astridv

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 20:47:08 GMT

There's a cricket in my room.
Good night, little cricket. Don't make too much noise pls.

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Fri, 06 Jan 2017 11:23:21 GMT

My new year's resolution is to read at least 1000 kanji by the end of the year, and to that purpose I've joined wanikani.com. A few friends have been using their system to drill kanji and the results are rad.

Couple years ago I signed up for N3 of the JLPT to motivate myself to study kanji and vocab, and it did work in that I got just enough of the material stuffed in my short term memory to pass... but most of that fell out of my head right after, so I decided it's pointless to study for tests I don't even need. Wanikani otoh is studying for studying's sake... it's a bit like a computer game, with levels you can reach, and I can do it from my mobile so it seems like a more productive use of my bus rides than just playing Candy Crush.

The beginning is excruciatingly slow especially if you already know some Japanese, but I was assured that soon enough you get more lessons and quizzes than you can handle in a day. I've already unlocked the first kanji. :) Their system of spaced learning looks very sound.

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LJ

Mon, 02 Jan 2017 15:48:26 GMT

I just read that SUP moved the LJ servers to Russia and I'm considering deleting my LJ. I imported everything to DW years ago and have been crossposting since, so most of the data should be saved.

In case I delete my LJ in a few days: I'm astridv on Dreamwidth and will keep using that mirror account.

eta: frick, I can't delete just like that, a lot of my images are hosted on LJ. It would take ages to move them all.

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Fri, 30 Dec 2016 17:07:37 GMT

Today I finally took a bath from my paddleboard. Well, I've taken baths in the river before but usually they're more voluntary.
Things I learned:
Don't stuff your shirt inside your dry pants or they won't seal 100%.
Bring a spare pair of pants anyway, just in case.
Actually bring a second set of spares so you can keep paddling and don't have to cut the trip short.

Other than the lack of extra spare clothes and my pants being, while not sopping wet, uncomfortably moist during the trip home, it was fine. I did get wet but I didn't get cold at any point, so the clothes did their job. I still consider investing in a dry jacket so I can stay completely dry when I fall in. I mean, half the year the water is uncomfortably cold, so I think it would be a good investment.

I actually took a picture of the spot right before (which I can't post as my poor Nokia is currently taken apart and drying out, fingers crossed yo.) It's that damned fallen tree that's been blocking the way for years. The risen water level made is impossible to get out and drag the board around like I did in the summer.

Next time, buddy. You, me, and a chainsaw. (kidding. Where would I get a chainsaw.)

Next time I'll have to get out well before and walk around that part. I hope to go again next week, I really hated to cut my trip short and miss the last mile. It was particularly gorgeous today; I hope the photos at least can be salvaged.

So yeah, that was my day. They say you should try a new thing every day, right? lol

eta: super glad I wore my vest. No matter how unnecessary it seems, always wear that vest.

Here's a pic from today, taken further upstream before the dam. Had uploaded it before my swim.

Really hope the Nokia will recover, I love that phone... it takes the BEST pictures!

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Wed, 21 Dec 2016 10:40:52 GMT

I was rather stressed out yesterday because it looked like we might have to move out of our lovely house soon. This possibility has been looming over our heads for over three years now, so when the rent money bounced back we thought the dreaded moment had come. But today I heard back from our landlord with a new bank account. Crisis averted for now. But we will have to start looking for a new place for real now, just in case.

The thing is that we live in one of Germany's most popular cities, and the housing market is hell. And we have a cat, which doesn't make things easier. Basically we'll need to look for a new place for the cat where we can live too.

It it's up to me, I wouldn't move at all. I love this apartment so much. Everything from here on will be a step down, inevitably.

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Sat, 17 Dec 2016 20:51:22 GMT

Today I heard that my favourite climbing wall will close down within the next year or two. That’s a real bummer… it’s the only place that offers toproping and lead climbing within biking distance. Today I took a look at the wall next town over… 35 mins by e-bike each way, and the routes are not that high; I don’t see myself do that trip even once a week. They do have a sauna included in the price though. I guess we’ll check it out at least.

The alpine club seems eager to start a gym of their own here in town, but who knows how long that’ll take… they haven’t even decided on a location yet.

Guess it’ll be back to bouldering for a while. At least that’s something you can do spontaneously without a partner.

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Wed, 14 Dec 2016 23:21:35 GMT

I just realized that Timeless should qualify for Yuletide this year. There's a dearth of fic in this fandom, so I really hope we'll get some for Yule.
Time travel... Conspiracies... Characters with mad chemistry. Why is there not more fic??

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Yesterday's Paddleboard trip

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 14:44:29 GMT

aka The One Where I had to hack a passage through the ice with my paddles to get out...

Yep, that was new. :)

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Bouldering!cat

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:37:20 GMT

Found via disobey_gravity: Kitty scaling a bouldering wall

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Sun, 27 Nov 2016 11:38:48 GMT

Behold, more boating pics. For I was paddleboarding yesterday and the frost on the grass in combination with the fog in the air made for an enchanting atmosphere. I didn't even mind the cold (much) because it was so beautiful.

I took the pics with my phone so they got a bit darker than it actually was, but considering I took them from a moving board, vaguely pointing in the right direction while trying not to spin off course, I'm really happy with how they turned out.

( and two more )

This is the creek that runs through town. It's usually too shallow for canoeing, but my board doesn't need a lot of water underneath when I don't put on the fin. I only touched ground a few times when passing groundsills; hope the level will rise another 20cm or so in the coming weeks. That would be perfect.

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Paddleboard Pics

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 22:12:38 GMT

Oh man, it's been half a year since I last posted here. There are so many distractions. I'll see if I can change that and be a bit more present here.

Anyway, this year I fullfilled a longtime dream of mine and got a paddleboard... they're making them inflatable now, so being carless is no longer an issue. I've spent a considerable part of my free time this year on various rivers in the area, and here are some photos. I hope they can convey some of the beauty and joy you get while paddling.

( more under the cut )

I plan to go tomorrow as well... been keeping my eye on the outside temps and water levels and it's looking promising. :)

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Fanart: Ward & Kara, a moment of rare peace

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 18:05:03 GMT

I got a couple prompts for Kara, Grant and puppies so: voilà. :o)

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AOS fanart: Renegades #3

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 21:02:20 GMT

In which Fitz and Simmons join Ward’s and Mike’s ragtag team.

Renegades series on AO3

I'm really happy with how this turned out. :) I asked for prompts and got so many different character suggestions that I thought, why not do an ensemble piece.

(no character hate in comments please.)

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AOS fic recs, recs post in progress (Skyeward + Gen)

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:31:52 GMT

Skyeward:

What Kind of Man - SarahRoseSerena (WIP)

Chapters: 5/? (29307 words)
Relationships: SkyeWard, Leo Fitz & Skye/Daisy
Characters: ensemble plus cameos
Additional Tags: Hellfire, Parallel Universes, quakefire, Redos, Post 3x10, Multiverse
Summary:

“Jumping around parallel planes, changing the course of a hundred histories, altering timelines wherever she goes. She’s made a mess out of the universe, you know. For you.”

Daisy is shifting earth on nothing but her grief, her determination, her command of tectonic plates and the heartbeat of this planet. On a mission to save the world from the Destroyer that spread the disease. The ancient Inhuman in Grant Ward’s body.

“There’s no coming back from this, Skye. But you knew that when you started.”

This fic was inspired by the Interdimensional Time Travel gifset series, and it’s one of the best stories out there right now, imo. Gripping plot and amazing characterization of Skye/Daisy in particular. This is the Skye I was longing to see on the show!
I’m not sure where she’s going with the plot but I’m on tenterhooks.
————————
hello from the other side; - thatbluebox
8913 words

Skyeward & OCs
Tags: AU, henchdog au, ft. the henchdogs aka grant ward’s most trusted henchmen, the season 3 we deserve

Summary: There is a lasting second of heavy silence before they begin to talk strategy and disarming SHIELD, its key players, and weaponry. But it must all be in their heads, the team decides, because their leader is thorough. His face slips into a cool mask of sparking fury, which transforms the indifference of his tone. SHIELD’s reckoning has come once again and they will be at the forefront, he promises. But then his fingers linger on the photo of a brunette agent for a moment too long, and, for a moment, they’re not so sure.
————
Things - Overdressedtokill [complete] »

24353 words
Skye/Grant Ward
Tags: Inhumans, Future Fic, AU - Canon Divergence
Summary: Future canon. Grant’s got powers now. But he doesn’t want to be back on the team. He doesn’t want anything to do with any of them. Especially not Skye.

——
Across the Board, by Eienvine

Chapters: 11/13, 164611 words
Skye/Ward, team, Kara; future fic; slow burn; action
Summary: Skye once thought that she would hate Grant Ward forever. But time has a way of changing things, even hate.

It’s a slow burn Skyeward fic that also has wonderful Kara&Ward friendship moments. And cool action spy stuff as backdrop to the careful character development.
———
Okay, I don’t remember how much SW was in this next one but it’s hilarious:
House of Hydra by CaptainSummerDay
Summary
In a bid to attract new investors, Ward decides that Hydra is in need of rebranding and a change of direction.
Otherwise known as Agents of Shield if Tyra Banks took over as showrunner in Season 3.
———–
Switching it Off (and turning it on again) by CaptainSummerDay

Skye/Ward, Fitz, Simmons; IT tech AU; industry spies and IT guys/romance;

Summary: Skye loves her job at Shield Consulting. There’s only one thing that can cast a cloud of grief on her day.
Dealing with Tech Support.

Office AU in which Grant makes a bad first impression.

Cool plot, kickass Skye. Here’s a dose of happiness after the finale that should never have been.

———–

Stay the Course by eedmund [now complete!]
Skye/Ward, Agent 33, Mike Peterson, team; action/adventure/romance; warning: graphic violence; 51835 words
Summary: The course of love never did run smooth but, let’s be real honest, no course runs smooth for Skye and Ward. Skye’s trying to find out who or what she really is and her fact finding mission leads her and her friends back to S.H.I.E.L.D. and into a nasty altercation with a terrorist group. (part 4 of “An Honest Conversation”)

———
( Read more... )

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fic rec: Warrior Witch (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters)

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 10:16:22 GMT

Warrior Witch, by Eustacia Vye

Summary:

Gretel doesn’t know much about magic, and isn’t sure what she felt about being a white witch herself. But one thing is for sure… She wasn’t going to stop killing evil witches. (3865 words)

Great casefic in the vein of the movie, with action and humor.

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fic rec: Zinc Man (The Americans)

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 11:01:20 GMT

Zinc Man, by Selena

Tags: Case Fic, Afghanistan, set mid-s3

Characters: Elizabeth Jennings, Philip Jennings, Arkady Ivanovich, Gabriel, Oleg Igorevich Burov, Yuri Victorovich Silfigarow (OC)

Summary: Elizabeth and Philip are charged with tracking down a young soldier from Afghanistan who has gone rogue. But what will they find? (6007 words)

This is the same level of honest writing and authentic feel that I’ve come to expect from the show itself. Really, this could have easily been an episode.

I recommend this fic even if you have never watchted The Americans. The story stands on its own, it’s like a mini-episode. (Does contain a significant s2 spoiler, though.)

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Fri, 22 Jan 2016 20:15:35 GMT

I just finished meeting with my new Japanese tandem partner and I’m exhausted. She as well. That must mean we did it right. ;) We studied for three hours straight. It was really fun and productive but wow, I'm so wiped. She's only been learning German since October or so, but it's amazing how much she already knows. Shame she’s only gonna stay for a couple more months. Gotta make the best of it.

Next week we're making　okonomiyaki. :o)

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Mon, 11 Jan 2016 08:58:26 GMT

I've taken up Yoga again and I'm enjoying it. I quit yoga class about four years ago because with the contant influx of newbies we were rarely getting into any of the more challenging stuff, plus I already had a gym membership and the climbing wall doesn't come cheap, and all the expenses added up.

But I had to realize recently that yoga isn't a luxury for me but a necessity - I've been getting stiff as hell. Any longer and I'd get real back problems. When I went to a trial class, I couldn't do movements that were no problem four years ago. Yikes. After two times, I feel like there's already a tiny improvement, back's started to loosen up a bit and after the second class my lower back didn't hurt like it did after the first one. (Forget about actually challenging stuff... I'll be happy sticking to the basics...)

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Tue, 05 Jan 2016 18:15:06 GMT

You know, tumblr has many shortcomings and part of me will always loathe that site and wait for fandom to finally find a new platform to move to.

But their tagging system is vastly superior to LJ/DW, no two ways about it.

p.s. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted here. Yikes. Between tumblr and my job there just was so little time left to hang out here.

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fanart: Agent Carter (Noir)

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 18:09:53 GMT

Here's a colored version of this pic... I also like it, but the b/w version looks more noirish to me. :)

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aos fanart: Headcanon comic cover

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 18:05:58 GMT

Been a while since I posted here... let's see if I remember how it works ;)

I already posted this one, but since I'm between jobs atm, I used the time to fix some older fanart. In this case, I gave Kara Palamas her real face... something that had bugged me to no end.

note: I love Kara Palamas and Grant Ward and will be forever bitter about the way canon treated them. I don't want to discuss it here and I don't want any comments dissing any of the characters in this pic. (aos is the kind of fandom where you need to state this)

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SHIELD fic recs

Fri, 22 May 2015 21:35:34 GMT

maybe i don't know how to love (but maybe i do) by skyesward
Skyeward; superhero sidekick AU; part 1/2, 4041 words
Summary: She doesn't think she'll ever see him again. It's New York. It'd surprise her if they ever stood on the same street corner again.
As it turns out, fate has a thing for irony.
the one where skye is everyone's favourite superhero, and ward is the damsel that searches for distress.

you live with ghosts by Overdressedtokill (SkyeStan)
Skyeward sorta; semi-canon compliant s3 fic; 2824
Summary: superhero Skye confronts supervillain Ward. Except maybe he’s not that much of a supervillain, and maybe nothing’s ever black and white. And maybe Skye hates him. And maybe she doesn’t at all.

you and i can make our escape by thequeenofokay
Kara/Ward; post S2 fix it fic/ Castle crossover; 1560 words
Summary: ‘We were given a tipoff that you’re in danger,’ the officer says. He checks his notes. ‘Something about a past that you need to escape from.’
// in which kara palamas gets a new identity and a new job with the nypd.

chasing those lies (you spend it all) by shineyma
biospecialist; The Magical Place tag;2754 words
Summary: Jemma is summoned to the Hub three days into their team’s downtime.

Looks like a oneshot but I'd love to see this developed into a full story.

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SHIELD fic rec

Wed, 20 May 2015 11:34:54 GMT

Switching it Off (and turning it on again) by CaptainSummerDay
Skye/Ward, Fitz, Simmons; IT tech AU; industry spies and IT guys/romance; WIP (15,538 words)
Summary: Skye loves her job at Shield Consulting. There's only one thing that can cast a cloud of grief on her day.

Dealing with Tech Support.

Office AU in which Grant makes a bad first impression.

Cool plot, kickass Skye. Here's a dose of happiness after the finale that should never have been.

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SHIELD fic rec

Tue, 19 May 2015 09:12:13 GMT

take the gun, count to three by WingedWolf121
FitzWard; AU; spies & secret agents; WIP (2857 words)
Summary: Agent Grant Ward is the best her majesty’s secret service has to offer. So when M sends him out to investigate the suspicious Daniel Whitehall, he expects nothing more than a lukewarm leftover from the cold war and the chance to kick a few criminals in the face. But Whitehall hasn’t just been making himself a castle fortress—he’s been recruiting scientists. And one of them might be even grumpier than Ward.

Feat 007!Ward, Melinda May as M, Skye as the charming Moneypenny, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons as scientists who most certainly did not sign up for this, Whitehall as the same psychopath he’s always been but with some Bondian twists, and more!
----
Only one chapter so far but it's so fun, I gotta rec it right away...

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Shield fic recs (and 1 Avengers rec)

Sun, 10 May 2015 21:36:45 GMT

A Walk in the Park by AlphaFlyer
Gen; Clint Barton & Maria Hill; spies & secret agents; 1410 words
Summary: Clint Barton has complaints, and a job to do; Maria Hill has a ringside seat.

Vulnerable Mind by Athelassa
Gen; Grant Ward & team; mission gone wrong/action/hurt/comfort; WIP, 8551 words
Summary:“Look,” Coulson said with a frown, “I’m the director, I make the decisions. This is a mission that suits Ward’s qualities perfectly.”
Oh yes, right. There was primarily one quality that predestined him for this mission.
“I get it, Coulson,” Ward threw in with a smirk of false bravado. “I’m expendable.”

(baby you're) super by SafelyCapricious
Biospecialist; very AU; superheroes & supervillains/humor/crack; 2943 words
Summary: They give him what amount to super powers and then they try to brainwash him. Needless to say, it doesn’t stick. He has to hand it to whoever in HYDRA’s upper echelon decided on the order of the procedure.

Surprisingly not angsty, given the subject matter.

The only exception (is where the lines overlap) by Poetgirl925
Skyeward; AU; spies & secret agents/action/UST; 20700 words
(part 3 of The Head and the Heart series)
Summary: Skye and Ward continue to build on their working relationship as they both try to ignore the attraction that still simmers between them. Skye's first field mission doesn't go as planned, and Grant realizes that Skye is a dangerous exception to his hard rules.

Important words (you understand it's love the first time you say "no") by Matarreyes
Skyeward; epilogue; 3369 words
(part 3 of the Who they become (always depended only on them) series)
Summary: He'd be content to leave the past well enough alone. Forget his time with John, forget his time with Coulson, live just the present. Too bad that Skye is under some strange conviction that if she makes enough balancing, she'll convince Coulson and Grant to play along. It'll never work, he knows, because half of the hate on Coulson's part is subconscious seething about the fact that Grant took Skye away from him.

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