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Jan. 11th, 2026 12:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waterswordStill not dead but also still sick, so that's great. At this point I'm constantly congested and constantly exhausted. Bodies were a mistake.
vignettes
Jan. 11th, 2026 12:23 pmmarycatelliThis week's prompt is:
motionless ⛰️
Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.
motionless ⛰️
Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.
Pass It On 6
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:45 amnarnialover7 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
iconthat
https://i.postimg.cc/FHzFLLSW/pass_it_on_12.png
Dawson Knox & Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills Football Player)
Next Picture:
Weekly proof of life: media, if nothing else
Jan. 11th, 2026 12:35 pmumadoshiWhat I Just Finished Reading: A novella and two novels since the last time I posted about books, I think: Automatic Noodle (Annalee Newitz), about sentient robots winding up running their own restaurant; Stone Yard Devotional (Charlotte Wood), a very-much-~literary~ book about a woman who winds up living with a group of nuns, although not a nun herself; and The Lovely and the Lost (Jennifer Lynn Barnes), about a search-and-rescue case from the POV of one of a trio of teenagers who're involved with the rescue effort, who was herself rescued from the woods as a child after she'd been there long enough to go feral and was (largely) resocialized and adopted by her rescuer. Many layers of family history and secrets in that last one, which was my favorite of the three.
(And since I've mentioned a couple of YA books recently where their flavor of YA really didn't work for me, I should say that The Lovely and the Lost is also very clearly YA but in a way I could work with just fine as a reader, despite being very much not the target audience.)
On the nonfiction side, I read The Crone Zone: How to Get Older with Style, Nerve, and a Little Bit of Magic (Nina Bargiel), which was...mostly odd, honestly. It's from the same publisher (and I guess the same...product line?) as Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck, which I read last year, and the presentation and vibe were really (I mean really) similar in a way that might've made more sense to me if they were also by the same author, but they're not. The Crone Zone's subtitle does accurately reflect its contents, so I feel weird saying "it's such a weird blend of exactly what it says it is", but...yeah. Not my thing.
What I'm Currently Reading: Chuck Wendig's Wanderers, which I chose at random from my ebooks and probably would not have started had I actually known anything about it. It's a 2019 novel that starts with a mysterious phenomenon where people just start...walking...somewhere, but also spotlights (*checks notes*) a world-changing disease, AI, and right-wing violence tearing at the seams of the US, all of which are being amply provided by reality. It's also pretty hefty, length-wise. And yet I keep reading.
I've also begun reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Robin Wall Kimmerer), as the starting point for my 2026 goal* of "aim to read at least one chapter of nonfiction each week" (swiped from a friend else-net). (Another goal is to aim to read a volume of manga each week, and that one hasn't been started in on yet, but we'll see how strict I feel like being about "each week".)
*I have a full bingo card of goals! I will probably share it at some point! But not this minute.
What I Plan to Read Next: K.B. Spangler's newest Rachel Peng novel, Inside Threat is out/about to come out! (It was supposed to come out this week, but Amazon dropped it early, so she's also released it on her website.)
Plus: What I've Been Watching:scruloose and I are two episodes into Pluribus! I also recently watched Challengers. (A movie? So soon in the year?) Hopefully we'll get the premiere of The Pitt season 2 watched today.
(And since I've mentioned a couple of YA books recently where their flavor of YA really didn't work for me, I should say that The Lovely and the Lost is also very clearly YA but in a way I could work with just fine as a reader, despite being very much not the target audience.)
On the nonfiction side, I read The Crone Zone: How to Get Older with Style, Nerve, and a Little Bit of Magic (Nina Bargiel), which was...mostly odd, honestly. It's from the same publisher (and I guess the same...product line?) as Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck, which I read last year, and the presentation and vibe were really (I mean really) similar in a way that might've made more sense to me if they were also by the same author, but they're not. The Crone Zone's subtitle does accurately reflect its contents, so I feel weird saying "it's such a weird blend of exactly what it says it is", but...yeah. Not my thing.
What I'm Currently Reading: Chuck Wendig's Wanderers, which I chose at random from my ebooks and probably would not have started had I actually known anything about it. It's a 2019 novel that starts with a mysterious phenomenon where people just start...walking...somewhere, but also spotlights (*checks notes*) a world-changing disease, AI, and right-wing violence tearing at the seams of the US, all of which are being amply provided by reality. It's also pretty hefty, length-wise. And yet I keep reading.
I've also begun reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Robin Wall Kimmerer), as the starting point for my 2026 goal* of "aim to read at least one chapter of nonfiction each week" (swiped from a friend else-net). (Another goal is to aim to read a volume of manga each week, and that one hasn't been started in on yet, but we'll see how strict I feel like being about "each week".)
*I have a full bingo card of goals! I will probably share it at some point! But not this minute.
What I Plan to Read Next: K.B. Spangler's newest Rachel Peng novel, Inside Threat is out/about to come out! (It was supposed to come out this week, but Amazon dropped it early, so she's also released it on her website.)
Plus: What I've Been Watching:
scruloose and I are two episodes into Pluribus! I also recently watched Challengers. (A movie? So soon in the year?) Hopefully we'll get the premiere of The Pitt season 2 watched today.
2026.01.11
Jan. 11th, 2026 10:22 amlsandersonUS protests condemn ICE killing of Renee Good and ‘a regime that is willing to kill its own citizens’
In Philadelphia, protesters demanded ICE leave US communities and Trump end warmongering in Venezuela
Lex McMenamin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/protests-ice-renee-nicole-good-philadelphia
U.S. Reps. Omar, Morrison and Craig denied access to immigration detention facility at Fort Snelling
The three House Democrats were briefly allowed into the Fort Snelling holding facility on Saturday, then told they did not have the right to access it.
by Shubhanjana Das
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/omar-morrison-craig-denied-access-detention-facility/ ( Read more... )
In Philadelphia, protesters demanded ICE leave US communities and Trump end warmongering in Venezuela
Lex McMenamin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/protests-ice-renee-nicole-good-philadelphia
U.S. Reps. Omar, Morrison and Craig denied access to immigration detention facility at Fort Snelling
The three House Democrats were briefly allowed into the Fort Snelling holding facility on Saturday, then told they did not have the right to access it.
by Shubhanjana Das
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/omar-morrison-craig-denied-access-detention-facility/ ( Read more... )
Done Since 2026-01-04
Jan. 11th, 2026 04:02 pmmdlbearNot a great week. Many things to worry about. Spent a lot of time curled up on the couch wrapped in a fuzzy green blanket. On the other hand, I started the week by watching Flow, which I've had on my to-be-watched shelf ever since it arrived in July. (I'd pre-ordered the DVD in March, as a slightly-belated birthday present to myself.) Highly recommended. Sunday also has links to a couple of "making of" videos on YT. Note that it was made using the open-source 3-D animation program Blender. And I had a really good cancer support group session Wednesday evening.
On the gripping hand, Renee Good.
Breakfast this morning: Raisin Bread French Toast (for one person; scalable):
- I started with two raisin bread buns, sliced vertically into about five 1cm slices. Use what you have.
- Beat one egg with a little milk.
- Pour the egg mix into a flat-bottomed bowl.
- Melt a pat of butter in a non-stick skillet (cast iron counts).
- Using a pair of tongs, dip a slice of bread in the egg mix, quickly flip it over to coat the other side, and transfer it to the skillet. Repeat as needed.
- Use tongs to flip the toast to the other side and to transfer it to your plate when both sides are done
- Add maple syrup, butter, raspberry jam, et. al. (I just used maple syrup this morning.)
Linkies: Pecorino Romano Recall Now Class I Over Listeria Grated Romano numerous brands, including Boar's Head, which was distributed throughout 20 U.S. states. "Dream Cat." Or how “Flow” reached the Oscars -- more under the cut on Sunday.
Book help, please!
Jan. 11th, 2026 02:11 pmravurianI made the grave precedent-setting mistake of buying the first of 5 nieces and nephews turning 10 this year ten books for his birthday, and now, now I have to do the same for the rest of them, jaysus. Insofar as I'd thought about it at all, I'd perhaps thought I could just buy the same set 4 more times, but it turns out that I have bought a lot of books for these kids and their older siblings over the years, and also, you know, that kids of 10 have individual personalities (??) and tastes (??) and don't all like the same things (??), and also that I have no idea about kids books published in the last 10-15 years. So: help? Let's assume that I've already covered the Tiffany Aching books, the Chrestomanci books, the Borrowers, Dark is Rising, the Snow Spider trilogy, the Hounds of the Morrigan, the Green Knowe books, Howl's Moving Castle &c, the Chronicles of Prydain, etc, and things like Westall's The Machine Gunners and Serraillier's The Silver Sword.
I am specifically looking for books a 10-year-old girl whose reading tastes run to things like Diary of a Wimpy kid might like. I've found the Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell, and someone the other day recommended
Dracula & Daughters by Emma Carroll, but: HELP please. I am a fossil. I know only old books!
I am specifically looking for books a 10-year-old girl whose reading tastes run to things like Diary of a Wimpy kid might like. I've found the Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell, and someone the other day recommended
Dracula & Daughters by Emma Carroll, but: HELP please. I am a fossil. I know only old books!
Yuletide 2025
Jan. 11th, 2026 01:18 pmravenHere's a bit of admin I didn't manage to do while I was away. For yuletide this year, I got the following story from ryfkah:
More A Comment Than A Question (2285 words) by ryfkah
Fandom: The Day Before the Revolution - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Characters: Laia Asieo Odo, Sadik (The Dispossessed)
I was caught right in the maelstrom of the day 1 de-anonning - as in, had opened the tab with the author's name on it and then went back to the laptop every few minutes for an hour to look at the recipe in the next tab - and learned later that I had been an unwitting part of a greater scheme of deception! But honestly I was thrilled at the news Becca was writing me regardless, she is the best and this story is wonderful: does such a good job at catching on to the themes of the original, and does this via a funny little time travel scenario that fits brilliantly into the original. I highly recommend it.
I wrote the following stories:
Flowering (4850 words) by raven
Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Relationships: Cat Chant & Christopher Chant
Characters: Cat Chant, Christopher Chant, Millie Chant
Additional Tags: Coming of Age, Queer Themes
Summary:
My assigned story, and a couple of people can attest how much I hated it, hated writing it, and how much I wanted to burn it to the ground. I'm in a phase right now where writing fiction is just beyond my ken. It's too hard and it makes my soul ache. But I had been on a podcast, Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, on an episode about The Lives of Christopher Chant, so I thought I was feeling Chrestomanci sufficiently much to write it. I was not and I could not. But then I missed the deadline for no-fault default, and felt masochistic enough to continue somehow. I eventually resolved to orphan the story once yuletide was over - I have not done this. Quite a lot of people liked it and I'm grateful to them for saying so! But I learned my lesson here about giving up when I'm ahead.
promises made to be broken, made to last (1988 words) by raven
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Relationships: Ruth Calder/Alison McIntosh
Characters: Ruth Calder, Alison McIntosh
Additional Tags: New Year's Eve, Romance, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft
Summary:
Here's one that was different! I've seen some of this show, I've been to the islands, but hadn't been particularly inspired to write for it. But thenwalkthegale was having a bad time just before Christmas, and I'd been promising her something for nearly a year, and, and. On the morning of 24 December I texted her lovely wife with a neverending slew of canon questions and scribbled and scribbled. I got this written finally an hour before the deadline and it was all worth it because C loved her gift and guessed it was me even before the de-anon. I was really pleased this whole thing came off.
ashes, ashes (2099 words) by raven
Fandom: The Incandescent - Emily Tesh
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sapphire “Saffy” Walden/Laura Kenning
Characters: Sapphire “Saffy” Walden, Laura Kenning
Additional Tags: Aftermath, Recovery, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
I don't know that I have much to say about this one! I wrote it a few months ago, before the creative void, so it was nice to have a story in the archive that I definitely liked that wasn't written in a mad hurry. The recipient didn't show up, but we can't have everything.
ryfkah:More A Comment Than A Question (2285 words) by ryfkah
Fandom: The Day Before the Revolution - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Characters: Laia Asieo Odo, Sadik (The Dispossessed)
Odo!
“I’m Laia.” If the voice wanted her father, she thought, crossly, it could go and get him; why was it bothering her?
Oh. The voice sounded startled. You’re too small. I got it wrong. Then, hopefully: Do you have any thoughts yet about anarchism and the necessity of constant revolution?
I was caught right in the maelstrom of the day 1 de-anonning - as in, had opened the tab with the author's name on it and then went back to the laptop every few minutes for an hour to look at the recipe in the next tab - and learned later that I had been an unwitting part of a greater scheme of deception! But honestly I was thrilled at the news Becca was writing me regardless, she is the best and this story is wonderful: does such a good job at catching on to the themes of the original, and does this via a funny little time travel scenario that fits brilliantly into the original. I highly recommend it.
I wrote the following stories:
Flowering (4850 words) by raven
Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Relationships: Cat Chant & Christopher Chant
Characters: Cat Chant, Christopher Chant, Millie Chant
Additional Tags: Coming of Age, Queer Themes
Summary:
“Keep the home fires burning, Cat, will you,” Chrestomanci says lazily, and Millie blows Cat a kiss before the portal shuts.
My assigned story, and a couple of people can attest how much I hated it, hated writing it, and how much I wanted to burn it to the ground. I'm in a phase right now where writing fiction is just beyond my ken. It's too hard and it makes my soul ache. But I had been on a podcast, Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, on an episode about The Lives of Christopher Chant, so I thought I was feeling Chrestomanci sufficiently much to write it. I was not and I could not. But then I missed the deadline for no-fault default, and felt masochistic enough to continue somehow. I eventually resolved to orphan the story once yuletide was over - I have not done this. Quite a lot of people liked it and I'm grateful to them for saying so! But I learned my lesson here about giving up when I'm ahead.
promises made to be broken, made to last (1988 words) by raven
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Relationships: Ruth Calder/Alison McIntosh
Characters: Ruth Calder, Alison McIntosh
Additional Tags: New Year's Eve, Romance, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft
Summary:
Ruth's not much of a witch, not really. Kneeling beside a corpse on the year’s turn is something any woman can do.
Here's one that was different! I've seen some of this show, I've been to the islands, but hadn't been particularly inspired to write for it. But then
walkthegale was having a bad time just before Christmas, and I'd been promising her something for nearly a year, and, and. On the morning of 24 December I texted her lovely wife with a neverending slew of canon questions and scribbled and scribbled. I got this written finally an hour before the deadline and it was all worth it because C loved her gift and guessed it was me even before the de-anon. I was really pleased this whole thing came off.ashes, ashes (2099 words) by raven
Fandom: The Incandescent - Emily Tesh
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sapphire “Saffy” Walden/Laura Kenning
Characters: Sapphire “Saffy” Walden, Laura Kenning
Additional Tags: Aftermath, Recovery, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
It was time to go, and Laura said, “Saffy, you could come with me”—and Saffy said maybe, and it meant something but neither of them knew yet what.
I don't know that I have much to say about this one! I wrote it a few months ago, before the creative void, so it was nice to have a story in the archive that I definitely liked that wasn't written in a mad hurry. The recipient didn't show up, but we can't have everything.
Snowflake #4: A Rec!
Jan. 11th, 2026 07:55 amtassosssChallenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
A Rec! This is my favorite long Shetland TV fic that I read in 2025. I could read a hundred fics like this.
Wait along (48545 words) by aurorlaura
Chapters: 17/17
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez
Characters: Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter, Alison McIntosh, Sandy Wilson, Rhona Kelly, Original Characters, Billy McCabe, Alan Killick, Original Dog Character(s), Cassie Perez, James Perez, Mary Perez, Isobel Tulloch, Donnie Tulloch
Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Scotland, Case Fic, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Pre-Season/Series 06
Summary:
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
A Rec! This is my favorite long Shetland TV fic that I read in 2025. I could read a hundred fics like this.
Wait along (48545 words) by aurorlaura
Chapters: 17/17
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez
Characters: Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter, Alison McIntosh, Sandy Wilson, Rhona Kelly, Original Characters, Billy McCabe, Alan Killick, Original Dog Character(s), Cassie Perez, James Perez, Mary Perez, Isobel Tulloch, Donnie Tulloch
Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Scotland, Case Fic, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Pre-Season/Series 06
Summary:
Jimmy Perez investigates a series of homophobic attacks while sorting out his and Duncan's co-existence. Various original characters pass through including a hound and some otters. There's some light day hiking, Lerwick Tesco, hints at alcohol problems, a bit of Alice Brooks, visits to Fair Isle and to The Lounge, and the return to Shetland of both Cassie and her half brother. Sandy's let off and Rhona's a hero. Tosh is dependable.
Why I liked it: Its one of the few longer Jimmy/Duncan fics, and it's well written, and hits the getting together while solving a case beats like a pro. It captures what I love about the characters from the show, Jimmy and Duncan's friendship, and lets it turn into something more without letting either of them drift out of characters. It's just a great story all around.5 things is a post
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:28 amtozka1. All my apps are popping up "consent to let us sell your data for marketing" things, including ones I'm pretty sure never did when I was in the US. It pisses me off that they didn't do that in the US, actually, because I always select "no" and if they're not popping up, does that mean they auto opted me in? UGH.
Related, I'm seeing a few "content not available in your region" things for Imgur-hosted images, which is weird because WHY can't I see a fandom event graphic in the UK??
2. My search results are pushing UK-related sites up higher which is kinda fun. I searched for some historical facts (about canned goods) and had to keep specifying "USA" because it was showing me things from historical UK instead. Kind of brings home how much our experiences online are segmented and directed by invisible algorithms.
3. I've gone up to 3 cups of tea a day (and 1 cup of coffee) and am kind of concerned my teeth are going to be brown by the time I get back to the US in the summer...
4. The local Co-Op had a super special on bananas, one bunch for a mere 35p! I'm going to freeze them and use them for porridge and whatever.
5. Doing quite a lot of TV watching this week (mostly middling documentaries, tbh) and I've added a lot of things to my watchlist, as the owner has BBC and ITV and 5 as well as Netflix. She also lent me a huge stack of books I want to read, and I have some sightseeing things I want to do before I leave. So I'll be very occupied for the next two months!
Related, I'm seeing a few "content not available in your region" things for Imgur-hosted images, which is weird because WHY can't I see a fandom event graphic in the UK??
2. My search results are pushing UK-related sites up higher which is kinda fun. I searched for some historical facts (about canned goods) and had to keep specifying "USA" because it was showing me things from historical UK instead. Kind of brings home how much our experiences online are segmented and directed by invisible algorithms.
3. I've gone up to 3 cups of tea a day (and 1 cup of coffee) and am kind of concerned my teeth are going to be brown by the time I get back to the US in the summer...
4. The local Co-Op had a super special on bananas, one bunch for a mere 35p! I'm going to freeze them and use them for porridge and whatever.
5. Doing quite a lot of TV watching this week (mostly middling documentaries, tbh) and I've added a lot of things to my watchlist, as the owner has BBC and ITV and 5 as well as Netflix. She also lent me a huge stack of books I want to read, and I have some sightseeing things I want to do before I leave. So I'll be very occupied for the next two months!
A rare fine day
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:09 amheleninwalesWhat with the snow and then Storm Goretti we hadn't been for a walk together all week. But yesterday we did one of our favourite forest walks in the Coed y Brenin, the one that starts in the village car park. The weather was cold, but otherwise good for walking. There were clumps of snow beside some of the tracks where the sun hadn't been able to reach to melt it, but the tracks themselves were free of ice.
The only photos of G I can ever take are a back view in the middle distance.
Sometimes the sun even came out! The forest was surprisingly busy considering the time of year. Perhaps people had had the same idea as us, namely to grab the chance before the next batch of bad weather rolled in? There are a couple of cyclists and a walker or two in the distance.
( More here... )
It was a good walk and I needed the exercise after being pretty sedentary over the Christmas period. I don't know when we'll get out again. Today is drier than forecast, but very windy. I don't like going out in high winds. There's too much danger from flying chunks of tree, falling branches and slates blown off roofs if I'm walking in town. I will have to venture out at some point because I need to post our daughter's birthday card. She's currently in Tenerife celebrating her birthday a little early. It's a special one this year as she's 50. How on earth can I be old enough to have a 50-year-old daughter?!
The only photos of G I can ever take are a back view in the middle distance.
Sometimes the sun even came out! The forest was surprisingly busy considering the time of year. Perhaps people had had the same idea as us, namely to grab the chance before the next batch of bad weather rolled in? There are a couple of cyclists and a walker or two in the distance.
( More here... )
It was a good walk and I needed the exercise after being pretty sedentary over the Christmas period. I don't know when we'll get out again. Today is drier than forecast, but very windy. I don't like going out in high winds. There's too much danger from flying chunks of tree, falling branches and slates blown off roofs if I'm walking in town. I will have to venture out at some point because I need to post our daughter's birthday card. She's currently in Tenerife celebrating her birthday a little early. It's a special one this year as she's 50. How on earth can I be old enough to have a 50-year-old daughter?!
