Still catching up on crossposting some rainbowfic:

Name: Sweet Interlude
Story: Starfall
Colors: Vert #11 (Marriage)
Supplies and Styles: Silhouette
Word Count: 2343
Rating: PG
Warnings: None?
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Leion Valerno/Viyony Eseray. (A rather slight linking piece).
Summary: Leion and Viyony attend a wedding.

From New York Times bestselling author H. W. Brands, a masterful biography of the Civil War general and two-term president who saved the Union twice, on the battlefield and in the White House, holding the country together at two critical turning points in our history.

Ulysses Grant rose from obscurity to discover he had a genius for battle, and he propelled the Union to victory in the Civil War. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the disastrous brief presidency of Andrew Johnson, America turned to Grant again to unite the country, this time as president. In Brands's sweeping, majestic full biography, Grant emerges as a heroic figure who was fearlessly on the side of right. He was a beloved commander in the field but willing to make the troop sacrifices necessary to win the war, even in the face of storms of criticism. He worked valiantly to protect the rights of freedmen in the South; Brands calls him the last presidential defender of black civil rights for nearly a century. He played it straight with the American Indians, allowing them to shape their own fate even as the realities of Manifest Destiny meant the end of their way of life. He was an enormously popular president whose memoirs were a huge bestseller; yet within decades of his death his reputation was in tatters, the victim of Southerners who resented his policies on Reconstruction. In this page-turning biography, Brands now reconsiders Grant's legacy and provides a compelling and intimate portrait of a man who saved the Union on the battlefield and consolidated that victory as a resolute and principled political leader.


Grant’s biographers tend to focus on different parts of his life. So while Ronald White did a deep dive into Grant’s childhood, Brands give it only a passing glance. Only once Grant enters West Point does the story bring his life into focus.

The Mexican-American War, it Grant’s first wartime experience. While he would excel as a soldier, Grant was never in favor of the invasion. In later years he would write that he doubted America’s policy toward Mexico from the moment of the annexation of Texas, and that the war which resulted was “one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation.”

This sort of moral compass would chart his course through the Civil War and his two terms as president. Time has erased his efforts during Reconstruction and his policies regarding the indigenous population. A nation that once revered him as “the man who saved the union,” has effectively forgotten him and the righteous path he tried to lead the nation through, instead making heroes out of the men who tried to destroy it.




Mount TBR 2026 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
2. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
3. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
4. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon/a>
5. Moon Flower by James P. Hogan
6. The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands




Set in America: The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands

Thank you kindly to the following fen who sent me postal mail in January: a letter from oldtoadwoman, a handmade needlepoint card from smallhobbit, and handmade "the god of feathers" art from mific. I am blessed to be the recipient of these lovely words and crafts and arts. <3

No deadline, no stress, multifandom prompt table challenge for creating fanworks in the Soulmates trope. If you are into this trope...or want to get into this trope...check out the 5 Soulmates Challenge. This link will take you to all the info and FAQs about how the prompts and the claims work for this challenge.

Still amused at the line I had to revise a few days ago: "She left right before [rest of sentence]"

There was nothing wrong with that sentence except. Except. "She left right".

So I had to revise and this line haunts me :P

I was planning to type up some older ficlets I'd found in my notebook, including one for no_true_pair, and when I opened the doc, found an all but complete one already typed up! So here's one I had mostly prepared much earlier but apparently gave up on for some reason.

For the Sept 2024 round of No True Pair, and also for 51pluscrossoverfandoms, 100fandoms & allbingo Crime Classics.

Subdivisions (1073 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, The Chronicles of St Mary's - Jodi Taylor
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Death (Discworld) & Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell
Characters: Death (Discworld), Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell, Leon Farrell
Additional Tags: Crossover, Alcohol, Drunkenness, Community: no_true_pair, Community: 51pluscrossoverfandoms, Community: 100fandoms, Community: allbingo, Max would like it to be known that none of this would happen if Peterson could drive straight, Death just wants to talk
Summary: Max continues trying to cheat Death, even when Death just wants to buy her a pint.

Something strange is happening on the planet Cyrene, which is in the early phases of being "developed" by the mammoth Interworld Restructuring Corporation. Terrans from the base there have been disappearing. Myles Callen, a ruthlessly efficient "Facilitator," is sent to investigate. Also with the mission is Marc Shearer, a young, idealistic quantum physicist, disillusioned with the world, who’s on his way to join a former colleague, Evan Wade. On arrival he finds that Wade too has vanished and doesn't want to be found by the Terran authorities. Wade has arranged contact via the Cyreneans, however, and accompanied by two companions that he has befriended, Shearer embarks on a journey to find his friend that will change Cyrene—and Earth itself.

Every book I’ve read by Hogan has been very much in the hard-science category, and I’ve enjoyed most of them. But I think this one went a bit overboard. Too much of the story was taken up with explaining the science behind the plot’s main concept.

Unfortunately, this meant that there was less time to fill out the characters. The “heroes” were likable, though I never became invested in their stories, especially the romance between the two main protagonists. And the villains weren’t all that villainous. Actually, everyone is sort of given an out for their behavior.

But even with these flaws, the book manages to be somewhat enjoyable. Not one I’d recommend, but not one I’d rebuff, either.




Mount TBR 2026 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
2. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
3. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
4. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon/a>
5. Moon Flower by James P. Hogan










FEBRUARY - Lying, Ruin, Alchemy, Hoax, Blind, Chance, Flower, Sound

Moon Flower by James P. Hogan

In the midst of writing five ways Sir Robert and Catherine could have got together post-canon for yuletide, the inevitable result was also thinking about what if they were just married already. And I hadn't yet actually written them for 100ships or TWB for 100fandoms, so I scribbled this down somewhere in between or after the assignment, and here it is.

when all the leaves are gold (1497 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Winslow Boy (1999)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Robert Morton/Catherine Winslow
Characters: Robert Morton (Winslow Boy), Catherine Winslow
Additional Tags: Community: 100ships, Community: 100fandoms, Community: allbingo, Post-Canon, Edwardian Period, Marriage, Suffragettes, World War I, (outbreak of), Vignette, Happily married Sir Robert and Catherine, Established Relationship, 1910s
Summary: Catherine and Sir Robert, making a marriage work.


(edwardianspinsteraunt, the second section centres around the imminent announcement of WWI and fears in that regard, but only discussions of it, and the first section is entirely war-free anyway, so you are definitely safe there.)

I have had this song stuck in my head on and off for days upon days, so here is a post to maybe make it go awayyyyy



-Lovers in a Dangerous Time


(also randomly having johnny are you queer in my head but at least that one can be banished if I try hard enough)

For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.

But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.

In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind—"the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.

Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America’s most-mourned maritime disaster.

”The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the great lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.”

I don’t remember the first time I heard this song, and I wasn’t sure of all the words. I knew it was a song about a ship going down, but I was under the impression that it had happened a long time ago. Maybe in the 1800s (being in my early 20’s at the time, watching the news wasn’t something I tended to do.) That the song was true, and of recent times, was something I would only learn about years later. Moving to the Great Lakes area would peak my interest in the ship’s fate.

The reader comes to know the men who would go down with the ship, as well as those they would leave behind. Knowing that these men were doomed made it hard sometimes to read their stories.

The book goes through the history of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes, as well as that of the Edmund Fitzgerald, itself. And while there is no way to know for sure, Bacon presents the reader with what is known about that day, the weather, and what may have caused the Fitzgerald’s sinking when other ships made it to port.

The ship’s demise would cause major changes in how the lakes’ traffic would be handled. Better weather reports and tighter regulations would bring about safer conditions, to the point where there has not been another loss of a commercial ship on the lakes since.

The Edmund Fitzgerald’s story is a remarkable one, and well worth reading.




Mount TBR 2026 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
2. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
3. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
4. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon/a>







A Month In the Title

Me - are you cheeky ?
May2- no I'm May may
Me - are you cheeky may may?
May 2- NO IM NOT CHEEKY IM MAY MAY

lol
this can also happen if I ask her if she's my little one.

May 2- I'M NOT LITTLE ONE, I'm May May


So far drop off has been fab all year. The other kids have been crying but not my 2. I think its because they have each other at drop off so they feel better about it. This will likely change in the coming days - it's Wendy's first day of preschool by herself (but she has 2 previous class mates in her group), and May2 will be going to her own "Stanmore Kindy" which isn't kindy but Wendy is confused.

I tried explaining it on the bus this morning

See Wendy you go to preschool first, then kindy, then year 1 year 2 etc all the way to year 6. But when you get to year 1 you will be 6 and then 7 in year 2 and so forth. Does that make sense.

Wendy seemed confused. But won't I be 2 in year 2? and I'm say: but your not 2 your almost 4.

She still looks confused.

lolz.

I'm starting a new tag. I'm gonna call it kids.

I feel like I will say it and then it won't happen lolz.
But I'll say it anyway.

I want to post every day.

But .. anyways. Maybe if I just wrote a sentance, I'd pay that as a post.

A post is a post. Why raise the bar too high?

I'm watching the Australian open as I write this, missed the first 2 sets because I was focused on filling out the forms for this job interview I don't really want but am doing because I really want to know the interview questions.

I spent almost an hour and got to the last form to realise firstly - the stuff I went to prepare pre filling out the forms wasn't needed (birth certificate passport etc) even though those were on the list - and then that the form that was needed, couldn't be filled in and signed online. Adobe didn't allow it for the TB form.

Why have technology and then not trust it?

Ridiculose.

The job interview
has to be at 12:55.

I wish I asked if it could be later. It's going to ruin Wendy's swim lesson and now I have to like, reschedule her lesson and it's a bloody battle to find another class to slot into . There are no other open slots on Wed AM it would become Wed PM and I already requested to work Wed PM next roster as a possibility because I want to squeeze as much as I can into some of the days where I can control the outcome - but this means if I change it to Wed PM now, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot.

So either I just bite the bullet and reschedule yet another class, or, I try and reschedule the interview. I think it will be reschedule the class...

I continue to make slow progress with recovering, which is very dull, but still generally in the right direction, however hard it is to be patient. I haven't been able to keep up much at all here, only in bits and pieces.

However, I realised I was behind with crossposting rainbowfic pieces, and I can do that:

Name: Turn To Dust
Story: Starfall
Colors: Warm Heart #25 (Spite); Azul #9 (Willpower); Colour of the Day - 30/10/2025 (Wheedle)
Supplies and Styles: Charcoal + Chiaroscuro + Graffiti (for October Challenge incl. bonus prompt "Psychological Horror") + Novelty Beads ("But I am alive. And I am not afraid." from bookblather for Birthday Prompts 2021).
Word Count: 3808
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Mental manipulation, threat, injury, death.
Notes: Portcallan, 1313. Leion Valerno, Donn Chiulder, Tana Veldiner. (This isn't Psychological Horror as a genre per se, but I thought taken as a prompt, it fitted too perfectly not to use for this).
Summary: Leion faces his worst nightmare.