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Thursday, January 8th, 2026 12:00 pm
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 05:29 am
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 11:59 pm
The Origins of Totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt. This is the book I chose to read for January, from my resolutions, but having reached page 163 (not quite a third of the way through), I’ve decided to stop. Although it’s a major work of political theory, and I’ve read some of it before, I am having too many issues with it this time.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is a history of anti-Semitism in Europe, then we have a discussion of the European style of imperialism, and finally there’s a section on totalitarianism. I got all the way through part one and started part two. My problems are threefold. First, in at least the first section she’s writing for people who have a much greater familiarity with the history of Jewish Europe than I have – I’m not familiar with the different types of emancipation, for example, although it seems obvious now that I’ve heard of it that each country must at some point have decided to give at least some of its Jews some of the same rights as its Christian citizens. Relatedly, Arendt isn’t organizing her thoughts to develop clear arguments. She doesn’t set forth the points she’s trying to make and explain how she gets there, she just wanders around the theme a lot. As a small example, she refers several times to the now relatively obscure “Panama scandal” long before she bothers to explain what that scandal was. The third problem is that she makes lots of assertions without providing supportive evidence. She is obviously highly familiar with her topics, and presumably she does have that evidence. Because we know her as a philosopher as well as a historian and political theorist, I would expect that she would be clear about assertions, arguments, evidence, potential counter-arguments, etc., but it’s all rather muddy.
Anyway, my rule for myself is that I need to read at least 100 pages of my self-assigned book before I can set it aside, and if I do set it aside, I need to choose a new book for the month. I am thus choosing Theodore Roszak’s The Making of a Counter Culture. Maybe I’ll come back to Arendt later.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is a history of anti-Semitism in Europe, then we have a discussion of the European style of imperialism, and finally there’s a section on totalitarianism. I got all the way through part one and started part two. My problems are threefold. First, in at least the first section she’s writing for people who have a much greater familiarity with the history of Jewish Europe than I have – I’m not familiar with the different types of emancipation, for example, although it seems obvious now that I’ve heard of it that each country must at some point have decided to give at least some of its Jews some of the same rights as its Christian citizens. Relatedly, Arendt isn’t organizing her thoughts to develop clear arguments. She doesn’t set forth the points she’s trying to make and explain how she gets there, she just wanders around the theme a lot. As a small example, she refers several times to the now relatively obscure “Panama scandal” long before she bothers to explain what that scandal was. The third problem is that she makes lots of assertions without providing supportive evidence. She is obviously highly familiar with her topics, and presumably she does have that evidence. Because we know her as a philosopher as well as a historian and political theorist, I would expect that she would be clear about assertions, arguments, evidence, potential counter-arguments, etc., but it’s all rather muddy.
Anyway, my rule for myself is that I need to read at least 100 pages of my self-assigned book before I can set it aside, and if I do set it aside, I need to choose a new book for the month. I am thus choosing Theodore Roszak’s The Making of a Counter Culture. Maybe I’ll come back to Arendt later.
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 11:54 pm
End Times: Elites, Counter-elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration, by Peter Turchin. In general, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which reflects the author’s work in the new field of “cliodynamics,” where they the use of complexity science to analyze historical data and identify trends. Turchin’s writing style is congenial, and he’s not out to replace conventional history – since that’s where he gets his data.
His big concern is that the two factors most involved in political instability are happening to us right now, and he’s hoping that their work can tell us what our society needs to fix to avoid serious problems. Those two factors are the “overproduction of elites” – having more people competing for positions of wealth and power than there is space for them, for example by having too many people with advanced degrees – and the “immiseration of the general public,” which is typically associated with big disparities in wealth. Ideally we need to improve the well-being and sense of security of the average American, while making sure that those who are “over-educated” are still reasonably happy. (I’m thinking student loan forgiveness would help with that.) I suspect that there are ways that modern societies may differ from earlier societies that their models may not capture, but it’s still interesting to read about their work.
His big concern is that the two factors most involved in political instability are happening to us right now, and he’s hoping that their work can tell us what our society needs to fix to avoid serious problems. Those two factors are the “overproduction of elites” – having more people competing for positions of wealth and power than there is space for them, for example by having too many people with advanced degrees – and the “immiseration of the general public,” which is typically associated with big disparities in wealth. Ideally we need to improve the well-being and sense of security of the average American, while making sure that those who are “over-educated” are still reasonably happy. (I’m thinking student loan forgiveness would help with that.) I suspect that there are ways that modern societies may differ from earlier societies that their models may not capture, but it’s still interesting to read about their work.
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Thursday, January 8th, 2026 04:32 am
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Thursday, January 8th, 2026 09:34 am
2026/004: The Wood at Midwinter — Susanna Clarke
All woods join up with all other woods.
All are one wood.
And in that wood all times join up with all other times.
All is one moment. [loc. 140]
A short story, more beautifully calligraphed and illustrated in print (to judge by photos online) but still lovely on a Kindle. It's apparently set in the same world as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell*, but I didn't spot any overlap, and it certainly doesn't require familiarity with the earlier, much longer work.
Ysolde Scott has devised a cunning stratagem: she'll arrange visits, and let her sister Merowdis -- possibly a saint, possibly neurodivergent, possibly just antisocial -- alight en route and spend time in the woods, where she is happiest. ( Read more... )
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 09:13 am
Wreckage and ruins are very evocative and make great places for exploration within a game setting. It justifies having a bizarrely dangerous environment while also providing reasons for treasure-seeking adventurers to brave the hazards. There might be something valuable hidden in there, and hopefully the danger is so great that other seekers weren't successful in getting out alive!
To make things even more fun, you can sprinkle remains of some of those unsuccessful prior explorers. You know, the mostly-decayed skeletons of people with their skulls pierced by spikes, that sort of thing.
aurilee writes:
Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)
Hmmmm. This whole room reminds me of Emperor Palpatine's throne room. Or whatever it was called in Episode VI on the Death Star Mk II. There's the four-triangle blast door, there's the weirdly symmetrical windows, what could possibly be one of those odd table things.... I'm definitely leaning towards an old Empire spaceship wreck, though it's probably not the Death Star itself. Also interesting is the stormtrooper helmet in panel one. That looks like one of the new styles with the eye slit bit in the middle, which is weird given the apparent age of the place.
Besides the door still working, and then closing itself afterward, I'd be surprised if there's any actual traps involved here. That doesn't seem like Star Wars's style. Okay sure, this is a ruin of some kind and Rey is exploring on her own, but we're not going to have laser-spikes pop out of the walls or metal boulders drop from the ceiling. At best, parts of the ruin fall apart even more as Rey continues wandering. Because really, who would make booby traps that only work after the place is half wrecked in a sci-fi setting like this?
Transcript
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 05:00 pm
What are you thankful for this week?
· Photos are optional but encouraged.
· Check-ins remain open until the following week's post is shared.
· Do feel free to comment on others' check-ins but don't harsh anyone else's squee.
· Photos are optional but encouraged.
· Check-ins remain open until the following week's post is shared.
· Do feel free to comment on others' check-ins but don't harsh anyone else's squee.
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 11:41 pm
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )
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Thursday, January 8th, 2026 06:11 am
I quite like “The Raven,” but it does seem to lend itself to parodies. Let’s start with the original and then take a look at a few parodies …
The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door-
Only this, and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is, and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”- here I opened wide the door;-
Darkness there, and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering,
fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”-
Merely this, and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice:
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
‘Tis the wind and nothing more.”
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and
flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed
he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no
craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning- little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered- not a feather then he fluttered-
Till I scarcely more than muttered, “other friends have flown
before-
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never- nevermore’.”
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and
door;
Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee- by these angels he
hath sent thee
Respite- respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!- prophet still, if bird or
devil!-
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by horror haunted- tell me truly, I implore-
Is there- is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil- prophet still, if bird or
devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
“Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend,” I shrieked,
upstarting-
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!- quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my
door!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamplight o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the
floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted- nevermore!
***
***
By the fire-side I was sitting, and my wife she was a knitting,
And a new heel she was fitting, to a stocking half worn out:
Joe was in the chimney corner, spelling how young Jacky Horner
Ate the plum, which from the pie his greedy fingers had torn out—
Plum, from out the Christmas pie, by him so greedily torn out:
This our Josey was about. …
*
Click through to read the whole thing.
***
***
Once, it happened I’d been dining, on my couch I slept reclining,
And awoke with moonlight shining brightly on my bedroom floor;
It was in the bleak December, Christmas night as I remember,
But I had no dying ember, as Poe had; when near the door,
Like a gastronomic goblin just beside my chamber door,
Stood a bird, — and nothing more. …
*
Click through to read the whole thing.
***
***
Once upon a midnight lately, might be seen a figure stately,
In the Tuileries sedately poring over Roman lore;
Annotating, scheming, mapping, Caesar’s old positions sapping,
When there came a something rapping, spirit-rapping at the door.
“’Tis some minister,” he muttered, “come, as usual, me to bore.”
So to Caesar turned once more. …
*
Click through to read the whole thing.
And many, many more parodies here. It turns out that “The Raven” was instantly successful and popular and tons of Poe’s contemporaries picked it up and wrote parodies, homages, pastiches, and so on.
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The post Poetry Thursday: The Raven, and Parodies appeared first on Rachel Neumeier.
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 08:45 pm
The sun has finally returned, which is very exciting. It is SO wet out there. Season to date is now 21 inches (150% of normal for this date).
The sunny days allowed garden cleanup to continue. Which is very much needed. Sheesh, it is the beginning of January and there is grass going to seed! As usual the pink rose is blooming instead of going dormant. Pulling grass out of the soggy clay is a chore, but otherwise the garden is just going to disappear. Quite a lot of evidence that the voles are still around. Grrrr.
Did a quick trip over to Fort Bragg so Richard could fix the things that hurt in my back and neck. Also he fixed my left foot. A few days ago I slid and fell going down a terribly steep hillside in the semi-dark. The fall didn't hurt at all but it did mess with my foot. The slip pushed the cuboid bone in my foot just slightly out of kilter. It hasn't hurt a lot, just been a little ouchy at times. Took Richard about 1 minute to put it back in place. I'm under strict orders to warm my foot up (and strengthen it) by pointing my toes in and up, then down and out, before getting up from bed or after sitting for a while.
Once back from Fort Bragg I cut pieces of what the English call "fleece" for the garden. It is supposed to be right down to freezing tonight, and a couple of degrees below freezing tomorrow. Amazingly enough I have peppers still chugging along! I think they will get through the cold and really enjoy the 70F weather that is supposed to be on the way. Also covered one of the two lemon trees (I'll cover the other one tomorrow). The lime tree has gone into the greenhouse. The fava beans and collard greens should be fine. Speaking of collard greens, I find my self really liking Champion. I still like the old Vates plants too. Both are under serious attack from slugs this year. I've picked dozens of slugs off the plants. I blame the rain.
The sunny days allowed garden cleanup to continue. Which is very much needed. Sheesh, it is the beginning of January and there is grass going to seed! As usual the pink rose is blooming instead of going dormant. Pulling grass out of the soggy clay is a chore, but otherwise the garden is just going to disappear. Quite a lot of evidence that the voles are still around. Grrrr.
Did a quick trip over to Fort Bragg so Richard could fix the things that hurt in my back and neck. Also he fixed my left foot. A few days ago I slid and fell going down a terribly steep hillside in the semi-dark. The fall didn't hurt at all but it did mess with my foot. The slip pushed the cuboid bone in my foot just slightly out of kilter. It hasn't hurt a lot, just been a little ouchy at times. Took Richard about 1 minute to put it back in place. I'm under strict orders to warm my foot up (and strengthen it) by pointing my toes in and up, then down and out, before getting up from bed or after sitting for a while.
Once back from Fort Bragg I cut pieces of what the English call "fleece" for the garden. It is supposed to be right down to freezing tonight, and a couple of degrees below freezing tomorrow. Amazingly enough I have peppers still chugging along! I think they will get through the cold and really enjoy the 70F weather that is supposed to be on the way. Also covered one of the two lemon trees (I'll cover the other one tomorrow). The lime tree has gone into the greenhouse. The fava beans and collard greens should be fine. Speaking of collard greens, I find my self really liking Champion. I still like the old Vates plants too. Both are under serious attack from slugs this year. I've picked dozens of slugs off the plants. I blame the rain.
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 03:27 pm
Challenge #1
The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
I need to get posting back on here again. It's been a rough year, a lot more intense with work, a lot more emotional energy required to navigate the world than before, and fewer people interacting over here.
So I'm looking to expand my horizons this year. Maybe that involves new people, maybe that involves new fandoms, maybe that involves things I haven't yet conceptualised yet. We'll work it out as it comes.
--
My profile on other social media reads "modern quilter, permaculture gardener, unrepentant foodie, cat servant, Jesus freak". I would add to that "hockey player (field, not fishbowl)".
Mostly, those are the labels I give out to non-fannish people.
Fannishly, I haven't really been fannish in a number of years. it's slowly been draining out of me as I stopped watching shows or franchises, and switched over to writing more original fiction instead of fanfiction.
However, fannishly, I tend to like the "second string" female character - the one that gets the "oh, and I like her, too" response by the kinds of fans who actually like female characters in male-dominated megafandoms. I write fanfic (but these days mostly exchanges), and a lot of it's romance or 'contains romantic themes'. I used to do meta, but I don't really have the energy or space for it anymore.
I think quite a bit about politics, which includes religion, race, sexuality, gender, history, culture, and all the other things that are human and therefore are political by virtue of how we think of them and regulate them.
Right now, I'm editing the first book of a series, and trying to write the second book. I was hoping to write the 2nd book last year, but hoo boy did my creativity drain away in 2025! It took me five years to get the first book done, hopefully it doesn't take another five to write the second! Although at that rate, I'll still probably be going faster than GRRM...
The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
I need to get posting back on here again. It's been a rough year, a lot more intense with work, a lot more emotional energy required to navigate the world than before, and fewer people interacting over here.
So I'm looking to expand my horizons this year. Maybe that involves new people, maybe that involves new fandoms, maybe that involves things I haven't yet conceptualised yet. We'll work it out as it comes.
--
My profile on other social media reads "modern quilter, permaculture gardener, unrepentant foodie, cat servant, Jesus freak". I would add to that "hockey player (field, not fishbowl)".
Mostly, those are the labels I give out to non-fannish people.
Fannishly, I haven't really been fannish in a number of years. it's slowly been draining out of me as I stopped watching shows or franchises, and switched over to writing more original fiction instead of fanfiction.
However, fannishly, I tend to like the "second string" female character - the one that gets the "oh, and I like her, too" response by the kinds of fans who actually like female characters in male-dominated megafandoms. I write fanfic (but these days mostly exchanges), and a lot of it's romance or 'contains romantic themes'. I used to do meta, but I don't really have the energy or space for it anymore.
I think quite a bit about politics, which includes religion, race, sexuality, gender, history, culture, and all the other things that are human and therefore are political by virtue of how we think of them and regulate them.
Right now, I'm editing the first book of a series, and trying to write the second book. I was hoping to write the 2nd book last year, but hoo boy did my creativity drain away in 2025! It took me five years to get the first book done, hopefully it doesn't take another five to write the second! Although at that rate, I'll still probably be going faster than GRRM...
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 10:26 pm
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beavertech has posted the January batch of sponsored poems. :D"So Many Words for Wood" on
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first_nations_freaks"The Infinity of Acorns" on
scienceworld"Birds and Snow" on
the_magick_circle"A Piecemeal Apocalypse" on
thefreaksclub
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 07:55 pm
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 10:40 pm
| Challenge 286: WORKING TOGETHER |
Some things can’t be done alone. Maybe it’s a project that needs multiple pairs of hands to make it work, maybe it’s a long-term quest to save the world that’s going to require a lot of people and a lot of skillsets, or maybe it’s as simple as a cat that needs at least two people to corral her into a carrier to go to the vet; whatever it is, it’s going to need some people to work together. How are your characters at working together? Does it come naturally to them, or do they struggle? What are they working together for? Write a story about working together. If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting! |
| Challenge ends Monday, January 12 at 9:00PM EST. • Post submissions as new entries using the template in the profile • Tag this week's entries as: [#] submission, 286 – working together • If you have questions about this challenge, please ask them here |
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 07:48 pm
The Lamp and The Bell, Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1921. Readaloud. This is a blank verse play that Millay wrote for a Vassar College reunion -- she enrolled at age 21 after having launched her career as a poet, and caused lots of trouble by not being a proper young lady. (A previous version of this post claimed she wrote it as a student, but actually it was 4 years after graduation.) I'd been wanting to read this play aloud for a while, and enjoyed doing it! It inevitably invites comparisons to both Shakespeare and the best of Millay's poetry, and comes up short, but it's still very good at being what it is, which is a fairy-tale-ish melodrama revolving around the romantic friendship between two stepsisters.
Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, Alexis Hall. I really liked Hall's Regency romances narrated by Puck and The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, but hadn't gotten into Hall's contemporary romance -- but then I was recommended Audrey Lane, which is the third in Hall's series set on a thinly disguised version of The Great British Baking Show. This one is an f/f romance between a contestant and the showrunner (nothing happens until after after it stops being a conflict of interest). There's some nice reality show meta, in that our POV character's day job is as a journalist, so she sees the show from a more media-savvy lens even before she starts dating the showrunner. I liked it enough to go back and read Rosaline Palmer, which plays the reality TV show storyline more straight. I haven't read the second book in the series, which I've been warned is all about the protagonist's anxiety, but might eventually read it anyway.
Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky. I bought this one along with Cage of Souls when I was in Edinburgh almost 2 years ago, and read Cage of Souls on the airplane because it was the paperback, and then set this aside because I didn't want to read two Adrian Tchaikovsky books in a row. (Also it wasn't out yet in the US so I didn't have as many people to discuss it with.) Finally coming back to it now, but not far enough into it yet to say much.
Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, Alexis Hall. I really liked Hall's Regency romances narrated by Puck and The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, but hadn't gotten into Hall's contemporary romance -- but then I was recommended Audrey Lane, which is the third in Hall's series set on a thinly disguised version of The Great British Baking Show. This one is an f/f romance between a contestant and the showrunner (nothing happens until after after it stops being a conflict of interest). There's some nice reality show meta, in that our POV character's day job is as a journalist, so she sees the show from a more media-savvy lens even before she starts dating the showrunner. I liked it enough to go back and read Rosaline Palmer, which plays the reality TV show storyline more straight. I haven't read the second book in the series, which I've been warned is all about the protagonist's anxiety, but might eventually read it anyway.
Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky. I bought this one along with Cage of Souls when I was in Edinburgh almost 2 years ago, and read Cage of Souls on the airplane because it was the paperback, and then set this aside because I didn't want to read two Adrian Tchaikovsky books in a row. (Also it wasn't out yet in the US so I didn't have as many people to discuss it with.) Finally coming back to it now, but not far enough into it yet to say much.
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 10:29 pm
Here are this week's votes tallied, and below the cut are our winners for Challenge #285 – Fresh Start!
( This week's finalists are... )
Total Challenge Words Written: 2992
Congratulations to both of you, and thank you to everyone who took the time to cast their votes!autobotscoutriella will be making this week’s banners, so keep an eye out for those next week.
You may now post your Challenge 285 entries to any additional communities, blogs, archives or sites as you'd like! We also have a FandomWeekly AO3 Collection if you'd like to add your stories there!
( This week's finalists are... )
Total Challenge Words Written: 2992
Congratulations to both of you, and thank you to everyone who took the time to cast their votes!
autobotscoutriella will be making this week’s banners, so keep an eye out for those next week.You may now post your Challenge 285 entries to any additional communities, blogs, archives or sites as you'd like! We also have a FandomWeekly AO3 Collection if you'd like to add your stories there!
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 08:30 pm
Question a Day Meme - January:
6. In 1709 The Great Frost began during the night, a sudden cold snap that remains Europe's coldest ever winter. What temperature will it reach today where you live?
It's actually warmer this week? So it reached 45 degrees, and is supposed to reach 51 on Friday. Also supposed to rain. But hopefully not when I'm off to see the doctor on Friday.
7. In 1803, Henri Herz, an Austrian pianist and composer, was born in Vienna, Austria. Have you ever learned the piano? If not, would you like to?
Yes. When I was 13, my mother and I took lessons separately, but from the same teacher. I sucked at it - dysgraphia/dyslexia and piano don't mix well. I could play with one hand, but both? And use the pedals? And read the music? Uh, not without a great deal of difficulty.
The teacher went to my mother and told her - that I'd never be able to learn to play the piano and to not waste any more time on it.
My family can draw, paint, write - but we are not musically inclined. We love music, we just can't sing or play an instrument to save our lives.
***
Buffy S6 Rewatch.
I like S5 and S4 better? Even though S6 is much riskier. The production design is slightly off in S6 - hair, makeup, etc. Also Gellar and Marsters apparently decided they had to lose fifty pounds for all those sex scenes.
(Sigh.) They are TOO thin. So is Emma Caulfield. Meanwhile Xander keeps gaining weight. Weirdly, wardrobe has decided to play with Spike's wardrobe - he's gotten a wardrobe upgrade. Actually, Buffy, Spike, and possibly Willow have the best wardrobe.
The writers are having a lot of fun implying sex - without really showing anything? And they seem to be hunting about every way to do it, available.
( Read more... )
6. In 1709 The Great Frost began during the night, a sudden cold snap that remains Europe's coldest ever winter. What temperature will it reach today where you live?
It's actually warmer this week? So it reached 45 degrees, and is supposed to reach 51 on Friday. Also supposed to rain. But hopefully not when I'm off to see the doctor on Friday.
7. In 1803, Henri Herz, an Austrian pianist and composer, was born in Vienna, Austria. Have you ever learned the piano? If not, would you like to?
Yes. When I was 13, my mother and I took lessons separately, but from the same teacher. I sucked at it - dysgraphia/dyslexia and piano don't mix well. I could play with one hand, but both? And use the pedals? And read the music? Uh, not without a great deal of difficulty.
The teacher went to my mother and told her - that I'd never be able to learn to play the piano and to not waste any more time on it.
My family can draw, paint, write - but we are not musically inclined. We love music, we just can't sing or play an instrument to save our lives.
***
Buffy S6 Rewatch.
I like S5 and S4 better? Even though S6 is much riskier. The production design is slightly off in S6 - hair, makeup, etc. Also Gellar and Marsters apparently decided they had to lose fifty pounds for all those sex scenes.
(Sigh.) They are TOO thin. So is Emma Caulfield. Meanwhile Xander keeps gaining weight. Weirdly, wardrobe has decided to play with Spike's wardrobe - he's gotten a wardrobe upgrade. Actually, Buffy, Spike, and possibly Willow have the best wardrobe.
The writers are having a lot of fun implying sex - without really showing anything? And they seem to be hunting about every way to do it, available.
( Read more... )
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 07:50 pm
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