Dreamwidth Atlantis

The whole group moved carefully through the trees, using SpiderGirl’s webbing and occasionally Ninja Talon’s zipline, towards the dock. It was difficult, but not impossible, especially with Kalina refusing to let go of SpiderGirl. ‘I’m not a therapist! I haven’t even been to grief counselling yet!’ SpiderGirl thought.

“Almost there,” Ninja Talon said.

“It’s still a lot of trees,” Dafoanairi said.

“We can do it,” SpiderGirl said. “But I need to be unencumbered.”

“I can take her,” Ninja Talon said.

“Is that alright, Kalina?” SpiderGirl asked.

“Yes,” Kalina answered.

Ninja Talon wrapped her arms around Kalina. “You can let go of Spidey now.”

“OK.”


SpiderGirl then swung around, creating a web bridge for the others to take towards the boat. It held amongst the trees that stopped swaying as much, despite the high winds. Another lightning strike hit somewhere out on the lake. “Done,” she said when she had finished it.


At the same time, the Enigma and Peterson met near where the vehicles were. “Everyone has been rescued,” she said.

“That’s good news.”

“They should get to the boat shortly and then they’ll head back to Lawndale on the creek.”

“Then we’ll meet them somewhere between the two bridges.”


At the same time, Leung and his team approached the cabin and saw the damage that the fourth vigilante had done. “We need to act quickly.” He knocked on the door. “Quentin Beck, come out with your hands up.”

There was no response.

Leung lead the team in and saw that the room was empty.

The television then showed a video. “Agent Leung, I presume. Either that, or it’s Officer Peterson. Doesn’t matter. What matters is, that I am presently making my escape. But I will be back in Lawndale in future. As for motive, that’s for you and the other one to piece together. But the Morgendorffers being ambitious in their young age is part of it.”

“Making his escape?” Leung asked himself. But they still needed to search the cabin.


The Enigma figured that she could walk back to Lawndale, despite the storm. ‘It will be an opportunity to refine the forcefield. I can catch up with Dafoanairi later.’


The others made it to the boat. SpiderGirl hotwired it as they all boarded and then started it moving.

“You do know how to pilot a boat, right?” Dafoanairi asked.

“Of course, how hard can it be, even in this storm?” SpiderGirl responded. The lake surface was choppy, waves whipped up by the winds. She cleared the dock, and turned the boat to starboard, heading westwards towards the creek from Lawndale.

( Read More )

1. Lawndale Below
Quinn heard a knock on her door. “You can come in?”

It was someone she didn’t expect. “Jane?”

“I was expecting Daria to be in her room,” Jane said.

“I’m certain she went out, but I don’t know where.”

“Oh.”

“But I can find out,” Quinn said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back later,” Jane said. She left the room. She soon came back.

“What?” Quinn asked.

“You know, you could come over again,” Jane said.

“Are you kidding?”

“No.”

“What are you up to?” Quinn asked.

“Something,” Jane answered.

“So, you want me to come look at something?”

“Yes.”

“Is it more art?” Quinn asked.

“Not just art.”

Quinn looked intrigued. “Like, is it one of your wandering siblings’ designs for alternative fashion?”

‘Of course, Daria would tell her family about that,’ Jane said. “Probably.”

“I’ll come,” Quinn decided. She got up. “Uh! I need a hair cut. My bangs are getting into my eyes!”

“I didn’t need to know that,” Jane said as Quinn grabbed a couple of clips and used them to pin her bangs back.

( Read More )

6th July 2025: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2025/07/church-notes-6th-july-2025.html

13th July 2025: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2025/07/church-notes-13th-july-2025.html

20th July 2025: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2025/07/church-notes-20th-july-2025.html

20th
Daniel 9:1 - 21
Thriving through change
Change is difficult.
Especially when it comes to the world's values.

Jeremiah 25:7 - 14

Daniel prayed that it would come about.
vs 3, 4
The prayer was intense. He humbled himself in a posture of humility and was emotionally involved.

va 4 - 6

Galatians 3:13
Our identity is in Jesus.

How do you and I ask mercy for a sinful nation of which we are citizens?
How do we pray for healing for a church whose spirit has been tarnished by sin and neglect?

vs 7 - 19
His prayer is full of urgency and passion.

God can step in and change things.

We need to come to God with humility and repentance.

Academia d’Aeterna Universitas d’Aurora (AAUA)
Student numbers: 55,000

Faculties
Arts and Humanities
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Mechanics, Engineering and Computer Science
Economics and Law

AAUA layout. The Main Library, which has grown over the millennia, with the most recent addition having been made 20 years earlier, is in the center of the campus. The various Departments are arranged around the Library like a fractal (but the core of the fractal resembles a Nordic protection rune, which matches to the Campus as it existed at the beginning of the Nordic Era, when the Vikings first started raiding Aurora). Dorms to the east have Nordic names. Freya's dorm is amongst those. Dorms to the west have Roman names. Olivia and Janara's dorm is amongst the latter. The campus is connected by elevated walkways. There are at least four stations of Urbs Aeterna's subway system within the campus. There are two airstrips serving the University just to the east and west of the dorms.

The USS Baffin's origin story. The beginning of the ill-fated crew's multiversal journey. They are on a routine survey mission when they encounter a subspace anomaly.

fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14436084/5/The-Engineer-and-the-Time-Lady

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/67734036

How's everyone doing? I'm having a devil of a time with a particular WIP. I seem to have let myself be distracted by other things (reading fanfic, re-reading Murderbot, procrastinating in general--omg even vacuuming).

Why is it so hard to just open the folder and work on it? I like the story, and I like where it's going. But I'm at a point where decisions must be made to move forward.

Decision fatigue is definitely a thing.

How's everyone else doing?

In the cabin, Jane was growing tired of waiting for rescue. She paused in her umpteenth defense of Daria and looked at the approaching storm.

“Storm, so what?” Kalina said.

“It’s just the sort of thing SpiderGirl or the fourth vigilante could use as cover in a rescue attempt,” Jane answered.

“Are you sure?” Kalina asked.

“Yes, I have met SpiderGirl,” Jane said.

Oliver spoke up. “This is a lot different to stopping muggers, stopping that Green Goblin and rescuing kittens from trees.”

“That’s true,” Jane said. “But I don’t doubt that she could do it, despite Quentin’s illusions.”


“They’re now talking about possible rescue,” SpiderGirl said as rain started to fall.

“I’d say that’s as good as invitation as any,” Ninja Talon said.

“Another minute.”


The Enigma and Dafoanairi felt the rain as it began to fall. “We’re almost there,” The Enigma said.

“We might get soaked, but it will be worth it,” Dafoanairi said.

Lightning streaked across the sky and the thunder soon followed.

( Read More )

Is it tacky to use a friend's husband for fanfic? Let me explain!

So I am somewhat embarrassed, having heard all my life about the Appalachian Trail, that I didn't know the west coast has a similar trek, the Pacific Crest Trail, from the border with Mexico, up through California, Oregon, and Washington, until reaching the Canadian border. A friend's husband started walking it mid-April, so I'd heard a bit about his planning and have been following his hike on Tumblr.
(https://www.tumblr.com/robpct2025) He's gone over 1000 miles already.

It makes me realize that this is something I would never have been capable of doing and will never try now, but go him!

At some point on the trail, he was given the sobriquet of Lighthouse. He's a tall man with a light on his hat, it was getting dark and other hikers used his light to see their way. Trail nickname! (This is apparently a special naming that happens for some people but not everyone.)

Of course, I had to think of Liam's 6'4" height. QUINN. Hiking the trail by himself. He's always wanted to do it and has taken a sabbatical for it. He's in his mid-40s, he figures he should get it done soon. He comes up on three hikers, young people in their 20s, moving a bit slower than him. Normally he politely passes slower hikers, but it's getting late and dark and he's looking for the next good spot to pitch his tent for the night. He chats with them a bit, sensing a bit of discord between them, but flattered when they begin calling him Lighthouse. Trail nickname has come to him!

They reach a good flat area and decide to camp side by side. He's taking a detour soon to meet up with his friend Mace, get more supplies, maybe sleep overnight in a motel and have a long, proper shower. He shares the rest of his candy. The young men seem fairly well organized but also certainly not perfectly, they didn't have his two extra decades of contemplation and reading about other people's successful treks.

One of them in particular (of course!) catches his attention. Ben, with his easy smile and changeable grey-blue-green eyes. He's the most diplomatic of the three and it seems like he's been playing referee a lot.

All goes well, it's nice to have real conversation over a meal after several weeks already of being mostly alone.

In the morning, they share breakfast and pack up. Does tragedy strike so that the other two bail, leaving Ben alone? Does Ben then end up hiking the rest of the trip with Quinn? Of course he does! Hours pass by where they silently walk, simply enjoying each other's company, but they also share long, thoughtful conversations and really get to know each other in a way that's deeper and more meaningful than casually getting to know each other in a city.

And of course, sex under the stars, in a tent, in a waterfall...

I probably won't try to write that, but it's been amusing to contemplate whenever I look at the pics on Tumblr. Such gorgeous scenery, it's so easy to see the boys enjoying it.

Fanfic everything!

Played two games on Sunday. Think I played 2 games a couple of rounds ago, too.

On the whole, the body is hurting quite a bit more than it was last time. But I've been having a few aches and pains.

Good feeling: I scored a goal - a beautiful pass from the wing straight into the middle of the circle, and I (and a defender whose stick clashed with mine) reangled it into the goal behind the keeper.

Bad feeling: all the twingy, twitchy hip and leg aches for which I am going to see a physio this morning.

Apparently, Team 1 is down to 13 players (there's 11 on the field) and they were going to move some of T2 up (myself and my friend J, who came and played for the club last year because I was here and her team was being relegated to a competition in the southwest; she still plays with them for the masters/veterans competition) but we've got about three injuries ongoing on the team - including one fractured foot and one pregnancy, who is taking it fairly easy.

Yesterday, we were missing one of our 'young runners', and the other had period cramps really bad. Both inners (women about my age, so perimenopausal) were nursing injuries, and our pregnancy is on the wing. Doing well, but...yeah. She probably won't be running much longer...

Our forward line is simply not able to get the ball up there with any kind of strength, so we're losing 3-0, but we're doing a really good job at playing. I know that doesn't sound like we are with 3-0 losses, but truly told, we're playing amazing. Passing, calling, talking, we just can't get it into the circle and into the goal.

Anyway, we're improving and we're having fun. Even the not-so-nice team was okay to play yesterday.

Back to Team 1, they're probably going to try to get myself and J qualified for the team in the finals series. Which...eek. That means at least another 2 weekends with 2 games for me. Which...I can maybe do if I keep my fitness up? Oof.

But I may reach my holidays and be like "here is a pool and a nice hotel in Sinagapore and I AIN'T MOVING A MUSCLE"...

I love my dad but...

( he's a cheapskate )

Otherwise, am making plans for places to stay in London, Bath, Porto, and Rotterdam, and finding things to do in those places, too.

Anyone done day tours in Porto, Portugal?