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Jan. 12th, 2026 06:04 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
apod_feed
This floating ring is the size of a galaxy.
apod_feedJust Thinking About Tomorrow Clears Away the Cobwebs and the Sorrow
Jan. 12th, 2026 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
austin_dernAnd now, I bring you --- believe it or not --- my last pictures from Plopsaland De Panne, in a race between the last hours of the day and the last bit of my camera battery charge, forcing me to take fewer and fewer shots. Which! Will! Win!
The Viking boat ride, and as you can see, several people shooting the water guns at people. You have to hand-crank the wheels on their sides to pump water through, which is how they make a game of it.
A small indoor area that we thought might be a gift shop; it's instead a bunch of kiddie rides and themed to that clown from the other day. And you can see a theater there, but we didn't see anything happening there.
We were delighted to find a tunnel-of-love style ride, Het Bos van Plop (Plop's Woods) an indoor boat ride through scenes. It was themed to Plop, a series about a gnome community that gave off Smurf vibes but more human-shaped.
Boat coming up, ready for us. The dark and steady movement mean pictures were really hard to get. There's a TV screen you can make out over there showing the safety spiel.
Part of entering the woods; there's a really nice decor of forest and miniature houses and, like, mouse-drawn sleighs and things like that.
A gnomic watermill that I imagine we'd know something about if we knew the show. There's a lot of figures here, many of them in steady motion.
And here's a delight, Plop's Woods's own amusement park, with a little Ferris wheel. There were other rides too and it made me think of the 'prehistoric amusement park' in the cave train ride at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Back to Heidi: the Ride for another ride. Here's a view of how much queue space they have and how much wood they put into making it.
And back for one more ride, this time going for a back-row seat.
You'd buy this as the workshop of a Swiss Mountain-Living-Uncle of the 19th century, right? Look at all that stuff that could otherwise have been on the walls of a Cracker Barrel.
And our last ride for the day, The Ride to Happiness. I was trying to get a video fo the welcome spiel and failed.
But I did photograph this sign, of an award given in English to the park, in Belgium, where the languages are French and Dutch.
Trivia: A visitor to New York City in 1719 lamented that the city had ``but one little Bookseller's Shop'', which is more than Maryland, Virginia, and North and South Carolina had. Source: The Bookstore: A History of the American Bookstore, Even Friss.
Currently Reading: A Call to Arms: Mobilizing America for World War II, Maury Klein.
Snowflake Challenge 02026 #6: The Top Ten
Jan. 11th, 2026 08:03 pmsilveradept![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
snowflake_challenge has sent up number 6 on the challenge list, and it's one of the ones I struggle more with than not, the recommendations-related one. Every challenge we try to make at least one rec post, and each year, we try to find a new way to make it fun for everyone. This year's attempt:
Challenge #6
Top 10 Challenge.
The category(ies) you choose are up to you. You can give top 10 Fics you read last year, the top 10 songs to create to, the to 10 guest stars on your favorite show, top 10 characters in your favorite book series, top 10... well, you get the idea.
Can't think of 10 of anything? That's okay, 10 is just an abstract. It's totally up to you.
This is one of those situations where being profoundly multifannish is a disadvantage, because a top ten list of anything may or may not make it to me. Or I might not get so deeply into a fandom to where there would be enough material for a top ten list. And while I read and enjoy the gifts that get sent my way in the various exchanges that I participate in, they don't necessarily cohere to any kind of top ten list of anything, either.
Eventually, a random idea will settle into my head, and I can go forward with it and see what might happen from there. So, here you are:
( 10 roles one person played during my formative years )
not quite a plot bunny, more like a plot "that would be interesting"...
Jan. 11th, 2026 09:57 pmlannamichaelsA Parent Trap AU where the twins (either set) don't end up at the same sleepaway camp, but then do some kind of DNA matching thing to try to find out about their missing parent/if they have siblings, and discover the whole situation, because their parents never came clean to them about it.
I can't figure out a plot, so maybe just a brief drabble or something?
Either set of twins would be interesting for this; with the original set, it would add a lot because they'd possibly be grandparents by that point, so this could be something their kids suggest, as a "oh, now there's this way you might be able to find out more" (of course, for the twin raised by the father, there is definitely the "this is the name on the mother on the birth certificate", although in the remake IIRC she does know her mother's name?), and then discover that there's a sibling, and meeting the sibling and realizing it has to be a twin, and trying to figure out, at this late date, the mystery of what the fuck happened.
Or with the remake twins, the parents are likely still around, and so there could be a lot of either demanding answers, or some kind of "whoops, it's the other twin who comes for Christmas".
snopes_feedThe claim surfaced following U.S. President Donald Trump's military intervention in Venezuela.
Girls With Slingshots - GWS Hair of the Dog #815
Jan. 11th, 2026 10:00 pmgirlswithslingshots_feed
New comic!
Today's News:
Admittedly I don't remember much (aside from cute photos) of Tila Tequila, but apparently she was a pretty big deal? MOST POPULAR PERSON on MySpace?! Come ON.
That said, if you don't remember her, you're not alone.
Here's the original post! Here's the chaser post!
At this point, if I've fooled you three times... you know what they say. Here's the actual chaser post!
lol jk here's the chaser post.
Snowflake (days 5-6) and Taskmaster NYT
Jan. 11th, 2026 07:43 pmhamsterwoman
Challenge #5: In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts.
-
fandomtrees reveals got pushed to Jan 17 because there are still some trees (16 as of this posting) that don’t have the minimum amount of gifts (at least 2) necessary for reveals. So, any fills for the needy trees listed here (real-time updates at the Google spreadsheet). Most of the fandoms I don’t know anything about (but hopefully some of you do!), but of the ones I do, there’s a request for the Raven Cycle, Discworld, and some Original Work requests, and a niche rec request. - My tree does have the minimum number of gifts, so is not holding up the fest opening, but does list all kinds of things I want (fandoms: Chronicles of Amber, Discworld, Dragaera, Rivers of London, Taskmaster, Terra Ignota, Vorkosigan Saga, and critter art).
( More specific requests for Dragaera, Taskmaster, Elis&John fandoms and crossovers/fusions )
- I included this in last year’s Snowflake wishlist and it worked really well, so doing it again: I'm planning on Doing the Hugo Awards (and hopefully Worldcon) this year, and have just recently come to the realization that if I'm going to nominate some short fiction, I should actually, like, read some that was published in 2025. So, looking for recs for "Hugo-worthy" SFF short stories and novelettes published in 2025 that are ideally accessible online. Authors who tend to semi-reliably work for me in short form are Sarah Pinsker, Kelly Link, and Naomi Kritzer, to give some sense of what I like. And also happy for any recs for published-in-2025 novellas, Related Works, and dramatic presentation short form things (<90 min) that are standalone (i.e. not episodes of a serial show, but either a short(ish) film or part of an anthology show but standalone), and Astounding-eligible authors to check out.
Challenge #6: Top 10 Challenge. The category(ies) you choose are up to you. You can give top 10 Fics you read last year, the top 10 songs to create to, the to 10 guest stars on your favorite show, top 10 characters in your favorite book series, top 10... well, you get the idea.
After some consideration, I’m going to do my Top 10 Dragons :) I’m currently reading a book with dragons (To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, which I’m enjoying a lot), whose dragons are, so far, somewhat different than I’d been expecting, and that’s been making me think about various other fictional dragons I’ve known and loved and the universes they come from, so I figured I’d make a list of my favorites.
They can be dragons that can assume human form, or even spend most of their time in said human form, but they can’t be just humans who are for some reason called Dragons (i.e. no Sarkan from Uprooted or the Dragaeran Dragonlords). Moreover, I tried to keep it to one dragon per canon. So here we go!
( Top 10 dragons )
What about YOUR favorite dragons? Introduce me / sway me over to any I might've missed, or squee with me about my favorites :)
*
I think I was actually low-key avoiding the Taskmaster New Year Treat because I subconsciously resented it for being 2 episodes when I wanted CoC to be 2 episodes, lol. But I have watched it now, and it was fun!
Part 1 – Ooh, I knew one of the contestants (Rose) was deaf, but it was still jarring to see her interpreter sitting there next to Alex. Alex’s banter (OBE/oboe) and the several layers of bad joke was pretty fun. ( More, with spoilers )
My midpoint impressions are that I do enjoy Susie, but in exactly the same way I enjoyed her on Catsdown, so the “revelations” are Sam and Rose, who are both extremely adorable cuties whose cheeks I want to pinch. I’m very meh on the others – Jill’s doing well, but is a bit deadpan for me, and also I’m not a fan of how she brings up football all the time – like, I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything about her outside of her football career (in stark contrast to David James, who mentioned some footballers or travels associated with playing football, but talked about things like painting and just came across as a delightful massive weirdo – IDK, goalkeepers are different, I guess, was the consensus at the time). Apparently even the cat costume, which I did find cute, is a football reference, to her local football team, which someone on Reddit said she said in the studio taping. And Big Zuu is just kind of there… It sounds like he’s a charming person to work with, from all the podcasts, but as a viewer I have not been charmed.
Anyway, I don’t mind spending another episode with these guys!
Part 2 – Greg made me laugh out loud with his Alex intro: ( More, with spoilers )
And of course there was also the Series 21 cast reveal. ( Spoilers? )
I still have some Taskmaster stuff to catch up on – Acaster’s ultimate episode, the next installment of Taskmastermind, and some outtakes. But meanwhile ( WILTY has returned and is being a lot of fun )
Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 6: Top Ten (and then some) Challenge
Jan. 11th, 2026 09:19 pmalthea_valara
Challenge #6
Top 10 Challenge. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.
Well, I wrote a love letter to Final Fantasy for Challenge 3; it seems only fitting that I'd make a list of favorite music from the games, because it really was the music that first enraptured me and keeps me interested. So here are my favorite songs, one from each game, with some runner up songs because I can't just choose one, lol. Also, these are my favorites TODAY. Ask me tomorrow and it'll probably change.
(I have no idea if Dreamwidth will allow so many YouTube embeds; I guess we find out!)
( Seventeen Favorite Songs from the Final Fantasy Franchise )
Scoville.
Jan. 11th, 2026 09:31 pmhannahSome months ago, in an attempt to clear some congestion, I started adding ghost pepper flakes to my morning eggs. A few weeks ago, in an attempt to punch up the spice, I started adding a crushed up chile de árbol or two. Now I'm finding the issue with a meal's heat isn't the spiciness, but the temperature when it's served right from the stove.
I've now realized I don't have much of a context for what constitutes spiciness anymore. I can tell when there's some heat, I can tell when there's a fair amount of heat, and I'm going to have to keep looking for ways to get the kinds of lovely warm, playful sensations from good restaurants into my own kitchen. But not until I work through more of this bottle of ghost pepper flakes, because I've only got so much room in my apartment - which I suppose is all the more reason to try the Calabrian chili oil I bought on impulse a little while ago.
I've now realized I don't have much of a context for what constitutes spiciness anymore. I can tell when there's some heat, I can tell when there's a fair amount of heat, and I'm going to have to keep looking for ways to get the kinds of lovely warm, playful sensations from good restaurants into my own kitchen. But not until I work through more of this bottle of ghost pepper flakes, because I've only got so much room in my apartment - which I suppose is all the more reason to try the Calabrian chili oil I bought on impulse a little while ago.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Jan. 11th, 2026 09:59 pmtroisoiseauxRead The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin, because I've been trying to catch up on my neglected sci-fi classics; it was a fascinating read. This book is famously interesting for the way it plays with gender, being set in an "ambisexual" world (essentially, everyone can, theoretically, physically both bear and beget children) narrated mostly by a character from Earth(?) who grapples with this societal genderlessness by referring to everyone as a "man" and using he/him pronouns— which I found threw me off more than, say, the universal she/her in Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch series?— but I was just really struck overall by the way that Le Guin uses language to fling the reader headfirst into this alien world: she uses made-up words for recognizable concepts, and recognizable English words as signifiers for world-specific/made-up concepts, and you've just sort of got to puzzle it out as you go. I was also surprised to discover that the one plot point I'd known about going in - ( ... ) - actually takes up less of the novel, and occurs later in it, than I had expected.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Four Fic Prezzies received! (three Guardian, one Ancient Detective)
Jan. 11th, 2026 08:24 pmamedia posting in c_entI have received five lovely gift fics of one kind or another over the past few months, and four of them were based on C-dramas or C-novels! One Guardian drama, two Guardian novel, and one Ancient Detective!
help me to carry the fire, it will light our way forever by Acoyotewhowanders (1173 words) is a lovely Guardian (drama) fic that coyote wrote for me as a surprise Christmas present! It is soft and sweet with gentle humor arising naturally from the characters and their interactions, and features ChuGuo moving toward becoming ChuGuoYeHuo. ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 💚 ❤️
The Best Laid Plans of Ye Xiaoxiao by Corvidology (1097 words) is part of corvidology's "12 Days of Christmas" ficlet giftwriting. I requested a rarepair (Ye Xiaoxiao/Hei Wu) from the c-drama Ancient Detective, and then forgot that I had done so ... so it came as a lovely, lovely surprise! It captures distinctive character notes for each of them, and has a beautiful ending. 💙 💜 💗 💜 💙
Zhen Hun Bibliomancy Tanka by Ride_Forever (110 words) is part of Ride's More Joy Day celebration. A fascinating, elliptical, enigmatic poem based on Guardian, Vol. I by Priest, and it's a gift for ME!!! Captures both the darkness and the humorous tone of the novel, IMHO. Includes implied Weilan and a whole verse for Da Qing. ✨ 💖 ✨ 💖 ✨
He who loves the light by Hyde_DualDomination (2,343 words), the latest in the series "The face beneath the mask," in which Lin Jing and Gui Mian from the Guardian novelverse gradually craft a relationship together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fic in the series, especially the interweaving of Buddhist philosophy with the characters' self-discoveries and relationship progress, and Hyde wrote more for me, yay!!! 💖💖💖
help me to carry the fire, it will light our way forever by Acoyotewhowanders (1173 words) is a lovely Guardian (drama) fic that coyote wrote for me as a surprise Christmas present! It is soft and sweet with gentle humor arising naturally from the characters and their interactions, and features ChuGuo moving toward becoming ChuGuoYeHuo. ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 💚 ❤️
The Best Laid Plans of Ye Xiaoxiao by Corvidology (1097 words) is part of corvidology's "12 Days of Christmas" ficlet giftwriting. I requested a rarepair (Ye Xiaoxiao/Hei Wu) from the c-drama Ancient Detective, and then forgot that I had done so ... so it came as a lovely, lovely surprise! It captures distinctive character notes for each of them, and has a beautiful ending. 💙 💜 💗 💜 💙
Zhen Hun Bibliomancy Tanka by Ride_Forever (110 words) is part of Ride's More Joy Day celebration. A fascinating, elliptical, enigmatic poem based on Guardian, Vol. I by Priest, and it's a gift for ME!!! Captures both the darkness and the humorous tone of the novel, IMHO. Includes implied Weilan and a whole verse for Da Qing. ✨ 💖 ✨ 💖 ✨
He who loves the light by Hyde_DualDomination (2,343 words), the latest in the series "The face beneath the mask," in which Lin Jing and Gui Mian from the Guardian novelverse gradually craft a relationship together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fic in the series, especially the interweaving of Buddhist philosophy with the characters' self-discoveries and relationship progress, and Hyde wrote more for me, yay!!! 💖💖💖
Three Fic Prezzies received! (all Guardian)
Jan. 11th, 2026 08:16 pmamedia posting in sid_guardianI have received five lovely gift fics of one kind or another over the past few months, and three of them were Guardian! One from the drama and two from the novel!
help me to carry the fire, it will light our way forever by Acoyotewhowanders (1173 words) is a lovely Guardian (drama) fic that coyote wrote for me as a surprise Christmas present! It is soft and sweet with gentle humor arising naturally from the characters and their interactions, and features ChuGuo moving toward becoming ChuGuoYeHuo. ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 💚 ❤️
Zhen Hun Bibliomancy Tanka by Ride_Forever (110 words) is part of Ride's More Joy Day celebration. A fascinating, elliptical, enigmatic poem based on Guardian, Vol. I by Priest, and it's a gift for ME!!! Captures both the darkness and the humorous tone of the novel, IMHO. Includes implied Weilan and a whole verse for Da Qing. ✨ 💖 ✨ 💖 ✨
He who loves the light by Hyde_DualDomination (2,343 words), the latest in the series "The face beneath the mask," in which Lin Jing and Gui Mian from the Guardian novelverse gradually craft a relationship together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fic in the series, especially the interweaving of Buddhist philosophy with the characters' self-discoveries and relationship progress, and Hyde wrote more for me, yay!!! 💖💖💖
help me to carry the fire, it will light our way forever by Acoyotewhowanders (1173 words) is a lovely Guardian (drama) fic that coyote wrote for me as a surprise Christmas present! It is soft and sweet with gentle humor arising naturally from the characters and their interactions, and features ChuGuo moving toward becoming ChuGuoYeHuo. ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 💚 ❤️
Zhen Hun Bibliomancy Tanka by Ride_Forever (110 words) is part of Ride's More Joy Day celebration. A fascinating, elliptical, enigmatic poem based on Guardian, Vol. I by Priest, and it's a gift for ME!!! Captures both the darkness and the humorous tone of the novel, IMHO. Includes implied Weilan and a whole verse for Da Qing. ✨ 💖 ✨ 💖 ✨
He who loves the light by Hyde_DualDomination (2,343 words), the latest in the series "The face beneath the mask," in which Lin Jing and Gui Mian from the Guardian novelverse gradually craft a relationship together. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fic in the series, especially the interweaving of Buddhist philosophy with the characters' self-discoveries and relationship progress, and Hyde wrote more for me, yay!!! 💖💖💖
current and recent stitching
Jan. 11th, 2026 06:14 pmthistleingreyThe Sundial scarf-shawl of oddments has been bound off. The request in black yarn plods along.
The same thing is wrong with the 2022/23 cabled cardigan that I left sleeveless and the 2018 cabled vest: for me, they need a few additional short rows near the top of the shoulder on the front panels, with a corresponding decrease to armhole depth. The upper back could probably use a few short rows as well, but the front lower hem is awkwardly too short even after wearing and tugging.
That isn't a pinch-and-pin modification for any garment I've worn so far (contrary to helpful sewing-analogue advice), but I think it is the right mod. Even storebought shirts and jackets marketed to AMAB men in vaguely me-compatible sizes lack a bit of needed garment distance near the yoke, left to right---indeed, 1) always between neck and shoulder along the top, and between sternum and armpit in front, and 2) sometimes across the back of the neck---as well as front to back, along where one's hand goes to give oneself a quick shoulder-rub. Those garments are a little to a great deal too large from mid-armhole to lower hem, but they're often dramatically too bulky in armhole and too shoulder-constrained at once.
My mother has brought me a random skein of fingering-weight yarn, a "handspun" singles in dark brown, not dyed. It has sat for a few weeks in a bag in the freezer, in case. What to do with 125 g of random jank? I'm not a yarn-collector, and my hands can't make socks at the moment. Best match is probably a straightforward end-to-end accessory, such as Lille Kolding, since 125 g isn't enough for a hood-scarf. (Warm hats don't fit my head well, and on some days it's been mid-30s F = 1-2 C when I walk tiny housemate.)
Alas, based on others' project notes, 125 g of unknown total length can't become the main/background color for a Sundial tee. Though Wool and Pine designs are a bit raw (I changed every "finishing" detail for the Sundial scarf), their design sense is good, and the modularity of this tee lets me see how to rewrite the upper yoke. I'm not cool enough to rewrite complex or well designed patterns; two garment WIPs from Yamagara and the cabled BT cardigan that hurts my hands to knit have been sitting for months while I ponder construction and drape.
Weaving with a backstrap and rigid heddle and weaving on an inkle loom with string heddles feel to me like almost opposite activities. Inkle loom users who chat about it online often prefer cotton; backstrap weavers use whichever materials they'd like. The string heddles I made for my first inkle-loom attempt are of #20 crochet cotton, and they don't stick to anything---but the sock yarn I've used as warp snagged a bit every time I changed sheds, and I ended the attempt early. Thicker string (or a rigid heddle, which enforces slightly more space between warp threads) might've helped.
The same thing is wrong with the 2022/23 cabled cardigan that I left sleeveless and the 2018 cabled vest: for me, they need a few additional short rows near the top of the shoulder on the front panels, with a corresponding decrease to armhole depth. The upper back could probably use a few short rows as well, but the front lower hem is awkwardly too short even after wearing and tugging.
That isn't a pinch-and-pin modification for any garment I've worn so far (contrary to helpful sewing-analogue advice), but I think it is the right mod. Even storebought shirts and jackets marketed to AMAB men in vaguely me-compatible sizes lack a bit of needed garment distance near the yoke, left to right---indeed, 1) always between neck and shoulder along the top, and between sternum and armpit in front, and 2) sometimes across the back of the neck---as well as front to back, along where one's hand goes to give oneself a quick shoulder-rub. Those garments are a little to a great deal too large from mid-armhole to lower hem, but they're often dramatically too bulky in armhole and too shoulder-constrained at once.
My mother has brought me a random skein of fingering-weight yarn, a "handspun" singles in dark brown, not dyed. It has sat for a few weeks in a bag in the freezer, in case. What to do with 125 g of random jank? I'm not a yarn-collector, and my hands can't make socks at the moment. Best match is probably a straightforward end-to-end accessory, such as Lille Kolding, since 125 g isn't enough for a hood-scarf. (Warm hats don't fit my head well, and on some days it's been mid-30s F = 1-2 C when I walk tiny housemate.)
Alas, based on others' project notes, 125 g of unknown total length can't become the main/background color for a Sundial tee. Though Wool and Pine designs are a bit raw (I changed every "finishing" detail for the Sundial scarf), their design sense is good, and the modularity of this tee lets me see how to rewrite the upper yoke. I'm not cool enough to rewrite complex or well designed patterns; two garment WIPs from Yamagara and the cabled BT cardigan that hurts my hands to knit have been sitting for months while I ponder construction and drape.
Weaving with a backstrap and rigid heddle and weaving on an inkle loom with string heddles feel to me like almost opposite activities. Inkle loom users who chat about it online often prefer cotton; backstrap weavers use whichever materials they'd like. The string heddles I made for my first inkle-loom attempt are of #20 crochet cotton, and they don't stick to anything---but the sock yarn I've used as warp snagged a bit every time I changed sheds, and I ended the attempt early. Thicker string (or a rigid heddle, which enforces slightly more space between warp threads) might've helped.
More Snowflake
Jan. 11th, 2026 09:04 pmauthor_by_night Challenge #6
Top 10 Challenge. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.
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.
9. I don't want to spoil anyone for Heated Rivalry, so I'll just say I love how the third episode dealt with an extremely complicated situation. Lani Diane Rich once said that a great love story is when a conversation can't fix a problem, and that episode was an example.
10. There are two scenes where Ilya opens up in different ways - again, wording this carefully so as not to spoil. I love both of them.
Also, "Canadian Wolf Bird" will forever live in my head rent free.
Top 10 Challenge. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.
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.
Let's see.. how about Ten Takes?
1. From what I remember of The Hunger Games, I never understood people saying there was a "love triangle". It seemed clear to me that Katniss was never into Gale, and she only played into the concept of love triangle because of the reality TV show District 13 had them doing.
2. Given everything that was supposed to happen to Inara, I'm actually kind of relieved there was only one season of Firefly. Kind of. There's a good chance the network never would've allowed half of it anyway.
3. I'm kind of surprised there don't seem to be many former Firefly fans in the Our Flag Means Death fandom, from what I can tell. I think they're actually quite similar. (Even the second season of OFMD being darker mirrored Serenity being darker than the original show. Funny how that worked.)
4. Buffy: I wish that Willow's descent had actually focused more on her going to drastic extremes to fight the good fight, as well as her trauma, rather than "magic as a drug metaphor". The fact that Willow originally became a witch to honor Jenny Calendar is huge, and that's what I think they could've worked with.
5. I don't like either Spike or Angel for Buffy. Sorry! I kind of wish she'd ended up with Faith. I saw chemistry between them when I watched S3 for the first time, without any exposure to Fuffy whatsoever. (Which is interesting, because I was spoiled for practically everything except Faith.)
6. I have a headcanon - which I may eventually turn into a fic - that Cordy, Fred and Tara banded together and are kicking ass in an alternate dimension. Maybe a parallel version of Willow is also there.
7. I think Kevin Can Fuck Himself is woefully underrated, and if it had received half the recognition it deserved, it would've sparked a lot of interesting conversation.
8. I think David and Patrick from Schitt's Creek are one of the best couples on television. No pun intended re: "the best". Also, I see a bit of myself in David (I just told a friend I'm David Rose in a Ted Mullens costume), so I appreciate seeing him finding love and friendship, even if he is basically the inside of a roasted marshmallow.
9. But as much as I love David and Patrick, I think Alexis deserves more love in the fandom. She changes so much over the course of the show.
1. From what I remember of The Hunger Games, I never understood people saying there was a "love triangle". It seemed clear to me that Katniss was never into Gale, and she only played into the concept of love triangle because of the reality TV show District 13 had them doing.
2. Given everything that was supposed to happen to Inara, I'm actually kind of relieved there was only one season of Firefly. Kind of. There's a good chance the network never would've allowed half of it anyway.
3. I'm kind of surprised there don't seem to be many former Firefly fans in the Our Flag Means Death fandom, from what I can tell. I think they're actually quite similar. (Even the second season of OFMD being darker mirrored Serenity being darker than the original show. Funny how that worked.)
4. Buffy: I wish that Willow's descent had actually focused more on her going to drastic extremes to fight the good fight, as well as her trauma, rather than "magic as a drug metaphor". The fact that Willow originally became a witch to honor Jenny Calendar is huge, and that's what I think they could've worked with.
5. I don't like either Spike or Angel for Buffy. Sorry! I kind of wish she'd ended up with Faith. I saw chemistry between them when I watched S3 for the first time, without any exposure to Fuffy whatsoever. (Which is interesting, because I was spoiled for practically everything except Faith.)
6. I have a headcanon - which I may eventually turn into a fic - that Cordy, Fred and Tara banded together and are kicking ass in an alternate dimension. Maybe a parallel version of Willow is also there.
7. I think Kevin Can Fuck Himself is woefully underrated, and if it had received half the recognition it deserved, it would've sparked a lot of interesting conversation.
8. I think David and Patrick from Schitt's Creek are one of the best couples on television. No pun intended re: "the best". Also, I see a bit of myself in David (I just told a friend I'm David Rose in a Ted Mullens costume), so I appreciate seeing him finding love and friendship, even if he is basically the inside of a roasted marshmallow.
9. But as much as I love David and Patrick, I think Alexis deserves more love in the fandom. She changes so much over the course of the show.
9. I don't want to spoil anyone for Heated Rivalry, so I'll just say I love how the third episode dealt with an extremely complicated situation. Lani Diane Rich once said that a great love story is when a conversation can't fix a problem, and that episode was an example.
10. There are two scenes where Ilya opens up in different ways - again, wording this carefully so as not to spoil. I love both of them.
Also, "Canadian Wolf Bird" will forever live in my head rent free.
Dept. of Mice
Jan. 11th, 2026 04:06 pmkaffy_rNow and Forever?
I certainly hope not. And yet, when I got up this morning and started to clean the kitchen, I found mouse droppings. Yay. We figure we have to pull out the stove's lower drawer to access the floor and the wall behind it, since we're pretty sure the mice are getting into our place from the outside somewhere in that area.
I'd bet Bob that we'll find no baseboards behind the stove, but it's too obviously a bad bet. We're going to keep an eye on the kitchen counters near the stove for a day or so to see how bold the little buggers are. If it's little to no action, then we'll wait. But if we spot their leavings, then it's time to do the inspection. Which, of course, I'm not looking forward to, especially since we can't really use the foam barrier spray near the stove. Oven heat could end up releasing toxic or potentially toxic fumes, and so we're going to have to buy a whole lot more steel wool. It's going to be a mess.
*wanders away, grumbling*
I certainly hope not. And yet, when I got up this morning and started to clean the kitchen, I found mouse droppings. Yay. We figure we have to pull out the stove's lower drawer to access the floor and the wall behind it, since we're pretty sure the mice are getting into our place from the outside somewhere in that area.
I'd bet Bob that we'll find no baseboards behind the stove, but it's too obviously a bad bet. We're going to keep an eye on the kitchen counters near the stove for a day or so to see how bold the little buggers are. If it's little to no action, then we'll wait. But if we spot their leavings, then it's time to do the inspection. Which, of course, I'm not looking forward to, especially since we can't really use the foam barrier spray near the stove. Oven heat could end up releasing toxic or potentially toxic fumes, and so we're going to have to buy a whole lot more steel wool. It's going to be a mess.
*wanders away, grumbling*
Daily Happiness
Jan. 11th, 2026 05:37 pmtorachan1. We went to the Indian market today and got lunch there as well, as they also have a small restaurant (cafeteria style). Everything was so tasty!
2. I contacted someone about making an appointment for a tattoo! I figured now that I know what I want, I want to get it done sooner rather than later, so it's fully healed by the time we take our trip in April.
3. Carla got a new suitcase backpack. It's about the size of a backpack, but opens like a suitcase. I think all the cats tried it out yesterday, except maybe Molly.
2. I contacted someone about making an appointment for a tattoo! I figured now that I know what I want, I want to get it done sooner rather than later, so it's fully healed by the time we take our trip in April.
3. Carla got a new suitcase backpack. It's about the size of a backpack, but opens like a suitcase. I think all the cats tried it out yesterday, except maybe Molly.
Gentleman of the Shade
Jan. 11th, 2026 08:29 pmmoon_custaferFinally posted a new (short) chapter! https://archiveofourown.org/works/55953232/chapters/202134506