scriggle: (Default)
scriggle ([personal profile] scriggle) wrote2025-08-12 01:13 pm
Entry tags:

life update

Today:
  • I had my yearly physical today.
  • The nurse wasn't able to do a blood draw today for blood work because the veins in my left arm were not cooperating and she didn't want to poke me multiple times. They're not allowed to jab my right arm for anything due to removed lymph nodes.
  • Pap smear - ugh.
  • I got the pneumonia vaccination
  • And the TDAP booster.
  • Went to my Tuesday old people zumba class
Wednesday:
  • Go to the lab for bloodwork with phlebotomists who can deal with my non-cooperative veins
  • Stop at MArket Basket and pick up a few necessities
Thursday:
  • Annual mammogram day - ugh.
  • Going to miss old people exercise class. See above
  • Go to the crafting social group and hopefully finish Frederick the Literate which has been a ufo for *mumblemumble* years
china_shop: New Zealand painting of flax (NZ flax)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote2025-08-12 07:45 pm
Entry tags:

Covid jab

For the record, I had my 11th Covid jab today. (I'm only posting about it because this is where I look when I'm checking dates. :-)
china_shop: Zhao Yunlan stretched out on a stool. (Guardian - ZYL sprawled on a stool)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote2025-08-12 07:40 pm
Entry tags:

Four recent fics (Guardian, various)

Three flashfics for [community profile] fan_flashworks, plus another instalment of my Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan post-canon 'verse.

Title: Behind another face (100 words) [General Audiences]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Zhang Shi & Shen Xi, Shen Xi/Zhao Xinci
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Complicated Relationships, Sharing a Body, Secrets, Drabble, Face challenge
Summary:

Zhang Shi meets Shen Xi.


Title: Take back the world (1288 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Wang Yike/Zhang Ruonan
Additional Tags: Reference to canon rape, Aftermath of canon rape, Pre-Canon, Upsetting Dixing powers, Revenge challenge
Summary:

One day, everything falls apart.


Title: two are halves of one (851 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Episode Related, Episode 22 after the blindness arc, First Kiss (for one of them), Crowd challenge
Summary:

A deep twist of desire makes Zhao Yunlan laugh. "After this—” He circles his chopsticks over the meal and has to clear his throat to keep his voice light. “Shen Wei, I think you should give me a thorough health check.”


Title: life in the silver lining (2732 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Complicated Relationships, The emotional implications of the existence of time travel, intimacy is hard, rated for themes
Series: Part 4 of Breakage and Repair 'verse (CSZ/SW/ZYL)
Summary:

“You’ve time-travelled before.” Shuzhi’s voice was low and raw. “What if the next time you go to Dixing, the Hallows open a portal to the past? Would you go and stop Ye Zun, and put everything back how it’s supposed to be?”

(Follows on from Raw Nerves, Old Scars.)

china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote2025-08-12 03:53 pm
Entry tags:

Me-and-media update

Previous poll review
In the Reading preferences poll, 71.4% of respondents prefer standalone novels, and 55.1% like finished series. In terms of book selection, 61.2% prefer new books by favourite authors, 55.1% like discovering new authors, and 44.9% gaze helplessly at their TBR list.

In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 61.2%, followed by "carrying moonbeams home in a jar" and "teenage giraffes adopting more of a flamingo aesthetic" with 51% each. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
Cut for length. )

Kdramas
Nothing But Love (AKA Nothing But You) (Cdrama). I love this so much, and it's so good for exercising to (lots of tennis players training and playing matches) that I'm slowing my rewatch, trying to make it last. I may have to start something else for my non-exercising viewing. Meanwhile, [personal profile] tinny's made a Nothing But Love/You rec post, if you're curious.

Other TV
Cut for length. )

Guardian/Fandom
So busy! All good things!

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, a lot of Letters from an American (for your regularly scheduled nightmare politics; bite-sized episodes in a calm, measured voice, with added historical/legal context), and a bunch of Keep It Steady (audiodrama adapted from a Les Mis modern AU) because a new episode dropped yesterday, so I backtracked a bit.

Writing/making things
I've been plugging away at a little "flashfic", but yesterday the [community profile] fan_flashworks deadline caught up with me, so I blatted out a different 850 words. I don't really have my teeth in anything atm. I miss it.

Life/health/mental state things
It's so cold, I think my brain has frozen. Not much goes in, and not much comes out either.

Food
I've got a theory it must be bunnies dumplings... that have messed up my arms, so I'm going to switch to using my cheapo dumpling press and see if that helps. (Boo! Folding dumplings is the fun bit.) I've recently made batches of pork and chicken, so I need to make vege ones next. I'm going to try a Moosewood sweet potato recipe my friend sent me.

Recently made: crispy tofu in various things, egg and tofu stir-fry.

Link dump
Forms of Resistance and Reasons to Believe It’s Working by [youtube.com profile] heathercoxrichardson (10:45, US politics; her whole channel is excellent).

Good things
Crispy tofu. New TV shows. Kudos and comments. Fanworks and outpourings of fannish love (and analysis and critique, too). People who post, people who comment, people who vote in polls, people who lurk. Wholesome kids' cartoons. Friday is forecast to be sunny. *hugs to you all*

Poll #33483 Obsessions
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 49


Current active fandoms

View Answers

none at the moment
8 (16.3%)

one
5 (10.2%)

a couple
15 (30.6%)

a handful
12 (24.5%)

a lot
0 (0.0%)

it's complicated
19 (38.8%)

there are a few things I dabble in on the side, but which I don't usually count
11 (22.4%)

I have blorbos but no fandom
4 (8.2%)

other
2 (4.1%)

ticky-box full of thirteen synapses in a bag of goo
17 (34.7%)

ticky-box full of dream parkour
23 (46.9%)

ticky-box of following an author (or narrator) up hill and down dale
19 (38.8%)

ticky-box full of goth butterflies and punk moths putting on a music festival at dusk
29 (59.2%)

ticky-box full of hugs
38 (77.6%)

mergatrude: A polar bear sits on some rocks, with his paw over his eyes (facepalm - polar bear)
mergatrude ([personal profile] mergatrude) wrote2025-08-11 12:00 pm

(no subject)

Dude and I have started watching The Good Place for which it turns out - memes notwithstanding - I am remarkably unspoiled. \o/ Last night we finished S1, so I had an existential crisis, convinced that I am dead and in a special hell based on my personal neuroses. Then I remembered the existence of Bluey! Phew!

I am a llama eating a banana!"
china_shop: Hugh grabbing Callum by the shoulder and saying defiantly to the camera, 'I'm taking him.' (CKR/HD I'm taking him)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote2025-08-09 01:20 pm
Entry tags:

Canada has come back to haunt me

Last night, Andrew and I and our tv-watching-with friend started The Sympathizer, a drama set just after the Vietnam war, about a Vietnamese double agent. It's structurally really interesting, and it has RDJ in multiple kind-of-gross roles, lol. Darkly funny, but deals with some really serious subjects.

Created by Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar, who are also showrunners. Yes, that Don McKellar.

It also, features Sandra Oh. I did not expect either of their names in the credits! :D
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote2025-08-05 06:19 pm
Entry tags:

Me-and-media update

Previous poll review
In the Your Name poll, 73.5% of respondents spell their name out, unprompted, 26.5% offer an explanation or additional information, and 14.3% exaggerate the pronunciation to reflect the spelling. I've concluded that names are super inefficient, and we should switch to serial numbers.

In ticky-boxes, being gentle with yourself (69.4%) came second to hugs (77.6%), followed by three enchanted owl feathers that can draw forth the dawn (53.1%). Thank you for your votes!

Reading
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall, read by Will Watt -- I loved this! The banter was hilarious, and the reading was flawless. Neither of the lead characters are exactly cinnamon rolls, but that helped to offset the impacts of some, er, questionable choices. I giggled my way through most of it and found it genuinely moving at the end. The basic premise is that the regional branch manager of a bed-and-bath store gets himself and his entire team fired for underperforming, immediately has an accident, and grabs the opportunity to fake amnesia and move into his prick of a boss's house (for "monitoring the concussion" reasons) a month before Christmas, in a bid to reverse the damage and save his team. Reads like a wild remix of the Sandra Bullock While You Were Sleeping Christmas movie, which I also love.

Will Watt is such a great reader that I then listened to another Alexis Hall, this one set half inside a MMORPG, despite my knowing nothing at all about gaming. Looking for Group was cute, contained a) a lot of gaming references and terminology, and b) a fair amount of '19-year-old guy falling for another guy for the first time, and also being very clueless!19, but eventually getting his act together.' The story scaffolding was showing by the end, but it still worked.

I'm now listening to Will Watt reading A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey. Magical AU London. This is an adventure story with lowkey m/m, set in a goblin market and a workhouse full of indentured children. The comps are Neverwhere and The Night Circus, and both seem apt; I'd add in Six of Crows, too. I'm 4 hrs 20 in and enjoying it so far.

Also in audio, Andrew and I started the new Rivers of London. It feels super self-indulgent so far, but you know, fun. Good sense of place, as always (to the point where I keep imagining Aaranovich swanning around Scotland, taking notes).

Ongoing: Guardian by priest, and Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

Kdramas
Just passed halfway in my Nothing But Love (AKA Nothing But You) rewatch. Still loving it. *smishes everyone*

Other TV
More North of North, the first few episodes of Middle Class Bogan (Australian sitcom about an upper middle class doctor who discovers that a) she's adopted and b) her birth parents are drag racers; features New Zealand's Robyn Malcolm; the main character is very uptight and it stresses me out, but not in a terrible way); the first episode of Chief of War (Temuera Morrison is outstanding); Bluey! Fringe with my sister.

Hudson Hawk (DVD from my collection) -- shamelessly ridiculous, and I am totally here for it!! :D Apparently New Zealand is the only country where this film was a hit. Rated five out of five giggles.

Desperately Seeking Susan at the cinema -- I love this so much!! Delightful romp with TV/movie-amnesia. Stars Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, and young!Aiden Quinn. Rated five out of five hearts.

We have tickets for Jaws at the end of the month.

Fandom
I posted a poll to the [community profile] fan_writers comm -- possibly a tactical error given the state of my arms, but the discussion there has been great. It's so interesting seeing people's different approaches to writing.

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Letters from an American. (I should get back to Midnight Burger sometime -- I stalled out in the middle of chapter 18.)

Online life
Busy, busy, busy, but it's all good fun stuff.

Writing/making things
At this point, if I can finish my flashfic for the Crowd round of [community profile] fan_flashworks for the 11th NZ time (10th in most places), I'll count myself lucky and satisfied. A lot of my time, energy and arms are going into other things.

Life/health/mental state things
Same as last week, via-à-vis arms being bad and things otherwise being mostly okay.

Food
I made easy fried rice on Sunday, malfatti yesterday, and today I have a beef stroganoff minus onions in the slow cooker. Also, yesterday I made a ton of Korean pork dumplings minus cabbage. I'm still slightly baffled that I cook now -- what is happening??

Good things
The profusion of m/m profic and excellent audiobook readers. Online friends, and active Dreamwidth comms and fandoms. An inbox full of things to reply to, and a life full of things to do. Cooking. Fic and art. Wishlist is coming!!

Poll #33465 Reading preferences
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 49


I prefer

View Answers

standalone novels
35 (71.4%)

duologies / trilogies
18 (36.7%)

finished series
27 (55.1%)

ongoing series
10 (20.4%)

re-reads
22 (44.9%)

new books by favourite authors
30 (61.2%)

discovering new authors
27 (55.1%)

gazing helplessly at my TBR list
22 (44.9%)

mostly fanfic
18 (36.7%)

other
2 (4.1%)

ticky-box full of swinging on a star
19 (38.8%)

ticky-box full of carrying moonbeams home in a jar
25 (51.0%)

ticky-box full of having more fun than you are
14 (28.6%)

ticky-box full of teenage giraffes adopting more of a flamingo aesthetic
25 (51.0%)

ticky-box full of hugs
30 (61.2%)