HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jan. 1st, 2026 09:21 am
marcicat: (starburst)
[personal profile] marcicat
Time to rewatch the fireworks simulation video!

FWsim Mount Fuji Synchronized Fireworks Show

*fireworks simulation from 2014: not real fireworks, not AI
*music is 'Homecoming,' by Thomas Bergersen
*I love it

Welcome to Write Every Day 2026!

Jan. 1st, 2026 03:23 pm
trobadora: (mightier)
[personal profile] trobadora
Hi, welcome to Write Every Day!

As has become tradition, I'm hosting the travelling writing circus challenge again for January. :)

What's this about?

Writing. *g* No, really, that's it, it's that simple - writing something, anything every day, even if it's just a sentence. Or a word. That's still writing! And just as importantly it keeps writing on our minds, so we can more easily create or sustain a habit of writing.

How does this work?

Every month, someone here on DW hosts this challenge and makes daily posts where participants can check in, talk about how the writing is going, and offer each other encouragement or commiseration, if they want. The host keeps a running tally of check-ins for the month.

I'm posting early today to get us started, but usually I'm posting in my evening (late hours UTC), after I've done my daily writing. Please comment on the most recent post and say which day(s) you're checking in!

And despite the name, you don't actually have to write every day. *g* There's no pressure or obligation - anyone can dip in and out as they like, write some days but not all, check in every day or in batches, whatever works best. ♥

WED Question of the Day

Do you have writing plans or goals for 2026, or for the next few months?

writing plans )

Happy 2026, everyone! May it be better in every respect than 2025 was, and may we all have a fantastic writing year!

Thankful Thursday

Jan. 1st, 2026 02:55 pm
mdlbear: Wild turkey hen close-up (turkey)
[personal profile] mdlbear

Today I am thankful for...

More DMBJ Calendar art!

Jan. 1st, 2026 02:43 pm
mekare: Su Nan and Wu Xie side by side (DMBJ Su Nan Wu Xie)
[personal profile] mekare posting in [community profile] c_ent
I seem to have forgotten to crosspost this in December, so happy New Year with Liang Wan and Zhang Rishan!

Preview:

woman relaxing




Zhang Rishan for December, Liang Wan for November )

Not a compliment I was looking for!

Jan. 1st, 2026 01:38 pm
davidgillon: A pair of crutches, hanging from coat hooks, reflected in a mirror (Default)
[personal profile] davidgillon

 Shouted across the lobby and lounge of my mother's care home, as I sat in one of their armchairs talking to her:

"Eeee, David you look just like one of the residents!"

That was from the senior carer, cheeky so-and-so!

(She was at school with my sister, I blame the company she grew up with).

New Year's Day, on Flower's Barrow

Jan. 1st, 2026 01:32 pm
puddleshark: (Default)
[personal profile] puddleshark
Crumbling at the edges, Flower's Barrow
Flower's Barrow Iron Age Hillfort. Or perhaps, half of Flower's Barrow Iron Age Hillfort. Or maybe a third of it? It has been slowly crumbling into the sea these last two thousand years. Who knows how big it was originally.

Cold wind & sunshine, and New Year's Greetings from a raven )

January the first.

Jan. 1st, 2026 08:15 am
hannah: (On the pier - fooish_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
Attending a New Year's Eve party with my parents and their friends that doubled as one of the friend's birthdays had me the youngest in the room. By multiple decades, in most cases. It was fun, for all that - I talked to some very old-school socialists about addiction, definitions of fascism, public transportation, architecture, technical versus technological, and made a few people laugh.

I should reach back out to the host and thank him for the invitation again.

tamaranth: me, in the sun (Default)
[personal profile] tamaranth
2025/203: The Sparrow — Mary Doria Russell
‘At the end of his description of the first contact, in a locked file, Father Yarbrough ... wrote of you, “I believe that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today I may have looked upon the face of a saint.”’
‘Stop it. Leave me something.’ [p. 298]

Audiobook reread on a lazy Boxing Day -- perhaps inspired by the excellent Jesuit priest in Snake-Eater. I first read this novel in 1997, when it was a submission for the Arthur C Clarke Award (which it won): some thoughts from an informal review back then. I hadn't reread since 2007, and was surprised at how much I remembered -- mostly about the humans, rather than the Runa and the Jana'ata.

The audiobook is splendidly narrated by David Colacci, who manages a huge range of character voices. Listening to the novel gave me a better appreciation of its structure: the pacing, the braided timelines, the suspense. Read more... )

kazzy_cee: (Default)
[personal profile] kazzy_cee
Yesterday we went to The National Gallery in London to see their exhibition Wright of Derby: From the Shadows.  It's a small exhibition, but included some lovely paintings.

Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797) specialised in paintings focusing on light and shadow, and included many which showed the scientific discoveries of the day.

Here he is: Self-portrait in a Black Feathered Hat (c. 1770). A beautiful pastel drawing on blue paper.
IMG_4751.jpeg

 More photos under the cut.
Read more... )

It was a small, but very interesting exhibition.

On the way back to Charing Cross we saw the 25m (82') Christmas tree donated by Norway in Trafalgar Square:
IMG_4803.jpeg


And we went on a slight detour into Covent garden where we passed this Lego display *g*
IMG_4802.jpeg

Happy New Year!

Jan. 1st, 2026 01:54 pm
profiterole_reads: (Sakura)
[personal profile] profiterole_reads
This is going to be another tough year. Remember, if you have the time and if you're able, volunteer locally!

For some fun times, there's a friending meme going on at the Heated Rivalry community. <3

Rabbit, rabbit.

Jan. 1st, 2026 12:00 am
edschweppe: Myself in a black suit and black bow tie (Default)
[personal profile] edschweppe
Rabbit, rabbit.

(In memory of Daphne Worth, aka [livejournal.com profile] trollcatz, whose habit it was to post thusly to open the New Year. Pay no attention to the fact that she was a fictional character.)

Happy new year

Jan. 1st, 2026 11:56 am
shadowhive: (5SOS Micheal Red)
[personal profile] shadowhive
Happy new year!

As promised (or threatened?) at the start of the last post about stranger things here’s a more general post.

The past week has been that weird time of year where everything is kinda strange so it’s been a time of mostly watching stuff. I’ll get to some of that later on though.

Tuesday was an unexpected trip, mums friend from the library (not who she’s with most of the time but she is sometimes) was heading to Home Bargains and asked if we wanted to go. I wasn’t too keen cause of momey and not wanting to go out in general but she mentioned she was feeling unsteady so I told mum it’s best we go just in case. We didn’t get much from there but I got chilli sauce I wanted to pick up and two more of the doorables things (one which had Fennec the other had Leia). On seeing that the guy at the til asked who my fav Star Wars character was and my mind instantly blanked 😭 I said R2 and Leia which is true but I could have said more if I had thought.

Going also meant I could pop in JYSK a store that sells furniture. I saw they had storage boxes for £2.50 and the measurements seemed like one would be good for record storage so I picked on up. When I got home it was the right size, the records fit nicely so that’ll be useful.

I found that my Xmas package from [personal profile] fleshdoll had arrived but it wasn’t here. After checking the other house with the same number, he sent me a pick of where it was and I managed to pick it up. And ahh! It was a plushie of Steve, a Stranger Things bitty pop (which was Dustin!) and a cool Stranger Things book that’s Walmart exclusive (it’s dnd focussed and includes stickers, cards and lil standees). It’s so cool and something I know I’d never see here. I’m gonna love looking through it properly when I have more focus!

Yesterday we went down to Sainsburys, it was mums idea cause of the party food ending last night. Alas as such most of it was gone (I hate that the tacos went so quick I love them so many) but I got some of the dim sum things reduced so it was essentially 3 for the price of 1. And at least I got my Lego magazines (and a lil set from Aldi). It also meant mum could see the new M and S (she didn’t think much of it cause of the layout) and at least I got sushi

We also went into tk and I got some books (myths and legends of Egypt, the dark forces of Tolkien) and some Cinamoroll stuff (a mug and socks, plus some lights) which was cute.

But ugh going meant I was so exhausted last night and it meant I just tuned out a bit. I did try and finish a fall guys event but failed cause damn getting ranked wins is hard (I needed 2 to get the last reward and only managed one, I didn’t realise it ended today until then or I’d have tried harder sooner)

And then the alcohol we have didn’t taste too great, made my head fuzzy and then activated my sadness which is still there now. Ugh.

***

But onto things watched.

Bullet point thoughts on shows
*The Good Ship Murder - was pretty good, I’m glad the series is back on in a few days
*Death In Paradise - was pretty good too. It was funny that so much of it was in the cold drab uk (poor Selwyn!) though that last scene made me happy
*Midsomer Murders - two pretty solid eps, I think the first was the one that worked best
*the Christmas lectures - I managed to see them all (roughly on time) and they were pretty fun. I do enjoy Maggie (and her hair was so pretty) but she did talk a lil fast at times (which might be an adhd thing since she mentioned having it at the end, which was a sweet moment)

Thee was also a thing on called Titanic Sinks Tonight. I’ve seen three of the eps so far and it’s so fascinating. It’s about the sinking (obviously) but from the perspectives and memories of survives (with some experts too) and it is both interesting and horrific. (I dunno what it is about the sinking that interests us so this long after.) So much is just galling. A communication about ice was completely ignored, there was no direct communication between the engine room to let the crew know a flood was happening (it took someone running through the ship to find out!), the captain didn’t inform key crew about the urgency of the situation, a nearby ship didn’t have the radio room manned so missed the sos’, third class passengers weren’t even told anything was happening and, of course, there’s the lifeboats which were famously not fully filled (again cause of poor communication and one guy taking women and children first to mean women and children only).

I’ve also watched a bunch of films, so same deal.
*Puss In Boots the last wish - I loved this, one of the best films I’ve seen over the holidays. (And not just cause of the hot wolf). I loved the lil dog and that it turned into a quest (I love a good quest) and kitty soft paws looks so much like Midna.
*A Wrinkle In Time - Not scene before but wanted to because of Stranger Things. For the most part it was pretty good, especially the Camazotz scenes
*Back To The Future - The trilogy was on tv and I’d not seen for awhile so decided to watch. It was pretty good, part II was my fav (though it’s so funny how advanced they thought we’d be in 2015). It was bold to make the third one a western (though that meant it didn’t quite land as well cause Im not a western fan.)

Also I finally watched Strange Harvest, I’d wanted to see it since seeing the trailer and it came to prime video as a paid download this month. It was half off in the sale so I picked it up and ahh I’m so glad I did. It’s played as true crime documentary with interviews from police, experts and family of victims of a serial killer. It works so well and I’m glad it was as good as I hoped it would be (perhaps better).

(I’m sure I missed a bunch of other stuff I watched, this year is always so busy with things)

Today is gonna be spent watching the traitors prom, then the traitors tonight and maybe watching something else but what depends on mood (if it’s still low I doubt I’ll watch the Stranger Things finale) and there’ll be another post for snowflake. I do wanna fic some (again depends on mood) and set up a quest calendar thing I got.

How Are You? (in Haiku)

Jan. 1st, 2026 07:19 am
jjhunter: Closeup of monarch butterfly (butterfly closeup)
[personal profile] jjhunter
Pick a thing or two that sums up how you're doing today, this week, in general, and tell me about it in the 5-7-5 syllables of a haiku.

=

Signal-boosting much appreciated!

Multifandom: Crack the WIP 2026

Jan. 1st, 2026 11:56 am
chacusha: An open empty notebook with a pencil and pair of glasses laid next to it. (stock2)
[personal profile] chacusha posting in [community profile] fandomcalendar
Crack the WIP Fest Banner
(Banner by [personal profile] ysilme)


Description: Crack the WIP is back this year! Crack the WIP is a multifandom fest for finishing your WIPs. If you need a deadline to help you finish something, this is the challenge for you! All fanwork media and all fandoms, ships, kinks, ratings, and lengths are welcome. Got a WIP you'd like to make a resolution to finish in the early-ish part of this year? Come join us!

Schedule: Works must be posted by June 30th. Sign-ups are open now and will remain open until the posting deadline.

Links: [community profile] crackthewip | Event rules and sign-up post

Meme: Quarterly Intentions (1/4)

Jan. 1st, 2026 06:47 am
jjhunter: silhouetted woman by winding black road; blank ink tinted with green-blue background (silhouetted JJ by winding road)
[personal profile] jjhunter
Here we are again, on the threshold of possibility. Happy Public Domain Day! May it be a Happy New Year!

Some years I make a practice of committing to quarterly intentions rather than new year's resolutions. I find it helps me lean into the rhythms specific to each season, and the shorter time frame lends itself to selecting more feasible goals that may yet build to larger ambitions.

In the comments, I encourage you to join me in sharing one or more intentions you have of any size for the first quarter of this year (January, February, March), and what you might do on a daily or weekly basis to nurture them. If you would like to do so privately, all anonymous comments on this post will remain screened unless you explicitly okay otherwise.

multifandom icons.

Jan. 1st, 2026 01:49 pm
wickedgame: Party Mode: On (Rio Vidal | Agatha All Along)
[personal profile] wickedgame posting in [community profile] iconic
Fandoms: 9-1-1: Lone Star, Black Lightning, Dynasty, Heated Rivalry, Mako Mermaids, Mr. Robot, Namib, Nancy Drew, Narcos, New Girl, Romil & Jugal, Skymed, Stranger Things, Supergirl

heatedrivalry-blocking1.png heatedrivalry-poster.png wat-strangerthings-3x05a.png
beanside: Papa Perpetua V from Ghost (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
As per tradition, I bring you the song from the movie Toys to ring in the new year.



On this first day of the new year, I'm starting it out sick. I feel like ass, and I'm coughing and generally miserable. This is not the way I want my year to start. I'm trying to baby it along in the hopes that I can play our five year Frostmaiden anniversary game, but it's not looking promising. I'm going to give it some time and copious amounts of tea, but we'll see.

I went ahead and cancelled our trip to Philly for the weekend. Even if we're mostly better by tomorrow, I don't feel like it would be a good idea to visit with our friends. I think we're better off just trying to take it easy here.

I have no idea what this virus is. It's testing negative on the flu/covid tests, so maybe RSV? Or just your standard cold, though that usually doesn't come with feeling achy and chills, which Jess has had. The whole family is down with it, lucky us.

Yesterday, I made it through work and spent the rest of the day pretending to be a potato. We took the dog out for a walk at 6, but aside from that, I did nothing. We were in bed long before the ball dropped, though I woke up coughing a few times, so I'm not especially well rested.

Today, I'm planning more making like a potato, and maybe a nap. I might watch the rest of Pacific Rim, and maybe listen to some good music. We'll see. Exciting plans I have there. If I'm physically capable, we'll have game.

Tomorrow is usually our busiest day of the year at work, so that'll be fun. Hopefully, I'm not coughing as much by then.

And now, I shall get to my plans. Everyone have an amazing New Year's Day!

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Adventures in Mamboland

"Jazz Fish, a saxophone playing wanderer, finds himself in Mamboland at a critical phase in his life." --Howie Green, on his book Jazz Fish Zen

Yeah. That sounds about right.

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