Monday, February 16: The Denver Botanic Gardens (Part 2 - the orchids)
Mar. 3rd, 2026 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistressofmusesThe reason that Alex and I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens was to see one of their temporary exhibits, which was their orchid showcase. Luckily we managed to make it on the final day!
Not a lot of commentary for me, mostly just pictures, ha. So many orchids! Lots of the "usual" ones that are the most commercially available, but a lot of less-common colors and kinds as well. I love them all!
A wall of different kinds!
The star shape of this kind is one of my favorites, and I do love the colors.
Speckles.
I like the darker color of these.
Very large!
These are such a cool shape!
I like the contrast between the flowers on the left and the more "slipper" shaped one on the right.
The little ones are neat. Little sprays of stars.
The pale yellow is such a smooth color.
Jailed for crimes.
Spectacular in a group.
Nice color and shape.
A classic fave.
Another nice, soft color. They look a bit like lilies.
I love the star shapes.
Really cool vibrant veining.
Really like how different they are from each other!
Nice pattern.
I love these colors.
I'm very glad we were able to go before the exhibit closed! It was a perfect day to go.
Not a lot of commentary for me, mostly just pictures, ha. So many orchids! Lots of the "usual" ones that are the most commercially available, but a lot of less-common colors and kinds as well. I love them all!
A wall of different kinds!
The star shape of this kind is one of my favorites, and I do love the colors.
17 more orchid pictures:
Speckles.
I like the darker color of these.
Very large!
These are such a cool shape!
I like the contrast between the flowers on the left and the more "slipper" shaped one on the right.
The little ones are neat. Little sprays of stars.
The pale yellow is such a smooth color.
Jailed for crimes.
Spectacular in a group.
Nice color and shape.
A classic fave.
Another nice, soft color. They look a bit like lilies.
I love the star shapes.
Really cool vibrant veining.
Really like how different they are from each other!
Nice pattern.
I love these colors.
I'm very glad we were able to go before the exhibit closed! It was a perfect day to go.
In Memoriam: tragic, shocking news about minoanmiss
Mar. 3rd, 2026 08:55 pmride_4everVia a post from goss: tragic, shocking news about minoanmiss AKA Rubynye on AO3.
My icon says "sad" but this is way beyond that. I am utterly shocked and crushed.minoanmiss and I met once at a con and I hoped to meet up again...and now never will. We communicated regularly on DW and often sent each other postal mail...and now never will again.
May her memory be a blessing...and an inspiration.
goss: tragic, shocking news about minoanmiss AKA Rubynye on AO3.My icon says "sad" but this is way beyond that. I am utterly shocked and crushed.
minoanmiss and I met once at a con and I hoped to meet up again...and now never will. We communicated regularly on DW and often sent each other postal mail...and now never will again. May her memory be a blessing...and an inspiration.
Fic: Five Places 'Lanteans Call Home
Mar. 3rd, 2026 06:42 pmseleneheartAO3 finally stayed up long enough for me to post this old fic.
Title: Five Places 'Lanteans Call Home
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing/Characters: mostly gen, but McKay/Sheppard
Rating: G
Summary: What is says on the tin
Warnings: none
Notes: written and originally posted in 2007
On AO3: Five Place 'Lanteans Call Home
On![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
raselgethi: Five Places 'Lanteans Call Home
Title: Five Places 'Lanteans Call Home
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing/Characters: mostly gen, but McKay/Sheppard
Rating: G
Summary: What is says on the tin
Warnings: none
Notes: written and originally posted in 2007
On AO3: Five Place 'Lanteans Call Home
On
raselgethi: Five Places 'Lanteans Call Home
Ianto's Shrine in danger
Mar. 3rd, 2026 05:23 pmmxcatmoonSo, Ianto's Shrine is in danger of being torn down, due to structural issues. I'd be very sad to see that landmark which has been there for 17 years and appears on Google Maps gone.
Really hoping the repair or rebuild it...
There is a petition, spread the news:
Petition · Save Ianto's Shrine - Cardiff, United Kingdom · Change.org
Really hoping the repair or rebuild it...
There is a petition, spread the news:
Petition · Save Ianto's Shrine - Cardiff, United Kingdom · Change.org
Batman: Brothers around a beer
Mar. 3rd, 2026 10:15 pmsasheneskywalker posting in fancakeFandom: Batman - All Media Types
Pairings/Characters: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 4,742 words
Creator Links:![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Wisetypewriter
Theme: siblings, complicated relationships, drinking & talking
Summary: Dick drinks on a rooftop.
Jason shows up.
Reccer's Notes: Really interesting fic! I love the exploration of Dick and Jason’s relationship, especially how the story weaves in elements from different comic continuities. It hit me right in the feels <3
Fanwork Links: Brothers around a beer
Pairings/Characters: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 4,742 words
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, complicated relationships, drinking & talking
Summary: Dick drinks on a rooftop.
Jason shows up.
Reccer's Notes: Really interesting fic! I love the exploration of Dick and Jason’s relationship, especially how the story weaves in elements from different comic continuities. It hit me right in the feels <3
Fanwork Links: Brothers around a beer
The Protomen: Through the Window to the Mirror by VioletVulpini
Mar. 3rd, 2026 11:12 ambluerosekatie posting in fancakeFandom: The Protomen
Pairings/Characters: Megaman & Protoman & Quint
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 53,236
Creator Links: VioletVulpini on Ao3
Theme:
Siblings, Science Fiction, Time Travel Fix-it, Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
"The sound of Machines marching into a screaming mass did not cause Megaman to turn. The sound of children crying for their mothers would not pull his gaze from the far edge of the city."
And then he kept walking.
Reccer's Notes:
This fic takes the premise of an existing Mega Man character from the games, who was used as a minor sad character, and makes him the main character of a time travel fix-it in this alternate universe of The Protomen. Megaman goes back in time to before he killed his brother Protoman in an attempt to fix things, and manages to save his brother -- but now both his past self and his brother are after him, not to mention Dr. Wily, whose iron grip still holds the city. It has some of the best robot hurt/comfort I've ever read and amazing looks at the family dynamics between the characters.
Fanwork Links:
Through the Window to the Mirror on Ao3
Pairings/Characters: Megaman & Protoman & Quint
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 53,236
Creator Links: VioletVulpini on Ao3
Theme:
Siblings, Science Fiction, Time Travel Fix-it, Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
"The sound of Machines marching into a screaming mass did not cause Megaman to turn. The sound of children crying for their mothers would not pull his gaze from the far edge of the city."
And then he kept walking.
Reccer's Notes:
This fic takes the premise of an existing Mega Man character from the games, who was used as a minor sad character, and makes him the main character of a time travel fix-it in this alternate universe of The Protomen. Megaman goes back in time to before he killed his brother Protoman in an attempt to fix things, and manages to save his brother -- but now both his past self and his brother are after him, not to mention Dr. Wily, whose iron grip still holds the city. It has some of the best robot hurt/comfort I've ever read and amazing looks at the family dynamics between the characters.
Fanwork Links:
Through the Window to the Mirror on Ao3
Fandom Trumps Hate: bidding open!
Mar. 3rd, 2026 02:11 pmkingstokenThe bidding for Fandom Trumps Hate 2026 is open! Just as a reminder I'm offereing cover art/moodboard for any fandom and a fic for Sherlock Holmes: Rathbone Movies.
Mega Man (Cartoon 1994): Mega Man Recut by BlackRussian
Mar. 3rd, 2026 10:52 ambluerosekatie posting in fancakeFandom: Mega Man (Cartoon 1994)
Pairings/Characters: Mega Man & Proto Man, Mega Man & Roll
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 342,087
Creator Links: BlackRussian on FFN and BlackRussian on Ao3
Theme:
Siblings, Action/Adventure, Enemies Working Together, Plotty Fic, Series, Science Fiction
Summary:
Fighting Dr. Wily while watching your rebellious sister is tough for anyone, even a robot. Add an evil brother who's determined for you to join his side (or else battle to see who's strongest), things get ugly. Retcon of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon.
Reccer's Notes:
An amazing AU take on the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon from 1994 which adds heart and multiple intertwining subplots, as well as fixing major plot holes and including more background for various characters. The central character relationships are between Mega Man and his (evil?) older brother Proto Man, and Mega Man and his sister Roll, but there's plenty of background relationships that keep the story engaging, along with a lot of clever worldbuilding and cheesy moments to fit the original cartoon's tone. It's part of an ongoing series, but seasons 1-2 are complete.
Fanwork Links:
Read it here on Ao3 and here on FF.net
Pairings/Characters: Mega Man & Proto Man, Mega Man & Roll
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 342,087
Creator Links: BlackRussian on FFN and BlackRussian on Ao3
Theme:
Siblings, Action/Adventure, Enemies Working Together, Plotty Fic, Series, Science Fiction
Summary:
Fighting Dr. Wily while watching your rebellious sister is tough for anyone, even a robot. Add an evil brother who's determined for you to join his side (or else battle to see who's strongest), things get ugly. Retcon of the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon.
Reccer's Notes:
An amazing AU take on the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon from 1994 which adds heart and multiple intertwining subplots, as well as fixing major plot holes and including more background for various characters. The central character relationships are between Mega Man and his (evil?) older brother Proto Man, and Mega Man and his sister Roll, but there's plenty of background relationships that keep the story engaging, along with a lot of clever worldbuilding and cheesy moments to fit the original cartoon's tone. It's part of an ongoing series, but seasons 1-2 are complete.
Fanwork Links:
Read it here on Ao3 and here on FF.net
Victory in Virginia!!
Mar. 3rd, 2026 08:17 am![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_advocacyOn Friday, the judge hearing our VA case issued a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing Virginia's SB 854 against any Netchoice member (which means us!) while the lawsuit proceeds. Judge Giles's ruling is a little technical in places and covers a number of legal issues that I keep meaning to get around to explaining someday so folks can have a better grasp on the kind of things they'll see argued in cases like these, like strict scrutiny and associational standing, but the end result is still pretty clear, I think: the judge agrees Netchoice has made a strong enough showing right from the start that the law is unconstitutional to block the state from doing anything to enforce it until the full case can be heard.
This is only the beginning of that particular fight and we still have a ways to go, but it's great news for us, for all our users from Virginia, and for the internet as a whole. Three cheers for the Netchoice team and the outside litigation counsel, who are Clement & Murphy for this one! The full docket in RECAP: NetChoice v. Jason S. Miyares, 1:25-cv-02067, (E.D. Va.).
This is only the beginning of that particular fight and we still have a ways to go, but it's great news for us, for all our users from Virginia, and for the internet as a whole. Three cheers for the Netchoice team and the outside litigation counsel, who are Clement & Murphy for this one! The full docket in RECAP: NetChoice v. Jason S. Miyares, 1:25-cv-02067, (E.D. Va.).
due South: Puzzle Pieces by luzula
Mar. 3rd, 2026 11:32 pmmific posting in fancakeFandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Maggie Mackenzie/Francesca Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Frannie Vecchio, Ray Kowalski/ Maggie McKenzie
Rating: Explicit
Length: 7587
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: luzula on AO3, and on the Audiofic Archive.
Themes: Siblings, Marriage, Family, Domestic, Kidfic, Polyamory, Bisexual characters, AU
Summary: Sedoretu AU. Glimpses from the marriage of Fraser, Ray K, Maggie, and Frannie.
Reccer's Notes: I love the 4-person marriage invented by Ursula Le Guin - the sedoretu - andluzula makes it work perfectly here. In this 'verse there's the category of gender, plus another category called moiety - morning and evening people. In a sedoretu there are two same-sex and two opposite-sex couples, and two pairings (morning-morning and evening-evening) that are forbidden. Here, the forbidden pairings include the half-siblings, Fraser & Maggie. Luzula writes them all beautifully and lets us see how well this poly marriage works. We also get glimpses of how the sedoretu is the usual form of marriage in this AU, with their parents also in sedoretus. Domestic and lovely.
Fanwork Links: Puzzle Pieces, and luzula also recorded it as a podfic here.
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Maggie Mackenzie/Francesca Vecchio, Benton Fraser/Frannie Vecchio, Ray Kowalski/ Maggie McKenzie
Rating: Explicit
Length: 7587
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: luzula on AO3, and on the Audiofic Archive.
Themes: Siblings, Marriage, Family, Domestic, Kidfic, Polyamory, Bisexual characters, AU
Summary: Sedoretu AU. Glimpses from the marriage of Fraser, Ray K, Maggie, and Frannie.
Reccer's Notes: I love the 4-person marriage invented by Ursula Le Guin - the sedoretu - and
luzula makes it work perfectly here. In this 'verse there's the category of gender, plus another category called moiety - morning and evening people. In a sedoretu there are two same-sex and two opposite-sex couples, and two pairings (morning-morning and evening-evening) that are forbidden. Here, the forbidden pairings include the half-siblings, Fraser & Maggie. Luzula writes them all beautifully and lets us see how well this poly marriage works. We also get glimpses of how the sedoretu is the usual form of marriage in this AU, with their parents also in sedoretus. Domestic and lovely.Fanwork Links: Puzzle Pieces, and luzula also recorded it as a podfic here.
Tags:
- fandom: due south,
- length: 05.000 - 10.000 words,
- length: 30 - 60 minutes,
- non-fic recs: podfic,
- theme: au,
- theme: bisexual/pansexual characters,
- theme: domestic,
- theme: established relationship,
- theme: family,
- theme: kidfic,
- theme: kidfic: has/with kids,
- theme: marriage,
- theme: polyamory,
- theme: siblings
Habit Tracking: Week 09 (February 22 - February 28)
Mar. 2nd, 2026 07:46 pmmistressofmuses
Some koi this week! (Though we saw koi the previous week at the gardens.)
This week was all right. Not too thrilled about it ending in my country starting another global crisis. The days that Alex's knee was non-functional were not great, though while it now still hurts pretty badly, it's at least movable again. I managed to get a few productive things done, though not everything I'd intended to. I did do better on my reading, even though it's still slower than I wish it was. Still no fiction writing. Work went pretty well all week.
Goals for the week:
- I did finish reading Hell Bent
- I read and finished What Stalks the Deep
- I called the hospital about my issues paying
- I called my doctor's office to reschedule my appointment
- I called Nielson to come pick up their equipment
- I did not work on my reading page
- I did not work on my WIP
- I did not finish writing/post my February book reviews
- I did not go get crickets
- I did not clean the frog and toad ponds
- I did put my laundry away
- I took all the ornaments off our Christmas trees, lol
- I set up a new small notebook (the one I take to work and such)
Tracked habits:
- Work - 5/7
- Household Maintenance - 4/7
- Physical Activity - 3/7
- Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 0/7
- Non-fiction Writing - 2/7 - both over 500 words
- Meta Work - 4/7
- Personal Writing - 5/7
- Other Creative Things - 0/7
- Reading - 7/7 - I finished Hell Bent, read What Stalks the Deep, and some of my ebook side-read
- Attention to Media - 7/7 - Sunday watched news coverage and game videos; Monday through Wednesday watched game videos; Thursday watched some explore videos; Friday and Saturday had various youtube stuff in the background.
- Video Games - 0/7
- Social Interaction - 5/7
Total words written: 1366 on reviews
More pseudo-LEGOs
Mar. 2nd, 2026 04:41 pmhalfshellvenusI don't think I mentioned that HalfshellHusband got me a fantastic Lumibricks Time-Rift Library set for Valentine's Day. I'm really looking forward to putting it together!
In the meantime, I just finished a Starry Night set I got 2-3 years ago and never put together because of all the time spent on the house rebuild or (after moving back home) because it was still in an unopened box. I picked this set out as a birthday present however many years ago, partly because of the Starry Night theme (I have a LOT of Starry Night "merch") and also because it includes a Van Gogh minifigure with his painting. \o/
What I failed to notice at the time was that it was a mini-brick set. I haven't worked with those before, and the danger of something rebounding off the other pieces (or just falling) is very high. The smallest pieces are extremely hard to find on our Oriental-patterned rug. I didn't lose anything permanently, though the set had a few missing pieces (I improvised) and a LOT of extra pieces. The instructions were all pictures, with the number 1, 2, and 3 being the only non-Japanese (Chinese?) parts, and one of the blues was REALLY hard to make out on the diagrams— I had to get out a flashlight. This was a super-challenging build. :O
Midway through the build:
Three-quarters of the way done:
Final product with mini-artist:
I would recommend this set, except that it's no longer being made. There are other Starry Night sets, but the resulting "pictures" are usually less accurate than this one. Someone did a very creative job designing this! But if you're tempted, there's the original LEGO set (expensive!). And also these three knockoff sets at varying prices (all of which have a mini-painting, and you could add your own made-up mini-figure)! That last set is actually pretty good. All are mini-bricks, though, so be warned.
In other news, I put the coffee table together. That amounted to screwing in the legs, which were in two pieces to accommodate a flat lower section. The biggest challenge? Breaking down all that styrofoam to get it in our garbage can. It'll probably take 2-3 weeks to get rid of it.
In the meantime, I just finished a Starry Night set I got 2-3 years ago and never put together because of all the time spent on the house rebuild or (after moving back home) because it was still in an unopened box. I picked this set out as a birthday present however many years ago, partly because of the Starry Night theme (I have a LOT of Starry Night "merch") and also because it includes a Van Gogh minifigure with his painting. \o/
What I failed to notice at the time was that it was a mini-brick set. I haven't worked with those before, and the danger of something rebounding off the other pieces (or just falling) is very high. The smallest pieces are extremely hard to find on our Oriental-patterned rug. I didn't lose anything permanently, though the set had a few missing pieces (I improvised) and a LOT of extra pieces. The instructions were all pictures, with the number 1, 2, and 3 being the only non-Japanese (Chinese?) parts, and one of the blues was REALLY hard to make out on the diagrams— I had to get out a flashlight. This was a super-challenging build. :O
Midway through the build:
Three-quarters of the way done:
Final product with mini-artist:
I would recommend this set, except that it's no longer being made. There are other Starry Night sets, but the resulting "pictures" are usually less accurate than this one. Someone did a very creative job designing this! But if you're tempted, there's the original LEGO set (expensive!). And also these three knockoff sets at varying prices (all of which have a mini-painting, and you could add your own made-up mini-figure)! That last set is actually pretty good. All are mini-bricks, though, so be warned.
In other news, I put the coffee table together. That amounted to screwing in the legs, which were in two pieces to accommodate a flat lower section. The biggest challenge? Breaking down all that styrofoam to get it in our garbage can. It'll probably take 2-3 weeks to get rid of it.
Just testing...
Mar. 2nd, 2026 12:44 pmmxcatmoonYou know I had to try this out, asap. I see it suffers from the same issue the images have, that of being too big. With images, I resize before uploading to Squidge Images so they won't be so huge here... but I have no idea how to do that with video. Any suggestions?
Rico in jeans, which is a rare occasion, deserved something special. 😉 This is my first vid short. I'm sure I'll be making more eventually.
(Not that Rico taking up the entire screen is necessarily a bad thing...) But I'm guessing it doesn't look right on a lot of journals because it's too big? Again, I'm not sure how to make it smaller. And, any good, free, online video editing tools you can recommend? I used Video Cutter for this. Thanks!( Read more... )
Rico in jeans, which is a rare occasion, deserved something special. 😉 This is my first vid short. I'm sure I'll be making more eventually.
(Not that Rico taking up the entire screen is necessarily a bad thing...) But I'm guessing it doesn't look right on a lot of journals because it's too big? Again, I'm not sure how to make it smaller. And, any good, free, online video editing tools you can recommend? I used Video Cutter for this. Thanks!( Read more... )
