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Wishing everyone who enjoys Star Wars a very Lucastrian day!

I posted this:

But I cried the whole time (doesn't matter, had sex) (300 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Sabé, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Quinlan Vos
Characters: Padmé Amidala, Sabé (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Quinlan Vos, Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Drabble Sequence, First Time, Gossip, Loss of Virginity, Crying During Sex, But then I already tagged it Anakin Skywalker, Confessions, Masturbation, Consensual Infidelity
Summary:

Padmé talks about Anakin with Sabé.

Obi-Wan talks about Anakin with Quinlan.

Anakin practices basic stress relief in his bunk.

...

And if the stars align and my betas have time, I will have another story soon, this one on the classic theme of Obi-Wan Time Travelling, but with a Groundhog Day twist and loss of virginity.

Current Mood: festive
Current Music: Maybe you'd like it better back in your cell, your Highness, your Worshipfulness

l33tminion

Still decompressing from the Japan trip. You'd think that a full week would be enough to beat the jetlag, but Erica and I are still a bit early-shifted. Though that might overlap with the general tendency to get a bit early-shifted with the warmer weather and earlier daybreak as we get towards summer. In any case, I have yet to get through the bedtime reading without her falling asleep in the middle, so the current chapter is taking a long time.

Making a trip that far is hard in some sense, but it also seems surreally easy, just popping halfway around the world in the span of a day. Feels unreal that we were so recently there.

This past weekend, Julie was in NYC for the Five Boro Bike Tour, though her dad couldn't make it this time, she got to spend some time with her sister and niece. (Both of Julie's parents are still recovering from injuries after an unfortunate tumble down some stairs a few weeks ago.) I took Erica to the Richi Foundation's Carnival of Colors event on Saturady, and we really enjoyed exploring the art at Somerville Open Studios on Sunday.

What else: Work is going well. The President is trying to fix his war on Iran by repeatedly turning it off and on again. The frontiers of legalism in the era of AI continue to be very odd.

Current Mood: awake

oursin

Syphilis cases in expectant mothers have dramatically risen since the pandemic (in the USA) and there is consequently a rise in congenital syphilis:

can result in a range of negative outcomes, the most serious of which is miscarriage or stillbirth. If the fetus survives, long-term developmental delays, blindness, hearing loss, permanent teeth and bone malformation, heart defects and rashes can occur. Symptoms of congenital syphilis can happen immediately at birth, or they may not be recognized until the child is over 2 years old, when molars erupt, or as bones grow and the changes become more pronounced.
Congenital syphilis is treatable with antibiotics, which will stop progression of the disease but cannot reverse any negative outcomes that have already occurred.

***

And will this once more become a common tale? Telling abortion stories: The life of Florence P. Evans (1913–1935)

***

This is well creepy: ‘It ruined my night’: photographers accused of targeting women at St Andrews May Dip: 'Students taking part in university’s annual ritual say images of them in swimwear are being published without consent in national newspapers':

In recent years this quirky ritual has become a target for agency and freelance photographers looking to cash in on images of students in bikinis, including some who camp out overnight on the East Sands dunes near the Fife coastal path.

wychwood

( 61. The Water Outlaws - S L Huang ) a fun adventure, and I did enjoy all the warrior ladies.

( Four late Chalet School books - Elinor M Brent-Dyer ) My beloved Chalet School, always a pleasure.

( 63. The Song of the Cell - Siddhartha Mukherjee ) More than I ever knew there was to know about cells; this was a really interesting overview.

( 64. Bang Bang Bodhisattva - Aubrey Wood ) I think this was well done, but I didn't enjoy it very much? I do want more cyberpunk, though, so I'm not sorry I tried it.

( 65. Death of the Author - Nnedi Okorafor ) I had a lot of thoughts about this book but I'm not sure how much I liked it.

And that was the last of my batch of books! I picked a whole new set and started all over again.

( 67. Valor's Choice - Tanya Huff ) Huff is a good writer, and I feel like she could have done something much more interesting. This is competent but... a bit dull?

( 68. The Science of Racism - Keon West ) This is brilliant and I wish there were more books taking this approach of just absolutely drowning the reader in facts until it becomes impossible to overlook them.

( 69. Tempests and Slaughter - Tamora Pierce ) Not her top work, but very enjoyable; I'm sorry the sequels haven't come out.

( 70. Reflections - Diana Wynne Jones ) DWJ was an interesting person who thought in interesting ways about her work, and I really enjoyed all of that; the rest was at the very least entertaining.

( 71. Grave Secrets - Alice James ) On one level this was quite fun, but on another I just had... far too many unanswered questions. Don't think I'll be reading further.

( 73. The Complete English Poems - John Donne ) I like Donne much less than I did before I started reading the entire collection instead of just some of the good bits!

( 74. Smokescreen - Dick Francis ) I didn't find this nearly as propulsive as usual, but it was still definitely enjoyable.

( 75. The Apex Book of World SF - ed. Lavie Tidhar ) Overall a disappointing collection; I'm hoping the later volumes will be better.

( 76. Hons and Rebels - Jessica Mitford ) Mitford seems like an interesting person, but really I think we should abolish aristocracy.

( 78. Starcruiser Shenandoah: Division of the Spoils - Roland J Green ) I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about this series, but also determined to find out how it ends!

( 79. Where We Left Off - Roan Parrish ) I kind of feel like this happy ending is a disaster waiting to happen, but also neither of them is going to let go for long enough to really end the relationship, so... I guess this is the best result available?

( 80. The Husbands - Holly Gramazio ) This was an interesting book, but it had a lot of different things going on, and I wasn't entirely convinced that it fully cohered. I did enjoy it, though!

( 81. Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin ) Really well-done but miserable! Rosemary deserved better.

( 82. Fairy Cat - Hisa Takano ) The tiny cat is super cute, but I kept waiting for something to actually happen, and nothing ever does, really!

( 83. The Legends of the Jews volume 1 - Louis Ginzberg ) An interesting exploration of some of the folklore that accreted around the Torah, but mostly rather depressing on human nature.

( 84. This Rough Magic - Mary Stewart ) Solidly enjoyable.

( 85. Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey ) Surprisingly enjoyable, despite the... everything! I can see why I liked these books so much as a teenager.

( 86. The Children of Ash and Elm - Neil Price ) Really outstanding overview of Viking history, deliciously crunchy but also very approachable.

( 87. Quentin Durward - Walter Scott ) I used to enjoy Scott; this one didn't feel as much fun as I remembered, though.

( 88. Choices - LA Hall ) I'll keep reading these as long as she cares to keep writing them, honestly.

osprey_archer

Like The Empire Must Die, Sara Jeannette Duncan’s An American Girl in London is another book that I almost certainly read but didn’t actually mark as read on my Kindle, which is perhaps fortunate as this gave me the very great pleasure of rereading it.

The book was published in 1891, catching the zeitgeist of stories about the culture clash occasioned by Americans descending on England, sometimes as tourists and sometimes on the hunt for aristocratic husbands. (Edith Wharton’s The Buccaneers is a late entry to this genre, but probably the most famous.)

In An American Girl in London, our heroine Mamie is the heiress to a baking powder fortune out of Chicago, who decides to travel to London on her own after her parents are unavoidably detained by political business in America. (Poppa is a senator, you see.) Indomitable and archly funny, she visits Madame Tussaud’s, goes to Ascot, and is presented at Court:

I liked going to Court better than any other thing I did in England, not excepting Madame Tussaud’s, or the Beefeaters in the Tower, or even “Our Flat” at the Strand. It did a great deal to reconcile me, practically, with monarchical institutions, although, chiefly on poppa’s account, I should like it to be understood that my democratic theories are still quite unshaken in every respect.

(The concern that contact with monarchical European institutions would corrupt American democratic principles is a recurrent one in 19th century American books, possibly because at that point American democracy was politically speaking a weird outlier in a monarchical world. At another point, Duncan assures us that “My democratic principles are just the same as ever, though – a person needn’t always approve what she likes.” You can enjoy the pomp of someone else’s monarchy without wanting to bring it home!)

Aside from being deliciously funny, the book is full of fascinating tidbits about the differences between American and British English in the 1890s, like Mamie’s shipboard exchange with a woman who inquires, “Have you been bad?” Mamie, after some hesitation, replies that she doesn’t think so, but after all the prayer book says that we’re all miserable sinners… The lady, startled, informs her that she was asking if Mamie had been seasick.

Or the bit where a man accuses Mamie of “pulling his leg,” an expression that was clearly not current in America at the time.

Or the entire subplot where Mr. Mafferton decides that he should like to marry Mamie, but neglects to inform her of this fact by so much as a single bouquet or box of chocolates, so that Mamie remains completely in the dark until she’s actually having dinner with his family and discovers that they think she will be joining the family on a permanent basis very shortly. Awkwardly, Mamie is already engaged to a fellow back in America.

Honestly just the perfect combination of business and pleasure. Some of the most delicious research material I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing. I’m now overcome by the desire to reread the sequel, A Voyage of Consolation, in which Mamie takes Europe.

vamp_ress posting in

booknook

Another really good month. Definitely more hits than misses!

McMurtry, Larry: Lonesome Dove. Simon & Schuster Audio. 2025
What an epic undertatking! I (and I'm not a native speaker) decided on the audiobook and doubted my sanity during the first two hours. I always need a bit of time to get used to a certain dialect - and this one comes in a nice Texan drawl. Or at least I suppose that this is what I was hearing, LOL. But even through I struggled through some of the language I enjoyed this so very much. I've rarely read something so out of my comfort zone that turns out to be so very addictive. If you like a tale with a lot of characters that are all fleshed out into the tiniest detail, then try this book. And don't let yourself dissuaded by the fact that this is a western!

Dunmore, Helen: The Siege. Penguin. 2001.
I picked this out of a little library without knowing anything about the author or the plot. Turns out this was actually nominated for the Women's Prize back when it was still called the Orange Prize.I liked this and will definitely look for more by the author. This is a convincing piece of historical fiction set during WWII (not my favourite setting) and the siege of Leningrad. If you're interested in a story that's not political or military but that deals with the experience of the normal, everyday people during war, this is one that won't disappoint.

Swarthout, Glendon: The Shootist. Books in Motion. 2010.
Another western but this one isn't nearly as excellent as Lonesome Dove. The premise is pretty cool: An aging gunslinger learns that he only has weeks to live. So he decides to go out with a bang. This tries to come with a surprise twist, but it's neither surprising nor much of a twist. The author didn't do much with his great idea.

Shafak, Elif. Honour. Penguin. 2013.
I read The Island of Missing Trees a while ago and always planned on trying more of Shafak's writing. So this was my next pick and again it was very good. A tough subject matter, but it's told so interestingly and with so much compassion that it swept me away. If you like early Isabel Allende, Shafak could be something for you!

Hari, Johann. Stolen Focus. Crown. 2023.
This guy proves his point (which is that we can't pay attention) by going on every possible tangeant in his book. Wouldn't recommend.

profiterole_reads

Here's the new Korean practice post! As usual now, it's an open chat.

You can write about whatever you want. If you're uninspired, tell us the story of what you're currently watching/reading/playing...
You can talk to one another.
You can also correct one another. Or just indicate "No corrections, please" in your comment if you prefer.

화이팅! <3

oursin

Happy birthday,

thinkum!

thawrecka

The latest dispatches from my deep dive into Prince of Tennis's crazy sequel:

The things Konomi gets wrong about Australia: middle school is not really a thing here, we don't like singing the national anthem that much, and it's certainly not part of Australian culture to bow to each other in apology. OTOH, the Australian team all seem to be cashed up bogans, which is about right. And one of them is called Milky Millman, and I had to pause for a moment to accept that that's the sort of dumb shit name an Australian athlete could end up with.

Other than that:
- the Greek gods are playing in an under-17 tennis competition. I'm serious, the Japan team plays against Zeus
- Art Tennis! Sleep Tennis!
- Normally Prince of Tennis doesn't answer my 'why is this happening' questions, but it actually explains why Ryoma is attempting to play tennis on horseback the next chapter. It doesn't necessarily give a good answer, but it does give an answer
- We must confront the possibility that the French revolution didn't happen in the Prince of Tennis universe

pattrose

41. Love is sharing your popcorn.” – Charles Schultz
42. “Love is an electric blanket with somebody else in control of the switch.” – Cathy Carlyle
43. “I love you more than coffee, but please don’t make me prove it.” – Elizabeth Evans
44. “Love is being stupid together.” – Paul Valery
45. “Marriage is the chief cause of divorce.” – Groucho Marx
46. “Love is like a tornado; it picks you up off your feet and sometimes takes half your house.” – Unknown
47. “Love is the answer, but while you’re waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions.” – Woody Allen
48. “Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” – Albert Einstein
49. “Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.” – W. Somerset Maugham

pattrose

* What did the snail who was riding on the turtle's back say? Wheeeee!
* What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato.
* What does a pig put on dry skin? Oinkment.
* How do you open a banana? With a mon-key.
* What do you call a pony with a sore throat? A little horse.
* How did the pig get to the hogspital? In a hambulance.
* Why did the cow jump over the moon? The farmer had cold hands.

pattrose

1. Have you ever contributed to something being crowdfunded? Was there an incentive to do so?

I have not.

2. Have you heard of the ‘Language of Flowers’, published in 1884? Victorian Britain and America were caught up in the concept in the 19th Century. Do you know the secret meaning of any flowers?

I sure don't.

3. Have you ever traced any of your family tree?

Yes, I got quite far with my fathers family. Very interesting stuff.

4. Today is a holiday in many countries, either to celebrate Labour Day or May Day. If you have a day off today, what are your plans?

When I was young we would deliver a may basket for all our favorite neighbors. They were filled with peanuts and mints. I probably did that until I was 10.

olivermoss

* The NHL Network is doing a 4 part documentary about Portland's team Hawkeytown: Portland to the Pros that goes into detail for what it's like to be on a top juniors team that produces NHL players. A lot of them from small towns in Canada staying with Portland billet families. Portland has some deep hockey culture, and I keep becoming more and more aware of what a big deal the Winterhawks are... but I remain a hard sell when it comes to following a juniors team.

But, if anyone for any reason wants daily life details on what it's like to be a 18/19 year old top prospect for maybe writing purposes, worth keeping tabs on. I don't have or even know how to get NHL network, but hopefully it will become available elsewhere. Also, the trailer has nice shots of Portland.

* Someday I may change my mind and regret being slow to care about Hawkey, but I've got NHL, AHL and PWHL to follow, with a small side order of PUHL. I have a strong aversion to following / getting possibly emotionally invested in players not old enough to legally drink in the US. (emphasis on legally, Maklin)

* The Tampa Bay Lightning are out and that's good for the Kraken. We own their first round picks for... I think it's still the next two years? I need to find a site that just track who has whose draft picks. It wont be higher than 17th, but should be at least 26nd. More wiggle room to snipe the types of players we need to start feeding into our farm.

Looks like we can't snipe the Ruck twins, their draft ranking has risen too much to nab both.

For our own pick, if we have extreme good luck to balance out past extreme back luck... Well, I wont worry about that until Tuesday. I've been avoiding the McKenna-discourse, but I do know that the first details of an incident are always wrong and what reddit investigations reveal in those first 24 hours is doubly super wrong. Most people know this, but like to pretend not to know so they can be drama llamas online. If we did get him, he wouldn't be the only First Nations player on the team and that might be good for him. But, we've got like a 7% chance.

pattrose

Snagged from

Places

I'm filling this up at:
my tv room
Last place I went to:
The hospital
Favorite place in your house:
My recliner
Last place I cried at:
I don't cry
Last place I laughed at:
Today when I watched a comedian in my tv room.
Where did you go on your last vacation?
Greece and Istanbul
What was your favorite thing about the place? How nice people were in Istanbul.
What was your least favorite thing about that place? Didn't have any least.
What's your favorite place in your city? Botanical Gardens, the butterfly enclosure.

What do you like about that place? The butterfly enclosure.

cahn

The last book!

Last week: Astrological phenomena and the star of Bethlehem. Messianic (?) prophecy about Vespasian. Brutality of the siege, and discussion of the law of war protecting prisoners from the enemy army (or lack thereof). Imperator.

This week: Book 7. Wrapping up of the war. The Masada fortress and group suicide (which I think is interesting to think about given the discussion we had a few books back). The temple of Onias. (Dedicated commment threads for both of these below, for anyone who wants to join in!)

Yay book club, thank you everyone!

torachan

1. The weather recently has been nice and overcast. It's been very nice for taking walks and not getting overheated.

2. Tuxie's a sweetie guy.

starandrea

So I was going to make a manifesto for

polyamships' write a ship manifesto challenge, but then I read fanfic instead. All dogs are good dogs, and all ships are good ships. I took my dog to the playground this evening, picked up some more farm-fresh compost on the way home (they leave it by the side of the road and you put your money in a tin), and also got groceries.

Not at the farm, which was lucky for me, because the grocery store had tea roses! Mini roses! Whatever. I love roses for no particular reason I can identify. I bought some mini roses at another grocery store four years ago, and I don't remember what possessed me to plant them in the garden, but they've come back every year and they always look adorable. I have added new colors each year, and I thought I had them all - but no! What luck! I found a variegated mini rose.

I did not know such a thing existed, and I am delighted.

maevedarcy posting in

thecluster

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snickfic posting in

recthething

I made some recs here for Oasis RPF, the Kyle Murchison Booth stories, and the Ready or Not movies.

musesfool

Hey, I have actually read a couple of books!

what I just finished
First Witches Club by Maisey Yates, which was cute and fast but relentlessly heterosexual. It's about 3 women whose husbands have left them coming together to learn that magic is real. The community building is nice. This is kind of a beach/airplane read, but it was the first new-to-me book I was able to stick with in a while.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, which I enjoyed quite a bit. It's kind of a picaresque about Tao, the titular fortune-teller, and the friends she meets along the way. It's pretty cozy, but things do happen in it.

what I'm reading now
Saint Death's Daughter by CSE Cooney, which I am enjoying. It's as if The Locked Tomb and Flora Segunda had a sunshiny necromantic daughter. I wouldn't have thought you could make necromancy twee, but Cooney sure does try.

what I'm reading next
Likely Saint Death's Herald, the sequel to the above. And then in just over a week, Parade of Horribles comes out and I will be reading that immediately.

*

Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: Mets vs Angels on tv

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Laura

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affection is a conviction

Network

May the Fourth be with you, always!

Back From the Big Trip

These are all fairly depressing, sorry

april booklog

Book Review: An American Girl in London

Reading Wrap-up 4/26

Korean practice

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Quotes

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May question meme

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Meme

The Jewish War: Book 7

Daily Happiness

"a rose is a rose, it always finds a way to shine, beauty is a state of mind" (meredith edwards)

sense8week 2026

Seasons of Drabbles recs

i want you to take a look at this picture

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January 2026

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