kalakirya

trobadora posting in

Guardian Reverse Exchange 2026. Image shows Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan facing each other, gripping the Sundial between them.

The Annual Interdimensional Haixing-Dixing 520 Day Reverse Exchange is coming back for 2026!

520 sounds like "I love you" in Mandarin, so May 20th is a bit like Valentine's Day. To celebrate, we're back with the eighth annual 520 Day Reverse Exchange. As the name says, this is a reverse exchange: instead of making your request and that request being assigned to a writer/artist/fanwork creator, here:

You sign up with the kinds of things you enjoy creating.
You choose three writers/artists/fanwork creators based on anonymised ads.
You make a request of each of them based on what they enjoy creating.
You are assigned one request to create for, based on your offer.
You receive a gift from one of the creators you chose.

(An updated rules/info post will go up before sign-ups open, but here is last year's for reference.)

This year's schedule

Sign-ups part 1 - offers: Sunday 15 March - Friday 27 March
Sign-ups part 2 - requests: Saturday 28 March - Friday 3 April
Matching: Saturday 4 April - Tuesday 7 April
Assignments out: Wednesday 8 April at the latest
Deadline: Wednesday 13 May
Work reveals: Wednesday 20 May (there is no anon period)

Poll #34332 520 Day Reverse Exchange 2026

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3

View Respondents

520 Day Reverse Exchange 2026

View Answers

Yay!
3 (100.0%)

I will definitely sign up!
3 (100.0%)

I might sign up
0 (0.0%)

I'm already thinking about what to offer
1 (33.3%)

I'm willing to post a promo to Tumblr/Twitter/Discord/elsewhere, to spread the word (we'll PM you a reminder)
1 (33.3%)

ETA: This post is also on tumblr now, if you'd like to reblog over there!

hannah

There's been a downpour on and off tonight, hitting a couple hours ago and then coming back loud enough I can't miss it. There was a little snow left in the parks and at the very edges, but this is going to see to everything. The feeling of knowing this is exactly it, more than it felt on Sunday, is somehow both peaceful and unsettling. There's an acceptance and a sense of gratitude of not having missed the moment. It's not something I'm eager to seek out, and it's one I can hold onto and sit with a while.

I put in three bids for this year's Fandom Trumps Hate, two for beta readers and one for a vid. Whether they'll end up getting outbid remains to be seen. I've got at least a day to figure out what my absolute maximum collective bid should be and which ones to prioritize. Not something to think about for the rest of the night, at least.

Current Mood: thankful
Current Music: All The Nasties - Elton John

facethestrange posting in

sid_guardian

4 different creators are offering 6 Guardian auctions for

fandomtrumpshate this year! ♡

As of March 3rd, bidding is open! It closes on March 7th, 8pm ET.

facethestrange: auction #1 | auction #2 | auction #3
(All auctions are exactly the same.)
type: fanart: drawing/painting
highest rating: E
minimum bid: $20
drama or novel? both + RPF

goodblye_blue: auction link
type: fanfic (new or remix), 5-10k words
highest rating: E
minimum bid: $5
drama or novel? unspecified (likely novel)

milo: auction link
type: fanfic (new), 5-10k words
highest rating: E
minimum bid: $5
drama or novel? unspecified

tinypinkmouse: auction link
type: fanfic (new), less than 5k words
highest rating: E
minimum bid: $5
drama or novel? drama (novel influences welcome) + Weilan derivatives

(If you're on tumblr, here's a rebloggable post with the same list.)

hannah

Feeling accountably tired today - I'm not sure of the precise cause, but there's enough of them it's probably something I can point to. The weather, the loss of community members, peeking into the job market, pick something. The effect is the same of having me struggling to focus on editing, so in the end it doesn't much matter where it's coming from.

I did manage to peek into the job market and send something out. I did manage a decent workout. I did manage to cook some congee to use up some rice and stretch out some braised chicken a couple more days. Productive in ways most people would think of, but with little writing getting done, it doesn't feel quite that way to me. The solution is to try for bed and try again tomorrow.

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab for Cutie

awanderingcoyote posting in

sid_guardian

This is the fanworks round-up post for February! Please link in the comments to any Guardian (or related fandoms) fanworks you created or enjoyed last month.

all kinds of fanworks are welcome – fic, art, vids, picspams, etc. - including those made for exchanges and events
new chapters of WIPs count
meta or discussion posts, too
whether or not you've already linked these in a post of their own, we still want them here!

If you're linking to fanworks you didn't create yourself, please clearly mark these "REC", so there's no confusion about authorship/creatorship.

(And please still do link your fanworks, meta, etc. separately, in their own post, at any time!)

So ... what Guardian and related fandoms works did you create or enjoy in February?

hannah

It might've been the last snow of the season this morning. A light dusting, enough to make me think a coat would've been nice and not too much to make me need more than a sweatshirt. It was nice to feel the last bits of cold, especially since the sun was out a couple of hours later, so nothing much stuck around. Few people were at the market, which made it easier - I haven't been to the Sunday one in a while, and as anemic as this time of year is for produce, it's nice to see some depth of color when it comes to the root vegetables.

In other shopping news, from working in assorted doctor's offices, I found a good quality bandage brand, and online shopping being what it is, I had to resort to eBay for a couple boxes. Most medical supply places call for a minimum order of significantly more than a couple boxes of bandaids, which I understand, and convenience pushes me towards eBay because that's all I need right now. It was that or Amazon, and I'm slightly more trusting of eBay as a general institution.

Current Mood: sick
Current Music: Boxes - Travis

trobadora posting in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purple sky with stars. Text reads, "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid_guardian.dreamwidth.org"

Hi, welcome to this week's instalment of the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Watch half an episode a week, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here is last week's half-episode. On to the second half!

Episode 12, from 22:18:

Summary: We start with murder! Zhu Jiu is collecting people's life energy and has recruited the human manager of a fight club to provide it for him. Chu Shuzhi leaves the SID to find out where Guo Changcheng is, since he's still missing. Zhao Yunlan questions Tan Xiao and learns about Zheng Yi's abusive stepfather. He understands Tan Xiao's motive, but tells him he has to follow protocol. At that moment, the Envoy arrives and briskly takes Tan Xiao away. (Da Qing wonders what Zhao Yunlan has done to upset him, since he won't even chat!) When Zheng Yi cries, Zhao Yunlan offers kitty!Da Qing as a comfort.

Returning to the SID, Zhao Yunlan is unhappy with the case's easy resolution. He starts putting together all the clues and realises that it's Zheng Yi who's Dixingren, not Tan Xiao. Meanwhile in a park, the Envoy (literally) shakes down Tan Xiao, then knocks him out - he's deduced the same thing. (In a flashback, Zhu Jiu recruits Zheng Yi just as she's killing her stepfather.) Zhu Hong wakes up, and she, Zhao Yunlan and Lin Jing rush to the hospital, but Zheng Yi and Da Qing are gone. They in turn have gone to the SID, where Da Qing hands Zheng Yi the Hallows. She remembers she's supposed to go to a wedding to find Tan Xiao.

At the Li/Huang wedding, we re-meet Papa Li, the bride and the groom, and Minister Gao, as well as meeting Cong Bo for the first time, who's secretly recording things. Meanwhile, Da Qing walks past Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand, is suddenly reminded of something Kunlun once said to him, loses control and starts trashing the fruit stand.

Quote:

Lin Jing: "We need permission from the boss!"

Chu Shuzhi: "The boss' decision is the same as mine."

Detail:

Lin Jing tells us that "weak-minded" Dixingren accidentally losing control and using their powers, harming themselves and others, happens a lot.

Is it that they're weak, though, or is it that living in hiding, they lack the support and infrastructure to learn control properly?

Questions:

What's your favourite bit from this half-episode? If the Envoy had stopped to talk to Zhao Yunlan, would that have made a difference to the outcome? If Zhao Yunlan et al. hadn't left the SID to rush back to the hospital, could they have stopped Zheng Yi? How does Tan Xiao know about Dixing and the Envoy? How deliberate and premeditated was Zheng Yi's killing of her stepfather and his flunkies? Where does Lin Jing's speech about the hardships of Dixingren come from? Is what's going on with Minister Gao and Li Guangbiao actually headline-worthy? Any thoughts on parallels with other parts of the drama? Or on how this relates to things in the novel?

(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)

For the next two weekends, we're taking a break to give everyone (including ourselves) a bit of time to catch up! Regular posts will resume on the weekend of 20 March.

Here is our schedule for the current batch of episodes - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

hannah

Someone moving out of their apartment's always cause for investigation, and sometimes, I get lucky: a couple folding baskets for my closet that replace the cardboard boxes that had been there since I moved in. I'd never gotten around to replacing them with anything, and after a while, just adjusted to their presence and got attached to them.

I'm trying to ask myself why I'm unwilling to let go of certain things I'm not using, like old pajamas. It's an unpleasant inertia. They're not even particularly nostalgic. I think some of it's just me bristling at the idea of getting rid of things, even though I know better. At least a little is there not being good places for fabric to go. If there were some, knowing that would certainly help a bit with conceptualizing not having them anymore.

Current Mood: discontent
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

Based on the size and the chirps, I'm pretty sure the bird I saw perched on the rooftop structure earlier today was a peregrine falcon. I didn't have anything to take a picture, and I didn't see it fly off to be able to check the silhouette, so I'm only working off what I got from the ground across the street.

It was hard to miss. At least, I found it hard to miss. There wasn't enough noise to drown out the chirps, which were distinctive enough I knew something had to be around. I deliberately stopped a little while to look at it, in case anyone walking by would stop to see what I was looking at, or ask me what I'd noticed. There weren't many people, and of the people that came, neither of them bothered. I don't know what was on their minds.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

This morning in the gym, a woman some decades my senior was doing a virtual training session with another woman in between our age brackets, though closer to her than me. I could hear and see them and they could see and hear me, but it wasn't an issue - I just grabbed a kettlebell and moved to the other side of the room.

The trainer let out a gasp and said, "Look at that girl's hair!" She'd seen my braid hanging down, and couldn't help but comment.

I won't lie: it's pretty wonderful to have something about myself that catches complete strangers' attention in a charming, positive way. And I won't lie: it was a superb moment to hear someone call me a girl. Affirming and euphoric.

Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

Odd nausea, fading in and out, has marked the day. I don't know where it's coming from, but I feel like I should write it down somewhere. I drank a pot of ginger tea and I'm hoping it kicks in soon.

In other news, because I didn't want it to be the last Michael Mann movie I haven't seen, I started watching Public Enemies, and it's quite something how the last few years make it easy to see John Dillinger as a duplicitous, murdering criminal no matter the face he puts on for the public.

Current Mood: nauseated
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

Between the train being a while and the train being delayed, I arrived just in time to be fashionably late: I walked into the party just as the guest of honor was being introduced. The woman of the hour, a newly published author, a friend of the people whose library I was hired to organize who decided to invite me to the book party as a parting gift. I was the last person to arrive and comfortably below the average age of the guests, and even recognized a handful of people from overlapping social Jewish circles. I felt nervous about being there until the man who was introducing the author talked about how her memoir was both nostalgic and sad, not a combination that comes up - and I waved my hand to get his attention, because I knew exactly what to say.

I quoted Anya Von Bremzen to say the phrase she used for that sensation was poisoned Madeline.

When I say the host, author, and room were suitably pleased and impressed at the phrase, that also says a lot about the rest of the guests at the party.

What's even better is that my interjection wasn't my high point of the party. As much fun as it was to be invited to that kind of thing, as deeply as I enjoyed putting some goat cheese inside dates for an amazing snack, I mostly attended to network. I knew my clients, I knew who their friends would be, and I worked that as much as I could. I introduced myself and said, "I'm the librarian." I explained how I'd come to be at the party. I hobbed, I nobbed, I was suitably impressive. I said, "My card," and handed over a business card. I commented to one of the hosts that if all that came out of it was being able to say I'd said "My card" it was worth the evening. It was an amazing feeling to do that. So very grown up.

I wore one of my nicer dresses, and it definitely helped me feel like I belonged there. After a while, the feeling simply settled in. I chatted about fiction, about the philosophy of library science and the psychology of letting go of books, about cakes and baking, about public transportation. I said cabs were the luxury of the people and that they were union. I joked about wanting to show off my party trick but since the party was over, too bad. I nibbled and had some wine, and took some grapes home at the hosts' insistence, though they didn't have to try very hard. I took a bike back instead of using the subway or walking, and it was the best way to come down from the elevated state. Not all the way down, though - it'll be with me for a while longer, and I'm doing what I can to savor it for as long as it lasts.

Current Mood: touched
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

It was beautifully quiet today. The snow helped, of course, and the snow was the cause - people staying home, cars not getting driven, taxis not cruising for passengers. Helicopters and planes staying on the ground. It took me a while to realize I wasn't hearing the usual sounds. When the snow let up and people started driving again, I honestly felt resentful that the travel ban wasn't going on longer. It'd been a nice glimpse into a quieter New York City. I feel like that's how it always is. Just a glimpse of a better world.

Or at least, a moment to resettle so I can realize just how noisy the West Side Highway really is. I went down to the park to walk a bit in the afternoon, after the snow stopped, and I don't mind noise from kids that are shouting about how happy they are or what a good time they're having when they're sledding down a big hill, or noise from people talking about an inflatable toy's weight limit before sledding down the big hill themselves. Human voices. There were a couple of shrieks right near me for some reason, and of course a very loud barking dog that its owner insisted was friendly, and overall, just nice sounds of people.

I had my headband on and my hood up, and both those things helped muffle the world. The coat itself was warm enough that when I lay back in the snow, twice, I stayed comfortable enough to settle in for a little bit. Not many minutes, but enough time to measure on a stopwatch, easily.

There were several taped-off CAUTION areas around fallen trees and threatening branches, and I found it wonderful that people had already made a single-file path underneath one of the trees in between the branches - sticking as close to the path that the tree had fallen over as best they all could. Ducking down to get under and through. A little ways away there was a bower made from bushes bent over with snow that also provided something of a roof, and some parents took pictures of their kids hanging out in there and posing at the entrance. It made for a nice echo of both adults and children doing more or less the same thing, if on different scales. The intent of play was close enough to call it the same.

There were snow men, snow women, snow people, and snow animals. There were snow structures made from hand packing it and snow structures made from using plastic bins to mold sturdy bricks. There was a moment I saw the sky start to come out and felt a pang of disappointment because it meant the day was moving on from the storm. I'd fallen back into the snow already then, and made a point to do it a second time. If I'd been more careful with my legs not getting wet, I'd have lain there a while longer. But I knew the day was going, so I might as well go, too, so I wouldn't have to see it end.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

The travel ban's up. Schools are going back to remote learning. Nobody's going anywhere if they can help it. I'd figured this was coming, and it's nice that it's settling in. The snow's coming down steadily and I can faintly hear human voices - going from where the light's coming from, the people in the next building over are either hosting some friends or having a very loud party by themselves. Either way, it's warm human voices on a cold night.

Not a dark night, though. The clouds aren't letting that happen. It's one of the nicer parts of nighttime snow.

Current Mood: pensive
Current Music: nothing now

china_shop posting in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 12, up to 22:18

Summary
Fourth Uncle drugs Zhu Hong; Guo Changcheng zaps himself unconscious. Wang Zheng is teaching Sang Zan to write (but hasn't shown him how to hold a pen). Zhao Yunlan confronts Shen Wei in his university office, ostensibly about the case but in fact seeking confirmation of Shen Wei's other identity. Tan Xiao breaks into the SID to steal the Hallows but is thwarted by Sang Zan's trap, followed by Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's arrival. Zhao Yunlan catches the Awl, has visions and falls unconscious (feat. some lovely manhandling by Shen Wei); Da Qing wakes him by being catlike. Lin Jing wants to run some tests on a human; Zhao Yunlan fakes a headache, so Shen Wei volunteers. Shen Wei lies on the evidence bed in his undershirt. Fourth Uncle talks to tied-up!Zhu Hong, only it's actually Guo Changcheng in a skirt and wig. Zhu Hong drugs her uncle. (So much drugging!) Zhu Jiu is angry at Tan Xiao's failure to retrieve the Hallows; he's holding Zheng Yi hostage, promising to cure her. Zhao Yunlan doodles Shen Wei and the Envoy in his notebook. Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi ambush and hypnotise Zhu Hong as she returns from the Snake Village. She fights Chu Shuzhi, and Lin Jing has to sedate her. Zhao Yunlan tells Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi that they can't trust Zhu Jiu.

Zhao Yunlan is examining Shen Wei's face for a mask tanline when Shen Wei opens his eyes.

Zhao Yunlan is examining Shen Wei's face for a mask tanline when Shen Wei opens his eyes.

Quote
Shen Wei: Are you even listening to me?
Zhao Yunlan: I only want to hear you tell the truth.

Detail
Presumably Zhao Yunlan is already wearing protective earplugs when he apprehends Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi on his own.

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 12? How is Zhao Yunlan hoping that the conversation in Shen Wei's office will go? Does Sang Zan have any other booby traps set up around the SID (and how many times has Guo Changcheng set them off)? Did Shen Wei put himself in a trance/stasis during Lin Jing's experiment? Any theories about what happened to Tan Xiao's sister? What's with all the drugging??

Poll #34277 Episide 12, part 1

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9

View Respondents

How many times has Guo Changcheng zapped himself unconscious before?

View Answers

once
0 (0.0%)

a couple of times
1 (11.1%)

truly an alarming number of times
6 (66.7%)

Lin Jing is ~this close~ to confiscating the baton
2 (22.2%)

Chu Shuzhi bought a portable defibrillator to take to training practice
4 (44.4%)

other
0 (0.0%)

Does Shen Wei expect Zhao Yunlan to take him literally when he says, "To be honest, I'm just a normal person who happens to be unlucky"?

View Answers

yes, he's determined to stuff the cat back into the bag
2 (22.2%)

he doesn't *expect*, exactly; but he hopes!
4 (44.4%)

no, he's implicitly asking Zhao Yunlan to play along
5 (55.6%)

other
1 (11.1%)

Why does Shen Wei volunteer to be a test subject?

View Answers

he thinks he can fake a human field of consciousness
4 (44.4%)

he's no longer really hiding his identity; he just doesn't want to admit the truth in so many words
3 (33.3%)

other
2 (22.2%)

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!

trobadora posting in

sid_guardian

Title: in the darkness with you
Word count: 4,233
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Rating: Mature
Content tags: Blind Zhao Yunlan, First time, Hand-Feeding, Finger-Sucking, Clothed Sex, Zhao Yunlan's oral fixation, Episode Related, Episode 21, Missing Scene, Blindness Arc

Summary:

Zhao Yunlan woke to the smell of citrus, sweet and strong in the air. Without fully turning his face out of the pillow, he slitted open a sleep-heavy eye - to complete, unchanged darkness. Reality came crashing down like a landslide. Right: still blind.

facethestrange posting in

sid_guardian

candyheartsex had creator reveals, so here's another portion of fanworks. :D Weilan drawing and 2 fics, a Chuguo fic, and a (non-Candy-Hearts) Zhubai drabble. :)

Underneath by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Undressing, undergarments, Kneeling, Mild Sexual Content, no sex just touching and vibes, Black-Cloaked Envoy | Hei Pao Shi (Guardian), Long-Haired Shen Wei (Guardian), Fanart, Drawing
Summary: Zhao Yunlan discovers what's under the Envoy's robes.

meet me where the hours bend (I'll do it again) (524 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Episode: e008 Zhao Yunlan Fails at Impressing Shen Wei, Canon Compliant, Pining Shen Wei (Guardian), Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Stomach Ache, Sick Zhao Yunlan, Memories, Tenderness
Summary: Zhao Yunlan whimpers in his sleep, and Shen Wei doesn't do anything.

The Envoy and the Cat (549 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Da Qing & Shen Wei & Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Da Qing (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Tree Climbing, friendly teasing, Da Qing Being a Cat in Human Form
Summary: "Really? Really, Damn Cat? You had to get the Black-Cloaked Envoy of all people to help you down from a tree?"

It Takes a Village (369 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Xiaomi the Dog (Guardian), Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian)
Additional Tags: Fluff, Dogs, Domestic, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Minor Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Team as Family
Summary: "Who will feed Xiaomi when we're away?" Guo Changcheng asks, and Chu Shuzhi blinks.

"Everyone?"

See Nothing (100 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong, Li Yan (Actor)
Additional Tags: Beard Burn, Innuendo, Silly, Light-Hearted, No Homophobia, POV Outsider, Drabble
Summary: "Hey, what happened to your chin?"

hannah

Trying to clear my calendar and hunker down for the next few days in light of the storm had me allowing myself a little bit of panic buying in the form of another bottle of olive oil. It's not on the same level as rescheduling an appointment because I know there's no point trying to get anywhere farther than two blocks, maximum, come Monday, but it helped a bit.

I'm also charging up my devices as something of an insurance policy and made sure to return all my outstanding library checkouts. Again, something that only helped a bit, and still helped. Mostly I'm now waiting for it to arrive so I can finally enjoy the snow. The build-up to it isn't nearly as enjoyable.

Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

Friday night dinner this week was still with family: out in Brooklyn. My parents weren't in town but my brothers were, so I went out to them since that was easiest for everyone. There and back was easy, thanks to not waiting long for a train to arrive and for finding one of the trains was running express that afternoon. The dinner itself went okay, and when my brother J., his wife E., and their daughter A. were around, I spent most of the time in the kitchen with my brother R. so his wife G. could spend time with J.'s family - I peeked out into the living room a couple times and they were all chatting and looking at something on someone's phone, and I thought it better not to intrude.

An amusing moment came partway through dinner. Weather came up, and I was the only one who expressed any pleasure at the idea of snow. I pointed out that this was the kind of weather we used to have, getting snow at the end of February. B., one of G.'s friends who'd come as well, said she'd grown up in the Midwest and was aware of that. At the time, I didn't think to point out I was talking pre-Industrial Revolution. It's probably just as well; later in the meal, she said she didn't want to feel like life was full of construction zones, that she'd had times of at least a couple things going smoothly, and I struggled to relate. A good person to talk to, and someone with a life fairly removed from mine.

Current Mood: ditzy
Current Music: nothing now

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kalakirya

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Reading

520 Day Reverse Exchange: 2026 round coming soon!

Take it in their eyes.

Guardian Auctions for Fandom Trumps Hate 2026

Third of the Third.

February Fanworks Round-Up Post!

March the First.

Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 12, part 2

Accumulations.

Spotted.

Notes from the gym.

Health account.

Party time.

Savoring the cold.

Falling.

Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 12, part 1

FIC: in the darkness with you (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Mature]

My latest Guardian fanworks

Anticipatory.

Out and back.

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