sqweakie | Reading

mific posting in

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Patrick Sheppard, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan
Rating: M
Length: 11,758
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: WonkyElk on AO3, cookiemom6067 on AO3, cookiemom6067 on the Audiofic Archive
Themes: Marriage of Convenience, First time, Hurt/comfort, Complete AU

Summary: “Damn it, John, you’re thirty-six, and you’ve never had a stable relationship.”

Patrick Sheppard adjusted his tie and gave him that familiar look, that 'I’m trying to love you, son, but you just keep on disappointing me’ expression, which had started somewhere around John’s eleventh or twelfth birthday - just as soon as he got an ounce of healthy rebellion - and had rarely left his dad’s face since.

Reccer's Notes: Ronon plays matchmaker in this marriage of convenience, recommending Rodney to John, who's undertaking the marriage mostly to piss off his father, but also to strengthen his place in the company hierarchy. Rodney seems the perfect spouse to annoy Patrick Sheppard, being brash, and, most importantly, male. But then it turns out they get on remarkably well, and eventually Rodney encourages John to be himself, not continue to try to please his (impossible to please) father. There's angst, character development, romance, and some action/adventure, until they work it out. An excellent read!

Fanwork Links: Always Crashing in the Same Car and there's a podfic by cookiemom6067 here

garryowen posting in

fancake

Fandom: Smallville
Pairings/Characters: Clark/Lex
Rating: Explicit
Length: 16,262
Creator Links:

lenore
Theme: Marriage of convenience

Summary: Clark’s illegal, and Lex makes him a green card proposal.

Reccer's Notes: Here with another Smallville rec! This time, it's Clark who, ostensibly, needs to get married because he has no social security number, no legit adoption papers. Lex is the mayor of Metropolis in this story, and Clark is a reporter at the Daily Planet. Lex knows the secret of Clark's/Superman's identity, and he doesn't want to be the bad guy who has to deport a beloved superhero. Solution: marriage!

What I love about this story is how absolutely befuddled Clark is by Lex's proposal and the actuality of the marriage. It's SO CLARK. Lenore touches on another of my favorite Clark traits, which is his loneliness and his inability to sustain a relationship because of his secret. I don't recall the story explicitly stating Clark's age, but I think he's in his late twenties, maybe almost thirty. Those added years give more emotional weight to the (of course) eventual romance and falling in love.

Lois and the Kents feature in the narrative, and it never fails to delight me when Lois makes coffee or Mr. Kent talks farming with Lex.

Fanwork Links: Red Tape. This story was originally posted on LJ/Smallville Slash Archive and later moved to AO3, which resulted in a duplication. I was told by the author that this is the correct version.

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/logo-low-blows-2025

I know it can be scary asking a bakery to do something custom, like, say, a school or brand's logo.
But DON'T PANIC; I'm here to walk you through it.

First, print out a nice, clear image to bring in as a reference:

With something as simple as this Chanel logo, you can be sure there is simply NO WAY...

...that the results won't be hysterical.

When ordering a Saints logo...

...it helps to have the patience of one.

Oh, and when you give the baker your reference image, be sure to mention how closely you want your cake to match; some bakers take it more as a "guideline" than an actual rule.

"Why'd you use the S?!"
"Because I don't know what the F is going on!"

Still, the most important thing, my friends... is to be glad you aren't ordering a Texas Longhorns cake.

Because seriously, that thing is the Kobayashi Maru of cake orders:

...you can't win.

(But hey, at least this one's got heart!)

Thanks to Amy B., Ashley B., Candace F., Amy B., Allison, & Chris L. for getting that last one off his chest.

*****

Because some days call for more than coffee:

"Probably Whiskey" Enamel "Coffee" Mug

(The listing really does have "coffee" in quotation marks, ha!)

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/logo-low-blows-2025

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Thursday! How's the day going so far for fic? (If you haven't gotten started on your day as yet, how did yesterday go for writing fic?)

- Excellent!
- Terrible
- Somewhere in between
- Nothing doing

How much time have you spent on writing fic today, roughly?

- None
- 30 minutes or less
- 30-60 minutes
- 60-90 minutes
- More than 90 minutes

In five words or less, how do you feel about that?

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Red White and Royal Blue (RWRB)
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Alex/Henry
Content Notes/Warnings: not really NSFW, but naked torsos, even if disguised by sparkles
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: shirmirart on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: A RWRB version of the popular pic of gay dancers, complete with barely-there crowns and glitter. Sappy, but beautifully done.
Link: heavy is the head that wears the crown

ysabetwordsmith posting in

science

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: busy

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3128/

Hey, so did you ever finish your video series about Cassie and the caterpillar morph? I loved the first three, but never ... no, sorry, I get it, this isn't the place. Sorry! Sorry.

https://xkcd.com/3128/

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/somethings-afoot-2025

Sadly, the Sesame Street Paving Company never found the rest of Elmo:

Thanks to Timberly M., who knows the baker was trying for a carrot. I'd say they nailed it.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/somethings-afoot-2025

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Wednesday! How are things going in the world of fic?

Did you write?

- Yes!
- No!
- Not yet!

If yes, what kind of writerly activity did you engage in? How do you feel about it?
If no, what were the obstacles/situations that affected your writerly pursuits? What will you do differently tomorrow to get more writing done?
If not yet, because the day hasn't gotten going yet, what kind of writing activity are you planning (or hoping) to accomplish?

celli posting in

fancake

Fandom: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Pairings/Characters: Choi Soobin/Kang Taehyun, side Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun, unrequited Soobin/Beomgyu
Rating: Teen and up
Length: 21K words
Creator Links:

ratherunnecessary
Theme: Marriage of Convenience, Alternative Professions

Summary:
Choi Soobin: Korea’s hottest leading man—who’s secretly nursing a broken heart.

Kang Taehyun: heir to the legendary Kang Entertainment—but only if he gets married first.

Reccer's Notes: I love Soobin in this - he goes from broken-hearted to agreeing to help an acquaintance (by marrying him, of course) to a devoted husband. He comes into his own as a partner over the course of this, and is more solid in himself at the end, too.

The other characters are also great. Yeonjun, in particular, just shines.

Fanwork Links: promise not to promise anymore on AO3

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/chocolate-day-scat-fest-2025

For Chocolate Day we decided to illustrate a beloved children's classic.

I highly recommend hitting play and reading along:

(Note: Mild language at the very end. Also, it’s a Morgan Freeman impersonator.)

Everyone Poops

An elephant makes a big poop.

A mouse makes a tiny poop.

A one hump camel makes a one hump poop.

A two hump camel makes a two hump poop.

Hahaha, only kidding.

Fish poop...

...and so do birds.

And bugs, too.

Different animals make different kinds of poop.

Different shapes, different colors, even different smells.

Which end is the snake's behind?

What does whale poop look like?

Some stop to poop, others do it on the move.

Some poop here or there.
Others do it in a special place.

Grownups poop. Children poop, too.
While some children poop on the potty, others poop in their diapers.

Some animals poop and pay no attention.
Others clean up after themselves.
These poop by the water:

This one does it in the water.
He wipes himself with paper then flushes it down.

All living things eat, so everyone poops.

Thanks to Stephanie M., Beth W., Lisa R., Dede H., Robin, Robin E., Anony M., Anna O., Anthony S., Wendi P., Anita C., Cassandra M., Christie D., & John W. for our crappiest post yet.

(Can you believe none of those were supposed to look like poop? Except maybe the rainbow swirly one - which I'm guessing is unicorn poop, and therefore gets a free pass.)

(SEE WHAT I DID THERE?)

*****

P.S. In case your life was missing a set of cat butt magnets, I found you some:

Cat Butt Magnets

There's also a set for dogs.

You're welcome.

******

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/chocolate-day-scat-fest-2025

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3127/

Historians: Contemporaneous documentation of the initial events is often sparse, and in fact people often get testy and uncooperative when we urge better documentation for the historical record.

https://xkcd.com/3127/

tarlanx

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

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by john (the hubby of Jen)

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/international-incidents-2025

What do you get when you go into a Mexican bakery, where they speak English, and ask them - in Spanish - to write "Happy Birthday" in English?

I mean, besides confused.

You get this:

Which, if I remember my 1st grade Spanish, means "The Happy Complaining Eagles."

Wait.

I took French.

[Googling]

Ah. "Happy Birthday English!" I guess that does make more sense.

Or...

What do you get when you go into a Chinese bakery and ask them to write "Congratulations Ian!" in both English and Chinese?

You get some reeeally enthusiastic “Englrsh chunese”, that's what.

Hey, I'm actually starting to feel a bit better about U.S. bakeries! Maybe we're not the only wreckerators out there. Maybe there are places even worse off in the wreckage department!

Never mind. Feeling's gone.

Thanks to our wrecky ambassadors Chris L., Mary S., and Kendra P. for fostering international unity. In wrecks.

*****

P.S. Here's a (hilarious) reminder that English is almost as confusing as these cakes:

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/international-incidents-2025

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Monday! How's the day going so far for fic? (If you haven't gotten started on your day as yet, how did yesterday go for writing fic?)

- Excellent!
- Terrible
- Somewhere in between
- Nothing doing

How much time have you spent on writing fic today, roughly?

- None
- 30 minutes or less
- 30-60 minutes
- 60-90 minutes
- More than 90 minutes

In five words or less, how do you feel about that?

ysabetwordsmith posting in

science

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: busy

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Sunday! What kind of a writing day has it been so far today -- or if today hasn't gotten going yet, how did you fare yesterday?

- I thought about my fic once or twice
- I wrote
- I did some planning and/or outlining
- I did research and/or canon review
- I edited
- I've sent my fic off to my beta
- I posted today!
- I'm taking a break
- I did something else that I'll talk about in a comment

Sunday Discussion: It's a new writing week, and we're still less than half way through August. How are you doing so far with meeting writing goals for the month?

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-sweets-leggo-my-lego-2025

For all you parents who think your kids have nothing but LEGO on the brain:

Found here, and made by Sweet on Cake
They do.

Or, ok, at least sometimes it seems that way. But really, who can blame them? And who can resist a cake made of LEGO that is actually cake?

By Cakes & Biscuits by Lisa, photo by Cracker's Art [more party pics at the link]

Part of me wants to play with that forklift. The other part wants a fork and a glass of milk.

The classic primary color bricks are still the most popular, of course:

By Cakes By Ashley

But now there are also pretty pastels out from the new LEGO Friends line:

By Star Bakery

Not to mention those mini-figs sure have come a long way, am I right? I love the little shoes.

The most popular LEGO series, though - at least going by the amount of cakes I've seen for it - is Ninjago:

By Cuteology Cakes

These little ninjas are EVERYWHERE. In fact, there's probably one behind you. You just can't see him, because he's a ninja. And also probably really small.

Then there are the LEGO video games, which have taught us that every beloved movie character is at least 43% cuter when LEGO-fied: