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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Gathering and Clarifying
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1224
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]


:: What can Vic and Aidan do now? Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::


Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading! ::




Aidan paced between the door to the stairwell and the archway of the kitchen alcove, back and forth, forth and back. On the fifth pass, he stopped. “How much salt is in the cabinet? We need about two ounces, perhaps a bit less. And, I need you to go collect at least six wide, flexible leaves, fully green and undamaged. Can you focus enough to do that?”

“What about Ed, the ferret, and Mac? They need food and water.” Vic straightened. “Can you set that up now? I’ll keep eyes on her, but won’t go closer unless she wakes.”
Read more... )
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[personal profile] fox_in_me


📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Сегодня тоже не будет историй из прошлого.
Я поделюсь тем, что есть сейчас - в этом моменте.
Сегодня снова шёл снег. Мороз сковал деревья белым инеем, и город выглядел тихим, почти неподвижным. Мне повезло: в этот день я не выполняю задачи в море. Ночь пройдёт в здании без отопления и света, с монитором перед глазами и холодом, который постепенно проникает под одежду.
Мне повезло ещё и в другом - рядом со мной кошка. Этой ночью мы будем греть друг друга. Иногда этого достаточно, чтобы не замёрзнуть окончательно - и телом, и внутри.
Мне выдают новое оружие. Многие хотели бы оказаться на моём месте, но я ловлю себя на полном отсутствии интереса. Скорее - на отстранённости. Мне не просто всё равно, мне в целом не хочется брать его в руки. Это странное чувство, но оно честное.
Последние дни я ношу очки не только вечером, а весь день. Это непривычно - словно мир стал чуть мягче, чуть дальше, и я наблюдаю его через тонкую преграду.
Впервые за долгое время я нашёл в себе силы завершить несколько недописанных дел. Когда пальцы касались клавиш, это было не про результат. Это было похоже на живой внутренний разговор - спокойный, без давления. После него пришло чувство лёгкости и тихой радости, не от завершения, а от контакта с собой.
Ко мне вернулись сны. Долгое время они были редкостью, а прошлой ночью я снова видел их - и, что удивительно, не просыпался от взрывов. Словно психика позволила себе немного отдыха.
У меня есть в запасе несколько историй из прошлого. Возможно, однажды они закончатся. А сейчас мне просто хочется иногда переходить в этот мир воспоминаний - как в место, где можно перевести дыхание.
Мне сообщили, что статья BBC уже на завершающем этапе. Я не тороплю события. Я понимаю, что в тексте не будет всей реальности - лишь аккуратный, выстроенный образ. И, пожалуй, сейчас мне этого достаточно.
Как я писал раньше, невозможно передать весь абсурд происходящего: когда в жилых домах нет отопления и воды, когда температура внутри почти не отличается от уличной. Даже сейчас я сижу в верхней одежде и шапке, прижимая кошку под курткой. И всё же я сохраняю тепло и не даю себе замёрзнуть до конца - физически и эмоционально.
Я всё меньше вовлечён в процессы вокруг. Скорее наоборот - ловлю себя на желании выйти из них, сделать шаг в сторону. Не из слабости, а из бережности к себе.
Иногда я ясно понимаю, что больше не вижу себя в этой реальности.
Не из высокомерия и не из протеста - скорее из усталости.
Слишком много лжи, слишком много лицемерия, слишком много игры в нормальность, в которой все будто знают правила, но никто не говорит их вслух.
Я всё чаще ловлю себя на ощущении, что наблюдаю происходящее со стороны, как спектакль, в котором мне когда-то выдали роль, но я больше не хочу её играть.
Я знаю, какой может быть жизнь. Я видел её - по ту сторону границ, по ту сторону войны, в простых вещах: в уважении к личному пространству, в честных разговорах, в тишине без страха.
И, возможно, именно это знание делает возвращение в текущую реальность особенно трудным.
Я не идеализирую другой мир и не обесцениваю этот.
Я просто чувствую, что между мной и происходящим вокруг увеличивается пропасть.
В последние дни я всё чаще думаю о маленьких целях, с которых могу начать восстановление: больше спать, лучше питаться, снова читать, перестать тратить энергию там, где её не просят, и выйти из роли «спасителя».
Пожалуй, на этом всё.
Сейчас я не многословен. И, кажется, мне этого достаточно.

Note translated in assistance with AI.

Today there will be no stories from the past either.
I want to share what exists now — in this very moment.

It snowed again today. Frost wrapped the trees in white hoarfrost, and the city looked quiet, almost motionless. I was lucky: today I am not assigned to tasks at sea. The night will pass in a building without heating or electricity, with a monitor in front of me and cold slowly seeping under my clothes.

I am lucky in one more way — a cat is with me. Tonight we will keep each other warm. Sometimes this is enough not to freeze completely — both physically and inside.

I am being issued new weapons. Many would like to be in my place, but I catch myself feeling no interest at all. Rather — detachment. It is not just that I do not care; I do not want to hold them in my hands at all. It is a strange feeling, but it is an honest one.

Over the past few days I have been wearing my glasses not only in the evening, but all day long. It feels unusual — as if the world has become slightly softer, a little more distant, and I am observing it through a thin barrier.

For the first time in a long while, I found the strength to finish several unfinished things. When my fingers touched the keyboard, it was not about results. It felt like a quiet inner conversation — calm, without pressure. Afterwards came a sense of lightness and quiet joy, not from completion, but from reconnecting with myself.

Dreams have returned to me. For a long time they were rare, and last night I saw them again — and, surprisingly, did not wake up from explosions. As if my psyche allowed itself a little rest.

I have a few stories from the past in reserve. Perhaps one day they will run out. For now, I simply want to step into this world of memories from time to time — as a place where I can breathe.

I was told that the BBC article is now in its final stage. I am not rushing anything. I understand that it will not contain the full reality — only a carefully constructed image. And perhaps, for now, that is enough.

As I wrote before, it is impossible to convey all the absurdity of what is happening: when residential buildings have no heating or water, when the temperature indoors is almost the same as outside. Even now I am sitting in outerwear and a hat, holding the cat under my jacket. And yet I keep myself warm and do not let myself freeze completely — physically or emotionally.

I am becoming less and less involved in the processes around me. Rather the opposite — I catch myself wanting to step aside, to exit them. Not out of weakness, but out of care for myself.

Sometimes I clearly realize that I no longer see myself in this reality.
Not out of arrogance and not out of protest — but out of fatigue.

Too much lies, too much hypocrisy, too much playing at normality, where everyone seems to know the rules, yet no one speaks them aloud.

More and more often I feel like an observer, watching a performance from the outside — one in which I was once assigned a role, but no longer want to play it.

I know what life can be like. I have seen it — on the other side of borders, beyond war, in simple things: respect for personal space, honest conversations, silence without fear.

And perhaps it is this knowledge that makes returning to the current reality especially difficult.

I do not idealize another world, and I do not devalue this one.
I simply feel that the gap between me and what is happening around me is growing.

In recent days, I have been thinking more and more about small goals from which I can begin to restore myself: sleeping more, eating better, reading again, stopping the waste of energy where it is not asked for, and stepping out of the role of the “savior.”

That is probably all.
Right now, I am not very talkative.
And it seems that this is enough.



dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Gathering and Clarifying
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1003
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]


:: What can Vic and Aidan do now? Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::


:: Author’s note: Computer problems doubled and redoubled my attempts to fix anything. I hope that this is the last major interference from the universe at large. ::


On to part two




Aidan’s eyebrows climbed. “You think that I don’t feel exactly the same way? That I don’t have an urge to stamp out a threat to myself and those I consider mine?” he asked, genteel tone and crisp pronunciation filled and softened by compassion.

“I think that your self control is better than mine.” Vic glared at the woman. His eyes snapped toward the top of the stairs. “I’m going to the bedroom. Ed and Mac and the ferret are all in there.” He eased past Aidan, brushing shoulders, but gave the crumpled figure the widest berth that he possibly could.

Vic loped up the stairs, taking them three at a time in smooth strides. “I don’t know what to say to warn you, because I barely believe what I saw with my own eyes.”
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Morning Maneuvers
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 782
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]


:: Morning brings a new idea, leaving Edison home alone for a few minutes. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::


:: Pay Special Attention: THIS EXCEEDS THE LIMITS OF GENTLE FICTION. The warning is a major spoiler; highlight to read: One of the Teagues is a victim of a painful magical attack. A threat phrased as “animal sacrifice” is horrifying, but WILL NOT be anything more than those words. Happy ending is rushing toward us, but this is important to the plot, so I’m showing it directly rather than indirectly. The intensity is why I’ve kept the post shorter than a thousand words. ::


Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading!::




Ed stared at the woman. “I don’t want to.”

Shandiin frowned, pushing her lower lip out in a pout. “Why? Aren’t we friends, Ed?”
Read more... )
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[personal profile] fox_in_me


📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Прерывая мое молчание, хочу поделиться несколькими мыслями о последних событиях в моей жизни. Истории будут позже, но сейчас -несколько наблюдений.
Недавно я давал интервью изданию BBC. Это был длинный разговор, связанный с боевыми действиями, и прозвучал прямой вопрос, на который дипломатично сложно ответить: достаточно ли делают «партнеры» для Украины?
Это глобальный и сложный вопрос, на который я хочу ответить своими ощущениями из города, где относительно спокойно, в отличие от прифронтовых территорий. Попробуйте представить мегаполис без электричества: светофоры не работают, в домах и офисах нет тепла и воды, а на улицах -темнота, туман, дым от прорванных теплотруб и пожаров с запахом гари. В этом городе безумный трафик и тревога, и картина становится более ясной.
Не читая новостей, я узнал, что МВФ выделяет Украине деньги, но при этом ставит условия -сокращать субсидии на коммунальные услуги. Это делает жизнь людей еще тяжелее. Никто при этом не предлагает сначала поднять зарплаты, пенсии и соцвыплаты до европейского уровня, как и оплату военных, чтобы не унижать их, я уже не говорю о пенсионерах.
Я не жалуюсь на холод или отсутствие электричества -мне повезло быть там, где есть возможность согреться. На боевых позициях, в замерзших окопах, этого нет.
Но просто собрать мысли и сосредоточиться на внутренних вопросах сложно, когда за окном вспышки взрывов, окна дрожат от ударных волн, и понимаешь, что происходящее от тебя никак не зависит. Я не описываю здесь, как города стирают с лица земли, а лишь делюсь тем, как это ощущается в городе, где проходят воздушные атаки.
Вывод прост: понять и полностью прочувствовать всё это невозможно. А спрашивать о том, достаточно ли помощи -не понимая, что вся эта ситуация продолжается именно с позволения этих «партнеров» -нелепо


Note translated in assistance with AI.

I want to break my silence and share a few thoughts about what’s been happening in my life recently. The longer stories will come later, but for now, this.

Recently, I gave an interview to BBC. It was a long conversation about the war, and at one point they asked a direct question: are the “partners” doing enough for Ukraine? It’s hard to answer that diplomatically — it’s such a vast, complex question. But I want to try to explain it through what I feel here, in a city that is relatively calm, far from the frontlines.

Imagine a metropolis without electricity: traffic lights don’t work, there’s no heat or water in offices or homes, and at night the streets are dark. There’s smoke from broken heating pipes, fires, the smell of burning, fog, chaotic traffic. You start to see things differently.

I recently heard that the IMF has allocated money to Ukraine, but with new conditions — reducing subsidies on utilities. It makes life harder for ordinary people. No one talks about raising salaries, pensions, or social benefits to European levels, or paying the military fairly so they aren’t humiliated. The elderly are not mentioned at all.

I am not complaining about the cold or the lack of electricity — I am lucky to have a place where I can stay warm. On the frontlines, in frozen trenches, there is nothing like that.

Even just gathering your thoughts here is hard. Outside, explosions flash, windows shake from shockwaves, and you realize that none of what’s happening depends on you. I am not trying to describe how cities are destroyed; I am simply sharing what it feels like in a city under active air attacks.

The truth is: you cannot fully understand it, not unless you’ve been there. Asking if the help is enough — without understanding that the situation continues under the very permission of these “partners” — is absurd.

Living here, you feel the contrast every day: the relative calm of the city, the small routines you can manage, and the chaos that touches you even from afar. It makes you realize how fragile everything is, how small your control, and yet how necessary it is to simply observe, survive, and carry on.

#58 Morning Maneuvers ( part 1 of 2)

Jan. 20th, 2026 11:17 pm
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Morning Maneuvers
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 654
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]


:: Morning brings a new idea, leaving Edison home alone for a few minutes. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::


:: Author’s note: Complications today meant that pausing at THIS break point was prudent for many reasons. Enjoy! ::




By the time Edison clambered out of the nest of blankets and the large mattress on the living room floor, it was cold only inches away from where he had slept. “Vic? Aidan?” he asked. Mac made a soft ‘mrrr’ noise, only flicking an ear toward him as he took step clear of the blankets.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Deeper Thoughts
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1b of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1159
[Monday, May 11, 2020, dinner time]


:: A new idea emerges over warm food and welcome company. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::


:: Author’s note: The universe seems to be kicking me over and over this month. I’m trying to stay on track, and am sorry for the delays. ::




Slowly, the strawberry blond spoke, and the cadence was eerily close to Aidan’s. “Poker is only one way to mess with probability math. Baccarat is more fun to me,” he added, giving it the Italian pronunciation. “Or, if you’re patient, you can bet on the probability of certain chess games playing out. We did it with groups of ten moves, five per side, and didn’t bother betting for the first five.”

“We?” Garegin asked gently.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Deeper Thoughts
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1a of 1, complete
Word count (story only):
[Monday, May 11, 2020, dinner time]


:: A new idea emerges over warm food and welcome company. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::



:: Author’s note: I’m exhausted. I’m stopping here for the night before I make errors that can’t be fixed. I’m sorry. ::




Garegin opened the floral print box by tearing off an oval in the middle of a broad face, then retrieved a flimsy white rectangle, which he passed quickly to Beverly. Aidan’s cloth handkerchief was sodden beyond use, crumpled tightly in her other hand. “Thank you,” she murmured, dabbing at her eyes. “It’s reassuring that there have been no Jane Does matching Liana’s description, but at the same time, that there was even one... it’s disheartening.”

Aidan rose smoothly as the oven timer dinged. “I’ll get that. Thank you for attending to the box, Garegin.” He started to say something else, then shook his head. “Those calls were very draining, but you are right that it is good that we did not find anyone resembling Liana.”
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Magpie Monday Results (January 2026)

Jan. 17th, 2026 09:12 pm
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Wow, we had some very different prompts! I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to follow up on the “loose threads” from earlier stories, and hope that the offerings satisfied readers as much as the process helped me.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Mending Friendship
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1697
[Thursday, May 3, 2016]

:: Leo is ready to meet with Doctor Finn, at last. This follows up on the segment of consequences of China’s (initial) Mistake, "Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance" which led to "Accidental Injuries", among other consequences. Written for the January of 2026 Magpie Monday, this was a backchannel prompt that made my day. Hence, it’s double the usual length and posted for everyone to enjoy, with my thanks! ::


Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading! ::




Leo mock-pouted. “And spoil my opportunity, Doctor?”

Elisabeth considered, then carefully held up four fingers, two on each hand. “Beginner effort,” she teased.

“I’m not going to lean too hard on that railing right now,” he answered softly.
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Mending Friendship (Part 1 of 2)

Jan. 16th, 2026 09:29 pm
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Mending Friendship
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1446
[Thursday, May 3, 2016]


:: Leo is ready to meet with Doctor Finn, at last. This follows up on the segment of consequences of China’s (initial) Mistake, "Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance" which led to "Accidental Injuries">, among other consequences. Written for the January of 2026 Magpie Monday, this was a backchannel prompt that made my day. Hence, it’s double the usual length and posted for everyone to enjoy, with my thanks! ::


On to part two




Leo thumbed through the six new certifications, the wallet-sized cards held lightly in his left hand. He spread them on the coffee table in front of him by completion date, with the last, most precious “Senior Followship” dated just four days ago. The last card, completely in Italian, had been signed only two days before. He fit the cards one by one into the dove gray wallet that he thought of as his new “Mercedes wallet,” then put the last into his old, battered wallet that he’d been given when he had collected his third certification.

It had been a long three months. It had taken three times as long as he’d planned, just because he needed a rarer, more comprehensive class for Followship, one not meant for new adults, new hires to a particular company or for first responders in a larger network. Leo rubbed his thumb over the spine of his older wallet. His first responder certs were all in Italian, and hidden behind more typical business-oriented training.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Gathering Options
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1572
[September 2016]


:: A typical day for Cas and Hali involves a gigantic grocery run. They meet a boy who might be a good fit, but who certainly needs a bit of help. Part of the Broken Angels story arc in the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story was written for the January of 2026 Magpie Monday, and sponsored with my deepest thanks. ::




Cas pushed one cart ahead of him, where Hali sat holding the largest bunch of bananas that he could find in the display bin. The cart that he pulled along behind them held boxes of canned goods in the bottom layer, then a flat of five dozen eggs and, most importantly, the next two weeks’ worth of decent chocolates.

“You ready to get in your new car seat?” Cas asked, but his eyes drifted up to the granite sky above them. “We’d better hurry or we’re going to get soaked.”

Hali hefted the bananas. They wobbled in her small hands but did not fall. “Snack now?” she asked hopefully.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Coworkers Cooperating
By DIalecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1588
[Late August 2016]


:: A tough day at work drains Evelyn’s patience. She and Candy discuss a helpful coworker, and make plans accordingly. Prompts by [personal profile] fuzzyred and [personal profile] siliconshaman combined to create this, so my thanks to both of them. Written for the January of 2026 Magpie Monday and posted with sponsorship, and more of my thanks. ::




Evelyn listened to the salesman through the wireless earbud she wore on the left. A skeptical sigh beat against her ribs, trying to escape. “If you do not stop trying to pitch a monitoring app on private phones as ‘helpful’ for soup children, I will call the National Hate Crimes Office and name you, specifically, in a complaint. Don’t worry,” she added with vicious cheer, “I’ve already notified them about your company and the program in general, including every bullet point you’ve been hammering.”

“You what?” the salesman squeaked.
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Job Prospects (part 1 of 1, complete)

Jan. 13th, 2026 06:20 pm
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Job Prospects
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 2192


:: Sequel to [personal profile] ysabetwordsmith’s poem, “Under the Sea,” wherein Jules decides to take a job stocking Cans for Kraken as soon as his year-long educational adventure ends. This is written for everyone who participated in the Magpie Monday event and got my butt in the desk chair long enough to fill a hole in Halley and Shiv’s story arc that’s been gnawing at me for years. Thank you all! ::




[Day 0: Tuesday , September 26, 2017]

Jules inserted the copy of his graduation certificate in the newly purchased accordion file only an inch thick, and now used instead of a three ring binder in his backpack. The gesture, and the weight of the new safety deposit box key on his key ring, made him feel more adult in ways that blowing out birthday candles simply had not. He scanned the printed email, checked his lodgings for any forgotten items, folded the thin plastic laundry bag that the hostel had provided, and tucked it into the small side pocket on his backpack opposite the mesh one where his water bottle already sat, full and ready for use.
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January 2026 Magpie Monday

Jan. 12th, 2026 10:28 am
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Welcome to the first Magpie Monday prompt call of 2026!

Today, I’m taking up the loose threads of stories that needed more development, a next step, or to highlight an element that the reader simply enjoyed so much that they want more.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Breaking Bread and Breaking an Impasse
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1061
[Monday, May 11, 2020, late afternoon]


:: The Teagues’ preparation for a dinner guest is interrupted. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::




Conversation lagged for several minutes.

Garegin shivered, swallowed, and turned to Aidan. Curiosity slowly brightened the depths of his walnut-brown eyes. “What were you talking about, something with onions, earlier?”

Aidan nodded, accepting the distraction. “There is an enormous supply of onions at the food bank because a shipment was made in error, and they are taking up so much room that other goods cannot be stored. I mentioned making pickled onions, which I can do if I have the large crocks. The vinegar would have to be purchased as I don’t have a month to make it from scratch, which is disappointing.”

The younger man leaned into the idea as if it were a life raft on a stormy sea. “Have you ever used canning jars?”
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Magpie Monday Tomorrow!

Jan. 11th, 2026 07:39 pm
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Tomorrow is the first Magpie Monday prompt call of 2026! Already!

So, to get the year started off on the right foot, the theme will be Loose Threads.
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[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Breaking Bread and Breaking an Impasse
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1204
[Monday, May 11, 2020, late afternoon]]


:: The Teagues’ preparation for a dinner guest is interrupted. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::




Aidan smiled at the driver as he hefted the large plastic tote full of onions. He balanced the folded jacket that the younger man had given Aidan on his head, then put the bin atop the jacket. “Thank you for the ride, Persia.”

“Just bring a sample of those pickled onions that you were talking about. I’ve never had them.” She waved, then rolled backward down the driveway.

Aidan walked easily to the garage door, but had to set the bin down to let himself in.
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