Ants! (Ugh.) + Weekend Recs: Lucifer, Old Guard, Harry Potter
I discovered that I have... ANTS!!! In the kitchen (okay, I need to clean counters better after I make a mess instead of before I make another mess), and my couch (which is where I eat, so I need to vacuum crumbs more often) -- but why my footstool, with no crumb problem?!? -- and in the bathroom (well, there is that back door in the room). Fortunately, they're teeny-tiny black ants, and slightly larger brown ants, not the honkin' big red ants, so I'm not too freaked out. Unfortunately, with my poor eyesight and stone-patterned variegated floor, it's very difficult for me to see them in the bathroom so that I can take measures. Seriously, ugh! They showed up in the bathroom a couple of months ago; I concluded they must be coming in the back door, so I sprayed insecticide heavily on the footplate and the porch in front of the door, and put down a heavy layer of diatomaceous earth, and they stayed away. Then I found them on my kitchen "working" counter, so I cleaned it up real well, and sprayed insecticide all over the outside wall under and around the window, and that seemed to work there. But there was a big weather disturbance a couple of nights ago (lots of thunder and lightning, no rain for me, but Cindy got a deluge). The ants were all over the dishwasher, so I figured they were after the dirty dishes in there. I sprayed the ants with alcohol (stun/incapacitate them), wiped them up with tissue and tossed them in the toilet. (Didn't want to run the dishwasher, possible power outage.) The next day I ran the dishwasher so there wouldn't be the attractant of dirty dishes... and there were ants scurrying ALL AROUND!!! I went in and sprayed / wiped up a new batch about every 15 minutes, and reluctantly concluded that they're nesting around the sides of the dishwasher, between it and the cabinet walls, where I can't get in to spray them. So I've called the people that sold / installed the dishwasher; they're coming out Tuesday morning to pull the dishwasher out, let me spray heavily with insecticide (UGH!), and put it back. That may require uninstalling and reinstalling instead of just 'pulling out', but I don't see any other way to deal with the ants.
Anyway, I spent the evening after washing dishes and all day yesterday taking preemptive measures. Put a thick towel on the kitchen table, and put the dishwasher racks on the towel till the clean dishes dried, and am now putting the used dishes there -- hopefully far enough away from the source that the ants won't find them. Moved bag of crushed Pepsi cans from under the kitchen sink to the workroom, so that won't be a draw. Thoroughly vacuumed and sprayed with alcohol (hoping to break scent trails) the bathroom floor, bathmats, kitchen floor, living room in front of the couch, the couch cushions, footstool and its cushion, wiped down counters, sink, stove with lots of alcohol. (I've used over a quart in 2 days; literally.) And still I spray/wipe 8 - 10 every 15 minutes or so in the evening -- they're more active in the evening -- and the occasional individual finds me to crawl on my leg or arm, yuck! It's amazing how often our skin gives us a stray, low-grade 'tickle input'. I've always ignored them, other than an absent-minded scratch if necessary, but now there's about a 1-in-20 chance that it's an actual ant that I have to grab and squash, so I'm getting incredibly jumpy. Ugh! I really hope moving / spraying around the dishwasher will fix it; otherwise I'll have to call in an exterminator. But at least it's not roaches -- I freak out big-time about those.
On the other hand, my bathroom and kitchen haven't been so clean in years.
Fandom: Lucifer
Fanwork Links: Three Years Gone
Creator Links:
Category: M/F, Gen
Rating: Mature
Length: 55,200 words
Summary: When Chloe awoke, the first thing she saw was Morningstar’s face. He looked relieved. “Well, look who’s back,” he said, with a warm smile.
Chloe smiled back at him. He’d saved her life. She didn’t know much about this infuriating and intriguing man who’d decided to tag along with her as she investigated the murder of Delilah, but she knew he’d saved her life.
It was good to be alive, even if it hurt. She groaned. It hurt a lot! And she felt so weak! Still, she was alive. That was a pleasant surprise.
“How long have I been out?” she asked.
Morningstar sighed a deep sigh. “Three years,” he said in a somber voice.
What if Lucifer had been telling the truth?
Reccer's Notes: When Chloe wakes after 3 years in a coma, it's hard to adjust. Her daughter's almost a teen, Dan has a girlfriend (Ella) she doesn't even know, and this 'Lucifer Morningstar" character -- whom she's known for barely two days -- is good friends with Trixie and Dan, and seems to think he's in love with her. During her 3-year 'sleep', Chloe missed all the garbage that she dealt with during the series, but her 'new' life isn't smooth sailing by any means. She needs to get back in shape and re-qualify to be a detective, she's grabbing for connections that aren't available, she isn't thrilled with Trixie's part-time acting career (and doesn't know how much she should do to support her), Dan is creating difficulties about the divorce he claims to want, and is hiding secrets from both Chloe and Ella. But through it all, Lucifer is there -- giving her help and support when she needs, and space when she wants.
This is a lovely, thoroughly engaging story about getting your life back together and slowly finding love.
Characters: Chloe, Lucifer, Trixie, Ella, Dan, Maze, Penelope Decker, Linda Martin, Amenadiel.
Relationships: Chloe/Lucifer, Ella/Dan
Themes: AU - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Developing Relationship, Getting to Know Each Other, Friendship/Love
Content Notes: None
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Fandom: The Old Guard
Fanwork Links: The Other Side of This Wide Night
Creator Links:
Category: M/M
Rating: Explicit
Length: 50,600 words
Summary: Just above his eyeline, in dark purple Sharpie, is an addition so recent the ink is still a little wet. For a good time, call Nicky. Ask him about eating sushi with a fork. Underneath it is a phone number.
Joe isn’t sure how long he stands there, staring at the words, before he says, out loud, “Is... is that a euphemism?”
Reccer's Notes: This is totally captivating. A meet-weird sparks mutual attraction, which develops into two men negotiating the pitfalls of working around the time constraints of their jobs, but they make it work through trial and error, and actually talking to each other like adults. This is such a hard story to summarize, because nothing "happens"... but it's thoroughly sweet and comfortable and charming. The only problem is, I can't connect the story to the title in my mind, so when I look for the "sushi" story, I can't find it. Hmm... might need to make title art. Update: I did -- Sushi with a fork (and chopsticks).
Characters: Joe, Nicky, Andy, Quynh, OCs.
Relationships: Joe/Nicky
Themes: Domestic, AU - No Powers, Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, Canon LGBTQ Character, First Time, Getting to Know Each Other
Content Notes: None
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
Fandom: Harry Potter
Fanwork Links: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Butterfly
Creator Links:
Category: Gen
Rating: None (I'd say Teen)
Length: 55,300 words
Summary: Philosophers argue that if a butterfly flaps its wings, the cumulative effect of small changes can cause a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. Harry creates one small change. He’s embarrassed that a shop keeper wants Hagrid to move out of the way, so he decides to distract the man by asking for a book. Fate keeps trying to pull the world back toward its initial path, but as the changes start to accumulate, this world will be forever changed. Maybe Draco is a prat, but what will happen when he has a friend who will call him out on that? Lucius might be a Death Eater, but can he hate a young man he will come to know as his son’s friend? In fact, Harry’s one choice might upend years of manipulation and plotting and leave Dumbledore wondering what happened to his glorious plan to rid the world of Voldemort
Reccer's Notes: One small change -- Harry acquires some books about the Wizarding world, so he has some idea of what he's getting into when he gets to Hogwarts. Being sorted into a different house changes alliances, and the changes ripple outward. Harry doesn't have all the adventures that occur in canon -- he has sense enough to seek help from his Head of House for some problems, and simply avoid others -- which sounds like it might be a dull story. But I found it thoroughly engaging as Harry navigates his new world, and the stage is set for more changes going forward, and hopefully dealing with Voldemort without a pitched battle that affects so many of Hogwarts' students. Fortunately, LitGal is already writing the sequel; I'm looking forward to her finishing it so that I can settle in to another long, engaging read.
Characters: Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Dumbledore, Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy, Hagrid, Blaise Zabini, others.
Relationships: Harry & Slytherin mostly-friendship
Themes: AU - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Fix-It
Content Notes: Prejudice Against Slytherins, Morally Grey Harry Potter
Warnings: None
Status: Complete
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