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Jan. 30th, 2026 05:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soemandMeanwhile, I’m holding down the fort in my usual fashion: a mug of coffee in hand and a duvet pulled up like a loyal sidekick. Some mornings are meant for adventure; others are meant for staying warm and caffeinated. Today, we’ve got both covered.
Gaming
Jan. 30th, 2026 02:55 amysabetwordsmithIn 2023, the world’s most popular role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), faced a rebellion. This wasn’t brought on by imaginary goblins or dragons, but by its players.
( Read more... )
Snowflake Challenge #12
Jan. 30th, 2026 09:50 pmimhilienMake an appreciation post to those who enhance your fandom life. Appreciate them in bullet points, prose, poetry, a moodboard, a song... whatever moves you!
I write fanfiction on A03 and I appreciate all those who have written nice comments as well as just giving kudos to my stories. It really makes my day if I receive one.
Dear Casefic Writer!
Jan. 30th, 2026 08:50 amdaegaer( Saiyuki )
( Saiyuki Gaiden )
( Saiyuki Ibun )
( WeiĂź Kreuz )
( WeiĂź: Side B )
( Crossover Fandom )
( DNWs )
due South: Twenty Cents a Page by dance_across
Jan. 30th, 2026 09:25 pmmific posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fancakeCharacters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: Teen & up
Length: 1782
Content Notes: No AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: dance_across on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, Friendship, Humor, Pining, Post-canon
Summary: Ray and Fraser discover that someone's been writing stories about them. Slashy, slashy stories.
Reccer's Notes: This is set after canon, during Ray and Fraser's quest. They've become minor celebrities in the wake of the big submarine/terrorists drama and when they briefly hit an outpost of civilization (a motel with internet), Ray checks his email and finds Frannie's sent him a link to a fanfic someone's written, called "Snowfall in Summer". Hilarity then ensues as they decide to read it together, and it leads to Ray making a big decision. The cracky premise is the existence of fanfic about them, and as far as possible, dance_across shows us how that might actually pan out. In a romantic way, of course, with a hopeful ending! It's a lot of fun.
Fanwork Links: Twenty Cents a Page
Just One Thing (30 January 2026)
Jan. 30th, 2026 08:38 amnanila posting in awesomeersComment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Hockey Magazine Portraits by judestlispenard (SFW)
Jan. 30th, 2026 09:04 pmmific posting in fanart_recsCharacters/Pairing/Other Subject: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: judestlispenard on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: A gorgeous double portrait on the cover of an imaginary hockey magazine - really good likenesses, and they got Ilya's eye colour right! (none of this "his piercing blue eyes" crap). Beautiful work, and a cute snippet of their dialogue below.
Link: Hockey Magazine Portraits, backup link here
"Not really pacing check" continuing + mindset
Jan. 30th, 2026 07:43 amvriddyAudience: "Wow, you're about 70% into the manuscript and thinking it's bad? Is this where we're supposed to act surprised???"
Like, it does help to know that I literally go through this cycle every time whether writing or editing, but the feelings are still being felt and kind of suck regardless T_T
Here's what the voice at the back of my mind says:
You're enjoying the story because you can see that it's better "than before" but that doesn't mean it's good. It'll probably still look like baby's crappy first draft to someone coming in fresh. You've also had over 2 years to get used to the worst flaws, the ones that can't be fixed because they are load-bearing in the story.
Anyway!
As always the first couple of days were a bit rough while I adjusted to a new way of doing things. I've landed on: I take the written down squiggled notes I made and add them as comments to my Scrivener file (unless they're super straightforward/require 0 thinking, then I just make the change). Then I go through these comments scene by scene, deleting them as I integrate the feedback. In my BuJo I have many many little boxes for every scene that I can tick when I'm done :D Each chapter is about 4-6 scenes so it helps with giving a sense of progress and make the process feel a bit less overwhelming. I do love my ticky boxes.
Vaguely considering adding chapter titles because a few chapters would really benefit, but some others are more awkward and I don't know that I really want to have to find 10+ more titles /o\
I'm still writing ficlets here and there as a pressure valve from editing :D However, there's a mindset thing I'm noticing that I don't like at all:
Me about to write fic: "This should be FUN! If it's not FUN, then you failed!! :D"
Me about to write origfic: "This should be GOOD! If it's not GOOD, then you failed!! D:"
I don't like that. It should all be fun, like, I should always slip into writing mode with a lighter spirit. I don't want my own worlds to feel like a chore, full of associated pressure. So, something I'll definitely want to address, though I'm not too sure how yet.
Poetry Fishbowl Report for January 6, 2026
Jan. 30th, 2026 01:18 amysabetwordsmithParticipation was down slightly, with 13 comments on LiveJournal and another 25 on Dreamwidth. A total of 9 people sent prompts. There were no new prompters.
Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the January 6, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"Beneath the Sea"
"Cakes and Ale"
"Decreases"
"Done to Perfection"
"Fight Less, Cuddle More"
Haiku for Natural Monuments of Japan
"Hemma Bäst"
"lacquerware poet"
"A Fountain of Energy" (Polychrome Heroics: Rutledge, October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl)
Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from January 6. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.
This month's donors include:
janetmiles, fuzzyred, and Anthony Barrette. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 2 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
Follow Friday 1-30-26
Jan. 30th, 2026 01:13 amysabetwordsmith posting in followfridayHere's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".
Not quite 365 days questions meme. 30th
Jan. 30th, 2026 12:07 ampattroseNo I have read this but I did watch the movie. Many years ago. Did everyone read the book? What did you think of it?
Snoflake Challenge 2026 #15: Five Stars
Jan. 29th, 2026 09:56 pmsilveradeptsnowflake_challenge, and, it's a bit like all the things asking us to rate and review them with our time. Challenge #15
How Did the Fandom Snowflake Challenge Go?
I intend to keep going back and checking out entries when I'm not doing something else, and leaving comments, and trying to build that community and see interesting things that people have posted. It probably won't go that quickly, and I may not make it all the way through in a timely manner. But I'll try.
( It was fine, which is not a complaint. )
Dukes, Vampires, & More
Jan. 30th, 2026 04:58 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
smartbitches_feedA Dreadful Splendor
RECOMMENDED: A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers is $1.99! Lara gave this an A in a Lightning Review:
If you want an immersive reading experience that will absolutely result in a Bad Decisions Book Club event, then this book is for you. Please excuse me while I go read it again.
In this spectacularly imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.
Be careful what you conjure…
In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners–until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The Lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a sĂ©ance persuasive enough to bring the young Lord peace, she will win her freedom.
Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieve’s skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly–yet exceedingly handsome–gentleman is certain that his fiancĂ©e was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks aren’t required after all. She may be a fake, but Somerset’s ghost could be all too real…
A Dreadful Splendor is a wickedly whimsical brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for an irresistibly fun and page-turning read.
The Duke Gets Desperate
The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy is $1.99! This is book one in a series. There are renovation elements and enemies to lovers. Have you read this one?
Diana Quincy returns with a steamy affair between an Arab-American woman who inherits a run-down castle in the English countryside and the duke who asserts the castle is his, in the first book in a brand-new Victorian historical romance series.
Anthony Cary, Duke of Strickland, inherits his spendthrift father’s title and can finally restore the family castle to its former glory. But at the reading of the will, Strick is stunned to learn that his father has secretly disentailed him, leaving the family manor–home to twelve generations of dukes–to Strick’s American stepmother. Everyone knows Strick detests the dowager duchess, and when she dies mysteriously, damning rumors start to surface.
When Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her glamorous late cousin’s castle in the English countryside, she clashes with the charismatic young duke who insists the castle is rightfully his. The estate is practically bankrupt, so she must find a way to work with the duke in order to save both of their futures.
The two cannot stand each other, but mutual disdain soon gives way to desire. When questions arise about how her cousin died, Raya cannot help wondering if Strick’s sudden unbridled passion for her is part of a scheme to get his castle back…
You’re the Duke That I Want
You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell is $1.99! I mentioned this one in December 2023’s Hide Your Wallet because I felt like the Bitchery needed to know that a historical romance based on Grease exists. This is book one in the Thunderbolt Club series.
USA Today bestseller Lenora Bell returns with a Grease-inspired rom-com about an innocent lady who clashes with a sexy rake, the first book in a brand-new series sure to delight fans of Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, and Julia Quinn.
Raised by an overprotective mother, bookish romantic Sandrine Oliver craves adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens in her sleepy seaside village. Until a handsome, mysterious stranger arrives and sweeps her off her feet…only to leave suddenly with no explanation.
Lord Dane Walker, brother to the Duke of Rydell, is infamous for racing fast carriages and breaking hearts. But when his brother is mortally injured, Dane inherits the responsibilities of the dukedom—duties that come with a dangerous secret which threatens everyone close to him.
In London, Sandrine is astonished to learn that the charming, honorable man she met at the beach is really a disreputable rake. And the infuriating nobleman acts as though he barely knows her.
Who needs a wild rake? Certainly not Sandrine! With a little help from her friends, she transforms into a glamorous belle. She’s out to make Dane pay…but can she stop her traitorous heart from longing to surrender only to him?
Silver Under Nightfall
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco is $1.99! This is a horror mystery, I’d say, with a queer, poly romantic subplot. I know that descriptor will perk someone’s ears right up!
Full of court intrigue, queer romance, and terrifying monsters—this gothic epic fantasy will appeal to fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania.
Remy Pendergast is many things: the only son of the Duke of Valenbonne (though his father might wish otherwise), an elite bounty hunter of rogue vampires, and an outcast among his fellow Reapers. His mother was the subject of gossip even before she eloped with a vampire, giving rise to the rumors that Remy is half-vampire himself. Though the kingdom of Aluria barely tolerates him, Remy’s father has been shaping him into a weapon to fight for the kingdom at any cost.
When a terrifying new breed of vampire is sighted outside of the city, Remy prepares to investigate alone. But then he encounters the shockingly warmhearted vampire heiress Xiaodan Song and her infuriatingly arrogant fiancé, vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who may hold the key to defeating the creatures—though he knows associating with them won’t do his reputation any favors. When he’s offered a spot alongside them to find the truth about the mutating virus Rot that’s plaguing the kingdom, Remy faces a choice.
It’s one he’s certain he’ll regret.
But as the three face dangerous hardships during their journey, Remy develops fond and complicated feelings for the couple. He begins to question what he holds true about vampires, as well as the story behind his own family legacy. As the Rot continues to spread across the kingdom, Remy must decide where his loyalties lie: with his father and the kingdom he’s been trained all his life to defend or the vampires who might just be the death of him.
Snowflake Challenge 2026: Prompt 14
Jan. 29th, 2026 11:39 pmautobotscoutriella
Challenge #14: In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom.
So, last year, I wrote up my first promo for a beloved ship (and had a fantastic time). This year's prompt is a little bit more geared toward canons, but I ran into some difficulties with that. Have you ever wanted to get into Transformers? Well, I'm told the new movie is actually a great way to get into it, but I didn't see it, so have you considered a cartoon from 2007... So instead, I'm going to give you a quick ship promo and rec list for another beloved ship of mine: Ema Skye/Franziska von Karma from Ace Attorney!
(I don't have a thing for rarepairs that share one character with a much more popular ship at all, haha.)
So, no, Ema and Franziska don't have a lot of screentime together (they do interact briefly in Ace Attorney Investigations). But I first got interested in the ship based on the parallels. They're both intelligent, talented women with complicated relationships to their jobs - Franziska struggling with not being the "perfect" prosecutor, while Ema ends up stuck as a detective instead of forensics like she wanted. Both of them have a close relative, a respected prosecutor, who had a long-term impact on their choice of career and also ends up in jail for serious crimes including evidence forgery; Lana is going to get out of jail someday and Manfred isn't, but it's still a point for them to connect over.
They're a lot of fun to bounce off each other, too. They're both abrasive and blunt, even on a good day; Franziska has no patience for incompetence and Ema is not interested in sugarcoating things to make people feel better, and I don't get the impression any of that would change in a romantic relationship. But Ema says she prefers her prosecutors "simmerous" (as opposed to "glimmerous") - yeah, yeah, I know what canon meant, but as far as I'm concerned that's a great description for Franziska. It's a ship with a lot of potential spice! There's room for comfort and fluff, too, but I do have a weakness for ships that argue. (Also, while there's not much fic for the ship, the fic that is there is extremely hot. One might say...simmering.)
So, if all of that sounds promising and you wanted to get into this ship, where should you start? I have a few suggestions, based on what you're interested in! (Some of which are self-recs, for which I will not apologize. It's a rarepair. :D)
Open to WIPs and interested in long, plotty fic? I've been having a great time following flaws (upon your sleeve) (beneath the ground), described as "A catastrophic doomed-to-fail toxic-yuri we-can-make-each-other-worse romance workbuddies fic." It's extremely fun and you should check it out.
Here for some hurt/comfort and the actual getting-together process? How To Avoid The Holidays, written for AA Holiday Rarepair Week at the end of last year: Franziska and Ema bond over disliking Christmas. (This one's mine!)
Looking for comedy and into chatfic? Try Instructions Unclear, Bi Panicked from the kink meme, featuring Maya and some excellent Ema&Maya BFFs alongside the FranEma.
Hey Riella, you said this ship has extremely hot fic, where's that? Three choices for this one! The Music Our Collisions Make (rough sex, it's-complicated relationship), which I recced earlier in Snowflake but will always happily bring up again, Far Gone (premature ejaculation, light teasing) from the kink meme, or Her Summer Blouse (post-office-party PWP), also from the kink meme.
I love winter
Jan. 29th, 2026 10:51 pmcornerofmadnessThe heaters are broken so the rooms are icy.
When I left at five all the feet had taken off the snow. It was a bare ice floe. I could barely walk to the car. I texted my coworker and said end your lab. You'll never make it in the dark. I called off for tomorrow. I missed Wednesday's lab might as well miss both.
That'll get me down to Gallipolis earlier so I can hit the library and lunch before my mammogram.
community recs just remember
halfamoon, the prompts are up, let's celebrate the ladies of fandomand
fandomtrumpshate is up and running. Auction off your skills, help people. Fandom helping people is a great thing. I need to get my offer in.Rocket made me laugh. He wanted out this morning. I opened the door. That -5 F (-21C) air hit him, he dropped to his belly, scuttled backwards and used his litter box. Yeah I thought so.
Homebody
Jan. 29th, 2026 08:11 pmlovelyangelAt 7 am I went downstairs to check out the continental breakfast – and true to pattern, the hotel served scrambled eggs and pork sausage patties. I got some scrambled eggs – and also got a mini lemon Danish. I took the bowl back to my room. I didn’t spend much time reading news, though; I was on a schedule.
I had time after breakfast for a quick walk through the neighborhood. Then I gathered my bags. It was 8:00 am when I checked out at the front desk. At 8:15 am I dropped off the rental car and was on the shuttle bus to the airport by 8:20 am.
At the airport I discovered that I had neglected to do homework, because the shuttle bus began stopping at various places, and I didn’t know what the terminal/gate/airline situation was. My ticket said my flight was departing at Gate 61. Was that in Terminal 6? I couldn’t be sure. I knew that I didn’t want to be stuck on the bus if it began heading back to the rental car place – so I got off right away. That was at Terminal 3. Turns out my flight was indeed at Terminal 6. I looked at maps – and then walked all the way from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6. I told my watch I was doing an outdoor walk for exercise. Turned out to be a 14 minute walk. By the time I had gotten to the front of the security line, it was 9:00 am. I still had lots of time as my flight was scheduled to depart at 11:06, and boarding would start at 10:26 am.
Security scanned my bags but didn’t like that my iPad was in my bag, so they took it out of my bag and sent the tablet and bag back through the scanner. Fine. (This wasn’t a problem in Portland.) I still had plenty of time to kill.
Boarding started on time. The flight departed on time. Nothing of consequence happened on the flight, and we touched down early - at 1:22 pm, while scheduled arrival was 1:39 pm. I was inside the terminal by 1:30 pm. After texting friends and doing a restroom stop, I made my way to the Economy Parking shuttle bus, which departed at 2 pm.
When i got to Shizu, I did a battery check to see how much had drained outside in the cold. (While I was away, temperatures in Portland had dropped into the teens °F.) I had taken before and after photos of the dashboard – and after five days, the battery charge remained unchanged at 73%. This is nice to know.
I got home about 3:10 pm. EV efficiency is really poor in the cold (and also with my new tires), so charge was down to 61%, and I plugged Shizu into the charger – to take advantage of cheap weekend rates.
I think my main travel learning is that when I have to pack that light – and leave my MacBook at home – that I need to have a keyboard for my iPad. I would have like to have worked on journal entries while I was on the road, but I need a real keyboard for that. I don’t compose well on a touch screen keyboard. But who knows when I have to fly again. It’s usually years between flights.
At any rate, I was finally home! I hate being away from my home and was so glad to be back – looking forward to being in my own bed – with Mr. Bear (who did not come on the trip). And I was back on Belldandy, my Mac Studio, which had been shut down while I was away. Being in my home with my computer and my bed and my bear is the best.
Warning about iPhone update 26.2
Jan. 29th, 2026 09:05 pmstarwatcherA while back,
princessofgeeks warned her reading list NOT to update iPhones to 26.2, that the changes in appearance and message were very unpleasant. I appreciated her warning, and have refused the update 2 or 3 times. But I knew it would keep bugging me, so I went looking for a way to avoid the update permanently.
I found this article, which explains how. The guy says that switching to the "18" track will avoid the "26" track permanently. And if you've already updated, and dislike it as much as PrincessofGeeks does -- if I'm reading it right, setting your iPhone on the "18" track will delete the 26.2 update.
There are probably plenty of people who will like the update. But if not, now there's a remedy. I already have an uneasy relationship with my iPhone. I don't need an update that makes me change how I do old stuff, and learn new stuff, so I've rejected it sight unseen.
If any of your peeps have been unhappy about this latest update, feel free to link to this post.