Too cold
Jan. 5th, 2026 01:06 pmThe dog left yesterday, though, and the cats are both extremely relieved. It's still below freezing outside (-13° C/+9° F), so I'm just moving around the house from blanket to blanket basically. Like the cats, actually. And it's still January and every day is a depressing struggle for that reason, although the sun did break through the clouds today.
In the game of life
Jan. 5th, 2026 05:15 am
This shot was an accident that I thought turned out fun! The day my youngest niece, the girl with the pink and blonde hair, graduated from high school was so hot and bright that my camera phone was having a lot of trouble and the screen kept darkening, so I was shooting blind. Also, I was feeling like crap due to the heat. But the colors in all the photos really popped. The bouquet in the corner here is the one her parents gave her. (Seeing my nieces becoming adults is still weird to me; aren't they still kids?!)
( more from 2025 )
New Years Book Meme
Jan. 5th, 2026 10:20 amSo the closest book to me was Indian Christmas: Essays | Memories | Hymns, about how the nearly 30 million Christians in India celebrate the festival.
Sentence #6 on page 126 is from the chapter 'Did Your First Christmas Cake Come Out Of An Ammunition Box, Too?' by Estherine Kine.
Mrs Tanquist baked her cakes in a big mud oven, but her students ingeniously used ammunition boxes after the men discovered they were airtight and preserved head very well.
So for context, cooking on gas ranges rather than wood- or kerosene-fired stoves only came to India in 1965, and even then, it was limited to larger urban areas. Electric ovens came even later - my mother, born in 1961, has stories of my grandma baking cakes in a 'sand oven' - a large pot filled with sand that was heated over a flame, functioning as a sort of bain-marie. Even now, gas is standard in any home that can afford it rather than wood or kerosene. Electric stoves are not common, or are used as a sort of secondary cooking device, since power cuts are pretty common even in big cities.
The ammunition boxes mentioned were left by British troops when they quit the subcontinent in 1947. Mrs Tanquist, the wife of a missionary, taught the author's mother and her friends how to bake Christmas cakes, among other things.
Given the state of the world around us, let's hope this sentence heralds a transition to peace after years of conflict. We can hope, right?
(For my own sanity, I am choosing not to delve into RL politics on DW. Let's keep it that way in the comments, please.)
Snowflake Challenge #2
Jan. 4th, 2026 08:35 pmThe theme of this post is Gallaghers Being Cute With Animals. It's Mucca's fault, she enabled me.
Noel professes very much NOT to be an animal person, but look at him.

This is Boots, whom Noel wanted to name Mr. Whiskers. Not that he cares! Definitely not.
Meanwhile, Liam is an animal person all day long. He currently has cats Sid and Nancy and a dog named Buttons, who he adopted from a rescue in Thailand. He submitted an application through the regular channels, and the people there were half-convinced it was a hoax. The whole story is very cute.

Liam asleep with Buttons.

Liam awake with Buttons.
When he adopted Sid from a shelter in 2018, that was pretty cute, too. Liam Gallagher: can't resist rubbing his face all over a kitten, any more than the rest of us can.

In conclusion, a recent tweet:

D.O.P.-T.
Jan. 4th, 2026 08:04 pmBabylon 5 fic + a poll about the script books
Jan. 4th, 2026 04:05 pmA Map on the Skin (Londo/G'Kar, 1700 wds, scars)
I have been thinking about how to handle posting material from the script books. There are 14 of them and scripts for all the episodes, plus alternate versions of some, so it's like. A lot. I figured I'd do a poll about what you want to see most. (Poll is under the cut for mild spoilers.)
( Poll about what you'd like to see from the books )
assorted fandom, mostly happy
Jan. 4th, 2026 04:22 pm*
* I wrote 200 more words yesterday on some self-indulgent Gallaghercest. When things suck, the OTP is here for me.
* from
Batman: Journey to the Center of the Multiverse by AddictedApple
Jan. 4th, 2026 06:10 pmPairings/Characters: Kyle Rayner/Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Everyone
Rating: Teen
Length: 90k words
Creator Links: AddictedApple at AO3
Theme: crack treated seriously
Summary: Jason Todd discovers that he can travel through the multiverse (on top of his usual weirdness, ie, immortality) and chaos ensues.
Reccer's Notes: I recently fell hard into the Batman fanfic space, and this story bowled me right over. It takes Jason's canon resurrection (and the bizarre canon explanation for it), then posits a slow growth of powers from there -- from a recurring inability to stay dead, through the ability to skip universes, and beyond. All the canon reboots become a part of the story, and the pairing is a hilarious portrait of two guys being oblivious. Each chapter's notes contain extensive canon citations, which adds another level of awesomeness. Great fun and very affecting.
[Edited to add] Content note: The starting author notes include, "I will now put a blanket trigger warning for everything that happens in DC canon." That should be taken very seriously; the cited DC canon gets dark, and many abusive canon events are included in this story.
Fanwork Links: Journey to the Center of the Multiverse
Project Round Up
Jan. 31st, 2026 05:23 pmFanfic Projects
Dreams of Her Own - https://archiveofourown.org/works/71432751
Sequel prompts from
0 words
Something for Rex/Fives/Echo:
~ Potential angst - "I'm the last one of my batch standing. You just got one back. Don't throw that away because you can't help but see what's lost instead of helping find a future."
~ Other idea is Ahsoka doesn't make it out of the Citadel but Echo does. Evolution of the trio with guilt over losing one of their Jedi. (Side note of Tarkin died there, Ahsoka isn't dead)
450 words
Padme and the Force Baby
Anakin's visions send HER to the temple where she declares there is no father, must be the force, cue shenanigans.
0 words
HLH shortcuts sequel - https://archiveofourown.org/works/74116516
Joe and Rachel meet in Seacouver
0 words
Exchange Assignment
REDACTED
0 words
Original projects
No progress on the original projects
Myth of Man - https://sylph-and-asp.dreamwidth.org/tag/universe:+myth+of+man
"it's dangerous they've advanced so much" / "The reasons were grave" / "We are merely protecting our many peoples"
Unwanteds - https://sylph-and-asp.dreamwidth.org/tag/universe:+unwanteds
~ Decide if the two bits I managed to write so far for the sequel work, continue if so
~ prequel dammit, for the crystal and the Bright Flames origin story
Finished from list
Wulfgar not die, it's Vierna in Errtu's grasp, Passage to Dawn plot
almost 1700 words
Drizzt and Alustriel, under their disguises, before they reach Silverymoon.
350 words
2025 Review/2026 Visions
Jan. 4th, 2026 11:27 pmAO3 Stats
| Stat | 2025 | 2024 then | 2024 now | All years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Subscriptions: | 295 | 269 | - | - |
| Kudos: | 884 | 410 | 599 | 57624 |
| Comment Threads: | 129 | 99 | 104 | 3547 |
| Bookmarks: | 134 | 59 | 105 | 13732 |
| Subscriptions: | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1503 |
| Word Count: | 45047 | 9238 | 9238 | 957299 |
| Hits: | 15183 | 3550 | 6166 | 598872 |
45k! Much better than last year. Still not close to my 2018-2021 heyday of 100k+/year, but, uh, idk. I guess I need to learn to forgive myself. Or just get into a new fandom. The large numbers came from mostly Guardian fandom (RIP, for all I can remember is the fucking trashfire harassment campaign), bracketed by MDZS at the start (before my flist got anywhere near it, ofc) and Star Wars at the end.
I posted 49 things to AO3 in 2025. Again, mostly for Battleship – some fic, some art, a few vids, one fanmix.
Popularity
( Read more... )
Self-recs
Art/Comics
Hard to pick, this year! I decided against the art listed above, and instead have a mermaid:
Moongazer
(Honorable mention to Die Before You Wake, an OW F/M M-rated comic that is peak cdrama trope)
Fanmix
As is by now tradition, I made an Expanse fanmix! This one's about Laconia, and I uhhh got a bit fancy-ass about the formatting. I long to make a fanmix where the pull lines make a CYOA poem like Obligations 2 (image) by Layli Long Soldier, but, uh, at what point does a fanmix stip being a fanmix and instead become something else? Anyway, this is a regular, linear fanmix, but with the songs plonked into columns based on whether they are about the Leader, the People, or the Planet.
Write the History
Vid
I only published three this year (made a fourth, have one missing like 15 seconds, and then there's my festivids draft). My favorite is actually one of the unpublished ones, I think, but of the published ones I choose this one:
Sister Moon (Side Story of Fox Volant)
Yuan Ziyi is peak and I love the fight scenes and also how she does not compromise her principles for a man.
Fic
Best Title is shared between Breast Foot Forward (OW, F/M, making the most of being forcibly remarried to an Emperor young enough to be your son) and Ka-BOOB (OW, F/F, having your way with the concubine you've been told to breast expand), both of which are lactation kink boob expansion Battleship fics.
"But Pingu, did you write anything other than boob-focused OW porn?" Oh yes I did! This year the theme seems to have been "understated, maybe wistful, potentially hopeful". Have three, with escalating positivity:
Watching the world come undone (MDZS, Wei Wuxian/Jiang Yanli, 1.1k) post-apocalyptic, making the most of a bad situation
Horizons Deep (SWTOR, Acina/Sith Inquisitor, 1k) "What does one want when the wanting is done?" wistful yearning-ish
End of Exile (Expanse, Filip Nagata, 1.3k) post-canon, hopeful ending
(+ OW on the mood: With Eyes Wide Open, F/M steampunk ritual sex)
"But surely you wrote something weird this year????" A bit less weirdery than is typical of me, but I did write something on the unusual end:
reborn (MDZS, Wei Wuxian/OFC, 1.8k)
Wei Wuxian gets resurrected by ... matriarchal necromancers?
I did so much research for this, considering that it's for Battleship, speed writing event extraordinaire. The ruling clans bear the Eight Great Surnames of Chinese Antiquity and then I went on a deep dive of what other Chinese surnames have the woman radical in them. (Spoiler: exclusively the Wei of Wei Wuxian. He was made for this!)
"Pingu, I want something dumber!" OK, have this
The Emperor's New Woes (OW, F/M, 2.1k)
Emperor Zhao Yiqin has, to the consternation of all of his ministers and his eunuch friend Lan He, bought a stack of talismans (which obviously won't work, come on, Your Majesty) from a Daoist (charlatan) in an effort to guarantee conception of a son and heir. Things don't quite go as anyone expected...
Emperor hires Daoist to guarantee that he'll conceive a son with the Empress; ends up being the one carrying the baby. Smut is Emperor/Empress, emotionally the core relationship is Emperor/Head Eunuch (who is plotting to mpregnate the Emperor later).
2025 Resolutions & did I do them
Write 10k
Yes! I wrote over 40k! That's as many as four tens!
Be more present on DW
Uhhhhhh no. Did not really happen. I think I need some level of fannish fixation/new and improved energy.
But on the community front, I did befriend
Get a new
This also didn't happen! However, this didn't happen because the new round didn't start, so I'm pleading force majeure.
2026 Resolutions
Go to a Cultural Event at least once a month
The opera. Ballet. Some other dress-up event. I am giving myself permission to skip July, as I will probably be back home, and idk if there's anything in August, but the goal is 12 events.
Community in fandom, part 1
I think I need to get into a new fandom. Does anyone on DW want to suggest a new fandom for me? Science fiction books and historical/scifi cdramas preferred. In addition to my love for worldbuilding and weird stuff, I love significant female characters that don't have romance-related plots. Must have a fandom on DW that is not just me. (No Murderbot, Guardian, MDZS.) I just want the 2018 Guardian fandom energy and idk, I guess the chance to fall in love with something new. I only need like 2-3 other people, I think, if they're willing to fall in and be active about timeline posts and fanmixes and stuff.
Community in fandom, part 2
I am a member of the fanwork exchange community and shall continue with that. I have
Real announcements will, of course, wait for us to have something to announce; consider this an executive pre-announcement.
Fandomtrees due Jan 10
Jan. 4th, 2026 10:08 amEvent link:
Pinch hit link: Google Spreadsheet
Due date: Jan 10
We have 18 trees with no gifts and we could use some help filling them. The minimum is only 100 words for fic or a simple sketch for art. Please see the community for rules and FAQs.
- mastershield's Tree: f:astro boy, f:balan wonderland, f:kingdom hearts
- aftonheir's Tree: f:five nights at freddys, f:kingdom hearts, f:portal
- edgeofmysoul's Tree: f:elden ring, f:game of thrones, f:soul calibur, f:super mario brothers, f:vermintide
- memobu's Tree: f:karaoke iko, f:mahotsukai no yskusoku, f:nu carnival, f:tiger and bunny
- plicate's Tree: f:head on, f:set it off, f:succession
- ladymonotone's Tree: f:jujutsu kaisen, f:love and deepspace, f:original fiction/artwork, f:predator badlands, f:redacted asmr/audio, f:transformers
- soricel's Tree: f:les miserables, f:little women, f:raven cycle
- badass_tiger's Tree: f:discworld, f:hades, f:original fiction/artwork
- kalloway's Tree: f:brave nine, f:crossovers, f:fire emblem, f:granblue fantasy, f:gundam, f:kingdom of heroes, f:super robot heroes
- fantasticwinter08's Tree: f:attack on titan, f:demon slayer, f:honkai star rail, f:zenless zone zero
- sandrine's Tree: f:another country, f:dare project, f:eye candy, f:hadestown, f:in the flesh, f:the accountant, f:the firm
- whoremoantreatments' Tree: f:advance wars, f:bleach, f:hypnosis mic, f:kuroko no basket, f:pokemon, f:tales of berseria, f:the world ends with you
- zukkaoru's Tree: f:avatar the last airbender, f:boku no hero academia, f:bungou stray dogs, f:jujutsu kaisen, f:link click
- Grayswandir's Tree: f:deer and the cauldron, f:duke of mount deer, f:lost tomb, f:movie/tv/game/vid recs, f:non-fandom icons, f:old miao myth, f:the rebel
- kay_obsessive's Tree: f:ace attorney, f:dishonored, f:fruits basket, f:legend of zelda, f:psychonauts, f:spyro the dragon
- Cat2000's Tree: f:alice in borderland, f:demon slayer, f:legend of zelda, f:mcu, f:x/1999
- marquisguyun's Tree: f:guardian, f:hikaru no go, f:love me love my voice, f:nirvana in fire, f:sha po lang
- tigerlily's Tree: f:black magician, f:buffy/angel, f:wicked, f:witch
Sunday Sweets For Roy G. Biv
Jan. 4th, 2026 02:00 pmI don't know if you've noticed lately, but the sun is kind of awesome.
(By The Cupcake Lady)
It gives off all this bright, pure light - but refract that light though a prism, like a crystal...
(By Ron Ben-Israel Cakes)
...and you get magic.
(By Yuma Couture Cakes)
That's right, it's our old friend, Roy G. Biv!
Red like rubies:
(By Antonella Di Maria Torte & Design)
Orange like... um... oranges:
(By CakeCentral member Nunuk)
The always cheerful Yellow:
(By Wild Orchid Baking Company)
And a Green to make you green with envy:
With Sweets like this, you could never be Blue
Even if you never hear much about Indigo these days:
(By Elizabeth Hodes)
Because here on Sunday Sweets, even a blushing Violet can steal the show:
(By Ruelo Patisserie)
So here's to the sun, for giving us rainbows:
(By Zucchero Magie)
And here's to rainbows, for making our lives just a little more magical:
(By Design Cakes)
Happy Sunday and Happy New Year!!!
*****
I used this 84-pc set to make a rainbow butterfly wreath for John's room, and I know you crafters are gonna love them:
(3D Butterfly Wall Magnet Set)
They're double-sided and come with both magnets and stickers. Definitely browse the projects in the reviews, there are so many pretty ideas!
******
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Bungou Stray Dogs: everyone has a social media addiction by valleykey
Jan. 4th, 2026 03:39 pmPairings/Characters: Fyodor Dostoyevsky & Nikolai Gogol & Sigma, Armed Detective Agency Ensemble & Sigma, Decay of Angels Ensemble & Decay of Angels Ensemble, Dazai Osamu & Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Minor Fyodor Dostoyevsky/Nikolai Gogol, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 18,403
Creator Links:
Theme: crack treated seriously, au - modern, social media, pov outsider, trans & non-binary characters
Summary: “Yeah I don’t really use much social media besides LinkedIn,” Sigma says sheepishly. “I post way too much on that app. Of course I have mutuals I like, but...”
A sudden silence.
“What?” Says Atsushi. At the same time that Dazai says, “Mutuals?”
Sigma frowns. “I...post on LinkedIn? What? It's a social media app. Of course I post? And have mutuals?”
/// the one where Sigma has 1.2 million followers on LinkedIn.
Reccer's Notes: An amazing fic that combines modern AU, social media, and crack treated seriously, with thoughtful explorations of characters and relationships that stay true to their canon selves. It’s engaging and will definitely make you laugh <3
Fanwork Links: everyone has a social media addiction