it's my birthday week!
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marcicatHeck yeah, birthday week! Today's birthday gift (to me, from me) will be trying to post my be a goldfish week three challenge fic!
(So far I have reached the stage of 'I don't want to look at this anymore,' so it's definitely getting close to finished!)
(So far I have reached the stage of 'I don't want to look at this anymore,' so it's definitely getting close to finished!)
Snowflake Challenge #6
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:51 amused_songsChallenge #6
Top 10 Challenge. The category(ies) you choose are up to you. You can give top 10 Fics you read last year, the top 10 songs to create to, the to 10 guest stars on your favorite show, top 10 characters in your favorite book series, top 10... well, you get the idea.
10 happy times
1. Quiet mornings before my wife gets up when I can read, write and update my DW with Ella nearby.
2. Hammock time with Ella.
3. Browsing in a bookstore.
4. Cooking for my parents and/or wife.
5. When I'm in the midst of a solid piece of writing that is flowing.
6. Puttering around outside looking at trees and rocks.
7. Listening to music, discovering new-to-me music, talking to people about music.
8. Sending and receiving snail mail, whether it's Postcrossing or mail to/from people I know.
9. Figuring things out, making something new, having to work out how to put something together.
10. When you see something or hear something and it sparks an idea.
Top 10 Challenge. The category(ies) you choose are up to you. You can give top 10 Fics you read last year, the top 10 songs to create to, the to 10 guest stars on your favorite show, top 10 characters in your favorite book series, top 10... well, you get the idea.
10 happy times
1. Quiet mornings before my wife gets up when I can read, write and update my DW with Ella nearby.
2. Hammock time with Ella.
3. Browsing in a bookstore.
4. Cooking for my parents and/or wife.
5. When I'm in the midst of a solid piece of writing that is flowing.
6. Puttering around outside looking at trees and rocks.
7. Listening to music, discovering new-to-me music, talking to people about music.
8. Sending and receiving snail mail, whether it's Postcrossing or mail to/from people I know.
9. Figuring things out, making something new, having to work out how to put something together.
10. When you see something or hear something and it sparks an idea.
Due South: Fanfiction: The Mysterious Affair of the Missing Socks
Jan. 19th, 2026 01:43 pmlucy_roman posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fan_flashworksTitle: The Mysterious Affair of the Missing Socks
Author:lucy_roman
Rating: Teen and up
Summary: Ray and Fraser are on holiday but Ray's socks are disappearing
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Word Count: 1,266
( Read here )
Author:
lucy_romanRating: Teen and up
Summary: Ray and Fraser are on holiday but Ray's socks are disappearing
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Word Count: 1,266
( Read here )
(no subject)
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:48 amskygiantsFor the first few chapters that I read, I was enjoying Ava Morgyn's The Bane Witch, as heroine Piers Corbin heroically Gone Girled herself out of an abusive marriage by faking a combo poisoning-drowning and flailed her injured way north to seek refuge with a mysterious aunt, accidentally leaving a fairly significant trail behind her. Satisfying! Suspenseful! I was looking forward to seeing how she was gonna get out of this one!
Then Piers did indeed get north to the aunt and tap into her Family Birthright of Magical Revenge Poisoning. As the actual plot geared up, the more I understood what type of good time I was being expected to have, and, alas, the more it did, the less of a good time I was having.
So the way the family magic works is that all of the Corbin women have the magical ability -- nay, compulsion! -- to eat poison ingredients and convert them internally into a toxin that they can -- nay, must! -- use to murder Bad Men. It's always Men. They're always Bad. They know the men are Bad because they are also granted magical visions explaining how Bad they are. They absolutely never kill women (there are only ever women born in this family; they have to give male babies away at birth in case they accidentally kill them with their poison, and I don't think Ava Morgyn has ever heard of a trans person) or the innocent!
...except of course that the whole family is actually threatening to kill Piers, to protect themselves, if she doesn't accept her powers and start heroically murdering Bad Men. But OTHER THAN THAT they absolutely never kill women, or the innocent, so please have no qualms on that account! Piers' aunt explains: "Yes, Piers. Whatever has happened to you, you must never forget that there are predators and there are prey. We hunt the former, not the latter."
By the way, both irredeemably Bad Men that form the focus of Badness in this book -- Piers' evil and abusive husband, and the local serial killer who is also incidentally on the loose -- are shown to have been abused in childhood by irredeemably Bad Women, but we're not getting into that. There are Predators and there are Prey!
The book wants to make sure we understand that it's very important, righteous and ethical for the Cobin family to keep doing what they're doing because everybody knows nobody believes abused women and therefore vigilante justice is the only form of justice available. There are two cops in the book, by the way. One of them is the nice and ethical local sheriff who is Piers' love interest, who is allowing her to help him hunt the local serial killer despite being suspicious that she may have poisoned several people. The other is the nice and ethical local cop investigating her supposed murder back home, who is desperate to prove she's alive because she saved his life and he's very grateful. He understands about abuse, because his name is Reyes and he's from the Big City and his mother and sister were both abused by Bad Men. The problem with these good and handsome cops is that they're actually not willing enough to murder people, which is where Piers comes in:
HANDSOME GOOD COP BOYFRIEND: You don't want to help me arrest him, do you? You want to kill him.
PIERS: Doesn't he deserve it?
HANDSOME GOOD COP BOYFRIEND: That's not for us to decide.
PIERS: Isn't it? This is our community. You're an authority in maintaining law and order, and I'm a victim of domestic and sexual violence. Surely, there is no one more qualified than us.
This book was a USA Today bestseller, which does not surprise me. It taps into exactly the part of the cultural hindbrain that loves true crime, and serial killers, and violence that you can feel good about, in an uncomplicated way, because it's being meted out to Unquestionably Bad People. Justice is when bad people suffer and die. We're not too worried about how they turned out to be bad people. There are predators, and there are prey.
Then Piers did indeed get north to the aunt and tap into her Family Birthright of Magical Revenge Poisoning. As the actual plot geared up, the more I understood what type of good time I was being expected to have, and, alas, the more it did, the less of a good time I was having.
So the way the family magic works is that all of the Corbin women have the magical ability -- nay, compulsion! -- to eat poison ingredients and convert them internally into a toxin that they can -- nay, must! -- use to murder Bad Men. It's always Men. They're always Bad. They know the men are Bad because they are also granted magical visions explaining how Bad they are. They absolutely never kill women (there are only ever women born in this family; they have to give male babies away at birth in case they accidentally kill them with their poison, and I don't think Ava Morgyn has ever heard of a trans person) or the innocent!
...except of course that the whole family is actually threatening to kill Piers, to protect themselves, if she doesn't accept her powers and start heroically murdering Bad Men. But OTHER THAN THAT they absolutely never kill women, or the innocent, so please have no qualms on that account! Piers' aunt explains: "Yes, Piers. Whatever has happened to you, you must never forget that there are predators and there are prey. We hunt the former, not the latter."
By the way, both irredeemably Bad Men that form the focus of Badness in this book -- Piers' evil and abusive husband, and the local serial killer who is also incidentally on the loose -- are shown to have been abused in childhood by irredeemably Bad Women, but we're not getting into that. There are Predators and there are Prey!
The book wants to make sure we understand that it's very important, righteous and ethical for the Cobin family to keep doing what they're doing because everybody knows nobody believes abused women and therefore vigilante justice is the only form of justice available. There are two cops in the book, by the way. One of them is the nice and ethical local sheriff who is Piers' love interest, who is allowing her to help him hunt the local serial killer despite being suspicious that she may have poisoned several people. The other is the nice and ethical local cop investigating her supposed murder back home, who is desperate to prove she's alive because she saved his life and he's very grateful. He understands about abuse, because his name is Reyes and he's from the Big City and his mother and sister were both abused by Bad Men. The problem with these good and handsome cops is that they're actually not willing enough to murder people, which is where Piers comes in:
HANDSOME GOOD COP BOYFRIEND: You don't want to help me arrest him, do you? You want to kill him.
PIERS: Doesn't he deserve it?
HANDSOME GOOD COP BOYFRIEND: That's not for us to decide.
PIERS: Isn't it? This is our community. You're an authority in maintaining law and order, and I'm a victim of domestic and sexual violence. Surely, there is no one more qualified than us.
This book was a USA Today bestseller, which does not surprise me. It taps into exactly the part of the cultural hindbrain that loves true crime, and serial killers, and violence that you can feel good about, in an uncomplicated way, because it's being meted out to Unquestionably Bad People. Justice is when bad people suffer and die. We're not too worried about how they turned out to be bad people. There are predators, and there are prey.
Snowflake Challenge #7
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:44 amused_songsChallenge #7
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
I like my ability to be all in and focused in a conversation with a student, especially when it comes to their writing.
I like how I can chain together random things and make something beautiful.
I like my purple glasses.
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
I like my ability to be all in and focused in a conversation with a student, especially when it comes to their writing.
I like how I can chain together random things and make something beautiful.
I like my purple glasses.
Snowflake Challenge #8
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:22 amused_songsChallenge #8
Talk about your creative process.
I keep copious notes on my phone and in commonplace books of raw material for writing. I collect stories from people, interesting words, bits of poetry, images, etc. When I have an idea for something, I page randomly through all of that and see what if anything sticks. Then I do an enormous amount of research (my favorite part of the process) and start a google doc with research notes and chunks of writing. Sometimes I do a sketch to help visualize the motion of the plot. When I wrote a crossover that involved House of Leaves, I sketched the house I was using as my setting so I could keep the physical space in front of me.
Then I write from both ends and the middle in pieces that are gradually stitched together. I'm not great at plots; I let the imagery and characters do the heavy lifting.
Once I have a draft, I rewrite it obsessively until I'm happy with it.
( pics )
I also generally carry sticky notes and have a lot of things jotted on those. I've been keeping commonplace books since middle school (they were spirals back then), so I have a lot of material. Honestly, I never have used most of it directly in my writing, but I feel like the ideas I have tried out in those pages are like training for when I do write a completed pieces. And sometimes I just enjoy writing short pieces that no one else will ever see, just for me.
Talk about your creative process.
I keep copious notes on my phone and in commonplace books of raw material for writing. I collect stories from people, interesting words, bits of poetry, images, etc. When I have an idea for something, I page randomly through all of that and see what if anything sticks. Then I do an enormous amount of research (my favorite part of the process) and start a google doc with research notes and chunks of writing. Sometimes I do a sketch to help visualize the motion of the plot. When I wrote a crossover that involved House of Leaves, I sketched the house I was using as my setting so I could keep the physical space in front of me.
Then I write from both ends and the middle in pieces that are gradually stitched together. I'm not great at plots; I let the imagery and characters do the heavy lifting.
Once I have a draft, I rewrite it obsessively until I'm happy with it.
( pics )
I also generally carry sticky notes and have a lot of things jotted on those. I've been keeping commonplace books since middle school (they were spirals back then), so I have a lot of material. Honestly, I never have used most of it directly in my writing, but I feel like the ideas I have tried out in those pages are like training for when I do write a completed pieces. And sometimes I just enjoy writing short pieces that no one else will ever see, just for me.
The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Jan 18)
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:24 amspikedluvI did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a walk with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, changed kitty litter (you know it’s Sunday!), and showered.
I went with another one of my own teas today, The Republic of Tea’s Blackberry Sage (Fruity black tea blended with herbs, which tells you nothing, really. Which is funny, because the ingredients just list black tea, natural blackberry and sage. o_O)
I took a nap, and watched two eps of Wild Cards and some Zoo Tampa. My one dismay is that I didn't get any more writing done.
Temps started out at 25.5(F) and reached 31.1. We had the overnight snow plus more snow today. Pip was busy shoveling and snow blowing.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded good on the phone. She said she’d eaten and it had settled fine. My brother visited earlier and Sister A was there when I called.
I went with another one of my own teas today, The Republic of Tea’s Blackberry Sage (Fruity black tea blended with herbs, which tells you nothing, really. Which is funny, because the ingredients just list black tea, natural blackberry and sage. o_O)
I took a nap, and watched two eps of Wild Cards and some Zoo Tampa. My one dismay is that I didn't get any more writing done.
Temps started out at 25.5(F) and reached 31.1. We had the overnight snow plus more snow today. Pip was busy shoveling and snow blowing.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded good on the phone. She said she’d eaten and it had settled fine. My brother visited earlier and Sister A was there when I called.
Shows: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ep 1, The Pitt eps 1&2, Landman s2
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:54 pmmificA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - a GoT prequel set some considerable time before GoT, and has a 9.2 rating on IMDB so far (which mostly seems based on fans having loved the book and feeling the show hasn't fucked it up so far in ep 1). Anyway, it was mostly fine, but nothing spectacular. Sir Dunc is a hedge knight's squire who's trying to pass himself off as a knight at a tournament. He's dirt poor so it's all very homespun and common folky so far. Presumably the show's world will get more complex and interesting as we go on.
My main gripe was the shitting scene, to which my reaction was you've gotta be shitting me! Dunc has a projectile shit from a standing position (slightly bent forward), like one of his horses but with way more rearward velocity. Was it supposed to be "gritty reality"? Because no one shits standing up like that ffs, and if they did it'd for sure go all over their legs. Presumably there's nothing wrong with his legs so why the fuck not squat like a normal, limber young person? Stupid nonsense, which I can only assume was supposed to be humorous. I was not amused.
The Pitt - I'm not liking it quite as much as season 1 so far but that's probably me finding anything not HR a bit lacklustre. Very happy Dana the charge nurse is back and in fighting form, and am enjoying all the usual suspects. One major plot point is that Dr Robbie's about to go on sabbatical and is being replaced by a new female consultant with whom there's a lot of friction as they do things very differently. She's a fan of generative AI for note-writing, for example. I can see they wanted the drama of the clash, but did they have to make her uptight, rulebound, female and with a Muslim name? Sigh. I really hope the drama's not going to play out in as stereotypical a way as it's currently threatening to, but the writing was good last time, so they get the benefit of the doubt.
Landman season 2 is on Prime, and is excellent as always. Superb writing, great acting and characters. It's about a Texas oil industry guy who is 2IC to the company CEO, and who does all the hands-on practical management and troubleshooting, including dealing with the local drug runners, wells blowing, and workers getting injured etc. His wife and daughter at first glance seem complete rich dumb blonde stereotypes, but underneath that facade both are interesting and funny, and cunning in the ways of their people (mostly at manipulating men). I enjoy it.
My main gripe was the shitting scene, to which my reaction was you've gotta be shitting me! Dunc has a projectile shit from a standing position (slightly bent forward), like one of his horses but with way more rearward velocity. Was it supposed to be "gritty reality"? Because no one shits standing up like that ffs, and if they did it'd for sure go all over their legs. Presumably there's nothing wrong with his legs so why the fuck not squat like a normal, limber young person? Stupid nonsense, which I can only assume was supposed to be humorous. I was not amused.
The Pitt - I'm not liking it quite as much as season 1 so far but that's probably me finding anything not HR a bit lacklustre. Very happy Dana the charge nurse is back and in fighting form, and am enjoying all the usual suspects. One major plot point is that Dr Robbie's about to go on sabbatical and is being replaced by a new female consultant with whom there's a lot of friction as they do things very differently. She's a fan of generative AI for note-writing, for example. I can see they wanted the drama of the clash, but did they have to make her uptight, rulebound, female and with a Muslim name? Sigh. I really hope the drama's not going to play out in as stereotypical a way as it's currently threatening to, but the writing was good last time, so they get the benefit of the doubt.
Landman season 2 is on Prime, and is excellent as always. Superb writing, great acting and characters. It's about a Texas oil industry guy who is 2IC to the company CEO, and who does all the hands-on practical management and troubleshooting, including dealing with the local drug runners, wells blowing, and workers getting injured etc. His wife and daughter at first glance seem complete rich dumb blonde stereotypes, but underneath that facade both are interesting and funny, and cunning in the ways of their people (mostly at manipulating men). I enjoy it.
Arisia day 3
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:23 amsilver_chipmunkUp at 9 for breakfast with mashfanficchick .
Panes again, then I went to the Art show briefly.
Hung out with the Kid and some of her friends for a short while.
Dinner withmashfanficchick and Larry.
Called Middle Brother, he's fine.
Karaoke from 11 to after 2.
Bed now.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Arisia.
3. Middle Brother is well.
4. The Kid.
5.mashfanficchick
6. Bed soon.
mashfanficchick . Panes again, then I went to the Art show briefly.
Hung out with the Kid and some of her friends for a short while.
Dinner with
mashfanficchick and Larry.Called Middle Brother, he's fine.
Karaoke from 11 to after 2.
Bed now.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Arisia.
3. Middle Brother is well.
4. The Kid.
5.
mashfanficchick6. Bed soon.
Torchwood: Fanfic: Bruised ego
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:21 pmm_findlow posting in fan_flashworksTitle: Bruised ego
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,029 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 503 - Sock
Summary: Jack has well and truly earned the knuckle sandwich to his face.
( Read more... )
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,029 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 503 - Sock
Summary: Jack has well and truly earned the knuckle sandwich to his face.
( Read more... )
3 Sentence Ficathon, part two
Jan. 19th, 2026 12:05 amsholioSee Part One here.
4. Babylon 5, G'Kar & Londo, post-canon, spoilers
any, the minimum amount of communication needed for a fix-it AU
Originally posted here
( Slightly more than 3 sentences of overthinking )
5. Babylon 5, early season one
any, low-effort illustration of something important
Originally posted here
( More than 3 sentences of ambassadorial bickering )
6. Murderbot, MB + Gurathin
any, "I adore floating." (Peggy Guggenheim)
Originally posted here
( 3 sentences for a change! )
7. Murderbot bookverse, MB + Mensah + Mensah's family
any, snowstorm
Originally posted here
( 350 words of fluff )
8. Murderbot, TV or bookverse, Bharadwaj
any, fossil footprints
Originally posted here
( A lil Bharadwaj character study )
4. Babylon 5, G'Kar & Londo, post-canon, spoilers
any, the minimum amount of communication needed for a fix-it AU
Originally posted here
( Slightly more than 3 sentences of overthinking )
5. Babylon 5, early season one
any, low-effort illustration of something important
Originally posted here
( More than 3 sentences of ambassadorial bickering )
6. Murderbot, MB + Gurathin
any, "I adore floating." (Peggy Guggenheim)
Originally posted here
( 3 sentences for a change! )
7. Murderbot bookverse, MB + Mensah + Mensah's family
any, snowstorm
Originally posted here
( 350 words of fluff )
8. Murderbot, TV or bookverse, Bharadwaj
any, fossil footprints
Originally posted here
( A lil Bharadwaj character study )
Romancing SGA fest 2026
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:48 pmmific posting in sga_saturday
ROMANCING SGA
~ the companion festival to Romancing McShep and Romancing SG1 which is hosted on Stargatefests ~
Stories, art, graphics, icons, podfic, vids, rec lists, picspams, macaroni sculptures - any media welcome.
Posting is from February 14 - 28
Hosted by sga_saturday and here's the collection on AO3 (SGA_Saturday_Romance_2026) - just post your headers and a link to your work to sga_saturday or post to the AO3 collection, and we'll be able to locate your work to make a masterlist after the end of Feb. Just post away, no sign-up needed. The tag for posts to this comm is romancing sga fest 2026.
What types of works are suitable?
Works featuring any SGA pairing (except happy McShep - post that in Romancing McShep), threesome or moresome, including aro relationships, genfic, whump, and relationships with OCs and crossover pairings with other fandoms.
Happiness not required!
This festival includes works with dark or unhappy relationships, and McShep relationships with unhappy endings. Also, no Valentine's day theme is needed - any trope or theme is fine.
No work's too small!
There's no size requirement - doodles and drabbles are great as well!
~~~
Any questions, drop a comment here or message me on DW.
Pimp the fest! - copy-paste the html below to insert the banner with a link to this page
Week 2/52 and 3/52 roundup!
Jan. 19th, 2026 05:58 amruricHaving said I'd try to be more consistent about the weekly check-ins I completely flaked on week 2!
HOME: progressing with the declutter and sorting out of 'stuff'. I'm #orjenise100-ing again but am about a week behind. However things are getting moved around, piled up, recycled, donated or dumped. My bedroom is looking slightly better and I aim to finish by the end of the month.
HEALTH: I spent far too much time closely following the news/being on social media at the end of week 2 and had to take some mental health time last week. There was a lot of sleeping involved and diving into rewatching comfort viewing when not napping.
LIFE ADMIN: I have ticked off a few thing - subscriptions reviewed and renewed/cancelled, the car got its MOT and they also valeted the inside and washed the outside! Money has been shuffled around, paid off a chunk of my 0% credit cards, set up some more savings. So yes - things have been ticked off that list!
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: email is still hovering around 11,000; have uploaded more things from tablet to dropbox, deleted a few apps and loads of images from my phone, then took a load more screen shots!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: nope - too cold and/or wet.
COOKING/EATING: batch cooked for week 2, snacked my way through last week. Having gone on the 'must hibernate or melt down' spiral last week and sleeping/napping a lot I only really needed one meal a day.
READING/LISTENING: now reading Lessons in Desire, book 2 of the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries by Charlie Cochrane. Edwardian murder mysteries. She's describes her books as "mysteries with a dash of slash". They're the kind of suitably lightweight thing I need right now. Also pick up Audible again and finished The Hanging Tree (Book 6 of Rivers of London), A Rare Book Of Cunning Device (Book 6.5 of Rivers of London) and am now on Lies Sleeping (Book 7 of Rivers of London). I've downloaded the free Storygraph app to track reading and am also going to try and remember to update Goodreads.
WATCHING: Still not caught up on Stranger Things and have only managed one episode of Heated Rivalry. One advantage of the end of Stranger Things is the sheer volume of delightful interview clips of Jamie Campbell Bower that appeared all over my IG and the algo is still delivering. I've enjoyed watching those and may have also done a sneaky rewatch of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones because there is no downside to JCB Jace Waylanding it over my screen. In terms of comfort viewing I inhaled Stargate SG1 Seasons 1-3 which were pretty much playing consistently last week as I napped my way through the days. My comfort viewing is always going to be the Stargate series, Buffy and Angel, Higlander and Hercules plus Krycek eps of X-files. My usual raft of TV shows are coming back and I'm happy that Sanctuary - A Witch's Tale and The Hunting Party got second seasons.
CREATING/LEARNING: two weeks of crochet club under my belt and I've finished the blanket I started in mid December. I now need to block the original granny square and Halloween blankets and stitch them together. Then I can start on the utterly mad boho blanket. I've signed up for a 3 week hexi-cardigan class (first session this coming Saturday and then 2 more later in Feb) and our teacher is also running a 1 day bag session on Sunday 1st Feb and an 5 week make a spring wreath session on Weds evenings starting 4 Feb. So its going to be a busy andcrafty start to the year.
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: first meeting went well - only 1 task to do from it.
SOCIALISING: nope. I was back at work week 2 and then a proper hermit last week.
WORK: enjoyed being back in the office from 5th onwards then was out last week.
Plan for this coming week - work from home Monday, Wednesday and Friday, two long office days Tuesday and Thursday.
HOME: progressing with the declutter and sorting out of 'stuff'. I'm #orjenise100-ing again but am about a week behind. However things are getting moved around, piled up, recycled, donated or dumped. My bedroom is looking slightly better and I aim to finish by the end of the month.
HEALTH: I spent far too much time closely following the news/being on social media at the end of week 2 and had to take some mental health time last week. There was a lot of sleeping involved and diving into rewatching comfort viewing when not napping.
LIFE ADMIN: I have ticked off a few thing - subscriptions reviewed and renewed/cancelled, the car got its MOT and they also valeted the inside and washed the outside! Money has been shuffled around, paid off a chunk of my 0% credit cards, set up some more savings. So yes - things have been ticked off that list!
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: email is still hovering around 11,000; have uploaded more things from tablet to dropbox, deleted a few apps and loads of images from my phone, then took a load more screen shots!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: nope - too cold and/or wet.
COOKING/EATING: batch cooked for week 2, snacked my way through last week. Having gone on the 'must hibernate or melt down' spiral last week and sleeping/napping a lot I only really needed one meal a day.
READING/LISTENING: now reading Lessons in Desire, book 2 of the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries by Charlie Cochrane. Edwardian murder mysteries. She's describes her books as "mysteries with a dash of slash". They're the kind of suitably lightweight thing I need right now. Also pick up Audible again and finished The Hanging Tree (Book 6 of Rivers of London), A Rare Book Of Cunning Device (Book 6.5 of Rivers of London) and am now on Lies Sleeping (Book 7 of Rivers of London). I've downloaded the free Storygraph app to track reading and am also going to try and remember to update Goodreads.
WATCHING: Still not caught up on Stranger Things and have only managed one episode of Heated Rivalry. One advantage of the end of Stranger Things is the sheer volume of delightful interview clips of Jamie Campbell Bower that appeared all over my IG and the algo is still delivering. I've enjoyed watching those and may have also done a sneaky rewatch of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones because there is no downside to JCB Jace Waylanding it over my screen. In terms of comfort viewing I inhaled Stargate SG1 Seasons 1-3 which were pretty much playing consistently last week as I napped my way through the days. My comfort viewing is always going to be the Stargate series, Buffy and Angel, Higlander and Hercules plus Krycek eps of X-files. My usual raft of TV shows are coming back and I'm happy that Sanctuary - A Witch's Tale and The Hunting Party got second seasons.
CREATING/LEARNING: two weeks of crochet club under my belt and I've finished the blanket I started in mid December. I now need to block the original granny square and Halloween blankets and stitch them together. Then I can start on the utterly mad boho blanket. I've signed up for a 3 week hexi-cardigan class (first session this coming Saturday and then 2 more later in Feb) and our teacher is also running a 1 day bag session on Sunday 1st Feb and an 5 week make a spring wreath session on Weds evenings starting 4 Feb. So its going to be a busy andcrafty start to the year.
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: first meeting went well - only 1 task to do from it.
SOCIALISING: nope. I was back at work week 2 and then a proper hermit last week.
WORK: enjoyed being back in the office from 5th onwards then was out last week.
Plan for this coming week - work from home Monday, Wednesday and Friday, two long office days Tuesday and Thursday.
That's where it is - Star Wars story, soulmate AU continued
Jan. 19th, 2026 12:20 ampetraThat's where it is (600 words) by Petra
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala
Additional Tags: Drabble and a Half, Drabble Sequence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates
Series: Part 2 of The Shoop Shoop Soulmate Song
Summary:
*
People read and reviewed, so I wrote more.
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala
Additional Tags: Drabble and a Half, Drabble Sequence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates
Series: Part 2 of The Shoop Shoop Soulmate Song
Summary:
A variety of ways in which Anakin meets his soulmate.
*
People read and reviewed, so I wrote more.
Writerly Ways
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:06 pmcornerofmadnessLet's talk about main characters for a moment. Your MC cannot be entirely passive. If they have a goal (as they should) then they have to do something to work toward it. They cannot sit and wait for their friends/mentors/family propel them forward to do it.
When I was young I didn't like Frodo. I liked LotR a ton (to the point 13 year old me planned to name her firstborn Aragon) But I never liked Frodo. At 12-13 I didn't really know why. When I watched the movies I realized it was because Frodo never does a damn thing. If not for Samwise and the rest, he'd have died within 48 hours and Sauron would have won.
Today I stumbled over this YT short and realized they had put their finger directly on my issue with Hazbin Hotel S2. As much as I enjoyed it, I did not enjoy the Morningstars who are, arguably, the MCs. Charlie, if you don't want to click the short, basically does nothing. She has her goals of redeeming sinners, proving Sir pentious was redeemed and protecting her friends.
For the most part, she doesn't act. She spends most of the more important moments, the time, she was the MC (and the leader) needed to act, having panic attacks instead or acting on impulse that does nothing. She relies on Husk to do therapy as well as bartending. She relies on Vaggi to run the entire hotel basically alone. She never corners Alastor to get him to do stuff. She never asks a thing from Angel (reinforcing the idea that she sees him as useless) until she bullies him into doing something he didn't want. When everyone is about to die in the finale, Emily has to step in twice when it's obvious Charlie isn't.
A lot of fans felt let down. I know I felt let down and I'm not a giant Charlie fan. I liked her (less this year) but even if she wasn't my favorite character, I needed her to do something as a MC (other than flail around foolishly). By contrast, Buffy was actually not my favorite character but she acts. She makes mistakes too but at least she acts.
If everyone had to depend on Charlie or Frodo alone, probably everyone dies. I'm not saying your MC can't have help. Of course they can. We need the secondary characters to do things too but if they're doing the heavy lifting and your MC is sitting back waiting for them to do so, then maybe you have the wrong MC or you need to find how to give them some agency.
Open Calls
Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores February 2026 Window
Electric Spec May Issue 2026 Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we’re willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres
Slush #1 Original fiction, no set genres
78 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (January 2026)
106 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Publishers (2026 Update)
From Around the Web
Finding the Heart of a Protagonist: Body, Mind, and Soul
How to Describe Layout & Position
How Do You Know When There’s a Dead Body in the Room This is actually about using senses other than sight/hearing
Identifying Your Book’s Target Audiences: Your Marketing Plan Foundation
From Betty
Seven Ways to Motivate a Reluctant Protagonist
Water Travel Before Engines
Should You Show or Tell?
Five Ways to Make a Selfish Character Likable
Five Tips for Portraying Your Characters as Intended
Ways to Make The Pitch, A Writer’s Selling Point
What Type of Writer Are You
How to Take a Story from “Good” to Great
People-Pleasing Writers: The Surprising Connection that Slows You Down
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Creative Expression
How often to follow up with a literary agent
YouTube for Writers, Part 5: How to Repurpose Content Into Reels and Shorts
How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better Writing
Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters for Writers
Story Stakes: When to Reveal Them—and Why Timing Is Everything
What Else?
Hope is the Thing With Thorns: A New Year’s Reflection
When I was young I didn't like Frodo. I liked LotR a ton (to the point 13 year old me planned to name her firstborn Aragon) But I never liked Frodo. At 12-13 I didn't really know why. When I watched the movies I realized it was because Frodo never does a damn thing. If not for Samwise and the rest, he'd have died within 48 hours and Sauron would have won.
Today I stumbled over this YT short and realized they had put their finger directly on my issue with Hazbin Hotel S2. As much as I enjoyed it, I did not enjoy the Morningstars who are, arguably, the MCs. Charlie, if you don't want to click the short, basically does nothing. She has her goals of redeeming sinners, proving Sir pentious was redeemed and protecting her friends.
For the most part, she doesn't act. She spends most of the more important moments, the time, she was the MC (and the leader) needed to act, having panic attacks instead or acting on impulse that does nothing. She relies on Husk to do therapy as well as bartending. She relies on Vaggi to run the entire hotel basically alone. She never corners Alastor to get him to do stuff. She never asks a thing from Angel (reinforcing the idea that she sees him as useless) until she bullies him into doing something he didn't want. When everyone is about to die in the finale, Emily has to step in twice when it's obvious Charlie isn't.
A lot of fans felt let down. I know I felt let down and I'm not a giant Charlie fan. I liked her (less this year) but even if she wasn't my favorite character, I needed her to do something as a MC (other than flail around foolishly). By contrast, Buffy was actually not my favorite character but she acts. She makes mistakes too but at least she acts.
If everyone had to depend on Charlie or Frodo alone, probably everyone dies. I'm not saying your MC can't have help. Of course they can. We need the secondary characters to do things too but if they're doing the heavy lifting and your MC is sitting back waiting for them to do so, then maybe you have the wrong MC or you need to find how to give them some agency.
Open Calls
Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores February 2026 Window
Electric Spec May Issue 2026 Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we’re willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres
Slush #1 Original fiction, no set genres
78 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (January 2026)
106 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Publishers (2026 Update)
From Around the Web
Finding the Heart of a Protagonist: Body, Mind, and Soul
How to Describe Layout & Position
How Do You Know When There’s a Dead Body in the Room This is actually about using senses other than sight/hearing
Identifying Your Book’s Target Audiences: Your Marketing Plan Foundation
From Betty
Seven Ways to Motivate a Reluctant Protagonist
Water Travel Before Engines
Should You Show or Tell?
Five Ways to Make a Selfish Character Likable
Five Tips for Portraying Your Characters as Intended
Ways to Make The Pitch, A Writer’s Selling Point
What Type of Writer Are You
How to Take a Story from “Good” to Great
People-Pleasing Writers: The Surprising Connection that Slows You Down
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Creative Expression
How often to follow up with a literary agent
YouTube for Writers, Part 5: How to Repurpose Content Into Reels and Shorts
How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better Writing
Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters for Writers
Story Stakes: When to Reveal Them—and Why Timing Is Everything
What Else?
Hope is the Thing With Thorns: A New Year’s Reflection
walking holiday!
Jan. 18th, 2026 10:36 pmwaterswordI am planning to go on a walking holiday in Europe in late 2026! I am very excited.
I know a few of y'all have done these, and I would love to get your advice and recommendations. The things I am primarily thinking of include, in no particular order:
- organizing flights to and from the start point; I don't think the walking holiday company does this since I'm in the US -- I may have some complications and don't love the idea of sorting it out entirely on my own
- what to wear on the daily hike & what supplies to carry with me
but I would be very grateful for suggestions of things to consider that I have not thought of! I have wanted to do this for a long time but I have not ever done it.
(no subject)
Jan. 18th, 2026 06:06 pmranunculusPhoebe came over on Friday. We spent several hours pulling her tye-dye tubs off the shelves in the carport and going through them. They were all jumbled up. Phoebe sold tie-dye for a while and had lots of odds and ends that needed to be sorted. Ultimately she took three large tubs of stuff away. The rest of the stuff is pretty well organized and labeled. We were planning to do some dying that day, but decided to put it off to the morning.
Saturday morning I dumped old dye bottles and rinsed them out. Shirts, handkerchiefs and a couple of sweatshirts went into the soda bath. M picked out some colors and Phoebe and I began mixing powdered dye with water and urea. Before we could actually start applying dye Dave and Kim arrived. We had a nice, social lunch together which was just perfect.
Then we got back to dying. I got 2 shirts done for M before quitting. Donald got a long sleeved shirt tied up in a mandela pattern and dyed. Phoebe, who had more time, got four shirts and one sweatshirt done.
Today we washed out yesterday's shirts and I did 5 more. Hope we like them! Donald's shirt came out great. Pics tomorrow.
My obstacle day for next month is filling up already, which is very encouraging.
Saturday morning I dumped old dye bottles and rinsed them out. Shirts, handkerchiefs and a couple of sweatshirts went into the soda bath. M picked out some colors and Phoebe and I began mixing powdered dye with water and urea. Before we could actually start applying dye Dave and Kim arrived. We had a nice, social lunch together which was just perfect.
Then we got back to dying. I got 2 shirts done for M before quitting. Donald got a long sleeved shirt tied up in a mandela pattern and dyed. Phoebe, who had more time, got four shirts and one sweatshirt done.
Today we washed out yesterday's shirts and I did 5 more. Hope we like them! Donald's shirt came out great. Pics tomorrow.
My obstacle day for next month is filling up already, which is very encouraging.
On Lamplighters: Freewriting a Journal Entry
Jan. 18th, 2026 07:44 pmailelieSo, I am feeling a bit tired and not up for actual writing, but it was suggested that I could journal and so that is what I'm doing.
All right. So let's talk plotting.
I am required by contract to have at least 7 plots, one of which can be romance. These plots are, from my original LLG post:
The trick going forward is going to find ways to progress multiple plots at once. This is easier for the first six. They all, at the very least, intersect with the spine.
The person responsible for the worsening fog is the person who killed your parents.
Your parents were investigating that person, hence their deaths and the subsequent interest in the family newspaper, even decades later.
The event that tanked your guild's reputation was done by the same person as the fog and murder.
All this was done, by the way, to protect a Kyte and they all know it.
The accident that spurred the saboteur was in response to trying to fix the fog problem (not that the alchemists know that).
Of your romantic options, they're all tied to a plot.
Nothia and the guild's rep.
Ostric and your estranged siblings.
Kian and the saboteur (and origin of Shadows).
Frey and your parent's murders.
Luvia and the Kyte family succession.
Elian is the only one without a direct plot connection, but they're your friend. That is their connection. They're in your guild (rep plot), have a Kyte tie (Kyte plot), and have advised you re: your parents' deaths (murder) and siblings (family). So they weave in and out of all the plots.
Oh, also, a background tension: the guilds in the city are fighting a LOT. Due to their position as medic, Elian knows more about this than most of your ROs (Ostric knows a lot, too; Luvia some as well).
Something else...
When I was plotting this, I realized I couldn't do things like fail cycles/etc without harming reader agency. So, instead, plot-wise, I am following a cycle of Learn-Engage-Act. Right now, in chapters 1 and 2 (first ~50k), readers learn about every plot and RO.
In chapter 3, readers engage with the spine (murder) plot and their choice of 2 of the romantic options. I've peppered in some opportunities to engage with family as well.
Chapter 4 will be primarily an Engage chapter for the plots. The spine will carry, but then between spine beats, players will choose which other plot to follow.
...that does suggest ch 4 will be as long as (if not longer than) chapter 3. That's....disheartening. (Ch 3 = 122k currently).
Anyway. This is a long ramble. But! Let me know if you've any questions or curiosities? Anything to keep my brain on topic until I write again tomorrow morning.
All right. So let's talk plotting.
I am required by contract to have at least 7 plots, one of which can be romance. These plots are, from my original LLG post:
- Uncover the truth behind your parents' deaths.
- Discover the origin of the Shadows and stop them for good.
- Save your (estranged) family's paper --and parents' legacy-- from being taken over.
- Restore your guild's reputation in the city.
- Influence who takes over the powerful Kyte family.
- Solve the mystery of the alchemy saboteur.
- Fall in love.
The trick going forward is going to find ways to progress multiple plots at once. This is easier for the first six. They all, at the very least, intersect with the spine.
The person responsible for the worsening fog is the person who killed your parents.
Your parents were investigating that person, hence their deaths and the subsequent interest in the family newspaper, even decades later.
The event that tanked your guild's reputation was done by the same person as the fog and murder.
All this was done, by the way, to protect a Kyte and they all know it.
The accident that spurred the saboteur was in response to trying to fix the fog problem (not that the alchemists know that).
Of your romantic options, they're all tied to a plot.
Nothia and the guild's rep.
Ostric and your estranged siblings.
Kian and the saboteur (and origin of Shadows).
Frey and your parent's murders.
Luvia and the Kyte family succession.
Elian is the only one without a direct plot connection, but they're your friend. That is their connection. They're in your guild (rep plot), have a Kyte tie (Kyte plot), and have advised you re: your parents' deaths (murder) and siblings (family). So they weave in and out of all the plots.
Oh, also, a background tension: the guilds in the city are fighting a LOT. Due to their position as medic, Elian knows more about this than most of your ROs (Ostric knows a lot, too; Luvia some as well).
Something else...
When I was plotting this, I realized I couldn't do things like fail cycles/etc without harming reader agency. So, instead, plot-wise, I am following a cycle of Learn-Engage-Act. Right now, in chapters 1 and 2 (first ~50k), readers learn about every plot and RO.
In chapter 3, readers engage with the spine (murder) plot and their choice of 2 of the romantic options. I've peppered in some opportunities to engage with family as well.
Chapter 4 will be primarily an Engage chapter for the plots. The spine will carry, but then between spine beats, players will choose which other plot to follow.
...that does suggest ch 4 will be as long as (if not longer than) chapter 3. That's....disheartening. (Ch 3 = 122k currently).
Anyway. This is a long ramble. But! Let me know if you've any questions or curiosities? Anything to keep my brain on topic until I write again tomorrow morning.
A Real Rush [by Alethia, Jack/Robby]
Jan. 19th, 2026 01:22 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
siriareads_feedJack flashed a grin, but didn't let himself get distracted. "Fun message I got today. It seems that someone rode his midlife crisis to work while conspicuously not wearing a helmet."
Underneath his hand, Robby stilled, his heart beating faster than normal. "What?" he asked, but that was a stall, Robby playing for time to decide on his approach. Which was cute, really, but Jack knew all his tricks.
So he just nodded, mocking. "Yeah. See the thing is, when you do shit, I hear about it."
Underneath his hand, Robby stilled, his heart beating faster than normal. "What?" he asked, but that was a stall, Robby playing for time to decide on his approach. Which was cute, really, but Jack knew all his tricks.
So he just nodded, mocking. "Yeah. See the thing is, when you do shit, I hear about it."
(no subject)
Jan. 18th, 2026 05:13 pmolivermoss* And another horror game becomes a movie. Trailer for Mortuary Assistant just dropped. It's a fairly big deal horror game. I've wanted to watch a bit of gameplay, mostly to form an opinion on whether it's a Phas-like, but speed running it is a thing so it's hard to find streamers NOT doing that.
I could try playing it, but much like the original Phas, the game's demo is fucked and you need to learn how to play via outside info. Unless they finally fixed it.
The game is at least 50% a Phas-like.
* Sens fans saying they 'had no choice' but to sign Reimer really need to stop. ( Me rambling about goalies and the ECHL strike )
* Some people doing Serious Data Driven Analysis of the Kraken really pull shit like not taking into account how young the team is and how some of those zeros are from when the team literally didn't exist. ( more hockey )
I could try playing it, but much like the original Phas, the game's demo is fucked and you need to learn how to play via outside info. Unless they finally fixed it.
The game is at least 50% a Phas-like.
* Sens fans saying they 'had no choice' but to sign Reimer really need to stop. ( Me rambling about goalies and the ECHL strike )
* Some people doing Serious Data Driven Analysis of the Kraken really pull shit like not taking into account how young the team is and how some of those zeros are from when the team literally didn't exist. ( more hockey )
Links Lists: The Angry Political One
Jan. 18th, 2026 04:30 pmmuccamukkMostly posting these without commentary.
Uncategorised Stuff:
CCF: Anger is beautiful. Anger is generative. Anger is ancestral. By Chantelle Ohrling, a justifiably angry defender of Turtle Island.
dolorosa_12: Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure: suggestions for concrete actions.
Technology and Media Criticism: ( L.L.M. slop, gender-based violence, transphobia. )
Canadian News That's Pissing Me Off ( Various human rights violations. )
The United States Immigration Stuff: ( No images of violence, but cutting for folks already burned out. )
Uncategorised Stuff:
CCF: Anger is beautiful. Anger is generative. Anger is ancestral. By Chantelle Ohrling, a justifiably angry defender of Turtle Island.
dolorosa_12: Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure: suggestions for concrete actions.Technology and Media Criticism: ( L.L.M. slop, gender-based violence, transphobia. )
Canadian News That's Pissing Me Off ( Various human rights violations. )
The United States Immigration Stuff: ( No images of violence, but cutting for folks already burned out. )
Six Sentence Sunday: The Parent Trap remake, post-canon
Jan. 18th, 2026 05:40 pmlannamichaelsHad a moment last week where I was like "that Parent Trap post canon fic where the twins encounter Meredith in an airport is, like, basically done, I just need to smooth it all out, how long could this possibly take, 10 minutes" and then had the horrified realization that this fic is in my Started In 2023 folder. Truly, I have no intuitive understanding of time.
On the other hand, when doing a quick note to self on this to figure out the time period, I gave in and referred to the twins as Allie and honestly it just makes life so much easier.
Meredith is so much fun to write, she's got such a specific point of view.
"Oh, girls, girls, girls," Meredith chides them. "Let bygones be bygones! I don't hold a grudge. You made your point perfectly clear: you weren't going to allow your father to use me like that. I respect that in a preteen. You knew your minds and you were looking out for me, truly."
Also and here's a bit from my initial notes from the rewatch, which informs the whole thing:
but wow yeah annie's being such a jerk here, and meredith is rising to it and kind of liking it. I think she sees Annie as more of an intellectual equal than Nick is.
第五年第九天
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:34 amnnozomi posting in guardian_learning部首
心 parts 14-19
虑, to think over; 悉, to know; 悔, regret; 患, misfortune/to suffer; 您, you (formal); 悬, to hang/unresolved; 悲, sad; 情, feelings/conditions; 惊, to surprise; 惑, confusion; 惜, to pity; 惦, to remember; 惨, miserable; 惩, to punish; 惯, used to; 想, to think/to want/to miss; 惹, to provoke; 愁, to worry
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=61
语法
2.16 (part 2) Questions with A不A / A没A
2.17 "About to..." with 要/快要/快/就要...了
2.18 正在...呢, to be doing
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-2-grammar
词汇
潮, 潮湿, damp/humid; 潮流, trend; 高潮, climax
彻底, thorough
沉, to sink/deep/heavy; 沉默, silence; 沉重, heavy
称赞, praise
成人, adult; 构成, to constitute; 养成, to cultivate; 赞成, to agree
诚实, honest; 诚信, honesty
( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
玩玩
Two from Pei-Yu Hung: 她者 (with Lala Hsu) and 明室.
好累啊，果然是周一早晨。大家过得怎么样？好好保重身体呀。
心 parts 14-19
虑, to think over; 悉, to know; 悔, regret; 患, misfortune/to suffer; 您, you (formal); 悬, to hang/unresolved; 悲, sad; 情, feelings/conditions; 惊, to surprise; 惑, confusion; 惜, to pity; 惦, to remember; 惨, miserable; 惩, to punish; 惯, used to; 想, to think/to want/to miss; 惹, to provoke; 愁, to worry
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=61
语法
2.16 (part 2) Questions with A不A / A没A
2.17 "About to..." with 要/快要/快/就要...了
2.18 正在...呢, to be doing
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-2-grammar
词汇
潮, 潮湿, damp/humid; 潮流, trend; 高潮, climax
彻底, thorough
沉, to sink/deep/heavy; 沉默, silence; 沉重, heavy
称赞, praise
成人, adult; 构成, to constitute; 养成, to cultivate; 赞成, to agree
诚实, honest; 诚信, honesty
( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
玩玩
Two from Pei-Yu Hung: 她者 (with Lala Hsu) and 明室.
好累啊，果然是周一早晨。大家过得怎么样？好好保重身体呀。
1/18/2026 Inspiration Trail
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:40 ammrkinchI was atop the first rise before the sun came up so I got to see this:
Worth it.:) It wasn't as cold as I'd feared, but there weren't many birds. I managed thirty-one species but few sparrows and no Acorn Woodpeckers - not a bird I often miss there - and numbers of each were low. Except California Quail; I saw two coveys of 10 plus, one at each end of the trail. So cute. There were also at least two Hutton's Vireos countersinging near the dip, with very different songs. They seems monotonous to me, but they were really going at it. ( The list: )
I try never to startle California Quail foraging in the trail, but this morning they kind of did it to themselves. I'd seen them on the lower trail and left them alone, but while I was standing on the upper trail, concentrating on listening for the California Thrasher, I heard a flurry of wings and calls. Apparently they'd come up the slope under cover of the brush and popped out on the upper trail ten or fifteen feet away from me. Unfortunately I didn't hear them arrive and must have flushed them when I moved. Or something. I certainly didn't see them after that.
Worth it.:) It wasn't as cold as I'd feared, but there weren't many birds. I managed thirty-one species but few sparrows and no Acorn Woodpeckers - not a bird I often miss there - and numbers of each were low. Except California Quail; I saw two coveys of 10 plus, one at each end of the trail. So cute. There were also at least two Hutton's Vireos countersinging near the dip, with very different songs. They seems monotonous to me, but they were really going at it. ( The list: )
I try never to startle California Quail foraging in the trail, but this morning they kind of did it to themselves. I'd seen them on the lower trail and left them alone, but while I was standing on the upper trail, concentrating on listening for the California Thrasher, I heard a flurry of wings and calls. Apparently they'd come up the slope under cover of the brush and popped out on the upper trail ten or fifteen feet away from me. Unfortunately I didn't hear them arrive and must have flushed them when I moved. Or something. I certainly didn't see them after that.
Write Every day 2026: January, Day 18
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:20 pmtrobadoraRushed post again - time keeps getting away from me!
Today's writing
Not as much progress as I'd have liked ... see above re: time. *sighs*
Tally
( Days 1-15 )
Day 16:badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme
Day 17:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 18:trobadora
Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
Today's writing
Not as much progress as I'd have liked ... see above re: time. *sighs*
Tally
( Days 1-15 )
Day 16:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilmeDay 17:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 18:
trobadoraLet me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
3 Sentence Ficathon, part one
Jan. 18th, 2026 01:13 pmsholio1. MASH, Margaret
any, I'll be damned if I wash my hair in cold water.
Originally posted here
( 3 sentences of bickering )
2. Stranger Things, Robin/Vickie
any, and your friend steve
Originally posted here
( Actually it's 4 sentences )
3. Babylon 5, Londo & (or possibly /) G'Kar
any, get your dog on a leash
Originally posted here
( Went way over 3 sentences on this one )
any, I'll be damned if I wash my hair in cold water.
Originally posted here
( 3 sentences of bickering )
2. Stranger Things, Robin/Vickie
any, and your friend steve
Originally posted here
( Actually it's 4 sentences )
3. Babylon 5, Londo & (or possibly /) G'Kar
any, get your dog on a leash
Originally posted here
( Went way over 3 sentences on this one )
Creature feature
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:44 ammerrileemakesI have two creature features to share with you.
fandomtrees has gone live so I can share that I actually wrote something! I pinch hit for a tree that was looking a bit bare. I haven't written any fiction in over a decade but it's something I want to get into more (yeah, yet another hobby, where to find the time?).
The fic is Taking Flight, a short and almost canon free No Man's Sky adventure about exploring a new planet and making friends with the wildlife.
If that's not your (space) jam, here's a little video of some very hungry tadpoles.
fandomtrees has gone live so I can share that I actually wrote something! I pinch hit for a tree that was looking a bit bare. I haven't written any fiction in over a decade but it's something I want to get into more (yeah, yet another hobby, where to find the time?). The fic is Taking Flight, a short and almost canon free No Man's Sky adventure about exploring a new planet and making friends with the wildlife.
If that's not your (space) jam, here's a little video of some very hungry tadpoles.
(no subject)
Jan. 18th, 2026 01:29 pmolivermoss* That Hudson William's runway debut was in a look/collection that was specifically ski-wear inspired feels like a personal attack. It's also kinda funny that some people don't realize that, yes, that look and also the after-party looks were all very specifically ski-wear. There was even a visual reference to lift tickets that you can't really see in the official runway shots, but it's there. They did not dress him like a hockey player or anything else. It's not just the boots or lift tickets or vibes, it's how ski wear fits versus how other winter sportswear fits.
* Trying to avoid The Long Game spoilers is just going to get harder and harder, especially since a certain NHL team ... ( Read more... )
* Trying to avoid The Long Game spoilers is just going to get harder and harder, especially since a certain NHL team ... ( Read more... )
starandreaI started learning Chinese in the Arisia registration line seven years ago this weekend. I gave myself five years to figure out how hard it would be, and another five to be able to use it. By the end of this year, I'll be more than halfway through the second five years.
I'm pretty sure I'll spend the rest of my life learning Chinese. It's more than a language to me; it's a fundamentally different way of looking at the universe. At the end of the day we're all more alike than different, and I care a lot about the stories we tell. Language is a filter and a tool that lets us share each other's perspectives.
Chinese storytelling is different from English storytelling in part because it's based on different assumptions about why we're here, where "here" even is, what happens before and after this life, and who and what we share it with.
Experiencing this is like sneaking a whole second life into my time here on Earth. So efficient. So exciting.
In conclusion,
♥ Today is "one day," and there's no guarantee of another one like it.
♥ Do what you want to get good at: it's the best practice and great motivation. Plus you get to do the thing, why wait?
♥ As Marci says, "five years" is going to pass anyway. Let's make them interesting.
( notes from Arisia 2019: 'writing outside your comfort zone' )
I'm pretty sure I'll spend the rest of my life learning Chinese. It's more than a language to me; it's a fundamentally different way of looking at the universe. At the end of the day we're all more alike than different, and I care a lot about the stories we tell. Language is a filter and a tool that lets us share each other's perspectives.
Chinese storytelling is different from English storytelling in part because it's based on different assumptions about why we're here, where "here" even is, what happens before and after this life, and who and what we share it with.
Experiencing this is like sneaking a whole second life into my time here on Earth. So efficient. So exciting.
In conclusion,
♥ Today is "one day," and there's no guarantee of another one like it.
♥ Do what you want to get good at: it's the best practice and great motivation. Plus you get to do the thing, why wait?
♥ As Marci says, "five years" is going to pass anyway. Let's make them interesting.
( notes from Arisia 2019: 'writing outside your comfort zone' )
TV Talk: The Pitt & Wild Cards
Jan. 18th, 2026 03:44 pmspikedluvThe Pitt: I’ve caught up on the first two eps. Even though I just watched the show recently, it’s nice seeing everyone again. But I was surprised by the 10 month time jump since I did just watch the show! ( spoilers )
Wild Cards: I was surprised that this show was back, but I'm happy because this is a fun feel-good show. ( spoilers )
Wild Cards: I was surprised that this show was back, but I'm happy because this is a fun feel-good show. ( spoilers )
(no subject)
Jan. 18th, 2026 02:49 pmshadaras1.
threesentenceficathon began yesterday! I've posted... more fills than I think so far. xD I started listing them and then went HM OKAY THAT'S A BUNCH ACTUALLY:
Leverage ot3 fluff
Obi-Wan/Asajj post-PT AU [also on ao3 because it got away from me a bit xD]
Julien's unrequited feels for Aranessa (CR Araman)
Silt Verses, godsummoning
Olruggio/Qifrey angst (WHA)
Kara/Lee (the thin line between fighting and fucking) (BSG 2003)
Thimble+Occtis reunion (CR Araman)
Jyn/Cassian, after the war (I wanna clean this up into a proper fic xD)
Jyn/Cassian, nightmares
LHoD, Genly Ai+Estraven, nightfall
Hal+Bolaire, theater (CR Araman)
Obi-Wan/Padme, "love is stronger than hate"
I also posted some prompts. They're hiding in there somewhere. But mostly the fun is in making little ficlets, for me.
[eta: I'm adding to this list as I go, mostly for my own records/ability to find them again later]
2.
I've watched through s3e3 of Star Trek: Discovery, and I adore Starfleet Honor but also every time Georgiou is on screen making snarky comments and beating people up and looking at Michael with maternal pride I care naught for Starfleet Honor because I'm too busy thinking about how much Georgiou is delighted to see Michael get rougher around the edges after her time alone in the future.
This also means I have just met Adira Tal, who I know will become a major character and who is also going to come out as nonbinary once we get more into that story, and I am curious about how that'll unfold considering that Adira has a Trill symbiote and I have some feelings (mostly sighs) about nonbinary characters and the plurality aspects of such an arrangement. But hey, can't really have proper opinions on it until I see how it plays out in the show, you know?
3.
Testing at my dojo went very well! Love to see two people take very good tests perfectly appropriate to their level! Love also to see one of them have a worse randori than usual simply because he was clearly exhausted by the time he reached it, but hey even that was still perfectly reasonable for the level the test expects; I just know what he's capable of.
It was also like "HUH OKAY" seeing him do one technique (hanmi handachi shomenuchi iriminage) because I saw my own technique in how he did it. I get it! I know why! I did it with him a bunch when he was learning it! I just!
I do not think of myself as One Of The Sensei despite it being pretty clear that a lot of the white belts absolutely do think of me that way. This is mostly because I don't teach regularly, and so nobody calls me sensei on the regular.
4.
This weekend has been full of CLASSIC WINTER SNOW. After testing yesterday I detoured to the local state park and spent an hour walking a path that was very covered in snow and also icy beneath said snow. There were a couple other people out in the closer bits of this path, but once I turned onto the loop fewer people tend to go on anyway, it was clear that nobody had been there for at least a hour, so it was all FRESH CLEAR SNOW and that was gorgeous and really peaceful to spend time in.
I know intellectually how relaxing and restorative it is for me to spend time in the woods, especially if I can find woods where I won't hear/see other humans, but it's always a bit of an oh! right! feeling when I experience it again. Shall try and hold on to it, but it's always easier to go out into the woods during the beautiful times than when winter fades once more into dreary slushy/icy grayness instead of this perfect high-contrast fresh new fluffy snow.
Pictures under the cut! I took way more than this but I didn't feel like uploading all of them and I think these are nicely representative!
( four photos from a snowy walk in the woods )
threesentenceficathon began yesterday! I've posted... more fills than I think so far. xD I started listing them and then went HM OKAY THAT'S A BUNCH ACTUALLY:Leverage ot3 fluff
Obi-Wan/Asajj post-PT AU [also on ao3 because it got away from me a bit xD]
Julien's unrequited feels for Aranessa (CR Araman)
Silt Verses, godsummoning
Olruggio/Qifrey angst (WHA)
Kara/Lee (the thin line between fighting and fucking) (BSG 2003)
Thimble+Occtis reunion (CR Araman)
Jyn/Cassian, after the war (I wanna clean this up into a proper fic xD)
Jyn/Cassian, nightmares
LHoD, Genly Ai+Estraven, nightfall
Hal+Bolaire, theater (CR Araman)
Obi-Wan/Padme, "love is stronger than hate"
I also posted some prompts. They're hiding in there somewhere. But mostly the fun is in making little ficlets, for me.
[eta: I'm adding to this list as I go, mostly for my own records/ability to find them again later]
2.
I've watched through s3e3 of Star Trek: Discovery, and I adore Starfleet Honor but also every time Georgiou is on screen making snarky comments and beating people up and looking at Michael with maternal pride I care naught for Starfleet Honor because I'm too busy thinking about how much Georgiou is delighted to see Michael get rougher around the edges after her time alone in the future.
This also means I have just met Adira Tal, who I know will become a major character and who is also going to come out as nonbinary once we get more into that story, and I am curious about how that'll unfold considering that Adira has a Trill symbiote and I have some feelings (mostly sighs) about nonbinary characters and the plurality aspects of such an arrangement. But hey, can't really have proper opinions on it until I see how it plays out in the show, you know?
3.
Testing at my dojo went very well! Love to see two people take very good tests perfectly appropriate to their level! Love also to see one of them have a worse randori than usual simply because he was clearly exhausted by the time he reached it, but hey even that was still perfectly reasonable for the level the test expects; I just know what he's capable of.
It was also like "HUH OKAY" seeing him do one technique (hanmi handachi shomenuchi iriminage) because I saw my own technique in how he did it. I get it! I know why! I did it with him a bunch when he was learning it! I just!
I do not think of myself as One Of The Sensei despite it being pretty clear that a lot of the white belts absolutely do think of me that way. This is mostly because I don't teach regularly, and so nobody calls me sensei on the regular.
4.
This weekend has been full of CLASSIC WINTER SNOW. After testing yesterday I detoured to the local state park and spent an hour walking a path that was very covered in snow and also icy beneath said snow. There were a couple other people out in the closer bits of this path, but once I turned onto the loop fewer people tend to go on anyway, it was clear that nobody had been there for at least a hour, so it was all FRESH CLEAR SNOW and that was gorgeous and really peaceful to spend time in.
I know intellectually how relaxing and restorative it is for me to spend time in the woods, especially if I can find woods where I won't hear/see other humans, but it's always a bit of an oh! right! feeling when I experience it again. Shall try and hold on to it, but it's always easier to go out into the woods during the beautiful times than when winter fades once more into dreary slushy/icy grayness instead of this perfect high-contrast fresh new fluffy snow.
Pictures under the cut! I took way more than this but I didn't feel like uploading all of them and I think these are nicely representative!
( four photos from a snowy walk in the woods )
Done This Week
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:32 amscrubjayspeaksOkay, so. Sinus whatever turned into a hacking, wheezing cough. Still no fever, aches, anything that would resemble a traditional cold or flu. Gave up and went into Urgent Care again on Thursday, when it became obvious that I was not improving.
I am once again on ALL the drugs. Normally, they wouldn’t do antibiotics for a cough like this--those tend to be viral--but it turns out my left ear is actually still infected, on top of everything else. No wonder I haven’t had any energy.
So I get to be on antibiotics again for that, which might also help with the cough. It might also obliterate my digestive system again, so I have that to look forward to. Plus two different cough suppressants. And most importantly, an albuterol inhaler, which is basically a miracle drug. I don’t get sick often, but when I do, it tends to turn into bronchitis, and the inhaler is an old friend at this point.
I don’t want to take any time off work, because I’ll be on birthday vacation time starting the 26th, damn it. But I am so very, very tired every day.
In completely different news, my iPad bullied me into upgrading to the new OS release. Which immediately broke my reminders app, just like it did last time. Since I remembered said last time, I only freaked out a little and mostly left it to sort itself out by morning. Which it did, thank goodness, because I live and die by those reminder lists. But thanks, Apple, for yet another appalling update experience that makes me regret ever tying myself to your products, you absolute garbage pile. PS, still bitter about the years of ghost alarms you subjected me to when I upgraded to this iPad in the first place.
Lewisia: still on break
Day job: 42.25 hours, all of which should have been spent in bed instead
Reading: Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (effectively just part one, so excuse me while I thrash and gibber my way into the next book to know what happens, I love all of them but the latecomer Grimehug the gnole most of all)
Watching: Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes 24 to 26 and halfway into 27
Listening: Repertoire by Shane Parish (instrumental guitar noodling, some pieces more experimental than others, generally quite nice, I should start making notes of where I saw recs for artists, because gods know I don’t remember on my own)
Playing: Animal Crossing 3.0 release! So much decorating! Yay!
Clock Mouse: 92 minutes of planning work
I am once again on ALL the drugs. Normally, they wouldn’t do antibiotics for a cough like this--those tend to be viral--but it turns out my left ear is actually still infected, on top of everything else. No wonder I haven’t had any energy.
So I get to be on antibiotics again for that, which might also help with the cough. It might also obliterate my digestive system again, so I have that to look forward to. Plus two different cough suppressants. And most importantly, an albuterol inhaler, which is basically a miracle drug. I don’t get sick often, but when I do, it tends to turn into bronchitis, and the inhaler is an old friend at this point.
I don’t want to take any time off work, because I’ll be on birthday vacation time starting the 26th, damn it. But I am so very, very tired every day.
In completely different news, my iPad bullied me into upgrading to the new OS release. Which immediately broke my reminders app, just like it did last time. Since I remembered said last time, I only freaked out a little and mostly left it to sort itself out by morning. Which it did, thank goodness, because I live and die by those reminder lists. But thanks, Apple, for yet another appalling update experience that makes me regret ever tying myself to your products, you absolute garbage pile. PS, still bitter about the years of ghost alarms you subjected me to when I upgraded to this iPad in the first place.
Lewisia: still on break
Day job: 42.25 hours, all of which should have been spent in bed instead
Reading: Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (effectively just part one, so excuse me while I thrash and gibber my way into the next book to know what happens, I love all of them but the latecomer Grimehug the gnole most of all)
Watching: Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes 24 to 26 and halfway into 27
Listening: Repertoire by Shane Parish (instrumental guitar noodling, some pieces more experimental than others, generally quite nice, I should start making notes of where I saw recs for artists, because gods know I don’t remember on my own)
Playing: Animal Crossing 3.0 release! So much decorating! Yay!
Clock Mouse: 92 minutes of planning work
OOooooo
Jan. 18th, 2026 09:48 amsholiothreesentenceficathon is back! (And the first post is already on 43 pages of comments. Amazing.)insta-rec: sisabet, "Naked in Manhattan"
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:19 amheresluckHi, yes, I know I haven't posted fannish stuff in more than two years but ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
sisabet has just posted a Heated Rivalry vid and if you have any interest in the show at all you should go watch it right now because it combines "silly" and "unexpectedly moving" in a way that is absolutely perfect for this show.
(I watched HR withkass a couple of weeks ago when I was visiting her and we did a lot of chatter and analysis in person, so I don't know that I have anything to post about the show aside from "it's delightful and I'm really glad that it exists, and the showrunner, bless him, appears to know exactly what he's doing, and all of those things make me really happy.")
(I watched HR with
kass a couple of weeks ago when I was visiting her and we did a lot of chatter and analysis in person, so I don't know that I have anything to post about the show aside from "it's delightful and I'm really glad that it exists, and the showrunner, bless him, appears to know exactly what he's doing, and all of those things make me really happy.")Fairy Cat, by Hisa Takano
Jan. 18th, 2026 09:54 amrachelmanija
One rainy day Kanade, a high school student, finds a mouse-sized cat in his room. It's a fairy cat or "palm-sized cat!" They are elusive magical creatures which sometimes adopt humans, but mostly behave like ordinary cats. Only extra-tiny!
That's about it for the plot. What this manga is actually about is showing an incredibly adorable tiny cat being an incredibly adorable tiny cat. It's an incredibly adorable manga. Proof:
No, no, there is too much, let me sum up...
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:08 amjenna_thornWhat's in my head needs either several thousand words or silence, so I'm going with a sentence.
A funeral, sorry, no, a "celebration of life" that includes some tears, but more laughter, is a successful ritual.
Though what y'all will mostly appreciate is that the final speaker chose to read one of her poems to close the service, and I was mouthing the words along with him. Within my sight (I deliberately sat in the middle of the room, not up front), several others were doing the same.
All my proud sisterhood,
Swearing you will be good,
Wishing the hell you could leave it unsaid.
Bare your arm, make a fist, tattoo it on your wrist;
Never correct a man's grammar in bed.
From Advice to a Young Bride, by Dodie Messer Meeks
A funeral, sorry, no, a "celebration of life" that includes some tears, but more laughter, is a successful ritual.
Though what y'all will mostly appreciate is that the final speaker chose to read one of her poems to close the service, and I was mouthing the words along with him. Within my sight (I deliberately sat in the middle of the room, not up front), several others were doing the same.
All my proud sisterhood,
Swearing you will be good,
Wishing the hell you could leave it unsaid.
Bare your arm, make a fist, tattoo it on your wrist;
Never correct a man's grammar in bed.
From Advice to a Young Bride, by Dodie Messer Meeks
Something l’m annoyed about
Jan. 18th, 2026 03:06 pmlexinSo, my friend “J” sent out a round robin email wishing our gaming group a Happy New Year, and outlining that he was planning a gaming get together fairly soon at a venue yet to be chosen and a time yet to be decided on. I replied, saying I’d like to come but it depends on the cost.
Nothing happened for a couple of weeks.
Then I got the following email: Me: “I’m up for it if I can afford it.”
“Him”: That's not the main issue: I'm sure we could have a whip round or something.
“I have now looked at various venues but it will be difficult to make a decision as they are so good, if diverse. Even if I confined this decision to those with bedrooms on the ground floor and disabled access, I am still doubtful that you could even manage. You could barely walk in August and I don't feel you could travel for 2-4 hours on public transport without a carer/plus size wheelchair now. Anyway, I don't want the risk of you collapsing in transit on my conscience.
“Unless I find somewhere I feel is particularly possible, participation doesn't seem viable to me. Sorry about that. I hope you understand.”
What this boils down to, shorn of its verbiage, is: I have decided that as a disabled person, you can’t manage, so I have decided you can’t come. I therefore rescind my invitation. Plus, I can’t be arsed to find a suitable venue.
Now, I don’t want to go somewhere where I wouldn’t be welcome, but I’m also well pissed off that he didn’t even ask me what kind of venue I would need.
Nothing happened for a couple of weeks.
Then I got the following email: Me: “I’m up for it if I can afford it.”
“Him”: That's not the main issue: I'm sure we could have a whip round or something.
“I have now looked at various venues but it will be difficult to make a decision as they are so good, if diverse. Even if I confined this decision to those with bedrooms on the ground floor and disabled access, I am still doubtful that you could even manage. You could barely walk in August and I don't feel you could travel for 2-4 hours on public transport without a carer/plus size wheelchair now. Anyway, I don't want the risk of you collapsing in transit on my conscience.
“Unless I find somewhere I feel is particularly possible, participation doesn't seem viable to me. Sorry about that. I hope you understand.”
What this boils down to, shorn of its verbiage, is: I have decided that as a disabled person, you can’t manage, so I have decided you can’t come. I therefore rescind my invitation. Plus, I can’t be arsed to find a suitable venue.
Now, I don’t want to go somewhere where I wouldn’t be welcome, but I’m also well pissed off that he didn’t even ask me what kind of venue I would need.