inside you, open
Apr. 3rd, 2026 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oliviacirceThis is the very first poem in the wonderful poetryisnotaluxury book, which came out last year and is beautiful and perfect because the person or people who run that account have impeccable taste. This poem is an old favorite, and also beautiful and perfect, but I can't lie: it inevitably reminds me of two fics that thefourthvine titled from it, back in the day. In this new era of Hockey RPF-adjacent fandoms, my Sid/Geno roots go deep, and for obvious reasons, I have recently been doing quite a bit of rereading. I also just love this poem.
( One Heart )
thefourthvine titled from it, back in the day. In this new era of Hockey RPF-adjacent fandoms, my Sid/Geno roots go deep, and for obvious reasons, I have recently been doing quite a bit of rereading. I also just love this poem.( One Heart )
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Apr. 3rd, 2026 09:37 pmkingstokenWe've been without TV since the move (we finally got the TVs hooked up to satellite late today), but I did get our DVD players hooked up, so last night we watched Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, my brother had it on DVD, and surprisingly I enjoyed it. I had avoided it years ago because I had heard it was really bad, and I will admit that it is not as good as the original trilogy, but it wasn't terrible either. I would say its an entertaining mid-level action flick, it just comes after a really well regarded and well loved trilogy so it just can't compare. Anyways, I enjoyed the introduction of Blackbeard, who is a real bastard in this one. The characters of Jack and Barbossa always play well off each other with their frenemies dynamic. I thought how they did the "fountain of youth" concept was neat. I also didn't mind the Missionary/Mermaid subplot. One of the drawbacks of the the film was the forced romance between Jack and Penélope Cruz's character. Jack admits to having corrupted her, but I think it would have been more interesting if she had been a former friend or maybe someone he tricked into becoming part of his crew instead of a former lover. There is also stuff Jack does that he should never have survived or are never fully explained, but you just go with it because it's Jack. Anyways, I'm not sure this is a glowing endorsement or anything, but I just wanted to share because sometimes the stuff you hear is so awful maybe isn't as unwatchable as they make out.
Prompt: On Beyond-the-Clouds Temple
Apr. 3rd, 2026 07:43 pmranalore posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
chenqing_100It is National Poetry Month here in the United States. To celebrate, every prompt this month will be a poem. This week's prompt is by Xue Tao, as translated by Jeanne Larsen:
On Beyond-the-Clouds Temple
I have heard of the moss
at Beyond-the-Clouds:
where winds blow high,
where sun is near,
it’s free of the finest dust.
When level cloudbanks splash
their dye
on the Lotus Wall,
it seems to wait for a poet
and for the jewel moon.
You have until midnight your time on Friday, April 10, to answer this prompt. Please post your fills of the prompt as separate entries to the community (i.e. not replies to this entry), tagged with the prompt tag. You may post multiple standalone drabbles per entry in addition to drabble sequences and series.
As a reminder, this community has no official presence elsewhere. You are encouraged to share the prompt on social media, if you so desire. It may take me a bit to create the AO3 collection, so please be patient.
Also, I'm going to go ahead and drop a link to the prompt suggestions post here. New suggestions are always, always welcome.
On Beyond-the-Clouds Temple
I have heard of the moss
at Beyond-the-Clouds:
where winds blow high,
where sun is near,
it’s free of the finest dust.
When level cloudbanks splash
their dye
on the Lotus Wall,
it seems to wait for a poet
and for the jewel moon.
You have until midnight your time on Friday, April 10, to answer this prompt. Please post your fills of the prompt as separate entries to the community (i.e. not replies to this entry), tagged with the prompt tag. You may post multiple standalone drabbles per entry in addition to drabble sequences and series.
As a reminder, this community has no official presence elsewhere. You are encouraged to share the prompt on social media, if you so desire. It may take me a bit to create the AO3 collection, so please be patient.
Also, I'm going to go ahead and drop a link to the prompt suggestions post here. New suggestions are always, always welcome.
*grump*
Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:10 pmpocketmouseI suppose it should be a given that group project syndrome never goes away, even out of school, but if you sign up to help with a thing, you should fucking help with the thing. I've got one person in this exhibit planning process who hasn't responded to any emails or put in any concrit on any wording in any document or anything in literal months. At this point I don't trust most of them to do any worth so I can't do the delegation I was originally hoping to do.
At least I don't have to weave all the pieces for the exhibit myself. Though I worried we won't have enough, at this point. Ugh. Not, like, no pieces, but scanter than I'd prefer.
At least I don't have to weave all the pieces for the exhibit myself. Though I worried we won't have enough, at this point. Ugh. Not, like, no pieces, but scanter than I'd prefer.
Daily Check In.
Apr. 3rd, 2026 06:35 pmadafrog posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).
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.
Poll #34441 Daily poll
This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
How are you doing?
I am okay
13 (56.5%)
I am not okay, but don't need help right now
10 (43.5%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans are you living with?
I am living single
10 (43.5%)
one other person
8 (34.8%)
More than one other person
5 (21.7%)
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.
FIC: The Secret Marriage (2/?)
Apr. 4th, 2026 10:19 amluthienThe Secret Marriage (5631 words) by Luthien
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Characters: Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, Yuna Hollander
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Marriage, Secret Marriage, Wedding Planning, Blow Jobs, Tea
Series: Part 2 of The Secret Marriage
Summary:
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Characters: Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, Yuna Hollander
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Marriage, Secret Marriage, Wedding Planning, Blow Jobs, Tea
Series: Part 2 of The Secret Marriage
Summary:
Shane Hollander marries Ilya Rozanov on a Friday at his cottage by the lake.
The wedding is happening. Follows on from 'Out of the Closet'.
Iran Shoots Down U.S. Fighter Jet, One Crew Member Still Missing
Apr. 3rd, 2026 09:43 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
fp_best_defense_feedThe White House wants to portray Iran’s military as defeated, but U.S. intelligence shows otherwise.
Mother FUCK
Apr. 3rd, 2026 06:28 pmmalymin
Ok, so... I have to send in my computer for repairs after Easter, and it'll be days before I get it back, so I've been trying to work on my big Princess Tutu color meta before I'm bereft of a PC, right? And I'm talking about the way the white/black dichotomy predates the actual plot of the show: Ikuto Itoh had the idea of Swan Lake inspired white swan and black swan princesses before Junichi Sato joined the project, and it's only after Sato joined the project that the show developed its duckling protagonist, German setting... and that the white swan + black swan pair became a "swan vs raven" themed conflict. While corvids obviously have a bad reputation in European culture, they're not usually fairytale antagonists in the way wolves, dragons, or witches are, and owls are the "spooky sinister bird" motif of choice in classical ballet. As part of some research me and a friend had previously done for some personal Yugioh stuff, I was already aware of 烏鷺, or uro, as a cultural motif in Japan - the idea that the game of Go represents a battle between the forces of a white waterbird (herons or egrets, in this case) and a black crow and/or raven. So I write this up:
I do sometimes wonder if part of the choice to change the "black swan" of Balleriland, Princess Odile, to Princess Kraehe the crow princess, has some influence from the creators' own culture. A white-waterbird/black-corvid duality is already present in Japanese art and culture: the term 烏鷺, or uro, which contains the characters for "crow/raven" and "heron" in it. It's primarily a poetic way to talk about the white and black sides of a Go game as being the uro no arasoi: "the conflict between crows and herons." However, on its own, uro can also be used broadly to refer to a dichotomy of black and white. If anything has ever been said by the creators, it's somewhere I can't read it. Of course, corvids also have heavy negative associations in European folklore and culture, their uncanny intelligence and carrion-eating habits giving them a ghastly and demonic reputation, and Princess Tutu is playing heavily on the ease in which they can be slot into the common fairytale role of the Ontologically Evil Hungry Animal. (Even if, in actual fairytales, crows and ravens occupy this role far less than wolves or serpents.)
And I'm trying to find Japanese web pages talking about this turn of speech to point to, yea? And I find the following two pages:
And they seem to be talking about something more specific than just uro. So, I put them through machine translation, and...
Title of the website page:
鷺を烏と言いくるめる（さぎをからすといいくるめる）とは？意味や使い方や英語を解説
Translation of that page:
What does "to trick a heron into thinking it's a crow" mean? Explanation of its meaning, usage, and English equivalent.
So the specific phrase is 「鷺を烏と言いくるめる」. Technically, it can also just mean "to trick someone into believing a heron is a crow", not just "to trick a heron into believing it's a crow." Still, the specific way that Google translate seized upon translating the text here, is...
Are you familiar with the proverb, "To trick a heron into believing it's a crow" ?
One is a white bird, the other is a black bird. Even though they are both birds, they are clearly different. This proverb illustrates how one can forcibly distort the truth of things when it is clearly incorrect .
This article will provide a thorough explanation of the meaning, synonyms, usage, and English equivalent of the phrase "to talk someone into something."
In the second half of Princess Tutu, Rue, as the crow princess Kraehe, puts evil transformative raven-blood in Mytho, who is associated with swans, in an attempt to coerce him into ceasing to love the swan-princess Princess Tutu and make him fall in love with Princess Kraehe instead. This also turns him evil. When he tries to break free from the mind control/posession/brainwashing-like effects of the blood, Kraehe tells him that the "prince of the crows" is his true self, despite this obviously being untrue.
I... if I'm right that the swan/crow dichotomy in Princess Tutu is influenced by the preexisting heron/crow dichotomy in Japanese culture...
Is the majority of season 2 a play on a FUCKING IDIOM
I Want My Tears Back
Apr. 3rd, 2026 05:43 pmao3_highlanderseries_feedby LadyLustful
Methos talks about reclaiming his overstimulation and dacryphilia kinks with Duncan after Revelations.
Brought on by the realisation that Methos is very pretty when he is ugly-crying.
Title from Nightwish.
Words: 250, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Series: Part 6 of Immor(t)al Smut (Highlander the Series Porn)
- Fandoms: Highlander: The Series
- Rating: Explicit
- Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
- Categories: M/M
- Characters: Duncan MacLeod, Methos (Highlander), Kronos (Highlander)
- Relationships: Duncan MacLeod/Methos (Highlander), Kronos (Highlander)/Methos (Highlander)
- Additional Tags: Kronos is only here as an evil ghost of Methos's past, the rape is only Kronos/Methos, Kink Reclamation, Kink Negotiation, Past Rape/Non-con, Dacryphilia, Sexual Overstimulation, Dirty Talk, Kronos is his own warning, wordcount 250, Flash Fic, Angst and Porn, for a given value of porn, established Duncan/Methos
[ SECRET POST #7028 ]
Apr. 3rd, 2026 05:45 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #7028 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1003.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
4 weeks until assignments are due!
Apr. 4th, 2026 09:05 amcasemod posting in caseficexchangeTime sure does fly when you're having fun! We have four weeks until assignments are due! [ In your timezone + Countdown ]
Please email gumshoeagency@gmail.com with your AO3 username and your recipient's AO3 username for any questions.
As we enter the deadline phase of our exchange, I wanted to post a few reminders:
If you need an extension, you have until Friday 1 May 11:59pm Eastern to request it. The deadline for assignments with extensions is Friday 15 May. No further extension dates will be given. Extenuating circumstances will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
Please provide your AO3 username and the AO3 username of your recipient when requesting an extension.
If you default on your extension, you will be required to complete a make-up gift to participate in the next round. (These are due before the next round's sign-ups.)
Participants who choose to sign up with less than 3 unique fandoms and who are pinch hits have until Friday 15 May to add additional fandoms to their request. I will not be updating any requests after this date. This is so I can manage pinch hits in the post-deadline phase of the exchange.
These fandoms need to be unique and not subfandoms to qualify, i.e., if your request is Doctor Who 2005, Doctor Who 1963 and WandaVision, you do not meet the minimum unique fandom requirements.
Post-deadline pinch hits will be posted after Friday 1 May, so you will have time to decide whether you want to be guaranteed a gift. If you do not complete your assignment, I will not update your request to meet the minimum of 3 unique fandoms and you will not be a pinch hit.
This is a new aspect of the exchange that I'm trialling.
If you cannot complete your assignment, please default before Friday 1 May. I will be defaulting anyone who is a no-show and you may be banned from participating in the next round.
Feel free to let me know how your assignment is going! This is not mandatory. Comments are screened. :)
Good luck investigating and causing criminal mayhem!
- Commissioner Clawseau
Please email gumshoeagency@gmail.com with your AO3 username and your recipient's AO3 username for any questions.
As we enter the deadline phase of our exchange, I wanted to post a few reminders:
Extensions
If you need an extension, you have until Friday 1 May 11:59pm Eastern to request it. The deadline for assignments with extensions is Friday 15 May. No further extension dates will be given. Extenuating circumstances will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
Please provide your AO3 username and the AO3 username of your recipient when requesting an extension.
If you default on your extension, you will be required to complete a make-up gift to participate in the next round. (These are due before the next round's sign-ups.)
Guaranteed gifts
Participants who choose to sign up with less than 3 unique fandoms and who are pinch hits have until Friday 15 May to add additional fandoms to their request. I will not be updating any requests after this date. This is so I can manage pinch hits in the post-deadline phase of the exchange.
These fandoms need to be unique and not subfandoms to qualify, i.e., if your request is Doctor Who 2005, Doctor Who 1963 and WandaVision, you do not meet the minimum unique fandom requirements.
Post-deadline pinch hits will be posted after Friday 1 May, so you will have time to decide whether you want to be guaranteed a gift. If you do not complete your assignment, I will not update your request to meet the minimum of 3 unique fandoms and you will not be a pinch hit.
This is a new aspect of the exchange that I'm trialling.
Defaults
If you cannot complete your assignment, please default before Friday 1 May. I will be defaulting anyone who is a no-show and you may be banned from participating in the next round.
How's it going?
Feel free to let me know how your assignment is going! This is not mandatory. Comments are screened. :)
In case you missed it:
- Our available pinch hits.
- Treats for pinch hitters.
- Beta post where you can find and offer to beta.
Good luck investigating and causing criminal mayhem!
- Commissioner Clawseau
I think I've discovered colonialism
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:51 pmmuccamukk(n.b. I'm getting my librarians to sort out the access issue, so this is just a vent.)
I'm going along doing some research, and I think, "oh, it'd be good to have a few articles on the Coast Salish relationship with Camas, especially on Vancouver Island."
So I poke around in my university library, and soon find: "Camas Nullius? How Beacon Hill Park Came to Be Imposed on a Pillar of the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples' Food and Inter-National Trade Economy" by Jacquelyn Miller.
Perfect. I click through.
It goes to ProQuest, which is dog shit to read, but usually legible. The article starts with a note that says:
"But what does that mean?" I don't think at all, until I hit the sentence:
So what that means is that it's stripped out every word not written in English. In a paper about Indigenous culture vs. colonialism, it has unnamed the people! cool cool cool
It's literally unreadable:
I tried to download it as a PDF, because sometimes those are just straight up scans of the articles, all original formatting intact. But no! It's just the same thing as a PDF!
EBSCOhost said it also had the article, but then just didn't.
Then I clicked over to the journal itself, which is paywalled, of course (open access in 28 October 2026 🙃). But do look at this very pretty cover art. Worth every penny of whatever they paid the artist.
Then I emailed the library.
Here's a very pretty popular science piece about Garry oak ecosystems. If you just want to look at camas.
I'm going along doing some research, and I think, "oh, it'd be good to have a few articles on the Coast Salish relationship with Camas, especially on Vancouver Island."
So I poke around in my university library, and soon find: "Camas Nullius? How Beacon Hill Park Came to Be Imposed on a Pillar of the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples' Food and Inter-National Trade Economy" by Jacquelyn Miller.
Perfect. I click through.
It goes to ProQuest, which is dog shit to read, but usually legible. The article starts with a note that says:
ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.
"But what does that mean?" I don't think at all, until I hit the sentence:
the significance of the lands on which I live to the Indigenous Peoples of this place, the ... Peoples, known today as the Songhees and ... (Esquimalt) Nations, who have lived and governed here for millennia.
So what that means is that it's stripped out every word not written in English. In a paper about Indigenous culture vs. colonialism, it has unnamed the people! cool cool cool
It's literally unreadable:
Over generations now, this appropriation of this major ... "breadbasket" for a public park, and the loss of other important ... ... production sites as a result of settlement and agriculture, have dramatically reduced the abundance of ... and impacted the ... Peoples' ability to avail themselves of this vital source of their rightful food security and wealth. This injustice is even more glaring in light of the treaty promises to, at a minimum, reserve for the ... their enclosed or cultivated fields, which the article contends ... was upon the arrival of Europeans.
I tried to download it as a PDF, because sometimes those are just straight up scans of the articles, all original formatting intact. But no! It's just the same thing as a PDF!
EBSCOhost said it also had the article, but then just didn't.
Then I clicked over to the journal itself, which is paywalled, of course (open access in 28 October 2026 🙃). But do look at this very pretty cover art. Worth every penny of whatever they paid the artist.
Then I emailed the library.
Here's a very pretty popular science piece about Garry oak ecosystems. If you just want to look at camas.
Why Trump’s Speech Was So Worrying
Apr. 3rd, 2026 09:17 pmfp_best_defense_feedCertain outcomes to the U.S. war in Iran now seem more likely than ever.
Ticking Things Off the List
Apr. 3rd, 2026 03:01 pmbillroperI got my eye exam today and have ordered new contacts and glasses ahead of the looming insurance discontinuity. (There will be insurance -- there just might be a short period in which no one can figure out that I have it or which insurance that I actually have.)
One of the things that I did a couple of days ago was order a dock for the recording laptop. The dock arrived today while I was out getting the eye exam. The work computer and its dock have now been unceremoniously removed and the recording laptop and its dock are now in place and seem to be integrating fine. I'm writing this while a bunch of Steinberg software updates install.
Once I'm done on this computer, I have to flip back to the desktop and review the documents for my tax return and some Oracle paperwork.
I will eventually get all things sorted out.
It just takes time.
One of the things that I did a couple of days ago was order a dock for the recording laptop. The dock arrived today while I was out getting the eye exam. The work computer and its dock have now been unceremoniously removed and the recording laptop and its dock are now in place and seem to be integrating fine. I'm writing this while a bunch of Steinberg software updates install.
Once I'm done on this computer, I have to flip back to the desktop and review the documents for my tax return and some Oracle paperwork.
I will eventually get all things sorted out.
It just takes time.
In Defense of the Hive Mind
Apr. 3rd, 2026 07:15 pmfp_best_defense_feedVince Gilligan’s “Pluribus” asks whether an AI-led society would really be that bad.
Iran’s Zarif Wants a Bilateral Reset With U.S. That the Gulf Can’t Accept
Apr. 3rd, 2026 07:05 pmfp_best_defense_feedFormer FM’s terms for ending the war leave out the states that absorbed the most damage.
Russia’s River of Consciousness
Apr. 3rd, 2026 07:00 pmfp_best_defense_feedAn undercover journalist travels the Volga to catch a glimpse of life under Putin.
Two Takes on Modern France
Apr. 3rd, 2026 06:45 pmfp_best_defense_feedPlus, more international fiction releases in April.
What in the World?
Apr. 3rd, 2026 06:42 pmfp_best_defense_feedTest yourself on the week of March 28: Energy markets react to the Iran war, Russia expels a diplomat, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict intensifies.
Check-In Post - April 3rd 2026
Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:20 pmbadly_knitted posting in get_knitted
Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: Where do you do most of your crafting?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
Friday curious. Smart roads
Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:55 pmfridi posting in talkpolitics
The roads of the future are already being tested... and they come from the Netherlands. Over there, they're not just laying asphalt, they are developing "smart roads" that can light up, give warnings, and even reduce noise. They are not everywhere yet, but the idea is already becoming a reality.
Fluorescent lines charge from the sun and glow at night. Road surfaces absorb the noise from tires. And special paint can display warnings directly on the road when there is a risk of icing. It sounds like sci fi but it's actually a project already underway.
The most important thing? The road is no longer just a place you pass through... but a system that begins to communicate with you.
https://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smart-highway
Why Jet Fuel Is the Real Harbinger of the Energy Crisis
Apr. 3rd, 2026 04:49 pmfp_best_defense_feedThe Iran war is torching the products that make the world go around.
Unfamiliar Experiences
Apr. 3rd, 2026 05:01 pmkitarella_imagines
So I am sharing this to encourage readers to comment on fics and support your favourite authors!
Twice recently I've had nice AO3 comments from really sweet young members of my fandom telling me that my fics inspired them to start writing in our fandom! And that they are excited when they get comments from me on their own fics.
I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, I thought they must be joking and playing games with me. But they assured me they meant every word of it. I felt tearful, my head is still spinning from such unexpected compliments. It is so rare to get praise in life isn't it?
And guess what? Those small bits of genuine praise inspired me to write more fics! I didn't write fics specifically for those commenters but they encouraged me to Keep Writing and Commenting.
(But I decided to gift the really sweet young members' favourite fics to them anyway! Why not share the peace and love? 💖)
All we need is a tiny bit of support and confidence boosting, don't we?
So readers. Please encourage your favourite authors! It can make a world of difference, and fill your fandom with even more great fics to read.
Twice recently I've had nice AO3 comments from really sweet young members of my fandom telling me that my fics inspired them to start writing in our fandom! And that they are excited when they get comments from me on their own fics.
I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, I thought they must be joking and playing games with me. But they assured me they meant every word of it. I felt tearful, my head is still spinning from such unexpected compliments. It is so rare to get praise in life isn't it?
And guess what? Those small bits of genuine praise inspired me to write more fics! I didn't write fics specifically for those commenters but they encouraged me to Keep Writing and Commenting.
(But I decided to gift the really sweet young members' favourite fics to them anyway! Why not share the peace and love? 💖)
All we need is a tiny bit of support and confidence boosting, don't we?
So readers. Please encourage your favourite authors! It can make a world of difference, and fill your fandom with even more great fics to read.
Google major fail
Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:38 amsusandennisThe other day, I was looking for some granny square chicken ideas. I googled and then clicked on images and fairly quickly found a viable candidate but, on the way, I also spied a very cool looking fish. Made with a granny square base with nose and tail added and then outlined in black. I thought it was an Etsy image but I could have been wrong about that. It was not a professional image. I noted my search terms and figured I'd go back and find it later. Only now, after two days of searching, I cannot find that sucker anywhere! I have googled the universe looking and nope. Nada. Nothing even close. I no longer care about the fucking fish but I am major bummed about my personal fail.
I just tried again and Google suggested I try Gemini. Fair suggestion. And an even bigger fail. Now I need to see if I can stop looking. It's obsessive.
I had the entire pool to myself this morning, not even the sun joined me. It was lovely.
Before I left, I loaded the laundry in and got it started. It's now got about 40 minutes til done.
I made Bonny a welcome home sign.
And that's about it so far today. No big plans - no little plans for that matter. But, probably I should get dressed anyway.
I just tried again and Google suggested I try Gemini. Fair suggestion. And an even bigger fail. Now I need to see if I can stop looking. It's obsessive.
I had the entire pool to myself this morning, not even the sun joined me. It was lovely.
Before I left, I loaded the laundry in and got it started. It's now got about 40 minutes til done.
I made Bonny a welcome home sign.
And that's about it so far today. No big plans - no little plans for that matter. But, probably I should get dressed anyway.
Sports Romance, a KDD, & More
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:50 pmsmartbitches_feedThe Duke of Shadows
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran is $1.99! We always get lots of comments when we feature a Duran title; many are hoping she’ll return to writing someday. If you need hope, I found a Reddit thread that mentioned Duran had updated her “About” page in the last couple years and makes references to finishing a manuscript. Sarah reviewed it back in 2008 and gave it a B-:
Julian was tortured and noble, and though he didn’t change so much as come to own himself and the power at his disposal in both of the cultures that shaped him, his journey was fascinating. Julian was marvelous, and did things I wished heroes in other historical novels would do, including beating the ever living shit out of someone who truly deserved it, and being vindicated for doing so. YUM.
In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything…and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them.
From exotic sandstone palaces…
Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé’s betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.
To the marble halls of London…
In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous — and that a single decision can alter one’s life forever.
Destiny follows wherever you run.
A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned…and some passions never die.
Strange Practice
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw is $2.99! Readers love the heroine, who is described a “fast-talking doctor to the undead.” This is a Kindle Daily Deal.
Meet Greta Helsing, fast-talking doctor to the undead. Keeping the supernatural community not-alive and well in London has been her family’s specialty for generations.
Greta Helsing inherited the family’s highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. In her consulting rooms, Dr. Helsing treats the undead for a host of ills – vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. Although barely making ends meet, this is just the quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta’s been groomed for since childhood.
Until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.
The Game Changer
The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson is $1.99! This is a standalone contemporary romance with some off limits elements and fake dating. Have you read this one?
A hockey player and a baker shoot their shot in this steamy romance.
When a very public breakup becomes a PR nightmare for Ian Chase’s team, he hopes to focus on his game, but that suddenly seem less likely than a hat trick. With his career and the team’s image in jeopardy, Ian is surprised to find a solution through none other than Delilah Baker, his best friend and teammate’s little sister…who isn’t so little anymore.
Delilah Baker is known as “the darling of baking” on her local cable show, and being in the public eye is her bread and butter. But with her numbers dwindling and her producers turning up the heat, Delilah offers up the half-baked idea to collaborate with her brother’s team to entice the hockey fans of Boston to tune in to her show. Delilah thinks it will be a piece of cake—until the team sends Ian Chase, her brother’s best friend and the object of a decade-long crush that she’s never quite gotten over.
Delilah’s and Ian’s teams think it’s a true win-win situation—gaining higher numbers for Delilah’s show and casting Ian in a more positive light. And viewers are eating them up like a cupcake, sparking the idea to play up their relationship for the goal of good press. With more than just their careers on thin ice, the line between what’s real and what’s for show begins to blur, but one thing’s for certain: This PR stunt will either be a total game changer—or leave them both totally pucked.
Dating After the End of the World
Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose is $2.49 at Amazon! I read this one last year and gave it a C. Did any of you also read this one? What did you think?
There’s nothing like the undead to bring the living together in an action-packed and apocalyptically romantic genre-shattering novel by a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
Casey Pearson grew up with a doomsday-prepping father. At eighteen, tired of living an unconventional life, she left home, vowing never to return.
More than a decade later, a mysterious viral outbreak changes everything, including the people it infects, turning them into zombielike creatures. It’s the end of the world, and no one saw it coming—well, except for Casey’s father. With no place left to run and danger lurking around every corner, Casey is forced to return home.
Upon arrival, she’s surprised to find that her dad has hunkered down with a group of survivors, including her archnemesis, Blake Morrison, the high school bully who made Casey’s teenage years a living hell.
While struggling to live on the compound, face outside threats, and survive alongside her handsome enemy, Casey will learn that although the world has ended, hers is just beginning.
Spring Drabble 03/30: BTS, Cherry Blossoms
Apr. 3rd, 2026 04:34 pmkat_lair***
Title: Cherry Blossoms
Author:kat_lair
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Character: Kim Namjoon | RM
Tags: Implied Relationships, Background Poly, Drabble, Introspection
Rating: G
Word count: 100
Summary: The trees are blossoming.
Author notes: Spring defiance from under the crushing forces of capitalism = a drabble a day in April. This one forpushkin666's prompt 'BTS, any pairing, cherry blossoms'. OT7 in my mind but can definitely be read as gen/friendship.
Cherry Blossoms on AO3
( Cherry Blossoms )
***
Title: Cherry Blossoms
Author:
kat_lair Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Character: Kim Namjoon | RM
Tags: Implied Relationships, Background Poly, Drabble, Introspection
Rating: G
Word count: 100
Summary: The trees are blossoming.
Author notes: Spring defiance from under the crushing forces of capitalism = a drabble a day in April. This one for
pushkin666's prompt 'BTS, any pairing, cherry blossoms'. OT7 in my mind but can definitely be read as gen/friendship.Cherry Blossoms on AO3
( Cherry Blossoms )
***
Bad news
Apr. 3rd, 2026 03:43 pmlexin
I have had some bad news: my old friend Peter Cheer passed away in the last few days.
We (our DnD group) became worried when he didn't contact us to confirm whether or not he was playing last Sunday, and I had tried to get hold of him by email, text and Discord, with no luck. So I sent a message via the Police Scotland website for them to do a welfare check and a policeman rang me on Wednesday night with the bad news.
He told me that it was a 'medical issue' and nothing suspicious, which is something to be grateful for.
They are getting in touch with Peter's wife, Tabby, who is currently in Nairobi, through Interpol.
I am really upset, I was very fond of Pete, a kindly, good, man in all the best ways. He was a Quaker, and everything a Christian should be.
I’ll miss him. He used to stay with me during our August gaming get-togethers. Staying with me was cheaper than getting a room at the university.
He had an adventurous life despite having profound disabilities (he walked strangely, he was completely deaf in one ear, and had lost an eye) brought about by having a bad fall while mountaineering in 1981. He did Voluntary Service Overseas three times, in Kenya, in Mongolia, and I think the third time was in Ecuador, though I could be wrong.
We (our DnD group) became worried when he didn't contact us to confirm whether or not he was playing last Sunday, and I had tried to get hold of him by email, text and Discord, with no luck. So I sent a message via the Police Scotland website for them to do a welfare check and a policeman rang me on Wednesday night with the bad news.
He told me that it was a 'medical issue' and nothing suspicious, which is something to be grateful for.
They are getting in touch with Peter's wife, Tabby, who is currently in Nairobi, through Interpol.
I am really upset, I was very fond of Pete, a kindly, good, man in all the best ways. He was a Quaker, and everything a Christian should be.
I’ll miss him. He used to stay with me during our August gaming get-togethers. Staying with me was cheaper than getting a room at the university.
He had an adventurous life despite having profound disabilities (he walked strangely, he was completely deaf in one ear, and had lost an eye) brought about by having a bad fall while mountaineering in 1981. He did Voluntary Service Overseas three times, in Kenya, in Mongolia, and I think the third time was in Ecuador, though I could be wrong.
The Lost Children of Minab
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:45 pmfp_best_defense_feedIt has been one month since missiles struck a school in the Iranian port town.
Pakistan’s Peacemaking Is a Setback for India
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:38 pmfp_best_defense_feedAs Islamabad positions itself as a mediator in the Iran war, New Delhi is sidelined.
Iran Is the Dumb, Disastrous Remake of Desert Storm
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:17 pmfp_best_defense_feedTrump is trying to rerun the first Gulf War, badly, in an international system that won’t allow it.
Easter EGGcellence
Apr. 3rd, 2026 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedOk, bakers, huddle up!
Now, listen: Easter is coming. That means a lot of long hours, hard work, and painstaking effort on your part to ensure we make some of the most beautif...BWAHAHAHA!!
AHAHAHAHAA!!
[wiping eyes] Sorry, sorry! I really thought I'd get through that with a straight face this year. Heehee!
Right: start your airbrushes! I'll see you back here in five.
Bee-YOO-tiful.
Nice aim on those jelly beans, Jim!
And good call on the "Peep Peep." That'll clue 'em in it's not a swan or a banana or something.
Not bad, but I can still see a little icing. Can we get a little more plastic in here?
And speaking of plastic, here's a great recycling tip:
St. Patrick would be proud.
And remember, bakers: the more plastic, the less time, skill, and hassle!
I made this one in 15 seconds.
With my feet.
(Aaaand that'll be $14.99, please. Cha-ching!)
And lastly, I don't actually know what this is...
...but it looks like a really efficient use of time. So let's make a few dozen more.
Thanks to Stephanie J., Angela M., Alexandra M., Shay K., Tony D., Diana Y., & Stephanie R., who think that's supposed to be a bunny rabbit.
[staring in stunned silence]
Well, one thing's for sure: You're not getting a Peep out of me.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
A Gift of Death
Apr. 3rd, 2026 12:12 pmao3_highlanderseries_feedby Aeshma
There is something magical about childhood. Sometimes entirely in the fairytale sense. The only question is what it costs… and who pays.
Author’s Note:
Chronologically, this story takes place between Circles of Sight and Willing Harvest. Reading it in that order will give you additional context, and certain moments may land with greater impact, especially once you reach Definitely Not a Hero’s Journey. You’ll notice things Amy doesn’t, and there’s a particular kind of fun in watching a POV character slowly piece together what you already suspect.
However, that approach also softens some of the intended mystery and undercuts the unreliable narrator element. For that reason, I’ve placed this story later in the series.
You may find it more satisfying to wait and read A Gift of Death after Definitely Not a Hero’s Journey is complete (which I hope to finish within the next three months). Doing so might even give you a reason to revisit the series with fresh eyes.
Ultimately, the choice is yours, but consider this your warning: There are SPOILERS ahead!
Words: 7504, Chapters: 7/20, Language: English
Series: Part 5 of Divinity for Beginners
- Fandoms: Highlander: The Series, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agatha All Along (TV), Thor (Movies), Norse Religion & Lore
- Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
- Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
- Categories: Gen
- Characters: Amy Brennan-Thomas, Elliot Randolph, Rio Vidal, Cassandra (Highlander), Kanwulf (Highlander), Joe Dawson, James Horton, Lynn Horton, Emily Horton (Highlander)
- Additional Tags: References to Norse Religion & Lore, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Found Family, Witchcraft, Dark Magic, Necromancy, desecration, Illnesses, Slow burn Horror, Memory and Identity, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Morally Grey Characters, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Dual POV
The Energy Shock Hits Latin America
Apr. 3rd, 2026 12:00 pmfp_best_defense_feedThe Iran war has led the region’s leaders to recalibrate their economic policies.
The Woods in April
Apr. 3rd, 2026 11:51 ampuddleshark posting in common_nature
The woods in early April. Full of sunlight and birdsong: the pensive silvery songs of robins, the repetitive two-tone squeak of coal-tits, chiffchaffs singing their own name, and nuthatches whistling like football referees.
( Read more... )
Sustaining involvement and joy in tiny fandoms
Apr. 3rd, 2026 11:14 amvriddyContent notes: There are a few moments of self-pity in here :D I don't like being negative in general, but I thought I'd be honest about things, both for myself and for my future self who will totally be over it, yet able to remember what it was like not to be that cool, thanks to this post XD
I've written quite a few fics in tiny fandom-of-ones before, sometimes even for manga that didn't have a translation available anywhere so really no hope of finding fellow fans :D And I enjoy it, like, finishing a book, seeing there's no fics for your particular vision (or at all!), scribbling and dropping one, and then huuuh sometimes nothing because it was just about two background characters that deeply intrigued me and apparently only me. Or sometimes, maybe once a year, getting a comment like "I just finished reading the book and I'm so glad someone shared the same vision!" -- that feels sooo good :D Like having left a little treasure out there for someone else to find. (It's what I imagine geocaching is like??) And it's happened to me in the reverse so many times, too! Bless you yuletide folks in particular, for unknowingly having had my back so often!
( Writing for a tiny fandom and then staying there, however, feels very different )
( 'Write for yourself first' - sure! Why share, though? )
Which brings us to, coping mechanisms! Haha. ...You know, I spent actual time searching for how people do it, heh, when it started becoming harder. Here's what I found people do:- Keep writing, stop posting
- Rope more people into the fandom
- Get into a bigger fandom in parallel -- the bigger the better!
- Mindset change: posting to connect vs posting to archive / connect quietly
- Wait to post so there is less attachment to the story
- RP being someone who doesn't care like you wish you were
( I think I've basically done all of these 🤔 )
This got so long again XD XD I'm adding headers! But also, now, with the important question!!
Beloved tiny fandom and fandom-of-one writers and creators out there, how do you do it? And how do you keep it up? How do you manage the psychology of it? Do you have down moments regardless of the joy of it, and how do you handle those?? Clearly I do suck at it, so I'm all ears! It'd be cool to reduce the amount of non-joy as I go back to my gigantic file of K-9 ideas and throw them into the cauldron, eventually... :D Any coping mechanism to add to the list? And I think this all probably applies to podficcers and icon makers too, who tend to navigate smaller circles. How do you sustain it?? Please allow me to learn your secrets :D
Friday Videos Remember We Are All Connected
Apr. 3rd, 2026 10:00 amsmartbitches_feed
Every time I remember an old video I’d like to add to my list of potential Friday Videos, I look at how long ago it was posted and I feel truly ancient.
So this one is from 16 years ago.
I would have sworn it was less than 10. But no, I’m wrong.
This is a song I think about constantly, especially the piano cascade in the middle of the chorus: “Symphony of Science” by John D. Boswell, aka MelodySheep.
The cosmos is also within us. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
And because I’m always Mr. Rogers’ loudest fan: “Garden of Your Mind” featuring Fred Rogers.
May this weekend bring you limitless moments of imagination and awe. Thank you for being connected with all of us here.
April 2026 Queer Romances
Apr. 3rd, 2026 09:00 amsmartbitches_feed
New month, new collection of queer romances, and this month we’re going heavy on historicals! Treat yourself to love throughout the ages with these sweet new reads.
Set Point
Author: Meg Jones
Released: April 7, 2026 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Game, Set, and Match #3
A sizzling sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance between two rival tennis superstars, taking place during the US Open!
Nothing fades faster than a former prodigy—and Inés Costa is dangerously close to disappearing.
Once queen of the court, Inés is limping through qualifiers. And after losing her biggest sponsor to Chloe Murphy, the sport’s fiery new favorite, she and her bank account are running on fumes.
Chloe, known as much for her talent as her temper, is a top seed for the upcoming US Open. But thanks to broken rackets, code violations, and the inability to play well with others, her “favorite” status is slipping away.
However, when they are forced to share the same side of the court, and the world surprisingly doesn’t implode, Chloe makes an she’ll fund Inés’s journey to the US Open, but only if Inés agrees to be her hitting partner and teach her to keep a level head.
It’s strictly business, but somewhere between practice drills and tour stops, the line between rival and something more begins to blur.
As the summer burns toward Flushing Meadows, their sizzling tension catches fire. With a trophy in sight and emotions running high, will their romance double fault at set point?
The Game, Set and Match series gets its first f/f in this third book, bringing a heated rivalry to the tennis court. This one’s chock full of favorite tropes and is decidedly steamy, the perfect pick to tide you over until nonfictional players hit the US Open in a few months.
More Like Enemigas
Author: Stephanie Hope
Released: April 7, 2026 by Carina Adores
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
“This heartfelt sapphic romance is loaded with laugh-out-loud humor and the high-drama hijinks of a splashy telenovela.” —Camille Perri, author of When Katie Met Cassidy
One wedding, two rivals and a whole lot of secrets…
As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for certain:
her late father’s restaurant is thriving
she owns lots of designer things
both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy
Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.
To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.
Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…
Traditional publishing has frightfully little representation when it comes to Sapphic Latina books, so this debut jumped onto my radar at the speed of light as soon as it was announced. As it happens, I love me a good wedding romance and rivals-to-lovers action, so this is pretty much my dream book.
Never After
Author: Alexis Hall
Released: April 7, 2026 by Montlake
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
From fan-favorite author Alexis Hall comes a story of faith, redemption, and love—a melancholic tale of queer romance set in nineteenth-century England.
On the grim streets of London, a young man succumbs to his demons. Discarded by his lover and left penniless and alone, Michael “Micha” Dashwood uses sex to pay the bills and opium to numb the pain.
When a sudden illness strikes, all seems lost. But hope finds Micha in the shape of the Reverend Thomas Mandeville. Haunted by grief of his own, Thomas cannot bear to ignore another man’s plight. He brings the ailing Micha home to heal in his parish at Nettlefield.
As Micha recovers under Thomas’s care, he begins to realize that some people in this world are worthy of trust. Thomas, in turn, learns the truth of his own needs and desires. Between the secrets of the past and the burdens of the present, their future together seems impossible. Questions of faith and the shadow of opium continue to haunt them both.
Yet possibilities, like miracles, can be found wherever you look for them.
There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot Alexis Hall can’t do, is there? Fresh (and I mean fresh) off the heels of a queer sci-fi reimagining of Moby Dick, Hall’s back with a 19th-century romance that brims with angst, hope, and faith.
How to Fake It in Society
Author: KJ Charles
Released: April 28, 2026 by Bramble
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Bridgerton meets The Goldfinch in How to Fake It in Society, a stunning queer romance by rising genre star KJ Charles.
It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother’s reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life.
At least, that’s what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists’ paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immensely wealthy woman who wanted to disinherit her nephew on her deathbed. As word spreads of his fortune, Titus finds himself a target of every scammer and beggar in London…including one Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte.
Nico is on his last legs, out of money, and on the run from some terrifying gangsters. When Titus offers Nico a space in his household, it’s the perfect chance for him to exploit London’s newest golden purse–until he falls in love with the man he needs to cheat. Still, Nico is sure they can have a happy ending together. If he can just find his way out of his own web of lies…
I think by now we’re all familiar with the rule of m/m historical romance, which is that if KJ Charles writes it, you’re gonna read it, especially if it sounds as fun, witty, and clever as this newest. Is there anything better than reading a con man falling for a mark? Not bloody likely!
The Duke
Author: Anna Cowan
Released: April 28, 2026 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
“Gorgeously written and desperately hot… Hands down, my favorite romance of the decade.” — Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House
A sapphic regency romance about the duke who fears nothing… until the woman she never forgot walks through the door and brings her to her knees.
Set in a world of powerful female nobles and the women who love them…
Kate, Duke of Howard, is known throughout Europe as a merciless autocrat not to be crossed. Consumed by a bitter rivalry, she avoids society and has vowed never to trap a woman into marriage with a monster like herself.
The beautiful, ambitious courtesan Celine Genet once threw herself on the mercy of the visiting Duke of Howard. She was desperate to escape the guillotine. But after a night of searing passion, the duke left her to the ravages of Revolutionary Paris and didn’t look back. Now Celine is in London and in possession of a dangerous letter that proves the Duke of Howard committed treason as a child – and possibly even murder.
Celine wants a titled husband in return for keeping the duke’s secret, leaving Kate no choice but to parade her around the most fashionable ballrooms. But as Celine takes society by storm, Kate finds herself growing fond of the woman set on destroying her. And as their attraction mounts, Kate faces an impossible choice: keep her childhood secret, or win the woman she loves.
Anna Cowan’s The Duke is an utterly unforgettable, page-turning romance featuring two women who, separately, are a danger to each other, but together, could be the most powerful duo London has ever seen.
This has got to be one of the most long-awaited Sapphic historicals of all time, and not only because it was initially scheduled to publish six months ago. I am absolutely hyped for a world of badass female nobles,and this one sounds deliciously sexy. If you’re already amped and impatient for the upcoming Sapphic season of Bridgerton, get thee to a bookshop post haste!
![[admin post]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/admin_post.png){kind=small}
So many wonderful plants!
Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:00 amthelastwordonnothing_feed
I’m currently on a walking trip in Japan that has turned into more of a walking-plus-bus-and-train trip. (Walking is great! Walking with all of your stuff on your back…is great for some people.) I’m on a pilgrimage that circles the island of Shikoku, visiting 88 temples along the way.
Because I’m a nerd, I’ve stopped along the way by some interesting-sounding local museums. One of these, the museum at the Makino Botanical Gardens in Kochi City, gave me a new mild obsession: Tomitaro Makino, who they call the “father of Japanese botany.” He was a taxonomist who discovered a lot of new species and gave many Japanese plants their new Latin names.
And he grew up, it turns out, in the town of Sakawa, where I found myself a few days later.
Sakawa is a sake-making town – the street leading to Makino’s childhood home is lined with breweries and you can smell the alcohol as you walk by. His family were successful sake brewers, and the family business helped fund his plant collecting. Their house has been turned into a museum about him – one of several museums in this historic town.
As a child, he dropped out of school and just did plants. Eventually he made his way to Tokyo University.
The town of Sakawa has gone all in for their Makino connection. About half the train station waiting area is devoted to him, with a wall-sized mural showing multiple Makinos (and tiny Makino fairies with leaves for wings) happily examining plants in a rich green forest. A mailbox nearby has a plant model on top. The big park is named for him. There’s a historical marker at the parking lot where his family’s brewery used to stand. Reproductions of his botanical drawings appear around town. (He made some of his own brushes, including some made of bundled mouse hairs. Mouse hairs!)
Behind the museum, 100 or so stone steps lead to a shrine perched high on the hill. I’m learning about the topography of Japan in a very direct and personal way on this trip. This is one of many steep climbs to religious sites that I’ve done in the last month or so. I learned in the museum that he liked to play at this shrine as a child, and did some of his first plant collecting there.
And oh, the plants! I can see how they would inspire a child. In this subtropical zone, it seems like plants are growing everywhere, wanted or not. The stone steps are host to lush moss, peppy little ferns, crusting lichens, and other photosynthetic friends that I can’t confidently identify. It’s been pretty dry in Shikoku so far this year, but the rain of recent days seemed to have brought everything to life. Water dripped from huge ferns. As I walked down the other side, fat iridescent blue-gray worms squirmed along the wet stone on my right.
Below the shrine on the other side was another museum, this one based on a library collection. The tree in the photo at the top of this post is out front – one of many cherry trees hosting healthy-looking assemblages of lichens and moss. The museum had two exhibits, one covering local history and some noted local people (including a leader in Japanese emigration to Brazil and the author of the 1903 English-language book “Plate Girder Construction”) and the other: Makino. It’s thanks to that exhibit that I can share this poem, which he wrote in calligraphy on a big scroll and which was part of his autobiography, published in 1956:
With grass as a bed and tree roots as a pillow, fifty years of love with flowers.
_____________
Photos: Helen Fields, obviously
The post So many wonderful plants! appeared first on The Last Word On Nothing.
April not quite 365 days
Apr. 3rd, 2026 12:10 ampattroseApril not quite 365 days
3. Do other people shorten your given name? Do you shorten your own name?
Yes, my name is Patricia. I was always called Patty. Then I got tired of that. I took the Y off and had my new name. (Patt) my dad always called me PattRose. So it stuck.
3. Do other people shorten your given name? Do you shorten your own name?
Yes, my name is Patricia. I was always called Patty. Then I got tired of that. I took the Y off and had my new name. (Patt) my dad always called me PattRose. So it stuck.
Crunchy questions
Apr. 3rd, 2026 12:08 ampattroseCrunchy questions
Have you studied your family history? Have you discovered anything interesting? Anything you wish you hadn't?
Yes. I fell in love with the story behind my great-grandfather. He came to America with his wife and their daughter, Elle Jeanette. He got a job on the railroad in Washington state. He and his family lived in Minnesota. He was gone with his job every three months. He sent his entire check every week to his wife. While he was gone she began seeing a Greek fellow. He got her pregnant but she told her husband that she was newly pregnant. After two years he talked of coming home for good. My great-grandmother didn't want to let the Greek fellow go, so she moved to Miami and told my grandma that her dad left them. Long story short, my grandma never saw him again. It's really sad. They were crazy about each other. She never stopped talking about him. The step-dad abused the children. Finally great-grandma left him and moved to Iowa.
They had no internet, so nowhere to find each other.
After grandma died I found out he died when she was 60. It's such a shame.
Aren't you glad that I told this story?
Have you studied your family history? Have you discovered anything interesting? Anything you wish you hadn't?
Yes. I fell in love with the story behind my great-grandfather. He came to America with his wife and their daughter, Elle Jeanette. He got a job on the railroad in Washington state. He and his family lived in Minnesota. He was gone with his job every three months. He sent his entire check every week to his wife. While he was gone she began seeing a Greek fellow. He got her pregnant but she told her husband that she was newly pregnant. After two years he talked of coming home for good. My great-grandmother didn't want to let the Greek fellow go, so she moved to Miami and told my grandma that her dad left them. Long story short, my grandma never saw him again. It's really sad. They were crazy about each other. She never stopped talking about him. The step-dad abused the children. Finally great-grandma left him and moved to Iowa.
They had no internet, so nowhere to find each other.
After grandma died I found out he died when she was 60. It's such a shame.
Aren't you glad that I told this story?
90 discussion questions
Apr. 3rd, 2026 12:06 ampattrose90 discussion questions.
1. If you had a million dollars and had to spend it in one week, how would you spend it?
This would be easy. I would split it up into 8 and watch everyone have a good time.
1. If you had a million dollars and had to spend it in one week, how would you spend it?
This would be easy. I would split it up into 8 and watch everyone have a good time.