two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

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.

So, I'm in the UK, and last week two of the UK soap operas did a big crossover episode, with viewers getting the chance to vote for one particular scene to be included. So this has inspired me to think, which characters in my favourite fandoms would I want to have a scene together? Here are my top 10 crossover combinations. (If I've ever tackled these, which I have for some of them, I'm also linking the fic.

1: Rumple (Once Upon a Time) and Rowena Macleod (Supernatural)

Because ever since I first saw Rowena, I thought she and Rumple would have a lot of chemistry if they ever met and she is his true soulmate (Belle who?)

2: Mikkel Nielsen (Dark) and Jacob Landry (The Way Home)

Two characters who have found themselves trapped years in the past, they totally need to set up their own support group.

3: Daniel Faraday (Lost) and Walter Bishop (Fringe)

I might have put these two brilliant scientific minds together anyway, but when I made the connection that the psychiatric ward Walter was on happened to be in the same town where Daniel was living before he was recruited to the freighter, what could have made more sense than them having met at St Claire's?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039238

4: Olivia Dunham (Fringe) and Kate Austen (Lost)

Kate killed her abusive "stepfather" after finding out he was her biological father. Olivia shot hers, but he escaped. If Kate crossed Olivia's path, could Olivia bring herself to turn her in?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44889379

5. Jack Shephard (Lost) and Boyd Stevens (From)

Two leaders, two men determined to fix things, these two have had similar struggles. (And the trope of Jack mistaking Boyd for Michael could also have potential.)

6. Jack Shephard (Lost) and August Booth (Once Upon a Time)

This one started out for a crossover exchange where August summoned Jack, a friend he made travelling in Phuket, to try and help break the curse. As I was writing it, I realised these two could bond over trying to meet the expectations of their fathers. (And hey, someone had to fix Stranger in a Strange Land, right?)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/685943

7. Charlie Pace (Lost) and John Mitchell (Being Human UK)

Both have gone through cold turkey, both have been the subject of a death prophecy. They need to bond.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1250551

8. Lottie Matthews (Yellowjackets) and John Locke (Lost)

Both feeling a connection with the wilderness/jungle, both not wanting to leave - these two have common ground.

9. Dani Acosta (From) and Ana Lucia Cortez (Lost)

Both police officers who make rash decisions in the moment, both end up isolated in the community following an incident of shooting an innocent party believing them to be a villain. Acosta IS Ana Lucia 2:0.

10: Bobby Singer (Supernatural) and Donna Raines (From)

Before becoming trapped in the town, Donna was supposedly on a hunting trip. Ever since seeing some joking somewhere online that it was in fact demon hunting, I've kind of liked the idea of putting her with Bobby.

lannamichaels

Title: Caryatid.
Author:

lannamichaels
Fandom: Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
Series: Part 2 of Pillar Of The Community
Rating: G
Archives: Archive Of Our Own, SquidgeWorld

Summary: "How did you know?" Jud asks Blanc.

( Coda )

ysabetwordsmith

Christmas Cookie Inflation Index, 2025 Update

Cheaper sugar came at the cost of lower wages, fewer choices, and a community with less say over its own economic life. That tradeoff may not show up in national statistics, but it shows up clearly in places like mine.

In my locale, we lost JoAnn Fabrics, as everywhere did, making it much harder to do things like make your own if a needed item wasn't for sale commercially. We lost Big Lots, as most places did, which was the biggest and most diverse bargain store. We gained Michael's, which sells less craft supplies than JoAnn at much higher prices; Beal's and Five Below, which sell less bargain goods than Big Lots at similar prices. Two nearby towns got Ollie's, which is a big and excellent bargain store, but farther away and not quite the same stock as Big Lots. So yes, the economy is quietly collapsing toward a simpler state. That makes it much harder for people to adapt to pressures, because it's harder to find supplies -- especially things like fabric that aren't well suited to shopping online. :/

Current Mood: busy

minoanmiss

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lannamichaels

After spending large parts of December getting behind and catching up and getting behind and catching up... I finished Zevachim two days early. The power of bamos! ;) On to Menachos!

My notes behind cut.

We're also about a year and a half out from the end of this cycle, which means I have already gotten one gentle "hey, do you know where you'll be on June 7, 2027"-type email from an org. No, I do not think this is too early, actually. Gotta make plans. Deeply hoping I can avoid being involved in organizing the in person thing here, but I have a suspicion that if I'm not involved, it may end up as unwelcoming as the women's siyum hashas I went to at the end of the last cycle. (I do trust a couple of the people likely to attend it, but I don't know who is going to be organizing anything here. So I may need to try to get involved against my will.) It wasn't actually that bad overall -- aside from how it's still, y'know, memorable 6 years removed from it -- but I am quite frankly more willing to get into an airplane and fly to a different city than go through that again. (okay more realistically if it ends up organized by a group I do not trust at all, I'd zoom in to a larger event and be done with it)

( Read more... )

ribirdnerd posting in

birdfeeding

I have only seen a few House Sparrows and Mourning Doves today.

The weekend was busy with Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, WB Nuthatches and Woodpeckers between rain storms. With our recent warm up, everything in muddy.

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is partly sunny and chilly.

I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/12/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/12/26 -- We finished a hardware project.

EDIT 1/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

Pretty sunset tonight, pink and peach and lavender. :D

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Current Mood: busy

twistedchick

( if you want cheerful, go elsewhere )

js_thrill

Today we have Song for Cleomenes

Watch on YouTube

This song sort of illustrates what I meant when I said that the minimalism and talking-then-singing can come together for a good effect. Were I doing this in like weekly batches instead of daily, I would have just compared these two tracks directly, instead of saying some stuff about how it didn't work so well two days ago, gesturing at sort of very different things going on in Tom Waits and Bright Eyes, and then, two days later, pointing to this as an example of what I meant. And it's off the same EP as the other one, so it isn't some later evolution; it's just a hit, rather than a miss.

The other thing that is going on here is appreciating Darnielle's fascination with Classics. The annotations mention that he wrote this while taking classes in English and Classical Studies, and apart from autobiographical themes, faith and travel, I think his affection for history and classics is probably one of the other things that comes through most clearly in his work.

Two other brief reflections at this juncture: 1) I find it increasingly odd that Darnielle suggested the book could be tackled in any order. It is, so far, very much a chronological memoir of the development of the writing style and approach to the Mountain Goats, and while the entries don't explicitly reference each other, the material is clearly building up over time. 2) Every time I load up a youtube video to listen to the song for that day, the comments have people referencing the "book club" of all the folks who are likewise going through the book day by day and reading each entry as prescribed by the dates associated in the book, but none of them are really discussing the book or its contents with each other (even if their comments do engage with material from the book). They are not really a book club in the sense of conversing about the book, even if there is a "club" relating to the book that they could all be said to belong to.

Current Music: Song for Cleomenes — The Mountain Goats

ysabetwordsmith posting in

crowdfunding

We've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! If you have ideas, comment under the theme call post in my blog.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

We've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! These are a few that I've jotted down earlier, ones that I've thought up or people have suggested, to give you an idea what kind of stuff might be suitable:

* Activism and Collective Action
* Arts and Crafts
* Doomsday
* Escape
* Festivals and Faires
* Give Me a Reason
* Immigrants and Refugees
* Magical Girls
* Mermaids
* Peacework
* People of Color
* Plants and Flowers
* QUILTBAG
* Unicorns
* Unique Titles
* Veterans
* Whump
* Worldbuilding

What other themes would you like to see me write about? What would you like to buy? Suggest them in a comment below this post.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

jacey

Audiobook narrated by Jessie Van Hove

Both the title and the cover make this sound like fantasy, but it's firmly science fiction. There are youngsters escaped from a super-soldier, DNA altering US government experiment, and aliens invading Earth, but not - it seems - in all out warfare. It was a bit vague as to what the aliens were doing and why, but an alien prince is attacked by members of his own squad and saved by a trio of super-soldier escapees, who are heading out of town to keep away from their own scientists (who are trying to recapture them), and ro ride out the alien invasion. There's a kind of three-way love story going on and the aliens seem more decent than the humans, so I'm not sure where this series is heading. The main characters are reasonably well-drawn but the others are two dimensional. The narration is quite good except for one of the character voices which is too stretched out and drawly. If these super-soldier kids were grown in a lab and educated altogether why to they have different accents? Why does once sound as though he's from the deep south?

madbaker

This week's Resolution Recipe: Veg Breakfast Burritos.
"This is truly the most satisfying meal prep breakfast to make for a grab-and-go meal that truly ticks all the boxes!"
( mixed... yes on grab-and-go, 'some' on 'most satisfying' and 'ticks all the boxes' )

Current Mood: cold

jacey

Audiobook narrated ny Kat Riley and Ash Beverly

Lainie Eaves returns to Hideaway Cove after the death of her grandparents. She’s inherited the family house, but, being human, she knows nothing about shifters, which is a bit unfortunate as it turns out. She needs to see what's left of her inheritance, a crumbling house and a missing fortune in jewels. She doesn't know the cove and doesn't know that it's a sanctuary for shifters, having been sent away when it became obvious that she was 100% human. Then she meets Harrison Galway, a carpenter/builder when in human form - and also a griffin shifter. The premise is that shifters instantly recognise their one true mate - and Harrison sees Lanie and 'knows'. The rest plays out as you might expect with a spiteful member of the shifter community trying to eject Lanie from the town. These Hideaway Cove books guarantee a happy ending so I needn't outline the plot. It's lightweight, and at 4 hours 49 minutes, is a quick listen. The readers make a decent job of it.

olivermoss

Sens could easily have a large chunk of the fastest growing demographic in hockey fall in their lap. Just, a giant pile of money fall in their laps, and they are working hard to make sure it doesn't happen.

The Sens, on top of everything else, signed a famous homophobe this morning. As a goalie, even!

( Spoilers for, uh, the synopsis of the upcoming Heated Rivalry sequel )

princessofgeeks

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Current Mood: full

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/01/hockey-romance-erotic-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164998

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

RECOMMENDED: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi is $1.99! This was mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet. This was Shana’s favorite read of 2022!

A New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.

Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.

It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio, and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.

She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the dangerous thrill Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits. This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Game Misconduct

Game Misconduct by Ari Baran is $1.99! This is a m/m hockey romance with an age difference. We also mentioned it on a previous Hide Your Wallet! I know this is prime catnip for some of you! This is book one in a series and book two is also on sale.

Two bitter rivals go head-to-head in this age-gap, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance.

Michael Sato is used to fighting.

An undersized defenseman, Mike had to be tough, clawing his way up from the minors by taking down one ferocious player at a time. No way is he going to lose his spot on the league roster, especially not by giving in to his attraction to a hot, infuriating rival.

Daniel Garcia is used to fighting, too.

Enforcer Danny is the biggest, meanest player on the ice. A target for anyone trying to make a name for themselves, he doesn’t show weakness, nor is he going to risk his last seasons for a sexy rookie who nearly knocked him on his ass.

When their intense physical connection explodes outside of the rink, Mike and Danny learn they just might be able to build something real, but only if they can let down their guard—and their fists—long enough.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Master

The Master by Kresley Cole is $1.99! I’m a huge Cole fan, but didn’t love this dark mafia erotic romance series. I gave this one a D.

A need colder than Siberian winter meets an attitude hotter than the Florida sun in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s sultry new Game Maker novel.

Everyone fears the Master…

Rich, irresistible politician/Mafiya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his…complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.

Except her.

Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.

If pleasure is a game, play to win.

After their mind-blowing encounter burns out of control, the lovers crave more. If they escape the deadly threats surrounding them, can Maksim overcome his past—to offer Cat his future? Only then will she tempt him with what he really wants: her, all tied up with a bow.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Too Scot to Handle

Too Scot to Handle by Grace Burrowes is $1.99! This is book two in the Windham series, though I’m sure it can be read as a standalone. Granted I’m not a big historical romance reader, but I’ve always found Burrowes’ romances to be not as spicy as I’d like them.

A MAN WITH MANY TALENTS

As a captain in the army, Colin MacHugh led men, fixed what was broken, and fought hard. Now that he’s a titled gentleman, he’s still fighting-this time to keep his bachelorhood safe from all the marriage-minded debutantes. Then he meets the intriguing Miss Anwen Windham, whose demure nature masks a bonfire waiting to roar to life. When she asks for his help to raise money for the local orphanage, he’s happy to oblige.

Anwen is amazed at how quickly Lord Colin takes in hand a pack of rambunctious orphan boys. Amazed at how he actually listens to her ideas. Amazed at the thrill she gets from the rumble of his Scottish burr and the heat of his touch. But not everyone enjoys the success of an upstart. And Colin has enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin him and anybody he holds dear.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/01/hockey-romance-erotic-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=164998

bookscorpion posting in

common_nature

I buy primroses and pots full of bulbs as soon as they are available, it does so much for my mood to have them where I can see them from the couch. I have daffodils, grape hyacinths, a couple of different hyacinths and these netted irises.

Current Mood: chill
Current Music: Baldur's Gate 3 soundtrack

earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by Michala Garrison

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-threatens-rare-forests-in-argentina/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1190417

Two thick plumes of gray wildfire smoke spread from Patagonia's forested, snow-capped mountains in the middle of the scene into Argentina's brown, drier plains to the right.

January 8, 2026

Summer is usually peak tourism season in Argentina’s Chubut province, a time when hikers and sightseers arrive to explore glacial lakes and cirques, alpine valleys, and towering forests. In January 2026, however, some visitors to the remote Patagonian region instead found themselves fleeing raging wildland fires.

On January 8, 2026, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of smoke billowing from two large fires burning in and around Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. NASA satellites began detecting widespread fire activity in the area on January 6.

The more southerly blaze was spreading east on ridges between Lago Rivadavia, Lago Futalaufquen, and Lago Menéndez; the more northerly fire was burning on steep hillsides around Lago Epuyén. All of the lakes occupy U-shaped glacial troughs, valleys with unusually flat bases and steep sides carved by glacial and periglacial erosion. Satellite-based estimates from the Global Wildfire Information System indicate that fires charred more than 175 square kilometers (67 square miles) across Patagonia between January 5 and 8.

The ridges are blanketed with temperate Patagonian Andean forest, including sections of Valdivian rainforest, with rare stands of alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides). A type of cypress, these huge, slow-growing conifers are the second-longest-lived trees on Earth, with some surviving for more than 3,600 years. According to UNESCO documents, Los Alerces National Park protects 36 percent of Argentina’s alerce forests, including stands with the greatest genetic variability on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The park’s forests also contain exclusive genetic variants and the oldest individuals in the country.

News outlets and the national park reported challenging weather conditions for firefighters on the ground, who faced high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds in recent days. Standardized Precipitation Index data from the National Integrated Drought Information System show that unusually dry conditions over the past several months have likely primed vegetation to burn. News outlets reported that at least 3,000 tourists had to be evacuated from a lake resort near Lago Epuyén.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

References & Resources

Argentina (2026) Parque Nacional Los Alerces. Accessed January 9, 2026.
Buenos Aires Herald (2026, January 8) Wildfires in Patagonia: 3,000 tourists evacuated as flames consume Chubut forests. Accessed January 9, 2026.
El Destape (2026, January 5) “Situación explosiva o extremadamente crítica”: alerta por posibles incendios en casi toda la Argentina en el verano. Accessed January 9, 2026.
France24 (2026, January 7) 3,000 tourists evacuated as Argentine Patagonia battles wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
LM Neuquén (2026, January 8) Incendios forestales: los lugares habilitados para el turismo en la cordillera. Accessed January 9, 2026.
NASA Earthdata (2026) Wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
Noticias Ambientales (2026, January 8) Alert for fires in Chubut: nearly 2000 hectares devastated, 3000 evacuated, and the fire doesn’t stop. Accessed January 9, 2026.
ReliefWeb (2026, January 8) Argentina – Wildfires. Accessed January 9, 2026.
UNESCO (2017) Los Alerces National Park. Accessed January 9, 2026.

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The post Fire Threatens Rare Forests in Argentina appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fire-threatens-rare-forests-in-argentina/

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Tucker McKinnon

Words are inadequate

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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Indeed do many things come to pass

Others

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Game Misconduct

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Master

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Too Scot to Handle

You can find ordering info for this book here.

References & Resources

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January 8, 2026

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Adventures in Mamboland

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