bossymarmalade | Network

susieboo posting in

Fandom: Hatchetfield
Pairings/Characters: Wilbur Cross/Charlotte Sweetly, mentioned Charlotte/Ted and Zoey/Sam
Rating: Mature
Length: 2,150 words
Creator Links: AO3 profile.
Theme: just like canon

Summary: The Honey Festival is supposed to be the best night of the year in Hatchetfield. Unfortunately for Charlotte Sweetly, her husband ditched her, Ted Spankoffski left with another woman, and Bill delivered some bad news. Her night just kept getting worse—and then it got weird. After all, the Honey Festival is a time when things from the Black and White can walk the streets of Hatchetfield, and Wiley's got plans of his own.

Reccer's Notes: Charlotte is a thoroughly underutilized character in the Hatchetfield canon, and this fic reads exactly like how a Charlotte-centric episode of Nightmare Time might play out - down to using the script formatting. This has also really gotten me interested in Charlotte/Wiley as a pairing.

Fanwork Link: AO3

(Please add the Hatchetfield fandom tag! Thank you!)

case posting in

fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #7090 ⌋

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

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 07 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1012.
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.

mrkinch

fledgling DEJU being fed on cement

at least four BUSH in old sage and then lemon tree, at least one being fed

very light bright western swallowtail flew through yard

stonepicnicking_okapi

I am leading the book club at

bookclub_dw for July and I have to make a poll for three candidate books (and comm members vote).

I want to stay in the mystery/detective/thriller genre. One book I am going to include Strange Houses by Uketsu but I am open to suggestions of books and/or advice about how to pick the other two candidate books.

I am thinking...something readily accessible (with audio version if possible)...something new...something comm members might not have read yet (i.e. May's selection was All Systems Red and I'd read it (and all the Murder bots) so long ago that I didn't participate in discussions)...any ideas??

jacieleigh

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

elrhiarhodan

Title: From All The Spaces Between Times
Chapter: Chapter 85 — Beyond the Door From Which There Is No Return
Author:

elrhiarhodan /

elrhiarhodan
Fandom: Star Wars, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars — Obi Wan Kenobi (TV), Star Wars — Jedi Apprentice Books
Characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, The Force as a Sentient Character, Watto, Quinlan Vos, Padmé Amidala, Sabé, Darth Maul, Yoda, Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, Quinlan Vos, Professor Huyang, The Force, Plo Koon, Vokara Che, Siri Tachi, Aayla Secura, Bant Eerin, Bruck Chun, Xanatos du Crion, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Hego Damask II | Darth Plagueis, Komari Vosa, Bail Prestor Organa, Breha Organa, Bail Antilles Prestor, Rael Averross, Nim Piana, Ahsoka Tano, Sifo-Dyas, Reva Sevander, Lene Kostana (mentioned), Savage Opress, Pong Krell, The Traitor, Original Characters, Other Characters To Be Added
Pairings: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Shmi Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon Jinn (yes, we’re arrived). Bail Prestor Organa/Breha Organa
Word Count: ~ 5000 this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Canon-level violence in the description of lightsaber murders of children, women.

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi has never known it, but he has always been the Force’s Champion, destined to suffer infinite sadness in defense of the Light. On his last turn on the wheel, responsibility for The Chosen One, the false child of prophecy, had been thrust upon him with no warning, and Darkness held the upper hand.

But this time, the Force has marshaled its power and will protect its Champion until the time is right, no matter how long Obi-Wan has to wait and how much he has to suffer.

Or,

Obi-Wan is reborn as a twelve-year old.

He wakes up on a slavers’ ship, with all of his prior life’s memories intact, and he’s bound for Tatooine with a Force-inhibitor collar around his neck, a bomb implanted in his spine, and no way of knowing what state of the Galaxy is in.

Just another day in the life of the Force’s Champion.

Chapter Summary: Obi-Wan and his grandmaster finish their heart-to-heart, and Obi-Wan delivers some truly unsettling news. Yan is shattered at first, but recovers, and the next blow hits just as hard.

Meanwhile, the High Council has come to an important decision about the Order’s most precious asset, their children, and begins calling on allies for help.

From All The Spaces Between Times: Chapter 85 — Beyond the Door From Which There Is No Return (On AO3)

( Meta — Beyond the Door From Which There Is No Return )

fabiadrake

Another work event recently. I ran into a colleague from my first “proper” job; I’ve moved between industries enough that it never occurred to me that might happen, but that job and my current job are somewhat adjacent. It did happen! We recognised each other! I try to be opportunistic about Learning Stuff, so I asked for some resource recommendations.

I started working on a basic pattern template so that I can make some clothes for myself. The instructions are for drafting a dress pattern, but I’m simplifying it dramatically (because I am but a humble beginner) to make a waistcoat type thing. It’s surprisingly... empowering? (dreadful word)... to take detailed measurements of oneself, understand the relationship between them, and realise exactly why certain garments just never seem to fit right. In my case, dresses (long torso) and jackets (broad shoulders). And then you start to notice how many other people are all stuck wearing clothes that only sort of fit them. But that feels a little judgmental and a sign I’m getting ahead of myself: I am still only at basic waistcoating. Still, I think that understanding one’s own proportions is a good place to start, better than following a standard pattern and becoming frustrated by it. I plan to make a sample book for my scraps of fabric.

I’ve realised how dreary I find digital photography, so I’m committing myself more exclusively to analogue. I think perhaps I got rid of my digital light meter because the battery had leaked, and now they’re terribly expensive, so I bought a secondhand analogue one. It’s pleasingly weighty, cleverly designed, and doesn’t require any battery. I have dreams, of course, of being able to light meter by eye à la Jane Bown. The advance lever on my 35mm is stuck, so I will try to get it repaired this weekend. I have made a dent in my backlog of film that needs processing — I should get three rolls back soon.

I’ve made a fairly concerted return to physical media of late — music, film, etc — and I avoid using my computer to enjoy these things. It’s a rather “broke 20something” cliché to use one’s laptop for everything (and of course I was a broke 20something so I can’t judge); now I really love having a little radio so that I can listen to music without feeling the urge to check my emails or review some file. I’m aware, of course, that to complain about ~this modern age~ is to sound a) like an old fogey or b) unaware that these problems also existed in the past in a slightly different guise. But still I think it beneficial to limit one’s engagement with things that demand our attention on multiple fronts at any given time, which computers and smartphones do.

In conclusion: I probably needed to spend more of my time on hobbies. And long may that continue.

Oh! And I finished HMS Surprise (quite compulsive reading). When I told my (O’Brian fan) friend that I was starting with that one, she said sadly, “Oh but you’ll miss the character introductions.” I ignored her good advice, but I’ll probably read Master and Commander next. I confess to a soft spot for Killick.

The dog is perfectly well, or would be if he would stop running through puddles and nursing his paw. I had to stick a cone on him. He doesn’t like it, and he keeps bumping into things, but he is managing it quite well and his paw is nearly healed enough that I should be able to take it off soon. He is very darling and intelligent, but unfortunately an escape artist and a coward (would he let me look at his mortal wound? no).

Current Music: bobby darin

jacieleigh

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

senmut

First: I am asking about musicians who either are queer, or are predominantly considered to be singing about queer motifs. (do NOT start flame wars about Gaga or Swift, please)

What musician rocks your queer little heart?

My most influential is NOT Freddie Mercury, Elton John, George Michael, or any of the others that dominated my early childhood because... I didn't yet have the questions they were asking fully formed in my heart.

No. Melissa Etheridge, who I found very solidly in the summer of '88 after I'd had my first realizations of being attracted to my best friend more than just the visual crush I'd had on lady celebs. She's my heart's queer anthem leader. The ambiguity of her early songs really just... wrapped around me so tight.

bluerosekatie posting in

fancake

Fandom: Keeper of the Lost Cities
Pairings/Characters: Fitz Vacker, Sophie Foster, Keefe Sencen, Biana Vacker, Dex Dizznee, Maruca Chebota, Wylie Endal, Marella Redek, Tam Song, and Linh Song
Rating: Teen
Length: 366,049 Words
Creator Links: bookwyrminspiration on Ao3
Theme:
Just Like Canon (Featured), Epic Works, Gen, Friendship, Wings, AU: Fork in the Road
Summary:
When the world begins to crawl with unnaturally made monsters, the Keeper crew continue to fight like they always have. But a wrench is thrown in those plans when they themselves become less than human.
Reccer's Notes:
Although this is a complete AU in that it's a wingfic, the author's writing style is very familiar to canon and I genuinely mix up scenes from this fic with canon because I love it so much! The focus on the friendship dynamics between all the crew is excellent.
Fanwork Links:
Shattered Upside Down on Ao3

bluerosekatie posting in

fancake

Fandom: Minecraft: Story Mode
Pairings/Characters: Male Jesse & Petra
Rating: Gen
Length: 1,521 words
Creator Links: Pinky G. Rocket on Ao3
Theme:
Just Like Canon (Featured), Gen Works, Friendship
Summary:
As Jesse and Petra go on new adventures throughout the world and visit new lands, they come across a village- but not with the usual inhabitants that they've come to expect from villages and towns. But even in these new lands, remnants of a crisis one thought long past linger.
Reccer's Notes:
A super sweet little oneshot that incorporates a fun Minecraft mod and newer Minecraft versions near-seamlessly into a continuation of the main characters' adventures. Fits into post-canon and has callbacks to the first season.
Fanwork Links:
Sproing! on Ao3

stonepicnicking_okapi

Red Brocade by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.

Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.

askamanager_feed

Posted by Ask a Manager

https://www.askamanager.org/2026/06/can-our-company-make-us-work-rigid-hours-and-give-detailed-explanations-of-any-gaps.html

https://www.askamanager.org/?p=38214

A reader writes:

My company has steadily tightened remote work over the past year from two days remote allowed, to five days in-office with exceptions, to now: mandatory in-office five days a week, eight hours a day minimum, no remote option at all. Any time away from the office requires PTO, sick leave, or caregiver leave. They’re tracking badge swipes and laptop network connection time. Our SVP has said explicitly that “90% compliance is unacceptable.”

Here’s what’s making people angry: we’re all non-supervisory exempt salaried employees. Our work routinely requires long hours during crunch periods. In the past, we could flex those hours. Now if you work 10 hours Thursday to hit a deadline, you’re still required to be in the office a full eight hours Friday. Every two weeks I’m expected to review my hours report with my supervisor and explain any gaps, including detailed explanations of illness or doctor’s visits. We log this in four different systems.

A lot of colleagues are talking about legal action. I’m skeptical, but I’m curious: are there any actual legal issues with requiring exempt employees to work unpaid overtime this way, or with demanding medical explanations for sick time? And is there anything employees can reasonably push back on here, or is this a “update your resume” situation?

Legally, employers can require exempt employees to work whatever hours they want, including what they’re requiring of you (a full eight hours in the office every day, even if you worked 12 hours the day before). The law on exempt workers really only makes you exempt from overtime pay (that’s literally what “exempt” refers to); as long as you qualify to be treated as exempt in the first place, that’s all the law cares about.

Do you qualify to be treated as exempt in the first place? You might not. It’s not uncommon for employers to classify employees as exempt even when they don’t meet the legal requirements for it (which include both a minimum salary and a duties test). So look at that first — because if your job doesn’t actually meet those requirements, then they owe you overtime for all hours over 40 that you work in a week, plus back pay for all the time when they weren’t doing that.

But if you’re correctly classified as exempt, they can require those hours.

The part about demanding explanations for sick leave: maybe, maybe not. It depends on exactly what they’re asking. In general, employers are allowed to ask about why you need sick leave. However, if the reason for your absence is a medical condition that’s protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they’re not allowed to ask you for information beyond questions that are “job-related and consistent with business necessity.” So, for example, if you explained that you were out sick because you were getting dialysis (covered under the ADA), your boss can’t ask a bunch of follow-up questions. But if you were out with food poisoning, that’s not covered under the ADA and legally your boss could nose around into the details of your symptoms if they wanted to. They still shouldn’t, because it’s none of their business and there’s no need for them to know exactly how many times you threw up and whether you also had diarrhea, but legally they could ask.

However, the law aside, you and your coworkers can still push back on this. You can point out as a group that if they want you to work extra hours during busy periods, they need to offer you some equivalent flexibility on their side. (“Need to” doesn’t mean “legally need to,” just “if you want to be a decent employer that retains good employees.”) You can point out that people will be less likely to stay late if they know they won’t get any credit for doing that in terms of their hours the rest of the week, and that people will burn out and not perform as well if they don’t have enough time away from work to recharge. You could also point out that, especially with the scrutiny of any “gaps” for doctor’s appointments, etc., they’re treating you more like non-exempt employees than exempt employees under the spirit of the law (although they may not care since they’re still following the letter of the law), and that people who are treated like trusted professionals are more likely to remain engaged and committed.

Will they care? Maybe. Maybe not. But you can certainly push back on all these things as a group. (And for what it’s worth, one step past pushing back as a group is unionizing.)

If they won’t budge, then yes, this is an “update your resume” situation.

The post can our company make us work rigid hours and explain any gaps? appeared first on Ask a Manager.

https://www.askamanager.org/2026/06/can-our-company-make-us-work-rigid-hours-and-give-detailed-explanations-of-any-gaps.html

https://www.askamanager.org/?p=38214

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/4/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/4/26 -- I sprayed weeds in the prairie garden.

Black raspberries are ripening. Blackberries have green fruit.

EDIT 6/4/26 -- I potted up the giant African marigolds.

.

Current Mood: busy

james

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

bluapapilio

Used my manga TBR boardgame. I finished 14/16, dropping one and DNF'ing one, on my last board.

Avatar:

Eroica
Skill: Re-roll dice once

Roll #1:

A 6, prompt: featuring a group of friends - Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.

Roll #2:

A 4, prompt: cafe/etc - technically there is a cafe in Wind Breaker.

Roll #3:

A 2, prompt: mystery slice of life - Shugo Chara!.

Roll #4:

A 1 and the CR tile. 1x34 is Dengeki Daisy.

Roll #5:

Another 1 and Double Prompts! Witches etc + ~~enemies become allies/friends~~ ~~sci supernatural~~ kuudere character - Saka no Ue no Mahou Tsukai.

Roll #6:

A 3 and the trap tile. Prompt: game elements - The Gamer.

Roll #7:

Went back, new roll is 2. Prompt: action mystery - Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei.

Roll #8:

A 3, prompt: supernatural mystery - Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun.

Roll #9:

A 1 and the CR tile again. 3x36 is Binkan Elevator.

Roll #10:

A 3, prompt: quirky character(s) - Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu.

Roll #11:

A 2, prompt: animal on the cover - Natsume Yuujinchou.

Roll #12:

6 > 3 using skill. TBR tile. 26x42 - He Is Beautiful..

Roll #13:

A 2, prompt: demons/youkai - Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito.

Roll #14:

A 3, prompt: slow romance - Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru.

Roll #15:

A 6 and Double Prompts: historical romance + ~~interspecies romances~~ ~~ensemble cast~~ unrequited love becomes requited - Bidou Wakadanna, Koi Shitau Wa Koushoku Otoko.

Roll #16:

A 3, prompt: mangaka in a manga - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

Roll #17:

A 1, prompt: read a manhwa - Lady Crystal Is a Man.
Roll #18:

A 3 aaand finally the end. Reward is to read twice the amount of what I enjoyed most.

~Manga TBR List~

[School Life/Fantasy] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun ✔️
[Action/Slice of Life] Wind Breaker ✔️
[Magical Girl] Shugo Chara! ✔️
[Romance/School Life] Dengeki Daisy ✔️
[BL/Fantasy] Saka no Ue no Mahou Tsukai ❌
[Game Elements/Action] The Gamer
[GL/Fantasy] Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei
[Supernatural/School Life] Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun
[BL/Romance] Binkan Elevator
[Action/Comedy] Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu
[Slice of Life/Fantasy] Natsume Yuujinchou
[BL/Romance] He Is Beautiful.
[Villainess/Fantasy] Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito
[BL/Supernatural] Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru
[BL/Romance] Bidou Wakadanna, Koi Shitau Wa Koushoku Otoko
[Comedy/School Life] Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
[Gender Bender/Fantasy] Lady Crystal Is a Man ✔️

x5 shoujo/josei, x6 shounen/seinen, x5 BL, x1 GL

Current Mood: hungry

askamanager_feed

Posted by Ask a Manager

https://www.askamanager.org/2026/06/updates-the-emotional-affair-my-boss-wont-let-me-tell-coworkers-im-pregnant-and-more.html

https://www.askamanager.org/?p=38712

Here are four updates from past letter-writers.

1. Someone I had a near-emotional-affair with years ago is about to be my sort-of boss (#2 at the link)

My update almost eight months later is not the most exciting, but a good outcome. Craig has been friendly in the occasional meeting we are in together but we have not spoken one-on-one at all.

Our company is in the midst of a re-org due to budget cuts and we know that one of the VP positions is getting eliminated. Everyone is suspecting that Craig is returning to his original senior technical role but nobody knows yet exactly what’s happening. Personally I’d be very happy if that happens. Now that time has passed, I am less inwardly awkward about the whole thing, but I would rather not have any added weirdness with a boss-adjacent person.

I read some of the comments on the original post and many echoed the idea that I was young, learning professional norms, and to give myself a little grace, which I really appreciated.

2. My boss won’t let me tell coworkers that I’m pregnant

Thank you and the commenters for your warmth, empathy, and humor.

Shortly after I sent this question in, my boss shared that he had hired someone new for the team, and with that I finally got to share my news with my coworkers. The timing was probably a little tight, but a couple of my coworkers knew the new hire from previous work so I think they hit the ground running.

Lucky for the company and for me, my baby was also not born early; in fact she arrived the day before she was due (insert project management joke here). I’m completely focused on her now, and will see what the future holds for my work in a few months.

3. When should I tell my manager that I’m leaving the country? (#4 at the link)

My situation resolved in a relatively drama-free way. As I was anxiously deciding what to do, and when to tell my manager, I ended up getting told I was being laid off with a fairly generous severance package. I let my manager know of my plan to move overseas in the meeting with HR.

Although I was sad to end my time with that company, and was sad for my coworkers (my whole team got cut), the timing worked out basically perfectly for our move and the severance helped with relocation costs. I was feeling very nervous about the impending move, so I decided to take the layoff/severance as my sign from the universe that it was the right thing to do! So far so good.

4. Is this job opening a scam? (#5 at the link)

Long story short: after that initial call, I never heard back from them again.

But after that initial contact, I remained suspicious, and started to do some of my own research. Their site had a page showing their professional certifications, and I reached out to several of them. They were legitimately members of the provincial safety board. One organization I never heard back from. But the organization that is both the major provincial landscaping association and the administrator for interlocking paver certification wrote me back almost immediately, to the tune of, “No, they’re not currently members in good standing, and we’ll reach out to them to see if they’d like to renew their membership.” They still display that logo on their website to this day. They still do not show up in the landscaping association’s member directory.

Another listed certification turned out to be a proprietary business software method rather than an industry credential.

And although this isn’t necessarily damning, I found out that the business owner is a teenager (which may explain the borderline-hostile tone of a lot of the Google Review responses.)

Everything taken together definitely discouraged me from trying to contact them again. A business that misrepresents its credentials to prospective clients is a business that has shown they will deceive people in other ways and I have no interest in working for them or tying my own reputation to them.

The post updates: the emotional affair, my boss won’t let me tell coworkers I’m pregnant, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

https://www.askamanager.org/2026/06/updates-the-emotional-affair-my-boss-wont-let-me-tell-coworkers-im-pregnant-and-more.html

https://www.askamanager.org/?p=38712