siliquasquama | Reading

Welcome to the cozy and comforting prompt call for this month! We’re all about the sweaters with thumb holes and the sweatshirts washed until they drape like silk. It’s an opportunity to relax with a good story and a cup of cocoa, or tea, or jamaica… the list is endless, but the point is to bring pleasure in small, familiar ways.
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Current Mood: amused

dialecticdreamer

Recovering Calm
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1323
[Afternoon of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: A few minutes after the door closes, Blainn is stumbling over an explanation when the doorbell rings again. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

In the kitchen, Blainn automatically began following the recipe as Griffin announced the next steps, while the other teen began assembling a tray full of glasses with ice from the bin in the refrigerator. When Joshua stepped in to pour himself a cup of coffee, Blainn blurted, “I’m sorry!’

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Joshua told him quietly. He raised his voice slightly as he turned toward the archway. “Pips, can you take over for Blainn, please?”

Blainn tensed.
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Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

Pizza Party!
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1137
[Afternoon of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: The larger family and friends gather to make personal pizzas and catch up. The delivery driver throws a spanner into the works, however. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

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

The man at the door was about Jules’ age, but his scruffy, unshaven face and sloppily grown out fade hinted at hard times. His caramel skin was blotchy and peeling, but the streaks of off-white sunblock on his throat and the hollows of his jaws implied less care about his appearance. “That kid’s a menace,” the delivery man snarled. “You’ll be sorry you let him in your house!”
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Current Mood: amused

dialecticdreamer

Pizza Party!
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1354
[Afternoon of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: The larger family and friends gather to make personal pizzas and catch up. The delivery driver throws a spanner into the works, however. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

On to part two

Jules stood behind Dylan at the kitchen counter. The two-year-old stood on a beautiful wooden platform, stained a walnut so dark that it looked black, and this close, the gleaming polish on it was clearly beeswax. “Oh, oh, oh,” Dylan chanted, as she picked up individual rings of black olives to place on her personal pizza.

“Do you mean letter o, like in oh-range?” Jules asked. He bent to kiss the top of her head. “You’re very smart!”
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Current Mood: amused

dialecticdreamer

Happenstance
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1698
[Morning of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: By the time Jules reached the downtown library, he still hadn’t found a share bike… But he did find Blainn. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

November sunshine in this part of California had, apparently, decided to copy the high desert profile. By the time Jules reached the library, a wet triangle soaked the back of his shirt along his spine, and the liter water bottle clipped to his belt loop was empty. He hadn’t found a single share bike, though the buses were running smoothly, and mostly on time.

He frowned, worried that the schedule had changed while he was gone.
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Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

Hometown Tour
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1181
[Morning of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: Jules takes a bicycle tour to favorite stores and pocket parks, just to touch base. And, both in memory of his tourist travels and because the changes in Mercedes are easier to see, he plays up the “tourist” persona. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

After breakfast, the pair washed and dried the dishes together, bumping elbows as they worked. Bennett waved him off as soon as the last spoon went into the drawer. “Go, settle yourself back into town again. If you run across Blainn, try to get into a more private setting before you talk about specifics.”

He winked. “Do you have anything that needs to be dry cleaned? Or boots that need resoling, which is more likely? The only errand that I can honestly suggest for the house is to pick up a can of peaches for me. I want to make cheat-cobblers for dessert tonight.”
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Current Mood: amused

dialecticdreamer

Morning Dance
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1339
[Morning of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]

:: Just after Dawn, Jules wakes feeling wonderfully rested and calm. He starts fitting his possessions back into his room, until he notices a potential problem. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Jules woke up as he exhaled. As soon as he inhaled, without opening his eyes, he knew that he was home. He smelled his father’s shampoo and cologne, then realized that his pillow was warmer than he was. Slowly, Jules opened his eyes.

Bennett lay slantways on the sofa, partially upright, and Jules was beside him, barely more upright. The teen chuckled to himself as he eased upright, then to his feet. He pulled the old afghan over his father, then padded into the kitchen.

It took petting the coffee machine for a moment for Jules to re-familiarize himself with the controls, but he soon had the water in the reservoir heating and mugs waiting on the counter. He grabbed his backpack to take it to his room, or the room that he had shared with Blainn.
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Current Mood: restless

dialecticdreamer

Home At Last
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1183
[Evening of Friday, 3 November of 2017]

:: Cash helps Jules into the house a little before midnight, then makes himself scarce. Jules’ homecoming is meant to be fluffy, but might be emotionally intense for readers. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Cash slowed to a stop in front of the mobile home where lights spilled out of the living room windows, brightening the porch that spanned the narrow front before illuminating the three steps just barely narrower than the front of the house and the attached porch. Setting the brake and shutting off the engine made Jules rouse slightly. “Oh, I forgot,” the teen mumbled. “Wanted the box I sent to you marked ‘F’. That’s the big souvenir collection for the little o--” A yawn turned the start of the word into a noisy sigh. Jules’ jaw cracked noisily.
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Current Mood: amused

dialecticdreamer

Home Stretch
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1363
[Evening of Friday, 3 November of 2017]

:: After an incredibly long series of connecting flights, Jules finally arrives in Sacramento. He and Cash have a very intimate discussion on the ride to Mercedes. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Every muscle and joint in Jules’ body hurt. By the time he stood to deplane in the Sacramento airfield, ready to brave the narrow, stale air of the skywalk to reach the terminal, the teen was mentally making a list of the arthritis-adaptations that his dad used during massages, and wondering if he could afford the time to get a fifteen minute chair massage.

As he dragged the Bodhi bag in its light blue case out into the artificial light but echoing openness of the terminal, he found that the massage business was no longer tucked between the first aid station and the Tastee Shack booth. He didn’t see Cash, and at a few minutes after ten o’clock at night, he didn’t expect to see his father, Joshua or Griffin Tull, either.
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Current Mood: anxious

dialecticdreamer

Touching Base
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1236
[Evening of Thursday, 2 November of 2017]

:: Jules can’t sleep, thinking of the approaching plane trip which will bring him, finally, home ot Mercedes and his family. He calls a friend with a thin excuse. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Somewhere in the maze of hostel rooms, someone was playing an out of tune guitar in desultory, awkward scales. Jules glared at the bedside alarm clock and sighed. It wasn’t yet nine at night, and it wasn’t the stranger’s fault that he had to be at the boarding gate at three in the morning to catch a four a.m. flight.

Squirming restlessly on the luxurious single occupancy room with ensuite, Jules couldn’t keep his eyes shut for more than a few heartbeats at a time. When he sat up, he automatically reached for his phone to scroll slowly through his contacts. He checked the local time, then dialed.
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Current Mood: accomplished

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Happy Saturday!

I'm going to be doing a little maintenance today. It will likely cause a tiny interruption of service (specifically for www.dreamwidth.org) on the order of 2-3 minutes while some settings propagate. If you're on a journal page, that should still work throughout!

If it doesn't work, the rollback plan is pretty quick, I'm just toggling a setting on how traffic gets to the site. I'll update this post if something goes wrong, but don't anticipate any interruption to be longer than 10 minutes even in a rollback situation.

dialecticdreamer

First Step Back
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1222
[Evening of Thursday, 2 November of 2017]

:: A slow, introspective look at Jules as he packs for his last flight, finally heading home with his shiny new diploma and certificates. This is the first post of the new “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Jules fidgeted with the bundle of summer blue ultralight fabric, then frowned at the darker blue and black hiking backpack which had seen him through all but the first two months of his Alexandrian year. The daypack and duffel combination that he’d started with had wrenched his shoulders more than once, and depending on the day’s travel, had happened so often that he’d meticulously priced the cost of a walk-in appointment to see a medical doctor in one of the slum clinics in the morning, his last day in Delhi. As he was scraping together his cash, wincing with every move of either arm, a literal hippie, probably old enough to be Jules’ grandfather, had offered to swap his ultralight for the substantially heavier backpack that fit within the airport guidelines, barely, but which hung off his shoulders like a medieval torture device.
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Current Mood: artistic

dialecticdreamer

House Sitting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1366

:: The Teague family takes a step toward more permanent arrangements on the island. It’s not a perfect coda, but it is a hopeful resting point for readers. The last part of the Edison’s Mirror/Teague Family story arc, bringing an earned resolution to the terrible situation of “Edison’s Mirror,” at long last. Thank you all for your patience. ::

“You’re really helping my daughter out,” the man leaning on forearm crutches declared, nodding toward the woman bustling toward them from the side door into the three-car garage. “Even taking the time to drive her to the airport is… a lot,” he admitted regretfully.

“It’s no difficulty, Mister Dulles,” Aidan assured. He paused, considering, and did not try to hide that he was assessing the man’s posture. “I mean no offense to you, of course.”
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Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

A Flash of Temper
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1283

:: Aidan is faced with a nasty-minded stranger prying into the Teague family. He finds a creative way to apologize for failing to live down to her expectations. Part of the Teague Family/Edison’s Mirror series in Polychrome Heroics, written to answer a prompt by

alatefeline, with my thanks, as part of the March 2026 Magpie Monday. ::

Aidan stared at the cardboard box that held five large manila envelopes, all thick and surprisingly heavy. “What are these?”

Nik rolled back, motioning toward the coffee table. “Your documents came through. Let me help you with your packet, and then I’ll explain the differences in Rory’s and Mac’s paperwork.”
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Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

Tomorrow will be the last part of the Teague family arc, of 100 posts.

The question is, what do I tackle next? I had two original ideas, but nether seem the right fit now.
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Current Mood: curious

dialecticdreamer

The Magpie event went off SPECTACULARLY well, thanks to the participation of my lovely readers!
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Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

The Roommate Repair Kit
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (article only): 1104

:: Written for the March 2026 Magpie Monday, this is only demifiction because it is the small booklet that appears all over the University of Nebraska Omaha campus in the Polychrome Heroics universe. The advice is practical, the examples clear, and the steps a feasible way to practice a concrete apology. I do NOT give permission to repost this anywhere, but referring others here to read it is welcome, and printing it to hand off to friends is acceptable IF the header and credit to me are included. Thank you to

ysabetwordsmith for suggesting the topic. ::

The ROOMMATE REPAIR Kit!

Some students have not grown up sharing a room with a sibling. That skill demands patience, communication, and a willingness to negotiate the details like when to run the vacuum, the challenge of washing the linens, or how to wake yourself up but not your roommate. Few people will get those negotiations right the first time, and even fewer will get through a semester without some mistake that requires careful tending to keep the partnership working and at least tolerable.

This roommate repair kit invokes the process that helps to repair a mistake and soothe the angry feelings between roommates. It’s deceptively simple by name: the concrete apology.
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