agentexmachina | Reading

I recently watched two Hallmark movies, To Barcelona, With Love & To Barcelona, Forever. (I know, two Hallmark themes in a row.)

It's been a while since I have watched any Hallmark movies, even the ones that sound good to me or have actors I like in them. Because sometimes these movies bore me to death. They move so slow sometimes and there's nothing gripping about them. That said, I think I have figured out what I really need in order to watch Hallmark movies.

1) I need to be doing something else at the same time, like writing or playing games on my phone. Hallmark movies are a bit like baseball games, where they do not take 100% of your attention and trying to give them 100% of your attention just makes you go crazy. Put them on in the background and it's almost perfect!

2) These two movies were as much (if not more) about the friendship between two women as the romances, and I enjoyed that. That's why I enjoyed the Wedding Veil movies so much; the friendships between the three women was very front and center. (Is it a coincidence that Alison Sweeney was in both movie series? Possibly not.)

Does anyone else have this same issue? What have you done about it (besides swear them off forever, lol!)? Anything else you want to talk about?

spikedluv

I did two loads of laundry (washed, dried AND folded!), hand-washed dishes, went on several walks with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken and cut up said for the dogs' meals, changed kitty litter, and showered. Pip wasn’t super hungry because of the heat so suggested a grilled cheese sandwich for supper.

I watched some HGTV programs and caught the last half of Top Gun: Maverick. ( is this still a spoiler? )

Temps started out at 51.8(F) and reached 85.1. It felt quite warm.

Mom Update:

Mom had a bad day today. ( more back here )

spikedluv

I hit Price Chopper and the Bakery while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park. I even got my breakfast at the Bakery (a bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich) because

a) I got a late start (Pip got up at 3:30am coughing – he has some awful coughing fits in the mornings – and stayed up, so between him getting ready for work and getting the dogs in, I also was up, BUT, I went back to bed after he left because I did not want to BE up), and

b) McD’s has been so freaking cold in the mornings, not just cool, but as if you’re sitting inside an industrial freezer cold, and I’m sick of freezing my arse off, so I decided to just not go there this morning.

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went on several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, stopped by the library to pick up books, scooped kitty litter, and shaved.

I watched some HGTV and Hallmark. I also got to play with Baby A this afternoon!

Temps started out at 44.8(F) and reached 81.3. It started out cool, but it got quite warm out.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. ( more back here )

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 )

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)

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 )

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 )

spikedluv

We had another visit from the coyotes this morning; this time around 4am. Thankfully they weren’t as close to the house (aka, as loud) and they moved through quickly. (I also think I heard them yesterday morning at some point, but Pip says he didn’t hear them, so I’m not sure whether I dreamt it.) They haven’t been around all summer, so I guess it’s our turn to host them. o_O

This was another no-shopping day, but I got in a walk around the park even though it was Very Cold. Pip called me just before I left downtown because he was in a “pickle”. I groaned, because his pickles become my pickles. There was a snafu and I needed to run to the tractor supply store to pick up some parts. It was still so cold at that time (about 8:30am) and I’d just been out in it for a walk, that I was thinking I would be too cold to get my usual ‘reward’ smoothie. However, between the sun and the heater, I had gone from cold to toasty by the time I got there, so I did get my reward smoothie after all! *g*

I visited my aunt, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple of walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. We had grilled hamburgers and potato salad for supper. (The potato salad was so good, if I do say so myself!)

I read a bit more in Winging It and watched some HGTV programs.

Temps started out at 35.2(F) and reached 65.5. The temp must’ve been lower in the morning because there was frost on the old t-shirts (lol) Pip used to cover the mums when I left the house this morning.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay today. ( more back here )

sholio

You would THINK that the "Found Family" prompt would've been an absolute cakewalk for me, and yet, I couldn't get it to go anywhere, so you get another of the alt prompts today. I also found it pleasing that I managed to get the first three fills spread across all three of the fandoms I'm writing in for this particular Whumptober.

No. 3: “I look in people’s windows, transfixed by rose golden glows.”
Isolation | Candlelight | Found Family

[Alt] Deal with the Devil
Babylon 5, G'Kar, Cartagia arc; all hurt no comfort (500 wds)
Also on Tumblr.

( 500 wds under the cut )

spikedluv

I won the bid for

kingstoken at

sunflower_auction!! Their offer was to create a cover or moodboard. I asked for a cover for either of my Jessica Fletcher, Agent of SHIELD stories, or for the series as a whole.

kingstoken made two different versions of a cover and I thought that they would both work great, one for the series and one for the second fic. They agreed and kindly added text to both covers and made me TWO covers.

Thanks to

kingstoken for creating such wonderful covers and for going above and beyond!!

~*~

spikedluv

How is it October already?!!

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. Today was a no-shopping day, but I got in a walk around the park while I was downtown. I stopped at Stewart’s on the way home and returned a book to the library on my way to mom’s.

I did a load of laundry (washed, dried AND folded) , hand-washed dishes, did a load in the dishwasher, boiled potatoes and stirred together potato salad after they’d cooled in the fridge, formed burgers for tomorrow’s supper (to have with the potato salad), went on several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I started a new book (Winging It with You) and wrote ~1,000 on a new fic! (If you’re thinking it’s a Hudson & Rex ‘fix-it’, you’d be correct. *g*) I also watched some HGTV and Hallmark.

Temps started out at 39.4(F) and reached 66.6. It was cold this morning. A taste of winter that I do not appreciate.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing pretty well today. ( more back here )

sholio

This is one of those times when I just ran off with the prompt as inspiration and it's not actually whumpy at all. (At least not in any way except the most incredibly minor petty way.)

No. 2: “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.”
Prophecy | Sewer | Taking Accountability

Murderbot, 380 wds, gen, could be TV-verse or bookverse somewhere post-Exit Strategy
Also posted on Tumblr.

( 380 wds under the cut )

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Children of the Storm (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters, A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery) by Annelise Ryan, and A Bitter Feast (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.

What I am Currently Reading: I just finished the Duncan Kincaid book yesterday, so I haven’t started anything yet, but I have picked a book off my shelf to read: Winging It with You by Chip Pons.

What I Plan to Read Next: I currently have zero unread books out from the library (how did that happen?!!), but I expect some in soon, so probably one of those.

Book 102 of 2025: Children of the Storm (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

This book was really good, but it was the last few lines that made me chuckle and have to go back to re-read them several times. ( spoilers )

I really enjoyed this book and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 103 of 2025: A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery) (Annelise Ryan)

I enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )

I liked this book well enough to request the second from my library; I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

Book 104 of 2025: A Bitter Feast (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)

I really enjoyed this book! ( spoilers )

This book was really good; I'm giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

spikedluv

We were very rudely woken up twelve minutes before the alarm went off by the very loud yipping of a coyote that sounded Too Danged Close to the house.

I hit the Pharmacy while I was downtown (and picked up some things at Price Chopper while I was there), and got in a walk around the park. I stopped at the bank on the way home to pay the LLC’s school taxes.

I did a load of laundry (washed, dried AND folded), 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 hard-boiled some eggs and diced up some veggies for a potato salad.

I finished Duncan Kincaid and watched some HGTV programs.

Temps started out at 48.2(F) and reached 77.4. Morning lows are going to be in the 30s for the next three days, which I am not looking forward to. The next two day highs will be in the low 60s, but then we’ll be up to 80 again at the weekend. What a wild ride.

My dad passed away 12-years ago this past April. He would’ve been 82-years old today. Happy birthday, dad!

Mom Update:

Mom was doing pretty good today! ( more back here )

sholio

As per a conversation elsewhere, I think I'm finally going to try to get my circa 2022-2025 Biggles ficlets collected on Ao3, the same way I did with my Agent Carter promptfic and some others.

However, the AC promptfic was relatively easy because I was mostly writing them for Tumblr prompts.

The Biggles ones are just absolute chaos. Some are collections of fills for specific events (Whumpcember, Whumptober); some are commentfic written in response to other people's fic or stray comments; some are slightly more coherent fills for prompts on Tumblr or elsewhere.

For reference, here's how I did it in other fandoms, all in one document sorted by fandom.

With the caveat that I am definitely doing it at least SOMEWHAT like this (that is, as a chaptered fic with short prompt fills collected together, not 200 separate individual fics), do you have any opinions on how I go about doing this? (More complicated answers in comments welcome, of course.)

Poll #33681

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

View Respondents

What do you prefer? (Click all that apply.)

View Answers

Individual chaptered fics for each event (Whumpcember 2022, etc)
0 (0.0%)

Individual chaptered fics for type of event (a Whumptober document, one for Tumblr fills, etc)
2 (11.8%)

Sort them by pairing or trope, so all the similar types are together (e.g. all the Biggles/EvS fic, all the gen h/c fic) regardless of source
9 (52.9%)

One chaptered fic for everything, like with the Agent Carter ones
3 (17.6%)

I have no preference/I am good with whatever you want to do
6 (35.3%)

I like clicking boxes! Oh look, a box.
8 (47.1%)

sholio

Starting off immediately with one of the alt prompts (since I struggled with the day one prompts). I learned when I looked up the history of zipties (aka cable ties) that they were invented in the late 1950s by the aviation industry to fasten airplane wiring together. Clearly this made the choice of which character gets ziptied entirely obvious.

No. 1: “Please don’t cry”
Lamb to Slaughter | Ceremony | Beg for Forgiveness

Alt: Ziptie
Biggles books, Biggles (& Algy), gen, 600 wds
Also on Tumblr.

( 600 wds of zipties under the cut )

sholio

The time is upon us! (i.e. it's October somewhere) I am definitely not going to make it the entire month - not the least reason being, I'm traveling for a couple of weeks mid-month - but I will definitely have at least a week or two of fills, spread across all my current fandoms. I'm using the prompts for general inspiration more than anything else, so sometimes you get h/c or whump/angst, and sometimes you just get the characters hanging out in some situation or other.

Prompt list on Tumblr

Or read the full list of prompts

under the details tag here.

Whumptober 2025 Prompt List

No. 1: “Please don’t cry”
Lamb to Slaughter | Ceremony | Beg for Forgiveness

No. 2: “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.”
Prophecy | Sewer | Taking Accountability

No. 3: “I look in people’s windows, transfixed by rose golden glows.”
Isolation | Candlelight | Found Family

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

No. 5: “My panic’s at the ceiling, but I’m face down on the carpet.”
Quivering | Dream Journal | Phobia

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

No. 7: “Tell me that you’re okay, and I’m fine.”
Trapped with the Enemy | Elevator | Pushed Beyond Breaking Point

No. 8: “Oh horror, oh horror, what did you see?”
Self-Inflicted Injury | Held at Gunpoint | Dissociation

No. 9: “We’ll make it alright to come undone.”
Touch | Flashbacks | Scalding

No. 10: “There’s nothing you can ever say, nothing you can ever do.”
Without Consent | Secrets | Lips Sewn Shut

No. 11: “Can you get through all the pain inside you?”
Hidden Injury | Laceration | Forced Reveal

No. 12: “It’ll be for nothing.”
Cardiac Arrest | Sacred Place | Withholding Medical Treatment

No. 13: “How dull is it to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished.”
Never Enough | Insignia | Forced Retirement

No. 14: “In the end, it’s worthwhile.”
Ignoring an Illness | Body Bag | Wounded Caretaker

No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.”
Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture

No. 16: “I’ve had the rug pulled beneath my feet.”
Repressed Trauma | Permanent Marker | Disorientation

No. 17: “Tell me there’s a hope for me.”
Internal Bleeding | Coma | Redemption

No. 18: “As the world caves in.”
Dystopia | Ruins | Environmental Whump

No. 19: “You’re on your own, lost in the wild.”
Dehumanisation | Living Weapon | On Patrol

No. 20: "That's New."
Symptomatic | Fancy Event | Resignation

No. 21: “Sold my soul, broke my bones.”
Kneeling | Makeshift Splint | Brainwashed

No. 22: “All the battles I want to win, nothing matters but giving in.”
Self-Sacrifice | Collar | Hunted for Sport

No. 23: “How’d I get to this place?”
Intubation | ICU | Choking

No. 24: “I must confess that I feel like a monster.”
Came Back Wrong | Painful Transformation | Amnesia

No. 25: “Have you earned your stripes?”
Lost Faith | Collision Course | Left to Die

No. 26: “Nothing like a relapse to rehash the kid who was scared.”
Relapse | Drawn Curtains | Power Cut

No. 27: “Would you even want me, looking like a zombie?”
Surgical Scars | X-Ray | Bedside Vigil

No. 28: “I could always see straight through you.”
Backstabbing | Constellation | Creative Restraints

No. 29: “I hope you see the sun someday in the darkness.”
Fainting | Broken Dishes | Last one Standing

No. 30: “I’m putting my trust in an entire half-empty glass.”
Burn it Down | Mirror | Confrontation

No. 31: “Even with the smallest cuts. You can still lose so much blood.”
Bleeding Out | Gunshot Wound | Rescued by the Enemy

Alternatives List:
"A smile so bright, he’s the devil in disguise.”
“I hear you’re alive, how disappointing.”
“If all my days are numbered, why do I keep counting?”
Concussion
Viral
Suicide
Immortality
Jealousy
Organ Theft
Ziptie
Deal with the Devil
Yearning
Innocent Bystander
Unreality
Soulless
“Hold my hand.”
“Oh. Oh.”
“I hate this job.”

( 2025 fills under the cut )

spikedluv

I saw this meme on Tumblr and it fits my current mood very well. I'm glad that the decision by Shaftesbury to not only fire John Reardon (Charlie Hudson), but lie about it is coming home to roost.

Created by alicepao13 on Tumblr.

I guess they had not heard that those who fuck around eventually find out. They're learning it now.

(With both John and Diesel gone, I'm bidding this show a not-so-fond farewell. As someone mentioned on Tumblr, the show ended with ep 7.02 and that's a hill I will die on. I will remain in the Hudson & Rex (aka, Charlie Hudson & Rex) fandom, however. If that sounds a bit dramatic and OTT, well, I'm feeling a bit dramatic about it all, so . . .)

spikedluv

I hit Walmart while I was downtown and got in a walk around the park. I stopped at the bank on the way home to pay school taxes on the home property and do some LLC banking. (I had to go inside because they were working on the drive-thru. The horror!)

I did two loads of laundry (washed, dried AND folded!), hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, placed an online order for Pip, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I read more in Duncan Kincaid and watched an HGTV program.

Temps started out at 47.3(F) and reached 77.4. Not as hot as yesterday, but still nice. I wore denim capris out of the house in the morning and changed into shorts when I got home mid-morning.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing pretty good today. ( more back here )

spikedluv

I’m feeling curmudgeonly currently, so not many of these movies sound good to me. Even the descriptions of the movies I plan to watch with actors I like don’t wow me. Here are the movies I plan to check out (they’re listed in the order they’ll air):

“Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!” with Kimberley Sustad and Robert Buckley (iZombie).
Premieres: Saturday, October 25
Summary: After a rough year, a weatherman returns to his hometown for Christmas, but things start to look up for him once he crosses paths with a former mentor and a former crush.
Reason for watching: Kimberley Sustad

( 8 more back here )

This is where I got the list of movies from: Hallmark's 2025 Countdown to Christmas Schedule Is Finally Here (thepioneerwoman.com)

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agentexmachina

January 2019

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Page Summary

spikedluv - Monday [Fandom] Madness! The Barcelona Hallmark Movies Edition
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Oct 5)
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Saturday, Oct 4)
sholio - Whumptober Day 6: Caught in a Net (Biggles)
spikedluv - TV News: Eric Dane & Lioness
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Oct 3)
sholio - Whumptober Day 4: “Don’t be scared, I’ve done this before.” (Murderbot)
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, Oct 2)
sholio - Whumptober Day 3: [Alt] Deal with the Devil (Babylon 5)
spikedluv - Sunflower Auction: Art by Kingstoken
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, Oct 1)
sholio - Whumptober Day 2: Sewer (Murderbot)
spikedluv - Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 102 - 104 of 2025
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, Sept 30)
sholio - How to collect my Biggles ficlets/promptfic from the past few years
sholio - Whumptober Day 1: [Alt] Ziptie (Biggles)
sholio - Whumptober 2025 Master List
spikedluv - Hudson & Rex
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Sept 29)
spikedluv - Monday [Fandom] Madness! The 2025 Hallmark Countdown to Christmas Edition

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