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Purrcy; kdrama
I've been watching Moon Embracing the Sun with
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Daily Happiness
2. Back to work tomorrow. :( Thinking of maybe making it a WFH day, though. So far the only meeting-like things I have are two web interviews, so that can be done from home, and I've got a lot of desk work and email to catch up on from the three-day weekend. So if no one comes up with anything urgent that needs me in person I think I'll stay home.
3. Tuxie is so handsome!

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Dessert and Developments (part 1 of 1, complete)
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1237
[Wednesday, 2 August, 2017, 8:30 p.m.]
:: LaQuinta and Cash are arguing over the “best” kitchen staples when their evening is interrupted. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::
The large, rectangular building was proudly labeled Jaliya’s Kitchen in six-foot letters painted on the cinder block wall. Graffiti tags surrounded the white background, with only one corner smudged by a painted leaf from the faux rosebushes that filled the space between the bottom edge of the wall and the lower edge of the title frame. Double doors stood open, inviting people inside but equipped with positive pressure fans above the doorway to prevent insects from entering.
Inside, tucked at a four-person round table just past the large eight-person tables nearest the doors, each marked with a triangular standing card, Cold Cash perused the dessert menu for the day. “I don’t know how you can favor pudding over real apple pie,” he teased, tsking at LaQuinta.
She sank an inch lower in her seat. “I was just…” One hand tipped her menu to the side.
“If you like pudding, great,” Cash told her gently. “I was joking.”
LaQuinta hummed. She nodded toward the young man at the table painted with black chalkboard paint, currently wrangling five kids under the age of five. “He looks like an older brother, not a dad, but… Why are they here?”
“Because the food’s good.” Cash winked at her. “Plenty of people who work full time pop in here, or into the Jaliya’s Kitchens set up in church community rooms, because they got used to it during the first days after the quake. They drop off supplies, or put funds in envelopes left under a plate after the meal. The servers taking orders and clearing the tables are volunteers, and for most of them, it’s their first job. They get breaks and meals and job training, and Jaliya writes each one a letter of recommendation.” He smiled. “She absolutely always needs delivery drivers, too.”
“It seems too good to be true,” LaQuinta murmured.
A young woman, her hair covered by a bright Hawaiian print scarf, stepped up. “Dessert?” she asked them brightly.
“Apple pie for me, and…” Cash paused. “LaQuinta? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He rested a hand on the young woman’s wrist.
“Helah?” LaQuinta’s voice shook. “Are you here with…” She trailed off, swallowing hard.
“When the Quake hit, I was in the house with Mrs. Perry and the two youngest foster kids,” the younger woman answered carefully. “When the military started piling families into busses to get them out of the area, Jane told the soldiers that I was just the neighbor kid, and made up names for my parents.” Her jaw tightened. She exhaled carefully. “They made me wait at an emergency shelter, expecting people who don’t exist to be desperate to find me.Two days later, I started walking. I felt safer on foot than trying to get a seat in the evacuation.”
LaQuinta winced. “Any news about Mister Perry?”
Helah shook her head. “No, actually. Either his wife found him or there was a clear reason that he wouldn’t be able to evacuate with them, and I don’t care which.” She dredged up the remnants of a smile. “I did manage to find Duke and Felix, and while I’m not part of their new foster family, they’re enrolled in school and we visit at least twice a week.”
LaQuinta cleared her throat. “Cash, Helah was my next door neighbor, ninety miles away from here. The Perrys were foster parents popular with the social workers.” Her nose wrinkled. “Mister Perry acted like my name was a crime, and he was mean about another neighbor’s name because it was ‘wrong’ gender. Leslie was a lot of fun, and he spent more time playing with the Perry’s foster kids than Dale Perry did.”
“How’s your…” Helah asked carefully.
“It’s just me,” LaQuinta murmured. “Just like last year and the years before. Nothing new, no new trauma,” she finished, lifting her expression by force of will.
Helah shook her head. “There are half a dozen apps for letting people you care about know that you’re okay. I would’ve liked…” She took a small step back. “Sorry, I’m not trying to wreck your date.”
“It’s not a date,” Cash assured the young woman. “Miss Dixon would be a lovely date, if it were, but I’ve been trying to steer her to a job. Oh, and she wanted the lemon pudding, please?”
“You’re going to like it,” Helah promised. “It’s got lemon juice, zest, and bits of candied peel in it. It’s not box mix, for sure.” She took another half step to the side. “Back in a flash, I just need to pick up the individual servings.”
LaQuinta watched her leave. “How many foster kids are desperate to take care of themselves and praying that they can pass for eighteen now?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” Cash admitted. “I was worried that you’re actually not eighteen either,” he added after a beat.
She snickered. One hand dug in her pocket for her certification fan. She opened it to the back, revealing her driver’s license. “Old enough to drink if I wanted.”
“Good genes,” he laughed. “Okay, so I can stop worrying quite so much. The reason for wanting you to make deliveries for Jaliya hasn’t changed; she is still working like the world will stop if she takes too long on a coffee break, and using the meal service profits to cover the Kitchen meals.”
“What if I want to do a little of this and a little of that until I figure out where I fit around here? I’ve only got my room for a total of three months, then I have to reapply, and I’d rather have a place to stay on my own instead.”
“Do you mean a studio apartment, or would a roommate situation suit you?” Cash finally moved his fingers from the delicate press on her wrist.
LaQuinta touched her coily hair, nudging the diagonal sweep of bangs behind her ear. “That’s not important yet, and I’ve barely got any stuff anyway,” she murmured. “I just need to be able to come and go without someone arguing about rules and curfews.”
“I can understand that,” the black-haired man agreed.
Helah set the bowl of lemon pudding in front of LaQuinta first, then set two steaming wedges of apple pie in front of Cash. “I’m surprised that you don’t want that served ala mode,” she mused. “You make all our ice cream, after all.”
“Busman’s holiday,” he joked. “Thanks.”
Helah nodded to both of them, then bustled off.
LaQuinta watched her go, then asked, “Is she… showing favoritism?”
Cash picked up the standing card on the currently empty eight person table decorated with drawings of first responder icons. He tapped the drawing of a cricket on the bottom. “I’m a soup. Everybody who’s met me, practically, knows that. Is that a problem for you?”
LaQuinta’s brows drew down, slowly puzzling together. “Why should it be?”
He grinned. “Your job opportunities just tripled. At least.” He lifted his fork. “Now, if you only had time to run one more errand, would it be to a bookstore, the library, or something else? Practical or fun, it doesn’t matter.”
“You’ve been very attentive,” LaQuinta hedged. “But that… confusion about this being a date… I’m not…” She shrugged.
“No problem. I’m being polite and attentive because if I can find a job that suits you, then I’m proving myself as a coordinator. We both win.”
30
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Daily check-in
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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.
Star Trek AOS: Wrote the Book by insaneidiot and Reena_Jenkins
Pairings/Characters: Kirk/inappropriateness, hints of Kirk/Spock
Rating: Teen +
Length: 3,235 for the fic, 23 minutes for the podfic
Creator Links:
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Theme: Working Together
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise is subjected to a compulsory seminar on Inappropriate Workplace Behavior, and Jim Kirk finds this to be particularly challenging.
Content notes: In addition to Kirk being inappropriate in the ways one might expect from canon, the seminar leader is stereotyped in a way that might be considered offensive.
Reccer's Notes: I'm reccing both the story and the podfic here because the story is only on LJ, and the writer does not seem to be active anymore. The podficcer, however, is still around, and the pod is hosted on AO3, which may be more accessible for some. It is also the way I first encountered this story.
Now that we have all that out of the way, I can gush about how hilarious this story is because Jim Kirk + Starfleet bullshit is fertile territory, and I always laugh really loudly when listening to the podfic. Jim is so deeply wounded by any attempt to rein in his obnoxiousness, inappropriateness, and mouthiness. The best thing about this fic, though, is Jim's relationship with his crew. Throughout the seminar, we see the dynamics play out, and it becomes clear that the seminar was put together for a very different kind of workplace and a very different kind of crew. As Jim puts it: "All the team unity and 'synergy' exercises in the universe aren’t going to build real trust or strong relationships amongst a crew."
As you might expect, Jim gets kicked down a couple notches by the seminar leader, but the tables turn in an unexpected way by the end of the seminar.
Reena, as usual, does a wonderful job with the podfic.
Fanwork Links: Wrote the Book fic at LJ and Wrote the Book podfic at AO3
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7/6/2025 Loop Road and Laurel Canyon
I was tired this morning for no good reason that I can see so I didn't get out to the bench, but I did hang out at the Blue Gum picnic tables for a while. It was such a beautiful day!
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help with Venetian dialect
I've got a fantasy story that's set in early 18th-century Venice. I don't speak Italian, and definitely don't know the difference between the various regional dialects, so I'm looking for some help with a nickname in Venetian.
I have a priest who can use magic, who is not exactly a nice guy. Nobody likes to be around him, he's the kind of person you can just tell will erupt like a magic-spewing volcano the moment something doesn't go his way. My main character is ten when she first meets him and has a very visceral Do Not Like reaction to him, comparing him to a pack of rabid dogs. She is not told his name at the time, so in her mind she dubs him Father Mad Dog (creative, I know).
Several years ago I tried to parse "Father Mad Dog" into Italian/Venetian, and I don't know where I came to the conclusion that it'd be "Don Can' Pazzo" but that's what I've been using. I guess somewhere along the line I was under the impression that cane would get shortened to can when used like this. Is any of this correct? Or do I need another phrase entirely?
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First of all, I am in Texas but not flooded.
Second of all: Wife and I went to see the live-action HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, which was fun, but did not...do anything? With live action, to differentiate itself from the cartoon? If you're gonna make a live-action remake - heck, if you're gonna do a remake at all - then there should be a reason for it that's not 'look at my shot-for-shot re-creation,' at least in my opinion. I still enjoyed the movie, not least because we went to an indy filmhouse that spent the half-hour ahead of the film doing an incomplete survey of dragons in movies and TV, rather than an assortment of advertisements, but I feel a little guilty for the enjoyment.
Third of all I ran headlong into writer's block on one of the stories I was writing. Boo, I say, and Boo again. I have vague ideas as to how to get myself unstuck, but only vague ones. Meanwhile I shall go off and world-build on my gloriously silly NaNoWriMo prompt.
(Fourth of all, does anyone know how to force wipe an old HP computer that won't give you the Settings menu? For relative amounts of old - I think it's still Windows 10. Wife says I'm safe to just give it the old heave-ho, but I don't trust there isn't financial information on it somewhere.)
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don't let this fading summer pass you by
I finally watched Captain America: Brave New World and it was fine. ( spoilers )
*
RIP Julian McMahon and Mark Snow.
*
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Adventures and boring stuff only vice versa
Adventures: Today M and I did an art trail on one of the islands, and it was great. Cool art, a glass blower who does Venetian glass making techniques with all these amazing patterns in the glass let us watch her make glasses and explained everything while she did it and it was really cool.
We hit up one of our favorite bookstores (The Book Rack in Oak Harbor) and drove and looked at water and looked at sculptures and walked a few trails and it was a wonderful day. Now I am very tired. Photos here: https://flickr.com/photos/27659024@N08/albums/72177720327356511.
Tonight I'm taking one of the kidlets to a paranormal/horror cirque de soleil type thing, so we'll see how that goes. People bending in ways they're not supposed to and doing things I could never do in a million years. Can't be all bad.
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Squidge's Summer Sleepaway Camp Fundraiser
Over the last three weeks, generous donors have stepped forward and together, we have raised $2,187.46 - almost 10% above our goal! We should be in good form for the next year, but the fundraiser will continue in case anyone wants to donate, with the chance to get either a sticker (with $10 minimum donation) or a t-shirt (with a minimum $100 donation).
Thank you to everyone who has donated, ensuring we can cover our expenses for the next year. And for those of you who have donated, we will be in touch with outstanding questions like addresses and shirt sizes.
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Canada Obeys In Advance On Big Tech Tax
A new Canadian digital services tax on American tech giants expected to bring in billions in revenue was scrapped at the 11th hour after Dear Leader got wind of it and got big mad his broligarchs would have to give money to Canada instead of to him.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Prime Minister Mark Carney called her horrible boss at the last minute to say Ottawa was hitting CTRL‑ALT‑DELETE on the controversial DST — Joe Biden wasn’t a fan either — shortly after Trump called it “a direct and blatant attack” on the US and threatened to walk away from trade talks again on the day before the first payment was due. Like grownup countries do.
“It’s very simple: Prime Minister Carney and Canada caved to President Trump and the United States of America,” boasted Bullshit Barbie in the Briefing Room. “President Trump knows how to negotiate, and he knows that he is governing the best country and the best economy in this world, on this planet, and every country on the planet needs to have good trade relationships with the United States.”
The DST was set to kick in on companies that earn more than $20 million CAD in annual revenue from northerners and would’ve taken a three percent cut from ads, platform fees, and the priceless personal data harvested from places like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber, and AirBNB. The retroactive new law was brought in last year under former Liberal PM Justin Trudeau — who is literally known for caving — with the first of the buckets of cash due last Monday.
Carney told reporters it’s now part of “broader negotiations” with the mad king and added it would’ve been pointless to hit tech bros in the wallet just to potentially have to refund money later. “It doesn’t make sense to collect tax from people and then remit them.” The former superbanker added the plan is to ideally have a new trade deal between the two former allies by July 21, an extension of the 30-day timetable announced at the G7 summit in Alberta last month before the big guy left early to go bomb Iran without cause. As if deadlines mean anything anymore or doddering Arty McDeal won’t have some new bug up his ass by then.
The Liberals first promised the tax before the 2019 election but put it on the backburner in part because the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was supposed to all work together on a big beautiful taxation plan for countries where Big Tech doesn’t have much in the way of a physical presence. Canada went it alone under Trudeau after other nations ragged the puck with a new levy estimated to bring in more than $7 billion over five years, which would certainly come in handy to help meet the country’s targets for a significantly beefed-up military for some reason in the years ahead.
The DST was announced in 2020 to address the fact that many large technology companies operating in Canada may not otherwise pay tax on revenues generated from Canadians. Canada’s preference has always been a multilateral agreement related to digital services taxation. While Canada was working with international partners, including the United States, on a multilateral agreement that would replace national digital services taxes, the DST was enacted to address the aforementioned taxation gap.
But the soulless billionaires who donated to Trump and even showed their plasticized faces at inauguration 2.0 clearly said “we don't wanna to pay a stupid new tax in stupid Canada” and that’s meant to be the end of that.
Canada had hoped to join France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, countries that already have some form of digital taxation scheme in place, but the new DST is now DOA. This is either because Carney “caved” or a better option might be a decent Groupon deal down the road promising more stability, less arbitrage, and a hope in hell of forcing the likes of newlywed Jeff Bezos to pay their fair fucking share instead of wee Canada playing judge, jury, and executioner by itself.
But he’s taking a lot of heat at home for lowering our Elbows Up esprit de corps with the bending of the knee, and it’s a jagged pill to swallow personally after having watched Big Tech refuse to allow news stories (like this one!) shared on platforms like Facebook or Instagram in Canada out of billionaire spite for being asked to share some of the wealth, and many of the newspapers I’ve worked for during my sordid career have since folded due in no small part from seeing their ad revenue hijacked and their audiences strangled by Silicon Valley.
It would’ve gone over better if he’d gotten rid of the other DST — Daylight Saving Time — that a majority of voters really hate having to needlessly adjust their microwave clocks and circadian rhythms to twice a year. It could even be a winning idea to campaign on, eh.
[CBC / HuffPo / Narrative Research / Wonkette Bluesky Starter Pack]
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- character: alys vorpatril,
- character: anakin skywalker,
- character: angua von uberwald,
- character: arthur dent,
- character: barbara gordon,
- character: bruce wayne,
- character: carrot ironfoundersson,
- character: clark kent,
- character: cordelia naismith vorkosigan,
- character: dick grayson,
- character: ford prefect,
- character: katina choovanski,
- character: padmé amidala,
- character: tim drake,
- drabble,
- poetry: sonnet,
- story: dcu,
- story: discworld,
- story: hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy,
- story: star wars,
- story: strangers in paradise,
- story: vorkosigan
Prose & Poem - DCU, Discworld, Hitchhiker's Guide, Star Wars, Strangers in Paradise, Vorkosigan
Here's what I've made so far:
Strike a pose (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Tim Drake/Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson
Characters: Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson
Additional Tags: Drabble, Video Cameras, Voyeurism
Summary:
Tim chooses his moment to best advantage.
*External hearts are a disabling condition (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent
Additional Tags: Psychic Wolves, Drabble
Summary:
Bruce's wolfsister and his duty to the League.
*The movement of (astronomical) bodies (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Carrot Ironfoundersson/Angua von Uberwald
Characters: Carrot Ironfoundersson, Angua von Uberwald
Additional Tags: Drabble, lycanthropy
Summary:
Carrot's favorite time of the month.
*Interstellar Deliveroo (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Arthur Dent/Ford Prefect
Characters: Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect
Additional Tags: Drabble, Gig Economy
Summary:
Arthur gets a new job, and does as well at it as he does at everything else.
*It's possible to be too beautiful (187 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Bad Poetry, Sonnets, Adolescent Poetry, Shakespearean Sonnets
Summary:
Prompt: young Anakin's Very Bad But Heartfelt poetry (directed at your choice).
*If wishes were horses (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Strangers in Paradise (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Casey Bullocks-Femur/Katina Choovanski/Francine Peters/David Qin
Characters: Katina Choovanski
Additional Tags: Drabble, Masturbation
Summary:
Katchoo fantasizes.
*Exploring the collection (200 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan/Alys Vorpatril
Characters: Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Alys Vorpatril
Additional Tags: Sex Toys, Double Drabble
Summary:
Alys shares her collection of specialized implements with Cordelia.
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Fandom's foibles
I still haven't seen the real Khan movie, but its Robot Chicken opera version made more of an impression on me than the AOS version where they cast B--- C---, which I have never watched and never intend to see.