Reading

The Emperor's Caretaker 01

The Emperor's Caretaker 01 by Haruki Yoshimura

The first in a series, mostly set-up apparently.

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

CFAA, Heated Rivalry and Maxton Hall

Joined Comics Fanfiction Authors Archive this past week and got about 38 works posted there already. I think I only have a few more works to really add to it, but that's going to have to wait until next time. They only allow comics and animated universes there - no MCU obviously or X-Men Movies I assume so I have less stuff to add than what I do for AO3. If you're interested in joining the archive, check out the rules & then ask for an invite via their Discord.

Going away to my sister's house next week for the holidays, so I'm both looking forward to that and not looking forward to it. I hate the drive (8+ hours) and I'll miss sleeping in my own bed with my cats. But I am looking forward to seeing my sister, her kids, and all the cooking/food we'll have. *fingerscrossed* Everything goes well.

I'll probably be busy doing my icon challenges this week before I leave when I'm not packing or cleaning, or at least that's my plan. Maybe I'll do some writing for challenges while I'm there.

Anyway some new shows/fandoms I checked out:

Heated Rivalry - saw the recommendation by

impala_chick and I noticed it trending on Tumblr so I figured I'd look it up and guess what? I actually read one of the books that the TV series is based on but a later one (Role Model - book 5, and Time to Shine - which might not be set in the same universe but whatever), so of course I had to check it out immediately and got lucky with three episodes to binge. It was very good, but also weird? I had such secondhand embarrassment happening in that first episode (but that's probably just me). I love all the characters - Shane, Illya, Scott, Kip - and fell immediately for Shane/Illya & Scott/Kip. Watched episode 4 Friday after work, and ugh it's heartbreaking just like the book. Two more episodes (and ANOTHER SEASON?!?!? YES!!!)

So after watching the first three episodes I quickly bought/downloaded the audiobooks for Game Changer (book 1), Heated Rivalry (book 2 - already bought actually), Tough Guy (book 3), Common Goal (book 4), and The Long Game (book 6) and just because The Shots You Take (another M/M hockey romance). Managed to listen & finish Heated Rivalry and The Long Game - so I KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, lol. I did start Game Changer, but the guy that did the audiobook decided to do a [bad??? or is just bad to me???] New York accent for Kip which immediately takes me out and has me cringing through most of it, so I'm like 31% through that which sucks because I LOVED their episode SO FREAKING MUCH. Also the actor that plays Scott reminds me so much of Ioan Gruffudd (like certain scenes especially). But anyway, Role Model (book 5) focuses on Troy/Harris and I remember loving that book (gave it 5 stars on goodreads), I'm going to have to re-read that book and I just read Time to Shine (gave it 4 stars) with Landon/Casey this September. Anyway, to kinda get me through Friday, I decided to start Common Goal (book 4) with Eric/Kyle and so far - 38% through it - I'm loving it. Probably going to finish that one and then start Tough Guy (book 3) with Ryan/Fabian and hell probably even The Shots You Take before finishing the Scott/Kip book (again only because that accent, 'cause otherwise I think I would love the book). Usually I like to read books in order, but like I apparently did not care this time - lol. Actually I think those two books were on sale at Libro.fm.

I like the book series, but hell I love basically all the Hockey Romance books I've read so far anyway... even though I know NOTHING about the sport except for the fact that there are two teams I know of the Seventy-Sixers and the Mighty Ducks. I loved Mighty Ducks movies & animated series and I remember enjoying the movie Goon, but I think that's about it for knowledge. I feel like I could probably get into it more compared to the other sports? But probably won't. I should really do a list here of exactly how many books I've read that are Hockey Romance, lmao. Feel free to suggest any if you liked any.

Maxton Hall - The World Between Us - Season 2 was released last month, finally got around to watching it last night. I think I'm halfway through it? It's oddly addictive, I almost pushed through to finish it last night but I was ready to fall asleep on the couch so I figured that would be bad. Now I do love James/Ruby (even though James is a fuck up) but I also love the idea of Ruby/Lydia this season, which I know isn't going to happen but still. Lydia's actress kinda reminds me a bit of Holland Roden (weirdly enough Lydia of Teen Wolf).

Current Mood: sad

Entry tags:

celebrity: death

RIP Rob Reiner

The news broke a little while ago that Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their home.

Based on several articles, it looks like it's being investigated as a possible (or maybe probable would be the better word?) homicide.

Current Mood: excited

Entry tags:

ficathon: the joining exchange

The Joining Exchange

The Joining Exchange, a Dragon Age exchange focusing on Grey Wardens that just started this year, went live a little while ago. I got not one, not two, but three lovely gifts this year!

First up is Something Out Of The Ordinary, set during Dragon Age: Inquisition and featuring Alistair/Cullen Rutherford/Female Surana. 23,267 words.

Next is L’Hymne à L’Amour, set prior to Dragon Age: The Veilguard and featuring Antoine/Evka Ivo. 3,142 words.

And then there's in on it, set after Dragon Age: The Veilguard and featuring Antoine/Ashur | The Viper/Evka Ivo/Tarquin. 1,539 words.

Entry tags:

author: a,
fiction

Recent Reading: Martyr!

It took over a month for my hold on this book to come up, but Friday night I finished Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. If you look into online book recommendations like on New York Times or NPR, you've probably seen this title come up. This book is about a young poet who sobers up after years of severe addiction and is now looking for meaning and purpose.

Martyr! is a beautiful book about the very human search for meaning in our lives, but it also is not afraid to shy away from the ugliness of that search. It juxtaposes eloquently-worded paragraphs of generational grief with Cyrus waking up having pissed the bed because he went to sleep so drunk the night before. Neither of these things cancels the other out.

Everyone in Martyr! is flawed, often deeply, but they're all also very real, and they're trying their best; they aren't trying to hurt anyone, but they cause hurt anyway, and then they and those around them just have to deal with that. Martyr! weighs the search for personal meaning against the duty owed to others and doesn't come up with a clean answer. What responsibility did Orkideh have to her family as opposed to herself? What responsibility did Ali have to Cyrus as opposed to himself? What responsibility does Cyrus have to Zee, as opposed to his search for a meaningful death?

Cyrus' story is mainly the post-sobriety story: He's doing what he's supposed to, he's not drinking or doing drugs, he's going to his AA meetings, he's working (after a fashion)...and what's the reward? He still can't sleep at night and he feels directionless and alone and now he doesn't even have the ecstasy of a good high to look forward to. This is the "so what now?" part of the sobriety journey.

It's also in many ways a family story. Cyrus lost his mother when he was young and his father shortly after he left for college, and he spends the book trying to reckon with these things and with the people his parents were. Roya is the mother Cyrus never knew, whose shape he could only vaguely sketch out from his father's grief and his unstable uncle's recollections. Ali is the father who supported Cyrus in all practical ways, and sacrificed mightily to do it, but did not really have the emotional bandwidth to be there for his son. And there are parallels between Cyrus and Roya arising later in the book that tugged quite hard on my heartstrings, but I won't spoil anything here.

Cyrus wants to find meaning, but seems only able to grasp it in the idea of a meaningful death--hence his obsession with martyrs. The idea of a life with meaning seems beyond him. He struggles throughout the book with this and with the people trying to suggest that dying is not the only way to have lived.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it deserves the praise it's gotten. I've tried to sum up here what the book is "about," but it's a story driven by emotion more than plot. It's Cyrus' journey and his steps and stumbles along the way, and I think Akbar did a wonderful job with it.

Entry tags:

Fanart Frenzy

Seen via

kitarella_imagines a January art and comment bingo-styledfest

Link here: https://fanartfrenzy.tumblr.com/post/799939912764997632/introducing-fanart-frenzy

"Fanart Frenzy is a month-long bingo event designed to bring a wave of fanfiction-inspired fanart into the community, entirely free and unsolicited, as fandom is supposed to be, in order to stem the flow of these scammers, encourage our favorite fic writers, and liven up our fandoms. This event is anti-AI - real, human-made art only! Our first event will take place from January 1-31, 2026."

After visiting that page and using the sign up link you'll be in the queue for a bingo card.
"Then throughout January, you can make as few or as many pieces of art as you like - you can aim for a bingo, a blackout, or just pick one fic you really want to make art for. This event is about all kinds of art, not just traditional art - everything from playlists to gif sets to cookies to fiber arts, memes, and more. Anything artistic you can do inspired by a fanfic is perfect for this event.

If you don’t enjoy making art, the event also includes a Comment Challenge! During sign up, you can choose a bingo card with only art-related prompts, only commenting-related prompts, or a mix of the two. Non-artists can participate alongside artists by following the prompts to find fics in their fandoms in need of thoughtful, kind comments. (Ex. Leave a comment on a fic you’ve reread.)

You can also help us out by spreading the word! Please tell your friends and fandom communities about our event!"

Wake Up Dead Man

Netflix's Wake Up Dead Man, the third Knives Out movie, wasn't for me.

The first one had an interesting mystery. I guessed a lot about the second one, but it was pretty fun and original. I also guessed a lot about this one and found it quite depressing. Plus, we didn't even see Benoit Blanc's husband again.

Nice cast, though, especially Kerry Washington and Andrew Scott. <3

Entry tags:

December Craft post

I haven't done much crafting this year but what better time than Christmas? Under the cut are three projects, a needle felted bauble, a 'snowglobe' with papercraft and another 'snowglobe' with modelling clay.
( Read more... )

Entry tags:

Rec-cember #2: Doctor Odyssey

Two fics and two vids about the Ody3 ship Max/Tristan/Avery! I'm going to miss this show.

✰Winning Hand by roseblushvision

She had been keenly aware of how Tristan and Max barely touched each other that night, and when they did, they tried to play it off as accidental. There had been a curiosity there, but not one that either of them had felt free enough to satisfy. At that moment, Avery didn't think twice about it–she would never make them do anything they didn’t want to do–but the past few weeks have made her wonder if the only thing keeping them from crossing that line was their own unnecessary inhibitions.

Well, it’s not really wondering, actually. She’s quite convinced.

The job talk-turned flirting, and the way Avery leads the guys to a place where they can try something new with each other is so plausible, plus the make-out is hot. The Max/Tristan of it all!

✰Gonna Want to Get Involved by asexual-fandom-queen (writeordietrying)

They’ve been in this thing with Avery, for better or worse, for a few weeks, and while the matter of what that makes Max and Tristan to each other hasn’t come up, it’s been the unspoken elephant in the room.

Max and Tristan finally connect their side of the triangle. Avery has a front row seat to watch.

Tristan's confidence is so sexy in this, plus I love how the gentle intimacy and familiarity they've built with each other is showcased.

And two gorgeous fanvids ~ ( under the cut )

Entry tags:

challenge: seasons of fandom

Sigtag 20 in 20

I made 20 sig tags for the

seasons_of_fandom Sigtag 20 in 20 challenge, originally posted here. Crossposting to my journal because I was pretty proud of this batch!

( 20 Sigtags under the cut! )

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

fandom: critical role

Critical Role: Campaign 4, Episode 9

I started this past Thursday night's episode of Critical Role before crashing at the break because I desperately needed sleep as I knew that work would be hell on Friday. And then, to the shock of no one, I didn't manage to finish the episode yesterday because work was, in fact, hell.

So let's pick up again now that it's properly the weekend, shall we?

As with previous posts about the current campaign of Critical Role, this will be a combination of quotes, random thoughts, and some speculation. And it's obviously full of spoilers (albeit vague ones in places).

( Spoilers under the cut. )

Apples

https://xkcd.com/3180/

The experimental math department's budget is under scrutiny for how much they've been spending on trains leaving Chicago at 9:00pm traveling at 45 mph.

https://xkcd.com/3180/

Entry tags:

!2026,
admin

Admin Post: GYWO 2026 Promotion

If you want to share GYWO with your friends, please feel free to use either of the codes provided to let them know you’ll be writing a lot in 2026 and you think they should too.

You can also recommend they follow us on Tumblr (

gywo) & Bluesky (gywo.bsky.social) for writing advice, prompts, memes, and other great information to develop their writing life. (Our Tumblr and Bluesky accounts are open to the public.)

GetYourWordsOut: Year Eighteen!
Pledges & Requirements | getyourwordsout.net

( Promotion )

Thanks for sharing

getyourwordsout!

Entry tags:

Admin Post: GYWO 2026: Pledges & Requirements

GYWO is BACK for 2026! We're starting our eighteenth year-long writing challenge with thirteen pledges to help you challenge yourself, achieve your writing goals, and build a writing life.

Keep in mind that even our smallest goals require a serious commitment throughout the year. While it’s okay for writers to be behind or even entirely miss their pledge goal, we want you to pick a pledge that will keep motivating you all year long. Before choosing your pledge, please take note of the few requirements we have of our members, and carefully consider which of the thirteen pledges you'd like to choose. You may choose only one pledge.

( Membership Requirements & Information )

( Pledge Types )

Pledging

If you pledged in a previous year and didn't meet your goal, quit, or were removed from the comm for missing check-ins, you are welcome to pledge again.

When choosing your pledge, consider your personal writing habits and what you find most motivating. Will hitting your word count goal early help propel you to keep writing through the remainder of the year? Do you need a major challenge to keep you on pace? Have you surpassed smaller goals in previous years and need more of a challenge? Are you already writing multiple days a week? Make sure the pledge you make is one that will motivate you. (If you need help deciding, please check out our post Choosing Your 2026 Pledge.)

To make your pledge, there are two steps to complete: Pledge & Request.

Step 1: Pledge
Complete the GYWO 2026 Pledge Form. You must provide (1) your email address, (2) your Dreamwidth or OpenID username, and (3) your 2026 pledge level.

Your email

Your Dreamwidth or OpenID

connected to Dreamwidth

Your Pledge Level

If you participated in GYWO previously under a different username than the one you plan to use this year, please take your best guess at your previous username—we track repeat members so we can see how the community has grown year to year.

Optionally, we request your Discord, Bluesky, and Tumblr usernames and your birth month for a monthly celebration post.

Any GYWO writer may join the GYWO Discord at any point during the active year—just follow the instructions once you join the server to receive full access.
For Bluesky, we only follow back GYWO writers who have provided their accounts for the current year.
On Tumblr we interact with accounts who ping or message us, but it's helpful to know if you're a current GYWO writer.
For birthday celebrations, we only include GYWO writers who have provided their birth month for the current year.

Reminders:

Step 2: Request
Once you have completed the GYWO 2026 Pledge Form, please request to join the Dreamwidth community if you are not already a member. We will approve memberships on January 1st (as we still have 2025 members scrambling to hit their goals!), and we'll hold you in the queue until then. You're also invited to use the link provided on the confirmation page to join our Discord server. Access roles are assigned starting on December 31, but it's a good idea to get yourself acclimated to our server rules before then.
If you are a current GYWO member or already have access to the GYWO Discord server, you won’t need to request membership. But it may be a good idea to confirm you can view Dreamwidth member-locked posts and see the full channel list on Discord.
If you are not planning to use Dreamwidth, let us know in the pledge form. You still need to sign up with a DW or OpenID account, but we won't hound you about joining the community. (But really, we strongly recommend it.)
If you are not planning to use Discord… you don't need to do anything, actually. But it is where we host writing sprints.

If you’re concerned we didn’t receive your pledge:

GYWO 2026 Writers

IMPORTANT: Anyone requesting to join the community who has not made a pledge will not be added. To ensure you are not left out, make your pledge first, then request to join.

You have through January 15, 2026 to make your pledge.
After that time you will NOT be able to change your pledge
or join the challenge, so think carefully before committing.

Got all that? Then it’s time to complete
the GYWO 2026 Pledge Form

If you still have questions, ask them here! But hopefully this post covers everything you need to know about what is required of members, what the pledge options are, and how to make your pledge. We hope to see your pledge soon!

FAQ
• If I’m a 2025 member, do I need to pledge? Do I need to request membership?
• Can I pledge if I previously quit the challenge, was removed for missed check-ins, or didn’t meet my goal?
• How do I change my pledge? What if I decide I'm not ready for GYWO this year?
• I participated before but can’t remember my previous username. What do I do?
• How do I track my pledge?
• What happens if I finish my pledge early?
• What happens if I don’t finish my pledge?
• Do I have to participate in the Dreamwidth community? Do I have to regularly check Dreamwidth?
• How do I get or retain membership on GYWO Discord?

If you want to share GYWO with your friends, feel free to snag one of our banners at the GYWO 2026 Promotion post.

Current Mood: cheerful

Entry tags:

fandom: the mighty nein

The Mighty Nein 1x06

Continuing on my previously posted thoughts about episode 1x05, I just finished watching episode 1x06.

( Spoilers under the cut. )

Letifer by TD Cloud

Letifer by TD Cloud was amazing! A human cop and a vampire enforcer secretly team up to investigate serial killings.

If you love Vampire: the Masquerade and Kindred: the Embraced, you're in for a treat! There's a variety of vampire clans, each with their own specificities, and a bit of a noir vibe. The plot also has some interesting layers.

There's major m/m, as well as a lesbian side character.

Current Mood: tired

Entry tags:

d&d: aurendor

Aurendor D&D: Summary for 12/10 Game

In tonight's game, ( the rest under a cut for those who don't care. )

And that's where we left off.

Milk Run

Milk Run by Nathan Lowell

Adventures in space!

( Read more... )

Fishing

https://xkcd.com/3179/

'That's definitely above the catch-and-release size minimum for planetesimals.' 'I'm going to throw it back anyway.'

https://xkcd.com/3179/

Entry tags:

Blackout Bingo 2x2 Amnesty - British Library Crime Classics

Title: Marylebone Monthly Illustrated Christmas Anthology
Fandoms: Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Ratings: G
Pairings: Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Hudson, Ferret, Mouselet, Aemelia Vole, Poley the Moley, Ocelot, Sloth
I used a two by two card to provide gaps in the 'Marylebone Monthly Illustrated Christmas Anthology' as follows:

Quick Curtain - A Poem by Aemelia Vole

Bats in the Belfry - A Competition by Ferret

Someone from the Past - Mrs Hudson's Christmas Problem Page

Tea on Sunday - Mouselet's Review of the Year

Yes, typical festive frivolity!