nerakrose

Movies: None.

Television/Streaming: watched episode 8 of Farscape, "That Old Black Magic." That was the one with Maldis the sorcerer, who brings Crichton and Crais into fighting distance - well, their spirits, anyway. I thought it was fairly entertaining. Interesting turn for Zhaan there; will see how that effects the future. Rygel is so hoity and it provided some comic relief.

Books: I finished A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan. It started out pretty strong, taking the piss on influencer culture and parasocial relationships. Then it took a hard right turn into weird paranormal and I'm not convinced it "stuck the landing."

I also finished The Operating System: an Anarchist Theory of the Modern State by Eric Laursen. I got this book for free a while back, along with a few other books of theory and social justice, etc. I thought it might be rather dry on first look, but it was fairly readable, if a bit repetitive. That's to be expected with a title like this, I suppose. I haven't read much anarchist theory. This is a primer on what it means when we talk about the State (with a capital ess) and how capitalism is intrinsically connected with it. So "reforming" pieces of the State still leaves you with it, just in a slightly different format.

Currently reading A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, which is this month's pick for my online book club. I'm enjoying it so far!

Video Games: I finished Virtue's Last Reward, all 24 endings and 40+ hours later. It was pretty good, although some of the endings with the timelines was a little confusing to me. But I also was really tired on Sunday afternoon when I finally finished it (the last LAST ending, that you get after collecting all the passwords, etc). Either way, it's kind of a cliffhanger, so even though the third installment has mixed reviews, I want to finish the trilogy. Zero Time Dilemma is on sale right now on Steam for $3.99, so I thought it was worth it to at least try.

Of the two I've played so far, I think VLR was better than 999 in some ways, but that might also be down to game mechanics. In 999, I had to replay multiple room puzzles and reread dialogue over and over. In this one, once you complete a room, you don't have to play through the "escape" bit again, and you can fast-forward through dialogue you've already "heard," and it will generally stop when something new occurs based on the flow of the game. I thought the flowchart was also a good addition, and it seems like they kept it for the third installment.

pushkin666

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Current Mood: tired
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair

schnikeys posting in

gluten_free

Made chocolate-chip pancakes to celebrate a recent college grad’s first day of work, and thought I’d post a review of the pancake mix I usually use (available in the US).

Birch Benders Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix! It’s a pancake. The main virtue for me is that I just put buttermilk in and pop it on the griddle. Regular milk and water also work, they just make it less fluffy than the acidity of buttermilk does, if you’re invested in that. Apparently they changed the formulation recently but I didn’t notice anything.

I do find that the amount of liquid they tell you to add (3/4 cup mix to 1/3 cup liquid) is NOT enough, I tend to do more like three parts mix to two parts buttermilk, or even more. Possibly it’s different with water. I also do not know how it functions as a waffle mix as I do not make waffles.

INGREDIENTS: WHITE RICE FLOUR, BROWN RICE FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, OAT FLOUR, CANE SUGAR, TAPIOCA STARCH, DRIED BUTTERMILK, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR.

What ready-to-use mixes do you guys like?

kat_lair

***

I am tired. Because I got up at six to go swimming. In the rain. Wait. I mean I walked 20mins through rain and then got wet again in the pool. Rain had stopped for the walk home but has been really coming down today, complete with special appearances from actual hail and thunder. Today I also had to commit mass murder because one of my ceiling spiders had about 50 baby spiders and I cannot accommodate that. I feel bad (because pms I legit teared up when I vacuumed them up) because that wasn't explicitly in the rules.

[In case you want to know, these are the Rules for Spiders in Kat's House:
1. Must stay above head level but not right above. Corner of ceiling is acceptable. Right in the middle of the ceiling above the sofa is not. Being at eye level or lower where accidental touching may happen, is very not acceptable.
2. No running in the house. Only move when I cannot see it. Any and all kind of movement on furniture is verboten (see Rule 1).
3. (new addition) No babies. I'm afraid we cannot accommodate families with children. Only single, child-free professional spiders are welcome.]

The point is, that I'm tired and cannot brain, so

sunshine_revival challenge #4 'ten things that make you smile' seems like a doable thing.

These are all everyday joys, not the big grand things of love and purpose etc.

In order that I thought of it...

1. Trick's little squeaky meows. He sounds like a cross between a haunted house door and a dog toy.

2. Sound of rain. Extremely soothing.

3. The fact that I have managed to keep my Aloe Vera plants alive for over a year now. I am, as a rule, not gifted in things green and growing.

4. Blueberry coffee.

5. Putting clean laundry out to dry on the line. Collecting it once dry and folding it nicely. Truly my favourite household task.

6. Berries, fruit etc. Today I've had raspberries, peach, and honeydew melon.

7. Swimming underwater. I'm up to five slow strokes underwater at the moment, starting from 'not out of breath for any reason' position, and working on it. It's so peaceful.

8. Getting silly memes, videos, pics and messages from my friends and partners throughout the day.

9. Candles and incense. I like former a lot and latter in moderation.

10. Stickers on my work laptop. I recently had to change laptops which meant I lost all my lovely stickers on it but never fear, I ordered more. What I have on my work laptop lid and thus purposefully on full display to students and colleagues are stickers that say

'Safe Space', over a Progress Pride flag with a heart in the middle
'Tax the Rich', shouted by an angry cat
'Capitalism caused climate change', in fetching shades of green
'Pan, Poly, Proud', in Pan flag colours
'Trans rights are human rights', in Trans flag colours
'Work', over a silhouette of Schyuler sisters from Hamilton
+ a sticker of a cartoon cat vomiting a rainbow and another sticker of a black cat whose fur is full of stars

***

adore

Ever since watching that one Yonghee & Hyunsuk performance that made me go feral for them, I have fallen for CIX. Technically I have been a fan since their most recent comeback with Thunder, one of my favourite k-pop songs ever, but now I also have a ship and a bias (Yonghee) and a biaswrecker (Hyunsuk).

Watch on YouTube

And here is the point of no return: I am watching their vlogs and having Feelings.

Watch on YouTube

When they all visit the sea and a dripping Yonghee revenges himself on Hyunsuk by catching hold of his legs to flip him into the water, Hyunsuk stands up drenched, and they hug. It's the sort of hug where you can't tell whether Yonghee initiated it or Hyunsuk, but their arms around each other enclose my heart, making it squeeze with affection, assuring me of much to daydream about these two. Later, at their hotel, Yonghee plays the flute while Hyunsuk reads aloud, bits of prose that sound like poetry, and the moment passes, but the feeling doesn't. The feeling persists, like a floating bubble, when Seunghun asks Hyunsuk to pass him the book he was reading from, only to place it under his head as a pillow. Yonghee jokingly tells Hyunsuk to keep the book ready as a coaster when they make ramyeon. I love this feeling, warm and fuzzy around the edges, floaty, big enough to burst.

They're already on their six-year anniversary, so their contracts will likely expire at seven. I'm melancholy.

Current Mood: enthralled

pushkin666

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Current Mood: awake
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair

tellshannon815 posting in

sunshine_revival

Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Friending Meme * Challenge #1 > * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

( Sunshine Revival Challenge #6 )

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

pushkin666

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Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair
Current Music: Oasis concert in the background

chez_jae

Mortar and Murder (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery, #4)

Mortar and Murder by Jennie Bentley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

I finished my most recent book last night. It was Mortar and Murder by Jennie Bentley, and it’s part of her “Do-It-Yourself” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Avery Baker, textile expert and home renovator.

Avery and her boyfriend Derek begin a new project: a 225 year-old house on nearby Rowanberry Island. It’s in rough shape, but Derek can see the potential it has, and Avery is up to the challenge. Their renovations are put on the back burner when the two of them discover a body floating in the water between the mainland and the island. The young woman had the name of local realtor, Irina, in her pocket. Irina claims not to know her, but Avery can’t help but be suspicious. Irina, a native of Ukraine, came to Maine under shady circumstances, and Avery begins to wonder if she’s somehow involved. When another body turns up in the harbor, the police are desperate for answers. After Irina goes missing, Avery is convinced that everything ties back to Rowanberry Island, and she’s determined to prove it.

A fast-paced and interesting story. It was published in 2011, but its themes are quite contemporary, including illegal immigration, ICE, and human trafficking. I wasn’t really getting a read on who the “bad guy” was, but then again, neither were the main characters. Lots of twists and turns in this one.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Shades of Scooby-Doo.”
♦ In my opinion, a perfectly clean house is a sign of a wasted life.

Good read, four stars.

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: "Shake, Shake, Shake" ~ Bronze Radio Return

loopywhisk_feed

Posted by Kat

https://theloopywhisk.com/2025/07/18/easy-gluten-free-zucchini-bread/

https://theloopywhisk.com/?p=22368

The post Easy Gluten Free Zucchini Bread appeared first on The Loopy Whisk.

https://theloopywhisk.com/2025/07/18/easy-gluten-free-zucchini-bread/

https://theloopywhisk.com/?p=22368

kat_lair

***

Posting now because I predict being way too sweaty and exhausted for that after Stray Kids gig. And in honour of that, I'm posting the MV and dance practice of one of my favourite songs by them.

The song is beautiful but I also have a lot of feelings about the choreo, mainly: 1) The way it starts with everyone holding Chan's heart 😭😭😭, 2) the sequenced kneeling of Minho, Seungmin and Jeongin (the bdsm au feels I have about this), 3) Seungmin solo choreo!

Watch on YouTube

***

youngvulgarian_feed

Posted by Marie Le Conte

https://youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/why-would-you-show-my-face-to-36000

Hello!

Hi! How are you? All good? All fine? Yeah? I'm okay thank you. I've been roundhouse kicked in the sinuses by hayfever but I'm alright. We move.

I would say the highlight of my week so far was reading this gloriously long and pointless investigation into Charlie's Angels (2000). No, honestly.

"The bird in Charlie’s Angels is, I believe, the wrongest bird in the history of cinema—and one of the weirdest and most inexplicable flubs in any movie I can remember. It is elaborately, even ornately wrong. It has haunted not just me but, as I’d later learn, the birding community at large for almost a quarter of a century". That's how the piece starts, and then it goes on for thousands of words, and somehow they're all incredibly gripping. I cannot recommend it enough. It's so entertaining, and genuinely very good journalism. You can find it here.

If you're somehow not in the mood for serious silliness (or silly seriousness?), I would instead recommend this piece, "Against Ironic Detachment", which I found to be quite spectacular.

In it, the writer argues that "intelligence without moral commitment is just sophisticated paralysis. Nuance without the capacity for judgment is just elaborate confusion. The ability to see complexity in everything is worthless if it never leads to clarity about anything". Isn't that fantastic? Doesn't it make your brain fizz?

If, for some godforsaken reason, this still doesn't do it for you, then you can have a sled dog puppy cam. That's all I have to offer as part of this introduction. You've now gone through all my wares. I am wareless. I will leave you here. Good bye.

Subscribe now

A column

I know, I know, you're sick of me talking about my diamond shoes, and the fact that they just don't quite fit around my ankles. Last week I complained about having been simply too gifted a child, and today I'm here to whine about a selfie of mine just being too popular. It's silly. It's undignified. It's too much.

Still, it is something I want to talk about, even if it makes me sound vain or unpleasant. I think it's worth mentioning. So, if you'll allow me: it actually began a few months ago. For some reason, my skin decided to wait until I turned 33 to develop acne for the first time. I've no idea why it happened, but it did. I went to a dermatologist, because I didn't want to have acne on my face, and she prescribed me some retinol.

She warned me, however, that my skin would probably get worse before getting better. She was right to do so, as that's exactly what happened. I spent most of my spring cosplaying as Pizza Face, and feeling like I was 15 again, but this time I was worse at it. It wasn't great. It also took a while for my skin to finally clear up, meaning that when it did, a few weeks ago, I was thrilled. I was just so, so pleased not to have spots anymore.

It's probably a bit of a silly thing, right? But I'd never had bad skin before, and I just couldn't get used to it. Anyway, the point is: on July 4, I took a photo of my face and I posted it to my Instagram. I've got around 5,000 followers on there, which is not nothing, obviously, but not in the same ballpark as the number of followers I had on Twitter, and now have on Bluesky.

I'm happy for my words and my random thoughts to go viral, or be of relevance to complete strangers; I don't think you'll get much out of seeing my pictures on Instagram unless you know me, or are at least aware of me already. It's always been a secondary platform for me. I've never had any interest in being popular on it. Text-based social media has, probably unsurprisingly, always been my primary residence.

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy posting on there; simply that I do so mostly for myself, then for my friends and, after that, whoever happens to also be around. I didn't think, for example, that anyone who doesn't know me would care that I'd got rid of my spots. Sure, I'd not posted a picture of my face since March, but it wasn't clear to me that anyone would care. I'm not really known for my selfies, on Instagram or elsewhere.

Well, at least that's what I thought. Instagram disagreed. The platform, as we know, is governed by a series of opaque algorithms, meaning that we have no idea just how they work, or what they prioritise. It's assumed that photos of human faces tend to do pretty well, and that posts which do unusually well with someone's followers are likely to be spread further around the platform.

I became exceptionally conscious of the latter when my timeline suddenly became a stream of posts from people I'd never heard of before, and who were explaining that they had cancer, or their dog had just died, or something just as cheerful. I didn't really get it at first, then it hit me: on algorithmic social media, content is always inherently neutral, and popularity is always inherently good. Lots of people will like a post if it's tragic or sad, as a way to show that they care, but Instagram will often take that as a sign that the post ought to travel further afield.

https://youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/why-would-you-show-my-face-to-36000

pushkin666

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Current Mood: awake
Current Location: Airbnb porn studio!!

pushkin666

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Current Mood: excited
Current Location: Airbnb porn studio!!
Current Music: Kat's Spotify faces of 2025

kat_lair

***

Whoop! In London with pushkin666 and dreamersdare, getting ready for Stray Kids tomorrow!

For now, however, TXT serving moods with their concept clips. Like...

70s softcore soulmate-names-written-on-skin OT5 mood

Watch on YouTube

Aesthetically bloodied dystopian angst mood

Watch on YouTube

Woke up ready for the intergalactic technowar mood

Watch on YouTube

Starship troopers with big guns mood

Watch on YouTube

I approve!

***

anais_pf posting in

thefridayfive

This week's questions were suggested by

bindyree.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . .

5. Name five favorite movies.

4. Name four areas of interest you became interested in after you were done with your formal education.

3. Name three things you would change about this world.

2. Name two of your favorite childhood toys.

1. Name one person you could be handcuffed to for a full day.

Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: home
Current Music: The Fence (after)/The Wind

adore

Moontime began in the early hours of today at around 3 a.m.

I tried a new pair of period underwear that miraculously didn't leak at the sides despite having regular seams, not bonded seams: Nushu's Hiphugger. It's bamboo underwear with a modal gusset. I wore it for around five to six hours even though my flow was heavy, and it held up. Blood got on the trims but didn't soak through them to the other side, which is a first. I like bonded period underwear (sometimes called seamless period underwear) but their gussets are quite stiff and they can feel like you're sitting on cardboard. Also, most of them are nylon/polyester even in the body fabric.

I'm happy I found a pair that has regular seams, is soft and comfy, and still doesn't leak. It's rare that I change period underwear just because it feels full and wet, not because it leaked at the seams or got stained at the trims. I wore another underwear after changing out of this one, and it leaked at the seams/side trims, confirming that somehow this one is special.

There aren't really any offers running at the moment (I checked Meta Ads Library and there are ads that just have a coupon code for 10% off your first purchase), but you get 400 rupees off on the purchase of three products. When I saw that the Hiphugger is sold out in all sizes except my size, I thought I'd better stock up.

I'm still wondering how it works, though. Did they extend the waterproof fabric into the seams, not just the gusset? Like, how's it different from my other seamed period underwear? What's the secret here?

Current Mood: impressed

kitarella_imagines posting in

little_details

I write RPF and due to sheer stupidity thought a guy (L) was Australian but he's from New Zealand 🤦‍♀️ Is there anyone who could translate these Australianisms (which I really love and got from Home & Away and Neighbours) into New Zealandisms? I don't watch any NZ soaps.#

JUST TO ADD: this is a fun, fluffy story, nothing gritty, angsty or serious. It is only just in the T rating, mainly because of a few dodgy comments. It could pass as G probably but better safe than sorry.

Also, do New Zealanders play keepy uppy? When you bounce a football on your knee and see how many times you can do that without dropping it. A well known British game but maybe it's called something different in New Zealand?

~~~

“G’day mate,” said the Australian. “Sorry, we're playing keepy uppy and the ball got away from us.” He was smirking as he picked up the football.

“Don't be such a flaming galah.” L threw the ball at N.

“Strewth mate, that’s 50 already.”

“Here we are,” said L. “Enjoy, you pair of hoons.”

Current Mood: embarrassed

tellshannon815 posting in

sunshine_revival

Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Friending Meme * Challenge #1 > * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

( Sunshine Revival Challenge #5 )

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

pushkin666

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair

Page Summary

inchoatewords - Media Post
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 21 - A Blade Between Shadows - Stray Kids, Chan/Minho
schnikeys in gluten_free - Pancake mix review, Birch Benders
kat_lair - Julé! 21/31 - the icon is appropriate
adore - The Beauty Way
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 20 - So Long and Goodnight - My Chemical Romance, Gerard & Mikey Way
tellshannon815 in sunshine_revival - Sunshine Revival Challenge #6
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 19 - Gun Oil and Ghosts - Supernatural, Sam/Dean
chez_jae - Book 72, 2025
loopywhisk_feed - Easy Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
kat_lair - Julé! 18/31 - I'll never cry because I know that it'll never change
youngvulgarian_feed - why would you show my face to 36,000 people?
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 18 - The Space Between Then and Now Part 2 - Harry Potter, Harry/Draco
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 17 - The Space Between Then and Now - Harry Potter, Harry/Draco
kat_lair - Julé! 17/31
anais_pf in thefridayfive - The Friday Five for 18 July 2025
adore - Moontime
kitarella_imagines in little_details - New Zealand slang needed please 🙏
tellshannon815 in sunshine_revival - Sunshine Revival Challenge #5
pushkin666 - July Fic Day 16 - Let the Flames Begin - Panic! at the Disco, Brendon/Spencer

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