Checking Stuff Out

Oct. 24th, 2026 02:27 pm
yourlibrarian: Zoe looks up (FIRE-ZoeLookUp-valsquared)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) Pillowforters are starting to bring over communities and have lots of questions about layouts and other issues. If you think you could help, [community profile] getting_started or [community profile] newcomers are likely to get those posts.

2) Speaking of, a popular one that has just opened here is [community profile] small_joys, for brief posts about something that sparked it in your day. There are a few others you can check out.

3) I'm still an episode behind but I am so intrigued by VisionQuest! ( Read more... )

4) I also just opened an account at PostImages to more easily handle visual content here. Trying it out for the first time:

Whenever I see a bakery display, the first thing that catches my eye are the fruit tarts. I am actually rather fussy about both filling and crust, but the fruit always looks amazing.

2026-Ohio-Trip-53

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lightreads: a partial image of a etymology tree for the Indo-European word 'leuk done in white neon on black'; in the lower left is (Default)
[personal profile] lightreads
The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood

3/5. Two timelines: in one, a young woman travels to a remote house to do archival work during the Blitz. In the other, Nimue becomes Merlin’s student in King Arthur’s court.

Yet another book in the recent sub-sub-genre of fantasy about how myths create national identity. This one did not annoy me nearly as much as Alix Harrow’s, mostly because this book has the wisdom to do less, and Alix Harrow books never, ever, ever do less. Specifically, this book digs into the whole thing with Merlin living backwards, which is an interesting mechanism to talk about mythmaking and personal storytelling and the construction of history in multiple directions. Anyway, this perfectly filled the niche of pleasant, unchallenging diversion that I intended it for.

I will say I’m marking it down a star for petty personal reasons, specifically that I thought I had figured out where this was going, and I was half right. And my point of annoyance is that what I thought was going on was far more queer than what actually emerged. My version was more interesting, kay? Kay.

Drawtober days 19-24

Oct. 24th, 2026 11:45 pm
mific: (A pen and ink)
[personal profile] mific
Six more pics based on this year's Drawtober prompts for [community profile] drawesome. The prompts are getting more Halloween-flavoured as we near the end of the month. As before, click or touch for full size, esp. with the more detailed ones.

The prompts for these ones were potion, jack o' lantern, black cat, crystal ball, witch hat, candy.

Dracula with black tails, dark red cape, giving a cocktail glass of virulent green drink to a gaping blond young man in Victorian dress.Night scene with a winding path up to a giant pumpkin with a toothy monstrous face carved in it. Two small boys holding hands are seen in silhouette going inside it, towards a flame.
Drink up
(Dracula has a fondness for twinks)

Up the garden path

Night scene with a bare-branched tree, crescent moon in the sky. On a branch crouches a black Cheshire cat, grinning toothily.The Earth as a glowing orb, clutched in a giant monstrous gray-skinned hand against a background of stars.
Nocturnal
(the Cheshire cat always freaked me out a bit)

Orb
(should have just called this one "capitalism")

Elderly smiling, heavily-lined witch with jewel earrings. Her hat is home to several tiny creatures - elves, a squirrel, a mouse, insects, goblins. The hat has windows and coloured wooden doors all connected by a spiral staircase and several ladders.Close-up of an evil clown with a curly orange-yellow wig. His eyes are points of fire and his wide mouth is full of teeth. He has a ruffle collar and a bright green shirt with blue spots.
Wherever I lay my hat...


Eye candy
(your classic evil clown)

Pillowfort Meet Dreamwidth

Oct. 23rd, 2026 03:27 pm
yourlibrarian: Bruce Says Hold On (AVEN-BruceSaysHoldOn-famira.png)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) In a follow-up to my post the other day about creating the Kudos footer, [personal profile] florianschild has created a browser extension to add it automatically to your posts.

2) In response to some questions about following a tag sitewide (something one could do on Pillowfort), I thought I'd take a look at the Latest Things page since I was betting that Friday five would show up today.

And indeed it has. What I was hoping is that one can substitute other tags and make them come up in chronological order. For example, I used https://www.dreamwidth.org/latest?tag=pillowfort to find posts about Pillowfort. But this only worked because Pillowfort is already a major tag in today's posts. I tried substituting "Merlin" instead and nothing came up.

So the good news is, it's technically possible but the bad news is that there seems to be no option to use it outside of the Latest feed.

3) Speaking of the Friday Five, I'd like to introduce it to the Blanket Box. I think FF is probably Dreamwidth's version of the Q&A meme and, as its name suggests, comes out weekly. So for any Pillowforters looking for things to post about, these are always available.

4) I have not been to a Michael's in quite some time, and thought I haven't missed much. It seems to be pivoting from a store for crafters to a home décor one that still carries some crafting items. ( Read more... )

5) Now that the surprise about PF's news is passing, I wanted to circle around to something which stood out to me in the closing announcement:

"In retrospect, I think the site never really recovered from the security incident in 2021. We had great momentum going up to that point, but after we had to take the site down for several weeks, the buzz and word of mouth never came back no matter how much we tried." ( Read more... )

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It All Comes Around

Oct. 22nd, 2026 04:35 pm
yourlibrarian: Mariko-san, close-up (OTH-Mariko-bangparty)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) I'm really delighted that, while virtually every Pillowforter trying out Dreamwidth is in some shock over the interface and limitations, that people have been finding things they really like as well. As someone who has long used both, there are things we won't get back from the loss. But I am heartened that as long as people are here, PF will not be gone for good.

2) I haven't decided for sure what to do about my Pillowfort posts, but my inclination is not to do anything. I didn't have to decide with my LJ work, since it all got imported here, as did my few years at InsaneJournal. And I didn't post much in other places before they went away (or I did). But what I'd likely most want to keep is too difficult to track down, which is discussions and more in-depth posts. The only tag I knew for sure would turn something up is Pillowfort itself. ( Read more... )

2) Then another post was actually about changes at Dreamwidth which seems really relevant right now ( Read more... )

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New DS Story: May

Oct. 21st, 2026 04:09 pm
grey853: (ds_BFRK3_koshi700)
[personal profile] grey853 posting in [community profile] ds_noticeboard
Title: May
Series: Due South Alphabet 31
Author: Grey/Grey853
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 56,491
Tags: Male Slash, Explicit Language, Sexual Content, Alternate Universe-Canon Divergence, Mental Health Issues, Depression Past Trauma, Hate Crime, Racism, casefic, Original Character-Severe Injury

Summary: Ray has mental health issues. Ben tries to help.

Link:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/95146746

Snippet:

″You’re very quiet tonight.″

″It’s been a good day and I’m just happy you’re home on time. It’s been a long month and a half since the promotions.″

Ben reached over and pulled Ray close to his side. Ray rested his head on his partner’s shoulder and Ben kissed his hair. ″I’m sorry it’s been so difficult for you, Ray.″

″It’s been as hard on you as me.″

″Still, things should get better all in all. Work is less intense now that Drew can do the training program while I focus on the rest of scheduling and other duties. Ezra is doing a remarkable job as the new inspector and commander. I must admit that while I accepted Inspector Paris as our leader, I’d forgotten what true leadership looked like. Ezra’s much more interactive with the ranks and I think they’re beginning to accept him more.″

″That’s great news.″

″Yes, and the fact that Mrs. Vecchio is staying with Francesca has the added bonus that Drew is bringing in excellent Italian cooking for lunch and he’s sharing.″

Ray grinned and poked Ben’s middle. ″He does that every day and you might have to get a bigger uniform.″

How I Use Dreamwidth Blanket Box

Oct. 21st, 2026 12:15 pm
yourlibrarian: CircleScoobies-jadeleopard (BUF-CircleScoobies-jadeleopard)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
What's a blanket box?

A blanket box is a set of prompts to help you to build your Dreamwidth! They all have a theme and this one's theme is you and Dreamwidth! To take part, copy the questions and create your own post, with a link back to the questions post. Other blanket boxes are at [community profile] pillowfortu_haul.

The Rules

The first rule is that there are no rules.
You can answer as long or as short as you want, delete prompts, add your own, or not answer certain prompts at all.

The Blankets

When do you visit Dreamwidth during a day? (Do you visit every day?)

I do visit every day, and even made an effort to do so during my recent trip. While at home I usually get on around noon time and during the trip it was in early evening.

What's the first thing you do? ( Read more... )

No Slowing Down

Oct. 20th, 2026 02:57 pm
yourlibrarian: Scooby gang (BUF-Gang-_feistygirl7_)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) Wow, a day ago my feed update didn't pass 50 entries (which is what I have my page lengths set to). Today I had 4 pages to go through and it's barely afternoon.

2) Thanks to Killer300 on Pillowfort I came across this article about the decline in dinner parties but what I found interesting on its own was this table of activities that people largely don't engage in as much.

Thing is, a lot of these activities seem very different to me. I fail to see how reading a book is a social activity (participating in a book club different story). Also, why is going out to breakfast even a thing? (Might be interesting to know how many people have breakfast at all in 2026 compared to 1995). ( Read more... )

3) I've been asked various times over the years about creating the Kudos footer below (which I copied from someone else, now forgotten years later). I just posted about it in [community profile] newcomers.

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Yet Another Ending

Oct. 19th, 2026 08:56 pm
yourlibrarian: Buffy's life sucks (BUF-LehSuck-eyesthatslay)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) I am SO sad to hear that Pillowfort will be shutting down in December. It's the only site I've used extensively besides Dreamwidth (and LJ before it, though I have been gone from LJ longer than I was doing much other than crossposting). However I am not surprised. ( Read more... )

2) Speaking of site survivals and internet time -- Slate survives: "Slate’s homepage has long functioned as a “fossil of what the internet was during that time,” said Ivylise Simones, Slate’s creative director. In 1996, Slate was trying to figure out what a magazine on the internet should even look like; in 2026, it’s among the last general-interest digital-native news sites, and print magazines are dying out. “Salon is one of our only lasting contemporaries,” Frey noted."

I remember when both of these were founded, and it's good to know that despite the tough environment for text-media (print is less than half of what it was, both for newspapers and magazines) that there are success stories as well.

3) Maybe There Was an Egg Cartel After All. Seems one can never underestimate greed, or the assumption that big money will never be held responsible.

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Drawtober days 13-18

Oct. 18th, 2026 10:12 pm
mific: (A pen and ink)
[personal profile] mific
And some more pics based on this year's Drawtober prompts for [community profile] drawesome. Once again they're as Halloween-flavoured as I could manage. Click or touch for full size, esp. with the more detailed ones. The first one is of course Discworld inspired. TW for a spider - a black widow (not that Morticia is, but solidarity with the sisterhood).

The prompts for these ones were crow, broom, spiderweb, candle, moon, and owl.

A skeletal crow with a ragged black robe holding a scythe, against a brick wall.Twilight with a colourful sunset over a midwestern town, the main street empty. In the night sky, a sloth flies over, hanging from a witch's broom.
Death of Crows

Late for the devil's sacrament

Morticia Addams looking smug, hands raised. The low-cut neck of her black gown is filled with a black spiderweb. In the web's centre is a large black widow spider.A windswept cliff by the sea, waves crashing and foaming up. The sky is dramatic with ragged dark clouds and gulls wheeling. On the cliff instead of a lighthouse is a giant wax candle, the flame feathered in the wind, dripping down on the rocks below.
Haunt couture

Lighthouse in a storm

On the left, a mountain with a road winding around it below. On the right, a braided riverbed. In the dark blue sky above hangs a huge red moon, dripping blood underneath. The landscape is lit in shades of brown and red.Close-up of a snowy owl's face frowning furiously over its sharp beak.
Blood moon

Hanging judge

Pleasant Surprises

Oct. 17th, 2026 03:54 pm
yourlibrarian: Dr. Strange's Silhouette as he climbs stairs (AVEN-Strange Silhouette-peaked)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) Watched the first two episodes available of VisionQuest. Though I have watched all the Marvel (and Star Wars) live action shows, I was particularly pleased with the start of this one, since I was completely unspoiled and only knew it was a series about Vision. ( Read more... )

2) I knew next to nothing about Oasis, and didn't learn a lot more from its "Don't Look Back in Anger" documentary. But as someone a little older than they are, I found the central focus on reconciliation and the things that endure a good choice. ( Read more... )

3) I still think of my niece asking me how I'd fill my time once retired. I found it a funny question as I was fairly sure I'd have plenty of problems to troubleshoot, it's just that I'd have more time to deal with them. I thought of this yet again after we heard dripping from an evening's rain Thursday night. ( Read more... )

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Hop?

Oct. 17th, 2026 04:14 pm
twistedchick: watercolor painting of coffee cup on wood table (Default)
[personal profile] twistedchick
I am hoping some of you Warner Bros. cartoon fans can help me out here:

I have a strong mental image of Bugs Bunny (or some other cartoon rabbit) singing and dancing to the '50s tune "Let's Go To The Hop!" Was that ever in a cartoon? Did it happen or did I just imagine it?

If it did happen, I really want to see it.

Trip Days 5-6

Oct. 16th, 2026 12:19 pm
yourlibrarian: DeanGetsaGrip-roseyarts (SPN-DeanGetsaGrip-roseyarts)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) Anyone ever have an issue with their phone getting texts intermittently (as in, some get through, some are delayed, some never arrive)? If so, any tips? ( Read more... )

2) My last day of the trip was a happy surprise. Having lost so many choices during the week, and not yet having seen the exact model I was interested in during any of the tours, I threw myself into doing additional searches to turn up some new alternative. And I found one. ( Read more... )

3) My final morning started early, though it felt earlier. What is with the end of Daylight Savings not coming until November?? I was on the highway by 7:45 and yet the sun had only been up for half an hour. ( Read more... )

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mecurtin: a powerful wizard with glowing eyes and a magic cane (cane)
[personal profile] mecurtin
Because of my sciatica and our general aging, we have to leave this house--which is lovely, but there are *27 steps* from the parking area to the house proper. So I'm looking, and looking, and seeing a lot of houses that are *almost* what we want -- but there are a few interior stairs, like 2-3 steps.

Do any of you that are movement-impaired have experience converting a house with any interior steps to full accessibility? I don't use a wheelchair *yet*, but I want that to be an option for the future, and I often find myself using wheelchair options in public buildings -- ramps, automatic doors, etc.

I'm trying to figure out how much my search should weigh "no interior steps", you see. And trying not to get too depressed about how the search is going. Fortunately we have enough money & time not to make a snap decision, but ugh.

So I'm hoping for your advice.

Trip Day 3-4

Oct. 15th, 2026 07:02 pm
yourlibrarian: BeautifulDay-no_apologies_86 (SPN-BeautifulDay-no_apologies_86)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) The next day had a more hopeful outcome. My first appointment of the day didn't recall speaking to me at all, though I knew I'd spoken to her, given the details of our conversation. In fact, I was stuck waiting outside the lobby for about 15 minutes because the box to call the leasing office (and its backup line) just rang and rang, and there was no one around to let me in. After a second try, someone at the backup line did buzz me in, and the property manager turned up. ( Read more... )

2) Day 4 was my most anticipated, because I suspected our likely choice will be a model in one of the quadroplex communities. And I was somewhat right as one place in particular was in such a nice location. ( Read more... )

3) Trying to take as much advantage as possible of the few weeks we'll be able to have windows open. So far we've had 2 days this week after temperatures in the high 80s. Tomorrow it crashes down to the 50s then a predicted week in the 70s. I suspect we'll be having another warm Halloween.

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Ohio Day 2

Oct. 14th, 2026 12:44 pm
yourlibrarian: Villanelle Pink (OTH-VillanellePink-winterfish)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) My second day took me to a community north of Cleveland, which was a really nice spot -- very leafy and both close to and yet sheltered from main roads. I picked up a chicken wrap there and headed through downtown Cleveland to the other side, the oddly named Edgewater Beach. I say that, because it does offer waterfront access but if you can't go out and sit on sand, it doesn't count as a "beach" in my book. ( Read more... )

2) Only five years into its journey, Character.AI...has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following a slew of lawsuits and struggles to scale its popular platform.

What do we call an AI company in bankruptcy? A good start.

3) Local TV's chokehold makes newspapers look competitive. "The 10 largest owners control 75% of local commercial TV newsrooms...By comparison, the 10 largest newspaper owners control less than a quarter of all local newspapers."

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To my Yuletide Giver --thanks!

Oct. 14th, 2026 01:53 pm
twistedchick: watercolor painting of coffee cup on wood table (Default)
[personal profile] twistedchick
Dear Yuletide writer,

Thank you for writing a story for me for Yuletide! Getting a new story just for me is the highlight of my season.

Since I don't know what universe we matched on, here are my thoughts on the ones I've chosen: ( behind cut )
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