Yes. Memes are indeed fun.
Jan. 10th, 2026 05:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goodbyebirdNew Years Book Meme Via flamingsword:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 126
3. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026
hah my closest book was Nghi Vo's Mammoths at the Gates, which ends at 120 pages.
"I stared down into it, no lights burning at its heart, no voices raised in song, while Rencki tried to call up the shuttle to Kiskol."
Slow Gods by Claire North.
Well, um. That sounds bleak? 2026 really needs to be nicer to me.
Positive note, I do like the writing.
flamingsword:1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 126
3. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026
hah my closest book was Nghi Vo's Mammoths at the Gates, which ends at 120 pages.
"I stared down into it, no lights burning at its heart, no voices raised in song, while Rencki tried to call up the shuttle to Kiskol."
Slow Gods by Claire North.
Well, um. That sounds bleak? 2026 really needs to be nicer to me.
Positive note, I do like the writing.
To the devil on your shoulder.
Jan. 10th, 2026 03:48 pmgoodbyebird+ I'm going back to work tonight, just to sleep on board so I can get cracking nice and early before everybody else arrives. It'll probably be freezing but hopping in bed wearing wool should sort that out. Right now I am of course procrastinating to the max. I have not packed a single item yet. At least my packages have been collected, the laundry and washing up done, and I've bought the necessities. The plan was to finish early so I could have a nice bath? *sighs at self* Man, you'll love that bath. Make that bath happen!
+ One thing I did finish is my holiday quest list in Dreamlight Valley, most important of all lolol. Gotta get those holiday decoration items, so I can boot it back up next December and once again not actually get around to decorating all that much. But it does make Kid Me happy still, wandering around with Belle and Wall-E, the most low stakes gameplay there is, collecting pretty holiday items. (they did actually sneak in an extra holiday thing that started after New Years and I'm cranky about it.)
+ I should also do my big yearly tarot spread, but I may not have the brains. Maybe I'll just lay them out and take pictures for later.
+ Letterboxd's In Memoriam tribute this year really hit me in the feels. We lost some lovely creatives.
+ Discord is hosting a survey to see what you think of them adding AI bullshit here. Feel free to stop by and tell them nope.
+ Snowflake Challenge #5
In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.
1. I'd love to see more people share things that bring them joy in their journals, no matter how small. We gotta grab what we can.
2. If you can't quite think of something shiny to share atm: memes are fun!
3. And if anyone has shared something that has brought you joy, please tell them so <3
(sneaky 4. but please do tell Discord to go fuck themselves with their AI bs.)
+ One thing I did finish is my holiday quest list in Dreamlight Valley, most important of all lolol. Gotta get those holiday decoration items, so I can boot it back up next December and once again not actually get around to decorating all that much. But it does make Kid Me happy still, wandering around with Belle and Wall-E, the most low stakes gameplay there is, collecting pretty holiday items. (they did actually sneak in an extra holiday thing that started after New Years and I'm cranky about it.)
+ I should also do my big yearly tarot spread, but I may not have the brains. Maybe I'll just lay them out and take pictures for later.
+ Letterboxd's In Memoriam tribute this year really hit me in the feels. We lost some lovely creatives.
+ Discord is hosting a survey to see what you think of them adding AI bullshit here. Feel free to stop by and tell them nope.
+ Snowflake Challenge #5
In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.
1. I'd love to see more people share things that bring them joy in their journals, no matter how small. We gotta grab what we can.
2. If you can't quite think of something shiny to share atm: memes are fun!
3. And if anyone has shared something that has brought you joy, please tell them so <3
(sneaky 4. but please do tell Discord to go fuck themselves with their AI bs.)
books I have DNFed
Jan. 9th, 2026 11:25 pmsnickficIt's been a minute!
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling. IDK how you make a book full of starving, soon-to-be-cannibal lesbian nuns beseiged in a castle anything less than completely my jam, but man, I just wasn't feelng it.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. The superintendent of a private school for magic... sorry, I got at least fifty pages in and I can't even tell you what the premise was.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. I tried this book about the mysterious deaths of a bunch of Russian hikers during my mountaineering disasters phase, but I just couldn't get over this American doc producer rocking up to Russia without speaking a word of Russian OR knowing anything about mountain hiking and deciding he was going to solve this decades old mystery. Half the chapters were about him bumbling around Russia hoping people would take pity on him and tell him things while privately complaining that they didn't tell him fast enough. God give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.
The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis. Trans woman narrates her gender journey through music. I'm interested in stories about rock music and people's relationship to it, but I struggled with Stratis's writing. I don't even know why.
Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby. A driver who's successfully escaped the life gets pulled in to do one last heist. I feel like this is the Cosby everyone recommends, but I couldn't get over how predictable the plot was. Maybe it had some surprises later, but I didn't get that far. Worse, I was supposed to be reading this with a friend and totally failed out, which I still feel guilty about!
Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop. Magic and gemstones and stuff, who can say. Guys, I'm sorry, I really wanted this to be trashy good fun, what I've osmosed about the series sounds so bonkers and great, but the writing was so bad. I couldn't do it.
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott. There's a town forbidden to learn history, and some new folks arrive. This sounds like the kind of bananas culty cloistered culture I'm into (eg Anathem), but in practice everything felt both artificial and not nearly weird enough. I felt like I was reading a toned-down Lemony Snicket novel for adults.
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. Two men fall in together on a train, and one proposes they each perform a useful murder for the other. I loved The Price of Salt, but this is a meaner novel, about two characters hopelessly, miserably, self-indulgently mired in their own perspectives. I didn't like how one-sided the whole thing was, with the one guy basically blackmailing the other into doing a reciprocal murder, and somehow once he's done it, you're only drowning even more in his self-centered misery. The weird thing is I kept being reminded of The Secret History and the aftermath of its central murder, but somehow I loved that book and found this one continually repellent. I stopped sixty pages from the end, and I should have stopped way sooner.
Penhallow by Georgette Heyer. The terrible family patriarch is murdered, or so the back cover promised, but I was halfway into this 500+ page novel and he hadn't even died yet. I gather from discussions that this is more of a literary novel than a murder mystery as such and that it gets really dark. I was enjoying it okay when I was reading it, but I took a break for Yuletide, and a month later I just don't care to continue. I still want to try one of her frothier detective novels, though.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling. IDK how you make a book full of starving, soon-to-be-cannibal lesbian nuns beseiged in a castle anything less than completely my jam, but man, I just wasn't feelng it.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. The superintendent of a private school for magic... sorry, I got at least fifty pages in and I can't even tell you what the premise was.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. I tried this book about the mysterious deaths of a bunch of Russian hikers during my mountaineering disasters phase, but I just couldn't get over this American doc producer rocking up to Russia without speaking a word of Russian OR knowing anything about mountain hiking and deciding he was going to solve this decades old mystery. Half the chapters were about him bumbling around Russia hoping people would take pity on him and tell him things while privately complaining that they didn't tell him fast enough. God give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.
The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis. Trans woman narrates her gender journey through music. I'm interested in stories about rock music and people's relationship to it, but I struggled with Stratis's writing. I don't even know why.
Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby. A driver who's successfully escaped the life gets pulled in to do one last heist. I feel like this is the Cosby everyone recommends, but I couldn't get over how predictable the plot was. Maybe it had some surprises later, but I didn't get that far. Worse, I was supposed to be reading this with a friend and totally failed out, which I still feel guilty about!
Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop. Magic and gemstones and stuff, who can say. Guys, I'm sorry, I really wanted this to be trashy good fun, what I've osmosed about the series sounds so bonkers and great, but the writing was so bad. I couldn't do it.
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott. There's a town forbidden to learn history, and some new folks arrive. This sounds like the kind of bananas culty cloistered culture I'm into (eg Anathem), but in practice everything felt both artificial and not nearly weird enough. I felt like I was reading a toned-down Lemony Snicket novel for adults.
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. Two men fall in together on a train, and one proposes they each perform a useful murder for the other. I loved The Price of Salt, but this is a meaner novel, about two characters hopelessly, miserably, self-indulgently mired in their own perspectives. I didn't like how one-sided the whole thing was, with the one guy basically blackmailing the other into doing a reciprocal murder, and somehow once he's done it, you're only drowning even more in his self-centered misery. The weird thing is I kept being reminded of The Secret History and the aftermath of its central murder, but somehow I loved that book and found this one continually repellent. I stopped sixty pages from the end, and I should have stopped way sooner.
Penhallow by Georgette Heyer. The terrible family patriarch is murdered, or so the back cover promised, but I was halfway into this 500+ page novel and he hadn't even died yet. I gather from discussions that this is more of a literary novel than a murder mystery as such and that it gets really dark. I was enjoying it okay when I was reading it, but I took a break for Yuletide, and a month later I just don't care to continue. I still want to try one of her frothier detective novels, though.
CHECK IN: DAY 9
Jan. 10th, 2026 12:14 amigenlode posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
writethisfanficIs today a writing day, or a taking-it-easy day? Both are good...
Question of the day: what is the best/worst typo that has stuck in your memory?
Question of the day: what is the best/worst typo that has stuck in your memory?
After Silence, by Jonathan Carroll
Jan. 9th, 2026 11:45 amrachelmanija
If you've never heard of Carroll, he wrote odd, quirky, dark, magical realist/surrealist novels and short stories. Probably his most famous book was Land of Laughs. I found his style compulsively readable, though he was absolutely unable to write a satisfying ending to his novels, ever; generally there would be a fantastic buildup followed by either an anticlimax or the book just suddenly stopping or a conclusion where I'd have no idea what actually happened. Still, I did very much like his style and often enjoyed the first half or two-thirds or 99% of his novels quite a bit. (His short stories were sometimes fully successful and did have actual endings.)
I came across After Silence at a used bookshop, and was surprised as I'd never heard of it. I now realize there's a reason I've never heard of it. As far as I know, it's his only non-fantasy work. At least I think it's not fantasy. It has a solid build-up, then completely falls apart in the final third leading to a truly bizarre ending. Definitely my least favorite book of his.
It begins in a somewhat Carroll-typical fashion, with the main character, a cartoonist named Max, having a meet-cute with a woman, Lily, and her young son Lincoln in a museum. It's Carroll-typical because Max's somewhat successful cartoon is deeply weird, Lily takes him to the restaurant where she works which is charmingly weird, and there's hints that something odd is up with her and Lincoln that deepen as the three of them have quirky adventures and form a family.
( Huge spoilers )
To be fair to Carroll, this really isn't typical of his writing. Even his best novels feel a bit dated in addition to always imploding at the end, but I do still like Bones of the Moon, Land of Laughs, and the first half of Outside the Dog Museum. His short stories are worth reading and hold up better. I especially like "Friend's Best Man" and "The Sadness of Detail."
Fandom Snowflake Challenge #5
Jan. 9th, 2026 09:24 amreeby10 posting in snowflake_challengeIntroduction Post *
Meet the Mods Post *
Challenge #1 *
Challenge #2 *
Challenge #3 *
Challenge #4 *
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #5 )
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #5 )
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
SFBB15: Preliminary List of Fandoms & Reminders
Jan. 9th, 2026 07:43 amsfbbmod posting in smallfandombangThe third Author Check-In period is now over and we currently have 33 stories in 36 fandoms (this number includes crossover fandoms)! Here’s our preliminary list of fandoms for artists who might be interested in signing up, but are leery of doing so without knowing what fandoms will be represented.
( Preliminary List of Fandoms: )
Announcements & Reminders:
More Artists & Pimps: I want to thank the 16 artists who have signed-up and checked-in and remind all of you that WE COULD USE MORE ARTISTS!! As you can see from the list, we have a large number of potential fic in quite a diverse bunch of fandoms, and not enough artists for all of them, so please, if you haven’t already done so (or even if you have), pimp us out!
I do not belong to communities for all of these fandoms, so your help would be greatly appreciated. If you belong to any fandom-specific communities for the fandoms listed above (and such announcements are allowed by the mod), please make an announcement! Or pimp us in your own journal or Tumblr! And if you know some artists who are up for a challenge, please mention us to them. Artist sign-ups are still open!
If you are interested in signing up as an Artist, please do so at the Artist Sign-Up Post.
Rough Drafts: Also, please remember that rough drafts are due at the end of this month. (The submission rules post will go up on the 24th, but you will have until the 31st to get them in.) There is no extension on this date because I need the information for artist claims. HOWEVER, I am very flexible regarding ‘percent completed’ so long as you will have the final draft done on time and will have a substantial amount of story to submit to an artist, you’re good. Additionally, there is the option to opt-out of art, should you wish to take that route.
When submitting your rough draft:
1. Remember that your story description should be at least one or two paragraphs, not a clever one-liner. This description is for your artist, not [necessarily] the summary you’re going to include in your story header when you post. (Hint: If you don’t think you can come up with a longer summary, think about dividing your story into parts and give a summary of each part.) If you don’t turn in a nicely fleshed out description the first time, I’ll ask you to re-do it, so start thinking about that now.
2. Please be sure to warn about anything that might squick or trigger your artist. This includes things like character death, extreme violence, non-con/rape, heavy angst, dark themes, genderswap, mpreg, BDSM themes, A/B/O, etc. This is not the warning you need to give to your readers; this is a warning for your artist, so please list anything that might trigger or squick them.
This additional requirement is not meant to shame the author, but to protect the artist and author both. You won’t put an artist in the position of having to work with a story they won’t enjoy, and run the chance of possibly ending up with art you’re not satisfied with.
Thank you!
( Preliminary List of Fandoms: )
Announcements & Reminders:
More Artists & Pimps: I want to thank the 16 artists who have signed-up and checked-in and remind all of you that WE COULD USE MORE ARTISTS!! As you can see from the list, we have a large number of potential fic in quite a diverse bunch of fandoms, and not enough artists for all of them, so please, if you haven’t already done so (or even if you have), pimp us out!
I do not belong to communities for all of these fandoms, so your help would be greatly appreciated. If you belong to any fandom-specific communities for the fandoms listed above (and such announcements are allowed by the mod), please make an announcement! Or pimp us in your own journal or Tumblr! And if you know some artists who are up for a challenge, please mention us to them. Artist sign-ups are still open!
If you are interested in signing up as an Artist, please do so at the Artist Sign-Up Post.
Rough Drafts: Also, please remember that rough drafts are due at the end of this month. (The submission rules post will go up on the 24th, but you will have until the 31st to get them in.) There is no extension on this date because I need the information for artist claims. HOWEVER, I am very flexible regarding ‘percent completed’ so long as you will have the final draft done on time and will have a substantial amount of story to submit to an artist, you’re good. Additionally, there is the option to opt-out of art, should you wish to take that route.
When submitting your rough draft:
1. Remember that your story description should be at least one or two paragraphs, not a clever one-liner. This description is for your artist, not [necessarily] the summary you’re going to include in your story header when you post. (Hint: If you don’t think you can come up with a longer summary, think about dividing your story into parts and give a summary of each part.) If you don’t turn in a nicely fleshed out description the first time, I’ll ask you to re-do it, so start thinking about that now.
2. Please be sure to warn about anything that might squick or trigger your artist. This includes things like character death, extreme violence, non-con/rape, heavy angst, dark themes, genderswap, mpreg, BDSM themes, A/B/O, etc. This is not the warning you need to give to your readers; this is a warning for your artist, so please list anything that might trigger or squick them.
This additional requirement is not meant to shame the author, but to protect the artist and author both. You won’t put an artist in the position of having to work with a story they won’t enjoy, and run the chance of possibly ending up with art you’re not satisfied with.
Thank you!
Roots of Madness 1-3
Jan. 8th, 2026 02:52 pmrachelmanijaA new comic from Ignite Press by Stephanie Williams, Letizia Cadonici (main artist) and Juliet Nneka (alternate covers.) At the turn of the century, Etta, a young Black woman, studies both science and a book of old remedies she inherited from her mother, along with some dire warnings she doesn't heed.
This is a really interesting historical fantasy with elements of cosmic horror and dark academia. Each issue has alternate covers in very different styles. I like both of them.
I'll be following this one.
Content notes: So far racism is part of the world and why the characters make some choices, rather than violent or constantly present on-page. The rabbits are used in experiments that are not cruel - Etta tests a healing ointment on one that has an injury - but they seem likely to eventually turn into zombies or get possessed by cosmic horrors or merge with eldritch plants.
This is a really interesting historical fantasy with elements of cosmic horror and dark academia. Each issue has alternate covers in very different styles. I like both of them.
I'll be following this one.
Content notes: So far racism is part of the world and why the characters make some choices, rather than violent or constantly present on-page. The rabbits are used in experiments that are not cruel - Etta tests a healing ointment on one that has an injury - but they seem likely to eventually turn into zombies or get possessed by cosmic horrors or merge with eldritch plants.
CHECK IN: DAY 8
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:13 pmigenlode posting in writethisfanficHow is the writing going? Anything notable to report?
Question of the day: what tendencies are you aware of in your writing that you actively try to avoid?
Question of the day: what tendencies are you aware of in your writing that you actively try to avoid?
What's in your heart?
Jan. 8th, 2026 03:04 pmgoodbyebird+ Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
Our lovelyrenay has been doing Intergalactic Mixtape, and there's so much goodness linked, and so many great books talked about. Big Recommend. The 2025 Reading Recap is also up at ladybusiness.
+ Once again, it's not Friday, but it is More Joy Day, so fanart recs it is! This time, for K-Pop demon Hunters. ( Read more... )
+ And another thing for More Joy Day:fandomtrees reveals is in two days, on the 10th 17th. I'm on my way now to snoop around for stockings!
+ Haute & Freddy released a new music video. First song of the year for me :D We've been getting so many joyful queer multi-fandom vids to Pink Pony Club, and deservedly so; I really feel this tune's more than capable of being a stand in.
+ Mwhaha this totally qualifies as a Community Thursday, that's one down for 2026 *fistpump*
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
Our lovely
renay has been doing Intergalactic Mixtape, and there's so much goodness linked, and so many great books talked about. Big Recommend. The 2025 Reading Recap is also up at ladybusiness.+ Once again, it's not Friday, but it is More Joy Day, so fanart recs it is! This time, for K-Pop demon Hunters. ( Read more... )
+ And another thing for More Joy Day:
fandomtrees reveals is in two days, on the + Haute & Freddy released a new music video. First song of the year for me :D We've been getting so many joyful queer multi-fandom vids to Pink Pony Club, and deservedly so; I really feel this tune's more than capable of being a stand in.
+ Mwhaha this totally qualifies as a Community Thursday, that's one down for 2026 *fistpump*
Snowflake Challenge #4
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:56 amsnickficChallenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page. Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
We all know about Connections and Wordle, but here are some browser games that last longer and are great for keeping from going insane during Zoom meetings:
2048 Cupcakes. I still play 2048 in times of need, but it's so much more fun with colorful cupcakes.
Squares. If you like word games, here you go. Find all the words in the four by four grid. The dictionary this game uses is highly idiosyncratic, which can be frustrating; how is THIS a word that counts but THAT is only a bonus word?? But it does add to the challenge!
We all know about Connections and Wordle, but here are some browser games that last longer and are great for keeping from going insane during Zoom meetings:
2048 Cupcakes. I still play 2048 in times of need, but it's so much more fun with colorful cupcakes.
Squares. If you like word games, here you go. Find all the words in the four by four grid. The dictionary this game uses is highly idiosyncratic, which can be frustrating; how is THIS a word that counts but THAT is only a bonus word?? But it does add to the challenge!
Community Recs Post!
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:08 amglitteryv posting in recthethingEvery Thursday, we have a community post, just like this one, where you can drop a rec or five in the comments.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fanart/fanvids/fics/podfics/fancrafts/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fanart/fanvids/fics/podfics/fancrafts/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
Dear Candy Hearts Confectioner
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:38 pmsnickficThank you so much for making something for me! I'm really looking forward to opening my candy box in a couple of months and seeing what's inside. <3 A lot of my ideas and prompts here were written for exchanges with longer minimums, so feel free to write just a scene or vignette of the idea.
( Likes and Dislikes )
( Oasis RPF- Fic, Art )
( Kyle Murchison Booth stories - Fic )
( Riddle-Master Trilogy – Fic )
( True Detective: Night Country – Fic, Art )
( Likes and Dislikes )
( Oasis RPF- Fic, Art )
( Kyle Murchison Booth stories - Fic )
( Riddle-Master Trilogy – Fic )
( True Detective: Night Country – Fic, Art )
Wednesday Reading Meme
Jan. 7th, 2026 09:04 pmsinealaWhat I Just Finished Reading
Nothing. Once again, it is migraines. I am getting some fic edited, though, so there's that.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Nova Centurion #3, Ultimate Wolverine #13, Ultimate X-Men #23 )
What I'm Reading Next
IDK. I'm trying to find something short. I mean, clearly I'm being challenged by picture books here, lol.
Nothing. Once again, it is migraines. I am getting some fic edited, though, so there's that.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Nova Centurion #3, Ultimate Wolverine #13, Ultimate X-Men #23 )
What I'm Reading Next
IDK. I'm trying to find something short. I mean, clearly I'm being challenged by picture books here, lol.
CHECK IN: DAY 7
Jan. 7th, 2026 09:55 pmigenlode posting in writethisfanficWe've had one whole week of 2026 (and I haven't yet had to write the new date once). Has anyone succeeded in writing today?
Question of the day: when dealing with your character's inner monologue, do you tend to favour writing directly reported thoughts (What an idiot, she thought) or indirect thoughts (He was just such an idiot)?
Question of the day: when dealing with your character's inner monologue, do you tend to favour writing directly reported thoughts (What an idiot, she thought) or indirect thoughts (He was just such an idiot)?