sovay: (Lord Peter Wimsey: passion)
sovay ([personal profile] sovay) wrote2026-01-02 07:20 pm

We've found where the divide is thin and chosen the other side

The afternoon's mail brought my contributor's copy of Not One of Us #85, containing my poem "The Avalon Procedure." It is the Arthurian one, in debt to and argument with Bryher. It belongs to the outsider issue which kicks off the 'zine's fortieth year of alienation, characteristically incarnated by the short fiction and poetry of Steve Toase, Devan Barlow, Lauren Hruska, and Gwynne Garfinkle among others. The threshold shadow of the cover art by John and Flo Stanton is an excellent advertisement, or harbinger. Pick up a copy or contribute to the strangeness yourself. I remain so glad it sneaked into our reality.

"These clocks are like Time herself. Magnificent edifices, but secretly fragile. In need of constant attention . . . Forgive me. My pet subject, Time." I didn't realize until I opened the jewel case that Sigil (2023) was dedicated to the memory of Murray Melvin: it was his last recording for Big Finish, released posthumously. It starts like a classic M. R. James with a series of weird and hauntological misfortunes attending a three-thousand-year-old bronze bird ever since its ill-omened excavation in the Victorian era and then it twists much more cosmic, with a pure sting of Sapphire & Steel. I can't tell if it was designed as a farewell, but it makes a tantalizing final communiqué from Bilis Manger, a gorgeous, wickedly silken and knowing performance from Melvin whose voice caresses a stone circle because it's "an ancient timepiece" and can put a harvest-withering contempt into a statement like "I've never owned a scatter cushion in my life." There's a sort of promotional interview at the end of the CD, but it poignantly does not include Melvin. The last we hear of him is in this definitive character, so much time echoing backward and forward in his voice that was then eighty-nine human years old and still made you think there could be younger barrows, meadows, stars. "What could murder a murder of crows?"

I had no idea about this historical reenactment at Prospect Hill, but I am happy to read of its turnout in the new snow. I have not gotten the sestercentennial onto my mental calendar. I am still not convinced of this decade at all.
scrubjayspeaks: Town sign for (fictional) Lake Lewisia, showing icons of mountains and a lake with the letter L (Lake Lewisia)
scrubjayspeaks ([personal profile] scrubjayspeaks) wrote2026-01-02 04:29 pm

Lake Lewisia #1351

She found the stash of silverware in the back of her grandmother’s closet after her death, swaddled in mouse-nibbled dishcloths, crammed in byzantine arrangements into dusty cardboard boxes. All of it was black with tarnish from decades of disuse, save one piece she took at first to be the wedge of a cake slicer. The knife was big and freshly polished to a shine like moonlight by someone who evidently knew her grandmother’s house and belongings better than she did.

---

LL#1351
rivkat: Dean reading (dean reading)
rivkat ([personal profile] rivkat) wrote2026-01-02 06:58 pm

Happy New Year! Some (not all happy) nonfiction

Annalee Newitz, Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind: history and present )

Luke Kemp, Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse: not what I hoped )

Justin F. Jackson, The Work of Empire: War, Occupation, and the Making of American Colonialism in Cuba and the Philippines: so shockingly, racist! )

Elliott West, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion: this too )

Nicole Eustace, Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America: um ... )

Charles S. Maier, The Project-State and Its Rivals: A New History of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: history as forces )

Mary Louise Roberts, What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France:it's complicated? but also racist; rape and rape myths )

Caroline Fraser, Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers: Helter Smelter (her joke, not mine) )

Ada Palmer, Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age: lots'o'quotes )

Elliott Kalan, Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense: good instructions )


case: (Default)
Case ([personal profile] case) wrote in [community profile] fandomsecrets2026-01-02 06:41 pm

[ SECRET POST #6937 ]


⌈ Secret Post #6937 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.


More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #990.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
double_dutchess ([personal profile] double_dutchess) wrote in [community profile] su_herald2026-01-03 12:27 am

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, January 2nd

Giles: Unbelievable. "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!" Americans.

~~Dead Man's Party~~



[Drabbles & Short Fiction]
[Chaptered Fiction]
[Images, Audio & Video]
[Reviews & Recaps]
[Recs]
[Community Announcements]
[Fandom Discussions]

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

adriennefae: (Default)
adriennefae ([personal profile] adriennefae) wrote2026-01-02 03:03 pm
Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenge 2026: Day 1

Challenge #1: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

Hi! I'm Adrienne, I'm in my early 30s and use she/her pronouns. You can find my sticky post, which contains more info about me and my interests, here. I've been in fandom off and on since I was about 10, lurking a lot but also writing fic and posting about media I like and occasionally doing other things.

I've been doing this challenge every year since 2019, which was the first time it happened after I made my account here in late 2018. I look forward to it every year because I think it's a good opportunity to reflect on the year and my fannish interests and goals, and also meet new people in fandom. I also haven't been posting here much lately, or posting or actively participating anywhere else really, and I'd like to get back into it.
spikedluv: (winter: mittens by raynedanser)
it only hurts when i breathe ([personal profile] spikedluv) wrote2026-01-02 02:42 pm
Entry tags:

TV Talk: The Pitt (1.10 - 1.15)

I have now seen eps 1.10 through 1.15. My comments include spoilers for all of these eps in no particular order. spoilers )


The Pitt Season 2 Trailer )
lebateleur: A picture of the herb sweet woodruff (Default)
Trismegistus ([personal profile] lebateleur) wrote2026-01-02 12:23 pm

Snowflake Challenge #1 - Icebreaker Challenge

Challenge #1

The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.


I really enjoy seasonal observances. August through New Year's Day is full of them and then...nothing, which is one reason why I look forward to [community profile] snowflake_challenge each year. I also love being fannish about things. That's harder to do once the yearly grind picks up around March and offline obligations start to eat up much of my energy, so if nothing else, I can get a little dose of fannishness in at the start of the year, and hopefully keep that energy going through the next 11 months.

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


これで以上です。
sunnymodffa: (FranklyNostalgic)
sunnymodffa ([personal profile] sunnymodffa) wrote in [community profile] fail_fandomanon2026-01-03 07:49 am

FFA DW Post #2409 - PSA! Livejournal warning: save anything you have left on LJ soon

 
Please spread this far and wide so as many people see it as possible, because I really don't see English-language LJ continuing in its present form for much longer, and I know some people may still have things they care about there. It doesn't matter how you get it backed up, but it's absolutely crunch time for getting it backed up.
- [staff profile] denise


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Other posts on meme:

Search
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petra: CGI Anakin Skywalker, head and shoulders, looking rather amused. (Anakin - Trash fire Jesus)
petra ([personal profile] petra) wrote2026-01-02 01:40 pm
Entry tags:

Podfic: Oh freddled gruntbuggly - Darth Vader reads his poetry to torture Leia

[Podfic] Oh freddled gruntbuggly (23 words) by peasina, MelancholyMorningstar
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Leia Organa & Darth Vader
Characters: Leia Organa, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader
Additional Tags: Bad Poetry, Vogon Poetry (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes
Summary:

Darth Vader learned his torture tactics from the Vogons.

senmut: A black woman with short-cropped hair, glasses, and tie looking smug at the viewer (Sandman: Lucienne)
Asp ([personal profile] senmut) wrote in [community profile] reference_library2026-01-02 12:39 pm

Library Update January 2, 2026

1 new link in Crafting and Art

2 new links in Life Tips

1 new link in Writing and Worldbuilding

1 new link in Health
petra: Paul Gross in drag looking blank (Ms Fraser - Secretly Canadian)
petra ([personal profile] petra) wrote2026-01-02 01:30 pm

Recommendation: Luck, be a lady - due South fancomic by gjdraws

This due South comic is flippin' brilliant, and I don't just say that as someone who loves the way the artist draws RayV looking at Fraser.

Other things I liked about it )

Ahem.

Give it a go. It's short! It's cracky! It's pretty!

And I have the right icon for it.
dolorosa_12: (sister finland)
a million times a trillion more ([personal profile] dolorosa_12) wrote2026-01-02 06:22 pm

Friday open thread: picking things up, carrying things forward, setting things down

It's the first Friday open thread of 2026. In customary fashion, I'm going to use the following prompt, which I feel is the right question with which to start a new year:

What are you planning to leave behind in 2025, and what are you planning to pick up and/or carry forward into 2026?

My answer )

On that rather fraught note, what about all of you? Do you have anything you want to leave behind, or carry with you?
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2026-01-02 04:30 pm

Kristen Callihan, a Cookbook, & More

Posted by Amanda

The Deathless One

The Deathless One by Emma Hamm is $1.99! This came out in August and I mentioned it in Hide Your Wallet. I think I preordered this one. Did any of you pick this one up?

A princess murdered at the altar makes a deal with the god of death for vengeance and to save her people in this first in a unique romantasy trilogy from USA TODAY bestselling author Emma Hamm.

Jessamine was raised to be a leader for her people, but when the land is overrun by an incurable plague, she must enter a political marriage to save them all. A union that should have brought hope only brings death as her new husband murders her at the wedding altar and seizes the throne.

But her death is just the beginning. Her spirit is met by the Deathless One, a god of death yearning to return to the mortal plane, and he needs her help. The two of them make a deal—her life and the return of her kingdom in exchange for his resurrection. But the Deathless One is a known trickster, and a deal with him is one made in blood.

Jessamine knows the Deathless One is a dangerous ally, but the longer they work together, the more she wants him and the less she can stay away. As their connection deepens, soon she wonders if she even wants this contract to end. Perhaps the more appealing throne is the one by his side, but she’d have to turn her back on her people to get it.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Every Heart a Doorway

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is $2.99! I love this series. The writing is so beautiful and I would happily send 300+ pages in the world McGuire has created. However, I will warn that these books have a haunting sadness to them or can be downright horrific.

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Make It Sweet

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan is $1.99! This was mentioned this in a previous Hide Your Wallet and said she was tempted by the blurb. I haven’t kept up with Callihan’s more current romances. What do you think of them?

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a charming, emotional romance about redefining dreams and discovering unlikely love along the way.

Life for Emma isn’t good. The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.

Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.

He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.

But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…

In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Milk Street: Tuesday Nights

RECOMMENDED: Milk Street: Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball is $1.99! I own this one and definitely recommend it. I especially appreciate the “One Pot” section, as someone who hates dirtier a gazillion dishes while cooking.

At Milk Street, Chris Kimball and his test cooks use techniques from around the globe to deliver bolder flavors and healthier dishes in less time with simple techniques. On any given Tuesday, you can create interesting, delicious food in a flash.

With more than 200 recipes including quick yet flavorful soups and stews, simple salads, pastas that come together in minutes with ingredients you already have on hand, the home cook’s essential problem–What’s for dinner Tuesday night?–has never tasted so good. And say goodbye to the freezer-burned gallon of ice cream you’ve kept on hand for just this purpose: there are even weeknight-appropriate sweets you can whip up after dinner and still have time to eat before bed.

Best of all, every Tuesday Nights recipe is backed by the rigorous testing for which Chris Kimball is famous. With a photograph for every recipe, helpful tips and tricks for novice cooks and step-by-step visual instruction, each recipe is guaranteed to work when you need it most.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.