Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov
Feb. 8th, 2026 08:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
An assortment of (mostly) SF from just before Asimov's Sputnik-inspired hiatus from SF.
Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov
james_davis_nicollAn assortment of (mostly) SF from just before Asimov's Sputnik-inspired hiatus from SF.
Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov
Day 8 Theme - Pet Peeves
Feb. 8th, 2026 07:17 amcmk418 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
halfamoonToday's theme is Pet Peeves.
Here are some ideas to get you started: There are some things that really get under her skin. Maybe it's someone who shows up five minutes early to a meeting while she's still getting ready, maybe it's that the store doesn't stock her favorite guilty pleasure item, maybe it's that her significant other keeps beating her at checkers. Sometimes the little things needle away and she hits her breaking point. Show us what bugs her and how she deals with it.
Just go wherever the Muse takes you. If this prompt doesn't speak to you, feel free to share something that does. You can post in a separate entry or as a comment to this post.
Want to get a jump start on tomorrow's theme? Check out the prompt list in the pinned post at the top of the page. Please don't post until that day.
Here are some ideas to get you started: There are some things that really get under her skin. Maybe it's someone who shows up five minutes early to a meeting while she's still getting ready, maybe it's that the store doesn't stock her favorite guilty pleasure item, maybe it's that her significant other keeps beating her at checkers. Sometimes the little things needle away and she hits her breaking point. Show us what bugs her and how she deals with it.
Just go wherever the Muse takes you. If this prompt doesn't speak to you, feel free to share something that does. You can post in a separate entry or as a comment to this post.
Want to get a jump start on tomorrow's theme? Check out the prompt list in the pinned post at the top of the page. Please don't post until that day.
January (plus early February) TV shows
Feb. 8th, 2026 01:10 pmdolorosa_12I mostly finished five TV shows in this past month, but left it until today to write everything up as the final episode of one show only aired on Friday. As is common with my TV viewing, it was a mixed bag of genres. The shows were:
The Lowdown, a tale of local political corruption starring Ethan Hawke as a local journalist and secondhand bookshop owner attempting, ineptly, to uncover the truth behind the suspicious death of one of the members of a wealthy, prominent family. It's run by the same showrunner behind my beloved Reservation Dogs, and written with the same blend of offbeat surrealism, slightly sentimental affection, and incisively sharp focus on the poverty, deprivation and racism festering in declining American cities and towns.
Season 2 of A Thousand Blows, Stephen Knight's take on the nineteenth-century East End. As with the previous season, it's a wild, lurid tale of audacious heists, rival criminal gangs battling for dominance, boxing matches offering opportunities for the show's impoverished characters to claw their way into financial security, and larger-than-life people with larger-than-life emotions, told with a comic book sensibility. As a standalone series, I would have enjoyed this, but as something following on from Season 1, I found it a bit lacking. It was as if all the previous season's character development was reset, and there was never any sense of real risk: characters felt protected by plot armour from suffering any consequences.
I Love LA, a comedy miniseries about a group of self-absorbed Gen Zers trying to make it in the entertainment industry (social media influencer, manager of said influencer, costume designer to pop stars, nepo baby daughter of successful actor), which was almost painful in its humour. It's brilliantly acted and written, but excruciating if you find secondhand embarrassment at the obliviousness of characters always on the brink of disaster hard to watch.
Season 2 of The Night Manager, which picks up close to a decade after the previous season (an updating of a Le Carré novel for the Arab Spring era) finished. This new tale of twenty-first-century spycraft deals with corruption, international arms dealing, and external attempts to meddle politically in Colombia, and is well written and well acted with its stellar cast, even if some elements strained credulity. It's a wild ride from start to finish — tense and engrossing, with some incredible and audacious twists. Bring on Season 3!
Spartacus: House of Ashur, a spinoff from the cult favourite Starz series about the revolt and subsequent crushing of enslaved gladiators in ancient Rome. I have to say I thought the concept was a bit far-fetched and ridiculous (a canon-divergence AU in which a secondary character — who died towards the end of Spartacus — gets offered a second lease of life in the afterlife, and lives again as a freedman, the client of Marcus Crassus, and the owner of the house of gladiators in which he, and Spartacus were previously enslaved), and I'm still not sure why the show exists, but I can't deny it was entertaining. It has the same wall-to-wall gratuitous violence (slow-motion, comic-book style punches and blows by sword and spear, rivers of blood spraying around the screen), nudity (equal opportunity) and sexposition, the same bizarre dialogue choices (all the characters speak without the use of definite and indefinite articles, and absent possessive pronouns, as if translating directly from Latin — I honestly wonder how the actors are able to speak such contorted lines without difficulty), and, underneath all the sex and violence, a serious story about the limits of respectability politics. (In other words, a marginalised person can expend all his energy adopting the trappings and values of those privileged in his society, swallow every insult, and do everything in his power to cater to their whims and give them what they want, and it will still never be enough for him to gain material comfort, safety, or their acceptance of him as their equal.) I assume it goes without saying that if you're looking for historical accuracy, or even a sense of internal narrative coherence, this is not a show I'd recommend: it's 90 per cent vibes, and you just have to go with that. In the show's final five minutes, it makes a narrative choice so wild and so left field that I was almost astonished by the audacity, making it clear that — if it does return for a new season — it will be operating not just in canon divergence, but in full blown alternate history.
I feel as if the common thread tying together all these shows is character who think they are very clever constantly worsening their own situations due to their inability to think more than one step ahead, and making poor, reactive decisions instead of pausing and trying to think more strategically beyond their immediate circumstances.
I feel as if the common thread tying together all these shows is character who think they are very clever constantly worsening their own situations due to their inability to think more than one step ahead, and making poor, reactive decisions instead of pausing and trying to think more strategically beyond their immediate circumstances.
Just one thing: 8 February 2026
Feb. 8th, 2026 07:03 amjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment 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!
Comment 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!
Another grey day on St Aldhelm's Head
Feb. 8th, 2026 12:25 pmpuddlesharkAnother grey day, though the rain held off for a few hours this morning, and another walk across the high ground, this time following the chalk track along St Aldhelm's Head.
Even the high ground is wet.
( Black & white photos, and grey photos )
Even the high ground is wet.
( Black & white photos, and grey photos )
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sunday
Feb. 8th, 2026 06:22 amsummersgate
Tinnitus. The idea for it came as I was lying in bed this morning.
The latest: Blu Bun. I was thinking of Chloe when I made it. Yesterday's Nerdy Turtle was for Johnny. Next up is an octopus for Jules.
Another cold day today. 5F at the moment. It's supposed to go down to -10 tonight. Blaa. Though Tuesday it's supposed to go up to 38F. We're having Sunday dinner today. Stuffed shells (vegan, made with tofu and hummus), garlic bread and a salad. I've decided to not have Sunday dinner every week. Every other week now. Two weeks ago we had the big blizzard and that one was cancelled so we haven't seen some of the people for a month now.
snow day surprise! ❄️
Feb. 8th, 2026 06:58 pmmatsushima posting in allkindsofdollsI did not expect to have any new photos to share for this month's photo prompt but I woke up this morning to 2-3" of snow on the ground! I canceled all of my appointments because my train wasn't running on time and stayed home to take some doll photos and snuggle up under the blankets.
Fujisaki Ichīro (Dream of Doll Zen with Angel Toast face-up)
Minekura Kokone aka Nene (Imomodoll Ruby with 3kaku face-up)
Fujisaki Ichīro (Dream of Doll Zen with Angel Toast face-up)
Minekura Kokone aka Nene (Imomodoll Ruby with 3kaku face-up)
The Terribleness
Feb. 7th, 2026 03:40 pmsmokingbootMy little study had reached junk yard levels of untidiness, No spare room on the floor for standing and the glasses cabinet door stuck open behind various boxes, coins, paintings, tubes, letters, books, wrapping paper and a strange blue box whose contents I can't recall. So, I said to my cleaner that if she found time while I was out, she could give the floor a go. I told her not to bother with my desk, and sure enough everything there is the same, except it's covered in pencils she picked up. But the rest of the room is dusted and immaculate. It's eerie. There's a distinct sense of everything in its place with a very satisfied vibe. I get the impression she's been waiting a long time for this moment.
One of the reasons I kept her out of the room before accepting what had to happen was my embarrassment at anyone seeing my paintings. They're really bad. Failure number one started out as a sweet drawing of a tudor lady, and she genuinely had a lovely smile. Then Ralik peed on it, and I didn't have the heart to throw it out so I cleaned it up and did everything I could to rescue it. Well, the lady got darker and darker of mood as did the whole painting, I noodled and made things worse and finally created something so awful I honestly do not want anyone to see it. It's hokey, it's badly painted, it's ridiculous. I am keeping it because I worked hard and long on the stupid thing but the moment my primitive self accepts the painting really doesn't care, I'll paint over the horror and keep the canvas for practice.
Failure number 2 was just a field under a sky. It was an experiment using acrylic paints and spatula for the sky, acrylic pens for the field. The combination was blah. So I went over it using acrylic paints and brushes for the field. It was OK, but still nothing really. Finally I used a palette knife on the field and created what feels to me like a stubble burning scene. I love it but I dare not show it to anyone because while not as abject a failure as number 1, there is the undeniable probability it has no merit at all.
One of the reasons I kept her out of the room before accepting what had to happen was my embarrassment at anyone seeing my paintings. They're really bad. Failure number one started out as a sweet drawing of a tudor lady, and she genuinely had a lovely smile. Then Ralik peed on it, and I didn't have the heart to throw it out so I cleaned it up and did everything I could to rescue it. Well, the lady got darker and darker of mood as did the whole painting, I noodled and made things worse and finally created something so awful I honestly do not want anyone to see it. It's hokey, it's badly painted, it's ridiculous. I am keeping it because I worked hard and long on the stupid thing but the moment my primitive self accepts the painting really doesn't care, I'll paint over the horror and keep the canvas for practice.
Failure number 2 was just a field under a sky. It was an experiment using acrylic paints and spatula for the sky, acrylic pens for the field. The combination was blah. So I went over it using acrylic paints and brushes for the field. It was OK, but still nothing really. Finally I used a palette knife on the field and created what feels to me like a stubble burning scene. I love it but I dare not show it to anyone because while not as abject a failure as number 1, there is the undeniable probability it has no merit at all.
PDPH #5, 16-17, 19-27
Feb. 7th, 2026 11:43 pmrfemod posting in rarefemslashexchangeThere are 12 post deadline pinch hits and they will be due on February 12th, 10PM PST. [Countdown] [In Your Timezone]
To claim a pinch hit, you can comment on this post (comments are screened) with your AO3 username and the pinch hit # that you want or you can reach out via email at rarefemslashexchangemod@gmail.com. While you can comment anonymously, please remember that you won't be able to get notified or see the reply.
If you are a pinch hitter who hasn't signed up for the exchange or someone who would like to treat a pinch hitter, there is now a post for Pinch Hitter Prompts.
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #5 (fic): Psychonauts (Video Games), Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry, Dragon Ball, Tekken (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #16 (fic, art): Girls5eva (TV), Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019), Stranger Things (TV 2016), Ted Lasso (TV), We Are Lady Parts (TV) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #17 (fic, art): Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader (Video Game), Baldur's Gate (Video Games), Stardew Valley (Video Game), True Detective (TV 2014), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Doctor Who (2005) )
( Pinch Hit #19 (fic, art): アキバ冥途戦争 | Akiba Maid War (Anime), かげきしょうじょ!! | Kageki Shoujo!! | Opera Girl! (Anime), ちはやふる | Chihayafuru (Anime & Manga), ユリ熊嵐 | Yuri Kuma Arashi )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #20 (fic, art): Nana (Anime & Manga), The Wicked + The Divine, The Power Fantasy (Comics), DCU (Comics), Snotgirl (Comics) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #21 (fic, art): The Magnus Archives (Podcast), The Magnus Protocol (Podcast), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke, The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir, The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, DCU (Comics), The Old Guard (Movies 2020 2025), Leverage (US TV 2008), Foundation (TV 2021) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #22 (fic, art): ヴァ二タスの手記 - 望月淳 | Vanitas no Carte | The Case Study of Vanitas - Mochizuki Jun (Manga), ささやくように恋を唄う | Sasayaku You ni Koi wo Utau | Whispering You a Love Song (Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #23 (fic): Andor (TV), Mad Max Series (Movies), The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #24 (fic): 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney, 大逆転裁判 | Dai Gyakuten Saiban | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Video Games), Metaphor: ReFantazio (Video Game), Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona 5: The Phantom X (Video Game) )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #25 (fic, art): Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005), A Man on the Inside (TV), The Pitt (TV), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV), Ted Lasso (TV), Crossover Fandom (ATLA/Frozen, BATB/Aladdin), Original Work )
CLAIMED!( Pinch Hit #26 (fic, art): Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV), Dimension 20 (Web Series), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Original Work, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Enterprise )
( Pinch Hit #27 (fic): The Game and the Candle - Eleanor M. Ingram, Don Estevan's Honor - Eleanor M. Ingram, Lucifer's Wife - Eleanor M. Ingram )
To claim a pinch hit, you can comment on this post (comments are screened) with your AO3 username and the pinch hit # that you want or you can reach out via email at rarefemslashexchangemod@gmail.com. While you can comment anonymously, please remember that you won't be able to get notified or see the reply.
If you are a pinch hitter who hasn't signed up for the exchange or someone who would like to treat a pinch hitter, there is now a post for Pinch Hitter Prompts.
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
( Pinch Hit #19 (fic, art): アキバ冥途戦争 | Akiba Maid War (Anime), かげきしょうじょ!! | Kageki Shoujo!! | Opera Girl! (Anime), ちはやふる | Chihayafuru (Anime & Manga), ユリ熊嵐 | Yuri Kuma Arashi )
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
CLAIMED!
( Pinch Hit #27 (fic): The Game and the Candle - Eleanor M. Ingram, Don Estevan's Honor - Eleanor M. Ingram, Lucifer's Wife - Eleanor M. Ingram )
random word
Feb. 8th, 2026 01:05 amarchersangeltoday's random thing (this post explains it) for frivolous feb. is a random weird word. well, they call it weird but some could be called rare, or little-used.
maybe someone could use one of them as a word for scrabble, or one might be an answer to a crossword clue sometime.
taurine
of, like or pertaining to bulls; bull-like
and according to merriam-webster.com it is also;
a crystalline acid C2H7NO3S that is synthesized in the body from cysteine and methionine, is similar to amino acids but is not a component of proteins, and is involved in various physiological functions (such as bile acid conjugation and cell membrane stabilization)
those of you who have cats know this is important for them to have.
also, if anyone is doing the 3-sentence fic-a-thon, post 4 is now up. post 3 is closed to new prompts, but you can still do fills for the ones there.
maybe someone could use one of them as a word for scrabble, or one might be an answer to a crossword clue sometime.
taurine
of, like or pertaining to bulls; bull-like
and according to merriam-webster.com it is also;
a crystalline acid C2H7NO3S that is synthesized in the body from cysteine and methionine, is similar to amino acids but is not a component of proteins, and is involved in various physiological functions (such as bile acid conjugation and cell membrane stabilization)
those of you who have cats know this is important for them to have.
also, if anyone is doing the 3-sentence fic-a-thon, post 4 is now up. post 3 is closed to new prompts, but you can still do fills for the ones there.
2026 60 question meme
Feb. 7th, 2026 11:09 pmpattroseName three healthy habits you have started within the last year that have changed your life for the better.
1. I now eat a peach yogurt in the morning, every day, instead of not eating anything. I love peach yogurt. And honestly, I'm sure I feel better because of this. Plus, I'm not so hungry by lunch time.
2. I'm doing Chair Aerobics every night for 30 minutes. I've lost a little weight, and I feel better. Because of my heart and Pulmonary Hypertension, I'm unable to do much that is strenuous. I'm thrilled I'm able to do this each night. Woot! I can't walk for long, because I'm on oxygen and it doesn't like me walking for too long. I'm limited, but I make the best of it.
3. Using less salt. I'm not cutting it out altogether, but I have taken less in for the last two months. I feel pretty darn good. The cardiologist likes my numbers right now, so he's very happy with me and my heart. LOL, I've still got a lot of weight to lose, but I'll get there.
I'm thrilled that I actually have three to list. Woot!!!!!!
1. I now eat a peach yogurt in the morning, every day, instead of not eating anything. I love peach yogurt. And honestly, I'm sure I feel better because of this. Plus, I'm not so hungry by lunch time.
2. I'm doing Chair Aerobics every night for 30 minutes. I've lost a little weight, and I feel better. Because of my heart and Pulmonary Hypertension, I'm unable to do much that is strenuous. I'm thrilled I'm able to do this each night. Woot! I can't walk for long, because I'm on oxygen and it doesn't like me walking for too long. I'm limited, but I make the best of it.
3. Using less salt. I'm not cutting it out altogether, but I have taken less in for the last two months. I feel pretty darn good. The cardiologist likes my numbers right now, so he's very happy with me and my heart. LOL, I've still got a lot of weight to lose, but I'll get there.
I'm thrilled that I actually have three to list. Woot!!!!!!
cheese slices.
Feb. 7th, 2026 09:49 pmnecrophiliaSo. Work exploded.
Anyway, this entry is about Return to Silent Hill.
Below the cut: full spoilers for both Silent Hill 2 (the video game) and Return to Silent Hill (the movie). tl;dr — do not see this movie. Do literally anything else with your time.
( gravestone )
Anyway, this entry is about Return to Silent Hill.
Below the cut: full spoilers for both Silent Hill 2 (the video game) and Return to Silent Hill (the movie). tl;dr — do not see this movie. Do literally anything else with your time.
( gravestone )
a Day early on the 2026 Not Quite 365 Questions
Feb. 7th, 2026 11:05 pmpattrose8. How often do you read fiction?
I read fiction almost every day. I can't sleep at night until I've read some fan fiction if nothing else. I read all the time. Am I supposed to say what I'm reading? Because I just got done reading a new Due South fanfic, and it's wonderful. I'm going to post the link in case you want to read it too. It's written by Grey853 on AO3. It's a WIP, but each part is very long and very good. Plus, she always finishes her WIPs. Unlike some of us. LOL https://archiveofourown.org/works/78962371 It's 40,000 words and will be a 12 part series, on top of her Alphabet Series. This is the link for the entire series. Its my fave of all of her stories. Woot! https://archiveofourown.org/series/4320295
I read fiction almost every day. I can't sleep at night until I've read some fan fiction if nothing else. I read all the time. Am I supposed to say what I'm reading? Because I just got done reading a new Due South fanfic, and it's wonderful. I'm going to post the link in case you want to read it too. It's written by Grey853 on AO3. It's a WIP, but each part is very long and very good. Plus, she always finishes her WIPs. Unlike some of us. LOL https://archiveofourown.org/works/78962371 It's 40,000 words and will be a 12 part series, on top of her Alphabet Series. This is the link for the entire series. Its my fave of all of her stories. Woot! https://archiveofourown.org/series/4320295
[AMN: Challenge 144 - Elsewhere] Final Fantasy IV - Dinners
Feb. 8th, 2026 12:45 amkalloway posting in anythingdrabbleTitle: Dinners
Fandom: Final Fantasy IV
Characters/Pairings: Kain/Cecil/Rosa
Word Count: 100
Rating: AA
Summary: Dinner is better together.
-
( dinners )
Fandom: Final Fantasy IV
Characters/Pairings: Kain/Cecil/Rosa
Word Count: 100
Rating: AA
Summary: Dinner is better together.
-
( dinners )