I need a WOW icon...

Jul. 21st, 2026 05:12 am
mickeym: (spn_101winchester boys back together aga)
[personal profile] mickeym
So I'm poking around on Instagram, looking for "Wincest Art" (if you don't know I'm a Sam/Dean girl, well). A Dean/Castiel thing came up... and WOW. It wasn't just art, it was a video, almost a minute long, one of the hottest fucking kisses I've ever seen. EVER. And I've been in fandom a really long time, at this point.

This is it (if anyone wants to see): https://www.pinterest.com/pin/412290541033841735/

Just. WOW.

Xposted to Livejournal and Dreamwidth; read/comment where you choose :)
[syndicated profile] smartbitches2_feed

Posted by Amanda

Image

Happy Tuesday!

There are a handful of books on our radar this week, namely contemporary romances. There’s only one release week left and that is shaping up to be a doozy when it comes to new releases.

Which new releases are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Henry Tudor Must Die

Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

Author: Jillian Laine
Released: July 21, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: ,

One queen exiled. Another headed for the gallows. Both hungry for revenge. England’s most infamous queens set out to reclaim their story and unite in vengeance against Henry VIII.

Anne Boleyn is going to die, and neither her cleverness nor her witchery can save her. So when her late rival, Catalina de Aragón, miraculously appears in her cell at the Tower of London on the eve of her execution, very much alive and offering a daring escape plan, no one is more surprised than Anne.

Lina doesn’t have Anne’s magic—but she has just as much hate for England’s wretched king. Severed from her daughter and stripped of all her influence, Lina breathes only for the Hellebore Sisterhood, a clandestine and powerful society with a vested interest in keeping both queens alive…and using their particular skills to advance womankind.

Anne and Lina’s old rivalries pale in comparison to a common enemy. One by one, they capture their pawns, infiltrating the court, recruiting the new queens in Henry’s orbit, and eliminating the men who plotted against them. Always inching closer to their true target…

And they want his head.

Sarah: The six wives decide they’re going to get revenge on Henry VIII, and I’m thinking fans of “Six” will adore this. I also think this book signals a growing trend I’m calling “Tudorpalooza.”

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

If Books Could Kill

If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle

Author: Kate Eberle
Released: July 21, 2026 by Penguin Books
Genre: , , ,

A NOVEL LOVE STORY meets LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS in this rom-com following Roxie Mitchell, an adventure-loving romance reader who finds herself trapped in a meet-cute turned murderous

When Roxie makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live out the plot of her favorite author’s next novel, she has romance in mind—namely, the sweet, safe, swoon-worthy storylines Anna Matthews is known for. It should be a dream come true when her wish is granted and she finds herself swept into a first date with a handsome stranger who seems designed to take her breath away.

Except for one little hiccup: That handsome stranger tries to take her breath away. Literally. With a knife. The thing is, Roxie may be the new Anna Matthews protagonist—but this time, Anna is writing a crime thriller.

Thrown into a perilous genre she’s never read, Roxie is desperate for help. So when her escape takes her straight into the path of Grant Hoffman, an anxious English professor with a convenient love of crime novels, she decides that kidnapping a grown man is a small price to pay for her own survival. Together, Roxie and Grant navigate a madcap story where the lines between fiction and reality blur. They’ll find out if they have what it takes to make it to The End—or maybe even Happily Ever After.

Romances with meta book plots are really in right now. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Just a Highland Fling

Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar

Author: Naina Kumar
Released: July 21, 2026 by Dell
Genre: ,

Sparks fly on a road trip through the Scottish highlands in this delightful forced proximity romance from the bestselling author of Flirting With Disaster.**

Neelu Pillai makes a last-minute decision to fly to Scotland for her estranged father’s wedding with one goal: to get through it with as little conflict as possible. But when her tipsy tirade at the rehearsal dinner is the reason her father gets left at the altar, she agrees to help him track down his runaway bride.

There’s just one problem: The third member of this road trip through the highlands is Jacob, the hot desi bagpiper from the wedding who just happens to be Neelu’s recent one-night stand. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other a few nights ago, but now he can’t seem to stand her.

Their journey to Skye is certainly not smooth, but as the two work together through the obstacles, doing their best to reunite Neelu’s father with his bride, they realize that there’s more to each other than meets the eye. And that the electric connection they’d felt the night they met is still as strong as ever. . . .

Fiery first impressions, fierce clashes, and undeniable chemistry make for a bumpy ride through the Highlands in this swoony, witty romance about family, forgiveness, and finding love where you least expect it.

Sarah: One night stand at estranged father’s wedding leads to a bride with cold feet and a road trip with her “hot desi bagpiper one night stand” who now seems really mad at her?

Lara: I’m really curious about this one.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Story Keeper

The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer

Author: Kelly Rimmer
Released: July 21, 2026 by MIRA
Genre: , ,

In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate she once called home. Intent on restoring it, she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated mansion—beneath the crumbling plaster and dust are secrets that have been buried for a generation.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

Told in a dual narrative and set against the Gothic backdrop of Wurimbirra, Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say, weaves an intricate and compelling tale, inviting readers into the heart of a family’s deepest secrets with an absorbing book-within-a-book mystery.

Sarah: This is a book-in-a-book story featuring a family estate in an Australian-set gothic. Oh, my.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Vera Stein Is Fine

Vera Stein Is Fine by Julie Murphy

Author: Julie Murphy
Released: July 21, 2026 by Avon
Genre: , ,

From #1 New York Times bestseller Julie Murphy comes a heartfelt and hilarious tale of a woman who thinks life and love have passed her by until she’s thrown into her grandmother’s quirky world of octogenarian free love and gets a second chance with the one man she never expected to see again. Perhaps it’s never too late to play the opening credits…

Welcome to Starlight Palms, a favorite retirement facility among Hollywood actors and industry professionals tucked away just outside of sunny Palm Springs. Filled with forgotten scream queens, eccentric screenwriters, and heartthrobs of the past, it has a brand-new resident: Vera Stein, age forty.

Vera knows she’s missed her chance at a life worthy of the silver screen, just like she missed her chance at ever finding true love. But Vera isn’t one to take chances. She’s spent most of her adult years caretaking for her dying mother and her movie star boss’s ego. Now abruptly houseless and jobless, Vera has nowhere to land, so to grandmother’s house we go!

The Starlight Palms Senior Living Center is midcentury Hollywood down to its pastel-painted bones. This desert gem isn’t lacking in saucy plot twists (swinging seniors, anyone?) or a leading man: Elias Buckley, the on-site doctor and Vera’s former ill-fated college fling and—for reasons that will stay in Vegas—legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada.

It’s not long before Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctor… Suddenly all those empty years in LA look less like mistakes and a lot more like backstory. With a fresh start at her fingertips, Vera begins to see that even with all the detours she’s taken, there’s still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sight…

Lara: This one was such a good fit for me. It felt like the book was written just for me as I’m also going through a big life change in my 40s.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Yes, Chef

Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly

Author: Grace Reilly
Released: July 21, 2026 by Avon
Genre: ,

The Bear meets It Happened One Summer in this delicious new romance from USA Today bestselling author Grace Reilly, in which a down-on-his-luck chef and a determined social media maven strike a reluctant deal to bring a beloved restaurant back to life.

If you can’t take the heat…get out of the kitchen.

After a public meltdown in the dining room of one of Manhattan’s most elite restaurants, Chef Jack Hartman is back in his South Florida hometown. Angry, grieving, and saddled with the unwanted storefront his late mentor left him, his life is spinning out of control. And that’s before Poppy Winfield, the blond, bubbly, utterly infuriating daughter of his former boss, shows up at his dock.

Poppy needs to escape. From her disapproving family, her horrible ex-boyfriend, and her reputation as someone who has never taken anything seriously. But more than that, she wants to prove herself—and she has just the plan to do it. Unfortunately, that plan involves Jack Hartman, the most arrogant, prickly, intimidating man she’s ever had the pleasure of throwing a shrimp at.

She knows Jack is desperate to come back from his unceremonious firing, so she proposes a deal: working together to open a revamped version of his mentor’s restaurant. He’ll handle the menu, and she’ll use her skill as a social media influencer to sell the hell out of its grand opening. If she and Jack can make the restaurant a success, it’ll be an accomplishment no one can deny—and a ticket for them both to return to New York.

Jack is intrigued, but only on his terms: if Poppy’s going to work for him, she must learn the ropes of the entire business. Including how to cook. From him.

As sparks fly both in and out of the kitchen and tensions reach a boiling point, Poppy and Jack are left wondering–could they be a perfect pairing? Or is this whole experiment a recipe for disaster?

Dahlia: Look, I don’t know why grumpy-sunshine is at its sexiest in the kitchen, but it just is. I don’t make the rules. And I love foodie romances.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

sholio: airplane flying away from a tan colored castle (Biggles-castle airplane)
[personal profile] sholio
... You might enjoy this lovely Facebook video of a Dragon Rapide taking off!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1588644629535033

(Not sure if it's viewable without being logged in. I think maybe you need to click through a dialogue box and then can see it.)

(no subject)

Jul. 20th, 2026 10:50 pm
olivermoss: (Melly)
[personal profile] olivermoss
So, I did it. I bought tickets to the Kraken's Pride Night game in February.

Yup, plural. I am betting on finding someone to go with somehow. But also, I didn't buy normal tickets I bought the 'barstool seating' which is behind the normal seats, but it's a bit higher and you get like a bar to sit at for your beer, food, etc. You can stand without blocking anyone. I am actually really happy getting those tickets. The seats are also more spread out. But, they are cheaper for a reason. Not everyone is as into the idea as I am. If I can't get upper bowl first row, lower bowl barstools are my second choice.

The second seat not being a normal seat is going to complicate finding a taker for the ticket, but going with someone to this event is what I want so here's hoping.
escapade_team: (Default)
[personal profile] escapade_team posting in [community profile] escapade_con
 Hello Fellow Kids!

 Escapade is shaped by your panel suggestions and your votes. We heard you! Panel voting is open for one more week! Voting will end on July 24th at 11:59pm PDT. Get your votes in!

 https://escapadecon.net/virtual-con/panel-voting/

 Dates to remember

Convention August 7th-9th

Panel voting ends July 24th

Vid submissions due August 1st

 

Registration: https://escapadecon.net/shop/register-for-summer-online-escapade-36-5/

Scholarship: https://escapadecon.net/scholarship/

 

- Con Com

 

https://escapadecon.net/escapade-36-5-you-want-more-votes-you-get-more-votes/

Daily Happiness

Jul. 20th, 2026 09:29 pm
torachan: karkat from homestuck headdesking (karkat headdesk)
[personal profile] torachan
1. We had a nice evening at Disneyland and got a free Magic Key license plate frame!

2. I was worried we'd come back to a really hot, stuffy house after having been gone a long day, but it really wasn't too bad. The humidity's down a little and it's a bit windier, so that helps.

3. I had significantly less coughing today. Still not zero, but definitely a continued improvement.

4. Jasper is such a handsome boy.

Image

2026 Disneyland Trip #31 (7/20/26)

Jul. 20th, 2026 09:19 pm
torachan: (Default)
[personal profile] torachan
We did an after work trip today and I was worried about the weather being super gross, but it was actually not as bad as it has been! Higher temps than at home, but the humidity was lower and it was overcast so the sun wasn't blazing down on us, which helped a lot (we did get pretty sweaty still, but it seemed easier to cool down).

Read more... )

Third Bridge Trip

Jul. 20th, 2026 08:59 pm
olivermoss: (Default)
[personal profile] olivermoss
It went well! The curse is broken. And I think I've been to all Portland bridges now?

I was going to fucking rest today because I need a day where I'm not working or walking 5 miles or doing other stuff. But, the air was still good here today so I tossed my ass out the door. That, and it's supposed to be a hundred degrees tomorrow.

Who knows what will happen, but figured I'd get while the gettin's good.

Image

Image
Read more... )

Affordable Housing

Jul. 20th, 2026 09:25 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
How Courtyard Blocks Promote Social Connection

The courtyard block is one of the oldest and most successful urban forms we have. If you’ve walked through Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Rome, Prague, Copenhagen, or almost any great European city, you have likely admired courtyard block neighborhoods without necessarily realizing what you were seeing. From the street, you see the continuous building wall: shops, doors, windows, balconies, cornices, stoops, and street life. What you often do not see is the second world inside the block: a protected green courtyard hidden behind the public face of the city.


America has few courtyard blocks that are solid walls of independently owned buildings. But it does have some things are that are related...

Read more... )

Two Dick Francises

Jul. 20th, 2026 07:03 pm
sholio: (Horseman)
[personal profile] sholio
I've been away for the last week (family wedding followed by some travel around Alaska, mostly without wifi and often without cell service, then had houseguests for a couple of days).

Along the way, I acquired a couple of new-to-me Dick Francises in a used bookstore and read them!

Slayride - Well, this definitely has one of the All Time Titles. A British investigator of horse racing shenanigans (of course) investigates a jockey's mysterious disappearance in Norway, with lots of beautifully described chilly ambiance. I was thinking about 2/3 of the way through that this one might end up ranking in my top-tier Francis, because it had some absolutely lovely twists and character surprises! And then a total flat pancake of a disappointing ending in which
vague spoilersthe hero sensibly gets the authorities involved and all the interesting and exciting stuff happens off page without him. And most of the promising character relationships start to develop and then just kind of go off a cliff partway through the book and never get any resolution. DICK FRANCIS, WHY.


Hot Money - This was solid fun! Ian is the estranged son of a rich serial philanderer with five ex-wives and nine kids. Ian's dad wants Ian to help him figure out which of the many suspects is trying to kill him for his money (while also ostentatiously blowing as much of his money on frivolous things as possible before the greedy family can get their hands on it). It's essentially a country house murder mystery in which the murder victim has so far managed to dodge all the murder attempts, and I had a great time with it. It genuinely did keep me guessing 'til the end, with some fun and interesting twists along the way. Very solid Dick Francis, may end up a favorite.

(I feel as if I may have read this one before; there's something very faintly familiar about it. But if so, I didn't remember a thing.)

Happy to elaborate with spoilers in the comments if anyone wants more details! My brain is still a bit flat from all the travel and visiting.

bite-size horror fic recs!

Jul. 20th, 2026 07:28 pm
snickfic: Art of lighted buoy on sea (Fallen London)
[personal profile] snickfic posting in [community profile] recthething
At my journal! Fandoms include:

Sunless Sea
The Haunting of Hill House
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Terror
Original Work

recs: short fics, mostly horror

Jul. 20th, 2026 07:22 pm
snickfic: Sam Dean pilot (SS1)
[personal profile] snickfic
Some delicious awful little bites. :D

Sunless Sea: cathedral of the sea, three-sentence fic by [personal profile] wintersday. This is lovely and eerie, exactly right for the canon.

Deeplight - Frances Hardinge: slow blackout by [archiveofourown.org profile] veinyy. Gen, 1k. The Gathergeist’s process in losing a mind. The Gathergeist definitely seemed like one of the more, idk, abstract of the gods, and it's really interesting reading this and thinking about what actual thoughts it might've had.

The Haunting of Hill House - Jackson: Brick and Bone by [archiveofourown.org profile] Kantayra. Nell gen, drabble. I love how Nell has changed the character of the house.

OW: The Seal's Child by [archiveofourown.org profile] Daeger. Abandoned Daughter of a Runaway Selkie Bride, gen, triple drabble. Beautiful and ominous and so sad.

OW: The glory of the kill by [archiveofourown.org profile] exceptionallyunfortunate. Serial Killer Trapped in Time Loop, gen, triple drabble. Packs a lot of enjoyable irony into very few words.

OW: let it be by [archiveofourown.org profile] TheFlirtMeister. Serial Killer Victim Who Lived & Serial Killer Victim Who Died, gen, 800 words. An emotional wringer, just really fun in a horrible way. :D

The Terror: undeath by [archiveofourown.org profile] Pornabus_Sockerton. Hodgson & Crozier, gen, triple drabble. Crozier says nothing, and Hodgson returns to London venerated. Emotionally brutal in the best way.

The Terror: the ever-fleeting warmth by [archiveofourown.org profile] Ekevka. Collins gen, double drabble. Oh no, Collins. ;____; His brain is just doing him in from all angles.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle: Butter Moon by [archiveofourown.org profile] stilettodandelion. Merricat gen, 1100 words. I feel a hunger inside me for all things. This is gorgeously written. So many luscious food descriptions! Just very vivid descriptions that engage all my senses. And I love Merricat's constant, conscious restraint from hurting Constance, which becomes less convincing with every repetition. Amazing stuff.

Interview with the Vampire s3

Jul. 20th, 2026 10:17 pm
petra: Barbara Gordon smiling knowingly (Default)
[personal profile] petra
Hey, kids, let's vid it to The I Love You Song!

If I vidded -- well, this would be one hell of a canon to start with.

I haven't been this happy AND baffled at the same time due to a chunk of canon since Harrow the Ninth.
china_shop: Chu Shuzhi wielding his magic blue strings. (Guardian - CSZ strings)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
I've written a couple of the missing interviews with Zhao Xinci during his loyalty test in episode 16. :-)


Title: Surface Tension (1540 words) by china_shop [General Audiences]
Characters: Zhao Xinci | Zhao Yunlan's Father, Zhang Shi, Chu Shuzhi
Additional Tags: Episode 16, Missing Scene, loyalty test, Secret Identity, Anti-Dixing Bigotry, Zhao Xinci’s A+ Parenting, Summary:

In Zhao Xinci’s day, he’d never have countenanced one of Them on his team. When races mingled, discord and divided loyalties were inevitable. But of course Yunlan thought he knew better, was apparently willing to bet Haixing’s security on the strength of the Dixing Envoy’s judgement and so set in place the perfect conditions for his own downfall. Zhao Xinci’s hand clenched on his tea mug, unthinkingly borrowing some of his stowaway’s strength.

Careful, murmured Zhang Shi, you’ll break it and give us away.



Title: Cold Blood, Hot heart (1238 words) by china_shop [General Audiences]
Characters: Zhu Hong, Zhao Xinci | Zhao Yunlan's Father
Additional Tags: Episode 16, Missing Scene, loyalty test, Zhu Hong’s crush on Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Xinci’s A+ Parenting, Summary:

Zhu Hong was not a shrinking violet. The only way she knew to cope with conflict was to barge into it. So she knocked and entered without waiting for an invitation, all fired up to give Zhao Yunlan’s father a piece of her mind.

trying to beat the Miz

Jul. 20th, 2026 07:30 pm
musesfool: rogue one darth vader with lightsaber (i find your lack of faith disturbing)
[personal profile] musesfool
Back to work this morning after 4 days (+ the weekend) off and it felt like I was away longer based on the 310 emails in my inbox sigh. Thankfully, Assistant J handled a bunch of stuff while I was out, so I didn't have to worry about that, but the CEO and Chair keep asking me for very labor-intensive things and then when I produce them they're like, nah, that's not what we meant. Like, you asked for a list of ALL ACTION ITEMS from ALL COMMITTEES plus the board for the last 6 years. That is a pretty specific ask! And then after I produce it, to turn around and say, no, no, we just want a list of stuff that came up. WTF? My boss thinks it's the CEO badly misinterpreting what the Chair wants, because this keeps happening, but I also wonder if my boss is not getting it either and so I'm hearing it third-hand and it's just...garbled at that point. Idk.

Anyway! A couple of years ago we created a follow-ups list but it was annoying to me because I like to spend my work time getting my work done, not documenting the work I've done in a spreadsheet when the documents should stand as the...documentation. But I guess that's what we're doing now. 🙄

So I was off for 6 whole days in a row and did not watch any of the things I planned to watch. It's just so hard for me right now to invest in something new, I guess. I have watched the first episode of a couple of different things, but none of them has made me want to watch further with any urgency. I also have the second season of many shows to watch and haven't done that either. I think right now books are easier? Which they weren't for the last few years, so maybe I will just ride that for a while. *hands*

*

the Worst stage of jam-making

Jul. 20th, 2026 11:59 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett

The jam that I spilled on the counters: beautifully set!

The jam I actually managed to get into the jars: SOUP

I am hoping that they'll continue to solidify as they continue to cool down overnight...

larryhammer: floral print origami penguin, facing left (Default)
[personal profile] larryhammer
For (a slightly delayed by a flat tire in Phoenix) Poetry Monday:

The Problem of Writing Poems in Hot Weather, Brian Bilston

The problem
of writingpoems
inhot weather

isthatthe words
getsweaty
and sticktogether.


Source.

—L.

Subject quote from BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Billie Eilish.

[ SECRET POST #7136 ]

Jul. 20th, 2026 06:43 pm
case: (Default)
[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #7136 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01. Image



More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 27 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1019.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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here's luck

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