Due South: About a Riv by china_shop
Jun. 1st, 2026 12:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mific posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fancakeFandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio/Stella, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio
Rating: Explicit
Length: 9254
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: china_shop on AO3
Themes: Journey and Travel, Road trips, Polyamory, Action/Adventure, First time, Friends to lovers, Post-canon
Summary: Fraser finds a 1971 green Buick Riviera in Ottawa, and takes Ray Kowalski and Diefenbaker on a road trip to Florida to deliver it to Ray Vecchio.
Reccer's Notes: A rollicking tale, interestingly structured in a series of 1st person POVs moving from Ben to Ray K to Ray V. They each elaborate on different aspects of the action plot (which involves a road trip to drive the Riv from Canada down to Florida), and on the developing relationships between Ben, Ray and Ray, the Rays often dissing each other and cutting in to say "what he didn't tell you was this..."
It's fun, interesting, with great characterisation, and the non-linear structure absolutely works. During all the drama, Stella quietly breaks up with Ray V in a believable, no-fault way, and it ends happily with Ben, Ray and Ray working things out together. Excellent reading!
Fanwork Links: About a Riv
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Ray Vecchio/Stella, Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio
Rating: Explicit
Length: 9254
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: china_shop on AO3
Themes: Journey and Travel, Road trips, Polyamory, Action/Adventure, First time, Friends to lovers, Post-canon
Summary: Fraser finds a 1971 green Buick Riviera in Ottawa, and takes Ray Kowalski and Diefenbaker on a road trip to Florida to deliver it to Ray Vecchio.
Reccer's Notes: A rollicking tale, interestingly structured in a series of 1st person POVs moving from Ben to Ray K to Ray V. They each elaborate on different aspects of the action plot (which involves a road trip to drive the Riv from Canada down to Florida), and on the developing relationships between Ben, Ray and Ray, the Rays often dissing each other and cutting in to say "what he didn't tell you was this..."
It's fun, interesting, with great characterisation, and the non-linear structure absolutely works. During all the drama, Stella quietly breaks up with Ray V in a believable, no-fault way, and it ends happily with Ben, Ray and Ray working things out together. Excellent reading!
Fanwork Links: About a Riv
Just one Thing: 31 May 2026
May. 31st, 2026 06:45 amjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Podcast rec
May. 31st, 2026 10:24 amrydra_wongVia sabotabby, A Meal of Thorns, from the Ancillary Review of Books.
Jake Casella Brookins (whom I have loved ever since he described Prophet as “Gay X-files slash where they walk away from The Hurt Locker and wind up in Solaris instead”) and a guest do deep exegesis on a sf/f (or adjacent) book.
Every ep I've listened to has been really good.
(Also OMG the next ep is on The Fifth Head of Cerberus.)
sabotabby, A Meal of Thorns, from the Ancillary Review of Books.Jake Casella Brookins (whom I have loved ever since he described Prophet as “Gay X-files slash where they walk away from The Hurt Locker and wind up in Solaris instead”) and a guest do deep exegesis on a sf/f (or adjacent) book.
Every ep I've listened to has been really good.
(Also OMG the next ep is on The Fifth Head of Cerberus.)
Very short health update
May. 31st, 2026 10:15 amrydra_wongFor once in my life, for once in my entire fucking life, it appears that I may actually have been Lacking The Vitamin.
(Iron.)
(Iron.)
SGA: Pictures from a Moving Car by Punk
May. 31st, 2026 02:06 pmmific posting in fancakeFandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, Walter Harriman
Rating: Gen
Length: 1000
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: Punk on AO3
Themes: Journey and Travel, Roadtrips, Established relationship, Friendship
Summary: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step of getting Rodney McKay in the damn car.
Reccer's Notes: A fun short fic (exactly 1000 words as it was written for the "pic for 1000" challenge) where they're back on Earth and John drags Rodney away from Science for a road trip. Lovely banter and companionship, and Rodney being very Rodney. Note that if you open 'reader view' in the AO3 post you can see the prompt picture :D
Fanwork Links: Pictures from a Moving Car on AO3
Podfic read by Punk on the Audiofic Archive
Characters/Pairings: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, Walter Harriman
Rating: Gen
Length: 1000
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: Punk on AO3
Themes: Journey and Travel, Roadtrips, Established relationship, Friendship
Summary: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step of getting Rodney McKay in the damn car.
Reccer's Notes: A fun short fic (exactly 1000 words as it was written for the "pic for 1000" challenge) where they're back on Earth and John drags Rodney away from Science for a road trip. Lovely banter and companionship, and Rodney being very Rodney. Note that if you open 'reader view' in the AO3 post you can see the prompt picture :D
Fanwork Links: Pictures from a Moving Car on AO3
Podfic read by Punk on the Audiofic Archive
Did you see the closing window? Did you hear the slamming door?
May. 30th, 2026 03:57 pmsovayThe sonic boom heard across Massachusetts earlier this afternoon has been deemed the explosion of a bolide meteor east of Boston. Which is much more awesome than many other reasons for booms over New England and I can hope that not all the fragments fell into the sea. None of them appear to be in our back yard despite the air-concussing noise freaking out Hestia. Our neighborhood suffers so many flash-bangs to the cochlea, I mistook it for a byproduct of construction—I had earplugs in—rather than the cosmos coming home.
Miners Support the Lesbians and Gays
May. 30th, 2026 08:39 pmrydra_wongOkay, not just the miners; the trade unions as a whole showed the fuck up (and have already been showing up for trans rights in the UK in a big way). But it was, also, very much the miners:
The Guardian: ‘Bigger and better than ever’: how Durham Pride beat Reform’s funding axe with help from the miners
(For those who don't know the particular history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbians_and_Gays_Support_the_Miners )
The Guardian: ‘Bigger and better than ever’: how Durham Pride beat Reform’s funding axe with help from the miners
[The LGBTQ+] community “showed their heroism” during the miners’ strikes, he said. “They not only raised funds for us, but came to our communities, uplifted our spirits when they were down, and showed their solidarity.”
He added: “That relationship’s prevailed ever since, [and so] the Durham Miners’ Association have decided to make this a priority in County Durham.”
(For those who don't know the particular history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbians_and_Gays_Support_the_Miners )
Not quite the Bionic Woman
May. 30th, 2026 08:06 amhrjThe thing that always bothered me about the bionic man and bionic woman shows was the introductory images showing where their artificial parts were installed. OK, so you have an enhanced and reinforced arm and you go to lift an impossibly heavy weight. But your spine is not reinforced so that's where everything goes sideways. Literally.
In any case, I've always assumed that "bionic" involves something more than simple strengthening, although artificial hips and knees do seem to fit the bill. Much more solidly, my brothers implanted defibrillator is clearly bionics. But a mere titanium reinforcement plate? I don't think that gets me in the bionic club.
So yesterday I had my operation on my broken arm. It was all very smooth, successful, and uneventful other than being the main event. Massive props to the surgery staff and nursing staff at Kaiser Dublin. The ambulatory surgery wing has this fascinating almost assembly-line structure with a ring of individual patient bays around the central nursing station. You get a succession of visits from all the different individual functions getting you set up, sorted out, and interviewed. Everyone allowed plenty of time for chatting and questions, making the whole process more friendly and relaxed.
My input regarding aftercare was accepted and discussed seriously, especially with regard to expectations around pain management. I declined getting additional oxycodone beyond the prescription I hadn't used from the initial bone-setting and it looks like that will be plenty to get me through the initial stages, relying more solidly on Tylenol. I got a solid night sleep last night so I think I'm on top of that aspect.
The nerve blocks that they done on various parts of my arm wore off at different times. Initially my ring and pinky fingers were numb and the back of my thumb was numb and while the first two came back over the course of the evening I was a little worried that the thumb was still numb when I went to bed. But on waking up, it's definitely coming back too so I guess it just got an extra big dose.
I reluctantly decided to skip the party I had scheduled for this evening (yes, I know, I know, I was being stupid to think I could make it in any event) but expect to be solidly on for tomorrow's presence at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley. I'll be taking BART in, with all my books and paraphernalia in a rollaway which makes everything much easier. And it's a group table with the Bay Area Queer Writers Association so I'll have friends and back-up there.
In any case, I've always assumed that "bionic" involves something more than simple strengthening, although artificial hips and knees do seem to fit the bill. Much more solidly, my brothers implanted defibrillator is clearly bionics. But a mere titanium reinforcement plate? I don't think that gets me in the bionic club.
So yesterday I had my operation on my broken arm. It was all very smooth, successful, and uneventful other than being the main event. Massive props to the surgery staff and nursing staff at Kaiser Dublin. The ambulatory surgery wing has this fascinating almost assembly-line structure with a ring of individual patient bays around the central nursing station. You get a succession of visits from all the different individual functions getting you set up, sorted out, and interviewed. Everyone allowed plenty of time for chatting and questions, making the whole process more friendly and relaxed.
My input regarding aftercare was accepted and discussed seriously, especially with regard to expectations around pain management. I declined getting additional oxycodone beyond the prescription I hadn't used from the initial bone-setting and it looks like that will be plenty to get me through the initial stages, relying more solidly on Tylenol. I got a solid night sleep last night so I think I'm on top of that aspect.
The nerve blocks that they done on various parts of my arm wore off at different times. Initially my ring and pinky fingers were numb and the back of my thumb was numb and while the first two came back over the course of the evening I was a little worried that the thumb was still numb when I went to bed. But on waking up, it's definitely coming back too so I guess it just got an extra big dose.
I reluctantly decided to skip the party I had scheduled for this evening (yes, I know, I know, I was being stupid to think I could make it in any event) but expect to be solidly on for tomorrow's presence at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley. I'll be taking BART in, with all my books and paraphernalia in a rollaway which makes everything much easier. And it's a group table with the Bay Area Queer Writers Association so I'll have friends and back-up there.
Lord of the Rings: Die Wanderung, by Ithrenwen
May. 30th, 2026 03:09 pmbirdylion posting in fancakeLanguage: German
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairings/Characters: original hobbit characters, cameo of elven characters
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 50k words
Creator Links: Ithrenwen
Theme: Journey and Travel, Pre-Canon, Backstory
Summary:
"In den ältesten Erzählungen finden sich Andeutungen, daß sie einst in den oberen Tälern des Anduin gehaust haben mußten, zwischen den Ausläufern des Großen Grünwaldes und dem Nebelgebirge. Die Gründe, warum sie später das schwierige und gefährliche Wagnis unternahmen, über das Gebirge nach Eriador zu ziehen, sind nicht mehr bekannt. Ihre eigenen Berichte erwähnen, daß sich die Menschen vermehrt hätten und ein Schatten auf den Wald gefallen ist, so daß er sich verdüsterte, und sein neuer Name war Düsterwald." (J.R.R. Tolkien, Herr der Ringe, Einführung: Über Hobbits)
Reccer's Notes: Die Geschichte beschreibt die Wanderung der Hobbits über das Nebelgebirge, die im Intro von HdR nur erwähnt ist, und deren mögliche Hintergründe. Der Fokus liegt dabei sehr stark auf der Reise und ihren Gefahren und Schwierigkeiten, denen diese Gruppe von Hobbits dabei ausgesetzt war.
English description, for the curious: The story describes how a group of hobbits made their way from the upper valleys of the Anduin, where they lived in earlier times, over the Misty Mountains. The story focuses on the travel itself and its dangers to which which this group of hobbits were subject.
Content Notes: depictions of violence and fighting, character death
Fanwork Links: "Die Wanderung" on fanfiktion.de
@runpunkrun Could you maybe add the tag "language: deutsch"?
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairings/Characters: original hobbit characters, cameo of elven characters
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 50k words
Creator Links: Ithrenwen
Theme: Journey and Travel, Pre-Canon, Backstory
Summary:
"In den ältesten Erzählungen finden sich Andeutungen, daß sie einst in den oberen Tälern des Anduin gehaust haben mußten, zwischen den Ausläufern des Großen Grünwaldes und dem Nebelgebirge. Die Gründe, warum sie später das schwierige und gefährliche Wagnis unternahmen, über das Gebirge nach Eriador zu ziehen, sind nicht mehr bekannt. Ihre eigenen Berichte erwähnen, daß sich die Menschen vermehrt hätten und ein Schatten auf den Wald gefallen ist, so daß er sich verdüsterte, und sein neuer Name war Düsterwald." (J.R.R. Tolkien, Herr der Ringe, Einführung: Über Hobbits)
Reccer's Notes: Die Geschichte beschreibt die Wanderung der Hobbits über das Nebelgebirge, die im Intro von HdR nur erwähnt ist, und deren mögliche Hintergründe. Der Fokus liegt dabei sehr stark auf der Reise und ihren Gefahren und Schwierigkeiten, denen diese Gruppe von Hobbits dabei ausgesetzt war.
English description, for the curious: The story describes how a group of hobbits made their way from the upper valleys of the Anduin, where they lived in earlier times, over the Misty Mountains. The story focuses on the travel itself and its dangers to which which this group of hobbits were subject.
Content Notes: depictions of violence and fighting, character death
Fanwork Links: "Die Wanderung" on fanfiktion.de
@runpunkrun Could you maybe add the tag "language: deutsch"?
Books Received, May 23 — May 29
May. 30th, 2026 09:12 amjames_davis_nicoll
Just three new books this week. One fantasy, one horror, and one science fiction. All appear to be stand-alone.
Books Received, May 23 — May 29
Poll #34666 Books Received, May 23 — May 29
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 34
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan (July 2026)
12 (35.3%)
Every Room a Hunger by Nino Cipri (February 2027)
6 (17.6%)
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie (May 2026)
25 (73.5%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
21 (61.8%)
Just One Thing (30 May 2026)
May. 30th, 2026 12:47 pmnanila posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Beer festival round up
May. 30th, 2026 11:09 amrmc28I managed to go Monday evening, Tuesday lunchtime to early evening (no closure Tuesday afternoon), Wednesday lunchtime and Thursday evening. Thursday evening was considerably more crowded but on the right side of my people-proximity tolerance: unsurprisingly I saw a lot of people I knew that evening, usually in passing.
I had multiple cheese platters over the course of the festival, and also got to taste vegan cheeses from other people's platters. Of the standard cheeses I especially liked Mayfield, Sussex Camembert[1], and Sheep Rustler, and the vegan standouts were Fetamorphosis and Shoreditch Smoked.
[1] I guess it's not trying to say it's Camembert de Normandie and thus not breaching PDO?
I managed to try all the AF beers available that I wanted to, and rotated back around to Mash Gang's Lesser Evil chocolate cherry stout for my last drink of the festival (we also have cans of it in the fridge now along with a couple of their IPAs for me to try). Nirvana Brewery's offerings were also pretty good, cementing my feeling that the best AF beers come from AF-specialist breweries rather than standard breweries making an AF option. Butcombe's Goram IPA Zero was the only real disappointment of the festival, will not bother again.
I also had both available AF ciders. Hogan's High Sobriety has an excellent name and was pretty good, but the prosaically-named Premium Low-Alcohol Cider from locals Cranes was even better.
Bostonish. Specifically Newton
May. 30th, 2026 03:22 amvvalkyriUp Bostonish. Must be up in 5 hrs to walk to shul with family for barmitzva.
Uncle tells me they don't use umbrellas on Shabbat because it's like pitching a tent.
It'll be under 50 degrees.
I thought Shabbat was supposed to be joyful?
Today was good
Foot new bruising. Huh? Doesn't hurt. I bought cane cushions but really I only use the seat cane to sit or prop my feet.
Oh, I think we're talking union square noonish Sunday.
Balticon was also good. More on that eventually.
Uncle tells me they don't use umbrellas on Shabbat because it's like pitching a tent.
It'll be under 50 degrees.
I thought Shabbat was supposed to be joyful?
Today was good
Foot new bruising. Huh? Doesn't hurt. I bought cane cushions but really I only use the seat cane to sit or prop my feet.
Oh, I think we're talking union square noonish Sunday.
Balticon was also good. More on that eventually.
outstanding customer service
May. 29th, 2026 04:19 pmcellioA couple months ago, one of the other players in the D&D campaign we play in ordered a custom 3D-printed miniature for his character. The campaign has been going for a while and is a lot of fun (and not super-lethal), and this seemed like a cool idea. So I designed and ordered a mini for my character too.
Hero Forge has tools that support a huge range of character races, equipment, poses, and lots more. My character is a monk and one of their standard poses has a kick, so I started with that. I was tickled to discover that, among the many hand-held objects in their catalogue, they have a staff with a flower on one end -- perfect for my sylvan character who does in fact have a Staff of Flowers. She uses a mix of the staff and unarmed strikes in combat, so I put the staff in one hand so the other hand can punch. I ended up with this:
The mini came a few weeks ago and looked great. Alas, at the first game, the top of that staff broke off. Another player attempted a repair, which turned out to be hard.
I wrote to Hero Forge. I said I was new to 3D printing and described what happened. I said I wasn't asking for a remake; the figure had arrived intact and this was obviously my design error. My question was: for the future, do they have or would they consider adding tools that help with evaluating a design for weak spots? Had I realized how risky the staff was, I might have omitted it. (One of the players looked at the break and said something like "yeah, given how they had to have printed this, that doesn't surprise me" -- but I've never done anything with 3D printing before so I didn't have those instincts.)
They wrote back and said this was not the experience they wanted their customers to have, they would remake the figure for me, and before they do, would I like to adjust anything? This blew me away -- I wouldn't have been too surprised if they'd offered a remake at a reduced price or charged me shipping or something, but nope -- they offered me a complete do-over at no charge. I adjusted the position of the staff to give it anchor points at both ends:
The lower petal and both curves of the staff now touch the hair, and the bottom is still anchored at the base of the figure. I had to do a lot of experimenting with shoulder, elbow, and wrist angles and bends to get there, but it worked.
(In case you're wondering: I changed the flower color so that, at scale, it would look less like part of the clothing now that it was close to "hat" position.)
The replacement came today and it looks great! I will happily order from them the next time I need a custom mini.