sholio: aged sepia paper with printed text saying "If undelivered, return to Air Ministry, London" (Biggles-london air ministry)
[personal profile] sholio
I have something written for day 5, but I'm struggling a bit with edits, so I figured I'd skip ahead to this one for today.

No. 6: “No grave can hold my body down.”
Caught in a Net | Medical Restraints | Pinned to the Wall

Biggles books, Team Air Police, gen, 400 wds
Also on Tumblr

400 wds under the cut )
alethia: (GK Doc)
[personal profile] alethia
A Long Walk (5155 words) by Alethia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Pitt (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Abbot/Michael "Robby" Robinavitch
Characters: Jack Abbot (The Pitt), Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, Parker Ellis, Dana Evans
Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 01, Established Relationship, Developing Relationship, Insecurity, Jealousy, Porn, robby's got some new tattoos, let us explore
Summary:

Robby finally piped up: "Kind of a shame, though. Guy seemed like your type."

Jack felt himself wanting to bristle, quickly controlling it. Because what the fuck. They'd been entirely wrapped up in each other in the year since Pittfest, Robby finally going to therapy, letting them get more serious than the fuckbuddy deal they'd had going before that. Jack had thought things were going well. "I have a type?" he challenged, raising his eyebrows.

Daily Check In.

Oct. 4th, 2025 06:08 pm
adafrog: (Default)
[personal profile] adafrog posting in [community profile] fandom_checkin
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 #33690 Daily poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25

How are you doing?

I am okay
14 (58.3%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
10 (41.7%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
8 (32.0%)

One other person
12 (48.0%)

More than one other person
5 (20.0%)




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.
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

The Colony House Museum

On the dusty Main Street of a small ranching town, in the middle of Paraguay’s endless Chaco territory, a collection of one-room museums tells one of the often overlooked stories of an already overlooked country: the story of Paraguay’s Mennonites.

Many arrived in the 1920s and 30s after fleeing the anti-religious legislation of the newly formed USSR, the refugees found a hot, dry landscape full of swamps and strange creatures. Many had recently fled through Siberian winters to China and still carried their thick winter coats and hats. They were adaptable, however—their ancestors had already fled Germany to Russia in the years of Catherine the Great.

Soon they had built three collectives: Neuland, Menno and Fernheim (of which Filadelfia is the largest town). Over the years they expanded from farming and ranching to various types of industry, though agriculture remained the lifeblood of the community.

Today, German-speaking Mennonites only make up about a quarter of Filadelfia’s population, but their history and culture has left its mark, from the wide, grid-like streets, to the Mennonite dishes served in the Hotel Florida across the street from the museum.

[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

Aarhus began as Aros, a fortified Viking settlement at the mouth of the Aarhus River in the late 700s. Excavations show it was an important center for trade and craftsmanship, and many downtown streets preserve traces of the city’s Viking past in their names and layout.

Since 2019, Aarhus has replaced the standard red and green walking figures at several pedestrian crossings with small Vikings holding axes and shields. The lights are installed at multiple locations, including points that follow the outlines of the original fortifications.

These traffic lights have gained popularity and attract both visitors and residents. The design highlight how Viking history is still visible in modern urban life.

Hong Kong People Statue in Hong Kong

Oct. 4th, 2025 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

In front of the main entrance to Hong Kong’s Conrad Hotel stands a cast-bronze statue created by the late American artist Kirk Newman. Completed in 1990, the statue portrays one of the artist’s favourite subject areas, exploring the complexities of people in the modern world.

The statue itself comprises 15 human figures, performing a variety of actions commonly seen in the city. Among the more eye-catching are a man performing tai chi, a tourist photographing skywards, and a businessman greeting an acquaintance while presumably rushing to his next meeting.

Despite its prestigious location in front of one of the city’s top hotels, the statue is on a section of road that doesn’t receive much foot traffic. Many guests arriving back to the Conrad likely ignore the statue to return to the comfort of their rooms. 

But for fans of public art exploring Pacific Place or nearby Hong Kong Park, the “Hong Kong People” statue is worth a detour. While it remains unknown to many, this understated sculpture succinctly captures the bustling nature of daily life in the city.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Oct. 4th, 2025 12:58 pm
settiai: (ACNH -- settiai)
[personal profile] settiai
Since the universe has made it clear that I have no control whatsoever when it comes to my actual life, I decided to focus on one of my virtual ones instead for a while.

I've never really stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons since it was released in 2020, but the last few years I've mostly been logging on for 10-15 minutes each day to do my "dailies" and talk to my villagers since all of my collections are already at 100%. Since it's October, though, I decided to not only put out all of my (many) fall and Halloween decorations but also change some things up as well.

I'm not done yet, but I definitely spent a few hours last night and this morning curled up on my bed with the cats as I changed up some cliffs and rivers, dug up some flowers, planted new ones, moved some trees, etc. all while putting out enough pumpkin-related decor that every single one of my villagers commented on it.

Does it change much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really. But, you know, if I can't keep my actual life from imploding on me regularly, I can at least control the world of my tiny little digital island.
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

The Front with Signage

In the quiet streets of Belleville, Kansas stands a house that seems to know it’s being watched. Built in the late 1800s on a quiet Belleville street, the house hosted a succession of reclusive women. Locals eventually named it the Witch House, though the reasons differ by teller. Its reputation grew from warnings and half-remembered stories that no one would own.

Those who linger on the road have reported strange phenomena: flickering lights in the basement that begin only when people step into its concrete corridors, engines stalling when headlights sweep the façade (most often in October), shapes passing behind curtained glass, whispered chanting between 11:00 PM and 3:30 AM, and the smell of smoke or roses where neither should be. Inside and outside, a woman’s voice is heard singing between midnight and dawn.

Unlike staged haunted attractions, the Witch House offers no welcome. Its power lies in the unanswered question, whether it is haunted, cursed, or simply tuned to some older, stranger frequency. It remains a fixed point in Belleville’s landscape, the kind of place that pulls the gaze and stirs unease long after you’ve walked away.

TV News: Eric Dane & Lioness

Oct. 4th, 2025 10:17 am
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
1. I just discovered that Eric Dane has ALS. He’s only 52. This article is about one of his shows, The Last Ship. They recommend it, and I do, too.

Eric Dane’s 5-Season Apocalyptic Thriller Was a Must-See Sleeper Hit Series Before ‘The Last of Us’ (collider.com)


2. Lioness has been renewed for a third season!!

All the Canceled and Renewed TV Shows This Month (October 2025) (tvguide.com)

Anchor Point Stones in Pune, India

Oct. 4th, 2025 10:00 am
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

In the premises of the Pune Head Post Office, there are several interesting historical objects kept on display for the public, silent reminders of a bygone era.

In the post office’s garden near the front porch, two semi-spherical stones coated in vibrant red paint (the color closely associated with the postal service) stand as anchors. These weathered stones once played an unusual but important role in postal history.

Back when animals carried the mail, elephants (and horses) were used to transport postal material. During that era, these stones served as anchor points for those animals. To honor and preserve the memory of the elephants and horses that contributed to the service, the stones are now preserved and displayed so that the public can see how postal delivery used to work.

Nominations Queries Post 3

Oct. 4th, 2025 08:54 am
yuletidemods: A hippo lounges with laptop in hand, peering at the screen through a pair of pince-nez and smiling. A text bubble with a heart emerges from the screen. The hippo dangles a computer mouse from one toe. By Oro. (Default)
[personal profile] yuletidemods posting in [community profile] yuletide_admin
We are 168 hours into tag approving! We began with 6078 individual fandom nominations to sort (where if two people submitted the same fandom, that would count twice towards the total). We have 210 fandom nominations still to sort. Please review the questions below to help us sort them quickly and correctly!

Please link your nominations page if telling us what to do about your nomination - thank you! Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened. (You can find your own nominations at this link; keep in mind this gives you an 'Edit' screen where you can't actually submit any edits, but if you delete /edit, that's the page we're looking for.)

If we've processed any of your nominations and something doesn't look right, please comment (with your nominations page) to tell us about the problem and how you think it should be corrected. Questions are welcome.


Dragon's Dogma - Nominator, we won’t approve the group tag Pawn(s) (Dragon’s Dogma) as there is at least one specific Pawn. We can replace it with Arisen's Companion Pawn (Dragon's Dogma), which we approved last year, or remove this character, as you prefer. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

The Fox and the Hound (Disney Movies) - Nominator, we can't find characters who could be Tod And Vixie's Kits - could you clarify what you were thinking there please? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Ghost in the Shell (Anime & Manga) - this is nominated with Kusanagi Motoko, Batou, Kogusa, and Saito; meanwhile, we also have a nomination for Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Anime) with Batou, Hideo Kuze, Motoko Kusanagi, and Togusa. We would prefer to combine these under Stand Alone Complex but are open to hearing otherwise. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Hell's Belles - Jaysea Lynn and Hell's Belles Series - Jaysea Lynn - Nominators, is For Whom the Belle Tolls the first in a series, or are these nominations a reference to the TikTok series related to the book? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Inner Gold - Lindsey Stirling feat. Royal & the Serpent (Music Video) - We’re wondering about “Lindsey Stirling's Character | Golden Dancer” specifically. Is that the violinist in the gold mesh played by Lindsey Stirling, or the character in red who becomes covered in gold also played by Lindsey Stirling, or are these the same character? Would you be open to us approving the video without characters, to more easily leave these interpretations up to a creator? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

LEGO Castle - This seems to combine more than one playset. Nominator, could you clarify what you are hoping for please? Also, which wizard? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Nestle's Alpine White "Sweet Dreams" Commercials - We'd appreciate some help with the character nominations. Characters nominated are:
  • Dancing Girl with sparkler #1 (Nestle)

  • Man in Farmyard (Nestle)

  • Man in Sweater (Nestle Ad)

  • White Wolf (Nestle Ad)

  • Woman in Coat (Nestle Ad)

  • Woman in White Hood (Nestle)

  • Woman on Beach (Nestle)

  • Woman on Swing (Nestle Ad)
Could we please check if the Man in Sweater is the same as the Man in Turtleneck approved last year? We'd like to approve Dancing Girls with Sparklers as a single unit, as it's not clear which one is #1 or what distinguishes her from the others. Lastly, we think that might be a fox rather than a wolf? For anyone curious, though please note the video does contain strobing lights… If you nominated this, please link your nominations page when you reply.

Overcooked (Video Games) - Nominator, we’re not sure how “Customers (Overcooked - Video Games)” and “Passers-by (Overcooked - Video Games)” are two separate groups of characters that also cannot be distinguished from each other within the group. Can you help us understand what you were going for? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Phasmophobia (Video Game) - Nominator, could you please clarify the nomination of Ghost(s)? There seem to be several classes of ghost NPCs - we'd be willing to approve one of the other specific types, or potentially two, since you only used up three character slots. It also looks like 'Shade' is a subset of 'Ghosts' - please clarify? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Relic Master Series - Catherine Fisher - There is a group nomination for The Makers, but it appears to us that some of the makers are named and given individual characteristics. Nominator, could you choose a maker? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Riddick (2013) - Could we please get some information about how this stands alone from the rest of the Chronicles of Riddick saga? If you nominated this, please link your nominations page when you reply.

The Secret Garden - Simon/Norman - We're a little unsure if the character nomination of "the Dreamers" works, since it includes at least two named characters. Nominate, could you expand on your thinking or pick a specific character please? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Soulmate Goose of Enforcement Fandom Trope (Anthropomorphic) - This is causing us some difficulty! We feel this isn’t an anthropomophic fandom, as the goose is already a character, who isn’t in need of anthropomorphising. We don’t generally approve tropes as fandoms; nominator, would it work to nominate under the original tumblr post instead? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Trash Taste (Podcast) - This podcast is nominated without characters, but it's difficult to see what you're looking for aside from RPF of the hosts, as this doesn't seem to contain a fictional narrative. Nominator, please clarify what you were hoping for? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

We Are คือเรารักกัน | We Are (Thailand TV 2024) RPF, เขาจ้างให้ผมจีบนักฆ่า | The Heart Killers (Thailand TV) RPF, รักไม่ระบุสถานะ | Dark Blue Kiss (TV) RPF, เลือดนายลมหายใจฉัน | My Golden Blood (Thailand TV 2024) RPF - Many of these characters were also nominated under GMMTV Actor RPF, so we plan to combine all of these nominations into GMMTV Actor RPF. If you're making a case for an alternate arrangement, please link your nominations page when you reply.

West Coast Avengers (Marvel Comics) - Nominator, did you mean the 2018-19 reboot series? Your character nominations seem to relate to that run, so we'd like to approve as West Coast Avengers (Comics 2018-19), assuming that matches your intention. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Zoo (TV 2015) - We can’t find the character “Alyssa Diaz”, but that seems to be one of the actresses. Did you mean the character “Dariela Marzan”? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Previous queries


13th Century CE Plantagenet Dynasty RPF - this category contains Edward II and Piers Gaveston, who are also both nominated in 14th Century CE RPF. We intend to approve these under the former category; let us know if you have concerns. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Aliens (1986) - Nominator, these characters are also nominated under the broader fandom Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), so we would like to merge your nominations in with the rest of the original movies. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Batman: Arkham Shadow (Video Game) - we received evidence for this but would like more information, please. Could the nominator, or anyone else who knows this family of games, please help us understand how it is distinct? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

The Breakfast Club (1985) - Brian Johnson’s parents are distinct characters and so we are not willing to approve them as a unit. Nominator, would you like to pick a parent? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold and World of the Five Gods - Lois McMaster Bujold - given that the characters nominated under the canonical tag include some from Hallowed Hunt & the Penric and Desdemona stories, we would like to approve all of these together under World of the Five Gods. Any objections? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Corbenic (Catherine Fisher) - We won’t approve Arthur's Company Ensemble (Corbenic) as this is a group with named members. Nominator, would you like to pick one or two (since you’ve only nominated two other characters)? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Dream Cycle - H. P. Lovecraft - All characters nominated for this fandom (other than Worldbuilding) were approved last year in the fandom Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft; as we have overlapping nominations, we’d like to combine again the same way. We've heard from one nominator but would like to hear from the other. Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede - We won’t approve the character nomination Morwen's Cats (Enchanted Forest) as they are all individually named. Nominators, could you please each choose a cat? (Scorn has already been nominated, and another nominator is fine with either Trouble or Fiddlesticks.) Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Hear Me Cry (1984) (CBS Schoolbreak Special) Craig and David’s parents are distinct characters and so we are not willing to approve each set of parents as a single unit. Nominator, would you like to pick two of the four parents? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

History Boys - All Media Types - Nominator, we won’t approve this nomination as All Media Types. Would you prefer the movie or the play? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

MAIJO Otaro - Works - We don’t approve fandoms consisting of all of a creator’s works, and the nominated characters appear to come from at least 2 novels. Nominator, could you pick one of Maijō’s works to nominate, along with the associated characters? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Midsomer Murders - All Media Types - Nominator, we won't approve this nomination as All Media Types. Would you prefer TV or books? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

夢中さ きみに。| Muchuu sa Kimi ni (Manga) - We also have a nomination for the Anime; the nominator of that fandom says they have not read the manga but believes these could be combined if needed. We've heard from two Manga nominators who are OK with combining under Anime & Manga; could we hear from the third please? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Oxford Time Travel Universe - Connie Willis and To Say Nothing of the Dog: or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last - Connie Willis - To Say Nothing nominator, do you have any concerns about combining your nominations with the larger universe? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Palais de Reine (Visual Novel) - We can’t find the character “Astrud”. Nominator, is this “Astrad”, or is it just a different localization? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Terminator (Movies) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) - Nominators, please make your cases for splitting or combining these. May we combine them into (Movies 1984 1991 2019), since Dark Fate follows Terminator 2? Please link your nominations page when you reply.

Tron - All Media Types - We won't approve this nomination as All Media Types. Nominator, please pick a canon. Please link your nominations page when you reply.



Schedule, Rules, & Collection | Contact Mods | Tag Set | Community DW | Community LJ | Discord | Pinch hits on Dreamwidth


Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
umadoshi: (autumn - candle and pumpkin)
[personal profile] umadoshi
Suddenly I'm on the other side of the fall crunch at work, early enough that I somehow feel at loose ends even though regular full-time work continues and I have freelance work that badly needs tackling (plus, y'know, the endless litany of things I should do and want to do and only ever make slow progress on).

Despite the crunch, I've gotten some tidying/organizing done in my office; it could still use a lot more work, but I've cleared some surfaces that haven't seen the light of day in a long time, so that feels good. And a couple bits of autumnal decor have crept out here and there around the house, but maybe this weekend we can do a more serious job with that sort of thing.

Quick book notes: I don't think I've specifically mentioned that I did finish and enjoy Caitlin Starling's The Starving Saints (mind the cannibalism, though); I've made further slow, slow progress on Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World; last night I finished Silver and Lead, the new October Daye book, which was a solid installment; and last night I also started reading, for a total change of pace, Her Halloween Treat (romance, Tiffany Reisz), which I presumably saw recced somewhere when it was on sale (I think around this time last year, but I didn't get to it before last Hallowe'en), and which I'm only a couple of chapters into.

I don't generally make a big stab at seasonal media, other than trying to watch a couple of Christmas movies the last year or two, but since I have a few seasonally-appropriate books, that's as good a way of choosing "what next?" as any.

And with the crunch over, I imagine [personal profile] scruloose and I will soon be back to listening to Murderbot books.
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

A railway stretching north to south across the African continent, from the ancient entrepôt of Cairo all the way to Cape Town in South Africa, was the dream of the inveterate British colonialist Cecil Rhodes. The desire to establish the unbroken line of possessions that would allow the construction of the railway drove British colonial policy for years. In the end, however, the railway was never completed, and the British empire gave way to independence. 

Still, the spirit of “Cape to Cairo” lives on. Adventurous globetrotters still make the trek overland, traversing mountain, veldt, and valley by car, bike, or motorcycle. A welcome milestone comes in the city of Arusha in Tanzania. The city has long been marked as the midpoint of the approximately 10,000-kilometer journey, specifically at its central clocktower.

Although Arusha was considered the midpoint before the construction of the clocktower, the honor of marking the exact spot fell to the clocktower after it was built in the years following World War II. The money for the clocktower was donated by Christos Galanos, a Greek man who came to east Africa to seek his fortune. After giving back to the community in the shape of the clocktower, it has marked the center of town and the center of Africa for the most adventurous of travelers.

The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Oct 3)

Oct. 4th, 2025 09:32 am
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
I got my flu and covid vaccines this morning. *fingers crossed* I don’t have any major reactions. I also hit Walmart and Agway while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park.

(I was awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night being all irritated about Monday’s appointments and wondering just how disruptive mom’s radiation appointments are going to be (since they’re daily for five weeks), and I decided to get the things I already had on next week’s Walmart list today so I could at least stop being annoyed about having to miss my usual shopping day. So, that’s one thing off my mind now.)

I hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I also went to the bank, donated to my local public radio station, and placed a Chewy order.

I typed in ~1,300 words of fic and hand-wrote ~800 more on a different fic. I was on a fic roll today! I also watched some HGTV.

Temps started out at 51.8(F) and reached 75.9. The morning temp was a huge surprise. TWC originally called for it to be 39, then last night when I looked it said 43. I did not expect it to be over 50.


ETA: Tonight's visitors. No more spots!




Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay. more back here )
[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

The Street With No Name

Despite being created more than 160 years ago, this street outside the Levenshulme train station in Manchester has never had an official title. Neighbours began to refer to it as “the street with no name” and over the decades it has stuck.

As recognition of its unique status, nearby residents put up a sign bearing the curious moniker. Sadly, the sign disappeared later that summer, but eventually it was replaced with a new, larger sign, installed 12 feet off the ground to discourage thieves.

Nothing to do with U2, as far as anyone knows.

[syndicated profile] atlasobscura_feed

Posted by The Podcast Team

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps.


Dylan Thuras: Hey all, Dylan here. So today we are sharing stories about neighbors. Stories from Atlas Obscura staff, friends of the show, basically anyone who had a good story to tell us about something that happened with their neighbors. It’s got front yards, it’s got backyards, it’s got pets. And after you hear this episode, we would like to hear from you. We want to hear your stories about your neighbors, the good, the bad, the ugly.

Maybe there’s a neighbor on your block who goes crazy for the holidays and it’s just like a delight to see what they’re up to. Maybe someone has an incredible garden. Maybe someone refuses to cut their yard and lawn and like, that’s cool. They’re just a rebel in some suburban cul-de-sac. Maybe that person is you.

Anyway, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your name and your story. You can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com. We want to hear your neighbor stories. All right, here’s the episode.

This is an edited transcript of the Atlas Obscura Podcast: a celebration of the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps.

article-image

Will: Hey Atlas listeners. My name is Will. I’ve lived in New York City for 15 years, but before that I grew up in a very rural part of the state of Maryland. So rural that where I’m from, St. Leonard, is considered a census designated place. And when people ask me what that means, I say that it’s a big enough collection of people living in the woods that the government says that we need to keep an eye on that. And where I’m from, a lot of the houses were vacation homes for people who lived and worked in Washington, DC.

And my neighbor had peacocks for pets. He had two beautifully colored, amazing, vibrant plumage, classic peacocks that would just kind of hang out in his yard. And I would see them when I would ride my bicycle around the circle. And they never left. They knew not to leave. But it was the most unusual sight to see these two exotic birds just kind of hanging out in my neighbor’s front yard. I could see them from my house, too.

And one summer, this neighbor asked if I wanted to do some work around his house to earn some extra money. And I said yes, I think specifically so I could catch another glimpse of these peacocks and see where they lived. And I did that while I picked blackberries and mowed the lawn. And from time to time when I think about my experience growing up—because where I’m from, I still talk to several friends from when I lived there—I always bring up the fact that my neighbor had peacocks that would stand in his front yard.

Johanna Mayer: Hey, this is Johanna. I’m the senior producer of the show. So I live in Brooklyn, New York. And there’s this block in my neighborhood. It is a beautiful block. The streets are really wide because it leads right into the entrance of Prospect Park, which is one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in the city. There are huge, shady trees. It’s mossy. The block is lined by these very fancy limestone and brownstone buildings.

And on this block, there is a house that I try to walk by as frequently as I can, because it has the most incredible front yard display. I have never seen anything like this in the city before. There’s everything in this display. There are inflatable characters. There are lights strung up. Some of them are blinking sometimes. There are stuffed animals strapped to it, various pieces of furniture. It’s like every inch of this tiny little front yard is crammed to the brim with some sort of strange ephemera. And it changes. This is not just a holiday thing, but they do swap out various themes for Christmas, for St. Patrick’s Day, whatever. But it is up year-round.

I love this house and its yard because it feels sort of like, almost like an act of resistance, or it’s like someone who is just really dancing to the beat of their own drum, not caring what their neighbors or anyone think of them, just executing their very out-of-place vision. One of these days, I will be brave enough to ring their doorbell and talk to them and ask them all about why they put up this display in this incredible front yard that they have. But until then, I will just continue to walk past it as many times as I can. And if you are the owner of this house and you happen to be listening to this podcast, please get in touch. I would love to do an episode about your house.

Amanda McGowan: Hello Atlas listeners, Amanda McGowan here, one of the producers on the show. So I grew up in a pretty rural part of Connecticut. There was a lot of land in between people’s homes, and my neighbors had alpacas, which when I was a kid seemed very exciting and cool.

But I didn’t think too much about it until recently, because I think it was my mom who pointed out to me that there was this alpaca farm in town that was selling yarn made out of the alpaca’s wool. And you could buy it and the tag would have a picture of the alpaca and it would be like, “This is Steve’s wool,” or something like that. You know what I mean? And I loved to knit. So this was very exciting to me.

So I looked it up and I actually realized that it wasn’t even our neighbor’s alpaca farm. And apparently there’s multiple alpaca farms in the town where I grew up. And then I was zooming out and apparently there’s many, many, many alpaca farms in the state of Connecticut. And then I zoomed out even further and found a Reddit post that was a map of the United States that said “alpacas by county 2022.” And there are a lot of alpaca farms out there.

So if you’re a person who likes to knit or crochet and you would like to have a photo of the alpaca that produced the yarn that you’re knitting from, I highly recommend checking out a local alpaca or llama proprietor or farmer near you.

Luz Fleming: What’s up everybody? This is Luz Fleming, your audio engineer for this podcast. I have a story about a neighbor I had in Bed-Stuy. And a little side note, when I moved to Bed-Stuy in 2005, it was by far the friendliest neighborhood I ever moved to. People introduced themselves and said welcome to the neighborhood pretty much every day for an entire year.

And in that spirit, I met somebody a couple blocks up from me. Very nice guy. I’m not going to mention his name. And we always stopped to chat every time we saw each other.

And at some point he mentioned that he was a beekeeper and had a whole hive on his roof. I thought that was pretty interesting. So I would often ask him about that. How are the bees doing? Are they producing honey? And this probably went on for two or three years. And one day he says, “You know, we’re having a Brooklyn beekeepers meeting at a bar in Clinton Hill. Everybody will have their honey and we’ll be doing tastings and you should come through. It’ll be fun.”

So I went with a couple friends and sure enough, there was this group of beekeepers from Brooklyn and each one had their own jar of honey out. And each honey tasted totally different from the other. I remember one person had a hive near Greenwood Cemetery and I thought that honey was especially good. And it made me wonder if it was from flowers in the cemetery or why that would have been.

But anyway, my neighbor seemed to be a real celebrity at this event and he was hosting and emceeing and everybody knew him and was joking with him. But there was something to the jokes that I didn’t quite understand. And I felt like I was missing something. Like there was an inside joke and I didn’t quite get it. And I just couldn’t get that out of my mind. And everything was great. I said “Goodbye, thanks for inviting us. We all had a great time.” But I had to know what it was that I was missing out on.

So I did a search when I went home. And sure enough, my neighbor pops up right away as the Naked Beekeeper. And he will tend to his hive on the roof, almost completely naked. So you never know who your neighbors are or what they’re into or just how into it they are. And again, great guy. I’m not going to mention his name, but he doesn’t seem to be covering anything up anyway. So you could probably find him pretty easy. Anyway, that’s my story. See ya.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps.

This episode was produced by Manolo Morales. Our podcast is a co-production of Atlas Obscura and Stitcher Studios. The people who make our show include Doug Baldinger, Kameel Stanley, Johanna Mayer, Manolo Morales, Amanda McGowan, Alexa Lim, Casey Holford, and Luz Fleming. Our theme music is by Sam Tyndall.

sholio: Gurathin from Murderbot looking soft and wondering (Murderbot-Gura)
[personal profile] sholio
This particular prompt was just too Murderbot not to write.

No. 4: “Don’t be scared, I’ve done this before.”
Non-Human Whumper | Iron Rod | Loss of Powers

Murderbot & Gurathin h/c, gen, 1500 wds (TV-verse or books, set after Fugitive Telemetry, probably)
Also posted on AO3 as Educational

1500 wds under the cut )

August 2025

S M T W T F S
     12
345 6789
10111213141516
1718192021 2223
24252627282930
31      

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Oct. 5th, 2025 08:38 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios