motodraconis | Network

What I read

Finished Cakes and Ale, which is partly that early C20th litfic convention of a first-person narrator who just happens be around to hear a lot about the actual protags and the plot or at critical moments of same, but actually complicates it with Ashenden knowing that Rosie is not actually dead as everyone else supposes. Not sure the ending really worked.

I then, having got into an Edwardian/Georgian novelist rhythm, went 'ah! time for some Arnold Bennett! the one about the hotel', except I picked up The Grand Babylon Hotel (1902), which is 1900s thriller hijinx mode with European royalty shenanigans, false identities, etc etc (though I was wondering whether it might adapt into a screwball comedy movie?), and wasn't actually the one I'd read many years ago that I was thinking of.

Which was Imperial Palace (1930), which struck me as, although lacking the highspeed thriller plot element, remarkably like D Francis in its fascination for infrastructure (in this case, running a luxury hotel in London) and competence porn. The running-the-hotel bits and the trials posed for the new supervising housekeeper are, perhaps, at least these days, more interesting than the bits involving Hotel Manager and Rich Man's Daughter Gracie. To give her (and actually, Bennett as author) her due, she is not, whereas she would be in a lot of novels by his contemporaries, an unmitigated bitch (Aldous Huxley's Lucy Tantamount) or a tragic bitch (Michael Arlen's Iris Storm), she has some good points and was a competent racing driver, but she is still annoyingly entitled and egocentric.

I took a break from this because I suddenly had a whim to re-read Mary Renault, The King Must Die (1958) for the first time in absolute yonks. You know, Mary, the sexism and misogyny is not entirely just being Accurate for Period, is it, hmmmm? There is some great stuff in there, but.

On the go

Imperial Palace is very long, and still on the go.

Up next

I think I am up for some Agatha Christie, seriously.

watervole

Having zero interest in football, I never would have tried a comedy series based around an American football coach working for an English soccer team...

But 'Replyhazy' suggested I try it while I have Apple TV, and I absolutely love it! It's funny, it's warm-hearted and it has some great characters.

It may not be realistic, but most of the characters are really thoughtful about their relationships - men actually listen to what their girlfriends are telling them and act maturely.

Friendships are built that really have meaning. Villains are relatively few, but they make up for it by being delightfully over the top. Anthony Head, as the football club owner's ex-husband, does a wonderful job as a charming, womanising scumbag!

I think my favourite character is actually Trent Crimm, the newspaper reporter. acted by James Lance. He starts as a minor character, only in some episodes, and is a full-time regular by the end of series 3.

But there are lots of great characters who you grow to love and appreciate.

I even enjoyed watching the football....

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

my employee was excluded from a team-building event because of their weight — how do I make this right?

( Read more... )

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

Help! I’ve Told Everyone in My Life a Lie About My Family for Years. It’s Finally Caught Up to Me.

( Read more... )

disneydream06

February 11th...

If Your Nose Is Stuffy And

You Think It's Funny,

It's Not.

lupine_dreaming

So, I’m thinking about making another blog for selfship/self insert stuff. Is there a way to make a sideblog on here, similar to how Tumblr sideblogs operate? Or do I need to make a completely separate account for that?

james_davis_nicoll

Humanity faces its final threat: the common house cat!

Night of the Living Cat, volume 1 by Hawkman & Mecha-Roots

nverland posting in

creative_cooks

Creole Sauce
Prep: 10 minutes mins Cook: 30 minutes mins Total: 40 minutes mins Makes: 2-3 cups

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
⅓ cup onions, chopped
⅓ cup celery, chopped
⅓ cup green onions, chopped
⅓ cup green bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 14-ounce can roasted tomatoes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups chicken stock
2-3 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2-3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Heat a medium skillet on medium-high heat and add oil, followed by garlic, onions, celery, bell pepper, green onions, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onion wilts.
Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, Creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until sauce slightly thickens, 15-20 minutes. Adjust with stock as needed.
Stir in green onions, cook for another minute, and add butter until melted.
Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat, and serve warm with fish or desired protein.

Tips & Notes:

Make sure to cut the veggies into small, uniform dice shapes to cook them quickly and evenly.
No roasted tomatoes? Fresh or regular canned tomatoes will also work. The fresh tomatoes are juicier and will take a little longer to thicken.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marlow, Elena, Carter Vaughan, JJ Dagenais, Eric Bennett
Rating: Mature
Length: 14,405
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: toomuchplor on AO3, sweaters_in_the_summer on AO3
Themes: Inept in love, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Established relationship, Outsider POV, Humor, Happy Endings

Summary: Scott Hunter is just trying to make the most of his closeted NHL career, keep his head down, wait until he retires before he tries find his person.

He doesn't want to know anything at all about these two dumb rookies and what they're getting up to behind the facade of their so-called rivalry... but they're making it really hard for him to ignore them.

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are not Scott's problem. That's all there is to it.

Reccer's Notes: This is a brilliant and often hilarious fic about Scott and Kip, but also about how Scott keeps catching the two damn rookies giving themselves away ineptly left, right and centre. I love outsider POV and this delivers, and there's also a wonderful portrayal of Scott and Kip's relationship across the years - Scott can be pretty inept in love, as well! I loved the texting and chat between Scott and Kip as Scott overhears yet another Shane/Ilya secret or catches them out somewhere - Kip is so gossipy and funny. There's some angst, but of course a happy ending. So good, and very clever and full of heart.

Fanwork Links: Knowing
And there's a great podfic by sweaters_in_the_summer

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: traditional art - pencil and white ink
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: silliesart on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: A gorgeous double portrait of Shane and Ilya on the phone during Ilya's Russian monologue. Beautiful work!
Link: It's always you, backup link here

poliphilo

Ailz purchased a TV license last year so she could watch the tennis with a clear conscience. I may have watched a movie or two on the BBC over the past 12 months. I forget. Modern movies are pretty forgettable, don't you find?

But yesterday I binge watched Mackenzie Crook's new series Small Prophets- which is going out on BBC 2. I like Mackenzie Crook so much that I'm willing to overcome my disgust with the Beeb for his sake. Small Prophets is gentle, mischievous, magical and funny in an Ealing sort of a way. Crook himself has a supporting role, as does Michael Palin. No-one else in the cast is hugely well-known, but they're all terrific. I have two episodes still to go. There's a mystery of seven years vintage hanging over the characters and some dodgy business underway but I don't expect any of it to be resolved by gunplay....

goodbyebird

+ Doing poorly at getting enough sleep. I hereby decree that if I go straight in the shower and then straight to bed after work for the remainder of the trip, I get to order a batch of the damaged chocolates from Jentene På Tunet the next time the offer comes up + one new tarot deck (or just the oversized Buffy one? idk).

+ We did get two more days of orcas last week. Day one was just a solo boisterous youngling aggressively darting after the net, but the next day? The biggest pod yet! And best of all: after the net was up on deck they slowly glided alongside the ship, letting me observe them from the deck under water (which was crystal clear that day). I stood outside until all feeling left my hands and snot was running freely. ( Read more... )

+ Comics! My brain is so cooked, the only reading I've attempted was the physical trade of Batman: Secret Files that I picked up for a song during the New Year's sale. Made it half-way through the first story before my brain went "no thanks, I'm full". And I know The Gardener is in there! Brain tired. Sucks.

Know what doesn't suck? Poison Ivy still has an ongoing written by G Willow Wilson and Harley is in it as well and it is beauuutifull. Vol 2 of Absolute Wonder Woman is dropping in a few days. Meanwhile THIS HERE is Diana showing up in Absolute Batman (the writing is excellent, but THE LOOK woohee).
Absolute WW built like a truck

I'm waiting for it to be collected, but Harley & Ivy is bringing so much cuteness. Lookit!
Harley & Ivy variant cover by Jasmine Putri; they're both in front of a full body mirror, trying on each other's outfit and clearly having a good time.

Harley & Ivy variant cover by Jasmine Putri; they're both in front of a full body mirror, trying on each other's outfit and clearly having a good time.

+ I really wanna whine about work but I'm not gonna. Big sigh though.

+ hrrmm I need to cut my nails.

Current Music: Lord Huron - Is There Anybody Out There?

poliphilo

Ro Khanna had a quick look at the unredacted Epstein files, found the names of six men that had been obscured by blocks of black ink and duly passed them on to the rest of us.

Nice going Ro!

As of this moment we have info on three of them (says the Guardian)

Les Wexner is already part of the story: Very, very rich man who employed Epstein as his financial adviser.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem: Another very rich man. Appears he's the fragrant flower who sent Epstein a "torture video" that Epstein enjoyed

Nicola Caputo: A little more obscure. There's an Italian politician of that name. Might not be the same guy.

The other three are just names at present. I imagine we'll eventually find out more....

In other news it seems that A British P.M. enjoyed a threesome with Epstein and Ghislaine. The word on the street is that this wasn't Theresa May.

notfreyja posting in

fandomcalendar

event banner showing the title in 70s style font

A month long writing challenge focused on tropes, tags, and formats that have (for better or worse) fallen out of style.

From May 1st to 31st, creators will post their takes on each of the days' prompts, in any medium. Fan fiction, original stories, poetry, meta-analysis, and (even though writing is in our name!) yes, visual art as well! Currently all event documentation is on Tumblr, so the links below will redirect to the appropriate Tumblr posts.

Quick Links:

merriamwebster_feed

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/tabula rasa-2026-02-11

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2026 is:

tabula rasa • \TAB-yuh-luh-RAH-zuh\ • noun

In general use, tabula rasa refers to something existing in an original pristine state. In philosophy, tabula rasa refers to the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions.

// The apartment was only just renovated, and everything is clean and white; it's a tabula rasa, ready for a new occupant.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Bella, née Victoria, is a living breathing tabula rasa unfettered by societal pressures, propriety, or niceties.” — Ryan Lattanzio, Indie Wire, 16 June 2025

Did you know?

Philosophers have been arguing that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates since the days of Aristotle. (Later, some psychologists took up the position as well.) English speakers have called that initial state of mental emptiness tabula rasa (a term taken from a Latin phrase that translates as “smooth or erased tablet”) since the 16th century, but it wasn't until British philosopher John Locke championed the concept in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1690 that the term gained widespread popularity in our language. In later years, a figurative sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in an original state and has yet to be altered by outside forces.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/tabula rasa-2026-02-11

sonofgodzilla

I should really have written an entry for Kubo Hinano last week as it was her birthday on 2nd February, but as I write these entries a week in advance, I hope you will all forgive me for wishing her a belated happy birthday now. 🎉💖🍰🎊🎂

Chanhina

A member of our beloved eighteenth generation alongside Sako Yumemi, Akiyama Yuna, Yagi Azuki, and Arai Sae, the cleverly nicknamed Chanhina also joined Sae in the now lamentedly lost UNLAME alongside Sato Suzuka,
Shiato Miu, and Kuranoo Narumi, and friends, I am still annoyed about the situation with UNLAME. Whilst admittedly partly annoyed with myself for not going to see them when I had the chance in 2024, I think what frustrates me about the dismantling of this group was that it is now clear they were never really intended to last beyond a year or so. I feel this way in regards to what happened with the contracts for members of ME:I in December of last year also, and this soupy morass of the worst practices of the idol industry with the worst practices of K-pop has left me feeling very unhappy. In a world were more and more agencies are building out their idol groups from "talent" from tiktok, I felt like the members of both UNLAME and ME:I had worked terribly hard to make it to the top ranking of their respective reality TV competitions and get a chance to debut. Throwing that away after a year leaves me feeling very unhappy. And now you know exactly how I feel about that.

In the case of Chanhina and the other AKB48 members of UNLAME there was always their regular activities to fall back on, and with the group wrapping up in January 2025, she went right back into things, confident in her physical strength, so she tells us, returning to regular performances in the theatre. Like many of AKB's recent post-Team 8 generations, Chanhina is passionate about dancing, the fact that she won a top spot on OUT OF 48! being more than enough to assure you of that. Before passing the AKB auditions though, she had also auditioned for Nogizaka46 (fifth generation), Hinatazaka46 (fourth generation), and NMB48 (ninth generation), so it seems a shame that like many recent members, her debut in 2023 was via SHOWROOM rather than the theatre, the first chance we had to see her sing and dance being from a distance on the seventeenth and eighteenth generation anthem, Ano Natsu no Bohatei, a B side on the Type-C release of Doushitemo Kimi ga Suki da. Chanhina went on to make it to the stage during the spring concert that year, and appeared with her genmates on TV also, and, after that, OUT OF 48! and UNLAME obviously happened.

Since joining the group, she has appeared on a great number of B sides as an Undergirl, as well as appearing in the senbatsu for AKB's masterful cover of LOVE Machine, originally by Morning Musume, and Kimi no Na wa Kibou, originally by Nogizaka46, on Nantettatte AKB48—so, in a way, after all this, Chanhina did get her chance to be in Nogizaka.

Spring is coming in fast, friends, and soon we're going to see the seventeenth and eighteenth generations really shape what AKB48 will be in the future.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: somewhere
Current Music: Burzum - Key to the Gate

simplyn2deep posting in

1word1day

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Spondulicks (noun)
spondulicks or spondulix [spon-doo-liks]

noun, Older Slang.
1. money; cash.

Origin: An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; origin uncertain

Example Sentences
But in a larger sense, the Qataris were offering something more seductive than pure spondulicks.
From Salon

Sir Alex Ferguson is going to continue with his stated on-the-record policy of only ever investing in youth by sending £12m spondulicks to Everton's current account in exchange for the 27-year-old fresh and fledgling full-back that is Leighton Baines.
From The Guardian

The Ochre, I mean, mate, the spondulicks, call the dashed stuff wot you please.
From Project Gutenberg

For the Roosevelt Administration, after seven years of practice in free & easy spending, was now really swinging the spondulicks.
From Time Magazine Archive

Mr. Pinhead was worth eighty millions, Miss Nothingbutt had eighty-two; Why do cash and spondulicks get married?
From Project Gutenberg

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a post from

elinox. It also fills the "Validate Yourself" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem is the second freebie courtesy of new prompters

gs_silva,

ionelv, and Laura G.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

the_siobhan

Dear Father, it has been a month since my last confession.

I am so tired, y'all. I've been working overtime for the past three weeks trying to stash some money away for the inevitable basement bullshit and it's been exhausting. (You wouldn't think a job that requires sitting at a desk would be tiring, but I feel like somebody threw sand in my eyes by the end of the day.)

Permit-wrangler is still trying to find an engineer. Apparently the problem is that I can't just dig a hole and have an engineer look at it and yes the foundations are good, they have to figure out how to reverse-engineer whatever was done to create new drawings - and that's going to be expensive regardless.

I sicc'd permit-wrangler on the engineer who got the original permits. "Tell him if he helps me out I might leave him out of the lawsuit."

***

I looked out my window this morning and there was a huge raptor in the trees behind my house. Couldn't get a clear enough view to make a guess at what it was but at least twice the size of the red-tail hawks I normally see back there.

I reiterated to the venerable Lord Brock that no, he is not going outside no matter how much he bonks his head on the window. (He is enormously offended by the squirrels.)

***

Last time I visited my dad I took my laptop over and started quizzing him about family. His memory is shot, but he does remember incidents from his childhood. What's hilarious is that he remembers the kids who pissed him off - I suggested one possible connection and he was all, "Oh yeah, Joey, he visited from the States. What a little prick."

He also remembered the aunt who baked cookies and the heavy-drinking aunt who was a huge bruiser and all the men were afraid of her. So if they left an impression he had me stories about them, even if he doesn't remember how they're related to him.

***

Somebody here was talking about how Skip The Dishes made up a new address for them, and it reminded me that I had the exact experience last time I ordered from them. The system sent the driver to an address a couple of blocks away and I only caught it because I got the ping that the order was five minutes away and when I looked at the map I didn't recognize the streets.

Calling their customer service did nothing because the driver was already showing as "arrived". But as soon as I hung up I got a call from the driver because the address they had given him was a park, so I was able to redirect him and get my food after all.

***

We have reached the part of the winter where I start to worry that I have run out of places to put snow. My yard is maybe five feet square and the snow is already piled up in a pyramid.

I keep wanting to go out with a hose and ice it up and build an igloo or something.

serafaery

Wanted to mention that although we did not watch football, I did make us my old favorite 7 layer dip for game day while we laid around and watched rock climbing instead.

I was rooting against the Pats, even though we watched none of it (not even Bad Bunny), only because the last year I lived in Boston in 2004 the Patriots won and people tore up the city so hard flipping cars and setting fires that one person got killed. Nowadays, Boston closes streets and parking 3 days before game day and won't allow people into bars after halftime, to avoid the rioting they used to engage in. Sore winners! I was not impressed. Lots of good things about that city, but I hated that part. I'm glad the Seagulls won. (Sorry but what is a "Seahawk"? A fictional animal?)

I am still living on mostly saltines, and a little fruit. I took it very easy today. I shipped an order. Sewed Josh's sweater. Treated Avi for fleas (winter has been too mild - I saw a mosquito at the park last week.) Sat and soaked up some sun. Watched a beautiful sunset. Not much else. That is okay.

I'm feeling super weird today. My favorite author messaged me on instagram, the day his first novel dropped? AND I messaged Finley, AND I've been texting with my therapist, about the Schopenhauer psychotherapy book I'm reading, which just feels... salacious. (I told my husband. Which makes it all feel even weirder lol.)

I'm in love with all the wide universe and every tiny blade of grass, rn.

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motodraconis

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Treading a fine line between "cool" and "wanker".

Network

Wednesday is still not sleeping very well

Ted Lasso

Ask a Manager: my employee was excluded from a team-building event because of their weight...

Dear Prudence: Caught In A Lie

Isn't It Punny.....

“Sideblogs” on Dreamwidth?

Night of the Living Cat, volume 1 by Hawkman & Mecha-Roots

Creole Sauce

Heated Rivalry: Knowing by toomuchplor

It's always you by silliesart (SFW)

Small Prophets

I'm resorting to bribery.

Drip, Drip, Drip....

Announcing: Retro Writing May!

tabula rasa

AKC Courtneyyyyyy Culture Festival #209: Kubo Hinano

Tuesday word: Spondulicks

Poem: "No Friend as Loyal"

force is machine

floating

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February 2025

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