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Music Meme, Day 27

A song that describes how you feel right now

Another tricky one, given that I can never be sure what I feel at any given moment. But I'll give it a try. Here's the song that had me dancing all day, and I think that's as good a way to describe how I have felt most of today.

There are actually two versions of this; one of them being filmed in L.A. (or at least I think that's where it was filmed) and the other one being very Korean. I think I like both of them for different reasons, so here you go.

Watch on YouTube

And here is a link to yesterday's post which, in turn, can connect to some of my earlier posts.

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: BTS "ON"

ysabetwordsmith

Spring is a perfect time to start a nature journal. I've been talking about it with some friends so I wanted to share some resources here. It doesn't have to be fancy. It can have text, art, photos, pressed leaves, whatever you want to include. There are different approaches; all of them are good. Grab a blank book with plain or lined pages as you prefer, something to write or draw with, and head out to your yard, garden, or a nearby park.

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Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith posting in

journalsandplanners

Current Mood: busy

archangelbeth

April 16-17, I think?

Went to look at cats at the shelter.

Lilith has kidney issues. Pua has stress-related cystitis. The kittens better not have earworm on that ear...

Vet call tomorrow for everyone's first checkups to be scheduled.

Sent from my iPhone

starandrea

...when did I last post that I had to keep standing up to keep my muscles from stiffening so much I couldn't move, because that's how I feel right now. I fell asleep on the couch and couldn't remember what day it was, but did eventually remember that I'd meant to get some food and that would help, so I fed me and the dog and sat back down. With Daphne curled up in my lap or next to it, I usually wait for her to move first, and she just did, so I got up, and immediately I remembered whenever that was because wow, today was such a day.

Apparently it was last weekend? When I cut back the spirea and potted the cannas: that was only last weekend??

This is honestly one of the biggest reasons I'm posting more, because it's so great to have a journal of stuff I did and learned. It's here and gone so fast, and most of it is delightful (admittedly sometimes more so in the remembering, but that's a feature not a bug). It's so nice to be able to look back and go, oh yeah! I'd forgotten that and it was great, or, I remember that and it was worth it, or, I remember that and I just learned it again for the fifth time, ha ha.

(The other reason is that I did almost all of my posting in Chinese last year, and dreamwidth can't be searched in Chinese, which is not ideal. Tags work in Chinese, but they're not alphabetized (or stroke orderized, or organized by any logical system whatsoever as far as I can tell), so not only do I have to correctly guess what tag I might have used I also have to read my entire tag list to find it. This makes it very hard to find my garden notes on a particular plant or garden. I've been able to find basic stuff like what came up first and when, but what I started and how I cared for it, not so much. So this year I have two journals again. And it's great, because my English journal is much more readable. Half the time I have no idea what I was talking about in Chinese.)

Anyway, my point is twofold: one, I transplanted some blueberry bushes today, and also put some threadleaf coreopsis in with them (probably, idk, it's not really growing yet so I think it was coreopsis?) and now I'm very tired. Shoveling! So hard. And I've forgotten the second point, so.

Oh, it snowed while I was digging, so that was funny. (These are semi-established, dormant blueberry plants, not the sprigs I was potting last night, and the coreopsis overwintered in pots outside, so they should all be fine in the snow and the frost.) I guess I should go bring in the houseplants.

Genuinely do not remember what else I was going to say, but that's typical.

( eta houseplant updates and the thing I forgot, which was a mug shaped like an orange )

ranunculus

We should all build bridges in our lives, metaphorically and in real terms. I was working on the latter today.

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jamethiel

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mecurtin posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, April 19, to midnight on April 20 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34498 Daily check-in poll

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 9

How are you doing?

I am OK
5 (55.6%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
4 (44.4%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
3 (33.3%)

One other person
5 (55.6%)

More than one other person
1 (11.1%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

chocolatefrogs posting in

celebrity20in20

The new deadline is April 30th, 2026 by 11:59 PM in your time zone. You can also still sign up and participate if you have not yet! Signups are open for the duration of this round.

If you need another extension, please do not hesitate to ask.

Round 20 Signups | Round 20 Themes

senmut

AO3 Link | Notes of Desperation: Skullport (2,250 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 2/3
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zaknafein Do'Urden, Jarlaxle Baenre, Malice Do'Urden, Drizzt Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden, Original Drow Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Torture, Escape, Rebuilding, Reunions
Summary:

A winding tale of how three Do'Urdens find family in full.

Notes of Desperation: Skullport

"Rule number one," Zaknafein began as they were situating the few things they had in a shared room. "Don't leave this building without me or someone I designate. Rule two, don't let on that you never went through school. Rule three, tied to that, try to act a little older."

Drizzt twisted up his features in distaste for that last; he didn't know what he was supposed to be like! He'd gone from being a student of Zaknafein to a curiosity in a mercenary band's den!

"I can take most typical fighters," Drizzt reasoned. "I have command of several cantrips now. I don't think anyone would notice I never attended.

"But… what do you mean by acting older?" He took the magical statue his father had given him out and settled on his narrow bed, just tracing the warm lines of the animal shape. Zak had told him it was a surface cat, and he was hopeful he'd see one in this strangely half-lit place.

Zak paused, glancing over. "If you have questions, hold them for me, for when we're alone. Try not to be too amazed at new things you see. And focus on being seen as serious. It will hold others at bay, while we get to know them, and figure out who will actually test us, and our placement here."

Drizzt wanted to ask why that was even a thing, but all of the discussions to this place, and ones he'd had in the other place with the mercenaries, had led him to believe that drow were just… given to being difficult at each other.

He didn't like it, but he still had a lot to learn, to understand what he wanted to be.

"Is there a wizard on staff?"

"No. We'll figure out how to find one to pay to find the thing's name, son," Zak told him. "Just try and be patient. You could live a very long time, now we're away from the women of that city."

Drizzt didn't understand that either, except in all the ways he'd been hurt by Maya and Briza both. Mother hadn't, not often, but Zaknafein had explained that too. Mother had wanted him to be like Zak, in skills, to replace the older man. But also be more pliable, someone she could actually control.

"So pretend to be as sour-faced as possible, and don't talk much? I can do that. It's how I survived Maya."

That got a wince from his father, and then Zak was in his space, folding him into a tight hug.

"Just until we understand where the threats are, son. I prefer your smiles, and I don't mind your questions… even if I don't ever seem to know the answers."

Drizzt hugged him back, and then settled back on the bed, so Zak could finish placing his traps how he wanted them.

Generally, Elkantar was not asked to go into Skullport for any of the bands that wandered the Sword Coast. While it was not spoken of openly, elder members in every group knew he had been rescued there from his enslavement.

The only reason he had volunteered this time was because he distinctly remembered a certain lichen that would benefit them all could be found in the lowest levels, and it was needed to treat an ailment that had settled on their younger members, a rash that thinned the skin and caused sores if it was pressed or abraded too hard.

He did let Laeral be the one to spirit him down inside the subterranean city, rather than risk taking a party with him through the ways they had learned through the Undermountain. She had disguised herself as a half-drow woman, having made the acquaintance of the up and coming sword mistress to Qilué's wanderers.

Elkantar kept his eyes open, his ears attuned to the threats around him, and a light touch on Laeral as he took her all the way down to the lowest levels on their gathering run.

"Fewer drow out and about than Shana said to expect," he murmured to her.

"My sources say that unaffiliated group recently had a leadership change. Wagering that led to a shuffle of power in all factions," she responded just as quietly.

"Hmm, if you hear more, do pass it on to us."

"Of course."

Zaknafein was flat on the roof of a building, his son beside him, as both observed the movement in the compound nearby.

"What do you see?"

"The women and children are frightened, obeying out of fear," Drizzt began, and Zak filed that under 'strange things about Drizzt' for that to be the first observation. "The soldiers are swaggering, being cruel just because they can, but their posture and bearing is arrogance based on perception. Whatever skill is under it is probably not at the level you demand of our fighters.

"The openness of the courtyard implies magical traps. The lack of protections from above could be carelessness, but is likely more magic. There is no obvious ranking officer outside, though, so they do not believe their protections are without weakness."

"Go on," Zak encouraged.

"The wagon boxes are sitting low for those designs. There's already merchandise in them, heavy merchandise. The traces are in place for beasts of burden… probably those large rothe we saw, given it is set up for two beasts per wagon. They mean to move those goods soon."

"Well done," Zak told him, even as he saw violence starting between two men and one of the women, the kind he had no wish for his son to see. "Come." He hoped Drizzt hadn't picked up that part yet, and hopped up into a low crouch. "See if you can beat me back."

There was a flicker of something in his gentle son before the boy obeyed, though not to race.

"Are we planning to attack them?" Drizzt asked.

"No. We were hired to get the information, which will be delivered to our contract holder. We do not provoke those drow, or the ones in the Temple. We merely cause them inconvenience, and promise better service with our own merchants."

Drizzt looked back, and Zak wanted to swear, seeing emotions flicker over that mobile face before Drizzt started in the direction of their own warehouse.

Maybe he had not understood what was happening and only reacted to the rough treatment, Zak hoped.

Drizzt was sitting on his bed when Zak came in, well after the contract had concluded, and saw his son running his hands over the cat figure. He did that a lot when he was thinking heavy thoughts.

"What is it?"

"It's not right that anyone, woman or man, be as scared as they were. It's not right that people take and hurt."

Drizzt's face came up, resolute, but fear in his eyes for voicing the feelings he'd been growing into since coming fully under his father's tutelage in this far off place. He still remembered, vividly, the beatings for daring to ask questions that implied drow ways were wrong.

Zak came and sat beside his son, bringing an arm up around his shoulders. "Power is the way of drow. It also seems to be the way of every species that lives in this city. Fear, from those that have no power, is normal. Power comes by skill, or position.

"I don't know what to tell you, Drizzt, to make this better for you. But that is the truth that was beaten and shaped into me in Menzoberranzan. Here, at least? There are connections between people, to share the burden of not having power. There's the ability to be family, and keep solid alliances to protect what power can be taken."

Drizzt looked at the figure he held, letting the warm magic it emanated soothe him. He didn't have answers to the gentle words, rebuttals to make his case. His heart just knew this was wrong.

After a full minute of silence, Zak stood, leaving the room so that Drizzt could be alone in his safe space… and wishing he knew a better way to help the boy.

Shana immediately put hand to dirk, beneath the view of the stranger approaching her, using the counter she had her offerings spread on to hide them. Other drow in this city were all too often a problem. The two fighters with her were more visibly ready to stop any altercations, both of them on the street side of things.

"I'm told you three follow different ways, something about a goodly goddess," the man said from several steps away. She appraised him fully, taking in the well-made but functional garb, the twin scabbards of equal length, the fact he wore his hair free save for two side braids to pin the mass of it back. Typical red eyes, slightly above average height for a deep drow, and he could be no other type given the polished jet of his skin tone.

"It need not be cause for strife," she said evenly. "We sell and trade to any in good faith."

His eyes did flick over the wares, mostly dried foods and components not found here, but from above.

"I'm actually looking for someone to teach my son," he said as he closed the last of the distance. "Has very un-drow ways of thinking, and I'm told they line up better with your people.

"Zaknafein."

"Shana," she responded to that unprompted offer of name. No bats, no other symbols of Vhaeraun in his clothing, and she'd caught no symbols of the spider either… but surely the clerics would have known if there was a goodly child here!

"He's my only surviving child, and his heart is just not suited to the work I do here," Zaknafein told her. "Do your people offer teachers for such as cannot be practical in their way of living?"

"We accept any who choose to follow ways closer to our goddess, even if they do not accept Her as their patron deity," Shana said. "We also, saer Zaknafein, tend to know when to seek such people."

The man grunted at that, with a grimace. "He's complicated. Third born, in a House of that Bitch's making. My friends say he's not able to be scryed, sent to, and he's always been resistant to divine healing. Only the salves work easily on him."

Third born. That had notorious meaning from a Spider city. And yet the boy lived.

"Meaning he may be touched by Her magic." Shana took a deep breath. "I cannot make these kind of decisions. But if you can keep him safe for a full moon, I can arrange for someone to meet with you and discuss it more in depth."

"He'll stay safe. I will not let harm come to him." Zaknafein's fierce loyalty to his child came through strongly, and Shana smiled a little.

"Are you sure you do not wish to seek our ways, where children are raised with care by their families?" she offered.

He looked at her, a myriad of complex emotions crossing his expressive features before he ruefully shook his head. "I would not fit in other ways, and have commitments here. I will meet your envoy in one month, at the place they call the Dimmed Lantern."

He then looked at her wares again, and produced coins to buy some of the dried fruits. "For taking your time… and because he delights in trying new things," Zaknafein said, before making his way back the way he'd come.

"Things are very unusual this trip," Neerbryn said, having specifically come to get a feel for the differences in the drow factions that Elkantar and Lady Silverhand had mentioned. Lleona would have come herself, but for once they had overruled their bard-leader.

"I know. Well, nothing for it but to finish our selling and buying, then get back to either your folk, or the Sister herself."

Lleona proved closer, with the rest of the Marauders, and listened to both Shana and Neerbryn describe the encounter. She was blessed with the deep memory a true bard found so useful, and from the mention of name and weapons, she was weighing just how to advise Shana.

"Qilué took her band to the southern tip of the mountains, guided by our Lady," Lleona said. "Rylla went with them, but we should find one another by mid-autumn. However, you don't need to seek her for negotiations on this matter."

"I don't?" Shana asked, but she respected Lleona's insights. The woman had one of the highest success rates for going into the Underdark and bringing all of her people out alive. Or at least able to live again.

"Any of you lot have sending on tap today?" Lleona asked her band.

"I do," Mynera offered, without even looking up from the scroll she was reading.

"Ask the other First Sister if she can clear her plate and come here within the next few days. Tell her no rush, as I'll go speak to this man if she can't make it in time, but it will be worth her while."

"You really think it is the same man?" Cirtlari asked, as she pieced together what had Lleona asking for someone from the other side of the continent.

"Well, she's as good as she can be; maybe the man just breeds goodly people," Lleona said cheerfully, before sitting back to let Mynera handle contact.

princessofgeeks

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Current Mood: artistic

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists just solved a 160-million-year fossil mystery “I’ve never seen anything like it”

A rare fossil reveals that Earth’s earliest sponges were hiding in plain sight—too soft to leave a trace.

A rare fossil discovery is shedding light on the “missing years” of early sponge evolution. Scientists found a 550-million-year-old sponge that likely lacked hard skeletal parts, explaining why earlier fossils are so scarce. This supports the idea that the earliest sponges were soft-bodied and rarely preserved. The finding changes how researchers hunt for the origins of animal life.

Well, that was obvious. Soft organisms typically predate those with rigid parts that preserve better. It's still really cool to find evidence.

Current Mood: busy

hannah

Thanks to neighbors moving out of their apartments, not only do I have enough laundry pods to last at least another six months, I've got more lentils than I know what to do with. No, really. There's six kinds of lentils in my apartment right now, not counting the dried chickpeas, unroasted peanuts, and dried red beans. It's going to be the summer of lentils. My strategy's going to be to work through the smaller amounts first before moving onto the larger ones - there's enough red lentils for one or two meals, but the green ones will keep me fed for weeks.

I'm checking the usual websites, looking through my cookbook shelf, thinking of how to make them interesting and palatable when I'll be eating so much of them. I figure that once I'm done with Rome, a dive through the rest of Steven Spielberg's movies should be good enough distraction to carry the lentils those last few days when I don't want to pay too much attention to what I'm having for lunch.

I've also got some quinoa and rice and black soybeans, if I want to shake things up somewhat. Farro, too, down in a bag somewhere.

Current Mood: thankful
Current Music: Red Weather - Jack Harris

unshelved_feed

Posted by Gene Ambaum

/2016-3-1

https://www.unshelved.com/2016-3-1

This classic Unshelved strip originally appeared on Tue, 01 Mar 2016.

Unshelved comic strip for Tue, 01 Mar 2016

/2016-3-1

https://www.unshelved.com/2016-3-1

kalloway

Now that it's time to go back to work for the week, the brainweasels of "you didn't get enough done this weekend" have come to circle. Could I have done more? Probably. But did I do an absolute lot? Sure did! (Just ask my back!)

While digging through stacks of books that I didn't realize I had, I came to two conclusions. First, swapping out the short, long bookcase in degrading condition would be a good plan. There have been two tall, thin bookcases at the 'rents that were 'given' to me years ago that I just didn't think I had space for. If those will fit in the same spot, it'll be perfect. And second, I completely fell off with Accidental Advent, which is fine and not terrible surprising. I'll see about re-starting in the near future because I did enjoy the nudge. (The old bookcase can probably go to the garage if I can get it up on cinderblocks. It's still fine to hold non-book things but if the bottom shelf has started a chemical reaction I don't assume it'll magically stop.)

I suppose plans for the rest of spring/summer are going to involve clearing every shelf, cleaning it, and checking conditions of things. I also need to get fresh air into the place more often. I'd wanted to get things opened up already but it's also rained every day for like two weeks now. Except right now, because it's snowing heavily. (WTF)

Also got a good percentage of my gunpla logged. I want to eventually have a good list of what I have both unbuilt and built. While just my backlog sounds like a slightly better time, I definitely know that I've built things and then forgotten about them as time passed. (In my defense, I mean built in like ~2010.)

I stirred up a lot of dust, which mostly means that I have a lot of dust and need to do some work tetris-ing things around so I can do a more thorough vacuum and whatnot.

I know I declare every year as the year I finally sort through everything but I'm feeling the motivation and am going to try to run with it.

tsuki_no_bara

last night my sister and i went out for mexican food (yum) and saw project hail mary which i really enjoyed. i mean, for one thing, outer space. and for another, ryan gosling. some of it was very tense and parts of it were really heartbreaking but it ends on such a lovely, hopeful note and did i mention the outer space? which is so, so pretty. a++, highly recommended. it's long but it didn't drag anywhere and the soundtrack is also quite good.

for previews we got the sheep detectives (looks cute), masters of the universe (why, god, why?), and dune 3 (i'm there).

for the heated rivalry fen in the audience who also happen to be fans of dr jill biden, former flotus - she bid on (but lost) a walk-on role in s2. fangirls pop up in the weirdest places.

Born at midnight, fish were spotted on the ceiling, and language,
all song and curlicues.
Mother was a pretty ribbon, father, a painted merry-go-round horse.
I hunted arrowheads,
watched water-skeeters on the surface of a pond.
I had a pet chameleon with half a tail that lived on my windowsill.
Somewhat abstract, I loved swimming pools, the deep end,
kissing boys on the high school hill,
listening to the sound of distant trains in the middle of the night—
I walked in hot mud
ate pie cherries from a tree above a creek,
was baptized for the dead, read Edgar Allen Poe,
could crack codes, enter caves and sestinas.
When asked, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I always answered, “the weather girl.”

--"Bio", Kathy Evans

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: the avengers

linky

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Current Mood: exhausted

ranalore

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Current Mood: blah
Current Location: it's warmer but I'm not fooled

conuly

I didn't get a good look, seeing it as I did out a bus window, but did I have to? They're not that hard to identify.

************************

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itsanonyx posting in

your_favourites

A few members suggested this as theme here. So I thought we could go with it for this Special Challenge:

black & white with Favorite Color

Take any of your favorites (stock or fandom) and then create icons with both themes (B/W + Color) in it. Both themes has to be viewable on your icons. You may go with 2 Colors total. You may add both Colors on each icon if you want to (see example 1 and 4!). Or you can just go with 1 Color only for each icon. This is totally up to you. :o)

You may submit up to four icons. How you split them is up to you. You may use 4 favorite things (stock or fandom) and create 1 icon each. Or you may use 1 favorite thing only and create 4 icons. Or just do anything in-between.

yellow & red by

seraphina_snape | yellow by

babyara | red by

itsanonyx | red & blue by

pebbleinalake

* You may icon 2 different Colors in this challenge (in case you cannot decide which one is your absolute favorite).
* You may enter up to 4 icons (ICON+URL).
* Please submit your icons as new posts to this community. Every member has posting access.
* Please no animations or x-rated icons. Everything else is allowed.
* Icons must fit DW standards (< 60kb, 100x100 px).
* Tag your entries with challenge number and your username, or I can do it for you.
* Please put a description in your entry which Color you picked.
* Please ask questions if you have any.

* DEADLINE: Sunday, May 03rd 2026 (04pm Central European Time). [countdown]

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badly_knitted's Fluff Emporium

Life is mostly attitude and timing - Jerry Jeff Walker

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Pua, Lilith, Ayem, Vehk(itty)

"if I knew what I was doing, I'd be doing it right now"

Bridge Building

I have a clean house!

Daily Check-In

Round 20 Extension

Notes of Desperation: Skullport

New Heated Rivalry RPS fic

Fossils

Busy our hands.

Unshelved strip originally published on Tue, 01 Mar 2016

(Probably Enough)

carl and i made a baby

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the wail of the soul possessed

I saw a red-winged blackbird!

Challenge #235 - B/W with Favorite Color [Special Challenge]

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