mirlacca

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Tomb of the Golden Bird (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters and Running Blind (A Jack Reacher Novel) by Lee Child.

What I am Currently Reading: I just finished the last book yesterday so I haven’t started anything yet, but I’m thinking Husband Material (London Calling) by Alexis Hall.

What I Plan to Read Next: Undecided, but I have several to choose from; I have another library book out and a couple on my own shelf, so it’ll be whatever I’m feeling after I finish this one.

Book 3 of 2026: Tomb of the Golden Bird (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

I really enjoyed this book. Though I'm sad that it's the final book that doesn't include jumping back in time. ( spoilers )

Good story; I'm giving it five hearts. I'm going to miss reading about this family and their adventures. (Though there might be one book that goes back to an earlier time that I might give a try.)

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 4 of 2026: Running Blind (A Jack Reacher Novel) (Lee Child)

Good book. My favorite so far. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

heartsways posting in

scans_daily

( Read more... )

chickenfeet

https://operaramblings.blog/2026/01/14/the-likht-ensemble-at-the-leah-posluns-theatre/

fred_mouse posting in

unclutter

How did the decluttering of the hobby spaces go? Did you spend time looking for things that could go, move a thing or two, or have a wildly successful week? Or did you work on a different space instead?

For the third week, we are moving on to a work space -- just the one. Unless you have all the energy and all the time, in which case don't let me hold you back. But this was meant to be a gentle challenge to get started on the year. What decluttering a work space might look like

moving the cooking equipment you never use out of the kitchen
sorting through stuff in a work from home space so you have more space for you
looking in the laundry for things that have drifted into corners and become one with the wall.
going through the cleaning rag stash and getting it down to Just! One! Bucket! worth (for whatever size of bucket you keep your rags in)
throwing out old cleaning equipment--particularly if you have replaced it with one that you use!

Alternatively: keep going with the rest and / or hobby spaces. Get things out of the house!

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Wednesday! How are things going in the world of fic?

Did you write?

- Yes!
- No!
- Not yet!

If yes, what kind of writerly activity did you engage in? How do you feel about it?
If no, what were the obstacles/situations that affected your writerly pursuits? What will you do differently tomorrow to get more writing done?
If not yet, because the day hasn't gotten going yet, what kind of writing activity are you planning (or hoping) to accomplish?

masterghandalf posting in

das_sporking2

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Location: Amorra
Current Music: Imperial March

spikedluv

I had two ultrasounds this morning so I did not leave the house at my usual time. Since I was home a little longer I finished up the chili and got it back into the fridge. Chili always tastes better the next day, which is why I like to get it started the day before. And I figure having it sit in the fridge before I heat it up again will let the flavors do what flavors do. *fingers crossed*

I hit Agway while I was downtown and picked up my aunt’s death certificates. I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and shaved. I made cornbread to go with the chili. I also browned more ground beef and made spaghetti sauce for later in the week.

I typed in ~4,100 more words on my

smallfandomfest fic to bring it to a total of ~6,600 words! I even got the fic posted! \o/ I finished this Jack Reacher book and watched a couple eps of Secrets of the Zoo.

My healthy eating fail was planning a ‘cheat’ and having it not be as good as I thought it was going to be. :( Very disappointing that I had something not healthy and I couldn’t even really enjoy it.

Temps started out at 33.1(F) and reached 45.0. It was not supposed to get this warm, so it was a nice surprise. And there might’ve been a little bit of sun, too.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded good when I talked to her. My aunt and uncle had visited in the morning, and Sister A was there when I called. Mom says she did not make herself another root beer float today. *g*

my_spikesgirl58_feed

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6714022.html

my_spikesgirl58_feed

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6713810.html

machinistm

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

torrentfreak_feed

Posted by Ernesto Van der Sar

https://torrentfreak.com/groupon-redeems-itself-with-rapid-takedown-of-pirate-iptv-deal/

https://torrentfreak.com/?p=276082

groupon The battle against online piracy takes place on many fronts.

In addition to tackling infringing content at the source, copyright holders are increasingly focused on the platforms where these services are advertised and promoted.

These advertisements increase the exposure of illegal services, including pirate IPTV subscriptions. Additionally, advertisements on mainstream sites and platforms can give the impression that these pirate services are legitimate deals.

A Groupon IPTV Deal?

Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN is one of the organizations that scours the web for these types of pirate ads. This includes monitoring the traditional advertising platforms such as Google, but also indirect promotion hubs such as Groupon.

Groupon offers its users a wide variety of deals, and BREIN recently spotted one for an IPTV service that was too good to be true. BREIN reported its findings to Groupon, which took “almost immediate” action, according to the anti-piracy group.

BREIN does not name the IPTV service, but the only Dutch IPTV-related advertisement we see on Groupon is for OpliTV. This now-removed deal offered a 32% discount on top of an already extremely cheap annual plan.

OpliTV offer (translated & now offline)
Opli

Needless to say, these types of services have serious drawbacks. They may be linked to criminal activity and can be pulled offline at any minute, for example, which may also make them rather expensive in hindsight.

Trusted Flagger

BREIN is pleased with Groupon’s swift action, noting that this is essential to stop promotions for these types of services.

“It is crucial that online infringements are stopped quickly to prevent irreparable damage. This is especially true for well-known, legal platforms where consumers can be confused about the legality of the offering,” BREIN notes.

Interestingly, BREIN suggests that its status as “trusted flagger” under the EU Digital Services Act helps to get intermediaries to act quickly.

“This swift action underscores the importance of the BREIN Foundation’s status as a ‘Trusted Flagger,’ which requires intermediaries to take action as a matter of priority,” the anti-piracy group writes.

BREIN officially received the trusted flagger status last September which raised its profile. According to BREIN Director Bastiaan van Ramshorst, this immediately made a difference.

Speaking with TorrentFreak, Van Ramshorst says that intermediaries such as Groupon now treat BREIN as a trusted party, which typically means that takedown notices are handled with priority, as the IPTV example shows.

The rapid takedown does not prevent similar deals from showing up at Groupon, however. While writing this article, we spotted a deal for another dirt-cheap IPTV service that offers access to 29,000+ channels. According to Groupon, this ‘hot’ deal has been sold more than 1,000 times already.

Premium IPTV Subscription Offer (still online)
iptv deal

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

https://torrentfreak.com/groupon-redeems-itself-with-rapid-takedown-of-pirate-iptv-deal/

https://torrentfreak.com/?p=276082

cyberghostface posting in

scans_daily

“Donny and Ryan did an amazing job because they refused to make him anything less than an epic threat, and so the only way to beat Knull is to get up on his level, so heroes are forced to grasp these big epic moments themselves, and that's great. Plus, it's rare that we get villains who are so completely evil in that very old-school way. From one angle, Knull's very 90s, in a good way - that big, bold energy that comics were running on like rocket fuel at the time - but from another, he's got that 60s villain energy in that there's no dealing with him, no humanizing him. It's time he came back and did his thing again.” — Al Ewing

( Scans under the cut… )

svgurl

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

Challenge #6
Top 10 Challenge.

I decided to do two.

Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2025 (in no order; all links go to YouTube)
1. Ordinary - Alex Warren
2. Three Six Five - Shinedown
3. Golden - KPOP Demon Hunters/Hunter/X
4. The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift
5. Undressed - Sombr
6. Abracadabra - Lady GaGa
7. Azizam - Ed Sheeran
8. Mystical Magical - Benson Boone
9. Birds of a Feather - Billie Eilish
10. Sink or Swim - OneRepublic

Top Ten Things I Made in 2025

( image heavy )

settiai

For pretty much all video games (at least TTRPGs), I typically have a minimum of three playthroughs going at any time. Baldur's Gate 3 is no exception and, while I'm trying to stay in the habit of playing at least a few times a week, I'm alternating between the playthroughs that I'm focusing on.

The main reason for the multiple playthroughs is that it helps keep me from burning out if I have several different characters who are doing different things at different points in the game. If I'm not in the mood for one particular character's story or the particular part of the plot they're dealing with, I can always switch to another.

On that note? Meet Apophis, my embrace Dark Urge.

I've got to admit, I usually stick with the more good-leaning playthroughs, but it's kinda fun to let loose with the occasional evil one. The playthrough as a whole moves a lot faster than it does when you're playing a good aligned character (and are a completionist like me) since a lot of the various side plots and such start being cut off the later you get in the game, because the characters involved are all dead. And there's some interesting cut scenes and such here and there that you'd otherwise miss, as they're only available when you're taking the evil route.

Major potential spoilers for most of the game, including discussion of some definitely evil actions.

( More under the cut. )

Current Mood: accomplished

cornerofmadness

It started good really. The first class went well. I answered a few emails from basketball girls who are gone this week and one anatomy student telling me for some reason she was put in DM's lab instead of mine. I said it has to be a mistake. We'll sort it after class.

I'm finally putting away Terror Town when a half dozen of my students come blazing up to my office. 'WE Were Pulled Out Of Your Lab!!!' WAAAAAH. WHY?

I get from them that the 'dean' ordered this. WTF? My dean is good about communicating and I can't imagine her doing this without telling me. I take the gaggle of anxious students down to DMs office because they're upset, they want my class, the head of their program wants them in my class since she rearranged her whole class schedule to fit them in there. Which yes that's true. It was a big drama after Thanksgiving.

DM's now upset because her labs can't take 26 more students. I run back to my office pull up my class schedule. It wasn't just that the ultrasound students were taken out of my friday lab. My lab is GONE. No trace of it. WHO would have done this?

I call my dean. She's at lunch. I call the nursing/allied health dean and she's like WTF are you talking about? I didn't do that. Talk to the registrar and get the paper telling them to cancel to the class to see who did it. Oh great idea. Before I can, my dean calls my chair. SHE didn't do it either.

Only she did via a rubber stamp (why are we rubber stamping stuff like this?) Turns out DM wanted to move her friday lab from 121 (which is MY lab and where my lab was at the same time...) but when they put things through going up the chain they accidentally dropped DM's lab number off and thought it was mine so combined my lab with DM's on thursday evening.

At least it was an easy fix. I told the students. They're like HOW did you get that fixed so fast. I was THAT angry, that's very motivating. I wrote an email to the others to explain and later found out so did my chair as an apology (she knows my temper and probably assumed I ripped someone's head off)

Everyone was traumatized. Nothing got done. Terror Town remains standing another day.

I come home to find a message from Carelon that said Medical Mutual (my former health care insurance) had contacted them about care for me. WTF?!? That's a behavioral health clinic. Is someone committing me and I don't know about it? At this point, that wouldn't be anyone's worst idea. So now I need to call them tomorrow.

I had planned during my office hour to finish a

fandomtrees story but then all that happened and I didn't and now that person has 2 stories and doesn't need mine. Eh, I will finish it anyhow. There are still several trees with only one gift if anyone wants to take a shot.

Also I bought something over the weekend, the aluminum free deodorant. I figure it's winter I won't sweat too much. It's supposed to be healthier Monday I wasn't impressed with it. today with all the extra stress, I smelled like an unwashed horse in the desert sun. I will be getting actual anti-perspirant next time I'm in town. I'm NOT the person to go aluminum free apparently unless we want to smell like it's 1830 and I need a tussy-mussy to hide my stench.

And I'm too drained to go into tuesday's fannish 50. I'm going to crawl into bed and finish my novel (it's so good).

Current Mood: aggravated
Current Music: Murder She Wrote

chez_jae

Acts of Violets (A Flower Shop Mystery, #5)

Acts of Violets by Kate Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

I had but two short chapters of my work book to read, so I brought it home and finished it this evening. It was Acts of Violets by Kate Collins, and it’s the 5th in the “Flower Shop” series of cozy mysteries, starring florist Abby Knight.

While attending the Pickle Fest parade, Abby gets into a confrontation with Snuggles the clown. When her boyfriend, Marco, has words with him, and Snuggles later turns up dead, Marco becomes the prime suspect in the clown’s death. Marco asks Abby to do some sleuthing on the sly, reasoning that people tend to open up to her. Abby isn’t sure she’s the woman for the job, but she’ll do anything to clear Marco’s name, including having lunch with odious Greg Morgan, interviewing other clowns, and stooping to a little breaking and entering. Abby’s investigation, however, has drawn the attention of the killer, and now she’s the one who’s in danger.

I typically find myself rolling my eyes at how damned dumb Abby can be in this series, but in this book, Marco was the dumb one. Honestly, what was he thinking?! Eh. Abby was a bit more circumspect this time around, not that it spared her winding up in mortal danger at the end of the book. Mystery authors, please rethink this overdone trope. I mean, how many times can your main character narrowly escape death? I know it’s meant to be exciting, but it actually becomes tedious after about the third book. All that aside, characterizations were good, plot was well-paced and proceeded in an orderly fashion. I could have done without Abby’s airhead of a mother and Marco’s overbearing one.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Snuggles the Clown threatened you?”
♦ Ordinarily, I don’t eat ice cream before lunch, but after being shoved and threatened and stained with mustard, I felt a strong need to soak my irritated nerves in butterfat.
♦ “Never trust a clown. They’ll toss you into a burning building without giving it a second thought.”
♦ At the front door we were swarmed by small, whimpering bodies with oozing orifices and sticky fingers, making my ovaries shrink up in fear.
♦ I loved it when men thought they’d come up with an original idea.
♦ A remorseful, bad-tempered, raving stilt walker. Was there any worse kind?
♦ “I think your mother would understand that finding a killer to save your backside is a little more important than her lasagna.” // “You don’t know my mother.”
♦ “Do me a favor. Hold the pillow over my face and end my misery.”
♦ You did it, you clever, multitalented cat woman!
♦ “You hung in there, even when there was nothing left to hang on to.”

Good enough to earn four stars.

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: Stars at Ducks

settiai

Two days of work down, three days to go. Let's see if I can make it through them. Preferably without strangling any coworkers. 🙃

Overall, it's going to be a busy week. I have D&D tomorrow night, as usual, but my Friday game is also supposed to start back this week after three months of not playing. I'm sure that's going to be very chaotic as everyone tries to remember how to play their characters, both mechanically and personality-wise. Especially since we kinda left off on a cliffhanger thanks to my cleric succeeding on a Divine Intervention.

In addition to that, Critical Role starts back this week after several weeks off. And I still haven't watched the last episode of 2025, because I knew it was going to be entirely combat-based. So, uh, I should probably try to do that during work tomorrow or Thursday if I want to be able to try to watch live on Thursday night.

On the fannish side of things, the first quarter of this year is surprisingly exchange-filled for me, mostly because there's a bunch of new Dragon Age exchanges cropping up that are run by people that I know. In the past, the late autumn and early winter has been the busy season, but several of those have died off the last few years (you're very missed,

femslashex) so that time of the year isn't nearly as exchange heavy as it used to be for me.

Holly Poly (multifandom poly relationships) and The Platonic Ideal (Dragon Age platonic relationships) both already have assignments out, the Crow Contracts Exchange (Dragon Age Crows focused) is in the middle of nominations, Spectre Requisitions (Mass Effect rare relationships) starts nominations later this week, Pride's Solace (Dragon Age Solas focused) starts nominations later this month, and Gaatlock & Lyrium (Dragon Age dwarves and qunari focused) is supposed to be sometime in the spring.

In addition to all that, I'm trying my best to set aside at least a little time most days to play video games. It's easier to find the time some days than others, but I'm doing my best. I've learned from past experience that it's healthier for me overall to, you know, set aside some time to actually do things that I enjoy. So I'm giving it a whirl at least. Right now, I'm mainly focusing on Baldur's Gate 3, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a free update in the next day or so which may see me playing a bit more of it for a while.

Speaking of health, the less said about my sleep schedule lately the better. It's very much its usual chaotic self, which is about as fun as it sounds.

Current Mood: tired

my_spikesgirl58_feed

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6713365.html

siderea

Heads up, locals! Observers report evidence of ICE/DHS activity preparing for an operation in MA, imminently.

2026 Jan 13 5pm: u/rarelighting in r/Boston: Boston quietly prepares for an ICE surge, points at:

2026 Jan 13: Axios: Boston quietly prepares for an ICE surge by Mike Deehan

Discussion at Reddit:

OP:

While listening to the Sam Seder podcast today, someone sent in a report about increased activity at the Burlington ICE facilities. Stay alert folks.

u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 • 4h ago

Another Reddit post showed three 18-wheel trucks hauling several new SUVs each to the Burlington ICE facility.

u/_still_truckin_ • 4h ago

Two dozen white Ford Explorers. They’re the same Interceptor models that real police departments use. You can spot them by the searchlight mounted to the driver side A-pillar and lack of tracks for roof racks. Saw them in the parking lot of the Burlington ICE building.

u/ThePirateKing01 • 4h ago

Shoutout to @BearingWitnessBurlington on YouTube and TikTok

To those who say protesting peacefully doesn’t amount to much, this person has been both protesting and monitoring the facility almost 24/7. Without people like this we wouldn’t have the heads up that we do now

u/minilip30 • 4h ago

“The bottom line: While no operation has been officially confirmed, Boston is not waiting to find out — it is mobilizing now.”

Good!

Remember, ICE needs a warrant to enter any private residence or business. Business that aren’t fascist supporting should have signs that they will not allow ICE entry without a warrant.

u/beanandcod • 4h ago

A judicial warrant, signed by a judge

u/Pnoman98 • 4h ago

A lot of police presence at Alewife& Gov Center

u/cccxxxzzzddd • 4h ago

The Rindge / fresh pond apartments at alewife are home to many immigrants, particularly Ethiopians

This is not good

Edit: not good that ice is there

u/mysteriousfrittata • 4h ago

Saw a car full of them parked outside of MGH yesterday evening. All wearing DHS fatigues etc. Naturally the assholes were parked in an ambulance parking spot. I called to report a strange vehicle parked there.

u/HolyMoleyGuacamoly • 4h ago

they appear to be staying at that marriott right next door. was by there for a bit and saw a ton of activity in and out of there of single white men in suvs with beards

Happy_Literature9493 • 3h ago

Copied and pasted from Safari reader mode [the Axios article:]

“Boston quietly prepares for an ICE surge Mike Deehan Boston City Hall is privately getting ready for a potential spike in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

Why it matters: Even without a confirmed federal operation, the city is "planning for the unthinkable," according to Mayor Michelle Wu.

Escalating tensions and violence in other cities are deepening anxieties within immigrant communities and worsening the friction between sanctuary communities and federal authorities. The latest: Wu confirmed on WBUR this week that she is discussing enforcement scenarios with Boston Police leadership.

Her goal is to establish clear protocols to ensure local police resources are not co-opted into federal immigration efforts. Wu maintains that Boston police will not leak information to ICE, a stance she views as crucial to maintaining community trust. The big picture: Boston isn't alone in bracing for federal action.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has stated plans for a larger presence in Boston, promising more agents following disputes over sanctuary policies. Past initiatives mobilized large-scale enforcement across Massachusetts. Zoom in: Unverified but persistent reports from residents and activists note a delivery of SUVs to the Burlington ICE Field Office last week.

Advocates interpret the arrival of three car carriers hauling SUVs as a sign that the local ICE branch is staffing up. What we're watching: If federal enforcement accelerates, pressure will mount on public-facing institutions and communities with sanctuary policies.

Courthouses are typically a flashpoint for arrests. City community centers and schools will need to know how to respond if agents appear at their doors. ICE likely won't limit large-scale enforcement to Boston. Municipalities with large immigrant populations like Chelsea, Everett, Lawrence, Revere and Lynn could also be in the crosshairs. Threat level: Activists have staked out the Burlington ICE office for months and will likely be among the first to know of any major rollout.

Expect throngs of Massachusetts residents to demonstrate against ICE if a surge happens here. The bottom line: While no operation has been officially confirmed, Boston is not waiting to find out — it is mobilizing now.”

shadowkat

Difficult and tedious day - went to get lab work after work - which was supposed to take fifteen minutes, and in actuality took forty-five. NYU Langon has had a lot of turn-over and is heavily under-staffed. So they had to close the fourth floor lab and pull everyone to the second floor lab.
That would have been fine? But during that - someone pulled the emergency brakes on the R, and as a result, the R train was running on the Q and N line with severe delays. And there was a fire on the Brooklyn Bridge - so the 4/5, 1/2, and Q/N/J were experiencing delays.

I ended up giving up on the R, up the steps, across the street, and to the 4/5 elevator.
( Read more... )

***

Was listening to a podcast by Juliet Landau which featured the actors who played Lilah, Lindsey, Holtz, and the writer David Greenwalt chatting at a con. During it - I discovered a few interesting tid-bits. Christian Kane prior to snagging the role of Lindsey on Angel, was up for the role of Riley Finn on Buffy (it went to his friend Marc Blucas), and both Kane and Romanov (Lilah) were supposed to just be in three episodes.

Buffy/Angel Rewatch

I've made it up to and part way through "Hells Bells" Buffy Episode 16, and up to Loyalty Angel Episode 15 - which I'm kind of saving? (I like the episode, Loyalty, not Hells Bells. I don't like Hells Bells.)

There's a handful of episodes in Buffy S6, between roughly Dead Things and Normal Again, that I could have done without? Or I wish had been written better? Doublemeat Palace is actually underrated, and hilarious at times, it's not a bad satirical piece on fast food restaurants and American advertising and consumerism, specifically the Burger Wars which were a thing in the later half of the 20th Century and beginning of the 21st.
(I can see why that was the episode that made the network rethink leaving the writers completely on their own. They got notes on how they were handling fast food.) It also is focused, and really centers on two perspectives, Buffy and Willow. The better episodes focus on Buffy and Willow in S6, actually.

As You Were - aka the return of GI Joe (& GI Jane) to split up Spike and Buffy, also fight monsters, and end Buffy's job at the Doublemeat Palace (or does that end after Normal Again? Not sure.) She takes off in the middle of a shift to help Riley - which would normally get her fired, but she also has leverage - so maybe she can't get fired? Shame, I agree with the network - the fastfood jokes are getting kind of old, and there's a lot of folks who have to do that for a living. They are littered throughout this episode. Everyone mentions that Buffy smells bad because of her job.
Only one who doesn't is Spike.
( Read more... )

Rest for another day. Off to bed.

senmut

AO3 Link | Touching History as We Go (1014 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Disguises, Grief/Mourning, Inspired by Poetry
Series: Part 9 of Legacy of the Silver Marches
Summary:

Drizzt and Alustriel, in their guises as Gavren and Brielle, on their trek to Silverymoon pass where Methri fell.

From Twilight Calm - Christina Rossetti

But evening now is done
As much as if the sun
Day-giving had arisen in the East:
For night has come; and the great calm has ceased,
The quiet sands have run.

Touching History as We Go

Death comes to all in turn, they say. I have seen it swiftly, I have seen it come slow. Never do I touch its presence without some emotion. Relief, in cases of enemies that would not turn from their path. Sorrow, for the ones it takes by choking off the time ahead of them. Shock, when it braces a young one in their prime.

But I can see it is a needful thing. Not merely for the natural order of things, but for cleansing the way to new thought, new deeds, new ways. Something in age clogs many minds from adapting, changing as thoughts lead in new directions. I find peace in the idea that, when my life is at an end, there will be those who knew of me, of my Companions, who tell the tales we made.

I but hope that they remember not only the daring deeds, but the cautionary mishaps as well.

— Drizzt Do'Urden

The travelers kept their hoods low, even as they knew it would take a powerful magic user to discern their identities. The tavern was quiet and only half-full, but a bard had taken the stage and begun a quiet ballad.

"Someone knows history," the woman said after listening to the first bars.

"As told," the man said with a sigh. "They'll leave out how close it was for him at the end."

"Hmm, likely. But in this day and age, from all we've seen so far, they need to know of heroes, have them to look up to and be inspired by."

He looked at her, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I'll remember that when you protest the ballads composed of your sacrifices and leadership."

"Oh, I've had plenty of time to grow accustomed to such. But you, my dear ranger… what will you do when you hear of your own deeds sung with lusty bardic vigor?"

"Make a nuisance of myself trying to inject truth in the matter," he said, smiling before he applied spoon to bowl, rather than focus on the tale of a wizard he'd known during the Gods' War.

Brielle pulled up short, making Gavren turn back to her. Her face spoke of anguish, and he sucked in a deep breath. The lingering magical traces in this land spoke of past battles, but for her… it had to have been personal.

"What is it, my star?"

"The staff of Silverymoon." She gave up pretense of being able to move from this spot, dropping down on her knees, hands going into the barren soil. Her eyes scanned out, taking note of the vague hillocks and depressions, signs of things buried in haste and rotted away after.

Gavren came and knelt in front of her, drawing her head to his shoulder. With a mere thought, he called to their dear astral friend and Guenhwyvar appeared, no longer constrained by the figure of wondrous power. She took up guard over them in this desolate place, letting him hold his beloved as she mourned.

"Silverymoon's last defense to the west," he murmured. "Your son being impossibly strong-willed and ending the fight that occurred, but at such cost." He stroked down her hair, letting her cry it out. There would be moments like this, over and over, as they wandered the realms in their new guises. Both had been too embroiled in the Gods' War, had known too many of the major players in the pitched battles and back-room scheming.

"Methri made so many mistakes, and yet… he did believe in the people and ideas of Silverymoon and the Silver Marches." She settled back on her heels, reaching up to wipe at her face with a cloth pulled out of her cloak's pocket.

"He did, on both accounts. But we all did, the mistakes making. And for many of us, it was the belief in our people, in each other, that gave us the strength to push through what the gods did to us all in their own madnesses." Gavren stroked her face, then tucked a braid back behind her ear. "It is hardest, in some ways, for you about Methri. Because he was your heir, following in your footsteps."

She sniffled, then nodded. "Once the Refuge took Tyresia from him, he threw himself into everything of Silverymoon I would allow. And he won the position by the vote, when Taern died, so it was on his own merit. I just never saw how deeply his caution could cut across the allies we'd made."

"You cannot second-guess him from this point of history," Gavren told her, placing a kiss on her brow. "All either of us can do is try to help the rebuilding we see, give aid to those who still have the vision of a future that holds knowledge and compassion in the highest regard."

"And use what we knew as truth to provide the bitter stories of how even goodly traits can lead to the wrong choices?" Brielle questioned, before sighing. "Yes, even that will be needed, especially with what we've learned so far of the rising powers in the lands."

"Any trait may be a strength or a weakness," Gavren told her. "You and I can press that point as it is needed. But. For now… we're not so far from the Silverwood, and we can be inside the city by nightfall?"

She considered, then shook her head. "Unless the traces are bothering you, let us stay here, so I can meditate, and be certain he has not become a weave ghost tied to this place?"

"Of course, my star." He pushed back to his feet, a look at Guen bringing her closer. The panther pushed into the moon-elf's space, prompting a small laugh and much petting, while Gavren saw to setting camp. They would tend to the needful matters, and move on to the city where at least one of their children was building anew.

Perhaps, in putting her own sense of Methri to rest, it would help Brielle be ready for the fresh start they had promised one another in truth.

adafrog

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

boxofdelights posting in

wiscon

If you have an idea for a Wiscon panel -- even a half-baked idea -- you can propose it here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvi7TCCIHg82rSpzrUKl8wX2SNMevlGP5HxOOnqa0pkrWu2w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106072416256127446722

Seriously, even if your idea is just "We have to talk about Heated Rivalry!" it's okay to propose that. The Panels team will take all the input we get, and work to shape it into a proposed schedule.

If you'd like to talk your idea over before you suggest it, you can use the comments to this post, or start a new post in this group, or start a new post in your own space and maybe also point your readers here?

chazzbanner

The other day I noticed the title of a downloading podcast: in part, it was 'missing folk star found!' I knew I had to listen to it immediately, as I guessed who the 'folk star' was. It was Licorice McKechnie of the Incredible String Band.

I first heard of Licorice being missing on a true crime podcast. From what I remember, there were rumors that she was living in central California. I think her sister said she was contacted once by Licorice, but that was years ago.

Andy Miller of the Backlisted wrote a lovely essay about the ISB

on his Patreon page

I really like The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter album, though whether you would depends on what you think of psychedelic whimsy. In case you want to test your resistance (or the lack thereof), here's a link:

ISB: THBD

Oh!, one thing that isn't mentioned is that the cottage the ISB lived in was on the estate of Baron Glenconner (aka Colin Tennant). Lady Anne Glenconner casually mentions that 'they were the house band' in one of her memoirs. She was Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret.

Have I read her memoirs? Yes. She was also a Rosebud guest, I believe.

-

my_spikesgirl58_feed

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6713100.html

Be honest, did you ever disco back in the day?

Would you eat these?

What's your guilty snack food?

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6713100.html

shakalooloo posting in

scans_daily

Last year's 2000ad Xmas special had a story where Judge Dredd encountered an eerily familiar Belgian traveller...

( Read more... )

shakalooloo posting in

scans_daily

Even in its earliest days, the relationship between the Ultimate Universe Ant-Man and Wasp is much more heartwarming than any previous interpretation!

( Read more... )

shakalooloo posting in

scans_daily

No, neither Wolverine nor Storm appears inside, no matter how prominent the cover may imply them to be.

There are revelations and deaths within, but to my eye the most important detail is the introduction of an Ultimate verion of a character that the first Ultimate universe foolishly ignored:

( Read more... )

kaberett

On the one hand, it is sort of obvious why I've decided I want to have another go at working out how Continental knitting works for a project that involves reversible cables and ribbing on DPNs.

On the OTHER, this feels like a bit of a trial-by-fire given that my problem has historically been tension...

shakalooloo posting in

scans_daily

Wait, J'onn could have done this at any point in the past?

( Read more... )

juushika

Title: Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition
Author: Buddy Levy
Narrator: Will Damron
Published: MacMillan Audio, 2019
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 558,530
Text Number: 2102
Read Because: these boys be cold lemme tell you, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review:
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881–1884 was a meteorological study and Farthest North attempt with catastrophic results: only seven of the twenty-five men survived. I picked this one up blind, meaning I didn't even have prior knowledge of the expedition, much less have I read primary sources; and I really couldn't be happier. Levy is great man theory-prone, drinking some of that Arctic explorer kool-aid, and this tips slightly sentimental in a repetitious way; I also prefer my discussions of cannibalism to be more crunchy and less the stinger to the narrative.

But, frankly, these are only nitpicks, because this is the ideal tragic Arctic exploration narrative, in content and coverage. I'm struck by passing similarities to the loss of the Franklin expedition, namely: when evacuating in the Arctic, it's easy to make bad decisions in good faith, and those decisions have lasting consequences—we really don't need to posit complicated explanations for them. And boy, such consequences; and Levy affords them great nuance, offering room to the mundanity of human foibles, tender in descriptions of deaths by starvation and scurvy, frostbite and misadventure; no tedium, here, and yet the long, slow misery is emphatically realized. Fantastic read, and, unfortunately for my TBR, and expedition I want to read more about.

Current Music: A Body on the Step - American Murder Song

musesfool

I barely slept on Sunday night - maybe about 3 hours in total? - so I called out yesterday and went back to bed. I felt better but not great upon waking again after actually sleeping for another 2 hours, and spent most of the day zoned out on the couch, looking at tumblr. Last night I slept hard and today I woke up feeling much better, but ugh, sleep should not be so hard!

I know it's just January and winter but I can feel myself withdrawing and hermiting up, so if I'm late in responses to comments, that's why - it's definitely not you, it's me.

*

Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: About a Girl - Nirvana

susandennis

I got back into the doctor's portal and sent a note that text #2 was a bust as well. 15 minutes later, I got the text from the original phone number. (I did go back to the portal and delete my note. It was marked as unread so I think I got there in time.)

Welcome! NovoCare Pharmacy® has received your prescription for WEGO from Dr. MALASHANKA and will send important updates as we process the order. The NovoCare® Program needs your consent to move forward. Please go to https://novocare.iassist.com/obes/ptauth?Token=437271676 to provide CONSENT. If you prefer to pick up at your local retail pharmacy, call 1-888-809-3942. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to end sms or call 1-888-809-3942 for questions.

Hilariously, that phone number gets you put on hold forever. I waited 45 minutes the first time and 68 minutes the second time. Never did talk to a person. So forget my local retail pharmacy. Not that I wanted it anyway. I did answer all their question and signed my life away. No money requested yet so we are still in process.

BUT the wait times did remind me that I am now a member of a club that probably has 8 out of 10 Americans - people to look to lose weight after Christmas. Doh!

My house cleaner sent a sub today who came an hour earlier which was a surprise, but fine.

My new scale arrived. It was a bit of a trick to find a convenient spot for it, but I did. It's all set up and ready to go.

nineweaving

Say nothing yet about that last post. I appear to have jumped the gun by a week, so PLEASE don't post about it on Big Social Media.

I will unlock it next Tuesday.

Sigh.

Nine

trobadora

In yesterday's poll, writing linearly is in the lead with 36%, but 23% of respondents are like me and write bits and snippets all over the place, then stitch them together. Here's how I put it back in 2008:

Backwards and forwards. Roundabout. A paragraph here, a sentence there, a half-scene, a turn of phrase somewhere out of joint. That's how it goes: like a puzzle, one of those with 10,000 pieces, but without much of an idea what the final picture will even look like. You have a few corner pieces, something solid, something to build on, but they may remain unconnected for the longest time. A bit of the picture somewhere in the middle - only it may turn out that it's actually in the upper left corner, once you see how things go together. And yet it does come together; in the end, it all fits, as a puzzle should.

That is the most amazing part: because unlike the puzzle, of course, those random bits of words and themes and structure aren't prefabricated to make sense. And yet they do.

I love writing. :D

Today's writing

Progress across three

fandomtrees treats! (I think those are the ones I can realistically finish, unless there's another delay. Or at least I hope I can!)

(I'm running late, so no question today.)

Tally

( Days 1-10 )

Day 11:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 12:

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

carenejeans,

cornerofmadness,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 13:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

calimac

1. Scott Adams, having alerted the world that he had terminal cancer and not much longer to live, has died, according to an announcement released today. Adams was the creator of Dilbert, one of a short list of iconic newspaper comic strips that successively defined their eras. Dilbert was a startlingly satirical strip, a standing refutation of the notion that business, because it has to make a profit, is more efficiently run than government agencies. But like other strips, even iconic ones, it outlasted its own brilliance and became tired out and hectoring, but no more so than did Adams himself, who fell down the right-wing rathole, not just in supporting DT but by being disingenuously nasty about topics like racial identification and the Holocaust. The snark that once served him well had gone rancid.

2. Neil Gaiman. I don't have to elaborate on the grief that this once-esteemed author became revealed as a truly toxic sexual predator. But if you want an elaboration on his background, and on not the origins of his offenses but on how the seeds of what made him the kind of person who could do that could be found in even his most spectacular early successes, there is an astonishing book-length (over 70,000 words) online essay by Elizabeth Sandifer on Gaiman's career. It's full of digressions: it starts with a full explanation of the background of Scientology: Gaiman's father was a leading Scientologist, and it must have affected Gaiman, though it's not clear exactly how, and even once you get past that, there are plenty more digressions on the backgrounds of Tori Amos and others who appear in Gaiman's career. But the main thread is about his writings and his career as a writer. Sandifer's thesis is that Gaiman always wanted to be a celebrated big-name author, but unlike those who just dream of it, he worked hard to make his writings deserve that status, and there's much on his innovations and creativity. But there are also warnings, of which the echoes of the author in Ric Madoc of "Calliope" are only the most obvious. But then there was a turning point when Gaiman achieved that full celebrity status, around the time of American Gods and Coraline in 2001-2. It was then, Sandifer says, that the sexual abuse which had probably been going on long already became obsessive and even more toxic, and victims described the experience as if Gaiman were enacting a script. And, Sandifer says, his writing fell off and lost its savor at the same time: the cruelest literary remark in the essay is that The Graveyard Book "feels like the sort of thing a generative AI would come up with if asked to write a Neil Gaiman story."

juushika

With great effort do I attempt to catch up on the many books I failed to review in 2025, including: the worst(?) of the autumnal picture books I grabbed in the season.

Title: Stumpkin
Author: Lucy Ruth Cummins
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 558,070
Text Number: 2099
Read Because: more spooky? picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I get prickly about picture books that anthropomorphize inanimate objects in uncomfortable/guilt-inspiring ways, and ones that insist the unwanted/unchosen are actually special.* This manages to be both, in a way that almost (no pun intended) stumps me: don't feel sorry that no one bought a flawed pumpkin, because the proprietor carved the unsold merchandise into a jack-o'-lantern himself. Enjoyable art, with sketchy, near monochrome backgrounds and vibrant orange pumpkins. Picture books are largely harmless even if they leave me replete with questions, so it kind of doesn't matter that this one just feels weird; but, thematically, it feels a little weird!

* I get the intent! It's the conservative executions that I don't like, erasing legitimate experiences of otherness.

Title: The Yellow Leaves Are Coming
Author: James Gladstone
Illustrator: François Thisdale
Published: Red Deer Press, 2023
Rating: 1.5 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,100
Text Number: 2100
Read Because: okay let's just call this a search for autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I think I like this take on a cycle-of-the-seasons picture book, grounded in incredibly specific details, wistfully slipping through time and space. But I barely noticed the text because this is the new ugliest picture book I've ever seen, and it's wildly distracting. See that cover? The "how do face work?" rendered in a kind of uncanny smoothness, disjointed from the environment? This is one of the better panels. Avoid, avoid.

Title: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Author: Kenard Pak
Published: Henry Holt and Company, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,130
Text Number: 2101
Read Because: autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I never have much to say about non-narrative picture books; they serve a function and this feels like it works, rooting itself in a number of evocative, personal details which make the changing season identifiable and evocative. Beautiful! And ... that's it; nothing to grab or move me.

Current Music: Meditation - Koda

missdiane

I did a quick video at lunch of filling in a page of the sticker book I got at Barnes & Noble.

Watch on YouTube

I have coloring books I could film too, though these are a little easier.

BTW, yeah, that candle smells just like coffee and it's amazing. They're expensive as hell, though, but Emily got a bit of a discount since she ordered a case of them to give out as Christmas presents at work.

my_spikesgirl58_feed

https://spikesgirl58.livejournal.com/6712770.html

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mirlacca

Ashley McConnell

December 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Page Summary

spikedluv - Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 3 & 4 of 2026
heartsways in scans_daily - Beavis and Butthead #17
chickenfeet - More Holocaust related music
superfangirl1 in scans_daily - DC K.O. #3 Double Team Semifinals Round
fred_mouse in unclutter - January Challenge (3 of 5)
linaewen in writethisfanfic - WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 14 -- Wednesday
masterghandalf in das_sporking2 - The Arts of Dark and Light: Summa Elvetica
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, Jan 13)
my_spikesgirl58_feed - Calvin and his snowmen...
my_spikesgirl58_feed - Good morning!
machinistm - "I went on PornHub and searched “gay.”"*
torrentfreak_feed - Groupon ‘Redeems’ Itself With Rapid Takedown of Pirate IPTV Deal
cyberghostface in scans_daily - Knull #1
svgurl - snowflake challenge #6
settiai - Baldur's Gate 3: Apophis
cornerofmadness - I'd like a refund on this day
chez_jae - Book 6, 2026
settiai - One of those general updates...
my_spikesgirl58_feed - Good night
siderea - Massachusetts is next [Ω, MA/US]
shadowkat - As You Were... and the tedious difficult day
senmut - Poetry Fiction: Touching History as We Go
adafrog - Tuesday
boxofdelights in wiscon - Panel Suggestions Open
chazzbanner - Incredible String Band
my_spikesgirl58_feed - Just wondering
shakalooloo in scans_daily - Mikmak's Big Mega-City Adventure
shakalooloo in scans_daily - When Henry Met Janet
shakalooloo in scans_daily - Ultimate Endgame #1
kaberett - I know why, but: why
shakalooloo in scans_daily - Martian Manhunter's Final Form
juushika - Book Review: Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy, narrated by WIll Damrom
musesfool - i do hope you have a dime
susandennis - I'm a cliche!!
nineweaving - Jumping the gun
trobadora - Write Every day 2026: January, Day 13
calimac - men who sank their own reputations
juushika - Book Reviews: Stumpkin, Cummins; The Yellow Leaves..., Gladstone; Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, Pak
missdiane - Maybe coloring next?
my_spikesgirl58_feed - At least it's not a toaster...

Style Credit

Style: Ivory Alcea for Mobility by branchandroot
Resources: Mitsuba Aoi

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