Just one thing: 28 December 2025
Dec. 28th, 2025 07:48 amComment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkadelt [music]
Dec. 28th, 2025 05:45 amThere's more where that came from:
• Let It Be (a Renaissance Madrigal) | Feat. Anna Petrtylová
• 'Enjoy The Silence' by Depeche Mode in the style of a madrigal by Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566 - 1613).
• Bach Chorale "Last Christmas" "From the Last Christmas Oratorio, BWV (Bach Wham Verzeichnis) 1984"
• If Stayin' Alive Had Been Written in 16th Century "From the BG Manuscript, ca. 1570"
• One Night in Bangkok but it's a 16th century chanson "If Clément Janequin (ca. 1485 - 1558) was the songwriter for Murray Head..."
• If 'A Whole New World' (Aladdin) had been composed in 16th century "From The First Booke of Songs or Airs by Ala(ddi)n Menken"
Sunday 28/12/2025
Dec. 28th, 2025 10:17 am2) Visit to my parents to exchange the DVD players and enjoy their woodburner ^__^
3) Telephone call with my cousin (and my godchild)
Yuletide recs (part 1)
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:26 pmTrue Detective: Night Country
Kyle Murchison Booth Stories
Companion
Kraken
My Sister and the Prince
Dragonriders of Pern (2x)
Sunday Word: Contemporaneous
Dec. 28th, 2025 12:09 pmcontemporaneous [kuhn-tem-puh-rey-nee-uhs]
adjective:
existing, beginning, or occurring in the same period of time
Examples:
Some economic data, such as last month’s unemployment rate and consumer-inflation numbers, can’t be compiled retroactively, the Labor Department has said, because they rely on contemporaneous surveys. (Nick Timiraos and Matt Grossman, Wholesale Price Gains Hint at Muted Rise in Fed’s Preferred Inflation Gauge, The Wall Street Journal, November 2025)
These moments of reckoning - in which something that once felt exciting begins to seem noxious, mephitic, dangerous - are important to heed. (Alex Ross, At Ninety, Arvo Pärt and Terry Riley Still Sound Vital, The New Yorker, November 2025)
In addition to contemporaneous comics, architecture, and music, the film explores the influence of the space race on everyday life of the 1960s. (Ben Sachs, Lewis Klahr’s Sixty Six is a masterful journey through inner space and the American past, Chicago Reader, May 2017)
It gave the explanation, gave sanity to the pranks of this atavistic brain of mine that, modern and normal, harked back to a past so remote as to be contemporaneous with the raw beginnings of mankind. (Jack London, Before Adam)
Origin:
'living or existing at the same time,' 1650s, from Late Latin contemporaneus 'contemporary,' from the same Latin source as contemporary but with an extended form after Late Latin temporaneous 'timely.' An earlier adjective was contemporanean (1550s). (Online Etymology Dictionary)
🥳
Dec. 28th, 2025 03:05 amIf you already have, my wish is you post about your Christmas tree if you have one. I'd love to hear about your favorite decoration - especially if it's old or you made it as a kid! - see a picture even.
Love y'all ❤️
IV saline without infusion pump; childhood fevers
Dec. 27th, 2025 06:49 pmThe context is a civilian with extensive field-medic-style training providing off-the-books, in-home medical/supportive care to a preteen who is ill with a viral* fever-inducing illness. (* Viral seems easier; but bacterial is possible if necessary.) The setting is the modern-day (or at least vaguely post-2010) United States.
1. Is it feasible to administer intravenous (IV) saline without an infusion pump? (I've been assuming it is but want to double-check.)
( cut for IV details )
2. Is there a point at which a childhood (viral) fever is dangerous?
( Read more... )
Many thanks!
a handful of Yuletide recs
Dec. 27th, 2025 06:06 pmMy awesome gift (5-minute fandom: British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video):
A British Original: Discovering Haddersford House and Its Residents (2248 words, gen)
Summary: A magazine article from the world where characters in costume drama occasionally come to life of their own--and stick around after the cameras stop rolling and the crews have gone home.
I really had no idea what to expect from this request (just that I had to have something about this marvelous video!) and I love how it's played with an absolutely straight face. Also, there's a nod to Planet Vancouver, hee!
Speaking of the ridiculous played straight, this is understandable (and hilarious) with only osmosis knowledge of The Godfather:
An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Unless You’re Lactose Intolerant) (1008 words, Godfather movies, gen)
Summary: On the day of his daughter’s guinea pig’s wedding, Don Vito Corleone received a request he could not immediately refuse.
Absolutely the best Godfather fic ever.
The rest of my recs really do require canon knowledge, but I know many of you know these canons:
Memories Are Made of This (4002 words, Northern Exposure, Ed Chigliak-centered ensemble gen)
Summary: “So this is Cicely,” Ed said, gazing wide-eyed up and down Main Street. “Where’s the rest of it?”
This is wonderful - like an episode of the show, warm and funny and a little bit off-kilter.
Hoar and Hound (2236 words, Cadfael Chronicles, Brother Cadfael-centered gen)
Summary: On a frigidly cold December night, Cadfael follows a trail through the abbey grounds.
A lovely, thoughtful portrait of the abbey and of Cadfael. The way he quietly assesses the needs of the people (and creatures) around him is perfectly in tune with canon.
Dis Manibus (1364 words, Frontier Wolf, Alexios/Cunorix, Alexios/Hilarion, G)
Summary: Alexios goes out to make an offering to the shades of the dead, but he does not go alone.
This is lovely and tender and measured, and has something of Sutcliff in the descriptions. For me Alexios/Hilarion only works if it honors the close friendship between Alexios and Cunorix, before things went bad - and this is perfect.
We Greet the Peoples of the Tower (1717 words but heavily illustrated; Chants of Sennaar, gen)
Summary: There are some oddly regular scratch marks on a wall in the Alchemists' level...
Basically this is a fangame (though the game part is optional; the first set of chapters are illustrations with glyphs as in the game, and the second half holds the translations), a whole new level in which the Monster goes seeking the other peoples to assert he is a human and their brother. It's a moving story that fits with the game themes, and it's just very cool!
Actually, if you've played Chants of Sennaar, I recommend all the Yuletide works for the game as the fandom has clearly brought its A-game, they're all great. (The one above is just extraordinarily so!) And there are two Madness works I haven't even looked at yet!
Celebrating 25 years of Bernice Summerfield at Big Finish
Dec. 28th, 2025 01:03 amI will be resuming my listen through of the Big Finish Benny audios in the New Year.
*yawn*
Dec. 27th, 2025 07:43 pmYuletide very pleasant; usually I get a comment on an old fic or two in a fandom someone has rediscovered through Yuletide and gone on a deep dive for, but not this year!
About three or four inches of snow (7-10cm) fell overnight and I shoveled my front sidewalk and steps, because the snow removal guys had done next door but not us (?), and then tromped down to my assigned house in the neighborhood, where I shoveled the longest driveway in Rhode Island and enough sidewalk for two houses and what felt like two flights of front steps. Thank goodness it was light and powdery, and almost all of the above was in good repair so I didn't have to fight the asphalt like last year, but I earned every bite of the steak and eggs and homefries (not nearly as good as last time) at the diner.
And then C. and her kid and I went to the ZOO and saw CREATURES. Macaws! Ibis! Elephants! A two-year-old giraffe who is already trying to fuck the other giraffes in the enclosure (this is a good thing, they want genetically-diverse babies from him) but he's not tall enough yet! An anaconda 99.8% percent in the water in its tank, I wanted to boop its snout SO MUCH. Red pandas that were so fluffy they looked fake. The river otters were having so much fun in the snow and splashing in their pool. The docents were super friendly and the French fries were delicious. Would 100% zoo again.
Then a hot bath and a nap. Bliss.
Various Links 12/22-12/27
Dec. 27th, 2025 06:24 pm~ North American Indigenous Santa Dance - video, performer is known as "Powwow Santa"
~ Cat figuring how to get in out of a vase - video
~ Frame-slowed, colorized Victorian snowball fight - video
~ The LGBT bookstore saves a man - text, untranscribed, mention of self harm and suicidal ideation (old post, but I reblog when I see it to remember what FAMILY is)
~ Knitted wedding dress - photos and text
~ Trumpeteer gets an unexpected accompaniment - video, sound needed
~ Stonehenge Solstice Cat art - picture
[movement] in which I get to follow mine own teaching
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:34 pmI am now noticing that it is in fact Fairly Consistent that I can Do More in terms of Pilates if I'm doing it at a rate of Two Full Sessions A Week rather than three. I am Somewhat Dismayed at now needing to go "okay, this clearly means I'm not fully recovering doing what I'm currently doing at a rate of every other day-ish, which means I will derive more benefit if I do less of the activity"; I am trying to cheer myself up by persuading myself that what it Actually Means that I get to play with a greater variety of Colouring Things In on The Sticker Chart.
I am amused that I am about as Oh No This Is Terrible about Officially Reducing My Mat Time as I am about getting onto the mat. Brains. Brains!
but now that's how i'm getting paid
Dec. 27th, 2025 05:55 pmChristmas morning, my niece and her husband came over so Baby Miss L could unwrap the first set of presents - she still gets bored with it and wants to play with whatever she's opened instead of opening the next gift, so it's a process - and she LOVED the 30 second dance party button, as I knew she would. I am SO HAPPY I saw it somewhere (Wirecutter, maybe?) and ordered it, and that it arrived in time for me to see her play with it. (The adults got a kick out of it too, but it was hilarious watching her run up and press it each time it ended.) She liked the dinosaur cape and the books (especially "The Little Book of Cheese," which is in the same series as "The Little Book of Pasta," which I got for her last year and which she LOVES - apparently she will just bust out with "FARFALLE!" at any given moment), but did not care about the wings at all. Also when Alyssa told her I would be there, she said, "books!" so she knows I am the books and clothes aunt. *g*
The while elephant swap was pretty hilarious too, and my niece Nicki ended up with the cat-shaped measuring cups and spoons that were my contribution. I got a waterproof bluetooth speaker I'm going to have to set up in the bathroom to have tunes in the shower.
The funfetti cupcakes were a big hit. (I made sure to put cream cheese frosting on the ones for my sister; she tried one with the American buttercream and made the same face I made when I tasted it - it's disgustingly sweet.) There's picture of this year's selection here.
As for gifts, I received a handful of gift cards, a KRYPTO squishmallow from Baby Miss L, a pair of earrings made from chips of vintage pyrex, a stand mixer tree ornament, a copy of Dorrie's Anytime Cakes, some candles, and a pair of super warm and fuzzy grippy socks. I also bought myself a new winter coat, a new 9 x 13" pyrex baking dish, a new vibrator, some new bras, and a new pair of black ankle boots, so I'm doing all right in the gift department. *g*
Yesterday, I got home early and vegged out for most of the day. And then it snowed, just like they said it would!
Today, I made a new batch of dough and tomorrow I'll finish baking off the fig cookies for this year. I also want to try those orange cranberry rolls now that I have room in the fridge to let them rise overnight. I still have so many eggs left over, though, so I see at least one frittata in my future, plus at least one batch of Nadiya's egg wraps, which are delicious and I recommend them highly!
Now I should look into having dinner and maybe watching the Rangers game.
*
2025 Movie Round-Up
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:24 pmThe Balloonatic: a remix of a Buster Keaton movie set to the music of… okay I should have taken notes, I can’t remember the band, suffice it to say that it was a recentish band to which you would perhaps not expect Buster Keaton to be set. Smashing Pumpkins maybe? Lots of interesting cutting of the film which I don’t really have the technical vocabulary to describe, but just like - cutting what was clearly once one long shot into multiple shots? Kind of synced to the music?
I dragged the Brunch Bunch along to this showing, and we agreed that we’d see another if another came to town. But as we were just about the only people in the theater it is perhaps unsurprising that the theater has not booked another. Even an arthouse cinema has to have an audience.
Interview with a Vampire: I posted a bit of comparison to the book, but did not take time to note that this movie is an A++ example of complete commitment to an aesthetic, the aesthetic in this case being “decadent opulence spattered in blood.” This is an occasional aesthetic for me rather than one I would like to live in, but I admire the commitment.
The Shape of Water: This was a big disappointment, to be honest. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my all-time favorites, so I went into this movie with high hopes, but honestly it just draaaaaaagged for me. Also highly doubt the ability of the fish-man from the Amazon to survive in the icy coastal waters of the Atlantic.
Kiki’s Delivery Service. A rewatch! Still one of my favorite movies, probably my top two Studio Ghibli with My Neighbor Totoro (but now I feel bad leaving out Spirited Away...) Love Kiki, love Jiji, love the richly detailed setting (which we dubbed “Francemany,” as it is clearly a mash-up of various European localities), love Miyazaki’s love of flying machines. This is an aesthetic I WOULD like to live in.
Also a couple of documentaries. Take Joy! The Magical World of Tasha Tudor is about Tudor’s life at Corgi Cottage, built and largely run in the style of a 19th century farmhouse, where Tudor lives with her goats, her doves, her corgyn (Tudor’s plural of corgi), her one-eyed cat Minou, and seven looms. (These are not all Tudor’s looms. Sometimes she gives house-space to a friend’s loom, if the friend doesn’t have loom room, a loom being a large contraption.) An inspiring example of building your own little world and living in it.
This theme is further developed in Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas with Tasha Tudor, an enchanting documentary perfect for anyone who has ever enjoyed Tasha Tudor’s Christmas illustrations, as the illustrations apparently draw extensively on Tasha Tudor’s own Christmas traditions or possibly vice versa, in a virtuous cycle of candlelit charm.
If you can’t find the documentary, the photo book Forever Christmas appears to have been made in conjunction, and includes some material not included in the film. Can’t believe they left out the sleigh ride!
A Guardian Meme
Dec. 28th, 2025 09:41 am1. A fanwork you've read/looked at more than three times
- [Vid] Open Ocean by
- [Vid] Lost It All by
- [Art] Getting Comfortable [Explicit] by
ETA:
- [Vid] Hallucinogenics by Jill, Kathy, Kay - Zhao Yunlaaaaaan!!
2. A resource you've used lately (or "lately")
- Dramatis Personae (with cast list) by
- SID Timeline by
- Guardian timeline by
3. A rarepair you would read
I'm fairly easy for trying out rarepairs. There are some characters I generally avoid "/" pairings for (in particular, Da Qing, Zhu Jiu, and Ye Zun come to mind), but I did read some delightful Lin Jing/Ye Zun fics over
A rarepair that I'd actively like to read more of is Chu Shuzhi &/ Zhao Xinci.
( Continued behind the cut. )
not being extremely into D&D, I still stand by this *firm nod*
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:33 pmAlso, sitting on a shiny new icon that a) I can't upload because it's for an icontest, and b) I'll have to delete another before uploading, well. *sullenly kicks rocks*
( spoilery for 5x06 )
I wasn't a big fan of the first four episodes, but these two have been very entertaining indeed. Cool visuals! Emotional payoffs! Two thumbs up.
Amnesty Bingo - remix of multiple cards
Dec. 27th, 2025 03:26 pmCard Theme: Amnesty remix (I like to mix and match unused prompts from the year)
Prompts: Love letters, "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue", You have three choices. You can give up - give in or give it your all, Consent is sexy, Serpents in Eden
Fandoms: Hazbin Hotel
My Card: My Card
( my fills under here )
7 Recs
Dec. 27th, 2025 01:04 pmI bring a quick 7 recs in 6 fandoms at my journal for
- The Bedlam Stacks (backstory! Keita! Merrick!)
- The Way of the Househusband (domesticity! But also porn!)
- Antique Bakery (Ono and Tachibana in the mountains!)
- Wimbledon (Peter is an idiot! But sort of okay at tennis!)
- Cthulhu Mythos (Dream Cycle Randolph brings horrors to the yard!)
- Snake Fight Portion of Your Thesis Defence/Rivers of London (no more need said!)
Yuletide Recs!
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:52 amAt my DW, with commentary.
Yuletide Recs!
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:51 amDo Not Need to Know Canon
Chalion/World of the Five Gods - Lois McMaster Bujold
a knock at your front door. I think all you need to know to read this story is that there are five Gods - the Mother, the Father, the Son, the Daughter, and the Bastard - who are definitely real but rarely interfere in human affairs. They can, however, make people saints - able to do limited miracles - if they need to. This story deals with the Father, the God least-explored in canon, and is set in modern-day Chalion. It's got a clever look at what modern Chalion might be like, a very likable main character, and some beautiful writing.
FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns
If you've never read the canon, I've linked it above. It's extremely short and you will be glad you did. There are other "Snake Fight" stories and they're all fun.
Snake Logistics for Spring Defenses. Some students are just begging for a black mamba.
Need to Know Canon
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
find the true. Mirrim and F'lar have a chat at a Gather. I enjoyed this conversation between two characters who I don't think ever exchange words in canon. Good characterization, good atmosphere.
Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
to be useful, if not free. My gift! A backstory/canon diverge AU for Serret, the enchantress in A Wizard of Earthsea. Beautifully written, beautifully structured.
The Long Walk - Stephen King
There's No Discharge in the War. Stebbins in a time loop. Long, intense, often horrifying, sometimes very moving, and cleverly constructed story about Stebbins and the other Walkers.
"The Lottery" - Shirley Jackson; New Yorker RPF
Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death. Isaac Chotiner interviews the guy who runs the lottery in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." If you've never heard of him, he's a journalist who's very good at letting people hang themselves with their own words. The story is dead-on, hilarious, and chilling.
Lyra series/Caught in Crystal - Patricia Wrede
Three Things That Might Have Happened to Kayl Larrinar. My treat! A very satisfyingly bittersweet canon divergence AU for Kayl's Star Cluster, full of camaraderie and atmosphere.
Mushishi
I want to taste the shadows, too. A lovely little casefic/character study about Adashino, the guy who collects mushi-related stuff. It really feels like an episode of the anime, especially the final portion.
Some Like It Hot
Anchors Away. A short and very sweet post-movie coda.
Watership Down - Richard Adams
There is no bargain. Five encounters with The Black Rabbit of Inlé. An exploration of how the Black Rabbit is different things to different rabbits in different circumstances, very well-done, sometimes moving, sometimes chilling. The Black Rabbit is Death, so warning for rabbit death.
What have you enjoyed in the collection?
Sonic the Hedgehog: Bee buzzing by Noiat
Dec. 27th, 2025 10:13 amFIC LINK: Bee buzzing on AO3
AUTHOR LINK: Noiat
RATING/WARNING(S): G for General Audiences
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Completed One Shot / 1,241 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Charmy, Espio, Vector
FIC SUMMARY: Sometimes bees communicate with each other by buzzing, caused by the vibrations of their wings. Charmy discovers this and wants to try communicating with Espio through buzzing.
RECCER'S NOTES: A short and sweet moment at the Team Chaotix Detective Agency, where Charmy is his usual excitable self, Espio is an annoyed older brother who just wants peace and quiet, and Vector sleeps the whole time but his presence is still felt in spirit.
Saturday 27/12/2025
Dec. 27th, 2025 01:53 pm2) A little problem was solved easily. My parents and I are going to switch DVD players so that I can watch the blu-ray disc I received for Xmas
3) Bought new (warm) clothes yesterday and more are on it’s way after I discovered a better deal online before buying some of them.
The end of Heated Rivalry season 1
Dec. 28th, 2025 12:36 amWatching episode six was such a trip as by then I was fully immersed in the fandom. It dropped here at 7pm each time, and I made myself wait until after 9pm when it was dark before watching, as I like to be cocooned in a lighted bubble with the show. Then after the ep was finished I went to tumblr for the gifs, reactions, and meta, and today I rewatched it, picking up several small things others had noticed and blogged about. I'll rewatch the show again off and on - it's a comfort watch for me now - and while we wait for season 2 there'll be art, and fanfic.
( Read more... )
And in 2026 we'll get Connor in his first movie as a protagonist: April X. Dystopian sci-fi, already gathering kudos and in final production.
Just One Thing (27 December 2025)
Dec. 27th, 2025 12:21 pmComment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Game Changers (Heated Rivalry): Love Takes Miles by corsi
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:06 pmCharacters/Pairings: OFCs, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Hayden Pike, Troy Barrett, mentions of many HR characters
Rating: Teen
Length: 6937
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Some mentions of homophobia and slurs.
Creator Links: corsi on AO3
Themes: Outsider POV, Unconventional format & style, Epistolary, Worldbuilding, Fans and fandom
Summary:
yara
tried to get oomf into hockey and now she's obsessed with FUCKING HOLLANOV? THEY'RE 50 YEARS OLD
Or: Ten years, as seen through fandom.
Reccer's Notes: This is courtesy of a rec in
PS: It may help to know in advance (as these may be hockey rpf terms with which I was unfamiliar) that 2481 is code for Hollander/Rozanov (their jersey numbers), and 2435 is Hollander/Pike. Some details in the fic will probably only make sense if you've read the books.
PPS: Also, there's a fictional recs list by "ice knives" partway through, and I want to read ALL OF THEM!
Fanwork Links: Love Takes Miles (read it in creator's style if you can, for the formatting)
WIP Big Bang/WIP Reverse Bang 2025 - Emergency Posting Extension
Dec. 26th, 2025 09:51 pmBiggles promptfic (finishing up the year)
Dec. 26th, 2025 08:48 pmThe prompt, which is somewhat spoilery for the fic
[from an anon] Biggles prompt- on a case they run into/are made to work with someone who was nasty to Biggles in his school-days, who tries to renew such treatment, and EvS, also involved with whatever they're investigating, finds himself possessed of both an unexpected protective urge and in the rare position to offer his own "you're better than the people you're working for" speechGen, late in canon, Erich + team with perhaps slight EvS/Biggles undertones, 1800 wds
Originally posted on Tumblr
( 1800 wds under the cut )
(no subject)
Dec. 26th, 2025 10:40 pmThe two I liked were No Such Thing as Duty, by Lara Elena Donnelly, and The Oblivion Bride, by Caitlin Starling. Both of these have a definite air of fanfiction about them: No Such Thing As Duty is a 'what if my favorite historical guy met a sexy vampire' fic, the favorite historical guy in question is W. Somerset Maughan. I have come to the conclusion that I'm really quite charmed by this sort of thing as long as the favorite historical guy in question is not a pre-existing big seller like Christopher Marlowe or Charlotte Bronte but someone who I actually have to look up:* the author's real victory is in making me Wikipedia their special historical guy and go 'whoa, sure, lot going on here actually'
*I'm aware this is very subjective and there are many people out there who don't have to go to Google to know basic things about W. Somerset Maughan. But they ARE a lot fewer I think than the people who don't have to go to Google to know basic things about i.e. Lord Byron. That said, if you are experiencing boredom at the idea of Yet Another Sexy W. Somserset Maughan fic, I'd love to know about it.
The Oblivion Bride meanwhile is a classic Lesbian Arranged Marriage fic that, per the author's note, appears to have grown out of a Dishonored fic the author wrote several years back. I don't know anything about Dishonored so I can't tell you much about that. What I can tell you is that she's a normalgirl cadet member of an important family who's been thrust into an important political position because all her actual aristocratic relatives have mysteriously died, she's an icy cold Murder Alchemist General and also Magical Detective who's marrying her by order of the prince to solve the mysterious deaths and keep the political assets in the hands of someone loyal to the throne; could they actually fall in love? The answer will shock you! Anyway, I like tropes, and I like lesbians, and I like that Caitlin Starling is never afraid to lean into her id; I was as happy to read this in novella form as I would have been on AO3.
The Dead Withheld by L.D. Lewis is the one that didn't quite hit for me -- it's a supernatural noir about a PI who can talk to the dead investigating the cold case death of her wife, and it is doing exactly what it says on the tin but something about it never quite grabbed me. Too short? Not enough oomph? Anyway, it might grab you!
and The Iron Below Remembers by Sharang Biswas drove me up a wall, in large part because the worldbuilding it's doing is extremely playful and interesting and fun -- it's set in an alternate universe where a South Asian empire was the major early colonial power instead of Rome, and their abandoned artifacts and technology power contemporary superheroes. The protagonist is an academic dating a superhero; the text is heavily footnote-studded and 50% of the footnotes are really fun and interesting little explorations of this alternate history. Unfortunately for me, the actual plot laid on top of this rich worldbuilding is all Gay Superhero Relationship Drama and the other 50% of the footnotes are gossipy anecdotes about the protagonist's sex life. This is certainly going to be a feature for some people but was, alas, a bug for me; every time I went through the effort to click through the annoying footnotes format on my digital edition I was really hoping to get a meaty paragraph about what happened after Siddhartha marched into the city of Rime and did not feel rewarded any time I got a smug half-sentence about shibari instead.
Doug
Dec. 26th, 2025 09:58 pmAside from the official learning activities, I heard stories from all of the people leading the event. One of those people was Doug Lipman, who told a Jewish story called “The Sword of Wood,” which made a big impression on me. I also met a lot of people and learned that there were storytelling groups throughout the L.A. area, including one that met quite near where I lived. I took flyers about those groups. I also took a flyer about a weekend workshop Doug and Jay O’Callahan were doing a few months later somewhere in the Inland Empire and decided to sign up for it.
Not long after, I gathered my courage and went to Community Storytellers. I don’t remember if I told a story that first time there, but I know I did fairly soon and before long Community Storytellers was on my monthly calendar of things to do. I met great people there and I remember feeling relieved when I went to Doug and Jay's workshop and one of those people was also there.
The stories I had been telling up to then were largely original fairy tales and my takes on folklore. But the workshop emphasis was on personal stories. At any rate, there was one exercise that had to do with a memory about a place. And a place that I had not thought about in 20 some odd years immediately popped into my head, in amazing detail. It’s the basis for the story I’m telling in the upcoming New Year’s Eve event.
I ended up signing up for another workshop (and another and another) with Doug. His coaching style, which started out with appreciation for the teller, was very effective. And his reactions were full of unrestrained joy. His spontaneity was also a delight. When he led workshops at Wanna’s house in Pasadena, we’d all go out to lunch at Souplantation (a soup and salad bar restaurant) and he wrote a song that included lyrics about “working hard at the soup plantation.” I also remember driving home from his workshops so full of what I'd learned that I missed my exit on the freeway two nights in a row.
Overall, Doug was someone who had a huge influence on my storytelling - and my life. And I can’t count how many other storytellers I’ve met who have said the same thing. He was a special person and I will always be grateful to have known him. He died today but he will always be a part of so many of us.
Jewish Christmas
Dec. 25th, 2025 09:05 pmThe food was good. In particular, the vegetarian hot and sour soup was excellent. Their garlic sauce (which you can get with pretty much any protein) was also good, but not as good as that as some other places I’d been to.
More importantly, the company was good and the conversation was lively. And the price was pretty reasonable.
I passed on the dessert reception at one person’s house, because I had too much to do at home. I did manage to get almost all of my laundry (which I’d done earlier in the day) put away. But I still have too much to do.
Challenge #1072: lantern
Dec. 26th, 2025 04:21 pmThe rules:
- All stories must be 100 words long.
- Please place your story behind a cut if it contains spoilers for the current season.
- Remember, you don't have to use the challenge word or phrase in your story; it's just there for inspiration.
- Please include the challenge word or phrase in the subject line of your post.
- Please use the challenge tag 1072: lantern on any story posted to this challenge.
[embodiment] ... huh.
Dec. 26th, 2025 11:50 pmMy mother has today loaned me some knee-high compression socks in a fun design and... the amount of presyncope I've been getting on standing up from squatting is approximately None, despite feeling while squatting like It's Gonna Be A Bad One When I Stand Up. So I'm probably going to be buying myself more of them as my mother's present to me for this winterval.
Obviously I was delighted when I got to page 7 and found the rainbow...
Chargers
Dec. 26th, 2025 09:13 pmBook recommendations needed
Dec. 26th, 2025 12:50 pm1) Something about different legal systems and the philosophies that go with them. How they shape how people think about what the law is even for, and so forth. Would prefer to focus on modern systems, but historical examples are fine if they help illuminate the present. (E.g. I have come across mentions a few times that things work in such and such a way in France or its former colonies because they were shaped by the Napoleonic code.)
2) How the governments of really huge cities/metropoles work.
Blogs or newsletters are okay too. But no podcasts or YouTube series unless they're scripted, please.
Ho ho ho
Dec. 26th, 2025 08:39 pm+ Fallout is apparently back! I watched both episodes yesterday and enjoyed them. We're getting more zany vault culture and I'm here for it. Also a delightful actor appearance, big plus there.
+ Absolutely fell behind on
+ Christmas Eve was an absolute success. The food was lovely, everyone was healthy and in good spirits, and since there were no kids we took our time and opened one package at a time. I finally have a working vacuum again \o/ A foldable foot bath, and a ginger preserve I'm quite excited to try out. Some creams, tea, and a gift card for RITUALS. All useful things.
+ Joined my brother in picking up my dad from the airport earlier. Now to figure out what will happen for my birthday, then my friend's birthday the day after, and THEN New Year's. I'd like a nap tbh.
Dec 26 only -- Free romance books
Dec. 26th, 2025 12:30 pmLinks to all platforms / booksellers.
https://www.romancebookworms.com/
As always, feel free to share.
public domain day, ancient artifact cookies, antarctica
Dec. 26th, 2025 11:30 amHappy Friday! Here's some links-- deliberately focused on positive things, to give some end-of-year cheer.
Media of Various Types
- LibraryThing has a Winter Holiday Hunt game running through January 6th
- The Daily Spell is a (free, indie) word puzzle game with weekly stories and daily installments
- Public Domain Day is coming up on January 1st! Another Lord Peter Wimsey book is going PD which is exciting
- Here's some Hugo nomination ideas from
ladybusiness - DEMO FEST 2025 is out and there's some great punk songs here you can listen to for free. I put some of my recs here, if you need a place to start
Food & Crafts & Art
- These amazing cookies designed as ancient artifacts!
- Echo Zines has a great list of craftivism Youtube video recs as well as some of their own knitting projects
- MyTeaDB -- so you can track your tea collection! If you go to the New page you can see examples of how it works
- Little Golden Notebook has some amazing fiber art pieces
Social Media
- Green Grimoire (Youtube) is a Druid couple who make videos about homestead-y things and van travel, with a pagan bent
- Ruth Mottram (Pixelfed) is a glaciologist and posts photos of her work! She's currently in Antarctica now! She also has a blog; here's a recent post about heading down to Antarctica earlier this month
- And an event: Fediverse Punk Month (January 2026) -- a call for punks (and other subcultures) to leave Meta platforms and build communities in the Fediverse instead
RSS Feeds
- mixed color (RSS) a great blog about embroidery, sewing, dying, etc!
- Winnie Lim (RSS) writes very enjoyable blog posts about life and the things that happen therein
- sortition social is a community RSS feed reader! It selects a random feed from their (user-submitted?) database and added to the timeline for 7 days
