Make my wish come true - due South drabble, Food Bank Thank-You
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petraride_4ever just let me know about a donation, so I wrote:Make my wish come true (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: due South
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Characters: Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski
Additional Tags: Drabble, Christmas Fluff
Summary:
Ray observes a holiday tradition.
*
If you donate 25 USD in cash or in kind to a food bank or food pantry, tell me about it and I'll write for you!
Today's Cooking
Dec. 10th, 2025 08:42 pmysabetwordsmithToday I made Crockpot Healthy Chicken Soup with the Mazyana Curry Spices. Other ingredients included butternut squash, onion, peas, and pearl couscous. It was okay, but not exciting. We did both like the pearl couscous as a soup / crockpot ingredient, which is good because we have most of a jar left. If I make it again, I'll add more flavor. Possibilities include increasing the curry powder, adding other seasonings such as a bay leaf or sage, and adding fresh garlic and/or ginger.
Cards will not arrive in time for the holidays
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:23 pmpetraHappy "It's December Tenth" to all who observe it.
I have not written my Dark Outside pieces yet, far less addressed and sent the mail, so I will send cards When I Get To It.
I am still going to write for people; it'll just be in your email inbox come Solstice, not your physical mailbox come whenever. People who just wanted cards will get cards at some date TBD.
I have not written my Dark Outside pieces yet, far less addressed and sent the mail, so I will send cards When I Get To It.
I am still going to write for people; it'll just be in your email inbox come Solstice, not your physical mailbox come whenever. People who just wanted cards will get cards at some date TBD.
Mood Theme in a Year Returns!
Dec. 11th, 2025 01:57 amsoc_puppet posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fictional_fansmoodthemeinayear is coming back in 2026 with a new twist: Creating a custom mood theme can now earn you Dreamwidth points!Mood Theme in a Year is a community that takes a laid-back approach to creating a custom mood theme. If you've always wanted to create your own mood theme (those little images that pop up when you select something from the drop-down "Mood" menu when posting), this is a great place to do it! Take your time creating graphics for anywhere between 15 and 132 moods, either following the community's suggested schedule or going at your own pace. (Though you need to make a minimum of 18 graphics to earn any paid time.)
The "official" schedule starts again from the beginning on January 1st, but you can jump in at any time during the year; feel free to challenge yourself as well with Bingo cards or the Mood Theme in a Month calendars! Learn more in the community pinned post or profile.
I hope to see you there!
Sustainability
Dec. 10th, 2025 07:50 pmysabetwordsmithHow Uruguay’s energy supply became 98% renewable
The fossil fuel industry likes to make out that it is a pipe dream to think that we can completely replace fossil fuels with alternative sustainable sources. But the example of Uruguay shows that it is not only possible but the transformation can be done in as short a time as five years.
Now that's impressive.
The fossil fuel industry likes to make out that it is a pipe dream to think that we can completely replace fossil fuels with alternative sustainable sources. But the example of Uruguay shows that it is not only possible but the transformation can be done in as short a time as five years.
Now that's impressive.
New community > comicsfanfiction
Dec. 10th, 2025 07:43 pmflareonfury posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_community_promocomicsfanfictionCommunity Description:
comicsfanfiction is for any comic book fanfiction including comic strips, webcomics, and graphic novels. Any rating is accepted. Feel free to post your old or new works!
Family Skills
Dec. 10th, 2025 06:10 pmysabetwordsmithThe end of marriage?
If marriage goes extinct, it will be because it deserves to.
All these factors converge on one result: increasingly, women are finding marriage unappealing. They see it as a ticket to second-class status where they're expected to subordinate their own lives and dreams to the desires of men.
( Read more... )
If marriage goes extinct, it will be because it deserves to.
All these factors converge on one result: increasingly, women are finding marriage unappealing. They see it as a ticket to second-class status where they're expected to subordinate their own lives and dreams to the desires of men.
( Read more... )
Get That AI Outta Here!
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:33 pmyourlibrarian1) In another sign of AI run amuk, I do the AARP Trivia quiz each day. I swear they have delegated its creation to AI. There have often been errors in the past, usually spelling ones, though sometimes also offering the same answer twice (out of 4 choices) -- which if it happens to be the right answer means you have a 50/50 chance of being wrong even when you're right.
Last weekend there were two. An "explainer" or "further info" box usually pops up after you finish a question. One of them just said "nar."But my favorite was the question "What is the name of dish where beef is cooked in wine." The answer? Coq au Vin. To boot the explainer mentioned that though the name meant rooster it was often made with chicken. Which is, as we know, beef. ( Read more... )
2) This is the first I've heard that Friday Night Lights is getting a sequel, or maybe a reboot depending on how you look at it.
3) Back in October my Garmin tracker just stopped working as I was biking. It didn't do anything the rest of the day and I figured its (unchargeable) battery was dying, since it was guaranteed for a year and it was almost exactly that. Since Garmin seems to be moving away from selling trackers, I decided to try a Fitbit as my partner was satisfied with his. However the next day, the Garmin was working again, so I hadn't opened or set up the Fitbit yet.
Cut to last weekend when it went out again while I was exercising. The Garmin came back after an hour but I'm suspecting that the battery is dying and so it's particularly stressed during continuous activity. It's probably been cutting out for some time, as I've noticed odd differences in step reports during days that are functionally the same.
Skipping over all the things I already don't like about the Fitbit, I decided to start using it alongside the Garmin. The first morning, before I even started exercising, there was already a 200 step difference between what the Fitbit showed and what the Garmin reported. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the last Mission Impossible movie and have to say I was pretty unimpressed. Of course, they were never my favorites to start with. I thought I'd done a review of an earlier film but if so, I can't find it. So this will have to do. ( Read more... )
4) As if people who need groceries delivered (likely those with disabilities or lack of transport) weren't already paying more, now there's dynamic food pricing in action. "hundreds of volunteers shopped on Instacart for identical baskets of goods from Safeway and Target. Of the 437 participants, every single one was exposed to algorithmic price experiments, according to the report. The investigation also found evidence of price experimentation at Albertsons, Costco, Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market." " All told, the price variations could cost families $1,200 a year, based on how much Instacart says the typical household of four spends on groceries."
"Customers were also shown different "original" prices, making some savings appear larger, the report found, a concept known as "fictitious pricing." Amazon was sued this October for allegedly using this tactic during its summer Prime Day sale."
Also a shout out to Consumer Reports for being one of the few sources that can be counted on in this time of media greed, kowtowing, and chasing squirrels.
5) While I've noticed my grocery has these errors all the time, perhaps they're just a new business practice. The attorney general's office said its investigation revealed that during 2019 and 2023, Dollar General failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections.
"The settlement also requires Dollar General to modify its business practices to prevent future violations of Pennsylvania's consumer protection law, the attorney general's office said. The changes include training employees, maintaining enough staffing to update shelf tags weekly and posting notices at registers saying the lowest posted price will be honored." "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels.""
Last weekend there were two. An "explainer" or "further info" box usually pops up after you finish a question. One of them just said "nar."But my favorite was the question "What is the name of dish where beef is cooked in wine." The answer? Coq au Vin. To boot the explainer mentioned that though the name meant rooster it was often made with chicken. Which is, as we know, beef. ( Read more... )
2) This is the first I've heard that Friday Night Lights is getting a sequel, or maybe a reboot depending on how you look at it.
3) Back in October my Garmin tracker just stopped working as I was biking. It didn't do anything the rest of the day and I figured its (unchargeable) battery was dying, since it was guaranteed for a year and it was almost exactly that. Since Garmin seems to be moving away from selling trackers, I decided to try a Fitbit as my partner was satisfied with his. However the next day, the Garmin was working again, so I hadn't opened or set up the Fitbit yet.
Cut to last weekend when it went out again while I was exercising. The Garmin came back after an hour but I'm suspecting that the battery is dying and so it's particularly stressed during continuous activity. It's probably been cutting out for some time, as I've noticed odd differences in step reports during days that are functionally the same.
Skipping over all the things I already don't like about the Fitbit, I decided to start using it alongside the Garmin. The first morning, before I even started exercising, there was already a 200 step difference between what the Fitbit showed and what the Garmin reported. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the last Mission Impossible movie and have to say I was pretty unimpressed. Of course, they were never my favorites to start with. I thought I'd done a review of an earlier film but if so, I can't find it. So this will have to do. ( Read more... )
4) As if people who need groceries delivered (likely those with disabilities or lack of transport) weren't already paying more, now there's dynamic food pricing in action. "hundreds of volunteers shopped on Instacart for identical baskets of goods from Safeway and Target. Of the 437 participants, every single one was exposed to algorithmic price experiments, according to the report. The investigation also found evidence of price experimentation at Albertsons, Costco, Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market." " All told, the price variations could cost families $1,200 a year, based on how much Instacart says the typical household of four spends on groceries."
"Customers were also shown different "original" prices, making some savings appear larger, the report found, a concept known as "fictitious pricing." Amazon was sued this October for allegedly using this tactic during its summer Prime Day sale."
Also a shout out to Consumer Reports for being one of the few sources that can be counted on in this time of media greed, kowtowing, and chasing squirrels.
5) While I've noticed my grocery has these errors all the time, perhaps they're just a new business practice. The attorney general's office said its investigation revealed that during 2019 and 2023, Dollar General failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections.
"The settlement also requires Dollar General to modify its business practices to prevent future violations of Pennsylvania's consumer protection law, the attorney general's office said. The changes include training employees, maintaining enough staffing to update shelf tags weekly and posting notices at registers saying the lowest posted price will be honored." "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels.""
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History
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:59 pmysabetwordsmithCorpse Roads and Coffin Stones
Corpse roads are paths over which one carries a coffin to its final resting place. Like crossroads, corpse roads are physical places with metaphysical properties, according to folklore. Such pathways are found all over the world, but the origin of corpse roads in Great Britain is a little more political than you might expect.
The post also includes prompts for stories set in such places. I agree that it is an unparalleled location for family drama, but that is not my best topic.
Corpse roads are paths over which one carries a coffin to its final resting place. Like crossroads, corpse roads are physical places with metaphysical properties, according to folklore. Such pathways are found all over the world, but the origin of corpse roads in Great Britain is a little more political than you might expect.
The post also includes prompts for stories set in such places. I agree that it is an unparalleled location for family drama, but that is not my best topic.
Poem: "Koinophobia"
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:52 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls and posted as part of a swap with janetmiles. It also fills the Questioning square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows.
( Read more... )
janetmiles. It also fills the Questioning square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows. ( Read more... )
Tags:
Poem: "Nementia"
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:20 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls and posted as part of a swap with janetmiles. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows.
( Read more... )
janetmiles. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows. ( Read more... )
Tags:
Don’t they have a silent mode?
Dec. 10th, 2025 07:04 pmshadowhiveToday has been a busy day but first.
As I mentioned in the last post the library stint yesterday was quiet and I mentioned to mum about getting the tree sorted. I was saying it in the sense of ‘we’ll do it Saturday’ but mum took it to mean ‘we’ll get it down yesterday’. Cue me lugging the thing down after the food shop came, opening the box and getting it out… only to find the stand for it is nowhere to be seen.
I think we’d boxed it last year, forgot to add the stand and it got put with other things but do I know where they are? Nope. So we have the tree box where it would go cause I didn’t have the energy to mess with it. (Mums genius idea? Sort it while food was cooking and obviously that went wrong)
Sigh.
Today started with sorting out an order for mum (the gingerbread Lego that’s meant to be for Xmas, but it’s on back order, but at least doing it now got a freebie) then mums friend came, ostensibly to bring Xmas stuff but of course she wanted stuff ordering too ugh.
Mail came today too, the new Stranger Things annual (which I got under half price!) which looks really good on my flick through! There was also God Is A Bullet, the blu ray with hot Garrett Wareing (which I was told to expect by Jan 22) so I hope it’s good (and works!). Then when I came back Doctor Who books were here (I got some 2 for £5 deals from zavvi, which are mostly hardbacks so oop sorry mum that you had to move them).
Today I went to town, the town part was pretty short. I looked in smiths for the new stranger things stickers but they’re not out yet, but I did get a Stranger Things thing from b and m (the box that I lost when I lost my bag the other month) but they didn’t have the snack pack or bag alas.
I went into Smyths but alas they didn’t have the stranger things funkos I was looking for (even Vecna which was listed on the site, but I guess he was on the high shelves hidden) but I did get the Lego happy plants though (look how cute!). I also got the Frankenstein art/making off book which was a real bargain from Asda (less than half off!). I had a little flick through and it looks beautiful.
None of the trailers were interesting so I will just jump right into the film talk. (Unlike the last film thoughts these will be more spoilery. So let’s get onto thoughts of Pillion and Five Nights At Freddy’s 2
( Read more... )
That might be it for cinema adventures this month. I might see The Shining on one of it’s showings though but I’m not sure yet (it depends on mood, energy and weather) and I do wanna see Anaconda but that likely won’t be till early January cause it comes out just after Xmas.
Now though I’m gonna bundle up, watch stuff and might fic some.
Next days are low energy I might watch stuff (and the game awards is tomorrow) and I might go back to home bargains to get more Star Wars doorables (they’re so cute! And this set has some of my favs) but who knows if I’ll feel up to it. I also wanna make peanut butter booped cause I found recipes.
And there was something else but it’s gone out of my brain completely.
As I mentioned in the last post the library stint yesterday was quiet and I mentioned to mum about getting the tree sorted. I was saying it in the sense of ‘we’ll do it Saturday’ but mum took it to mean ‘we’ll get it down yesterday’. Cue me lugging the thing down after the food shop came, opening the box and getting it out… only to find the stand for it is nowhere to be seen.
I think we’d boxed it last year, forgot to add the stand and it got put with other things but do I know where they are? Nope. So we have the tree box where it would go cause I didn’t have the energy to mess with it. (Mums genius idea? Sort it while food was cooking and obviously that went wrong)
Sigh.
Today started with sorting out an order for mum (the gingerbread Lego that’s meant to be for Xmas, but it’s on back order, but at least doing it now got a freebie) then mums friend came, ostensibly to bring Xmas stuff but of course she wanted stuff ordering too ugh.
Mail came today too, the new Stranger Things annual (which I got under half price!) which looks really good on my flick through! There was also God Is A Bullet, the blu ray with hot Garrett Wareing (which I was told to expect by Jan 22) so I hope it’s good (and works!). Then when I came back Doctor Who books were here (I got some 2 for £5 deals from zavvi, which are mostly hardbacks so oop sorry mum that you had to move them).
Today I went to town, the town part was pretty short. I looked in smiths for the new stranger things stickers but they’re not out yet, but I did get a Stranger Things thing from b and m (the box that I lost when I lost my bag the other month) but they didn’t have the snack pack or bag alas.
I went into Smyths but alas they didn’t have the stranger things funkos I was looking for (even Vecna which was listed on the site, but I guess he was on the high shelves hidden) but I did get the Lego happy plants though (look how cute!). I also got the Frankenstein art/making off book which was a real bargain from Asda (less than half off!). I had a little flick through and it looks beautiful.
None of the trailers were interesting so I will just jump right into the film talk. (Unlike the last film thoughts these will be more spoilery. So let’s get onto thoughts of Pillion and Five Nights At Freddy’s 2
( Read more... )
That might be it for cinema adventures this month. I might see The Shining on one of it’s showings though but I’m not sure yet (it depends on mood, energy and weather) and I do wanna see Anaconda but that likely won’t be till early January cause it comes out just after Xmas.
Now though I’m gonna bundle up, watch stuff and might fic some.
Next days are low energy I might watch stuff (and the game awards is tomorrow) and I might go back to home bargains to get more Star Wars doorables (they’re so cute! And this set has some of my favs) but who knows if I’ll feel up to it. I also wanna make peanut butter booped cause I found recipes.
And there was something else but it’s gone out of my brain completely.
Politics
Dec. 10th, 2025 02:39 pmysabetwordsmithCongress quietly strips right-to-repair provisions from US military spending bill
Congress has released the final version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and critics have been quick to point out that previously proposed rules giving the US military the right to repair its equipment without having to rely on contractors have gone missing.
The House and Senate versions of the NDAA passed earlier both included provisions that would have extended common right-to-repair rules to US military branches, requiring defense contractors to provide access to technical data, information, and components that enabled military customers to quickly repair essential equipment. Both of those provisions were stripped from the final joint-chamber reconciled version of the bill, published Monday, right-to-repair advocates at the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) pointed out in a press release.
Imagine that you are deep in enemy territory, your gear breaks, and you have no way to fix it.
Also, this greatly undermines everyone else's argument that once you buy something, it belongs to you, and you can do whatever you damn please with it. The military was the best argument for right to repair.
However, it offers a huge opportunity to any manufacturer who wishes to scoop market share. You sell the product with its user manual. Then for those owners who want to repair their own equipment, you sell spare parts and offer classes on maintenance and repair. People who want to repair things would logically buy from you instead of your competitors.
Congress has released the final version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and critics have been quick to point out that previously proposed rules giving the US military the right to repair its equipment without having to rely on contractors have gone missing.
The House and Senate versions of the NDAA passed earlier both included provisions that would have extended common right-to-repair rules to US military branches, requiring defense contractors to provide access to technical data, information, and components that enabled military customers to quickly repair essential equipment. Both of those provisions were stripped from the final joint-chamber reconciled version of the bill, published Monday, right-to-repair advocates at the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) pointed out in a press release.
Imagine that you are deep in enemy territory, your gear breaks, and you have no way to fix it.
Also, this greatly undermines everyone else's argument that once you buy something, it belongs to you, and you can do whatever you damn please with it. The military was the best argument for right to repair.
However, it offers a huge opportunity to any manufacturer who wishes to scoop market share. You sell the product with its user manual. Then for those owners who want to repair their own equipment, you sell spare parts and offer classes on maintenance and repair. People who want to repair things would logically buy from you instead of your competitors.
Birdfeeding
Dec. 10th, 2025 02:37 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, windy, and chilly.
I fed the birds. I've see a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've see a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
The Night Guest, by Hildur Knútsdóttir
Dec. 10th, 2025 10:07 amrachelmanija
An Icelandic horror novella translated by Mary Robinette Kowal! I had no idea she's fluent in Icelandic.
Iðunn experiences unexplained fatigue and injuries when she wakes up, but is gaslit by doctors and offered idiotic remedies by co-workers. (Very relatable!) Meanwhile, she's being semi-stalked by her ex-boyfriend/co-worker, her parents refuse to accept that she's a vegetarian and keep serving her chicken, and the only living beings she actually likes are the neighborhood cats that she's allergic to.
After what feels like an extremely long time, it finally occurs to her that she might be sleepwalking, and some time after that, it finally occurs to her to video herself as she sleeps. At that point some genuinely scary/creepy/unsettling things happen, and I was very gripped by the story and its central mystery.
Is Iðunn going out at night and committing all the acts she's normally too beaten down or scared to do while sleepwalking or dissociating? Is she having a psychotic break? Is she a vampire? Is she possessed? Does it have something to do with a traumatic past event that's revealed about a third of the way in?
Other than the last question, I have no idea! The ending was so confusing that I have no idea what it was meant to convey, and it did not provide any answers to basically anything. I'm also not sure what all the thematic/political elements about the oppression of women had to do with anything, because they didn't clearly relate to anything that actually happened.
Spoilers!
( Read more... )
This was a miss for me. But I was impressed by the very fluent and natural-sounding translation.
Content note: A very large number of cats are murdered. Can horror writers please knock it off with the dead cats? At this point it would count as a shocking twist if the cat doesn't die.
Fic in a Box recs!
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:55 amsnickfic posting in recthethingThere's a bunch of amazing stuff in the FIAB! I've made a couple of recs posts for fics I've loved so far.
My gifts (Red Sonja, Kyle Murchison Booth stories)
Horror fic recs (Cthulhu Mythos, House of Leaves, Original Work)
My gifts (Red Sonja, Kyle Murchison Booth stories)
Horror fic recs (Cthulhu Mythos, House of Leaves, Original Work)