gwyn | Reading

I made this apple cider doughnut holes recipe today and meh. I didn't even like them enough plain to make the glaze. They just tasted so strongly of nutmeg to me and nothing of apple cider or even cinnamon.

I was also going to make char siu today and then pork buns with the leftovers tomorrow, but I forgot the meat has to marinate overnight so now I will make the ribs tomorrow, freeze the leftovers, and try to make the buns next weekend. Or maybe I'll just make pork fried rice. Idk. I used to always order pork buns but I don't see them on menus anymore (lemon chicken, another Chinese restaurant fave, has also seemed to disappear, at least from the places around here), so it would be fantastic if I could make them myself. It doesn't seem too hard. I mean, the hardest part for me will probably be rolling and sealing them. *hands* Eventually we'll see!

In other news, Baby Miss L has settled on being a witch for Halloween and her costume is ADORABLE. But she also has a secondary costume, as she has quite the busy social schedule, which is a cow, which doubles as pajamas, for those nights where she's out past bedtime. SO CUTE. I also got some pictures of her pumpkin picking while wearing a jack o'lantern t-shirt and she remains the cutest and best dressed kid around. 😍😍😍😍😍😍

*

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys

adafrog posting in

fandom_checkin

Early today because I'm going to an organ concert. :D
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Saturday to midnight on Sunday (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #33764 Daily

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 12

How are you doing?

I am okay
5 (41.7%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
7 (58.3%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
5 (41.7%)

One other person
5 (41.7%)

More than one other person
2 (16.7%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/te-waha-o-rerekohu

Te Waha O Rerekohu

The great Pōhutukawa tree, Te Waha O Rerekohu, stands here, in the small town of Te Araroa, as it has for centuries. Its gnarled winding branches strech over 21 metres tall and its seasonally vibrant canopy covers an area 40 metres across at its widest point. Reputed to be the largest and oldest of its species in the world, Te Waha O Rerekohu is sure to leave a lasting impression on any with an interest in history, botany or spirituality as well as those who just love really big trees.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/te-waha-o-rerekohu

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/benny

Benny ready to flap as she scans the area

On the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, stands a statue officially known as Beneficence — though everyone simply calls her “Benny.” Over the years, Benny has earned quite the reputation for responding to the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of those who pass by or sit before her — by flapping her wings.

The Ball brothers and their family gifted Ball State the land that would become its campus. The brothers owned a manufacturing business that produced the famous Ball jars used for home canning. They relocated from New York to Muncie in the 1880s in search of a better supply of natural gas, and their business, along with their philanthropic influence, flourished. The Ball Brothers Foundation continues their charitable work to this day.

Beneficence was created as a gesture from the community and the university to honor the Ball family’s generosity. She was sculpted by Daniel Chester French — the same artist behind the Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial. The statue cost about $50,000 to complete in 1930, though it took another seven years to raise the funds necessary for her installation.

According to Ball State lore, if a couple kisses beneath Benny and she flaps her wings, they are destined to be true lovers. Another tale claims that if a virgin ever crosses her path, Benny will take flight entirely. Myth also suggest that the severed heads of each of the five Ball Brothers rest in individual urns on the top of the respective pillar. These stories, often shared by student guides during freshman orientation, have kept her firmly in the heart of campus folklore.

Today, Beneficence graces the university’s official seal and continues to watch over students — ever vigilant for those in need of guidance in matters of the heart.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/benny

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cemiterio-dos-prazeres

The jacaranda trees blooming in the Spring

Founded in 1833 to address the high mortality of a cholera epidemic, the Prazeres Cemetery is located on the western side of the city and was built around a hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of Prazeres. It has a beautiful view over Alcântara Vale, the 25th of April Bridge, and the Tagus river.

In 1838 the Municipality of Lisbon requested the regulations and map of the Père Lachaise Cemetery from the city of Paris and, the following year, started to sell plots of land for the building of family mausoleums in Prazeres. The influence of the Père Lachaise style is evident in the cemetery's design.

Most of Lisbon's aristocratic families of the 19th century bought plots in the cemetery, choosing the best artists and architects of the time to create their family mausoleums, resulting in beautiful works, rich with symbolism and art.

Many important personalities are buried here, such as the poet Fernando Pessoa, the fado singer Amália Rodrigues, the writer Aquilino Ribeiro, the painter Maluda, the Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi, the artist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, the painter Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, and Portugal's former President Mário Soares.

Through the glass doors of the mausoleums one can see the funeral decorations, flowers, stained glass windows, altars with photographs of the deceased and images of saints and, also on display, coffins. Made of expensive woods, carved, painted or decorated, with metal handles with funerary symbols, some mausoleums are like time capsules from the past.

In this cemetery one can find the Palmela Mausoleum, considered the largest private mausoleum in Europe, with capacity for 200 remains, designed by the Italian architect Giuseppe Cinatti for Pedro de Sousa Holstein, the 1st Duque of Palmela. Built in 1848 and comprised of a pyramid on top of a cubic underground crypt, this mausoleum rises in a separated plot, with a path flanked by cypress trees and the graves of the Palmela family servants. Inside, sculpted works by Italian neo-classical artist Antonio Canova, French artist Anatole Calmels and the Portuguese artists António Teixeira Lopes and Vitor Bastos, make this mausoleum a must see work in European funerary art.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cemiterio-dos-prazeres

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/historic-jail

Outside of the jail seen from the courtyard

Built in the 1880s, this small stone structure was never meant to hold inmates. It originally served as a well house and water tower, its granite base keeping perishables cool before refrigeration.

According to local legend, one particularly rowdy visitor was once locked inside the building, and it had to serve as a temporary prison until the sheriff could arrive.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/historic-jail

rachelmanija

A YA novel about five friends who once played a spooky game that only four of them survived. Four years later, their friendship now broken, the ghost of their dead friend returns to drag them into a gameworld based on Japanese folklore. They must play again, for higher stakes, or else.

I like Japanese folklore, "years ago our group of friends did something bad that's now come back to haunt us," and deathworlds/gameworlds. This book sometimes hit the spot for me but more often didn't; it feels like the bones of a good book that needed a couple more drafts. The main issue, I think, is pacing. It's very fast-paced once it hits the gameworld, to the point where it feels like it's rushing from one scenario to the next, without having time to breathe. This also affects character. The characters are there, but they're a bit shallow because of the go-go-go pacing.

The best parts are a really excellent twist I did not at all see coming, and the scene where they all have to play truth or dare with younger versions of themselves at the ages they were when they first played the game. That part digs into character and relationships, not to mention the feeling of that game itself, in a really satisfying way. If the whole book worked on that level, it would have been much better.

There's a sequel that doesn't sound like it goes anywhere interesting.

sholio

Asteroid City - I watched this because it looked visually interesting and I couldn't tell what it was about. I can now add that after seeing the whole movie, I still don't know what it was about.

( A little more about that )

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - I've been meaning to see this anyway, and Halloween season felt right for it.

( More on that )

(I also watched the first like ... ten minutes or so of Transformers One and realized I was very much not in the mood for that, although I enjoyed the more classic designs for the characters.)

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/highwayman-higgins-house

On quiet, leafy Gaskell Avenue in Knutsford stand two white houses known today as Heath House. Their calm façades conceal the story of Edward “Squire” Higgins, a man who, according to local history, lived among the Cheshire gentry while secretly robbing them blind.

Parish records show that in 1757, Edward Higgins—described as a yeoman—married Catherine Birtles and settled in Knutsford. To his neighbors, he was every inch the gentleman: he rode with the local hunt, hosted soirées, and kept a fine home. But folklore insists that behind his polished manners, Higgins was a career highwayman whose “rent-collecting trips” were convenient covers for robbery.

Stories tell that he was once sentenced to transportation to the American colonies, escaped, and returned to England under a new guise. His luck, legend says, ran out in 1767 after a bungled burglary in Wales. Captured and condemned to hang, he supposedly forged his own pardon—but the deception failed.

The most enduring tale claims that, ever the schemer, Higgins sold his body to a London surgeon to provide for his family. When the dissection began, the astonished anatomists found him still alive.

Though it’s difficult to separate fact from embellishment, Heath House remains tied to his name—and to a story that Knutsfordians still whisper. On still nights, some say you can hear the faint tread of hooves on the old Chester Road—Squire Higgins, riding once more into the dark.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/highwayman-higgins-house

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Good morning, afternoon, and evening!

We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)

I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.

Ta for now!

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/anwoth-old-kirk

While it no longer has a roof and looks more like a shell, the ruins of Anwoth Old Kirk are still well worth a visit. Built around 1626, this old parish church was the ministry of the celebrated theologian Samuel Rutherford, who served there from 1627 to 1636, when he was banned from preaching and exiled.

Rutherford was a pastor, political thinker, and a key figure in the 17th-century Covenanter movement in the country. One of his most famous works, Lex, Rex (1644), challenged the divine rights of kings and presented an early theory of constitutional government that had a profound influence on later political philosophers. Today, he is perhaps best known for his letters, a collection of pastoral correspondence gathered and published posthumously.

The church was dismantled in 1826 when a new one was completed along the road.

More recently, horror fans might recognize the Kirk and the old schoolhouse opposite it from the 1973 cult horror film The Wicker Man. When visiting the area, one can see why this location was chosen for filming. It is a beautiful, peaceful pastoral setting, but amongst the overgrown graves, a niggling sense of dread slowly creeps in.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/anwoth-old-kirk

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/muerbelsmillen

Interior

Luxembourg City lies at the confluence of the Pétrusse and Alzette rivers. The city's builders used the presence of these rivers when they were constructing the city's fortifications. But long before that, the Alzette was used to power mills. Today, only one remains: the Muerbelsmillen.

It has been documented since the 11th century, when it first appeared at Altmünster Abbey. It has suffered numerous fires throughout its history, each time requiring reconstruction. It was used to grind grain until 1922, when Karl Hartmann-Sendlein purchased the mill and converted it into a mustard factory. The 'Moutarderie du Luxembourg' brand occupied the building until moving out in 1986. The building then remained unoccupied for 25 years. In 2010, the city of Luxembourg purchased it with the intention of converting it into student housing.The renovated mill reopened in 2017.

The museum is small. After walking around the water wheel, the first room tells the story of the mill, while the second room tells the story of the 'Moutarderie du Luxembourg' that was once located here. There is also a room at the same level where workshops are held. During these workshops, children learn how to make their own mustard. The dates of these workshops are indicated on the museum's website. Upstairs are the millstones. These are still powered by the water wheel on the ground floor.

Although small, this museum is a pleasant surprise at the foot of the Bock Rock, unknown to many visitors and even many Luxembourgers.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/muerbelsmillen

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/omamori-spa-west-lake

There is no shortage of massage parlours in Vietnam, and Hanoi is no exception. Following the regular foot traffic of tourists through the center of the city you'll hear many a lackadaisical massage offer from shop fronts where your massage could be worth it, could be not, depending on the apathy level of your masseuse.

But north of this area, tucked down an alley near the beautiful Trúc Bạch Lake, is a massage parlour quietly giving some of the best service around. The level of service and social benefit are parallel: not only do they have a strict no-tipping rule out of pride in their service, but the staff are all visually impaired.

Omamori spa offers training and stable jobs to those who have vision problems to show that they are not only capable but excel in this skill.

And if you're interested in learning how to give massages too, they also offer classes!

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/omamori-spa-west-lake

atlasobscura_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yellow-tiger-flag

When the Qing Empire ceded Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, people on the island did not accept the new rule without resistance. Local elites declared the “Republic of Formosa” and proclaimed the then-governor Tang Jingsong as its first president. He held the position for only eight days before fleeing to China as Japanese troops advanced. Liu Yongfu later took over but failed to stop the invasion, fleeing himself in October. The Republic lasted only around 150 days.

Though brief, the Republic was the first time Taiwan had a national emblem. At least three “Blue Ground Yellow Tiger” flags were flown in northern Taiwan, later captured and sent back to Japan. The originals are now lost. Around 1909, Japanese painter Takahashi Untei was asked to duplicate the flag, and his work became the basis for all later versions.

Look carefully at the tiger’s eyes—one wide open, the other squinting—meant to symbolize vigilance both day and night.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yellow-tiger-flag

spikedluv

I hit Price Chopper (to finish up mom’s grocery list) while I was downtown.

I drove mom to her treatment, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dog’s meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, placed a couple of online orders (one a Christmas present and one for the dogs), and scooped kitty litter. I also baked cornbread to go with the chili for supper.

I watched 9-1-1 and finished watching Top Gun, which I’d started a few days ago, intending to hopefully write another fic for

fandomgiftbasket. Not sure that’s going to happen, but at least I got through the sad part of the movie, which is where I stopped watching previously. I also took a short nap.

Temps started out at 44.9(F) and reached 53.2. It has been a weird day, weather-wise. Periods of clouds, rain, sun, wind. Even a rainbow! It had really wide beautiful bands of color. Though by the time I got a photo of it, it had faded quite a bit.

Mom Update:

Mom wasn’t feeling well today. ( more back here )

rydra_wong

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/scrap-the-bathroom-ban

From TransActual and Trans+ Solidarity Alliance. Produces a template letter to your MP which you can customize as much as you can or want to.

Article by Jane Fae of TransActual (who have been absolutely kicking ass):

https://www.scenemag.co.uk/jane-fae-a-director-of-transactual-writes-on-the-eve-of-launching-a-new-campaign-to-get-mps-to-reject-the-ehrcs-bathroom-ban/

There are now a bunch of Labour MPs who are worried and making noises at the government, even if it's only about the impact on businesses of rules which are possibly illegal and impossible to follow without getting sued:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/23/dozens-of-labour-mps-warn-of-chaos-for-firms-over-gender-recognition-advice

It's alleged that Bridget Phillipson was sitting on the guidance because she was worried it'd scupper her bid for the deputy leadership, whereas Powell is actively trans-friendly and has called for MPs to have a chance to debate and vote on the guidance.

The below may be an overly optimistic view but it seems clear there's tension and conflict between the EHRC and government:

https://iandunt.substack.com/p/frightened-and-desperate-ehrc-anti (warning for Substack, in case you are boycotting it)

So this is a moment when leverage is possible, and letters to your MP may actually do something.

dine

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

china_shop

"Nobody talks about the middle. The part where the excitement fades and progress stalls. Where the work feels endless, the wins feel small, and the finish line isn't even in sight.
The middle part is where most people quit – not because they couldn't do it, but because they thought it wasn't supposed to feel this way.
But this is actually where the growth happens. Push through.
One day, this chapter will be the part of the story you're most proud of."

–Jay Yang, via Instagram

My day 25: A bit of a slow start (partly distracted by the Yuletide letters post), but I managed 1,115 words of a new gift fic. I'm trying to slow down the writing and let it be sensory, rather than racing to get to the finish. Let's see how that goes. (There are so many things I'm "in the middle of" or meaning to write atm that my head feels splintered. I need to get back into the habit of sustained attention and finishing, without making the writing feel rushed.)

Other than that, another walk through trees this afternoon, and a quiet evening ahead.

The tally
( Tally )

Day 23:

alightbuthappypen,

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

chanter1944,

china_shop,

cmk418,

cornerofmadness,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora

Day 24:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

china_shop,

cmk418,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora

When you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.

patrokla posting in

yuletide

Hello from this year's primary mod, Helen! Kat and Livi have largely stepped away this year, but are very kindly helping with some behind the scenes stuff. Most posts and emails will be from me :) This will be my first time doing a lot of the swaps process, so if you notice anything seriously awry, please let me know!

( 2025 schedule, links, and more! )

Questions? Check out the current FAQ. (Which will be updated this weekend to reflect international shipping issues!) If that doesn't help, feel free to comment here or email us at yuleswaps at gmail dot com!

Current Mood: determined
Current Location: under attack by hungry cats

settiai

On the Critical Role front, a friend has sent me some very specific spoilers about last night's episode as well as timestamps to avoid, so I'm going to try to watch it again this weekend but this time going in prepared. When I watch this time, I'm going to very carefully fast-forward through some scenes to try to avoid being set off again like I was when I was watching it live. Because gods only know the last thing I need is another accidental panic attack.

We'll see how it goes?

I've gotta admit, one of the biggest things that annoys me about Critical Role is their refusal to add content warnings of any type even now that they're prerecording. It made sense when they were properly airing live prior to 2020, because that just wasn't possible, but now? It would help a lot of people to at least have an option to know in advance that an episode was going to include common triggers. They gave warnings for the Divergence miniseries, so it's definitely possible for them to do. They just don't do it most of the time.

Let's see...

I finally managed to get my Yuletide sign-up done earlier this afternoon. It took a lot longer than I was expecting, but I got it in a few hours before the deadline so that I still had time to go back and make a few small edits before they closed. So that's a relief at least. I'm having a few regrets about not trimming down my list of offers a bit more than I did, but that happens every year, so it's not exactly something new.

The Dragon Age Reverse Bang's deadline is Sunday, so my artist and I are both hurrying to get everything finished. My brain's a bit mush right now despite me napping after work, because A. I slept like crap and B. I think that I might be coming down with something, so I think that I'm going to go to bed in a bit so that I can plan on getting up early and curling up with my laptop to spend tomorrow writing until I get this ever-growing monster of a fic done.

Current Mood: hopeful

Profile

gwyn

Chez Gwyn

October 2025

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Page Summary

musesfool - We're offered Moët, we don't mind Chivas
adafrog in fandom_checkin - Daily Check In.
atlasobscura_feed - Te Waha O Rerekohu in Te Araroa, New Zealand
atlasobscura_feed - Benny in Muncie, Indiana
atlasobscura_feed - Cemitério dos Prazeres (Prazeres Cemetery) in Lisbon, Portugal
atlasobscura_feed - Historic Jail in Temecula, California
rachelmanija - Find Him Where You Left Him Dead, by Kristen Simmons
sholio - More movies courtesy of 10 hours on a trans-Atlantic flight
atlasobscura_feed - Highwayman Higgins’ House in Cheshire East, England
mark in dw_maintenance - Database maintenance
atlasobscura_feed - Anwoth Old Kirk in Anwoth, Scotland
atlasobscura_feed - Muerbelsmillen in Luxembourg, Luxembourg
atlasobscura_feed - Omamori Spa West Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam
atlasobscura_feed - Yellow Tiger Flag in Zhongzheng District, Taiwan
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Oct 24)
rydra_wong - UK people: Scrap The Bathroom Ban
dine - here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a memory
china_shop - Write Every Day: Day 25
patrokla in yuletide - 2025: One Swap After Another || SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN!
settiai - Fannish Stuff

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Page generated Oct. 26th, 2025 04:24 am

my friends need to be punished

Reading

We're offered Moët, we don't mind Chivas

Daily Check In.

Te Waha O Rerekohu in Te Araroa, New Zealand

Benny in Muncie, Indiana

Cemitério dos Prazeres (Prazeres Cemetery) in Lisbon, Portugal

Historic Jail in Temecula, California

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead, by Kristen Simmons

More movies courtesy of 10 hours on a trans-Atlantic flight

Highwayman Higgins’ House in Cheshire East, England

Database maintenance

Anwoth Old Kirk in Anwoth, Scotland

Muerbelsmillen in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Omamori Spa West Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam

Yellow Tiger Flag in Zhongzheng District, Taiwan

The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Oct 24)

UK people: Scrap The Bathroom Ban

here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a memory

Write Every Day: Day 25

2025: One Swap After Another || SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN!

Fannish Stuff

Profile

October 2025

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