seewildflowers

The museum had lots of gorgeous art from all over Asia in lots of different media. I've never seen Indian animation before. The drag queens were a lot of fun to watch too, I only wish my friend had shown up. He texted me that he was too tired. Also I have to remember to bag my own food next time I go there, the shrimp veggie rice noodle thing I had was tasty but much too overpriced.

Current Music: Red Hot Chili Peppers

chez_jae

Red Delicious Death by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

I finished my “spare” book this evening. It was Red Delicious Death by Sheila Connolly, and it’s the third in the “Orchard” mystery series. The main character is novice orchardist, Meg Corey.

Meg is learning that there is a lot of work that goes into an apple harvest, and that preparations must begin months ahead of time, such as lining up pickers and finding buyers. Nevertheless, when her friend Lauren calls and says she knows a young couple who want to open a restaurant, Meg helps Brian and Nicky find a venue. Their friend Sam will be the sous chef, and part of his duties include visiting local farmers to source fresh food for the restaurant. When Sam is found dead in a pigsty, the police have reason to suspect it was homicide. Meg is too busy to get involved in any amateur investigation, but she does help out where she can. Sam wasn’t in town long enough to make any enemies, so Meg and everyone else is left wondering who would have wanted him dead?

The mystery took a backseat in this book, which was both refreshing and annoying. Most of the narrative was taken up with Meg’s orchard business, and her trying to help Brian and Nicky launch their restaurant endeavor. Meg’s relationship with Seth is progressing nicely, and it was VERY refreshing to read a cozy mystery wherein the main character neither stumbled over the victim’s dead body nor ended up in peril at the end of the book.

Favorite line: “Houses seem to have this built-in urge to self-destruct, and us hardy homeowners must battle constantly to prevent it.”

I was leaning towards an average score for this one, but my delight in the fact that Meg didn’t find the body or end up in danger at the end bumps the score up to four.

Current Mood: calm

greghousesgf

I had so much fun bar hopping with my friends last night! Also really looking forward to going to the Asian art museum later today, in addition to all the awesome art they normally have there, they're also doing a drag show, those are always fun. One of my friends from last night will be meeting me there, I hope.

Current Music: Beethoven

chez_jae

Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

I have today off, and I used my downtime productively to do some laundry and finish reading Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox. It’s the 4th book in her “Aster Valley” series of male/male romance. Main characters are Julian Thick and Parker Ellis.

Julian has been in love with his straight best friend, Parker, forever. He thought he could accept simply being Parker’s friend, but now Parker is marrying their mutual friend, Erin, and Julian has to act like he’s happy for them before he leaves for Aster Valley to wallow in grief and try to put his unrequited crush out of his life for good. Parker loves Erin, but he’s not in love with her. Things between them have always just been comfortable and easy, in spite of their on-again-off-again relationship. The only constant in his life is Julian, his best friend and confidant. Whereas Erin has always turned to Parker when she needed a safe place to land, Parker has always turned to Julian. When Erin ditches him the morning of their wedding, Parker almost feels relieved, and he accepts Julian’s offer to come stay with him for a week in Aster Valley. Spending so much time with Julian leaves Parker wondering if what he’s been looking for has been right in front of him all along.

This was lovely. Sad and poignant in places, funny and inspiring in others. I was charmed by the easy camaraderie between Julian and Parker, even though Julian was secretly hurting over Parker’s seeming obliviousness. Once they clear the air between them and take their relationship to the next level, things were hot and spicy. However, the reader knows that the specter of Erin isn’t done casting a shadow over their new status. I honestly don’t know how Parker or Julian was friends with her; she was the most self-absorbed twit ever. Ugh. But, things have a way of working themselves out.

Favorite lines:
♦ “You know the pity party has reached full swing when Julian offers to tackle a multistep recipe.”
♦ There had to be a global rule about not crying when eating bacon.
♦ We’d had an unspoken rule in our relationship for years. Only one of us could be unhinged at a time.
♦ “In this family, we answer the door with, ‘We don’t want to have sex with you.’”

This one hit me in the feels, but I found it a tad predictable, and I would have liked more humor. Giving it four stars.

Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: "Shining Star" ~ Earth, Wind & Fire

greghousesgf

Looking forward to seeing my friend for drinks and possibly dinner at North Light this evening. I've been thinking and I seriously doubt she'll judge me negatively about the overpriced tarot card business. Anyway I had a text conversation w/her earlier this morning and she didn't even bring the subject up.

Current Music: Radiohead

greghousesgf

Had some English Afternoon tea. The tarot readings were $35 each which I think is too expensive so I just had a drink and left. I'm supposed to have my friend come over and visit tomorrow, she's the same person who told me about the tarot thing in the first place and I think she'll probably ask about it and I'm feeling too embarrassed to tell her.

Current Music: Mozart

chez_jae

Life's A Birch (The Bloomin' Psychic, #2)

Life's A Birch by Annabel Chase

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

I finished Life’s a Birch by Annabel Chase last night. It’s the second installment in her “Bloomin’ Psychic” series, starring Mia Thorne.

Mia is getting acclimated to the slower pace of life in Newberry, PA, although she still needs a job, and her great-aunt Hazel’s garden still needs lots of work. At least she has some new friends, Scarlet and Patrick, a potential boyfriend in attorney Dane Fairfax, and hellcat Ophelia seems to be accepting her. Things are going well until a body is found in the canal near Scarlet’s home and Scarlet is tabbed as the primary suspect. Determined to clear her friend’s name, Mia starts nosing around in hopes of finding a more viable suspect or two for the police to focus on. What she encounters is a conspiracy-minded birdwatching group, a creepy set of twins, a snarky knitting circle, and a ghost. The police would prefer that Mia stay out of it, because a killer may just kill again to keep a secret.

As fresh and funny as the first in the series. Mia is a hoot, and I love how she rolls with whatever fresh hell life deals her. The plot moved at a good pace, and characters were well-developed.

Favorite lines:
♦ Ophelia appeared in the kitchen, meowing with a sense of urgency. “What is it, Lassie? Did Timmy fall in the well again?”
♦ Chief Tuck peered at me with those Paul Newman eyes and I immediately started to crave salad dressing.
♦ “You should have taken something from him so you can try to do a reading later, like a strand of his hair, although I’d hate to deprive him of what few hairs he has left.”
♦ She was like a geriatric version of Luna from Harry Potter.
♦ Vacating the bean bag chair was like trying to give birth to myself.

Lots of fun, four stars

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "The Greatest" ~ Lana del Rey

svgurl

This is part 3 of

maevedarcy's 72 Multifandom questions to ask a fangirl.

Experiences and Memories

1. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had related to your fandom(s)?
I feel like everything in Smallville fandom has kinda blurred together. Maybe not a specific fandom, but in recent years, the excitement of running (well, co running) my first exchange was such a good feeling, as was the unexpected enthusiasm over Comment Bingo, when I finally got it up and running.

#2-12

2. Have you ever traveled to a location specifically because it was featured or related to your fandom(s)?
No. When I went to Vancouver though, I was excited when I realized I could recognize the top of the building that they used as Oliver's penthouse/Queen Tower in Smallville. I still remember a LJ friend made a list of places that they film at, and I left it on my laptop and forgot that I wasn't planning on taking it, so I couldn't use it. IDK how much my family would be all for my Smallville related tour of Vancouver but I could've tried to see a couple of spots. Oh well.

3. Can you share about a time when fandom helped you through a difficult period?
I don't know if there's a specific time, but fandom has always felt like an escape. I'm pretty closed off/keep things to myself, for better or for worse, and sometimes, I think I have been able to express myself online in a way that is a little harder to do in person. And people have always been kind and supportive and I have appreciated that a lot. I've left fandom multiple times but it's always easy to find a home here when I return.

4. What’s the longest you’ve ever waited in line for an event or release related to fandom?
Probably a couple of hours. Both when I stood in line at Barnes N Nobles for the 7th Harry Potter book (had to go twice - one to get the ticket with the Letter Group I was in earlier in the day and the second time when they were actually opening the doors) or when I went to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight and had to be there at like, 9PM. Even then, we were further back than I planned so we could've gotten there sooner but the seats we ended up with weren't so bad, iirc.

5. Have you had the chance to meet any of the actors, musicians, authors, or creators from your fandom(s)?
No, the closest I got was when I saw Shah Rukh Khan filming on my college campus and seeing Chris Evans in LA pre-Captain America. I was getting ice cream with a few friends and a premiere for Push had just let out. Dakota Fanning left fairly quickly, but I do remember he was hanging around. We recognized him but I didn't have a smart phone or anything for him to sign, so I didn't bother.

6. What’s the most treasured piece of merchandise you have that’s related to fandom?
Bollywood may not be a fandom I was ever in much, but I was obsessed with Shah Rukh Khan as a teen and I was in London a few days after his Madame Tussaud's statue was revealed, so when we went, they had a SRK doll. I bought it and brought it back with me. I still have it. Also my sister once got me a Superman keychain from Six Flags and I still keep it on my lanyard. It's held up well! :D

7. Do you remember the first item you ever collected or received related to fandom?
Not really. I had a lot of Shah Rukh Khan posters as a teen. I would assume it was something Superman related though since I've been a fan for so long.

8. What’s the most exciting fan event or panel you’ve attended?
I've never attended any fan events/panels.

9. Have you participated in any challenges, collaborations, or competitions within fandom?
Yes, I've been apart of land comms, bingo events (though I'm terrible about completing them!), fests, and exchanges. They're a lot of fun and have helped me get out of my comfort zone.

10. How did you feel the first time you saw your favorite character, band, or actor in person?
I remember OneRepublic was part of this summer fest years ago and I was really excited to watch them live. I don't know how much I actually enjoy live music events/concerts, but that was a blast.

11. Have any of your family or friends become fans because of your influence? What was that like?
My sister has actually ended up getting me into shows for the most part, because I barely watch anything and she gives a lot of things a shot (she was even watching Smallville before me). My dad watched Elementary because of me, since I wanted to, and he really liked it too, so we'd watch together.

12. What’s the most emotional moment you’ve had as a fan within your community?
I remember when one of my LJ friends passed away. We weren't close, but we did work together on a fandom newsletter and I was just shocked. I'm sure many other people can relate unfortunately, but the way it all happened and escalated so quickly was a lot. I think that was the first time someone I knew online had passed away. Just so sad.

greghousesgf

Tonight should be interesting, I'm going over to North Light again after dinner at home because a FOAF is doing tarot readings.

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Music: David Bowie

greghousesgf

I'm waiting for my laundry to finish in the dryers. I had a terrific time yesterday except some old man tried to steal my pizza right from under my nose and some dork was convinced I must have kids because I was wearing a T shirt with Donald Duck on it. What?!
At least the Stones soundalike band kicked ass but I wasn't expecting otherwise.

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: Madness

haebin

I am sorry for the long break I had to take but I am now back and bringing the next chapter to you. Please enjoy! And like always, thank you for reading. It means a lot to me. ♥

( The Mistress of the Shadowland, Second Book, The next Chapter )

Current Mood: hot.
Current Location: home.

greghousesgf

The Wes Anderson movie was great, I am now at the North beach street Fair and am having a great time.

Current Music: The kinks

greghousesgf

Yesterday turned to be a bit of a mixed bag, I had a nice time sitting outside listening to music on my cell phone and more fun hanging out in North Light listening to more music but Artichoke Basille was totally empty so no karaoke, I just had a drink and pizza and got bored so I left. Tonight should be better, I'm going to the new Wes Anderson movie.

Current Music: the Damned

svgurl

seasons_of_fandom (formerly located at

lands_of_magic) is an interactive community where you join a team and participate in creative challenges to get points for you and your team. All fandoms are welcome!

There are four teams - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter! Sign-ups for the new round are open! You can click on the banner below or go HERE.

Let them know I sent you if you sign up! :D

chez_jae

A Witch to Remember by Heather Blake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Last night I finished the book A Witch to Remember by Heather Blake. It’s the 9th in her “Wishcraft” mystery series, starring Wishcrafter witch Darcy Merriwether.

Darcy has a lot on her plate. Her wedding is set to take place in a couple weeks, the quarter-century Renewal of the Elder is coming up first, and now there’s been a murder. As the witch tasked with investigating magical crimes in the Enchanted Village, Darcy must now juggle solving a crime along with everything else. The main suspect is Darcy’s nemesis, wicked witch Dorothy, but Darcy isn’t so sure Dorothy committed the crime. Compounding Darcy’s stress is the fact that her sister, Harper, will have to decide if she wants to take up the mantle of Elder upon her death, as their mother did when she passed. Harper, however, doesn’t know she will have to make that choice, and Darcy isn’t sure which way Harper may lean. As the suspect list for the murder grows with no clear resolution, Darcy knows she’s running out of time.

It took me a bit to really get into this story, but by the end, I rocked through it. There were many interesting twists and turns to keep Darcy (and the reader) on edge. Things were wrapped up neatly by the end, which is fortunate, as the author’s website indicates this is the last book in the series. Boo on that.

Favorite lines:
♦ “I believe in things I can’t see. In things I don’t quite understand. I believe in magic.”
♦ This wasn’t quite the signed, sealed, and delivered alibi I’d been expecting, as squirrel testimony was anything but airtight.
♦ “I’d probably draw the line at Satan as well.”
♦ “Longest week ever.” // “It’s only Monday.”
♦ “I don’t joke about casseroles.”
♦ “Did I mention we’re one very loud, happy, albeit a tad strange family?”

Good book, sad to see the series end. Four stars

Current Mood: hot
Current Music: Oilers at Panthers, 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4

svgurl

This is my card for the

julybreakbingoevent :D

( card and fills )

greghousesgf

Tonight I plan on indulging my inner music geek by going over to North Light to listen to some great music and have a drink and then to Artichoke Basille to do some karaokeing. :)

Current Music: Jakob Dylan

greghousesgf

What in the fuck is up with people just assuming I'm married? This isn't 1947, lots of people aren't married!
unrelated, I had a great time at the Skeptics in the Pub meeting last night, at least those people aren't stupid enough to assume everybody's married.

Current Music: Bob Dylan

greghousesgf

Mailed my electric bill payment and picked up a few things including a slice of lemon cake from my favorite cafe. I'm waiting to hear from the guy from the skeptics group about when he's going to pick me up this evening.

Current Music: Motorhead

svgurl

This is the second part of the questions from the 72 Multifandom questions to ask a fangirl.

Fandom Participation:

1. Do you keep up with any official or fan-authored wikis or encyclopedias about your fandom?
I don't think so. I've definitely used them as resources when I want to write fic and I don't remember specific details or if I want to find out more about, say, DC fandom/characters when I was writing Smallville fic.

#2-12

2. How do you stay updated with the latest news and information concerning your fandom?
I follow people who share my fandom on Tumblr and figure out things from others who post what is going on. Also sometimes, I follow the cast on IG and see if they post anything. Before, I used to be more active in reading fansites and the like, and take more of an initiative in posting news I find as well, but now I tend to take more of a relaxed stance. If I get really curious, I will look into things myself.

3. Are there any forums, social media groups, or online communities you frequent to discuss your fandom?
Back with Smallville, it was Livejournal. There were a lot of ship and fandom specific communities but mainly my journal and the journal of friends. Also, I used to go to some sites, like Divine Intervention, which was a Clois fansite. I was mostly a lurker at Kryptonsite.

These days, it's mainly Tumblr. I'm active on here, but I don't know how much I actively discuss fandoms. Not a fraction as much as I used to do on LJ for sure. I'm on Discord as well, but I tend to prefer one on one conversations. With servers, I tend to lurk more than actively participate.

4. How would you describe the overall atmosphere and culture within the fan community?
Good, as long as you know how to curate your experience. There are ups and downs to every type of fandom. There's drama and fighting, no matter how big or small the fandom is - it's just the type of fighting feels differently and I imagine it's more frustrating when you start out with fewer people and you have to block or worry about cliques since there is a chance of more overlap. It just depends what you want out of fandom and fortunately, there a lot of tools to help make it more pleasant and fun (blocking/muting/etc), which it should be.

5. Have you attended any fan conventions or meet-ups? If so, what was your experience like?
No, I used to want to, but I didn't want to go alone and since I've always tried to keep my online and real life separate, I didn't have anyone to go with.

6. What’s the significance of fan art, fan fiction, or fan videos in your community?
Really significant. I came to be part of fandom because of fanfiction - I had been reading it for years and then I eventually started writing. I started out writing for a very small ship in a big fandom and over the years, I've shipped bigger ships in bigger fandoms (MCU namely and I was able to see Sam/Bucky really grow into something bigger, which was nice). Now my main fandom is pretty big/active and there is a lot of content of all the above. I love looking at fanart and fan videos, though I do feel like I used to watch the latter more in the past. It seems a bit harder to find these days, unless you specifically search it out but the one way the algorithm on YouTube was useful is that if I find one I like, it starts to give me more so I have found some great creators that I wouldn't have otherwise, since I wasn't sure where to look.

7. Are there any charity or social causes your fandom community supports?
Currently, I've seen people participate in the Fandom Trumps Hate, which is obviously multifandom, and also, I think there's a 911forGaza one too.

8. How do fan theories or headcanons contribute to your enjoyment of the fandom?
As with fandom as a whole, there's good and bad. I like reading about other people's theories and headcanons and I enjoy coming up with my own. It's a fun surprise when you can theorize and speculate and end up being right - it has happened a couple of times over the years. However it is frustrating when a certain headcanon or theory can spread and take over and gets treated like canon. Sometimes, it's just mildly annoying because it's hard to avoid and others, when the fans get entitled and throw tantrums when they're not getting what they feel like they "deserve" or something happens that goes against their theory, it's downright frustrating.

9. Are there any rituals or annual events that your fandom community participates in each year?
There were plenty of ship specific events - I remember there being exchanges and the like for Clark/Lois in Smallville (and other ships but I can't tell you about those), both on a now deleted community and the fansite. Also there were Smallville fanfic awards with ship and general categories but that was in the later years. With my current fandom, I've seen annual events on Tumblr. Character/ship/theme specific weeks and a summer ship event that people are into. I haven't actually made anything for them yet but I'm still fairly new to 9-1-1 and am not yet comfortable with doing more than lurking.

10. What is the craziest or most dedicated thing you’ve done for your fandom(s)?
I don't think I've done anything too crazy. Online, I've ran communities and an exchange. Ran to the store to get a copy of the TV Guide that had Tom Welling & Erica Durance on it. Did the whole midnight bookstore visit to get my copy of the 7th HP book. Just fun stuff like that. Nothing too wild, or at least nothing I can think of.

11. Have you created any content or resources that have contributed to the fan community?
I've written fic and in the past few years, made some icons. Earlier on, back in Smallville fandom, since the ship I was writing for was so small and didn't have many other people writing for it, I did make a list of Clark/Oliver ships that I could link people when they expressed interest in the ship and didn't know where to find fic. I hope it helped.

12. Are there any well-known fan community leaders or content creators that you admire?
There are lot of great writers and vidders whose worsk I enjoy and subscribe to but I can't say I'm aware these days of who is "big" in fandom. Obviously you can tell by AO3 stats and who does numbers on Tumblr but I don't pay attention to that.

Profile

seewildflowers

June 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Neutral Good for Practicality by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Jun. 20th, 2025 09:05 pm

Reading

(no subject)

Book 62, 2025

(no subject)

Book 61, 2025

(no subject)

(no subject)

Book 60, 2025

multifandom questionnaire pt 3

(no subject)

(no subject)

The Mistress of the Shadowland, Second Book, The next Chapter

I

(no subject)

seasons_of_fandom!

Book 59, 2025

july break bingo card

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

multifandom questionnaire pt 2

Profile

June 2025

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags