Reading

Bliss

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/11/4/bliss

Photo by Tom John Ellis, via the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group - and they write:

Let’s talk about whiskers!

This Eurasian otter’s (Lutra lutra) long and sensitive whiskers are an incredibly important adaptation. The whiskers are rich in nerves, acting as a sensory tool, perfectly attuned to detecting and tracking down prey in dark or murky waters.

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/11/4/bliss

Current Mood: worried
Current Music: "I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light" by Brand New

Entry tags:

We won't let you in

I didn't have a panoramic dental X-ray done today because this morning my dental office called at 9:40 am (regarding a 12:30 pm appointment) to tell me that Medicaid won't cover it until December 15. Do I still want to come in today to get it done and pay for it myself? NO.

They'll call me back in December to make a new appointment. Get your act together and stop wasting my time, Bell Dental.

+++

I've gotten two texts and one voice message from someone claiming to be with actual debt collector Unifin Inc. The texts and voice message don't give any details like how much money or whom. ( Read more... )

Hopefully if this is a real thing they will mail me something with details?

Current Mood: accomplished

Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 1 Gathering Materials

My air plants arrived today. :D So I gathered materials to start assembling the lantern terrarium. (Start with Photos: Fairy Garden Lantern Deconstruction. Continue with Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 2 Testing the Fit.)

( Walk with me ... )

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[#280 | Trick or Treat] Voting Post

Here are the entries for this challenge:

( List of entries )

Please Note: Because we only have 3 entries this week, there is only a First Place and Runner Up to vote for!

In order to vote, please reply to this post using the form provided. All comments are screened, and entries are listed in the order they were submitted. For your vote to qualify, you must fill out your entire voting card (both spots) in order to be counted. Winner votes are worth 2 points, Runner Up votes are worth 1 point. Meeting the bonus goal on an entry gets an extra point for that submission.

When voting, please copy/paste the ENTRY NUMBER and the FIC TITLE from the list above into the spot you're voting for (this prevents accidentally mis-numbering a vote and casting it for the wrong entry). It should look like this:

First Place: 61. Fic Title Here
Runner Up: 88. Another Fic Title

Please note that you cannot vote for your own entry, and that votes cannot be made anonymously. You do not have to be a member of the community in order to vote, nor have submitted an entry for this week; everyone is welcome to participate in the voting. IP addresses are logged to prevent duplicate voting.

Voting closes Wednesday, November 5 at 9:00PM EST.

Repair Video

https://xkcd.com/3163/

へそ天。Belly Trap.

Posted by mugumogu

https://sisinmaru.com/2025/11/04/%e3%81%b8%e3%81%9d%e5%a4%a9%e3%80%82belly-trap/

https://sisinmaru.com/?p=33124

非常に安定感のあったまるさんのへそ天。（2005年6月のまるさん）豪快に足をおっぴろげて、背中の設置面積を大きくし、安定感を得る手法。 Maru’s Belly Trap Style was very st […]

https://sisinmaru.com/2025/11/04/%e3%81%b8%e3%81%9d%e5%a4%a9%e3%80%82belly-trap/

https://sisinmaru.com/?p=33124

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: among us

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Wired in Parallel

Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: faster to read
Word Count: 10
Rating: Teen

“Our Xander is Different.”
“What?”
“TVTropes thing. Nothing. Never mind.”

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dc,
superman

150 Icons - Lois Lane (Superman [2025])

over here

Entry tags:

dc,
movie: superman

150 Icons - Lois Lane (Superman [2025])

over here

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challenge 198: pumpkin patch 6

I picked palette number 7!

All from the ace attorney games.

links: https://i.imgur.com/L6AZ1xK.png'/ https://i.imgur.com/QP3ZMhc.png / https://i.imgur.com/O51aoaE.png / https://i.imgur.com/iJ4jGdT.png / https://i.imgur.com/xHz5GjA.png

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Multifandom icons

Hazbin Hotel, Mars Red, Show By Rock!!, Death Note + one DD:dnE tag inspired icon in three colours

The Mars Red ones are literally just Takeuchi, the Death Note ones are just MisaMisa.

Find them over here.

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actresses

15 Actresses Icons

[5] Emilia Clarke
[5] Nina Dobrev
[5] Shailene Woodley

Find them all here.

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Monday [Fandom] Madness! The Top Gun Movies Edition

I rewatched Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick recently, thinking that I might be able to write a fic in the fandom for

fandomgiftbasket. That didn’t happen, but it did make me think about the movies (and germinate my own plot bunny).

Top Gun (1986): I was a 20-year old college student when this movie came out and I loved it to pieces. This is the first movie I saw in the theater more than once. I probably saw it half a dozen times. My main takeaway from watching this movie again 30+ years later is that Maverick sure was one cocky son of a gun and I think Charlie could’ve done better.

( more back here )

Want to talk about the movies or my fic idea?!!

Now What's This?

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/11/3/now-whats-this

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:

Sweet wildlife response patient Un'a is coming to investigate something totally new to her: a pumpkin!

Enrichment like this pumpkin adds new textures, scents, and challenges that keep her curious and engaged as she continues to heal and gain strength.

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2025/11/3/now-whats-this

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The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Nov 2)

Guess who forgot to set the clocks back before they went to bed? I went right back to bed when I realized the mistake, but Pip had already been up long enough to be too awake to go back to sleep.

Somehow I hurt my eye while I was sleeping. I wear a sleep mask, so I’m not exactly sure how I poked myself in the eye. The sciatica only bothered me for a couple of hours in the evening. Mildly. It was weird how it just appeared and then disappeared.

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, changed kitty litter, placed an online order, and showered. I grilled Italian sausage for Pip’s supper.

I watched an HGTV program and later had Secrets of the Zoo on in the background. I didn’t get any new words written, but I did read over what I had already written.

Temps started out at 27.9(F) and reached 52.0. It was sunny and there was no wind, but it was still cool.

Mom Update:

Mom looked really good today. ( more back here )

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: The Underworld
Current Music: watching: Sailor Moon

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[ 702 ]

Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore #2) by Jasmine Mas

Genre:
Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Mythology, Why Choose, Dark Romance, Dark, Reverse Harem

Publication Date:
October 28, 2025

Page Numbers:
544

Read/Finished Date:
November 2nd, 2025 - November 3rd, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

Are you ready for Bonds of Hercules? The sequel to the viral hit Blood of Hercules is (almost) finally here! Packed with spicy romance, Greek mythology, and dangerous husbands, Bonds of Hercules is perfect for fans of tension, betrayal, and choosing sides.

I'm Hercules, but my powers are not what they seem.

I'm trapped in a marriage with my two enemies and I've accidentally joined a cult. To make matters worse, Augustus and Kharon are trying to seduce me. It doesn't help that my mentors, Achilles and Patro, are acting really strange.
Now, a dangerous prisoner has escaped from the Underworld, and things are spiraling out of control.
Men are fighting over me.
Mysteries are unfolding left and right.
And I’ve had enough.

Everybody better beware because I’m fighting in the Gladiator Competition and seizing my power.
Things are about to get very messy.
For Sparta.

Perfect for readers who love:
• "Who did this to you?"
• Kickass Heroine
• Extreme Enemies to Lovers
• Morally Gray Alpha Heros
• Greek Myths and Gladiator competitions
• Zodiac Academy, Quicksilver and Shield of Sparrows

Review:

I love, LOVE it when the second novel in a series/duology/trilogy blows the first one out of the water and shows complete growth of all the characters in the story. Book two of Villains of Lore really improved Alexis's character a lot. She went from whiny to a large improvement in development. She learned to fight, she learned to stand on her own two feet, and she made her two husbands grovel for her forgiveness.

AND THEY DESERVED IT!

What they did to her book one nearly made me want to root for Patro and Achilles more than anything, but this book ended up changing my opinion on them and reverting me to being Augustus and Kharon (Karen LMAO) simp.

The world-building even improved by miles. We saw more Titans, we saw more fights, and betrayal. This is the kind of book that kept me glued from the beginning to the end, and I loved this book for that.

Also, the mini-story had me in fits of giggles.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Spock Drops, Kirk Jumps - STID OST (Michael Giacchino)

Entry tags:

Condition Yellow

Vulukor’s turtle-people have returned, this time with Stanzun.

Main Points:
Star Trek (the 2009!movie verse) Cambion AU (New Genesis)
Summary: Spock tries to determine the motives of the key players with the help of the command staff.
Word Count: 1223
Rating: Teen
Minor Spock/Uhura

( predictions of things going wrong )

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[#280] HAIR-RAISING (TORCHWOOD)

Theme Prompt: #280 - Trick or treat
Title: Hair-raising
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Jack’s plans for the evening come to an unexpected end.

( Read more... )

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Six Sentence Sunday

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: anxious
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: Stray Kids "Astronaut"

Entry tags:

meme,
music

Dept. of Memes

Music Meme, Day 4

A song that you know all the lyrics of: This one initially felt difficult, until I remembered recently hearing on the radio (yes, I still listen to the radio; I don't spotify) Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road." It was one of the songs on "Born to Run," the album that catapulted him into fame's corrosive klieg light.

He was young, and the lyrics he wrote here are full of the kind of thoughts a young person thinks of as wisdom. These days I hear different things in the song than I did when I first heard it, particularly in the rough way he treats the woman, Mary, in the song. Still, I remember it so well because Bob, Dr. Gonzo and I put it into our small repertoire when we were a monumentally unsuccessful rock and roll band. We loved singing it - Bob on the melody, Dr. Gonzo and I doing two-part harmony.

When I heard it recently, I started to sing along, until my throat thickened with tears, possibly because I remembered singing it when I was young and thought I had what was wisdom - I don't know. But I know every word, every syllable of the song.

Watch on YouTube

And just to be completist, here are links to the previous days' entries.

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3