lyorn | Reading

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/28/now-this-is-a-party

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:

This is what we call a sea otter party! 🦦 🥳

All four otters change their social groups multiple times a day, and on this day all four got to come together for an enrichment party!

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/28/now-this-is-a-party

trobadora

Where has the month gone?! All right, a lot of it has gone into writing, but that surely can't be all ... *looks around, waves at everyone* Hi! I'm still here. *g*

Anyway! I wrote longer stories for

fffx and

highadrenalineexchange, both of which revealed this month, and

fffx has already had author reveals. So now that I'm actually posting, of course this is the first thing to post about!

It took me a while to actually settle on what I wanted to write for this exchange. I had another idea that I hope to tackle some day, but I think I picked the right thing in the end! It came together pretty well once I actually decided.

It's Guardian again, canon divergence during the early episodes - set right after the face-stealer case (episode 4) and before the water kidnapping/Butler Wu case (episode 5). Zhao Yunlan gets to interact more closely with the Black-Cloaked Envoy, rather than Professor Shen, and gains some insights. There is coughing up blood and wound-tending and tea and conversation, and all of it takes place in a very constrained space, because I trapped them together. *g*

If you want, there's even a visual reference for the space they're stuck in, because my beta noted that things weren't completely clear, so I made myself a reference for editing purposes. Have a floor plan!

(And many thanks to

china_shop for beta-reading, as usual! ♥)

**

Title: Close the Distance, Lock Us In
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Yunlan & Black-Cloaked Envoy
Characters: Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, mini-cameos by SID members
Content tags: Episode Related, Post-Episode 4, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Zhao Yunlan & the Black-Cloaked Envoy, Protective Shen Wei, Hurt Shen Wei, Protective Zhao Yunlan, Trapped Together, Black and White Energy, a bit of Hurt/Comfort, Identity Porn

Summary:

The Black-Cloaked Envoy slammed down into the nondescript little flat like a thunderbolt from the heavens, not a moment too soon.

Zhao Yunlan and the Black-Cloaked Envoy, trapped together early on: how much of a difference can it really make? Turns out, a surprising amount.

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/27/everyone-needs-a-nap-sometimes

Photo by Courtney Edwards, via Elakha Alliance

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/27/everyone-needs-a-nap-sometimes

dinogrrl posting in

little_details

I'm (still) writing a fantasy story set in early 18th century Venice, and there's several scenes of the main character and her family attending Mass or otherwise being inside their church. It's not a big cathedral, more like a well-attended neighborhood church.

My question is probably very stupid but where the heck do the men put their hats while attending Mass or whatever else they're in there for? Do they just like, put their hats beside themselves on their seats? Or just hold onto them on their laps or some other way? Or would your average 18th century Catholic church have a sort of coat room or somesuch? My google-fu is failing in finding a church layout from that time period or text explanation, though I did find a good article about priests wearing wigs...

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/26/that-moment-when-across-the-water-your-eyes-meet

Via eebAMDG

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/26/that-moment-when-across-the-water-your-eyes-meet

carodee posting in

little_details

Sadly, my experience with libraries at that time was just wandering the stacks and taking out interesting books. I vaguely remember using a microfiche once, for example, and all I remember is you have to turn the knob the opposite direction of what you're viewing. Research is a foreign land to me.

The googling I've done tells me that this year was smack dab in the middle of converting to computer use from old style card catalogues, etc. but no information on how a person goes about doing research. I would love to have a helpful librarian character too.

This is for an exchange fic so I'm putting the rest under a cut. Please don't click if you requested a canon set in the 80s in a current exchange. Thank you. ( Read more... )

Any help in how this would work or a website that has this research finding information would be very appreciated.

Edited to Add: Thanks for the suggestions so far but I actually need to have my character do some research beyond phone books for the story to work. What I'm getting is libraries might still? be using card catalogues rather than early computers but how would magazines and trade journals be listed in the card catalogue so that a specific company could be researched? Thank you for any suggestions. They do spark my imagination for adding to the scene.

ETA2: Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I have what I need now. This community is a great resource.

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/25/otters-wistful-album-cover

Via David Ellis

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/25/otters-wistful-album-cover

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/24/join-these-sea-otter-pups-for-playtime

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:

Spend over 2 minutes with the sea otter pups at the Alaska SeaLife Center during one of their their playtime enrichment sessions!

Sea otter pups Un’a, Nipi, Cali, and Imaq were all admitted to the ASLC wildlife rescue program in the summer of 2025 after being found orphaned in Alaska. Without the care of the ASLC animal care and veterinary teams, these orphans likely would not have made it in the wild.

They are now healthy and thriving, and preparing for their next chapter at a permanent home. We look forward to sharing where they are headed in the coming months.

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/24/join-these-sea-otter-pups-for-playtime

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/23/perfect-camouflage-little-otter

Via uso_otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/23/perfect-camouflage-little-otter

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Happy Wednesday!

I'm taking search offline sometime today to upgrade the server to a new instance type. It should be down for a day or so -- sorry for the inconvenience. If you're curious, the existing search machine is over 10 years old and was starting to accumulate a decade of cruft...!

Also, apparently these older machines cost more than twice what the newer ones cost, on top of being slower. Trying to save a bit of maintenance and cost, and hopefully a Wednesday is okay!

Edited: The other cool thing is that this also means that the search index will be effectively realtime afterwards... no more waiting a few minutes for the indexer to catch new content.

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/22/youre-awfully-cute-little-pup-but-youre-kinda-scary-too

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:

On average, humans have a bite force of about 120–162 pounds per square inch (PSI). Northern sea otters, on the other hand, have a bite force capable of reaching 615 PSI.

That high bite force allows sea otters to eat otherwise hard-to-crack marine invertebrates like mussels, crabs, and more. What can we say, their strength is jaw-dropping!

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/22/youre-awfully-cute-little-pup-but-youre-kinda-scary-too

siderea

(h/t

conuly)

This longform article is framed as being a "ha ha isn't it wacky NASA hired a lingerie company for the Apollo missions". Ignore that. It turns out to be about an organizational culture clash around documentation and specification requirements that will speak to all the therapists and software developers in the room. Also of interest to fans of the US space program, the history of women in NASA and in tech, and clothing construction.

2023 April 14: Nautilus: "The Bra-and-Girdle Maker That Fashioned the Impossible for NASA" by Nicholas de Monchaux, Head of Architecture, MIT. Adapted from his book, Spacesuit. Recommended.

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/21/otters-take-a-post-swim-lazy-nap

Via Pete Walkden, who writes, “A family, chilling out on rocks beside a loch, after hunting together for a while.”

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/21/otters-take-a-post-swim-lazy-nap

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/20/cheeese

Via Alaska SeaLife Center

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/20/cheeese

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/19/who-could-say-no-to-this-face

Via Cheryl Dimof

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/19/who-could-say-no-to-this-face

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/18/otters-taking-his-toy-and-going-home

Via MTSOfan

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/18/otters-taking-his-toy-and-going-home

subversivegrrl posting in

little_details

So, my character gets shot running away and catches several pellets of birdshot in his calf. Post-apocalyse setting, he doesn't have a chance to tend to it right away - can anyone give me a rough estimate of how long it would take before he would develop an infection that could disable him? (Fever, altered mental state.)

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I may need to revamp my idea about what kind of injury is going to put him out of commission for several days (he will have access to someone who can remove the pellets and provide reasonable, situation-appropriate medical care.)

Current Mood: curious

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/17/the-bowl-holds-the-treat-the-bowl-breaks-the-treat

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:

Frozen clam in an otter safe bowl makes great enrichment for Cali the sea otter pup!

Sea otters are one of the few known animals to use tools, and Cali is showing a bit of those instincts off here. Watch as she works her way to getting the ice treat out of the bowl, then uses the bowl to try to break apart the ice.

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/17/the-bowl-holds-the-treat-the-bowl-breaks-the-treat

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/16/theres-nothing-like-a-nap-with-your-bestie

Via uso_otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/16/theres-nothing-like-a-nap-with-your-bestie

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/15/welcome-back-little-ones

Via Monterey Bay Aquarium, which writes:

We’re thrilled to introduce two—yes TWO!—resident otters joining our raft today:

🌬️🍃 Willow’s a tenacious otter who’s never bent to the wind. Though she’s a little shy, this resourceful and inquisitive otter embraces life’s changing tides without getting lost in the current.

🏔️🌊 Suri’s got a big name and a big personality to match! Named after the iconic Big Sur coastline, she’s a bold and confident otter who’s always eager to explore uncharted waters.

This is a full-circle homecoming for Suri and Willow, who were both rescued and rehabilitated here as orphaned pups in 2022. After many adventures together, today Suri and Willow return to us as both charming ambassadors for their species and stellar candidates for our Sea Otter Program. These otters may one day serve as surrogate mothers to orphaned pups by modeling the skills and behaviors they need for a second chance at life in the wild.

We’re deeply grateful to our fintastic conservation partners at Aquarium of the Pacific and Shedd Aquarium for helping us bring this whiskered and resilient duo home! 🫶

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/4/15/welcome-back-little-ones

The Lyorn's Den

Now THIS Is a Party

FIC: Close the Distance, Lock Us In (Guardian: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Teen]

Everyone Needs a Nap Sometimes

Catholic church question, early 1700s

That Moment When, Across the Water, Your Eyes Meet

1984 Library Research and Tech

Otter's Wistful Album Cover

Join These Sea Otter Pups for Playtime!

Perfect Camouflage, Little Otter

Search maintenance

You're Awfully Cute, Little Pup, But You're Kinda Scary, Too

The Artisans and the Engineers [hist, eng, text, anthro]

Otters Take a Post-Swim Lazy Nap

Cheeese!

Who Could Say No to This Face?

Otter's Taking His Toy and Going Home

Infection from birdshot?

The Bowl Holds the Treat, the Bowl Breaks the Treat

There's Nothing Like a Nap With Your Bestie

Welcome Back, Little Ones!

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January 2026

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