beren_writes | Network

Quote of the Day:

"Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion — that’s plot."

— Leigh Brackett

My Check-In:

A bit of work on the Neverending Project, and some poking at drabbles. The prompts are a lot of fun. But I'm out of practice!

Tally
( Days 1-4 )

Day 5:

annavere,

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 6: china_shop

Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!

oursin

A concatenation of things Relevant To My Research Interests (I guess), or, well, I feel I ought to keep up with this sort of thing....

Exiles of love?: uncovering lesbian voices in interwar Czechoslovakia, by someone I know, or at least, whose partner I know and whom I know by association.

Confining yet Convenient: Using Gender Norms to Defend Oneself in Cases of Rural Spousal Violence in Post-Independence Ireland: because that sort of thing could happen, using the system (see that book on 'economic divorce from deserting husbands' in late C19th England).

Review of Pious and Promiscuous: Life, Love and Family in Presbyterian Ulster, which is again, about how the system allows of certain flexibilities.

***

How to piss off historians: Drought, Conflict and the Use of Historical Data and Methodologies in Interdisciplinary Palaeoclimatic Research:

Norman et al. argue that historical sources support their conclusions that drought contributed causally to the ‘barbarian conspiracy’ of 367CE and to other late Roman conflicts. Although historians have developed rigorous methodologies for effective analysis and interpretation of surviving texts, the authors outline no methodologies for dealing with the textual evidence. Further, there are issues with the historical ‘conflict’ and numismatic datasets and with their interpretation.... the textual evidence discussed by Norman et al. does not, and cannot, support the authors’ assertions.

Swing that codfish!

***

Is this not lovely news? posthumous work by Vonda McIntyre forthcoming from Aqueduct Press in May

smallhobbit posting in

fan_flashworks

Title: From Dust to Thimbles
Fandom: Miss Marple
Rating: G
Length: 3 x 100 word drabbles
Summary: Miss Marple finds dust, a lot thimble, and the solution to a problem

( Miss Marple grimaced )

aurumcalendula

I still have a bunch of sections I'm ??? about, but I think I've figured out the start and ending sections of the ClaireBell fanvid I've been working on!

althea_valara

The Finch App is doing a challenge this month where you check in with your friends. The latest check-in is to ask what's bringing your friend(s) joy right now. So, let me know! What is bring you joy these days?

My current joy is Final Fantasy XI. I'm working on my former main character (who I want to make main again eventually) so I got some good gear for her, and started farming telepoints and Survival Guides, both of which make it a lot easier and quicker to get around the world.

I have plans to do Rhapsodies of Vana'diel on her, and if I'm doing *that* then I might as well work on documenting it for my Neocities site. I went back through my logs to find the ones for previous Rhapsodies missions, but I must've played some without using Windower (the third party tool that captures the logs for me, along with doing other neat things). This means I don't have the cutscenes for some of the early missions. What to do? Why, play them on another character!

So I reactivated Valara, my Tarutaru alt. She's adorable! But I forgot that she was pretty much just a mule - her highest job is Red Mage at level 30, and she hasn't unlocked subjobs yet (which you can do at level 18, oops). That's fine, I don't mind playing on her a bit to get her up to scratch.

I also figured that if I'm doing Rhapsodies on her, I should do the Rank 1-5 missions. I've already got Bastok missions documented, and I streamed San d'Oria missions, which leaves Windurst. So I set about last night moving her from Bastok to Windurst. I had to teleport to her home point in Jeuno and then rent a chocobo to ride there. It occurred to me I should have done the raptor mount quest, but too late now - I'll do it later.

Finally made it to Windurst, went to Walls to change my allegiance - nope, wouldn't allow me to do so because I'm on a Bastok mission currently. Oops? At least the Bastok mission takes you to Windurst. I'll knock that out and then switch allegiances.

But that was all I did last night because I was tired from family time. Still, I had fun! Looking forward to more messing around on alts and mains.

nomelon

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kalloway posting in

fandomcalendar

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tinny

thisbluespirit made bingo tables for everyone who wanted one in January, and I requested and got one! <3 It took me two months to finish (mostly because I forgot about it in the meantime oops), but now I remembered and did it. Plus, because I was in an experimentative mood today, three comic-look icons! All of Wu Lei. Enjoy:

Teasers:

( 9 bingo icons + 3 comic icons )

Every single comment is treasured. All icons shareable! Concrit welcome. Check out my resource post for makers of textures and brushes I use.

Previous icon posts:

oursin

Happy birthday,

jambiscuits!

dine

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canyonwalker

Spring Family Visit Travelog #12
Back home · Sun 5 Apr 2026. 10pm.

We're back home from our week of visiting Hawk's parents in Pennsylvania. No, it didn't take us until 10pm (the time shown above) to travel. We walked through our front door just before 6:30pm. And then we promptly turned around and went out to dinner.

After the affront of being handed a packet of Heinz salsa at an airport eatery Hawk declared, "I want good Mexican food tonight!" So we went to dinner at one of our local favorites, La Fiesta.

Enjoying meals at a favorite restaurant, La Fiesta, as soon as we got home (Nov 2025)

Enjoying meals at a favorite restaurant, La Fiesta, as soon as we got home (Nov 2025)

(This is actually a picture from months ago, but we ordered the same things... minus the margarita.)

After dinner Hawk was wrecked from sitting in the airline (and airport) seats for several hours. We came home, and she sacked out on the sofa while I puttered around sorting through the mail and unpacking my suitcase. I thought about going for a soak in the hot tub tonight— yes, the hot tub is fixed after months of being out of service!— but lazed out and stayed in.

delphi

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ranalore

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Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: at the groomer's with girl with the dogs

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 5, to midnight on April 6 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34446 Daily check-in poll

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 21

How are you doing?

I am OK
14 (66.7%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
7 (33.3%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
11 (52.4%)

One other person
6 (28.6%)

More than one other person
4 (19.0%)

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.

teland

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Current Mood: amused
Current Music: the sounds of my endless hungerrrr

mific

Some mildy porny, romantic fun, in which Shane gets tattooed for Ilya. There's even an Easter mention!

Words To Live By (Explicit, ~3600 words)

I should of course be writing my Hollanov Big Bang fic, but no, this one happened.

Happy hot cross buns to everyone.

alethia

I finished a draft of my The Pitt Big Bang and wrote two post-ep fics and now I am DEAD.

Bed Control (3663 words) by Alethia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Pitt (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Abbot/Michael "Robby" Robinavitch
Characters: Jack Abbot (The Pitt), Michael "Robby" Robinavitch
Additional Tags: Season/Series 02, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Complicated Relationships, Workplace Sex, Banter, Porn, so about that hug in the ed
Summary:

Hey, if Robby wanted to start hot, Jack knew how to burn. "You're fucking the new bed control manager?" he asked, low and incredulous.

Robby blinked, realizing what this conversation was. "Really," he said, a whole world in that tone, deeply unimpressed.

But Jack hadn't been intimidated by that tone in years. If ever. "Tell me, Robby. How's she doing managing your bed?"

Doomed From Jump (2676 words) by Alethia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Pitt (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Parker Ellis & Trinity Santos, Parker Ellis & Yolanda Garcia, Yolanda Garcia/Trinity Santos
Characters: Parker Ellis, Yolanda Garcia, Trinity Santos
Additional Tags: Past Ellis/Garcia, Season/Series 02, Episode Related, Complicated Relationships, Exes, the complications of dating coworkers
Summary:

Like clockwork, Yolanda slid dark eyes over to her. "Still ignoring me, Parker? You wound my tender heart."

"That's some low-hanging fruit right there. I think I'm insulted," Parker mused.

Yolanda's grin went sharp enough to slice. "Want me to kiss it better?"

Parker shot her an unimpressed look. Because after everything, she was going there, really? "I know you're not trying to flirt with me."

Current Mood: exhausted

aurumcalendula

I remember my grandparents having gorgeous marbleized looking dyed Easter Eggs and I kinda want to see if I can recreate that sometime. I wasn't there for the dying process, so I'm not sure it it involved dying them in stages, or if was more similar to marbleizing paper (with different dyes floating on the surface of water/oil).

canyonwalker

Spring Family Visit Travelog #11
30,000' over West Virginia · Sun 5 Apr 2026. 4pm.

We're headed home from visiting my inlaws for the past week. We wrapped up the visit this morning with discussion about coming back out in May! Then it was time to hit the road.

BWI airport was just 90 minutes away by car. Traffic was overall like on this Easter Sunday though there were a few slow-downs when the rain fell heavily and for one traffic accident (likely caused by the former). We thought about stopping for lunch outside the airport but decided instead to go all the way to the airport and take our chances on food there.

At BWI we had plenty of time before our flight. We planned it that way. One thing I learned from years of business travel is not to cut it close on the schedule. It's better to plan time at the airport and how to make it relaxing or productive. In this case relaxation was fine. We took our time eating food court quality lunch. I had Subway, Hawk had a chicken quesadilla that was freshly made but served with Heinz salsa. I didn't even know Heinz made salsa! They probably only distribute it to airport food courts, because that's how good it is.

The airport was un-busy for a Sunday, likely again because of the holiday. And our flight home this afternoon has a lot of empty seats, too. I haven't had a flying experience this uncrowded since, I think, 2012. Oh, and...

The view out the window when a Southwest flight is landing 20 minutes early instead of late (Sep 2025)

The view out the window when a Southwest flight is landing 20 minutes early instead of late (Sep 2025)

Okay, so we're not landing yet. We're only as far as West Virginia, maybe eastern Kentucky, and I don't know if we'll land early. But we left on time, and that's still what it feels like!

Update: We did land 20 minutes early!

ofearthandstars

Yesterday was very full of chores - the house was cleaned, the yard cleared of the last storm remnants and pollen pods (spoiler alert: new storms today), and then I worked on some sketching and reading before making a curried tofu dish for supper. I caught up on 4 more back episodes of WTNV,

Today we sorted out the menu planning and grocery shopping. I have managed to get chapters covered in each of the three books I am reading (Hidden Potential, The Urban Bestiary, and Silent Spring). I worked more on filling out the sketching (not really pleased with the outcome, but it's okay - you never get good at anything by avoiding it, so I am learning to settle for "good enough for what I was going for").

I also managed to secure my mom's banana bread recipe from my sister, and then reproduced it with some minor tweaks to get it vegan (all hail the flaxseed egg!). This was a little bit of fun because my sister only had a photo of the top side of the recipe card, and not the back - so I had the ingredients, but not all the instructions. But I made some deductions and it came out good! It is not very healthy, unfortunately. And alas, I swear my mother put raisins in everything. It has pecans, too. Anyway, childhood flavors unlocked. ♥

I finally took the time to unbundle the trees/plants I'd acquired (white dogwood, eastern redbuds, washington hawthorns, crabapples, and crape myrtles) and begin soaking them, and have acquired some temp soil to give them places to rest while I figure out their permanent placement according to light/shade needs.

I have managed to flesh out my weekly planner, and took time to feel out my March reflections and adjust my April goals. I am feeling moderately hopeful that this will be a good month.

I don't know that I have it in me to do NaPoeWriMo this year, but lhe local writer's group is hosting an April poetry contest. I placed 2nd the last time I entered, but I'll need to think on the topic and guidelines provided to see if I can get anything of merit together for this year's submissions.

May your week be pleasant (don't look at the news, don't look at the news, don't look at the news). ♥

The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman		The Haward Mysteries	Vampires: The New Age	The Soul Reader Series

Dark Reflections	My Stand Alone Short Stories/ Novelettes/ Novellas			My Anthologies

The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman		The Haward Mysteries	Vampires: The New Age	The Soul Reader Series

Dark Reflections	My Stand Alone Short Stories/ Novelettes/ Novellas			My Anthologies

Tasha's (aka Beren) Journal

Write Every Day April 2026 - Day 6

Assorted things

Beam: Miss Marple: Fanfic: From Dust to Thimbles

(no subject)

JOY

Look Ma, I can write other things!!!

Multifandom: Spring Renewal Prompt Fest

Icon Bingo Table

(no subject)

we're so back, baby!

Home from Pennsylvania... to Way Better Mexican Food than Pittsburg's Finest 🤣

Six Sentence Sunday

All flowers fall in love with butterflies

Daily Check-In

Story: Hands to tremble all over [Coral Island]

Wrote another fic

Two Pitt Fics!

(no subject)

Headed Home from Visiting Inlaws

Weekend Update #2,430.

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November 2023

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