Round #90 ≛ Voting
Jan. 21st, 2026 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luminousdaze posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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Thank you to all the participants for their fantastic entries!
Voter Guide:
Anyone may vote.
Please don't vote for yourself or tell people to vote for your icons.
To vote please comment with your choice for the top placements in order of preference.
Voting will be open for at least one week.
Thank you for voting!
Round #91 begins now.
( Viewing and Voting ..... )
Snow
Jan. 21st, 2026 08:11 pmysabetwordsmithmoonhare posted a lovely picture of snow, and a very amusing still life of "Snow Predicted." It got me thinking that occasions would make a great theme for still life in general.
(no subject)
Jan. 21st, 2026 05:52 pmgreghousesgfHad some Downton Abbey estate blend tea. Went to Berkeley Bowl to buy more tea, coconut Pu-erh in this case. I was going to get some of Berkeley Bowl's deli takeout Chinese food for lunch but they don't do that anymore so I got some Mexican food in the next block and then went home.
[ SECRET POST #6956 ]
Jan. 21st, 2026 07:46 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6956 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
[Zenless Zone Zero / Uma Musume]
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 14 secrets from Secret Submission Post #993.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
wednesday reads and things
Jan. 21st, 2026 05:42 pmisisWhat I've recently finished reading:
The Bear and the Serpent, the second book of the Echoes of the Fall series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. As with most books that have multiple storylines and POVs, there were parts I liked better than others; I was more interested in Loud Thunder's adventures as reluctant war leader (and Lone Mountain's journey to the coast) than I was in the goings-on of the River Lords. However, I really liked the bits of cultural worldbuilding there as well, particularly the Wolf priest and the Snake priest(ess) coming to an understanding, and the uneasy relationship of Asmander and Asman which sort of echoed that between Maniye and Akrit Stone River.
Toward the end, it became clear that this series ties into the Shadows of the Apt series, which I had read the first book of (Empire in Black and Gold) a while back, but didn't really feel inclined to continue. So when I finished, I grabbed book 2, Dragonfly Falling, but it only took me a few chapters before I had the "yeah, nah" feeling again, so I guess I won't read that series.
What I'm reading now:
I was about to buy book 3 but then my library hold on Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo came in unexpectedly quickly (wychwood had reviewed it and it sounded up my alley) so I'm reading that now - hey, it's got people who turn into animals too!
What I've recently finished watching:
S2 of The Empress, which was really enjoyable. The setting of a great power in decline desperately trying to hold onto its glory through ill-advised military ventures is great escapism from...oh, never mind. They do have more magnificent dresses, though!
Actually one thing that struck me about this series is that although the women are formally valued only in their ability to produce boy babies, the narrative highlights their strength, the way they are the iron rods stapling things together. They may be swaddled in yards of cloth that make it difficult to run through the forest, but Elisabeth goes out and looks the people in the eye and talks to them, Sophie has a place at the council table, Charlotte gives Maximilian advice (and he listens) - well, they all give men advice, and the men ignore them at their peril.
What I'm playing now:
Still Ghost of Tsushima. Getting close to the end of the first part, I think!
The Bear and the Serpent, the second book of the Echoes of the Fall series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. As with most books that have multiple storylines and POVs, there were parts I liked better than others; I was more interested in Loud Thunder's adventures as reluctant war leader (and Lone Mountain's journey to the coast) than I was in the goings-on of the River Lords. However, I really liked the bits of cultural worldbuilding there as well, particularly the Wolf priest and the Snake priest(ess) coming to an understanding, and the uneasy relationship of Asmander and Asman which sort of echoed that between Maniye and Akrit Stone River.
Toward the end, it became clear that this series ties into the Shadows of the Apt series, which I had read the first book of (Empire in Black and Gold) a while back, but didn't really feel inclined to continue. So when I finished, I grabbed book 2, Dragonfly Falling, but it only took me a few chapters before I had the "yeah, nah" feeling again, so I guess I won't read that series.
What I'm reading now:
I was about to buy book 3 but then my library hold on Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo came in unexpectedly quickly (
wychwood had reviewed it and it sounded up my alley) so I'm reading that now - hey, it's got people who turn into animals too!What I've recently finished watching:
S2 of The Empress, which was really enjoyable. The setting of a great power in decline desperately trying to hold onto its glory through ill-advised military ventures is great escapism from...oh, never mind. They do have more magnificent dresses, though!
Actually one thing that struck me about this series is that although the women are formally valued only in their ability to produce boy babies, the narrative highlights their strength, the way they are the iron rods stapling things together. They may be swaddled in yards of cloth that make it difficult to run through the forest, but Elisabeth goes out and looks the people in the eye and talks to them, Sophie has a place at the council table, Charlotte gives Maximilian advice (and he listens) - well, they all give men advice, and the men ignore them at their peril.
What I'm playing now:
Still Ghost of Tsushima. Getting close to the end of the first part, I think!
Opera Outfits Over 40
Jan. 21st, 2026 06:16 pmysabetwordsmithA friend asked about shopping for clothes over 40, with an eye toward age-appropriate and fashionable wear, given an opera subscription. That's different from my typical needs, but I'm familiar enough with wrangling clothes to have plenty of ideas ...
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
"what you should have learned about life by age 75: 'it's amazing, the things they can do'"
Jan. 21st, 2026 06:32 pmstarandreaSpeaking of AI, I just gave google translate an image description to spellcheck, and it added a definition of "guqin" to the English translation of my Chinese alt/title text.
Original Chinese: 一个非乐高积木的瀑布，旁边有魏无羡迷你任务和蓝忘机站在一起。魏无羡有他的笛子，蓝忘机有他个古琴。
Google Translate's English: A waterfall made of non-Lego bricks, with mini-figures of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji standing next to it. Wei Wuxian has his flute, and Lan Wangji has his guqin (a Chinese zither).
I deleted "guqin" to see what would happen and no lie, google translate added "(the sentence ends abruptly)".
(Will it be years or months, I wonder, before this post will sound hilariously dated?)
(...Or weeks?)
Original Chinese: 一个非乐高积木的瀑布，旁边有魏无羡迷你任务和蓝忘机站在一起。魏无羡有他的笛子，蓝忘机有他个古琴。
Google Translate's English: A waterfall made of non-Lego bricks, with mini-figures of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji standing next to it. Wei Wuxian has his flute, and Lan Wangji has his guqin (a Chinese zither).
I deleted "guqin" to see what would happen and no lie, google translate added "(the sentence ends abruptly)".
(Will it be years or months, I wonder, before this post will sound hilariously dated?)
(...Or weeks?)
Snowflake (days 10-11)
Jan. 21st, 2026 03:36 pmhamsterwoman
Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board) – CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
OK, I’d never made a Moodboard before, but had been sort of wanting to try it, so this was the perfect opportunity. I thought briefly about whether I should do a Taskmaster one, but I do feel like my colorbars from last year fill a similar niche, so I felt like I’d done it. Well, besides Taskmaster, I think it’s fair to say I have only one truly active fandom at the moment, so… Elis James & John Robins it was. And I might have gotten a little carried away XD
(Let me know if this looks giant on your page and I'll add a cut -- mine seems to automatically resize it to something reasonable, but not sure how universal that is.)
( Blathering )
*
Challenge #11: In your own space, grant someone's wish from Challenge #5.
I really like the idea of this challenge, but don’t terribly like the idea of linking to “granted wishes”, so I won’t do that part. I’ve already granted a couple of wishes when originally browsing Challenge #5, but this was my reminder to go finish commenting on another one I’d done in my head but not actually commented on. But then I went ahead and browsed the day 5 comments some more until I granted a wish I hadn’t even looked at before. I plan to continue doing that, but with that I feel like I can call the challenge “done” for the purposes of posting about it :)
Oh, right, and I should probably link to my wishlist, shouldn’t I.
"in a world where you can be anything, be kind"
Jan. 21st, 2026 06:01 pmstarandreaOur work computers periodically become outdated and are replaced, which is greatly appreciated and less disruptive with every iteration, as cloud backups and connectivity proliferate. In the spring of 2020, I went home with two six-year-old laptops.
(In defense of my department, they had been encouraging me to upgrade for at least a year, and I resisted because the technology worked fine. I didn't see a need for new if old was doing the job.)
By fall one computer was no longer compatible with company security, and IT sent me a new one that combined everything I needed from both old computers. But we were in the process of moving from one campus to another (a process hugely extended by the pandemic) so the old computers went nowhere.
My point is that when IT upgraded my computer again this week, and they invited me (now a remote worker) to campus to pick up the new one, I brought them three old ones in trade and a whole lot of memories.
Even after my previous department became remote in 2020, we were required to attend a variety of in-person events from client meetings to company all-staffs. In the depths of my three laptop bags I found parking receipts, boarding passes, Chinese readers and snacks, along with masks - so many masks - hand sanitizer, and a note from a deceased coworker about the name of one of my laptops.
It's hard to believe it's been six years. It's also strange to me personally that the time between going home and starting my current job - four entire years - has largely disappeared from daily recall. I remember working with my previous department, on-site, for 18 years. And I remember working with my current department, remotely, for the last two.
Everything in between: the years between 2020 to 2024, from going remote to moving house to saying goodbye to Mimi, all still exists in my memory, but it's largely unmoored from the rest of the timeline. It's neither "now" nor "then," but some secret third option that my brain initially skips over when looking back, somehow assigning those years to a parallel life track rather than a sequential one.
I wonder if it will settle into place as life goes on, if life goes on (thanks body, I appreciate you), or if it will remain disconnected, like the semester I spent teaching at a residential school during the fall of 2001.
Memory is so interesting. I try to let experiences change me in the moment as much as possible and desirable, so I get more out of them than thinking of (or forgetting) them later.
And being kind, of course. The most important connection to any experience.
“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
~Etienne de Grellet,
Quaker missionary
(In defense of my department, they had been encouraging me to upgrade for at least a year, and I resisted because the technology worked fine. I didn't see a need for new if old was doing the job.)
By fall one computer was no longer compatible with company security, and IT sent me a new one that combined everything I needed from both old computers. But we were in the process of moving from one campus to another (a process hugely extended by the pandemic) so the old computers went nowhere.
My point is that when IT upgraded my computer again this week, and they invited me (now a remote worker) to campus to pick up the new one, I brought them three old ones in trade and a whole lot of memories.
Even after my previous department became remote in 2020, we were required to attend a variety of in-person events from client meetings to company all-staffs. In the depths of my three laptop bags I found parking receipts, boarding passes, Chinese readers and snacks, along with masks - so many masks - hand sanitizer, and a note from a deceased coworker about the name of one of my laptops.
It's hard to believe it's been six years. It's also strange to me personally that the time between going home and starting my current job - four entire years - has largely disappeared from daily recall. I remember working with my previous department, on-site, for 18 years. And I remember working with my current department, remotely, for the last two.
Everything in between: the years between 2020 to 2024, from going remote to moving house to saying goodbye to Mimi, all still exists in my memory, but it's largely unmoored from the rest of the timeline. It's neither "now" nor "then," but some secret third option that my brain initially skips over when looking back, somehow assigning those years to a parallel life track rather than a sequential one.
I wonder if it will settle into place as life goes on, if life goes on (thanks body, I appreciate you), or if it will remain disconnected, like the semester I spent teaching at a residential school during the fall of 2001.
Memory is so interesting. I try to let experiences change me in the moment as much as possible and desirable, so I get more out of them than thinking of (or forgetting) them later.
And being kind, of course. The most important connection to any experience.
“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
~Etienne de Grellet,
Quaker missionary
Brr! "14F, feels like 7"
Jan. 25th, 2026 08:16 pmconulyThat is not a sentence I want to read at any time in the morning.
(In celsius terms, it's -10 and feels like death.)
**********************
( Read more... )
(In celsius terms, it's -10 and feels like death.)
( Read more... )
Food
Jan. 21st, 2026 02:55 pmysabetwordsmithThe hidden microbes that decide how sourdough tastes
The microbes living in sourdough starters don’t just appear by chance—they’re shaped by what bakers feed them. New research shows that while the same hardy yeast tends to dominate sourdough starters regardless of flour type, the bacteria tell a more complex story. Different flours—like whole wheat or bread flour—encourage different bacterial communities, which can subtly influence flavor, texture, and fermentation.
( Read more... )
The microbes living in sourdough starters don’t just appear by chance—they’re shaped by what bakers feed them. New research shows that while the same hardy yeast tends to dominate sourdough starters regardless of flour type, the bacteria tell a more complex story. Different flours—like whole wheat or bread flour—encourage different bacterial communities, which can subtly influence flavor, texture, and fermentation.
( Read more... )
#8 Touch, The 100, Clarke/Josephine, "pillage"
Jan. 21st, 2026 11:43 pmqueenslayerbee posting in 100femslashTitle: pillage
Fandom: The 100
Ship: Clarke/Josephine
Prompt: 8 | Touch
Warnings: body snatching
Rating: M
Length: 100
Synopsis: written for the prompt "Any, any, who left the blue veins of your throat unkissed?"
ao3 | dreamwidth
Fandom: The 100
Ship: Clarke/Josephine
Prompt: 8 | Touch
Warnings: body snatching
Rating: M
Length: 100
Synopsis: written for the prompt "Any, any, who left the blue veins of your throat unkissed?"
ao3 | dreamwidth
Manga Review: A Cruel God Reigns by Moto Hagio
Jan. 21st, 2026 02:21 pmjuushikaTitle: A Cruel God Reigns (Zankokuna Kami ga Shihai Suru)
Author: Moto Hagio
Published: 1992-2001
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 3260 (202+194+184+191+192+188+190+190+190+190+190+189+192+192+191+190+202)
Total Page Count: 562,155
Text Number: 2121
Read Because: saw this mentioned when browsing a random Tumblr
Review: I didn't realize until the last page that this is by the author of The Heart of Thomas, and then suddenly it was so surprise that this is so good. Because it is so good. In two halves: a teen boy is pressured into a sexual relationship by his new stepfather; and the abuse has a long tail, explored through the protagonist's relationship with his step brother. I feel like most takes on this narrative would be either half, and therefore neater; intentionally, this denies neat: character arcs circle, regress, and stagnate; people try to help in bad ways and for the wrong reasons; the supporting cast is awash in traumas related or not; there is more context, but rarely satisfactory closure. And some of this is touched by the over-the-topness of manga, but for once I'm not frustrated: it's the same shojo styling as The Heart of Thomas, exploring suffering through a stylized, romantic lens without sacrificing depth. A mess, certainly, but with intention, care, and deep sympathy.
Author: Moto Hagio
Published: 1992-2001
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 3260 (202+194+184+191+192+188+190+190+190+190+190+189+192+192+191+190+202)
Total Page Count: 562,155
Text Number: 2121
Read Because: saw this mentioned when browsing a random Tumblr
Review: I didn't realize until the last page that this is by the author of The Heart of Thomas, and then suddenly it was so surprise that this is so good. Because it is so good. In two halves: a teen boy is pressured into a sexual relationship by his new stepfather; and the abuse has a long tail, explored through the protagonist's relationship with his step brother. I feel like most takes on this narrative would be either half, and therefore neater; intentionally, this denies neat: character arcs circle, regress, and stagnate; people try to help in bad ways and for the wrong reasons; the supporting cast is awash in traumas related or not; there is more context, but rarely satisfactory closure. And some of this is touched by the over-the-topness of manga, but for once I'm not frustrated: it's the same shojo styling as The Heart of Thomas, exploring suffering through a stylized, romantic lens without sacrificing depth. A mess, certainly, but with intention, care, and deep sympathy.
#17 Lies, Monstress, Maika/Tuya, "bloodless"
Jan. 21st, 2026 10:53 pmqueenslayerbee posting in 100femslashTitle: bloodless
Fandom: Monstress
Ship: Maika/Tuya
Prompt: 17 | Lies
Warnings: body horror
Rating: M
Length: 100
Synopsis: written for the prompt "any, any, i may think of you softly from time to time but i'll cut off my hand before i ever reach for you again"
ao3 | dreamwidth
Fandom: Monstress
Ship: Maika/Tuya
Prompt: 17 | Lies
Warnings: body horror
Rating: M
Length: 100
Synopsis: written for the prompt "any, any, i may think of you softly from time to time but i'll cut off my hand before i ever reach for you again"
ao3 | dreamwidth
Book Review: A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
Jan. 21st, 2026 01:39 pmjuushikaTitle: A Short Stay in Hell
Author: Steven L. Peck
Published: Strange Violin Editions, 2012 (2011)
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 110
Total Page Count: 558,895
Text Number: 2104
Read Because: saw this requested in a fic exchange, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Not to be glib, but just read Borges. That said, this is short, and less campy than the opening lets on. What it does best is extrapolate scale—massive, horrifying, existential scale, banal yet cosmic. The social element feels written by a straight white man, gestures made at murder cults and the rise of ritual, at the transitory-or-not role of sexual relationships, pretty underwhelming takes, all less successful than the premise itself.
Author: Steven L. Peck
Published: Strange Violin Editions, 2012 (2011)
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 110
Total Page Count: 558,895
Text Number: 2104
Read Because: saw this requested in a fic exchange, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Not to be glib, but just read Borges. That said, this is short, and less campy than the opening lets on. What it does best is extrapolate scale—massive, horrifying, existential scale, banal yet cosmic. The social element feels written by a straight white man, gestures made at murder cults and the rise of ritual, at the transitory-or-not role of sexual relationships, pretty underwhelming takes, all less successful than the premise itself.
Write Every day 2026: January, Day 21
Jan. 21st, 2026 10:49 pmtrobadora61% of respondents find shorter fic easier to write than longer! And the majority of respondents mostly write stories between 1 and 10k words. Interestingly, the 10-50k range seems to be the rarest!
For me, I find longer fic easier because I can much more easily come up with ideas for longer stories than shorter. Self-contained small things? I wish I could write them more often! But most story ideas I have want to be longer, alas.
I used to write more shorter fic, but I've mostly lost the knack, possibly because my current fandoms lend themselves to that less? Or it may be me that's changed. *g*
Today's writing
So far I'm failing at gaining any kind of writing momentum this month, but I'm still working on things. A little progress.
Tally
( Days 1-15 )
Day 16:badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme
Day 17:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 18:badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, cornerofmadness, luzula, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 19:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 20:badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 21:alightbuthappypen, trobadora, ysilme
Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
For me, I find longer fic easier because I can much more easily come up with ideas for longer stories than shorter. Self-contained small things? I wish I could write them more often! But most story ideas I have want to be longer, alas.
I used to write more shorter fic, but I've mostly lost the knack, possibly because my current fandoms lend themselves to that less? Or it may be me that's changed. *g*
Today's writing
So far I'm failing at gaining any kind of writing momentum this month, but I'm still working on things. A little progress.
Tally
( Days 1-15 )
Day 16:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilmeDay 17:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 18:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, cornerofmadness, luzula, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 19:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 20:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 21:
alightbuthappypen, trobadora, ysilmeLet me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)