Seasonal things, mostly

Oct. 29th, 2025 03:27 pm
umadoshi: (autumn orange candles (icons_by_mea))
[personal profile] umadoshi
I keep forgetting to share this link snagged from Bluesky a week or so ago: "Starbucks didn’t invent them. But it’s possible that Tori Amos or a Midwest grandma did".

The leaves are well and truly coming down now. There are still plenty on some trees--browning and crumpling--but the ground is drifted with them. (One of the downsides of having the outdoor spaces around the condo handled by a company: the leaves will probably all get gathered/raked/blown, rather than being left for winter habitat for critters. >.<)

We've had a few spots of rain in the last week or so, although nothing really major...and now we have a special weather statement for rain and strong winds on Hallowe'en. The timing. Possibly it'll clear up (or at least ease up) enough that trick or treating won't be miserable. (There are local social media reports of seeing parents demanding that Hallowe'en be rescheduled, but most people I actually know are cheerfully reminiscing about snowsuits and raincoats always being part of their costumes as kids.)

Our approach for the last couple years, at least, has been to simply leave out a bowl of treats and check on/refill it periodically, which will be much more feasible if the wind isn't threatening to simply blow it away. :/ (This year I was annoyingly sensible and said we should make sure to get treat offerings that I actively don't want, because blood sugar, etc. So we've done that.)

emotional support dyeing?

Oct. 29th, 2025 10:43 am
yhlee: Alto clef and whole note (middle C). (Default)
[personal profile] yhlee
hand-dyed handspun yarn

A test batch to see how the colors come out. Next I start measuring out and doing this more systematically.

Three-ply handspun wool yarn.

Write Every Day: Day 29

Oct. 29th, 2025 05:28 pm
china_shop: New Zealand painting of flax (NZ flax)
[personal profile] china_shop
"…if you have a fear of failure, you’re never going to learn how to cook. Cooking is one failure after another. That’s how you learn. You’ve got to have what the French call ‘Je m’en foutisme’, or ‘I don’t care what happens.’ The sky can fall, and omelettes can go all over the stove… If you’re not going to be ready to fail, you’re not going to learn."

– Julia Child

My day 29: I added 558 words to a WIP. And then the sun was out, so I went for a walk along a shared pedestrian/mountain biking trail through the trees. (Posting this a bit earlier because my sister's coming over for Fringe tonight. :-)

The tally
Tally )

Day 27: [personal profile] alightbuthappypen, [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] brithistorian, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] cmk418, [personal profile] cornerofmadness, [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] trobadora

Day 28: [personal profile] alightbuthappypen, [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] trobadora

When you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.

One more possible birthday gift

Oct. 28th, 2025 04:40 pm
rachelmanija: (Books: old)
[personal profile] rachelmanija
If by any chance you read my book Traitor, the final book in The Change series, a review anywhere would be fantastic. It doesn't have to be positive or appear literally on my birthday.

Sherwood and I managed to release it on possibly the second-worst date we could have, which was October 2024. (The worst would have been November 2024). So a little belated publicity would be nice. I'd be happy to provide a review copy if you'd like.

Fic title meme

Oct. 29th, 2025 12:21 am
trobadora: (mightier)
[personal profile] trobadora
From all around my flist, last seen at [personal profile] facethestrange's:

How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'A' and 'T'.

I picked my favourite title for each letter, not necessarily my favourite fic:

A - Absent Heart (But My Body is Here)
B - A Bitter, Better Truth
C - A Cruelty of Harpies
D - Darkness Spilled Before Our Bed
E - Echoes Woven Into Light
F - Farshalah'kiah for the Modern Orion Woman
G - Glass on the Ground
H - Hindsight From the Dinner Table
I - In This Fading Hour
J - none
K - Kreisverkehr
L - Listen (it's late, it's late, but listen)
M - Make Answer to the Clock
N - Not To Be Repeated
O - Out of the Water
P - Pull/Recoil
Q - Quiet Bower
R - R'lyeh Is Not an Empty House
S - Summer's Turns
T - A Thread as Red as Blood
U - (un)forced, (un)happy
V - Volcano Day
W - Why Should You Linger
X - none
Y - none
Z - Zone F: Fandom Primer

You can tell I have a preference for a certain style of title, LOL!

The most represented fandom here is, unsurprisingly, Guardian (with 6 titles); second is Griimm with 3. My most-written fandom (Doctor Who) only has 2 on this list; either my title preferences have changed or Guardian inspires me for better titles. *g*

And the missing X and Y are probably not surprising, but I didn't expect J! I guess I'll have to do something about that at some point ... *g*
trobadora: (Ya Qing)
[personal profile] trobadora
I just realised I never posted this here - written for [personal profile] gavilan in this year's [community profile] guardian_wishlist:

scale to feather, skin to skin (997 words)
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Ya Qing/Zhu Hong, Zhu Hong & Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Zhu Hong, Ya Qing
Content tags: Yashou transformation, non-human sex, Post-Canon, Post-Fix-It, Enemies to Lovers, background implied Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan

Summary: Ya Qing, half-transformed, had feathers down the side and back of her neck. They covered her shoulders and arms, curving along the sides of her bare breasts.

And Now For Some Light Relief

Oct. 28th, 2025 09:45 pm
glinda: run for your life! (silliness)
[personal profile] glinda
Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

I pinched this one from [personal profile] thisbluespirit (though I've seen it since all across the f-list) and started from my most recent fic and worked backwards snagging the first instance of each letter.

A - Another Day, Another Disaster (Good Omens, Aziraphale & Crowley, Adam & The Them)
B - Between Stimulation and Reaction (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Parker/Alex Hardison, Eliot Spencer/Sophie Deveraux, Eliot Spencer/Others)
C - Cola, Bleach and Other Dangerous Chemicals (Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn, Cassie Cain, Joker)
D - Done Deal (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Parker/Alec Hardison)
E - Eilean a 'Cheo (Rivers of London, Beverley Brook/Peter Grant, Abdul Haqq Walid, OCs)
F - Four Meals (Good Omens, Aziraphale/Crowley)
G - Gold Standard(The Thing in the Tunnels Wants Rather More) (The Thing In The Walls Wants Your Spare Change, Caro, Aly, Dragons)
H - Hiding in Plain Sight (Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau)
I - If Wishes Were Spaceships (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel/Hera)
J - Joined By The Westering Wind (Pacific Rim, Rayleigh/Mako)
K - Knives Out of Context (Leverage, Parker/Alec Hardison)
L - Like the Arms of the Ocean (Birds of Prey, Cassandra Cain & Harleen Quinzel)
M - Midnight Special (Leverage, Eliot Spencer/Mr Quinn)
N - No Happy Ending (Forest 404, Pan/Daria)
O - Of Salt and Candles (Good Omens, Aziraphale & Crowley)
P - Practical Arrangements and Practical Jokes (Ghostbusters, Jillian Holtzman/Abby Yates)
Q -
R - Robots Need Hugs Too (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel, Hera, Alana Maxwell)
S - Someone You Couldn't Lose (Ocean's Eight, Daphne Kluger/Debbie Ocean/Lou Miller)
T - Taking The Shine Off The Stars (The Mummy, Ardeth Bay/Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell)
U - The Universe Is Drifting Apart (Ghostbusters, Jillian Holtzmann/Patty Tolan)
V - A Voice From The Stars (Wolf 359, Doug Eiffel, Hera, Mr Cutter)
W - Weapon of Choice (James Bond Movies, Bond/M, Bond/Q, Bond & Moneypenny)
X -
Y - You Wear It Well (Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau)
Z -

23/26 from 200 fics on AO3. Unsurprisingly no Q, X or Z - I did wonder if I might have a Q somewhere, but if I do it must be a drabble or comment fic that never got archived. I thought it was going to be a much worse turn out as after a strong start there was a lot of repetition in first letters but my Wolf 359 fic did me a solid with I, R and V after nearly two pages of nothing but Cs, Ls, Ms, Ss and Ts it felt like.

October recs: 4x Vorkosigan AUs

Oct. 28th, 2025 05:30 pm
schneefink: River walking among trees, from "Safe" (Default)
[personal profile] schneefink
Canon divergence AUs are my favorite genre of Vorkosigan Saga fics, here are some I enjoyed a lot.

3 series with additional children and 1 isekai )
runpunkrun: Dana Scully reading Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space' in the style of a poster you'd find in your school library, text: Read. (reading)
[personal profile] runpunkrun
It's 1993 and Kimberly Keiko Cameron (aka "Skim" because she's not [idk, the reference doesn't really land for me—like skim milk? so, not skinny? not white?]) is sixteen and goes to an all girls school in Canada. She's learning to practice Wicca, has a cast on her dominant arm, a crush on her drama teacher, and doesn't seem to like her best friend very much.

Ah, teen angst. Rendered here in a flat, sketchy greyscale with a lot of attention to faces and hair, which makes the main characters easy to identify, especially as the smooth, delicate rendering of Skim's face evokes ukiyo-e, a style of Japanese art popular during the Edo period (1615–1868). It makes her stand out and even seem out of place, like something from another era. It's an interesting contrast to the swoopy bangs and hoop earrings of her peers, all of whom appear to be white.

The story's pretty low key for its content—an inappropriate flirtation, the suicide of a popular girl's ex-boyfriend, the tension between Kim's divorced parents, a growing realization of what it means to be queer—and the central interest is the conflict between Kim and her best friend, though it's not clear if they're growing apart or were never really suited for each other, and being in love in a way that makes it feel like it might destroy you. It's clear it's slowly destroying the teacher, even as Kim seems blissfully unaware of this, a disparity that's handled with skill and that hints at the full size of the adult world while simultaneously rendering the hyper-specific compressed world of a teenager, allowing both to be true.

Contains: f/f; teacher/student romance; frequent references to suicide (including jokes) following one off screen; use of gay slurs.

yes, well, that would explain it

Oct. 28th, 2025 11:42 am
the_shoshanna: sign saying "Clown Motel", with pic of a clown (clown motel)
[personal profile] the_shoshanna
Geoff and I have been watching Red Dwarf, which neither of us have seen since the 80s. It's very . . . 80s, but we're very much enjoying it! We've almost finished the second series.

Last night I dreamed that Rimmer managed to fix a radiator on board the space ship, and decided that this achievement was so staggeringly, impossibly transhuman that he was clearly a superhero; showed up in a full-on supersuit complete with self-waving cape (no wind required); and announced that henceforward he should be addressed as "Captain Radiancy."

Then I woke up and found that it was three a.m. and yesterday's flu and COVID shots had me running the usual moderately significant fever.

I still think that Rimmer wanting to be called "Captain Radiancy" isn't out of character, though!

Write Every Day: Day 28

Oct. 28th, 2025 08:07 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
You've got to work on something dangerous. You have to work on something that makes you uncertain. Something that makes you doubt yourself. You shouldn't feel safe. You should feel, "I don't know if I can write this." That's what I mean by dangerous, and I think that's a good thing to do. Sacrifice something safe.
– Stephen Sondheim

My day 28: Still taking it easy-ish. I spent writers' hour and some of the morning writing meta comments, so that's my writing for the day. And then I tried out some Youtube how-to-art videos for kids (results), and now I'm going to rest. Hoping to get some actual fic-writing in tomorrow. 🤞🤞

The tally
Tally )

Day 26: [personal profile] alightbuthappypen, [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] brithistorian, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] cmk418, [personal profile] cornerofmadness, [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] luzula, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] the_siobhan, [personal profile] trobadora, [personal profile] ysilme

Day 27: [personal profile] badly_knitted, [personal profile] brithistorian, [personal profile] china_shop, [personal profile] cmk418, [personal profile] cornerofmadness, [personal profile] goddess47, [personal profile] sanguinity, [personal profile] sylvanwitch, [personal profile] trobadora

When you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.
heresluck: (book)
[personal profile] heresluck
Ode to Those Who Block Tunnels and Bridges

teach us there can be movement
in stillness. in every broken syllable
of traffic a syllabus that says
while you are suffering we are all
going to be unwell—let us
instead distill business as usual
down to the speed of a tree eating
light. as usual, business is built
from freight trains and warships
even when ‘it’s just coffee.’
these bridges should only connect
the living, so when the living turn
again toward death worship
it’s time to still the delivery of plastics
and red meats to the galas of venture
capital. to reject our gods if they are
not the gods who teach us all that comes
from dirt returns to it holy—
the holiest word i know is no.
no more money for the endless
throat of money. no more
syllogisms that permission
endless suffering. no more.
and on the eighth day of a holiday
meant to represent a people
fighting occupation my teachers
who stretch a drop of oil into a week
of light take each other’s arms
across eight bridges of this settler colony
singing prayers older than any country
as the chevron burns in the distance.
o stilted vernacular of life—
o pedagogs of the godly pausing—
what mycelia spreads its speaking
limbs beneath the floors of our cities.
the only holy land i know
is where life is. in the story
i was taught alongside my first
language it takes god six days
to make the terrible world
and on seventh day he rested
and on the eighth we blocked traffic.


— Sam Sax
originally published in Poem-a-Day

(no subject)

Oct. 27th, 2025 08:53 pm
ivyfic: (Default)
[personal profile] ivyfic
The best thing I've seen about the Louvre heist.

And Neal Caffrey would never. A daytime smash and grab? No panache.

AO3 Alphabet Meme

Oct. 27th, 2025 04:10 pm
beatrice_otter: This looks like a good day for World Domination (World Domination)
[personal profile] beatrice_otter
All the cool kids are doing it, so I guess I will too:

How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

A. Anatomy of a Secret--Jadzia Dax in the Reboot universe.
B. the bells are going to chime--My Fair Lady, Eliza/Colonel Pickering post-movie
C. Currency--Star Wars/Babylon 5, Han and Chewie take a job carrying cargo to a place so far out in Wild Space they've never even heard of the Empire. Or the Jedi.
D. The Desert Between--Reboot, Spock/Uhura, and vulcan worldbuilding
E. Essential To Your Own--TNG, Data/Geordi
F. Family Matters (The Things Inside Remix)--BSG, Dee is on Pegasus, finding her place. A Six is on New Caprica, learning what she doesn't know. Lee Adama is a Cylon prisoner, but this is not his story. A New Caprica AU.
G. The Genetics Factory--Criminal Minds/Stargate, In Detroit, homeless addicts are turning up dead. But there's more to the case than meets the eye, and the BAU finds themselves looking for something they don't understand. For Derek, it gets personal.
H. The Heart's Desire--Rivers of London, Abigail has earned her right to become a practitioner of magic. Now, the training begins.
I. Interview with the Robot--Fandom for Robots
J. Just Like Old Times--Stargate SG-1, Teal'c and Daniel, on an adventure.
K. Kitty and Georgy (The Healing Old Hurts Remix)--Pride and Prejudice, Kitty is often ill, but she is determined to live her best life anyway.
L. Little Ship Lost--TNG, On a routine mission, a wormhole opens up near Enterprise, and a ship pops out. It's challenging to rescue people who don't trust you.
M. Matters of Perspective--TNG, Picard and Guinan post Time's Arrow
N. Not Place, But People--Enterprise, The older Enterprise wasn't destroyed after all. When it limps back to Earth, Trip finds Lorian and invites him home to meet the family.
O. The Offer--Vorkosiverse, An AU where Aral didn't survive Mad Yuri's Massacre, but his sister did.
P. Pale Battalions--SG-1, Teal'c goes home after a glorious battle in Apophis' name.
Q. 
R. Revenge of the Zillo Beast--Star Wars, Mace and Anakin have killed the Zillo Beast every way they can think of in different time loops. Maybe killing the Beast won't solve the problem?
S. Schoolwork--DS9, Jake misses his dad, now he's with the Prophets, but he still has his friends, his family, and his career.
T. Third Chance--Star Trek, AU, This isn't the first time Ro has had to start her life over, nor the first time she's had to deal with people who don't like or trust her.
U. Undiscovered Stars--Star Wars/Star Trek, Just how far out in the Unknown Regions was he, Lando wondered, that they didn't use hyperdrives?
V. Vast Beyond Knowing (The Details Remix)--Star Wars. Anakin, Luke, Rey. The desert taught them much. But not everything.
W. Wachet Auf--Rivers of London, In 1940, Nightingale has to catch a Nazi spy armed with a magical device. In 2016, Nightingale and others fall into a magical coma, and Peter Grant must figure out why it happened and how to end it.
X. X is for Xenophobia--SG-1, Little Jake Carter knew all about people who Weren't Like Us.
Y.
Z.

22/26, not bad. Interesting that I have X but not Y; from looking at other peoples' lists, it's usually the other way around. (If I'd done more Stargate Alphabet Soups, I might have filled in the missing letters.) I have, by the way, written 264 fics in approximately 110 fandoms over the course of almost 20 years. (Some fandoms are squishy, and it depends how you count them.)

A(o3)lphabet

Oct. 27th, 2025 08:29 pm
schneefink: River walking among trees, from "Safe" (Default)
[personal profile] schneefink
The alphabet meme from lots of places (title stolen from [personal profile] dhampyresa.)

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

A: Assuming Shape, Young Avengers, 4k Sarah Altmann gen
B: Building for the Future, Castlevania (TV), 2k Hector & Isaac post-canon
C: Claw Out Your Eyes and Devour You, Hades 2, 1.4k ~Scylla/Melinoe
D: Drawn To You, Hockey RPF, 7.4k Robert Bortuzzo/Beau Bennett soulmate&prostitute AU
E: Etho's Escort Service From Hell, Hermitcraft, 1.5k Etho & Cleo
F: Forget-Me(-Not), The Gardener's Hand, 0.8k Alizhan & Thiyo missing scene
G: Go About Your Business, Act As If You're Free, Phoenotopia: Awakening, 2.1k Lisa & Bart post-canon
H:
I: In the Dream Grove, Dice Disasters, 1.9k Jasmin & Cody
J:
K: Kadavo, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 1.8k Rex missing scene
L: Loop One Alliance, Life Series, 8k Impulse-centric Double Life time loop
M: Memories Of a Life Not Lived, Life Series/Hermitcraft, 1.5k, Cleo & Etho
N: Next Time Bring Candles, Food, 5.2k, SGA, Teyla&team gen
O: Only a little, The Bright Sessions, 6.6k, Adam & Damien canon divergence AU
P: Potato Blossom Magic, Dream SMP, 0.4k Techno&Phil sex pollen
Q:
R: Ritual of Cooperation, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, 14.1k Johannes & Zangetsu missing scene
S: Sitting by the Tree, Killjoys, Dutch & Johnny gen
T: Things That Make You Think Different, Steerswoman, 2.7k Steffie gen
U: Uncut Gems, The Fire's Stone, 3.8k ~Darvish/Aaron time travel
V: Various Ways to Victory, Life Series/Hermitcraft, 1.8k Pearl & Scar post-Secret Life gen
W: What Needs to Be Done (To Make a Difference, Hermitcraft/Hotguy Comics Zine, Pearl missing scenes
X:
Y:
Z:

20/26 with 126 works.
rachelmanija: (Books: old)
[personal profile] rachelmanija
An excellent used bookshop in Tucson, The Book Stop, may be closing down unless the current owner, who is retiring, can find someone to take it over. Her contact info is on the "contact" page.

Anyone want to run a used bookshop in Tucson? It's really great and has an excellent location. I can vouch that being a bookshop owner is the best job ever unless you want to make lots of money.

Feel free to link or copy this.

Alphabet meme

Oct. 27th, 2025 07:39 am
laurajv: Holmes & Watson's car is as cool as Batman's (Default)
[personal profile] laurajv
Picked up the AO3 alphabet meme from [personal profile] viridian5:

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for starting a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

Is this is when I am punished for not having uploaded all my old fic to AO3? Let us find out.

A: As compasses. The Goblin Emperor, Idra & Maia
B: Baresark. due South, Fraser/RayK
C: Contamination. Sherlock, casefic
D: Dry Cell. Highlander, Duncan & Methos
E: Exhalation. Star Trek x The Sentinel, Jim/Blair. Second in a series.
F: From Sweet Fellowship Comes Nectar. LOTR, Legolas/Gimli
G: Gammer Gurton's Garland. Sherlock, Sherlock/John, Eurus.
H: hold fast (hold steady). Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cody, OC/OC
I: I spread my dreams under your feet. Star Trek 2009, Spock/Uhura.
J: [nothing]
K: Kaiidth. Star Trek 2009, Spock, T'Pring, T'Pau, Stonn
L: Lied: Lay My Heart Naked. LOTR, Legolas/Gimli.
M: Maybe Next Time. The Sentinel, Jim/Blair.
N: Numberless the ways, and imperceptible. LOTR, Legolas/Gimli.
O: Once Upon A Time. Highlander, Methos/Kronos.
P: a picnic planned for you and me. Good Omens TV, Aziraphale/Crowley
Q: [nothing]
R: Roust. Written with [personal profile] basingstoke. due South, Fraser/RayK.
S: ship's night, residential deck, third corridor. MCU, Loki & Thor
T: Tech. Hockey RPF, gen
U: unsuitable. The Bone Key, A Theory of Haunting. Blanche Parrington Crowe, Griselda Parrington, & the unfortunate Kyle Murchison Booth.
V: Valse a deux temps. due South x The Sentinel, Fraser/RayK, Jim/Blair
W: The Wrong Tree. Sherlock, Sherlock/John.
X: [nothing]
Y: [nothing]
Z: [nothing]

21/26. I'm almost certain uploading my old fic would not have helped. What I should stop doing is using so many I and W titles and branch out a little more.
sholio: Gurathin from Murderbot looking soft and wondering (Murderbot-Gura)
[personal profile] sholio
No. 26: “Nothing like a relapse to rehash the kid who was scared.”
Relapse | Drawn Curtains | Power Cut

[TV-verse] Murderbot & Gurathin, 800 wds
Also posted on AO3 as Power Through.

800 wds under the cut )
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