Yuletide 2025
Oct. 18th, 2025 11:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nemainofthewaterDearest Author,
Thank you so much for writing for me in advance! Please know that I will absolutely adore anything that you gift me and though I am going to provide more likes/dislikes and some general prompts further down, please feel free to combine prompts, or ignore them completely if you get inspired in a different direction! I’m Nemainofthewater on AO3 and most other fandom spaces.
Please go wild – I will literally adore anything that you make me. If you want to do something experimental (a series of drabbles, interactive fiction, art, etc…) I will be delighted to see it!
( Read more... )
Weekly Chat
Oct. 18th, 2025 01:54 pmdancing_serpent posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
c_entThe weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
Exciting life update
Oct. 18th, 2025 03:28 pmalias_sqbrRice cooker with soup/porridge/congee setting a game changer for rice pudding.
It keeps it simmering juust at boiling point so it cooks covered and unwatched without making a big bubbly mess.
I got a Panasonic 8 cup Rice and Multicooker because it was the cheapest smallest one I could find with that kind of setting. It cooked 1 cup of rice + 2 cups oat milk as pudding without trouble, but I'll have to see if it copes with a single cup of regular rice.
It keeps it simmering juust at boiling point so it cooks covered and unwatched without making a big bubbly mess.
I got a Panasonic 8 cup Rice and Multicooker because it was the cheapest smallest one I could find with that kind of setting. It cooked 1 cup of rice + 2 cups oat milk as pudding without trouble, but I'll have to see if it copes with a single cup of regular rice.
Write Every Day: Day 18
Oct. 18th, 2025 05:51 pmchina_shop"I used to wonder if it wouldn't be better just to haul off and quit hoping. Just protect my own inner brain, my own mind and heart, by drawing it up into a hard knot, and not having any more hopes or dreams at all. Pull in my feelings, and call back all of my sentiments... and, yet … the pleasures, and the displeasures, the good times and the bad, are really all there is to me.
[They] are the yeast that always starts working in your mind again... and then, all at once, no matter what has happened to you, you are building a brand new world again, based and built on the mistakes, the wreck, the hard luck and trouble of the old one."
– Woody Guthrie, in A Race Of Singers by Bryan K Garman
My day 18: My routine falls apart at the weekend (which is fine). I wrote a short meta post for
sid_guardian and left a meta comment on it. That'll do. Having a quiet night tonight, too.The tally
Day 16:
badly_knitted, china_shop, cmk418, cornerofmadness, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadoraDay 17:
badly_knitted, china_shop, cmk418, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadoraWhen you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.
Signups closing in 2 days!
Oct. 18th, 2025 12:24 amlittlefics posting in seasonsofdrabblesYou have just under 48 hours, as of this post, before both signups and nominations close on Sunday, October 19 @ 11:59pm Eastern Daylight time (Countdown).
As you finalize or submit your signup, remember to check out Uncategorized Fandoms for crossovers and other fandoms you might have missed! Here's the requests app that may be easier to browse than AO3.
As usual, there will be a 12-hour grace period after signups close during which you can ask us to add tags to your requests/offers.
As you finalize or submit your signup, remember to check out Uncategorized Fandoms for crossovers and other fandoms you might have missed! Here's the requests app that may be easier to browse than AO3.
As usual, there will be a 12-hour grace period after signups close during which you can ask us to add tags to your requests/offers.
Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 4, part 1
Oct. 18th, 2025 03:54 pmchina_shop posting in sid_guardian
Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!
Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.
Episode 4, up to 22:30
Summary
Zhao Yunlan catches Shen Wei at a crime scene and takes him back to the SID for questioning. Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi both have a crack at it, but Shen Wei is unflappable. Zhao Yunlan lets him go. Lin Jing complains about the lack of evidence. Chu Shuzhi and Xiao-Guo catch Lin Yusen at the morgue, and the SID questions him. Lin Yusen takes Zhao Yunlan to see a crime scene, and on the way, Shen Wei joins them. During a minor attack, Shen Wei's arm is cut; he heals it in front of Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei, and the supposed victim of the attack go to a tea shop; Zhao Yunlan is unconvinced by the victim's story but assigns Xiao-Guo to walk her home. Her boyfriend is jealous. Zhu Hong sets herself up as bait in a sting. Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei
Quote
Zhao Yunlan: If my mum knew I had an intellectual like you as a friend, she'd be bursting with joy.
Shen Wei: What's precious between friends is intimacy. If she saw you now, she would definitely be happy.
Detail
I love the juxtaposition of: 1) Zhao Yunlan being inadvertently distracted by Lin Yusen, 2) Shen Wei's foot being stuck to the ground, and 3) Zhu Jiu's lurking, while elsewhere 4) Da Qing is drugged with poisonous gas, 5) Chu Shuzhi runs towards the screams only to find they're a recording, 6) Zhu Hong is kidnapped, 7) Lin Jing watches helplessly from his lab, and 8) Chu Shuzhi speeds back to the site of the sting to find Zhu Hong gone.
Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 4? A favourite part of the interrogation scene, specifically? Are there any other SID members you would have liked to see interrogate Shen Wei? (*koff* all of them!! *koff*) Do you sympathise with Lin Yusen? How does Zhao Yunlan justify to himself allowing Shen Wei to join the investigation, after telling Lin Yusen, "A professional's job should be done by professionals"? If you can remember your first watch, did you find Zhang Danni suspicious at this stage? Does Zhao Yunlan know Zhu Hong and the others have set a trap for the serial killer? How could they have set their trap more effectively? Who do you think is the most competent member of the SID (excluding Zhao Yunlan), at this stage? How heart-clutchy is the "intimate friendship" conversation on a scale of 1 to 10,000? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares?
(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)
And here is our schedule, where you can sign up to host a post!
Fanvid Friday: Gao Tu/Shen Wenlang (A/B/O Desire)
Oct. 17th, 2025 04:22 pmrogueslayer452( An Alpha and an Omega pretending to be a Beta..... )
My Comments: Oh, these idiots. And I say that with utter affection. When I got into A/B/O Desire I knew I was in for quite a ride, this being an Omegaverse drama and all, but I didn't expect to get so attached to the most tragic pairing of the series. Both Gao Tu and Shen Wenlang are stubborn in their own ways, not properly communicating with one another, denial of feelings or possible reciprocation of, misunderstandings abound, and yet they're by far the most compelling pairing in my eyes because of it. These two fanvids I chose today mostly focusing on the tragic element of them not talking to one another, but also the yearning between both of them. It just makes you want to shake them both and yell, "just talk to each other!"
Note: Turn on closed captioning for the dialogue used in the fanvids.
My Comments: Oh, these idiots. And I say that with utter affection. When I got into A/B/O Desire I knew I was in for quite a ride, this being an Omegaverse drama and all, but I didn't expect to get so attached to the most tragic pairing of the series. Both Gao Tu and Shen Wenlang are stubborn in their own ways, not properly communicating with one another, denial of feelings or possible reciprocation of, misunderstandings abound, and yet they're by far the most compelling pairing in my eyes because of it. These two fanvids I chose today mostly focusing on the tragic element of them not talking to one another, but also the yearning between both of them. It just makes you want to shake them both and yell, "just talk to each other!"
Note: Turn on closed captioning for the dialogue used in the fanvids.
LJ/DW origins.
Oct. 17th, 2025 02:58 pmrogueslayer452Taken from thefridayfive:
01. How long ago did you join LJ (or DW)?
I joined LiveJournal in 2003, back when they had invite codes. I joined DW in 2012 when many LJ users were starting to migrate, or at least backup their journals, due to a lot of issues concerning the LJ ownership and handling of things, and I wanted to keep in touch with those on my LJ flist. I didn't do anything with my DW account until 2022 when I finally transferred my journal entries to DW and deleted my old LJ account.
02. How did you find out about LJ (or DW)?
I can't really remember with LJ, my sister had an account before I did (she helped get the invite code for me to join back then) and I would search randomly and read random journal entries and things, so I'm sure it was from word-of-mouth that way. With DW it was through LJ, since it was created as an alternative solution in case LJ went down.
03. If someone introduced you to LJ (or DW), is s/he still on your friends list?
Yes.
04. Have you introduced anyone to LJ (or DW)?
Only people online that I know from other platforms, not in real life.
05. Is your LJ (or DW) public or friends only, and why?
Mostly public, I keep things regarding my personal life and some other things that discuss serious things behind locked entries, but otherwise it's relatively public. Although I have been reconsidering this due to the invasive rise of AI scrapping.
thefridayfive:01. How long ago did you join LJ (or DW)?
I joined LiveJournal in 2003, back when they had invite codes. I joined DW in 2012 when many LJ users were starting to migrate, or at least backup their journals, due to a lot of issues concerning the LJ ownership and handling of things, and I wanted to keep in touch with those on my LJ flist. I didn't do anything with my DW account until 2022 when I finally transferred my journal entries to DW and deleted my old LJ account.
02. How did you find out about LJ (or DW)?
I can't really remember with LJ, my sister had an account before I did (she helped get the invite code for me to join back then) and I would search randomly and read random journal entries and things, so I'm sure it was from word-of-mouth that way. With DW it was through LJ, since it was created as an alternative solution in case LJ went down.
03. If someone introduced you to LJ (or DW), is s/he still on your friends list?
Yes.
04. Have you introduced anyone to LJ (or DW)?
Only people online that I know from other platforms, not in real life.
05. Is your LJ (or DW) public or friends only, and why?
Mostly public, I keep things regarding my personal life and some other things that discuss serious things behind locked entries, but otherwise it's relatively public. Although I have been reconsidering this due to the invasive rise of AI scrapping.
Mainly a tiny bit of posterity: Thanksgiving dinner
Oct. 17th, 2025 02:43 pmumadoshiI somehow mentally misplaced a week when we were booking our covid/flu shots and I was looking at the last market date of the season for the little one on the corner. Unsure how my brain concluded that they were on the same day. (Market's last day is tomorrow, shots are a week from tomorrow, so it's FINE, just...odd.)
The rest of this is entirely about what we did for our little Thanksgiving dinner (with a bit of blood glucose talk), so it's going under a cut. ( cut! )
The rest of this is entirely about what we did for our little Thanksgiving dinner (with a bit of blood glucose talk), so it's going under a cut. ( cut! )
subbed: a song about ghosts
Oct. 17th, 2025 05:31 pmhalfcactus...because it's Halloween season and my brain needed some enrichment (I haven't worked on anything in ages). PS. Am trying to find an alternative to Vimeo, which is nearly unusable now and likely to become a paid-only service based on how they've been paywalling previously unpaid features. It's unfortunately the only Youtube alternative I know that's 1) free, 2) easily embeddable.
Anywhere I look, I see your face
And anywhere I run, your shadow clings to my hand
also on tumblr
Translation is, as always, not very faithful to the words (eg. "feelings", "love" and "heart" are generally interchangeable to me) but hopefully faithful to the feeling.
I'm bolding the parts I changed significantly:
VERSE:
Take a deep breath
And close your eyes for now
Maybe you were
just seeing things
Why am I I agitated?
Aren't I alone?
I thought it was peaceful/quiet
But your voice is still calling (me)
I've buried it all (inside my heart)
I've covered my wounds
But why are they (the feelings) still here?
I can't make sense of it
My only prayer
Is for this to end
Because anywhere I look
I see your face
And anywhere I go
Your shadow clings to my hand
Slowly, I'm buried alive
CHORUS:
I can't break free
You haunt[1] me every night
And though I see nothing
I can still feel your touch in the dark
No longer dreaming
Unable to wake
Turn on the lights
I'm being haunted[2] by my emotions
My emotions
BRIDGE:
Are you ever leaving me?
Haven't you tortured me enough?
Will I ever know peace?
Will I ever know peace?
REPEAT CHORUS
1:Literally "to visit"; to be haunted is to be visited by spirits[back]
2: The word for haunting (multuhin) is basically the verb form of the word for ghost (multo), so like, ghosting if ghosting meant to haunt. I went with "haunted by the ghost of my heart" because "ghost" gives the emotions a shape. If that makes sense. [back]
Anywhere I look, I see your face
And anywhere I run, your shadow clings to my hand
also on tumblr
Translation is, as always, not very faithful to the words (eg. "feelings", "love" and "heart" are generally interchangeable to me) but hopefully faithful to the feeling.
literal translation + notes on the words for "haunting"
I'm bolding the parts I changed significantly:
VERSE:
Take a deep breath
And close your eyes for now
Maybe you were
just seeing things
Why am I I agitated?
Aren't I alone?
I thought it was peaceful/quiet
But your voice is still calling (me)
I've buried it all (inside my heart)
I've covered my wounds
But why are they (the feelings) still here?
I can't make sense of it
My only prayer
Is for this to end
Because anywhere I look
I see your face
And anywhere I go
Your shadow clings to my hand
Slowly, I'm buried alive
CHORUS:
I can't break free
You haunt[1] me every night
And though I see nothing
I can still feel your touch in the dark
No longer dreaming
Unable to wake
Turn on the lights
I'm being haunted[2] by my emotions
My emotions
BRIDGE:
Are you ever leaving me?
Haven't you tortured me enough?
Will I ever know peace?
Will I ever know peace?
REPEAT CHORUS
1:Literally "to visit"; to be haunted is to be visited by spirits[back]
2: The word for haunting (multuhin) is basically the verb form of the word for ghost (multo), so like, ghosting if ghosting meant to haunt. I went with "haunted by the ghost of my heart" because "ghost" gives the emotions a shape. If that makes sense. [back]
Write Every Day: Day 17
Oct. 17th, 2025 04:49 pmchina_shop"Because in the age of likes and follows, we have confused the reward of creating with the reward of being praised for creating, and why wouldn’t we? Our culture has never celebrated aspiring. Our culture celebrates markers of success. You meet a writer at a party. Oh, have you ever been published? When we could ask: what are the stories that inspire you? What is the story you most want to tell? We have to rewire the way we talk about art, the way we think about artists. The job of the artist is not to skip to the good part. The job of the artist is to make art when no one gives a damn, when no one likes or follows, when we are not being comforted by compliments and praise."
– Leigh Bardugo, via TedX
My day 17: I added 617 words to my flashfic. The story is supposed to be a little missing scene about time travel. Perhaps inevitably, given one of the characters is a deposed king, politics has reared its head, so it's still going. Oops! Not to worry, I still have plenty of time to finish it.
I also slightly tweaked a gift fic. I was thinking about the question of how to portray emotional beats/responses, showing without telling. In tandem with that, I started wondering if my POV characters have been tending too cerebral lately. Do you prefer characters to think through the implications of things or just to gut-reaction? (Does it depend on the character?) How do you express emotional beats? Are your descriptions primarily physiological (pulse, breath, etc) or something else? Do you have a technique for conveying feelings as they arise, or is this just something you do instinctively?
As well as writing, I went with Andrew (partner) to our favourite outdoor cafe (which is being forced to close down in a few months, oh no!) and sat in the blustery northwesterly, then did grocery shopping. This evening our friend is coming over for the last two episodes of Kdrama Low Life, and I'm making enchiladas.
The tally
Day 16:
china_shop, badly_knitted, trobadora, sylvanwitchWhen you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.
Quick Transmigration & Angst Central
Oct. 16th, 2025 01:05 pmlee_bellaBeen reading Ji Mo Yao's (即墨遥) quick transmigration/world hopping danmei novels. The main character is equipped with a system and must complete missions in sub-worlds for points/credits, either by romancing the main character, playing the villain, or playing matchmaker for that sub-world's main couple. Every one of the sub-world scenarios are angst central that ends badly for just about everyone; many of them are essentially crematorium stories. Lots of suffering, non-con, character death, etc. The player can only leave the sub-worlds through dying, which definitely adds to the angst. The novels do have a happy ending in the main world though.
Write Every Day: Day 16
Oct. 16th, 2025 04:35 pmchina_shopWelcome to Write Every Day! I'm china_shop, and I'll be your host for October Part 2! (Much, much thanks to cornerofmadness for sharing the month with me. ♥)
For the regulars who have been doing this a while and just want the details: I'm on NZDT (UTC+13), and I plan to post between 4pm and 6pm local time, which should line up pretty well withcornerofmadness's posts. Please comment on the most recent post, and specify what day(s) you're checking in for.
( For everyone else: what is Write Every Day and how does it work? )
I go to London Writer's Salon Antipodean Writers' Hour on weekdays, and that usually starts off with an encouraging/inspirational quote. Here's one someone shared a while back.
My goals and check-in
This morning I wrote 1,028 words of flashfic for the current "Brilliant" round offan_flashworks. I'll finish it tomorrow, and then... has anyone seen Bon Appétit, Your Majesty who'd be willing to beta? :-)
Writing goals for the rest of month include not stuffing up my arms, so this afternoon I walked along a local mountain-bike trail, through the trees, then met up with my partner for hot drinks and chocolate brownie by the sea. The weather has been cold, wet and windy lately, but yesterday and today the sun finally came out. Yay!
Other goals for the next 16 days: finish my flashfic, finish a treat I started forguardian_wishlist, sign up for Yuletide, and write something for the next (amnesty) round at fan_flashworks. Other than that, I'll see where the spirit takes me.
How about you? Did you write today?
china_shop, and I'll be your host for October Part 2! (Much, much thanks to cornerofmadness for sharing the month with me. ♥)For the regulars who have been doing this a while and just want the details: I'm on NZDT (UTC+13), and I plan to post between 4pm and 6pm local time, which should line up pretty well with
cornerofmadness's posts. Please comment on the most recent post, and specify what day(s) you're checking in for.( For everyone else: what is Write Every Day and how does it work? )
I go to London Writer's Salon Antipodean Writers' Hour on weekdays, and that usually starts off with an encouraging/inspirational quote. Here's one someone shared a while back.
"When you go mountain climbing, the first thing you’re told is not to look at the peak, but to keep your eyes on the ground as you climb. You just keep climbing patiently one step at a time. If you keep looking at the top, you’ll get frustrated.
"I think writing is similar. You need to get used to the task of writing. You must make an effort to learn to regard it not as something painful, but as routine."
–Akira Kurosawa, via The Script Lab
My goals and check-in
This morning I wrote 1,028 words of flashfic for the current "Brilliant" round of
fan_flashworks. I'll finish it tomorrow, and then... has anyone seen Bon Appétit, Your Majesty who'd be willing to beta? :-)Writing goals for the rest of month include not stuffing up my arms, so this afternoon I walked along a local mountain-bike trail, through the trees, then met up with my partner for hot drinks and chocolate brownie by the sea. The weather has been cold, wet and windy lately, but yesterday and today the sun finally came out. Yay!
Other goals for the next 16 days: finish my flashfic, finish a treat I started for
guardian_wishlist, sign up for Yuletide, and write something for the next (amnesty) round at fan_flashworks. Other than that, I'll see where the spirit takes me.How about you? Did you write today?