, but a fawn!! First time I’ve seen one closer than the pumpkin patch, lol! (Yes, the mother and fawn have visited the pumpkin patch on more than one occasion; I’ve seen them from the house and Pip has passed them with the dogs on a walk.)

Mom Update:

Mom sounded good on the phone when I talked to her. (And by ‘good’, I mean she didn’t sound as exhausted as she has been; the kind where it’s hard to make yourself form words.) ( more back here )

Entry tags:

tomayto, tomahto

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Code deploy happening shortly

Per the dw_news post regarding the MS/TN blocks, we are doing a small code push shortly in order to get the code live. As per usual, please let us know if you see anything wonky.

There is some code cleanup we've been doing that is going out with this push but I don't think there is any new/reworked functionality, so it should be pretty invisible if all goes well.

Mississippi site block, plus a small restriction on Tennessee new accounts

A reminder to everyone that starting tomorrow, we are being forced to block access to any IP address that geolocates to the state of Mississippi for legal reasons while we and Netchoice continue fighting the law in court. People whose IP addresses geolocate to Mississippi will only be able to access a page that explains the issue and lets them know that we'll be back to offer them service as soon as the legal risk to us is less existential.

The block page will include the apology but I'll repeat it here: we don't do geolocation ourselves, so we're limited to the geolocation ability of our network provider. Our anti-spam geolocation blocks have shown us that their geolocation database has a number of mistakes in it. If one of your friends who doesn't live in Mississippi gets the block message, there is nothing we can do on our end to adjust the block, because we don't control it. The only way to fix a mistaken block is to change your IP address to one that doesn't register as being in Mississippi, either by disconnecting your internet connection and reconnecting it (if you don't have a static IP address) or using a VPN.

In related news, the judge in our challenge to Tennessee's social media age verification, parental consent, and parental surveillance law (which we are also part of the fight against!) ruled last month that we had not met the threshold for a temporary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law while the court case proceeds.

The Tennesee law is less onerous than the Mississippi law and the fines for violating it are slightly less ruinous (slightly), but it's still a risk to us. While the fight goes on, we've decided to prevent any new account signups from anyone under 18 in Tennessee to protect ourselves against risk. We do not need to block access from the whole state: this only applies to new account creation.

Because we don't do any geolocation on our users and our network provider's geolocation services only apply to blocking access to the site entirely, the way we're implementing this is a new mandatory question on the account creation form asking if you live in Tennessee. If you do, you'll be unable to register an account if you're under 18, not just the under 13 restriction mandated by COPPA. Like the restrictions on the state of Mississippi, we absolutely hate having to do this, we're sorry, and we hope we'll be able to undo it as soon as possible.

Finally, I'd like to thank every one of you who's commented with a message of support for this fight or who's bought paid time to help keep us running. The fact we're entirely user-supported and you all genuinely understand why this fight is so important for everyone is a huge part of why we can continue to do this work. I've also sent a lot of your comments to the lawyers who are fighting the actual battles in court, and they find your wholehearted support just as encouraging and motivating as I do. Thank you all once again for being the best users any social media site could ever hope for. You make me proud and even more determined to yell at state attorneys general on your behalf.

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8/31/2025 Inspiration Trail

I awoke at 4:30, which is perfect, but this would the third day running I'd gone out and I'll be going out tomorrow with U so initially I went back to bed. But the weather was forecast clear and I felt pretty good, so to my cat's disappointment I got up again. It had been 95 in Orinda and was quite warm in the parking lot even before dawn; I was on the first rise when the sun rose, which is where I like to be. After listening for a bit I decided to go directly to the north end of the trail and bird on the way back. Before all this crap got me down I would take two hours out and one back, and I hoped this would make the return less hard. And it did, although I might have skipped the north end for all the birds I found there. But it was encouraging even so. It was Western Tanager day; I heard them in a couple of places and then saw two. No warblers but I saw a Western Flycatcher where I heard one two days ago. As usual recently, I heard all three nuthatches and all five woodpeckers, which makes me happy. ( The list: )

The Red-tailed Hawk was freebie. I foolishly was not checking the towers but when I was almost under one, A Red-tailed Hawk objected to my presence and took off, rattling the metal they'd perched on. For good measure, they screamed as they headed west. Thank you! :)

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Pimp: Fandom Gift Basket 2025

For anyone interested, my basket is HERE. (I asked for fic/art in several fandoms: 9-1-1, Hudson & Rex, MCU, Murder She Wrote, and Terminator (Genisys/Dark Fate)).

Sign-ups are open through Sept 5, so if you want to sign-up there is still time! Go HERE.

Dates and links are in the Sticky Post.

I plan on going through the baskets, but if you'd like to link to yours here, please do so!

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The Day in Spikedluv (Saturday, Aug 30)

I hit Price Chopper and the Bakery while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park.

I did two loads of laundry (washed, dried AND folded!), hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, took the dogs for a short walk, browned ground beef and boiled pasta to stir up a ziti, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I visited mom, read more in Amelia Peabody, and watched an HGTV program.

Temps started out at 49.1(F) and reached 66.6. That I saw before I left home; it might have gotten a few degrees warmer. It was sunny with a breeze, which was lovely, but there was a definite chill in the air.

Mom Update:

Mom’s day was okay, which is about all she can expect these days. ( more back here )

Entry tags:

I'm not dead yet, and neither are you

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Entry tags:

2025,
schedule

Yuletide 2025 Schedule & New Year's Resolutions

It’s time to start thinking about Yuletide! Here is our schedule for this year. Please note that the time of some deadlines has changed from last year. This may mean the date in UTC has also changed, or that the date relative to your own time zone may have changed.

2025 Schedule

Monday 15 to Friday 26 September: Nominations (end 9pm UTC 26 September)
Tuesday 14 to Friday 24 October: Sign-ups (end 9pm UTC 24 October)
Sunday 26 October: Assignments out (may be earlier)
Wednesday 10 December: Default deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 17 December: Assignment deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 24 December: Main collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 25 December: Madness collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 1 January: Author reveals, end of event (9pm UTC)

Please check back closer to the time if you want to be sure about deadlines! Deadlines in other timezones may be closer than they appear. If your region has a seasonal time shift during the above dates, your relationship to the deadline will also change. We recommend using timeanddate.com to check when each deadline is for you before it occurs.

New Year's Resolutions

We just sent an email to everyone who took part in Yuletide 2024 and who needs to complete a New Year's Resolution story before signing up again.

We use the email that's associated with your AO3 account. This is a good time to check what that email is! If you have any doubts about whether you received it, you're welcome to check your status with us by emailing yuletideadmin@gmail.com. Please include your AO3 name.

Who needs to complete a New Year's Resolution

If you took part in Yuletide and defaulted after the default deadline, or you submitted an incomplete story at the posting deadline, or you defaulted in Yuletide twice in a row, we generally ask you to complete a New Year’s Resolution story before you sign up again.

See the rules for defaulting on AO3

If you defaulted in a previous year, we will not have sent you a new reminder. We issued a general amnesty for ordinary defaults before the 2023 round, but if you were told you needed to complete a NYR due to turning in a placeholder story or a similar problem, you are probably still on our NYR list. Please check with us if you aren’t sure!

How to fulfil the requirement

Stories written for the purpose of re-qualifying for Yuletide must be posted to the New Year's Resolutions 2025 collection before you sign up to Yuletide 2025. They must be over 1,000 words, written for a specific person's past Yuletide prompt, and given to that person. You can write for any Yuletide 2024 prompt, or you can choose an older Yuletide prompt as long as the fandom in which you write is small enough to still qualify for Yuletide (that is, there are fewer than 1,000 fics on AO3 that are in English, complete, and over 1,000 words long).

Purpose of New Year's Resolutions

The NYR system exists for several reasons:

It's an incentive to encourage people either to default early, or, to push on through and post something

It works as a warm-up, or as practice, or as a way of proving to yourself you can finish a story to a prompt

It's a contribution to the project of getting more stories written in tiny fandoms

It's a way of ensuring that past prompts don't get entirely forgotten.

If you had to default in a past year, we are aware that this may have been for a carefully-considered reason or in a difficult time. Needing to complete a NYR does not mean we think you're terrible. Even members of the mod team have needed to write NYRs in the past. We hope you use it as an opportunity to write something you enjoy.

People are also welcome to write NYR stories just for fun! The collection will stay open for late fills until Yuletide 2025 sign-ups close (approx Oct 24).

2024 prompts

On AO3

In an app

In a text file

From pinch hitters

As part of the Someday My Fic Will Come mini-challenge

Prompts for Yuletide 2010-2024 can be found through the relevant individual collections and the NYR collections (see the Yuletide parent collection).

Contact Mods | Participant DW | Participant LJ | Pinch Hits | Discord

Please either comment logged-in or sign a name. Unsigned anonymous comments will be left screened.

Entry tags:

8/30/2025 Loop Rd and Laurel Cyn Tr west

This weekend is forecast hot (for here) and there were more cars at the Loop Road gate than I can recall seeing, people getting out while it was cool, I guess. This morning I took another bit of trail I hadn't taken since I started going north out of the Nature Area, just a short connector between Loop Road and the service road. I found nothing unexpected, bar maybe the Cliff Swallow, but it was nice to be in the trees away from the road even briefly. ( The list: )

I remembered there being some tricky places in the trail and there definitely were, including one partial washout that I don't expect to be passable after another winter. That trail is now on the long list of things I'm glad I did and don't anticipate ever doing again.:)

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POI: Love and Marriage by astolat

Fandom: Person of Interest
Characters/Pairings: John Reese/Harold Finch, Lionel Fusco, Jos Carter, Bear
Rating: Explicit
Length: 4697
Creator Links: astolat on AO3, silverkat1620 on Audiofic Archive, kalakirya on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Marriage of Convenience, Friends to lovers

Summary: "Harold," John said, "are you asking me to marry you for your money?"
"Well, Mr. Reese," Harold said, "given how much of it you've spent already, I don't really see how you can complain."

Reccer's Notes: This story is deeply based in canon and yet, despite having only a partial grasp of the show and never having watched more than a couple of seasons, I still find it easy to follow, and it packs an emotional punch. The reason for the marriage of convenience this time is financial, to strengthen John's cover story and explain a recent massive outlay of funds. This isn't one of those stories where there's a prolonged slow burn after they marry - despite the pragmatic reason and their initial obliviousness, they're kissing like it's their job even before the celebrant pronounces them hitched. The characterisation is perfect, and there's a wonderful original character in Miriam Hechel. This fic is a gut punch in the best way on a number of levels - from unexpected attendees at the wedding, to John's catharsis afterwards, to the very end when it seems someone powerful in the shadows made sure their wedding day was undisturbed. It's a lovely story, beautifully written, and there are no less than two excellent podfics.

Fanwork Links:
Love and Marriage - the text
Love and Marriage - podfic by silverkat1620
Love and Marriage - podfic by kalakirya

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The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Aug 29)

I had a doctor appointment this morning. A ‘3-month’ (in quotes because it’s nearly impossible to actually schedule these 3-month follow-ups at the 3-month mark) check-up on my A1C numbers, among other things. ( mostly good news ) I got in a walk around the park while I was downtown.

You already know that I like schedules, so, because I knew I would be busy today between my appointment and visiting mom, I had to schedule When Things Got Done so I didn’t miss anything. Before I left the house in the morning I hand-washed dishes, washed a load of laundry, and heated up a ham steak and some peas for Pip’s supper, so he in turn just needs to heat them up like he’d do with leftovers . (I got the thick-thick ham steak this time and have already chunked up half of it and put it in the freezer for escalloped potatoes on another day.)

What I did not schedule into my morning was Grant getting skunked first thing. What a rancid smell. The house and my car smell, and I’m sure I have some residual stink. We gave him a skunk bath at the garage (because there’s light, as well as a drain and a hose, and there’s help, lol). (I use a mixture of peroxide, Dawn, and baking soda.)

I had a little bit of time after my doctor appointment and before I left to visit mom, so I: checked mom’s mail, put the load of laundry in the dryer, hard-boiled eggs, and scooped kitty litter.

The fun continued after I got home from the hospital: I folded laundry and hand-washed more dishes!! *g*

I read more in Amelia Peabody.

Temps started out at 57.2(F) and reached 64.4 (that I saw at noon). It was raining when I got up; it was supposed to rain most of the night. It stopped around 7am as forecasted, though the clouds remained, but then we got a short but mighty downpour at a little after 11am. The sun did eventually come out, so I’m sure the temps went up a little bit, but not much, I don’t think.

Mom Update:

Mom was exhausted today. ( more back here )

Entry tags:

so say we all

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Old Guard: Diplomatic Complications by Sixthlight

Fandom: The Old Guard
Pairings: Nicolò/Yusuf
Characters: Nicolò, Yusuf, Andromache, Quynh, Nile, OCs
Rating: Explicit
Length: 14,400 words
Creator Links:

Sixthlight
Theme: Marriage of convenience, Diplomatic marriage, Complete AU, Historical AU

Summary: There can be no misinterpretation or confusion on Yusuf’s part when what Duke Nicolò says is “But I didn’t want a husband, what does my brother think he’s doing?”

Reccer's Notes: Arranged marriages may be common in wealthy families -- but when the groom doesn't know a marriage has been arranged, and certainly doesn't want one, it throws a wrench in the works. Nicolò rejects the idea of marriage, and Yusuf can only accept that -- but everyone around them really, really want the two men to be married. Yusuf doesn't know how to do the seduction that Nile suggests, but a friendship slowly grows between them, and then more, which leads to a thoroughly satisfying ending.

Content Notes: None

Fanwork Links: Diplomatic Complications, by Sixthlight at AO3