china_shop: Chu Shuzhi wearing a black face mask with a cat mouth and whiskers on it. (Guardian - CSZ cat mask)
[personal profile] china_shop
I posted my unexpected-kink fic for the Riddle round of [community profile] fan_flashworks, and today I archived it to AO3. It's part of my Breakage and Repair 'verse which is Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives (mostly), Canon Divergence, but all you really need to know is that it's early-relationship Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan.

Title: Experiments in Dynamic Translation (9003 words) [Explicit]
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Chu Shuzhi/Hei Pao Shi
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Relationships with complicated history, Being closeted in some spheres, Domestic, Unplanned/Impromptu Kink, Identity Porn (literal), Dom/sub, soft D/s, Dom!Shen Wei, Envoy!Shen Wei, Sub!Chu Shuzhi, (Zhao Yunlan enjoys the show), Fealty, Orgasm denial/delay, Dark-Energy Sex Toys, Low-key impromptu bondage, Dixing-Powers Powered Sex, Anal Sex, Voyeurism, Frottage, Long Hair
Summary:

It’s been just over ten weeks since his and Da Qing’s return to the land of the living, and in that time, Shen Wei has not yet had occasion to don his robes of office in front of Shuzhi—or indeed, to conduct any Envoy business at all in his presence. He’s visited the SID once or twice on official matters, but only in Haixing clothes, and he’s been sure to keep his manner light and casual in the public areas. Formal liaising is for the privacy of Zhao Yunlan’s office.

Now, faced with the prospect of a Dixing state dinner, Shen Wei discovers he’s slipped into—not so much keeping secrets, as compartmentalising. Again.




As I said in my end notes, it’s hilarious to me that my first E-rated fic in this ‘verse is something I usually DNW (D/s, especially when it leans into existing power dynamics). For some reason, it worked for me in this specific scenario.
ride_4ever: (RayV Hoo Ray)
[personal profile] ride_4ever
September 21 is considered to be Ray Vecchio's birthday and is celebrated annually by due South fandom as "Ray Vecchio Day". This is a day to show RayV some love by posting a RayV-centric fanwork or meta or recs related to Ray Vecchio or David Marciano (tag it as being for Ray Vecchio Day 2025).

Posting to the collection is now open at Ray Vecchio Day 2025 Collection on AO3 and a master list will be assembled on September 28th.

Garden and general update

Sep. 19th, 2025 05:17 pm
mific: (Garden salad)
[personal profile] mific
There's not a lot flowering yet, at the end of (for Auckland) an especially cold, wet, windy winter. I haven't felt much like gardening until the past couple of weeks and am just getting back into it now, refurbishing pots of bulbs and lilies, trying to plant snap peas (if enough of them ever sprout!)

Of course, there are other reasons why I've felt like huddling indoors, and I've been dealing with more anxiety - as I imagine, most of us have. It's sometimes hard to figure out which reality is "real" - is the cheerful busyness I feel on good days accurate, or is it denial? Is the trepidation of bad days realistic, or "through a glass darkly"? I've also considered whether my previous bout of thyroid overactivity might be coming back - I've been off the medication for it for ten months now. It can cause jitteriness, but there's more than enough cause for that without looking for medical culprits. I'll get a test when my GP arranges the form, anyway. I'm also temporarily carless - it threw up a load of warning lights and balked at starting so is at the mechanics. That might be making me feel unsettled as well.

Good things to focus on are the enjoyment of getting my hands into dirt again, watching the local sparrows mobbing the bird feeder when I fill it with seeds, a big rice-cooker of bean, veggie, kumara & chilli stew which has taken care of several days of meals, and some excellent books I've been reading and will review soon.

Have a few garden pics, meanwhile.

Return of the giant Mexican sunflower! (by my Dalek compost bin)White primula in the agapanthus leaves
Fairy crassula in a hanging basketTub of succulents
Impatiens at the base of a leafless Japanese maple

Ipheion (Starflower)

verushka70: The old Microsoft Word Clippy paperclip icon to protest corporate enshittification of the Internet (Default)
[personal profile] verushka70
Dear fic exchange creator:

My AO3 username: verushka70

My DNWs, Wants, and Optional Likes are the same for all fandoms and characters.
DNWs )

Me-and-media update

Sep. 19th, 2025 10:07 am
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop
Just a quick one today, because I'm trying to write half a dozen other things. :-)

Previous poll review
In the phone poll, 61% of respondents hold the phone to their ear, 40.7% put the call on speaker, and 28.8% wear an earpiece or headphones.

In ticky-boxes, cats with resting blep face came second to hugs, 61% to 69.5%. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
More of Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer, read by Candida Gubbins. Andrew has started listening with me, so I needed a solo listen and, accordingly, am trying Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, read by Catherine Ho, which is great so far. (I've heard it contains one of my DNWs, so I'm approaching with caution.)

Kdramas
Finally finished Nothing But Love (it's so good!). Also finished Aema, which was fantastic, dramatic, pacy, with tons of complicated female relationships and femslashiness (fair warning: gets very dark in places). Two more episodes of Mystic Pop-Up Bar, which continues to be delightful, I did not see that romantic pairing coming!! (It's doing the Gobin "who is the reincarnation of whom??" mystery thing.)

In theory I'm still watching My Youth in the hopes it develops some/any dramatic/romantic tension... but now You and Everything Else is out, who knows. Viewing time is limited.

More Low Life this evening, yay!

Other TV
Mostly Dark Winds and Bluey. We would have watched more Chief of War and Prehistoric Planet, but my Apple app is refusing to stream, grrrr.

Guardian/Fandom
So much is happening! It's great! The Slo-Mo Guardian Rewatch is delightful, [community profile] guardian_wishlist is in its creating period (which is always much too short, argh), and I still haven't caught up with [community profile] fan_writers comments. Also, omg, my tabs!!!

I nominated for Yuletide and am having some earnest conversations with myself about signing up. Last year was my first year; it was a blast, but it was a lot. I could always just treat...

Writing/making things
I'm very close to finishing the unexpected-kink fic (still needs a title), but most of my focus is on [community profile] guardian_wishlist. I've finished one gift and started another, which is threatening to get long (the joy and curse of rarepairs), and I have a laundry list of things to write after that. I'm aiming for, like, six or eight in total, by 6 October, but it will depend on whether I can write short.

Anyway, the current one is at least doing that delightful thing of occupying my brain when I'm not at my keyboard, making me jot down notes and dialogue when I wake up. I've missed this level of engagement.

Life/health/mental state things
Andrew's taking some time off work, which is an adjustment for both of us, and also great and much deserved.

Good things
Tuesday was a glorious sunny summery day. My new glasses are nearly ready. So Many Kdramas! TV-watching dates. Biking again. Bluey! Writing. Fandom and you all. <3

Poll #33633 Muppets
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 46


It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights

View Answers

Kermit
17 (37.0%)

Fozzie
8 (17.4%)

Gonzo
12 (26.1%)

Miss Piggy
7 (15.2%)

Animal
18 (39.1%)

other / none / what?
13 (28.3%)

ticky-box full of I keep biting my lip, ow
9 (19.6%)

ticky-box full of paper tigers prowling stripily through their 2D jungle
22 (47.8%)

ticky-box full of Yuletide nominations
12 (26.1%)

ticky-box full of so many WIPs, so little time
15 (32.6%)

ticky-box full of hugs
35 (76.1%)

What I'm Doing Wednesday

Sep. 17th, 2025 05:10 pm
sage: a white stag on a black background, captioned "Yuletide" (yuletide)
[personal profile] sage
books
still reading Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett. I haven't had the time to really focus on it, so I've been reading Kirk/Spock longfic.

yarning
I finished the crocheted globe for Niece and it looks pretty good. Definitely good enough for a child turning 5, though it's a little unevenly stuffed in a couple of places & I can't get it to shift. Am sad I had to miss yarn group this week, but yesterday I made a 3in diameter moon to go with the Earth. Hopefully it'll all fit in the box.

Yuletide
I nommed:
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. (Amina, Dalila, Raksh, and Jamal)
- Shadow of the Leviathan by Robert Jackson Bennett (Ana, Din, Kepheus)
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Cordelia, Hester, Richard, Penelope)
- Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (Anja, Snow, Grayling)
- Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert (Icarus, Poseidon, Hades, Penelope)

sadly, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures and Rivers of London both look too large to nom this year, if I'm gauging them right. Drat!

#resist
October 18: No Kings Day #2

I hope you're all doing well! <333

Dear ITPE Creator Letter

Sep. 16th, 2025 12:51 pm
mific: (ear trumpet)
[personal profile] mific
First, thanks so much for making me a gift! I'll love whatever you want to make, but here are a few general guidelines about things I prefer and those I'd rather not receive.

Read more... )
sineala: (Avengers: Steve/Tony: It wasn't worth it)
[personal profile] sineala
Moving to the Sun (26709 words) by Sineala
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Avengers (Comics), New Avengers (Marvel Comics)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Getting Together, Project Wideawake (Marvel), Extremis (Marvel), whatever the exact opposite of Body Horror is, Sexual Roleplay, Cuddling & Snuggling, Comic Book Science, Comic: New Avengers Vol. 1 (2004), Fix-It for Comic: Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War Vol. 1 (2006), Marvel Comic Event: Civil War (2006), Fix-It for Marvel Comic Event: Civil War (2006), Hopeful Ending
Summary: When Steve agreed to meet Tony at the mansion to talk, he never imagined that Tony would abandon Registration and join him. He never imagined that Tony would end up in bed with him, either.

Hi, Dreamwidth! I know I have not been around in a while -- I have been having a lot of migraines -- but, here, I finally finished a story for the Dodged A Bullet 616 Steve/Tony Civil War exchange. This was not actually the story I intended to write, because I did not finish that one -- once again, I have been having a lot of migraines -- but I did finish this one. Not the other one, so my WIP pile is at a net zero, but I tried.
verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

Regina Keim created and shared a new due South word search on both Facebook dS and F/K groups.

verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

Today is Callum Keith Rennie's birthday... What a gift he's been to watch over the decades.

Of all the many excellent pics of him over the years, this one (which was used for a Bell ad in Canada) is still one of my favorites.

But this one (below, from Paramount's Ready Room behind the scenes video for ST Discovery) also shows how hot he still is!

Happy Birthday to a wonderfully versatile actor whose work I've followed for literally 30 years, since I first saw him guest star on Forever Knight.

Me-and-media update

Sep. 13th, 2025 06:41 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
Pandemic life
You just can't get fitted for new glasses in a mask.

Previous poll review
In the Spice tolerance poll, 44.9% of respondents can handle mild, 40.8% a vague tingle, 49% a distinct tingle, 34.7% hot, and 12.2% searing. Two people (4.1%) said to call the fire department. Of course, all of these assessments are subjective and contextual: I initially said "hot", but then decided it was probably only "hot for me". Also, 26.5% said it depends on the cuisine.

In ticky-boxes, chocolate came second to hugs, 65.3% to 79.6%. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
We finished the latest Rivers of London in audio, and it was fine. And I finished A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, which suffered from my genre expectations, I'm afraid. Otherwise, the same as last week.

Kdramas/Cdramas
Nothing But Love -- one episode to go, and there is no way to make it last. (If anyone's interest, [personal profile] tinny made some gorgeous icons, yay!)

My Youth -- low-key romance with Song Joong-ki, partially set in the entertainment industry. As yet, there's no tension and very little plot, but everyone's pretty. I'll give it a bit longer.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar -- watched two more episodes. Manager Gwi will forever be my fav. I may have to go back to The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, lol. And probably Family by Choice, too.

Aema -- I'm always delighted to find a kdrama Andrew will watch with me. (He's not really into romances.) This is set in the tawdry film industry of the early 1980s and based on a true story. It's about a celebrated actress who is tired of the exploitative aesthetic (antagonist, but I find her sympathetic) and an unknown ingenue who is desperate to make it, even if it means compromising (also great). It's about censorship, commercialism vs artistic vision, and film-making. Tonally, it reminds me of The Offer, which is a rec. We're three or four eps in.

Low Life -- (Disney+ does Kdramas) Two episodes with our tv-watching-with friend. Another period piece, this one about an array of scam artists and ruffians trying to salvage shipwrecked treasure in the 1970s. A lot of competing interests and macho posturing, and quite a lot of exposition, but I think it's going to be fun.

Other TV
More Chief of War (Apple+; yay indigenous TV; not very fun, but good and with that "prestige TV" vibe). Some Prehistoric Planet (Apple+ nature doco about dinosaurs, narrated by David Attenborough; really charming, quality animation, lots of cute baby 'saurs). More Bluey (we're going to run oooout /o\). Some Secret Genius of Modern Life with Hannah Fry (the episode about microwave ovens, where I learned a) that microwave ovens have Faraday cages to keep the microwaves in, and b) that if you shut an iPhone in my microwave, you can still call it (but not an Android) -- does this mean the little microwaves are escaping? /o\). Connections (BBC, 1978) episode 1, which is scientifically interesting while taking a dim view of human nature.

Guardian/Fandom
Fandom!! Our behind-the-scenes [community profile] fan_flashworks project went live yesterday with a Community Report, a Creator Report, and a comprehensive spreadsheet. We're so proud of this! A million thanks to [personal profile] treonb for working so tirelessly on it!!

Meanwhile, [community profile] guardian_wishlist is underway (sign-ups close soon! come join the fun!), the Slo-Mo Rewatch started last week (jump in anytime!), and I'm still doing Guardian polls, apparently. On top of that, things are hopping on [community profile] fan_writers (if you're posting meta about the craft or process of writing, please link it there!!). *collapses*

Films
Not seen recently, but Uproar! is on Netflix now (here, at least), and it's so good. My review from May: 2023 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film about a Māori teen in 1981, at a time when a tour by the South African rugby team was dividing the country, because apartheid. This film blew me away, A++, absolutely recommend. The theme plays out on multiple levels, the performances are great, and the setting feels very genuine and frustrating. It deals with racism in school, the community, the home, and by the police/state. Stars Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), Minnie Driver, and James Rolleston (Boy).

Writing/making things
My unexpected-kinkfic is at beta. I haven't managed to start anything else yet, despite the vast wealth of Wishlist prompts. My brain keeps stuttering and deflecting (and to be fair, there's been a lot of mod stuff to do). Whenever I look at my WIPs, they slide right off my duck-back brain. I'm really hoping I can get into gear soon!!

Life/health/mental state things
Another political submission last Monday, and one due on the 25th. (I can't do them all, so I'm just tackling ones I hear about.)

I ordered my first progressive-lens glasses. NO WARNINGS OR HORROR STORIES, PLEASE! I'm already trepidatious.
tl;drI've been holding out for a few years now. But these days I'm juggling a) my main pair: 12-yo scuffed-lens cheapos from Zenni Optical (online) which work for most things but I have to take them off for reading, and the scuffs make me feel like I'm getting cataracts; b) single-distance intermediate glasses (computer, crosswords and, increasingly, reading); and c) ancient-prescription sunglasses which, again, work for most things, but I can't read in them, which is a problem at outdoor cafes. My sister had a terrible time adjusting to her progressives last year, and I've seen similar unhappiness on my flist at times, so rather than going to the discount place where I got my intermediates, I went to my opticians. The nice sales guy spent literally hours talking me through everything, showing me various layouts for different lifestyles, and deciding which system would work best for me. He let me take three pairs of frames home for a second opinion. And then spent maybe another hour measuring my eye position and sightlines in different postures. I'm getting clip-on shades to fit the glasses -- fancy! Hopefully this will see me right for a long, long time. (Bodies are so expensive to maintain, ugh.) Again, please don't tell me any progressive-lens horror stories or even ambivalent ones!! Good/encouraging stories are welcome, though.


Korean
So far I'm easily keeping up with reading through the Guardian subs (it helps that I pretty much know episode 1 by heart). I'm not trying to understand every single thing. My brain is enjoying the Hangeul, and the jokes are even funnier when compounded with the triumph of "Oh! I understood that!"

Good things
Saw a seal in the harbour while I was biking home from the opticians. Kdramas! Fandom. Sunshine. Sleep is just really good, yes please. Walking through trees. Partners who let you blather about fandom all the time. ♥ Cat. ♥ Bluey!

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 61


How do you generally make/take phone calls, posturely speaking?

View Answers

hold phone to ear
37 (60.7%)

put call on speaker
25 (41.0%)

wear an earpiece/headphones
18 (29.5%)

other
0 (0.0%)

I don't make phone calls
5 (8.2%)

ticky-box full of beret-wearing bumblebees performing buzz poetry
24 (39.3%)

ticky-box full of cats with resting blep face
38 (62.3%)

ticky-box full of snacks, yes please
30 (49.2%)

ticky-box full of magic tricks with real magic
26 (42.6%)

ticky-box full of hugs
42 (68.9%)

What I'm Doing Wednesday

Sep. 10th, 2025 02:05 pm
sage: A crocheted Spock doll made by Sage (yarning)
[personal profile] sage
books
The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1966. cw: yet more animal harm and graphic violence, child harm, violence against women, dubcon, mention of sexual assault. Swashbuckling! Explosions! Sieges! Mercenaries! Car chases! Malta, Tripoli, Scotland, etc. Much more accessible than the first one, which was Dunnett's first novel. Weird pacing at the end, though.

currently reading: Pawn in Frankincense (The Lymond Chronicles #4) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1969. Baden, Algiers, so far. Piracy!

yarning )

gift rec request
Mom's having trouble finding a good birthday gift for Niece. She requested "binoculars or a telescope," which another family member is taking care of. Point being, she's not your average almost 5-year-old. She's on swim team, is in ballet, and missed the cut off for kindergarten, so she's still in preschool. I went looking for gift ideas, but they all have small parts, and her brother is still only two and might get into her toys and try to eat things he shouldn't. So no LiteBrite sets or such yet. Any gift ideas, preferably educational, would be much appreciated!

dirt
another baby monstera delicosa has come up! I am so happily surprised! I managed to water nearly everything yesterday & all the other plants are doing well, minus the few who still have a thrips situation, grrrr! :smites all thrips:

healthcrap
had a difficult day Monday, but managed to go get my monthly allergy shot. It's irritating that socializing for less than 2 hours on Sunday makes Monday obligations so challenging. Then I overdid it yesterday and barely slept last night, so today isn't great either. /disability. cut for discussion of intended weight loss )

media
I started watching S5 of Lower Decks, and it's so good! I'd forgotten how much I loved S4.

augh
The trunk release lever of my car stopped working. Pretty sure, based on googling, that the cable broke, though I haven't gone spelunking to check. I can still open the trunk with a key, at least, but it's one more thing I need to take care of...or to ignore indefinitely. :(

yuletide!
noms open in less than a week, on the 15th, yay! And the mods have upped the number of fandoms you can nom (5) and request (8)!

#resist
10/18/25: No Kings Day #2

I hope all of y'all are doing well!

state of the me(dia) - aug

Sep. 8th, 2025 05:23 pm
marianas: (Default)
[personal profile] marianas
a little late, oops

READING
📖 Mr Collins in Love by Lee Welch - holy shit I loved this. it seems like it wouldn't work: a short novel in which Pride & Prejudice's Mr Collins is the romantic lead. but it does work. brilliantly. it is more a character study than a romance (but I *love* the romance) and it makes the probably smart choice to not show on page any of the scenes from P&P because we don't need them. just a wonderful lovely book.
📖 A Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley - it's the Natasha Pulley problem again: I get so swept up in how much I love her sentences, then come down from the book high and end up not sure if I even liked the book at all bc I'm remembering all the things that didn't quite work for me that my brain just slid right over while I was in it. I loved this for 3/4ths of the time I was reading it, thought it ended wrong (it deserved a tragic ending - I would have found it so much more emotionally satisfying), and now I don't think I liked it? Will continue to read everything she writes though, because the experience while I'm in it is like nothing else. (this sounds like drugs)
💻 a brief spin through the Captain Haddock/Tintin tag on ao3 for Reasons

WATCHING
📺 still on Apothecary Diaries, which remains very good

PLAYING
🎮 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - a retroactive liveblog of me playing the first case:
  • wtf wtf wtf
  • I love Apollo's thinking face
  • confident dirtbag Phoenix is so good
  • “grape juice” sure…
  • Phoenix did the point from a different angle!!!
  • that kid is definitely older than seven 🧐

🀄️ Mahjong Soul - extremely hooked on online mahjong. have managed to avoid spending any real dollars but have been engaging with the gatcha parts and have pulled 3 new characters. they added a mahjong balatro-like this month, which was very fun.

.

Profile

ds_flashfiction: (Default)
Due South Flashfiction Community

July 2025

S M T W T F S
   12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Sep. 21st, 2025 03:26 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios