delphi | Network

I hit Price Chopper while I was downtown. Yes, again. My meal plans got rearranged due to Pip’s toothache. I already had the pork chops in the oven when he got home yesterday, so there was no changing that, but I decided to do French toast (which he had requested one day) because it should be easy for him to eat. I was not prepared with enough bread in the house, or bacon. o_O

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip/the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I also wrote out checks for the property tax (personal and LLC).

I read more fanfic and watched Wild Cards and an ep of House Hunters International. Zoo Tampa was my background tv.

I had more stomach issues today. ( cutting for the gross details )

Temps started out at 7.2(F) (and actually went up a bit to 7.5 before I left the house) and reached 23.2. The lows for the next three nights (including tonight) are supposed to be below zero. *shivers* DNW!! There was sun again today, which was nice.

Speaking of DNW, it appears that the N’oreaster this weekend might miss us this far inland? I hope that continues to be the case. Looks like Boston is going to get hit hard again. (As well as North Carolina, so stay safe down there!)

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay when I visited. She had some protein drink just before I got there and I made her an egg with cheese for lunch. (One egg with cheese filled her to almost uncomfortable. I can’t believe just how small her stomach is. I know they took about 1/3 of it, and that by not eating it’s probably shrunk even farther, and yet I’m still surprised by it.) I also took her some of the steamed butternut squash chunks so she could do with it as she wished. (I’m sure I would have put too much butter and or brown sugar on it for her taste.)

While I was there she got a phone call from my brother’s long-term GF’s (they’ve been together since high school, so a couple years longer than Pip and I have been together) mother. This woman was a year ahead of my mom in high school and they were never friends, and even just acquaintances after R & T got together, but she recently asked if it would be okay if she called. It sounded like they had a good conversation.

My mom mentioned that my brother calls her every night, which is nice. She also told me she was expecting my aunt and uncle tomorrow morning.

I wrote out a check for her and put it back in the mail.

Sister A and Ian had just arrived when I was talking to her in the evening and she told me that her BFF had been there in the afternoon after I left, so she had some nice company today.

autodach

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

Challenge #15

How Did the Fandom Snowflake Challenge Go?

It went well! I made friends :)
I’m currently not doing so hot health-wise and didn’t have the energy for some challenges that I would have done in other years, but that’s okay. I’m choosing to cut myself some slack.

innitmarvellous

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Current Mood: annoyed

paradisedinermod posting in

paradisediner

Thanks everyone who voted! These are our democratically voted and well deserving winners:

( 3rd place )

( 2nd place )

( 1st place )

fignewton posting in

stargateficrec

This entry will be open through the 31st. The February reccers post will go up sometime on Sunday.

Comment with the username you'll be using to rec and the category you want. Choose a category from the list below or select a more rare category that has been used in the past. If you want to rec a category that is not on the list below or in Memories, that's fine, too: you may volunteer for a category that isn't listed.

By signing up, you are committing yourself to reccing at least two (preferably four) stories in that category during the month of February. You don't have to check the Memories before choosing which stories to rec. If you have a good fic to rec, go for it! Do remember, though, that story links must be freely accessible, without requiring any sort of login to view. The FAQ and rec template, with detailed instructions, can be found here. Reccers may add self-recs once they have done their minimum two for their category of the month, and see more details at the FAQ entry.

You must be a member of

stargateficrec in order to post. So if you're a new reccer, be sure to join the community.

( Common but not exclusive categories )

Remember: first come, first claimed! And if you're not sure if you want to sign up... well, it's still Open Reccers Month, so why not give it a try in the time that's left? :)

innitmarvellous

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hindsightseeing

Challenge #15
How Did the Fandom Snowflake Challenge Go?

About as well as expected, really. It definitely kick-started me into keeping up with Dreamwidth and centring my thoughts on posting, which was just what I wanted -- even when I opted out of a challenge (which naturally happened more and more towards the end) I'd still carve out some time on odd-numbered days to wait for the question and feel it out, which is very useful when you're trying to rebuild a routine.

I only participated in about four of the challenges -- five if you include this one! -- but as I may have mentioned at the start, I've never actually managed all of them, so... again, as expected.

This year's challenges were a little different from what I recall from previous years, so I really enjoyed seeing what would come up. I'm kind of kicking myself for freezing up and failing to think of something to list for the Top Ten especially, as I love making those kinds of lists... but I guess the beauty of open-ended challenges means I can go back and do that in mid-April or July or November, whenever the impulse takes me.

All in all, I got what I wanted: a kick up the backside to start posting again and build a routine around being here, checking in, reading other people's posts, etc. As ever, a joyful experience!

Current Mood: busy

mific

A small catch-up with works I've posted to AO3 recently and not mentioned in other posts. There are three seasonal exchanges I take part in each year, so it's been a productive time for me. I also feel much less blocked in terms of writing fic, with Heated Rivalry getting me fannishly excited again, and my other fandoms have been benefiting.

Things I wrote, podficced, or arted in Procreate:

due South seekrit santa:
Roommates (Fraser/Ray Vecchio & Ray Kowalski, Dief)

Stargate Atlantis secret santa:
The Ancient Texts (Gen, Ronon & John)
Bribery (Jack O'Neill Gen, background John/Rodney - a mod treat)

SGA Discord Server annual fic exchange:
A Good Walk, Spoiled (Team, John/Rodney, Action/adventure)
and It Takes a Village (Gen, Radek & Biro)
and in the Leftover Treats category of the exchange:
A New Lease of Life (older John/Rodney, Explicit)
and The Way To a Man's Heart (Ronon/Rodney, Teen)

In podfic, just the one:
Christmas At Dukes Denver by Persiflager for ITPE (Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. Harriet/Peter)

My fanart's still all Heated Rivalry - unsurprising, with such inspiring material!
Ya Tebya Lyublyu (I Love You) for the

drawesome romance prompt (Shane/Ilya)
Shane's Emotional Support Crotch (2 chapters/works so far, maybe planning more) (Shane/Ilya, NSFW)
Touch Yourself (Shane)

And of course I've enrolled for way too many Big Bangs etc, in HR. One is ICE OUT a tumblr-based HR fanworks auction to raise funds to support those combating ICE. Sign ups as a creator are almost closed, and the bidding starts in a couple of days.

shipperslist

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emeraldnebulae1

Me setting goals to complete daily: :D yippee (achieves goals for one whole day) Also me with chronic fatigue the next day: can’t keep my eyes open or string words together the entire day

oursin

Happy birthday,

batwrangler,

dewline and

elij_0650!

queenslayerbee

Snowflake Challenge: A close up shot of an owl ornament hanging amidst pine boughs..

Challenge #14
In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I compiled recs for a few of my fandoms for challenge #4, but I wanted to do something slightly different.

My main fandom right now is, and has been for a while, DC comics. The world of DC is vast and pretty much everyone knows one corner or another within it, but a lot of people find comics specifically hard to get into. So I thought I'd make a list of some runs or story arcs I enjoyed!

These aren't comprehensive, or a How To Get Into Comics primer. I'm not an expert, and I have read more of certain group of characters (Bats) than others, even if I want to expand. Here I've mostly tried to make a lists of comics you can read on their own without getting too turned around.

I keep recommending Wonder Woman: Historia, but it's for good reason. It has only three issues (there were supposed to be more, and there might be at some point, but as it is, the story stands on its own). It tells the story of the Amazons, how they came to be, how Hippolyta became their queen, and how Themyscira was born. It does a lot of interesting thing with the concept of narratives (who they serve, how they're twisted), with a solid feminist stance that often feels missing from Wonder Woman comics, especially recent ones.

The above rec stands on its own, as I said, but I personally think my experience was enhanced by reading Wonder Woman (1987) #1, another Amazons-origin story that clearly inspired. And although I hesitate to recommend ongoing stories, and I don't trust that the universe this one is set in won't become its own mess sooner rather than later lol, Absolute Wonder Woman is pretty good and feels like it's in conversation with Historia. If you like the miniseries, you might want to check it out.

Another Wonder Woman comic I'd recommend, since I'm here, it's Wonder Woman: The Once And Future Story by Trina Robbins. It's a one-shot that deals with domestic violence, and it's very 80s at times, but solid, and impactful.

Webtoons are a very accessible way to get into comics, and maybe I should've started with these xDD. A lot of people know Wayne Family Adventures, but it's not my favourite, and in recent years it's abandoned their vignette structure in favour of year-long plots in a way I feel does it no favours. The ones I REALLY liked were Zatanna & The Ripper and Vixen: NYC. They have a plot tying them together but they're complete, and they are about less-known characters and include some secondary ones that really shine. In the first one, Zatanna is thrown into the 19th century and has to fight the mysterious, famous serial killer, and in the second one, Mari moves to NYC for college and discovers a lot about her heritage and her powers. The first one includes Constantine, and the second one has Anissa Pierce and Grace Choi as supporting cast (they might sound familiar if you watched Black Lightning), as well as Beast Boy, for example.

Far Sector (#1-12) by N.K. Jemisin is another good rec. I feel I know just the basics of Green Lantern lore, but this comic works at being self-explanatory, putting us in a new world and showing us its specific rules. It does some interesting things with its sci-fi setting and with its lead character, who I hope I read more about sooner rather than later. Sojourner "Jo" Mullein, the lead, is the Green Lantern in the Absolute universe, as far as I know, but I have my misgivings about that 'verse outside of Wonder Woman and I haven't jumped into it.

Greg Rucka is one of the most solid comic authors out there, and one that's easier to recommend than my other faves because it feels like SOME of his work is more approachable/self-explanatory lol. There are a lot of things I could rec but for this purpose, I'll go with Gotham Central. It's longer than the recs above (40 issues), and sometimes it touches on events surrounding it at the time, but I think it can be read on its own because the whole point of it is that Batman is in the background, a looming thread or suspicious ally, and not a central figure. It focuses on the police force, with all it entails, but it's good writing and it has some amazing story arcs, especially for Renee Montoya.

Oracle: Year One (in Batman Chronicles #5). If you never read a Bat-related story other than this one in your life, that'd be fine by me lol. This should be longer than one (1) story, not even full-length, in an anthology series, but alas, DC is DC. Still. An absolute must-read, with Barbara coming out of the other end of the Joker's attack. As we all know what happens in The Killing Joke (and that barely focuses on Barbara, lbr), it's unnecessary to revisit it in order to read OY1.

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu. It's a YA comic, auto-conclusive. I have not read much (yet) about New Gods, Apokolips and so on, and yet that never detracted from it. It feels like a good way to dip your toe into that side of the comics, which sometimes feels intimidating, and it has a very moving storyline featuring both love and resistance, with a couple that has caught my eye before due to how they seem to defying the usual gender roles.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow (#1-7). This is the "Hard Traveling Heroes" arc some people might've heard about, where the two characters embark on a road trip across the USA and deal with The Issues plaguing it at the time. It is VERY 70s, in many ways, but I appreciate its candor and its gumption. It includes the introduction of John Stewart, which would be pretty fucking revolutionary today (as comics now are very defanged about racial issues in particular, IMO), and Roy Harper's addiction backstory.

Devin Grayson is one of my favourite comic authors, but I'm bad at sussing out how accessible she is, as her stories are deeply entrenched in What I Know Best lol. I feel like her Gotham Knights series might be a better fit for this list, but I haven't read it as a run, instead picking specific issues that crossed with one story arc or another. So I will instead recommend her Catwoman run, which stands on its own and indulges in my favourite version of the character --not the more heroic one, but the weirdo misanthrope thief with commitment issues who thrived when challenged LOL. The specific issues you'd have to read are from Catwoman (1993), #54-71. She also wrote the Annual #4 (before issue #54) and #1000000 (before #63), but those are separate from that run and its plots. One thing I really appreciate from this run is how largely absent Batman is from it, allowing Selina to develop outside of that romance.

Black Lightning: Year One. Only six-issues long, it show us the origins of Jefferson Pierce. It's a light, enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it on its own (+ it has a good portrayal of Talia al Ghul absent in most other comics of its time, which I appreciate!). But I admit I have an agenda when I recommend it... it's because I think it'll make the next installment on the list more understandable for beginners xDD

The Other History of the DC Universe. This 5-issues mini-series is not a really good fit on this list, but it's one of the best and bravest comics written in this decade and I must recommend it because of it. It expands on important events in the main continuity of comics, specifically those of the post-crisis era (1987-2011), aka my preferred continuity. But with a big difference: it centers the perspective of heroes of colour, giving them voices (and quite critical at that!) and portraying them as complex, full people, with their own shades of grey. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable for it, and for how it doesn't shy away from criticising fan-favourite white heroes, but that's precisely why I love it: it's not trying to appease people or to flatten events and characterisation. The first issue is narrated by Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning, and the last issue by Anissa Pierce, his lesbian daughter. #4 is about Renee Montoya. As you see, some of the previous rec will make you more familiar with them, but I only know the other characters (Mal and Karen in #2, and Tatsu in #3) more superficially and I still found those issues impactful, so YMMV.

And because I am who I am, I must close this list recommending something about Jason Todd. One day I will make a list featuring ALL the Jason comics I think are worth reading, in the order I'd personally think best, full of asterisks and amendments. But for now, I'll settle for what I think ought to be the first thing one should read about him: Batman #408-411. AKA, his origin story in the post-crisis continuity. Everything else ought to come after that. And it's a good starting point not only for him, but for the Batman mythos at large, as it sets the tone for that new continuity and gives us information about backstories/where the characters are at now.

Challenge #15
How Did the Fandom Snowflake Challenge Go? Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

Well, the part of me that struggles to be Organised, something that doesn't come easily LOL, is a bit miffed that this year I didn't manage to post every entry on its "correct" date xD, but I'm trying not to listen to that part! I did complete the challenge, and I got to talk to a lot of people and add new friends thanks to it. I'm not asking for anything more. Hopefully, even if it won't be as active after the challenge, I'll still find those things in DW!

Current Mood: restless
Current Music: Alanis Morissette - Uninvited

ysabetwordsmith

Roll for resistance: How a fantasy game defended the commons

In 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... )

Current Mood: busy

daegaer

( Dear Casefic Writer )

( Saiyuki )

( Saiyuki Gaiden )

( Saiyuki Ibun )

( Weiß Kreuz )

( Weiß: Side B )

( Crossover Fandom )

( DNWs )

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: due South
Characters/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

amaebi

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nanila posting in

awesomeers

It'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!

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/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

sovay

History, what do you mean that Folkways Records was founded by the son of Sholem Asch who, as one last trick after the scandals of Jewish lesbians and Christian novels, wrote a version of the Nativity recorded for his son's record label by Pete Seeger? What kind of concatenation is that to drop on an unsuspecting person? And is there a reason no artist is credited with the pen-and-ink illustrations depicting the story in 1963 even as the prose sticks to its historical setting, which are maddening me with their sketch-expressive familiarity, although perhaps only because my grandmother had that kind of loose, scribbly, ink-washed line? Ben Shahn at least had the decency to sign his album art. The Claibornes' "Listen, Mr. Bilbo" could have had the luck to lose its relevance since 1946. History, the other kind of convergence was more fun. Listen while I tell you that the foreigners you hate are the very same people made America great.

Current Music: The Shivas, "If You See Me"

vriddy

The few notes I took during my not-really-pacing-check aren't taking as long as the previous chunky edits to integrate (THANK GOD), which means I'm also speed-running through my Having Feelings About The Manuscript cycle... *sigh* I was taking a few notes for a post as I went (seeing how much better it is than before! happy feelings!) but I've already moved on from happy to things to be sad/disappointed about.

Audience: "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.

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Delphi (they/them)

wax-and-wings.carrd.co

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Page Summary

spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, Jan 29)
autodach - Snowflake Challenge #15
innitmarvellous - Ugh...
paradisedinermod in paradisediner - Our favourite releases of 2025, part 2!
fignewton in stargateficrec - February reccers volunteer post
innitmarvellous - Snowflake challenge #15
hindsightseeing - The Final Snowflake!
mific - Fanfic, Podfic, and art catch-up
shipperslist - Little Mushroom by Yi Shi Si Zhou, book 2
emeraldnebulae1 - (no subject)
oursin - (no subject)
queenslayerbee - snowflake 2k26 #14-15
ysabetwordsmith - Gaming
daegaer - Dear Casefic Writer!
mific in fancake - due South: Twenty Cents a Page by dance_across
amaebi - Emailing my senators
nanila in awesomeers - Just One Thing (30 January 2026)
mific in fanart_recs - Hockey Magazine Portraits by judestlispenard (SFW)
sovay - All the ghosts, some old, some new
vriddy - "Not really pacing check" continuing + mindset

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Sock It to Me

Network

The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, Jan 29)

Snowflake Challenge #15

Ugh...

Our favourite releases of 2025, part 2!

February reccers volunteer post

Snowflake challenge #15

The Final Snowflake!

Fanfic, Podfic, and art catch-up

Little Mushroom by Yi Shi Si Zhou, book 2

(no subject)

(no subject)

snowflake 2k26 #14-15

Gaming

Dear Casefic Writer!

due South: Twenty Cents a Page by dance_across

Emailing my senators

Just One Thing (30 January 2026)

Hockey Magazine Portraits by judestlispenard (SFW)

All the ghosts, some old, some new

"Not really pacing check" continuing + mindset

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