July 24th, 2025
conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly in [community profile] agonyaunt at 03:14pm on 24/07/2025
1. Dear Care and Feeding,

I’m getting married next year, and my mom is helping me with a lot of the planning. She’s great at this stuff, and super excited to help (and I’m glad to have her—she’s one of my best friends!). But we’re worried about squabbling—or to be honest, yelling at each other—during the process. We’re VERY close, but prone to fighting about nonsense things. Any tips for avoiding a repeat of my (very loud) teenage years while we plan?

—My Fiancé is Very Calm, By the Way


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


2. Dear Prudence,

I am an only child and my mother has always been … let’s call it “involved” with my life, and I have done my best to deal with it. Two years ago, I met my now-fiancée, “Arista,” and we are getting married in November. Last week, my mother came to me demanding that I call off our engagement. As it turns out, she had had a professional background check done on Arista, and she really did not like what she’d found.

After her little snoop-about, my mother discovered that she used to be in adult entertainment. The thing is, Arista was up front with me about this early on in our relationship and it doesn’t matter to me. However, I had intended to not say anything to my mother because I knew she would react like this, but more importantly, it wasn’t her business.

When I told my mom as much, she blew up and told me that I couldn’t sully our family by “marrying a whore.” I told her this wasn’t her decision and that she could either treat my future wife with the respect and decency she deserves or sit out the wedding. Now she’s told everyone in the family. Many are supportive and think she’s nuts, but some have shared her reaction. Is this grounds for removing her from my life for good?

—Pilloried By the Past


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conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly in [community profile] agonyaunt at 03:06pm on 24/07/2025
My mother-in-law, “Hannah,” is a retired pediatrician, and self-appointed captain of our kids’ health care. Whenever we take our kids to the doctor, we have to have a post-visit debrief with Hannah, who demands every detail before offering her own (unsolicited) advice. Often, her advice contradicts the pediatrician’s recommendations, and she will get upset when we take the doctor’s side over hers.

My husband, “Tom,” says it’s better to humor her and pay lip-service to following her recommendations. I get that it’s his mom, but I’m the one fielding the questions! (Tom does what he can, but I’m usually the one taking them to the doctor and talking to her after.) I’m just sick and tired of dealing with this.

—Enough


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conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly at 03:02pm on 26/07/2025
firebatvillain: Drawing of a hand in darkness, holding a ball of fire. (Default)
Dear Carolyn: I have five children, two daughters. “Lynn” is 40, and “Emma” is 29. Lynn got married 15 years ago, and since she was the first bride of the younger generation, a big fuss was made over her wedding by me, my two sisters and especially my mother.

Emma is getting married next month, but since she is the fifth and last bride in our family, it’s not as big a deal. That’s the way it was in the previous generation, too, because this happened to my sister, the sixth bride that time around.

Complicating matters is the fact that Lynn is a stay-at-home mom of four whose husband recently left her for another woman. She is in a tailspin and requiring a lot of support. The whole family of women are pulling together for her, cooking, cleaning, taking turns sleeping at her house, etc. Except for my mom, we all have full-time jobs, which two of us didn’t have 15 years ago.

All that leaves us with little time or energy to focus on Emma’s wedding, which I thought she would understand. When she asked when we would all be making the usual desserts and decorations for the reception, no one felt they could commit.

Emma was hurt and pointed out what everyone did for Lynn, but we can’t even “do the minimum” for her. I was blindsided by her anger. I’m sorry we did more for her sister and cousins, but Lynn has the greater need right now.

I told Emma her father and I are paying for everything just like we did for her sister, and she could ask her friends to help.

Am I/are we being unfair to Emma?

— Blindsided

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rachelmanija: (Books: old)


A solid, well-written, and generally engaging book about migraine and cluster headaches. The author suffers from the latter, with suffer being the operative word - cluster headaches are called "suicide headaches" because people with them are known to kill themselves because of the intractable, excruciating pain.

The first-person account was the best part of the book: what it's like to have cluster headaches, how you're driven to hoard medication because you're not allowed to have enough (which leads doctors to view you with suspicion as a drug-seeker - NO SHIT you seek painkillers when you're in pain!), how you cling to any doctor who will take you seriously, and the psychology of chronic pain generally.

(In Zeller's case, he wasn't seeking opiods or anything that could get him high, but a medication that does nothing to anyone but stop cluster headaches if you have one. But his doctor didn't believe that he actually got them as often as he did, and his insurance company didn't want to pay out for his medication, so he was forced to hoard and ration his medication for no good reason, and then looked at with suspicion when he asked for more.)

The book gets a bit into the weeds in terms of the biological mechanism of cluster and migraine headaches, which is not yet known, and the reasons why there's little research or funding devoted to them. But overall, a good book that will make people with chronic headaches, or any chronic pain, feel seen.
used_songs: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] used_songs at 07:42am on 24/07/2025 under
Meme stolen from [personal profile] dine 

Last song I listened to: B-Boys Makin with the Freak - Beastie Boys (When I started this. Now, as I finish it, it's Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys' I Saw the Light)

Favorite color: Purple. Then dark green and black.

Currently watching: The last thing I watched was about 5 minutes of Astrid on the PBS app this morning.

Last movie: One of the Hunger Games movies was on while I was reading. E was watching it.

Currently reading:
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily Bender

Coffee or tea: COFFEE! I like tea a lot, but I NEED coffee.

Sweet/savory/spicy: Spicy

Relationship status: Married (until they outlaw gay marriage again)

Looking forward to: If I'm honest, it's hard to look forward to anything right now. I guess I'm looking forward to little stuff like DC coming over again Friday, sending some Postcrossing cards, making stuff ... someday I would like to travel again. 

Current obsessions: AI, the new job, Ted Lasso (I finished seasons 1-3 and am now hips deep in the subreddit, Stephen Graham Jones (Buffalo Hunter Hunter), and going to bookstores.

Last Googled: 3I/ATLAS - Someone here posted a link to this story and I thought there might be the potential for a fic in it, so I did some googling. It's going in the idea file.

Last thing you ate and really enjoyed: E's vegan stew from last night

Currently working on:
Replacing several light fixtures downstairs and looking for an idea that will inspire sriting.
conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly at 04:32pm on 23/07/2025
How bad of a faux pas is it if you're filling out a job application in person and then realize after you hand it in that you've gone ahead and proofread it?

(Asking for a friend!)

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


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dancing_serpent: (Actors - Hou Minghao - rose)
posted by [personal profile] dancing_serpent in [community profile] c_ent at 02:59pm on 23/07/2025 under
This month is almost over, so, let's hear it. *g* How did it go with your fannish creativity?

Did you manage to make a thing?

Created fanart or made vids? Wrote fic or meta? How about picspams, link collections, character mood boards, themed playlists, promo posts, or whatever else you create for fannish enjoyment?

Here's the place to share it with us! Leave a link in the comments, or elaborate on it as much as you want.
conuly: (Default)
conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly at 01:48pm on 24/07/2025
It never rains, but it sure does pour.

(Although this really is a somewhat archaic construction and doesn't mean what I've formed it to mean here. I do know that.)

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


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July 22nd, 2025
rachelmanija: (Books: old)
Recent DNFs (Did Not Finish)

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, by Clay McLeod Chapman



A horror novel about - I think - how a Q-Anon analogue turns people into literal zombies. I couldn't get into this book. I don't think it was bad, it just wasn't my thing. I didn't vibe with the prose style at all.

The Baby Dragon Cafe, by A. T. Qureshi



A woman opens a cafe that's also a baby dragon rescue. I adored the idea of this book, not to mention the extremely charming cover, but the execution left a lot to be desired. It was just plain dull. I dragged myself through two chapters, both of which felt eternal, then gave up. Too bad! I really wanted to like it, because the idea is delightful.

In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens, by Richard Waitt



This ought to have been exactly my jam, except for the author's absolutely bizarre prose style, which is a combination of Pittman shorthand and Chuck Tingle's Twitter minus the sense of humor, with an allergy to articles and very strange syntax. I literally had no idea what some of his sentences meant. This weirdness extends to direct quotes from multiple people, making me suspect how direct they are. And yes, this was traditionally published.

Here are some quotes, none of which make more sense in context:

It contrasts the chance jungle violence with lava flows off Kilauea - so Hollywood but predictable.

"The state's closure seems yours. Have I missed something?"

[And here's a bunch of Tinglers.]

Heart attack took Eddie in 1975.

These years since wife Eddie died Truman's fire has cooled.

Since wife Eddie died, Rob is the closest he has to a friend.

Since wife Eddie died, Truman has been a bleak recluse, the winters especially lonely.
used_songs: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] used_songs at 08:44am on 22/07/2025
silver_sun: (Default)
Title: These Tides of Life
Writer: [personal profile] silver_sun
Fandom: Heroes (2022) /Shuo Ying Xiong Shei Shi Ying Xiong (说英雄谁是英雄)
Word count: 8184 
Rating: General
Warnings/Spoilers: No Archive Warnings Apply/Spoilers for last few episodes of the series.
Relationships: Di Feijing & Lei Chun, Di Feijing & Qi Shaoshang
Characters: Di Feijing, Qi Shaoshang, Wang Xiaoshi (briefly), Lei Chun mentioned.
Additional Tags: Canon diverent AU, hurt/comfort,

Summary: Di Feijing hadn't expected to survive his fight with Fang Yingkan, but fate has other plans.

Here on AO3



Can I get a drama tag for Heroes (2022), please
bluapapilio: Idia from Twisted Wonderland (Default)


Okay I'm in the Deva System Chamber. I personally was leaning towards the blue button because I kinda maybe agreed with Nanjou but others wanted the red button so I went with it, and also people said you lose out on some ultimate persona making thing so. 

Anyway, apparently a boy was sent to a dimensional rift, Maki knew how to use the system somehow, but it didn't work? This strange little girl shows up calling Kandori her daddy??

I nearly forgot about 'the girl in black'. And who's Yousuke? And Maki saying she doesn't have a real mom. 😵

Ohh so this Yousuke guy was dating Maki's friend Chisato who went missing. So people thought they ran away together.

Man things just got so interesting. So Yousuke and Chisato ended up in this alternate dimension and the Maki with the group now is from the alternate dimension! So where's their Maki?

Omg it took me forever to figure out how to get past a certain point, I'm in the Art Room where  you meet a new character Reiji who is also from the original world. The fights are so weird, sometimes they're easy but other times one blow can knock a character out. My chars are like level 17, I don't know what level I should be for this part but also it's really irritating to get random encounters every few steps when you're lost and keep retreading.

I've tried out the Contact function several times and...I just don't think it's worth the effort to get spell cards. I got 2 out of pure luck. Mostly you just get money or a buff if you don't get debuffed or an item taken from you. Guess I'll be sticking with one Persona. I also have no interest in playing the gambling games where I read you can get some special cards or something. *has flashbacks to playing the ones in Dragon Quest XI*

Reiji is the boy Kandori threw into the rift. It's kinda interesting how Yousuke and Reiji both come across as the protags in their own story. Same with Ellie, she went off and did her own thing.

There's a girl in white named Mai who saved Reiji. Seems like something happened to Reiji's mom.

Lol 'nothing is being sold at the Peace Dinner but you can stop in and remember what you're supposed to be doing'.

...There's a guy at the drugstore labeled 'Little girl'.

Maki: "Isn't this town nice? I think paradise would be a place like this."

We're not, like, in Maki's ideal world or dream are we? If that were so, wouldn't Maki be with her crush Yousuke?

Why didn't Brown recognize the butterfly when they went back to the shrine? It's the same one from before when they found Maki's mom but in the other world.

I just noticed that the rug in the doctor's office  says "LOVE IS DRUG." surely the other world's one didn't say that with how grumpy that doctor was.

...I'm so slow, after defeating the subway monster and seeing Aki again I only just realized that "Aki" and "Mai" both come from "Maki" and that Aki has a red ribbon and beauty mark just like Maki.
Mood:: 'tired' tired
minoanmiss: Minoan style drawing of the constellation Orion. (Orion)
Mood:: 'curious' curious
conuly: (Default)
posted by [personal profile] conuly at 12:34pm on 22/07/2025
With a generous leave at one commute schedule and 2 hours between them


But then it turned out the first one had inexplicably been scheduled in GMT so I didn’t eat and barely made it out the door. And I’ll have to jog to get from one to the other, too!
July 21st, 2025
jesuswasbatman: (harley love)
July 20th, 2025
tarlanx: Huaien and Xiabao walking together on orange background (Cdrama - Meet You at Blossom 2 - HX)
posted by [personal profile] tarlanx in [community profile] c_ent at 03:51pm on 20/07/2025 under
Title: Zhu Yan
Author: Tarlan ([personal profile] tarlanx)
Fandom: Fangs of Fortune (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Zhu Yan (and Zhuo Yichen)
Rating/Category: PG GEN
Size: ICONS

Fangs of Fortune - Zhu Yan 01 by Tarlan Fangs of Fortune - Zhu Yan 02 by Tarlan Fangs of Fortune - Zhu Yan 03 by Tarlan Fangs of Fortune - Zhu Yan 04 by Tarlan Fangs of Fortune - Zhu Yan 05 by Tarlan Fangs of Fortune - Zhuo Yichen and Zhu Yan 01 by Tarlan
 
tarlanx: 3/4 side profile Qingming and Boya standing back to back (Cdrama - Yin-Yang Master 2 - together)
Title: Teleportation
Author: Tarlan ([personal profile] tarlanx)
Fandom: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
Pairing/Characters: Qingming and Boya
Rating/Category: PG GEN
Size: Wallpapers (1920x1080)

Four wallpapers I created for [community profile] fandom_empire WEEK 10

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity - FOUR Wallpapers
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity wallpaper

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity wallpaper

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity wallpaper

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity wallpaper

 

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