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yuletide is now over for another year! I did, in fact, have the misfortune to turn up at the exact wrong moment to catch the reveals bug on the 24th, so I saw the identity of my gift-writer, although as they were someone that I only had the vaguest idea of having seen the name around AO3 somewhere before, it didn't really spoil anything, thankfully.

I had hoped to do some little treats, as I got on and got my fic done as soon as I could, but I moved instead. However, as I cut out one section from my assignment and posted it separately in Madness, I did technically still post a treat as well!

I wrote The Winslow Boy for

edwardianspinsteraunt, so I was not super anonymous really, for anyone who actually looked that far, but I had a lovely time spending a month or so rewatching the film and coming up with different scenarios from their prompts and my head for a 5 + 1 Times fic. By the end, I decided, though, that the "+1" just increasingly didn't sit right with the rest, so I split it off, hence the Madness treat.

Passing Acquaintances (8985 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Winslow Boy (1999)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Robert Morton/Catherine Winslow
Characters: Robert Morton (Winslow Boy), Catherine Winslow, Arthur Winslow, Grace Winslow, Desmond Curry
Additional Tags: 5 Times, Post-Canon, 1910s, World War I, Trains, London, Smoking, Politics, Cars, Suffragettes, Yuletide, Edwardian Period
Summary: Five ways Catherine and Sir Robert might have met again, after the trial.

( Some writerly blathering )

I wanted to include the Winslows lose the case AU if I could, as I knew

edwardianspinsteraunt was keen on that idea - and as I thought would it might rather put paid to any Catherine/Robert, at least for quite some time, it fitted well into the format as the "one time they didn't" (meet again) (although never at any point was that categorical). It did work out well and was maybe the most Rattigan section in the end, I thought, so I had to post it even after I cut it. (Although had I realised sooner I was going to set it loose alone, I'd have found a way to make the start a little less in media res, although tbf, it's an unlikely one to appeal to anyone who doesn't know canon).

Anyway, here it is:

and watch the things you gave your life to broken (2799 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Winslow Boy (1999)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Robert Morton/Catherine Winslow
Characters: Catherine Winslow, Desmond Curry, Arthur Winslow, Violet (Winslow Boy), Dickie Winslow, Robert Morton (Winslow Boy)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, 1910s, Edwardian Period, The Winslows lose the case, Yuletide Treat
Summary: The Winslows lose the case.

With the usual thanks to

persiflage for the beta!! <3<3<3

james_davis_nicoll

Not complete, I am sure.

( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

Not just the usual cut and paste! This year I am eligible in a brand new category.

Annual Eligibility Post, Or Look On My Works Ye Mighty

james_davis_nicoll

Fen is the worst sort of hostage: one who has outlived her usefulness to the state.

The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

vass

Heads-up re LiveJournal, if you haven't heard: if you still have stuff you care about there, you should probably save it now.

Yuletide reveal: I wrote A Night at the Opera for

mage-pie. I already knew them from Discord, and their prompts were very much in line with what I wanted to write. Good experience.

Tonight I unplugged my desktop, opened up the case, and gave it a clean. I am happy to say that it booted again afterwards. I haven't yet dared to try Hollow Knight again since, though. (What prompted me to do this was having the computer spontaneously shut down twice while I was playing Hollow Knight. In the same region.[*] It's a hot day, and heat plus not having cleaned the case since mumbleevermumble plus spontaneous shutdown while playing a game made me think "overheating".)

[* City of Tears, near the Watcher's Spire.]

poliphilo

I told myself I'd try and finish A La Recherche de Temps Perdus by the end of 2025. As it is I'm nearing the end of volume 2 with 5 more to go.....

I've thought of doing a retrospective of the past year, but I can never remember when things happened and can't be bothered to find out. I would have written that the most significant event of the year was the release of the podcast, The Telepathy Tapes- but I checked and found this actually happened in 2024.....

I have sometimes made New Year resolutions, but I never keep them so this year I shan't....

Two things I've had enough of and will do my best to avoid in future:

1. Political commentary/satire that is nothing but insults and name-calling. It's just so playground.

2. Fictions that maintain the fallacy that problems can be solved by killing people

ghoti_mhic_uait

This year, I moved from Goodreads to Storygraph, so I've completely ignored the Goodreads Choice Awards. But that's more or less what my list was based on when I first did it, which I think was for 2023?

My aim for the year was to read longer books, and I managed that, with an average page count of 328 (the previous two years my average page count was 319). I read 174 books in total, of which 85 ebooks, 79 print, and 10 audio. 159 fiction, 14 nonfiction. At some point early in the year I realised that I enjoy reading nonfiction so have been trying to read more of that, and that is an increase - in 2024, I read 197 books, of which only 5 were nonfiction (and 8 ebooks - an audiologist at one point told me I should listen to audiobooks 15 minutes a day to train my ear to different accents and I'm still not perfect at that but I think I'm getting better?)

Anyway, you didn't come for the waffle, you came for the books.

( Here be books )

Category differences from last year; no mythology or historical fantasy (because I read less of both), twice as many children's category, new book, haunted house, and the comedy entry from 2023 got added back.

cmcmck

There was snow overnight. Just a couple of inches which wasn't forecast.

It is forecast for the next few days, however.

It clearly caught the council out as no gritting has been done.

A few pics from the house first thing:

And from the back:

I notice a few new people from LJ have asked me to friend. Can I please ask that you read my intro post at the top of my blog and if you're cool with what you find there, I'll open up for you. I keep things f-locked apart from my photos for privacy reasons but am always happy to meet new people and I do have good translation software if you aren't happy in English.

Current Mood: photographical
Current Location: ici

poliphilo

Judy just wrote a short play about 9/11. I was thinking about this and it hit me that in another nine months 9/11 will be distanced from us by 25 years- that is to say a whole quarter century.

There was a conversation going on yesterday that I was hanging at the edge of. One guy was saying how the Millennium was ages ago but the 1970s were yesterday.

And then someone else, I think it was Ailz, said how people were increasingly using the phrase "the late nineteen hundreds" as if the days of our (comparative) youth were some remote historical era.

But then there are millions and millions of actual, fully responsible adults walking around for whom that's exactly what they are.

Finally Ailz capped things off by saying, "Do you realise that the baby who plays the sun in the Teletubbies is now a mother?"

sorcyress

I have eaten a lot of junk food today, which is good, and played some board games, which is good, and done some mindless phone games, which is less good, and napped for like 2-3 hours, which is...fine, honestly, and spent quality time with good people, which is marvelous.

I also obtained a small green dinosaur plushie at the grocery store. She basically leapt into my bag and informed me that her name is Canope (rhymes with "Penelope"). She also has informed me I need to knit her a hat, which would be easier if she wasn't a triceratops. I have attempted to bargain her to scarf, she countered with "booties" which will also be difficult as her legs are extremely cute and stubby. We'll see what happens. Anyways, her goofy ability to get in the way while I'm trying to do other things (she rode home from the store in my lap, which was fine until I had to park and then she was annoyed I moved her so she wasn't in the way) has earned her the surname Catlike.

I do not always instantly personify my stuffed animals so thoroughly, but it is fun to meet them and see what's going on.

Whenever I fall asleep without an alarm on, I sleep until eleven, which feels too late, but also the body wants what the body wants. I've never _really_ been in a space where I could fully free-run, which is an absolute shame, because it would be interesting to see what happens. Maybe someday I will have to take a week's vacation entirely and fully by myself so I can so something like that.

Earlier today I made a bunch of pancakes, which was quite satisfying. I was helping Cameron and Tuesday! It is fun to have an extended family I can cook with. Friends who will game with me and have a nice time and All That.

And I dunno, that's where I'm at. Tomorrow I hang with Veronica, and probably more games and junk food, and then Saturday, Tues and I get on a train and return to Massachusetts. (Sunday night there is BIDA, and I should figure out if Maia is staying over at my place or not, and how that will all work out, considering then it's time to return to my job, and oh yeah, we better get some lessons prepped at some point. Seems like a task for a future Kat.

I hope your 2026 is starting off well!

~Sor
MOOP!

petra

The sum of ourselves (468 words) by Petra, Teland
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Roy Harper & Koriand'r & Jason Todd
Characters: Roy Harper, Koriand'r (DCU), Jason Todd
Additional Tags: Nostalgia, Crack, Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Canon
Summary:

Red Hood and the Outlaws sit around chewing the fat after their first successful mission.

Current Mood: bananas
Current Music: When someone asks me, "What is that funny thing you've got?"

petra

There is no stagnation in the heavens;
They spin on, shedding their light, as we watch.
So too, below, change both kneads and leavens,
Now squashing flat, now lifting heart and crotch.
The dearest lover's touch, once memorized,
Arouses in absentia, but its shade
Can't match the novel zing of lust surprised.
The chaos factor that brings us arrayed
To catch new paramours, or woo the caught,
Is lightning flash astonishment that's chased
In renewed union and a clinch red-hot,
With new-found passion or love long-embraced.
So bring to bed good novelties and play,
That you may keep love fresh, as dawn starts day.

* * * * *

Many happy returns of the day, dear heart!

Current Mood: versical
Current Music: But as year turns year, I'll always be here, in springtime or wintry weather

passingbuzzards

Owing to a combination of factors—reading a ton of fan fiction, loads of rereading (which I don’t track), lots of reading in Russian, lots of Fallen London—my number of new-to-me books for the year was lower than usual, but here they are:

( Books read in 2025 )

Also some stuff I read a solid chunk of but did not finish (I don’t formally track these but was reminded since I went to go through my Kindle to check if there was stuff I forgot to add to Goodreads):

( Books partially read in 2025 )

Still really want to finish writing up at least a few thoughts about the Steerswoman books, which were 10/10 INCREDIBLE and included what might be one of my favorite sci-fi plot developments I’ve ever come across in anything, and also about the last book in Vernor Vinge’s Zones of Thought series, which left me really wanting to write a fix-it fic (so maybe I should do that instead, except I’m fairly certain that it would have an audience of exactly 0, lol). Also should jot down some thoughts about Dead Hand Rule, which was so much fun! Maybe this month sometime if I can muster the spoons (optimism, always optimism).

Happy New Year to everyone <3

petra

Oh, Streetcar! being the Simpsons' musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire, which also takes place in New Orleans.

If you haven't seen it this decade, click through first, to hear Ned Flanders belt "HELL" if nothing else.

Tell me Louis didn't think his life would be a Mardi Gras, once upon a time.

"I think it's supposed to symbolize her descent into madness."

Current Mood: it's a while till Mardi Gras
Current Music: And here's a tip from Blanche you won't regret

kaydeefalls

I say this every year, but seriously, may 2026 be better. Just better. (My wife is home from the hospital, as of last week, so that's something. But she's got a long road to recovery ahead of her.)

Anyway, time for the annual gazing of the navel! I do like being able to look back at these over the years, so. I managed to write and post over 150k words of fic this year, which is my highest since 2021! ...in only 4 total fics, of course, including one WIP that's SO close to done but is indeed carrying over (by only two chapters!) into the new year.

This year I wrote and posted: 4 fics.

( fanfic yearly roundup meme )

Current Mood: okay

soc_puppet posting in

dw_community_promo

moodthemeinayear is now open for 2026!

Have you ever wanted to create a custom mood theme, but found yourself overwhelmed by all of the potential moods you'd have to make? Mood Theme in a Year has you covered! The community assigns three moods a week for you to design graphics for, with regular week long breaks. Draw, screencap, and/or animate your way to the custom mood theme of your dreams, with a community by your side to support and encourage you.

Not up for a full year/132 images? No problem! That's just the Maximum Track, which runs from January 1st through (roughly) the end of the year. If you want to make a smaller mood theme, you can follow the Minimum Track (18 images) or the Medium Track (34 images), or maybe somewhere between one of those and the Maximum Track. The goal of this community is to create a custom mood theme that you like, at a pace that works for you.

For those who missed it: While uploading and using a custom mood theme is restricted to paid accounts, as of December 2025, creating at least 18 mood graphics can earn you Dreamwidth points! Now, even if a paid account is out of your budget, you can still have the chance to upload and use your own custom mood theme. Read this post for more details.

The first three moods of 2026 are now up; thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there!

Current Mood: happy

offcntr

Happy New Year!

We celebrated in our typical unrestrained fashion: sitting on the sofa with plates of snackies watching videos while arm-wrestling the kitties away from the food. I was feeling especially fortunate as Denise had cleared off space just for me--she'd been using the sofa for sorting projects while watching TV, so this is the first time we've actually both been able to sit on it together in, oh, three or four months.

We had a particularly good array of snackies this year: homemade Chex mix, Ritz crackers, leftover Christmas ham, Albacore salad, two kinds of imported cheese from the Groce Out (Dubliner and Rustic Red), and a Kaukauna cheese ball, hearkening back to our Wisconsin roots. Also a second plate with fruit: orange sections, apple slices and seedless red grapes. And a third small plate with Christmas cookies and fudge and slices of potica. All accompanied by a chilled bottle of Martinelli's (a non-alcoholic sparkling cider). I tell you, we were living large!

And the video? Well, for Christmas 2024, Denise had bought us the season 2 DVD of Star Trek: Prodigy, and we'd never actually gotten through it. In fact, we'd completely lost track of where we'd left off, so we started over from the beginning, watched all of disc 1 and three episodes into disc 2. I was not expecting [spoilers] Wesley Crusher... Wound up watching about five hours worth, will try and continue along so we're not still trying to catch up on next New Years Eve.

petra

Challenge #1

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

Hi, I'm Petra. I'm a writer and avid reader, primarily focused on fanfiction and poetry, who will write damn near anything for a drabble or a limerick at a time in one of my many fandoms, and I currently have a writing offer open here if anyone has any relevant requests they'd like me to entertain.

I am still very stuck on Star Wars, but I have never been monofannish, so if something else on my list pings your brain, by all means, prompt me!

I don't write about my personal life much, so here's the tl;dr -- 40's, they/them pronouns, happily married, happily employed.

I like Snowflake Challenge because early January is dark and miserable in my area, and it helps to have something to look forward to.

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: Asparagus and watercress and fiddle-ferns and lettuce

skygiants

Aha! it's Yuletide reveals time!

So my Yuletide recipient this year was

genarti, who is either just about to find out this fact from my post, or has known for weeks and is just biding her time to reveal her knowledge and I'm just about to find out that fact after she reads this. Stay tuned for breaking developments!

So, for her, I wrote The Villainous Princess Saves Her Kingdom, a fix-it fic for the kdrama Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born about the most dysfunctional lesbian of that whole cast of lesbians picking up various postcanon pieces of herself and incidentally the rest of the troupe.

HOWEVER, for obvious reasons, I had to immediately come up with a decoy fic, so from the beginning having read

raven's Yuletide letter at the same time I happened to be rereading The Dispossessed I decided I was also going to write a treat for

raven that I would present to

genarti as my assignment, which ended up as More A Comment Than A Question, a strange little timebending fic about Shevek's daughter contacting Laia Aseio Odo through time and space and not really necessarily making the most of it.

Tangled webs, etc; after I had confidently reported submitting my decoy fic on deadline to

genarti,

raven's prompt went to the pinch-hit list and I had to frantically fake a different panic than the panic I was actually feeling -- ANYWAY. Hilariously,

raven discovered my identity immediately due to the usernames reveal error whereas

genarti was at church through that entire event and thus remained completely oblivious (unless, of course, she isn't, see first paragraph above.) A very chaotic Yuletide on several fronts! But I had a lot of fun writing both fics although I would prefer not to be wrangling quite this much deception every year.

gingicat

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

my baby's in the white fluffy clouds

xe's miles above the desert, xe drops Shaymins down

Yuletide Reveals 2025

Tabletop roleplaying games that I have played at least once

Annual Eligibility Post, Or Look On My Works Ye Mighty

The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Various

As The New Year Gets Underway

25 books for 2025

First snow of Winter

Timey-Wimey

(no subject)

The sum of ourselves - DCU story, co-written with Té

The great callipgyian spheres - sonnet for minoanmiss

(reading) books read in 2025

Vids that will never be: Oh, Streetcar! + Interview with the Vampire (TV)

2025 fic roundup

Mood Theme in a Year 2026

Unbridled fun

Snowflake Challenge #1 - Introduction

(no subject)

so I wrote things

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