Those deadly, venomous babies

[st_aurafina]

First up, we're not on fire. There is a big fire down on the coast, and they've closed the Great Ocean Road in that area but it's not that close to us. We're watching it and the weather but we feel pretty safe right now.

It's still very hot, though it's starting to cool down and tomorrow is supposed to be a lot nicer. Today was hot enough that our lizard neighbour came for a visit and to sit on the hot pavers on the patio. It's good to see him, because blue tongues eat snake babies, and out here, snake babies are deadly babies. I don't like deadly babies. I tried really hard to get a photo of him, but the turkey coma was strong. It was so hot last night we all went to bed around 9pm, and then I bloody forgot Duolingo and broke a 140 day streak. DAMN IT!

Christmas was fun! Like, actually chill and relaxed and fun! This is mind-blowing to me. My sister came to stay for a couple of days, and she is lovely and clever and funny, and happy to hang around and internet or watch TV. I thought it was going to be too hot to cook the turkey (we had one of those rolls of breast meat), but it was also too hot to sleep, so I got up at 6:30 and had the turkey in the oven by 7:30. I turned the oven off around twelve, and We sliced it up and ate it warm with salad and roast veggies when we were hungry. Then we all lolled around and rubbed our bellies and watched Selfie. It was so low-stress and easy. Apart from the fires.

Yuletide is here! I have three fics in the main collection: one for a fandom I've written before, and two for new fandoms. So excited! So much new fic to read!

I received two fantastic gifts!
Indiana Jones and the little black dress of fandom! (AKA, an Indiana Jones/Torchwood crossover, which is GENIUS.) I love the way you can shoehorn Jack Harkness into any fandom, and this was done skillfully, and with exactly the right sense of fun. I love a fun crossover! And timey-wimey cleverness!
Indiana Jones and the Provenance of Relics (2456 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Indiana Jones Series, Torchwood
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Henry "Indiana" Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Jack Harkness
Summary:

An improbable number of absurd things had happened in their lives before now, so they couldn't really conclude that this, of all things, was a bridge too far.

Beautiful mermaid #FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives femslash, which fits the mood of the photos perfectly, and is a gorgeous piece of worldbuilding. You know that feeling, when you can't describe the thing you want, but then you get it and it's perfect? This fic is that.
Return To Waves (1865 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: #FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Woman In Blue Dress/Woman In Red Dress
Characters: Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Merpeople, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

They came from the waves to learn the stories of the people above. After two years on land, it's time to go home.

Thank you to both of my mystery authors - you made my Yuletide lots of fun. And very gay!

Comments

[hope]

I am very glad to hear you are not on fire!

[st_aurafina]

Me too, I tell you!

[lilysea]

Those deadly, venomous babies

Nice headline!

I am glad you have a bluetongue to eat them!

[st_aurafina]

I am glad you have a bluetongue to eat them!

Me too, because then it's kind of nature doing her own thing - otherwise I'd have to call the snake man and hide out until he came to take the snake away. (Also, blue tongues are so pretty and so much less likely to kill you with their bite.)

[lilysea]

Yeah, my parents had one in their garden. It used to eat all the strawberries in the strawberry patch.

I left a chicken egg for it once, but it wasn't interested.

[vass]

I too am glad you are not on fire.

Easy and low-stress sounds like a wonderful Christmas, I'm so glad you got to have that.

And I didn't know that about blue-tongue lizards. Good job, blue-tongues!

[st_aurafina]

I am glad we're not on fire! Or evacuated. Lorne at Christmas must have been an awful evacuation - so many tourists. Such bedlam, wow.

Nat came up here specifically because she wanted no dramaz this Christmas, so I'm glad that we're a no dramaz kind of place. There are costs (of the shunning variety) but it was totally worth it. I hope you get to have a low-stress Christmas one of these years.

Blue-tongues are awesome lizards. Very germy mouths, but awesome snake repellents.

[vass]

Lorne at Christmas this year sounds like it was awful all round. I'm having trouble imagining.

It's shitty that shunning was part of the cost of your no-dramaz Christmas, but it does sound worth it.

[laurenthemself]

That sounds like a most excellent Christmas. I'm glad you're not on fire. We had a scare this afternoon, the next town over, but it wasn't anything. Yay for valiant blue-tongues!

[st_aurafina]

It is a hero lizard! It's really big, too. Probably been here a while.

I'm glad your scare didn't turn out to be anything.

[lonelywalker]

My first thought: "what on earth have they been doing in the kitchen?" I'm glad you and your kitchen are still intact and uncharred.

Merry Christmas!

[st_aurafina]

My first thought: "what on earth have they been doing in the kitchen?"

It wasn't us! (I feel a bit guilty that I bought us a tiny kitchen blowtorch for making creme brulee though.)

Merry Christmas to you!

[adafrog]

Glad you had a good Christmas. :)
Deadly babies are scary. yikes!
findthewomenonthenegatives? Never heard of it.

[st_aurafina]

The deadly babies are also a protected species, so when you see them, you have to call the snake removal dude, which is a massive bother, especially if you're trapped in your house. So overall, I hope that mama snake just decides that there's too much lizard business in my yard and goes somewhere else to lay her eggs.

#findthegirlsonthenegatives was a hashtag for a bunch of really evocative photographs found in a thrift shop - it's one of those micro-fandoms that pop up around Yuletide.

There's a better explanation here, if you're curious: #findthegirlsonthenegatives

[adafrog]

eek! I agree, maybe the lizards will keep the snakes away.

That #findthegirlsonthenegatives thing is cool.

[retsuko]

So relieved that you're not on fire! As someone who lives in a fire prone place, though, I know that particular stress well. :(

And yay for Yuletide! I only just got started poking around on it last night. I need to fill a few more Fandom_Stockings, too.

[st_aurafina]

Yeah, fire season is balls. *shares sympathies with you* Looks like we'll have a on-again off-again fire complex around the corner of the coast this summer, which is not fun.

Yuletide has been great - so many new fandoms this year. It's amazing.

[shehasathree]

Really glad to hear that you're not on fire and that you had an enjoyable celebration!

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! So far so good on the fire season.

[umadoshi]

Hooray for not-on-fire, and for such a good Christmas!

[st_aurafina]

Relaxed and small family Christmas was awesome. Thank you!

[heartequals]

I am very glad you are not on fire!! And your Christmas sounds so lovely.

I haven't read the Indiana Jones fic yet (that is not a crossover I had ever considered but hoo boy, INTO IT) but the #findthegirlsonthenegatives one is so beautiful!

[st_aurafina]

Christmas was lovely but sooo hot. I am glad we weren't doing anything because I'd have got heatstroke. Ugh, tomorrow is going to be 37 and northerly winds. So bad.

I am amazed that more people requested #findthegirlsonthenegatives after I nominated it! I love tiny fandoms.