![[sticky entry]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/sticky_entry.png){kind=small}
I guess it's high time to make a sticky post.
On a personal note, I'm a very science oriented person (she/her). I was a foot/ankle surgeon until an injury ended that. Now I'm a biomedical professor in a small college. I've been writing in fandoms since 1977 and active in group fandoms since the early 80s with Elfquest and Pern back in the paper zine days.
If I had to pick my latest fandom right now (2024) it would be The Owl House and Hazbin Hotel. That along with Prodigal Son, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the series and Fullmetal Alchemist make up the bulk of my AO3/FFN offerings. They're the ones I write meatier stories for.
I've done smaller stories, flash fic and drabbles in SO MANY fandoms, Star Trek (my forever fandom) of all flavors, Star Wars, The X-Files, Lucifer, Doctor Who, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and a crap ton of anime especially Saiyuki, D. Gray-Man and Blue Exorcist among others.
I write from PG to explicit, het, LGBT, poly, vanilla through BDSM. I write some dark stuff as well but that's what tags are for, right?
In addition to fandom, I write original fiction and have been published professionally for over a decade now. I write LGBT under one pen name and have started branching out into YA and other things under a different name. I write mostly SF/F, urban fantasy, steampunk and horror. I would love to write mysteries but my concentration is off for that right now. I'm always on the look out for alpha and beta readers (and happily will do exchanges or if you're in the mood to be part of a low pressure critique group that exchanges once every six weeks, PM me). I do a writing post every sunday (usually)
I'm big into history/historical traveling, gardening, hiking (currently on hold hopefully not forever after destroying my knee) and cooking. I'm sure there's probably more that could go here but this is a good introduction to me.
Blanket transformative works policy Anything of mine on AO3/FFN (under this same user name) need you to ask me to use it. Often I am thrilled to say yes but please NO feeding it into any of the AI things out there please. You want to podfic it? Great. Make art for it, love you forever. Moodboard it, yay. Make a play list? go for it. Feed it into AI, nope. Just ask, I'm easy to work with. Also I'm planning to dip my toe into Squidgeworld too this year as a place for my fiction.
Honestly we didn't get a lot of snow but under it was ice. On the road between Jackson and Gallipolis (the two places I talk about all the time) had TWO five vehicle crashes and multiple small ones including the fire chief getting run over by someone who doesn't know what red lights mean (he was transported to the same trauma center I had been in) By 1 pm the most of it had melted but you know what I'm not arguing with a day off.
Mom, of course, thinks any spare second I have should be me cleaning. She's not wrong but still...that said I DID pick one major project and I did it, namely three bins of sockets and undies and a huge ass pile of clothes (still mostly socks) so I made 5 piles, summer socks, winter socks, fuzzy socks, socks I don't want period and lonely socks looking for mates.
So the piles are gone. The undies are gone because why in the name of god was I holding onto them. Many socks ready for donation and two uncomfortable realizations.
1. I have more fuzzy socks that any one human should. I know some are tight and need to be donated. Some have holes that I wear in bed in the fall/early spring while reading if my Raynaud's kicks in. Well pick two pair Dana and toss the rest.
2. That was NOT a bin of old undies. Under them was dozens of printed out stories, catalogues for book clubs that have been online only for YEARS and books. WTF? At least the books are now out on a shelf, the catalogues in the recycler and I'll sort the stories later to see what needs read and what can hit the recycler.
I did finish the last two stories I could possible write for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomtrees and maybe if we're lucky everything will release this weekend. Both of the recipients had 2 by the time I got these done but that's fine. Now they have 3.
I found a place in Pittsburgh I need to visit (and I thought about a little vacation right there in the city if it's not crazy expensive) the weeping glass
I have some community recs this thursdayfandomtrumpshate is gearing up so if you want to look it over to join in an raise money to do good now's the time.
And I got a few communities (new to me) from![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tozka that looked cool. Check them out
vintageads I think I'll need to join this one. It'll be a good source for historical fic
bookclub_dw This is a monthly book club where members of the community host book club discussions once a month. - I don't need a new one but maybe you do
Mom, of course, thinks any spare second I have should be me cleaning. She's not wrong but still...that said I DID pick one major project and I did it, namely three bins of sockets and undies and a huge ass pile of clothes (still mostly socks) so I made 5 piles, summer socks, winter socks, fuzzy socks, socks I don't want period and lonely socks looking for mates.
So the piles are gone. The undies are gone because why in the name of god was I holding onto them. Many socks ready for donation and two uncomfortable realizations.
1. I have more fuzzy socks that any one human should. I know some are tight and need to be donated. Some have holes that I wear in bed in the fall/early spring while reading if my Raynaud's kicks in. Well pick two pair Dana and toss the rest.
2. That was NOT a bin of old undies. Under them was dozens of printed out stories, catalogues for book clubs that have been online only for YEARS and books. WTF? At least the books are now out on a shelf, the catalogues in the recycler and I'll sort the stories later to see what needs read and what can hit the recycler.
I did finish the last two stories I could possible write for
fandomtrees and maybe if we're lucky everything will release this weekend. Both of the recipients had 2 by the time I got these done but that's fine. Now they have 3.I found a place in Pittsburgh I need to visit (and I thought about a little vacation right there in the city if it's not crazy expensive) the weeping glass
I have some community recs this thursday
fandomtrumpshate is gearing up so if you want to look it over to join in an raise money to do good now's the time.And I got a few communities (new to me) from
tozka that looked cool. Check them outvintageads I think I'll need to join this one. It'll be a good source for historical ficbookclub_dw This is a monthly book club where members of the community host book club discussions once a month. - I don't need a new one but maybe you do
I'll be back later
Jan. 14th, 2026 07:18 pmIF my power stays on. The rain has become ice and my power has become iffy. The real other annoyance is suddenly stations I had this morning, I no longer have and I have no idea WHY. It's like they want me to buy one of those boxes that pirates every station everywhere.
ETA so yeah, the power calmed down and the storm seems to have passed AND my stations are all back. What the actual fuck?
I ran up to Jackson because multiple books came in at once. Isn't that always the way? I put one book on hold, I'll see it 6 weeks from now. I put 5 books on hold, all 5 come at once. They're all for the popsugar challenge. I decided to knock out all the ones I KNOW I don't have on my shelves off the bat.
Did I mention I was looking at writers retreats this summer? Sadly I can't find any where I'd like to be at a price I'd like to pay. the one I really want to do off the coast of Maine is only Graduation Weekend or when I'm in school. The other one in Maine is over 1000 and that's not the price of the retreat (which is only a couple of days), just the B^B part. too bad because it's very close to my BFF from medical school and I could have gone to see her too
I need to send in my ideas to present at the Louisville steampunk thing. Like ASAP I'll submit them to the Gettysburg one too
One of the books I picked up from the library was The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Hunting (or something like that). It prompts a question for everyone. Do you have an author who based on their blurbs writes exactly what you want to read but in reality writes in in exactly the way you hate? It can't just be me, right? This is my third Grady Hendrix book and it's way too early to give up on it but I already hate everyone. I have not liked a single book I've read but based on the blurbs I should have loved them. Lisa Jackson is another. I get all excited by the blurb and then see her name on the cover and get all disappointed because I have disliked every book I've read by her. So we'll see what's up with that.
What I Just Finished Reading:
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. crap
Murder in the Ranks - loved this one
What I am Currently Reading:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Hunting
A Curious Kind of Magic
What I Plan to Read Next: La Grand Familia and Zombie Day Care and the library books including one on Sally Ride and one Alison Bechdel who did Fun House. I hope this is better than that thing. (I needed a book about a character who does pilates. This graphic novel has that)
ETA so yeah, the power calmed down and the storm seems to have passed AND my stations are all back. What the actual fuck?
I ran up to Jackson because multiple books came in at once. Isn't that always the way? I put one book on hold, I'll see it 6 weeks from now. I put 5 books on hold, all 5 come at once. They're all for the popsugar challenge. I decided to knock out all the ones I KNOW I don't have on my shelves off the bat.
Did I mention I was looking at writers retreats this summer? Sadly I can't find any where I'd like to be at a price I'd like to pay. the one I really want to do off the coast of Maine is only Graduation Weekend or when I'm in school. The other one in Maine is over 1000 and that's not the price of the retreat (which is only a couple of days), just the B^B part. too bad because it's very close to my BFF from medical school and I could have gone to see her too
I need to send in my ideas to present at the Louisville steampunk thing. Like ASAP I'll submit them to the Gettysburg one too
One of the books I picked up from the library was The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Hunting (or something like that). It prompts a question for everyone. Do you have an author who based on their blurbs writes exactly what you want to read but in reality writes in in exactly the way you hate? It can't just be me, right? This is my third Grady Hendrix book and it's way too early to give up on it but I already hate everyone. I have not liked a single book I've read but based on the blurbs I should have loved them. Lisa Jackson is another. I get all excited by the blurb and then see her name on the cover and get all disappointed because I have disliked every book I've read by her. So we'll see what's up with that.
What I Just Finished Reading:
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. crap
Murder in the Ranks - loved this one
What I am Currently Reading:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Hunting
A Curious Kind of Magic
What I Plan to Read Next: La Grand Familia and Zombie Day Care and the library books including one on Sally Ride and one Alison Bechdel who did Fun House. I hope this is better than that thing. (I needed a book about a character who does pilates. This graphic novel has that)
I'd like a refund on this day
Jan. 13th, 2026 11:18 pmIt started good really. The first class went well. I answered a few emails from basketball girls who are gone this week and one anatomy student telling me for some reason she was put in DM's lab instead of mine. I said it has to be a mistake. We'll sort it after class.
I'm finally putting away Terror Town when a half dozen of my students come blazing up to my office. 'WE Were Pulled Out Of Your Lab!!!' WAAAAAH. WHY?
I get from them that the 'dean' ordered this. WTF? My dean is good about communicating and I can't imagine her doing this without telling me. I take the gaggle of anxious students down to DMs office because they're upset, they want my class, the head of their program wants them in my class since she rearranged her whole class schedule to fit them in there. Which yes that's true. It was a big drama after Thanksgiving.
DM's now upset because her labs can't take 26 more students. I run back to my office pull up my class schedule. It wasn't just that the ultrasound students were taken out of my friday lab. My lab is GONE. No trace of it. WHO would have done this?
I call my dean. She's at lunch. I call the nursing/allied health dean and she's like WTF are you talking about? I didn't do that. Talk to the registrar and get the paper telling them to cancel to the class to see who did it. Oh great idea. Before I can, my dean calls my chair. SHE didn't do it either.
Only she did via a rubber stamp (why are we rubber stamping stuff like this?) Turns out DM wanted to move her friday lab from 121 (which is MY lab and where my lab was at the same time...) but when they put things through going up the chain they accidentally dropped DM's lab number off and thought it was mine so combined my lab with DM's on thursday evening.
At least it was an easy fix. I told the students. They're like HOW did you get that fixed so fast. I was THAT angry, that's very motivating. I wrote an email to the others to explain and later found out so did my chair as an apology (she knows my temper and probably assumed I ripped someone's head off)
Everyone was traumatized. Nothing got done. Terror Town remains standing another day.
I come home to find a message from Carelon that said Medical Mutual (my former health care insurance) had contacted them about care for me. WTF?!? That's a behavioral health clinic. Is someone committing me and I don't know about it? At this point, that wouldn't be anyone's worst idea. So now I need to call them tomorrow.
I had planned during my office hour to finish afandomtrees story but then all that happened and I didn't and now that person has 2 stories and doesn't need mine. Eh, I will finish it anyhow. There are still several trees with only one gift if anyone wants to take a shot.
Also I bought something over the weekend, the aluminum free deodorant. I figure it's winter I won't sweat too much. It's supposed to be healthier Monday I wasn't impressed with it. today with all the extra stress, I smelled like an unwashed horse in the desert sun. I will be getting actual anti-perspirant next time I'm in town. I'm NOT the person to go aluminum free apparently unless we want to smell like it's 1830 and I need a tussy-mussy to hide my stench.
And I'm too drained to go into tuesday's fannish 50. I'm going to crawl into bed and finish my novel (it's so good).
I'm finally putting away Terror Town when a half dozen of my students come blazing up to my office. 'WE Were Pulled Out Of Your Lab!!!' WAAAAAH. WHY?
I get from them that the 'dean' ordered this. WTF? My dean is good about communicating and I can't imagine her doing this without telling me. I take the gaggle of anxious students down to DMs office because they're upset, they want my class, the head of their program wants them in my class since she rearranged her whole class schedule to fit them in there. Which yes that's true. It was a big drama after Thanksgiving.
DM's now upset because her labs can't take 26 more students. I run back to my office pull up my class schedule. It wasn't just that the ultrasound students were taken out of my friday lab. My lab is GONE. No trace of it. WHO would have done this?
I call my dean. She's at lunch. I call the nursing/allied health dean and she's like WTF are you talking about? I didn't do that. Talk to the registrar and get the paper telling them to cancel to the class to see who did it. Oh great idea. Before I can, my dean calls my chair. SHE didn't do it either.
Only she did via a rubber stamp (why are we rubber stamping stuff like this?) Turns out DM wanted to move her friday lab from 121 (which is MY lab and where my lab was at the same time...) but when they put things through going up the chain they accidentally dropped DM's lab number off and thought it was mine so combined my lab with DM's on thursday evening.
At least it was an easy fix. I told the students. They're like HOW did you get that fixed so fast. I was THAT angry, that's very motivating. I wrote an email to the others to explain and later found out so did my chair as an apology (she knows my temper and probably assumed I ripped someone's head off)
Everyone was traumatized. Nothing got done. Terror Town remains standing another day.
I come home to find a message from Carelon that said Medical Mutual (my former health care insurance) had contacted them about care for me. WTF?!? That's a behavioral health clinic. Is someone committing me and I don't know about it? At this point, that wouldn't be anyone's worst idea. So now I need to call them tomorrow.
I had planned during my office hour to finish a
fandomtrees story but then all that happened and I didn't and now that person has 2 stories and doesn't need mine. Eh, I will finish it anyhow. There are still several trees with only one gift if anyone wants to take a shot.Also I bought something over the weekend, the aluminum free deodorant. I figure it's winter I won't sweat too much. It's supposed to be healthier Monday I wasn't impressed with it. today with all the extra stress, I smelled like an unwashed horse in the desert sun. I will be getting actual anti-perspirant next time I'm in town. I'm NOT the person to go aluminum free apparently unless we want to smell like it's 1830 and I need a tussy-mussy to hide my stench.
And I'm too drained to go into tuesday's fannish 50. I'm going to crawl into bed and finish my novel (it's so good).
First Day back
Jan. 12th, 2026 10:54 pmStarted with my annual wellness check. I have some things she wants me to do that I agree need being done (endoscopy/colonoscopy) and isn't sure that coughing thing I do some times IS the hiatal hernia. My tachycardia is getting worse. She's wondering if I'm going into arrythmias and the coughing is resetting it. I'll be doing some testing for that. You'd think she'd order a halter monitor but she didn't. Just wants me to get a pulse ox for now.
Monday is an easy day. I have 1 new student in my upper level A&P and one didn't show but otherwise, it went well. Tomorrow is much more likely to be issuey.
Here's a funny thing from yesterday. Even though I had the thing on timer I was making a pastina soup and...it boiled out of the pot and burnt the pasta to the bottom. I told this to my parents and they started laughing. Mom did exactly the same thing with her soup too.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #9 a song you could exercise to. Believe it or not I HAVE an exercise playlist for when I'm at my brother's and doing aerobics in the pool. Since that contains slow warm up/cool downs I'll share some of the more driving ones.
( right under here )
Monday is an easy day. I have 1 new student in my upper level A&P and one didn't show but otherwise, it went well. Tomorrow is much more likely to be issuey.
Here's a funny thing from yesterday. Even though I had the thing on timer I was making a pastina soup and...it boiled out of the pot and burnt the pasta to the bottom. I told this to my parents and they started laughing. Mom did exactly the same thing with her soup too.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #9 a song you could exercise to. Believe it or not I HAVE an exercise playlist for when I'm at my brother's and doing aerobics in the pool. Since that contains slow warm up/cool downs I'll share some of the more driving ones.
( right under here )
Writerly Ways
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:50 pmI don't have much. Today was frustrating. My power went out every 10-15 minutes from 9-2, just flicked on and off but every time it interrupted me trying to make sure my online class components were ready so I had to go to work to do it. I've spiraled down into a pretty big depressive episode today.
I know I was going to talk about open calls etc so let me ask you this, those of you using Duotrope, do you like it? Is it worth the money? I'm giving it hard consideration because too many open calls are going the theater audition route i.e. they post acceptances to duotrope only.
I have two dozen short stories that I think are decent enough to try and find a home for so I need better ways of finding markets. If you don't use duotrope, what do you use? What do you like about it? Thanks
Open Calls
Author Applications for “Beyond the Galactic Tide” are Now Open! Aces in Space. I would love to put in an application but I am not at all sure I could do a story in the time allotted (which isn't fast but my brain is a bag of snakes right now)
Sinister Systems SF Horror
Tales to Terrify : Women in Horror Month Flash Fiction Flash fiction from *previously unpublished authors* who are female-identified or femme-presenting
Defying Death
ECO25 The most compelling and thought-provoking ecofiction published in 2025
Doom Scroll Horror that is rooted in social dynamics, absurdism, and mundanity.
5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in January 2026
51 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for January 2026
From Around the Web
How to Get Rid of Filter Words in Your Writing (and When to Leave Them Alone) This is even better than the site I've been using
The Crucial Ingredient Your Story May Be Missing
A Tale in Two Parts: Top Tips for Writing a Duology
The One Book Every Editor Wants to Publish
Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges
Unlocking Unforgettable Characters
How to Write What You Love and What Readers Want (Write Big, Ep 6)
Counting Down The Best Writing Tips From FWME In 2025
How to Balance Research and Writing.
From Betty
How to Write a Tournament Arc (for me I'm SO tired of this trope because I DO watch anime)
How to Write Short Stories That Captivate Readers
Depicting Characters Held Back by Fear
How to Describe Layout & Position
2026 Is the Year Writers Stop Being Invisible
What Developmental Editing Does for New Authors
Lighten Your Creative Load: A New Year Invitation
What a Difference a Day Makes
Make Retreats Part of Your Writing Life
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Keeping Relationships Superficial
Helpful Picture Book Tips and Tricks (Plus a Giveaway!)
Tricks For Fixing A Sagging Middle
Tips for getting your creativity on track
What Football Teaches Writers About Success, Wins, and Perseverance
Choosing the Right Words: Why Word Choice Matters for Writers
How Secondary Characters Strengthen Plot, Character, and Story Flow
Publishing Paths for Writers: Understanding Independent Publishing and Long-Term Control
Why Writers Need to Change Their Passwords Now: Protecting Your Author Platform in the New Year
“Repair Shop” Your Manuscript
I know I was going to talk about open calls etc so let me ask you this, those of you using Duotrope, do you like it? Is it worth the money? I'm giving it hard consideration because too many open calls are going the theater audition route i.e. they post acceptances to duotrope only.
I have two dozen short stories that I think are decent enough to try and find a home for so I need better ways of finding markets. If you don't use duotrope, what do you use? What do you like about it? Thanks
Open Calls
Author Applications for “Beyond the Galactic Tide” are Now Open! Aces in Space. I would love to put in an application but I am not at all sure I could do a story in the time allotted (which isn't fast but my brain is a bag of snakes right now)
Sinister Systems SF Horror
Tales to Terrify : Women in Horror Month Flash Fiction Flash fiction from *previously unpublished authors* who are female-identified or femme-presenting
Defying Death
ECO25 The most compelling and thought-provoking ecofiction published in 2025
Doom Scroll Horror that is rooted in social dynamics, absurdism, and mundanity.
5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in January 2026
51 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for January 2026
From Around the Web
How to Get Rid of Filter Words in Your Writing (and When to Leave Them Alone) This is even better than the site I've been using
The Crucial Ingredient Your Story May Be Missing
A Tale in Two Parts: Top Tips for Writing a Duology
The One Book Every Editor Wants to Publish
Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges
Unlocking Unforgettable Characters
How to Write What You Love and What Readers Want (Write Big, Ep 6)
Counting Down The Best Writing Tips From FWME In 2025
How to Balance Research and Writing.
From Betty
How to Write a Tournament Arc (for me I'm SO tired of this trope because I DO watch anime)
How to Write Short Stories That Captivate Readers
Depicting Characters Held Back by Fear
How to Describe Layout & Position
2026 Is the Year Writers Stop Being Invisible
What Developmental Editing Does for New Authors
Lighten Your Creative Load: A New Year Invitation
What a Difference a Day Makes
Make Retreats Part of Your Writing Life
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Keeping Relationships Superficial
Helpful Picture Book Tips and Tricks (Plus a Giveaway!)
Tricks For Fixing A Sagging Middle
Tips for getting your creativity on track
What Football Teaches Writers About Success, Wins, and Perseverance
Choosing the Right Words: Why Word Choice Matters for Writers
How Secondary Characters Strengthen Plot, Character, and Story Flow
Publishing Paths for Writers: Understanding Independent Publishing and Long-Term Control
Why Writers Need to Change Their Passwords Now: Protecting Your Author Platform in the New Year
“Repair Shop” Your Manuscript
The weird of the day
Jan. 10th, 2026 10:45 pmSo I mentioned the power was out sometime over the holiday and my freezer was full of frost. It must have been out longer than I thought because poking around I saw all the ice cream had melted everywhere but that's not the weird part.
No, apparently it was off so long that whatever blockage between the freezer and fridge melted (in spite of me having the fridge off all day once already) because the fridge is ICE cold (I had it on the highest setting just to get it to be slightly cool) I'm like what? What?!? How did you come back to life? It's still a mess but I'm going to let it limp along for now.
I found a manager special half off tray of devil's eggs (24 of them). I have never seen this before. NO ONE has seen this because all the cashiers and baggers were running over to see it. I wonder if this had been a special order that wasn't picked up. Either of way I'm gonna eat them all up.
I was halfway through making the new homework for the first week of the class but suddenly 50 questions into 90 of them (I pick and choose from the 90s to make the homework) the power fails. No reason. No high winds, no big storm. Just boom no power. Lose everything.
And I had just got the phone system working but then bang, the power goes out and the phone with it. Naturally the cell phone says 'no cellular connections.' ARGH
At least I got writing done but when the power went out at least I had handwritten back up for what hadn't autosaved
As horrible as the last week has been for America and the world in general I find myself in an awkward position of arranging the work conference and planning a vacation in spite of being afraid to literally go anywhere even within my own state let alone elsewhere. I can't be alone in this terrible feeling.
Have some links for Science Saturday
Lupus Linked To Virus That Over 95 Percent Of Us Carry – And Now We Finally Know How I remember in medical school when we were really starting to see EBV and thought it caused 'chronic fatigue syndrome' but weren't sure it did anything at all (and weren't sure chronic fatigue was real), now we know it causes multiple cancers and now this
Leonardo da Vinci's DNA may be embedded in his art — and scientists think they've managed to extract some speaking of weird
Rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to Celtic queen Boudica, discovered in England lots of assumptions here but the trumpet itself is cool
Study Raises Serious Questions About The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Potential Anti-Cancer Fungal Compound Finally Synthesized After 55 Years
Unique 'Golden Shark' Caught Off Central America Diagnosed With Rare Condition
Silencing Bacterial 'Chatter' in Your Mouth May Help Prevent Tooth Decay Another one for my student
And here's the Fannish 50 Friday (one day late) Fic round up
Paint Me Golden Hazbin Hotel
Flight Time 9-1-1
Banded Dress and Black Coat Wheel of Time
make what you believe 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness Helluva Boss
Alastor's Lament Hazbin Hotel
Settling Into Beacon Hills Teen Wolf
Feeding Time Stargate Atlantis
Caught Flat-Footed Torchwood
Wants and Fears FAKE
Cultural Exchange Stargate Atlantis
The Duel Torchwood
Favorite for a Reason Stargate Atlantis
Shark Dicks NSFW comic Hazbin Hotel
One Drink Lasts Too Long Hazbin Hotel
Fair Food Stargate Atlantis
In Which, We Are Chaos 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Adjacent Hazbin Hotel
Blizzard Conditions Torchwood
The New Wave. Hazbin Hotel
Fat And Thin Hazbin Hotel
Jin's Dad Jokes 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Plotting Revenge The Professionals (TV 1977)
Chip On My Shoulder UglyDolls (2019)
in the nest box Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
No, apparently it was off so long that whatever blockage between the freezer and fridge melted (in spite of me having the fridge off all day once already) because the fridge is ICE cold (I had it on the highest setting just to get it to be slightly cool) I'm like what? What?!? How did you come back to life? It's still a mess but I'm going to let it limp along for now.
I found a manager special half off tray of devil's eggs (24 of them). I have never seen this before. NO ONE has seen this because all the cashiers and baggers were running over to see it. I wonder if this had been a special order that wasn't picked up. Either of way I'm gonna eat them all up.
I was halfway through making the new homework for the first week of the class but suddenly 50 questions into 90 of them (I pick and choose from the 90s to make the homework) the power fails. No reason. No high winds, no big storm. Just boom no power. Lose everything.
And I had just got the phone system working but then bang, the power goes out and the phone with it. Naturally the cell phone says 'no cellular connections.' ARGH
At least I got writing done but when the power went out at least I had handwritten back up for what hadn't autosaved
As horrible as the last week has been for America and the world in general I find myself in an awkward position of arranging the work conference and planning a vacation in spite of being afraid to literally go anywhere even within my own state let alone elsewhere. I can't be alone in this terrible feeling.
Have some links for Science Saturday
Lupus Linked To Virus That Over 95 Percent Of Us Carry – And Now We Finally Know How I remember in medical school when we were really starting to see EBV and thought it caused 'chronic fatigue syndrome' but weren't sure it did anything at all (and weren't sure chronic fatigue was real), now we know it causes multiple cancers and now this
Leonardo da Vinci's DNA may be embedded in his art — and scientists think they've managed to extract some speaking of weird
Rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to Celtic queen Boudica, discovered in England lots of assumptions here but the trumpet itself is cool
Study Raises Serious Questions About The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Potential Anti-Cancer Fungal Compound Finally Synthesized After 55 Years
Unique 'Golden Shark' Caught Off Central America Diagnosed With Rare Condition
Silencing Bacterial 'Chatter' in Your Mouth May Help Prevent Tooth Decay Another one for my student
And here's the Fannish 50 Friday (one day late) Fic round up
Paint Me Golden Hazbin Hotel
Flight Time 9-1-1
Banded Dress and Black Coat Wheel of Time
make what you believe 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness Helluva Boss
Alastor's Lament Hazbin Hotel
Settling Into Beacon Hills Teen Wolf
Feeding Time Stargate Atlantis
Caught Flat-Footed Torchwood
Wants and Fears FAKE
Cultural Exchange Stargate Atlantis
The Duel Torchwood
Favorite for a Reason Stargate Atlantis
Shark Dicks NSFW comic Hazbin Hotel
One Drink Lasts Too Long Hazbin Hotel
Fair Food Stargate Atlantis
In Which, We Are Chaos 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Adjacent Hazbin Hotel
Blizzard Conditions Torchwood
The New Wave. Hazbin Hotel
Fat And Thin Hazbin Hotel
Jin's Dad Jokes 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Plotting Revenge The Professionals (TV 1977)
Chip On My Shoulder UglyDolls (2019)
in the nest box Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Survived the day
Jan. 9th, 2026 11:54 pmThat meeting started too early and went way too long. That said it wasn't as awful as it could have been. We spent too much time on active shooter drills, not because it's not important but because we keep getting promised changes that never happen. This time I held up my work key chain that has over 30 keys. HOW am I going to find the right key fast enough to not get shot trying? I was told we can buy that bolt lock for the inside of the door if we want one...ME? Jesus.
There might be enough money to keep my building from falling in. That's good to know.
The new football coach seemed to be a cross between a tent revival preacher and someone honestly wanting to rehab our team (you know the one that's been here 1 year, lost half to expulsion for bad behavior and this is our third coach!)
The AI training went on too long. SO long. We're instructors. We KNOW the brain can't handle 2 hours of lecture.
Came home to no phone and no functioning cell phone (I have a land line because 90% of the time the cell doesn't work out here).
Then into the writer's zoom where I mostly did editing of the novel. Still hoping for beta readers for the Overlook short story.
And I'll do fannish fan recs tomorrow because then I had to fight with kickstarter about my pledge (still isn't done) and fight with United health care which still thinks I'm a member and well now I am again but it took forever to update everything.
Such a frustrating day.
There might be enough money to keep my building from falling in. That's good to know.
The new football coach seemed to be a cross between a tent revival preacher and someone honestly wanting to rehab our team (you know the one that's been here 1 year, lost half to expulsion for bad behavior and this is our third coach!)
The AI training went on too long. SO long. We're instructors. We KNOW the brain can't handle 2 hours of lecture.
Came home to no phone and no functioning cell phone (I have a land line because 90% of the time the cell doesn't work out here).
Then into the writer's zoom where I mostly did editing of the novel. Still hoping for beta readers for the Overlook short story.
And I'll do fannish fan recs tomorrow because then I had to fight with kickstarter about my pledge (still isn't done) and fight with United health care which still thinks I'm a member and well now I am again but it took forever to update everything.
Such a frustrating day.
Last day off
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:43 pmI started talking about all the anxiety at the state of the world but it nearly sent me into a spiral so let me say what I AM thankful for this thursday.
1. chocolate covered strawberry mochas are back at my coffee shop. They are my favorite and I look forward to their Valentine's presence.
2. My well stocked library for as small as we are (now I can do the prompt for a book about a popstar that I didn't give a damn with a graphic novel about queen)
Have some community recs
betaplease as it suggests, a beta community
goals_on_dw set goals and get support on keeping them
ushobwri writing centric. I belong to this one
12monthsofmurder If I wanted a new challenge community, why not one where I can kill a character over and over for a year?
picture_prompt_fun I don't need another challenge. i don't need another challenge. I would love this.
1. chocolate covered strawberry mochas are back at my coffee shop. They are my favorite and I look forward to their Valentine's presence.
2. My well stocked library for as small as we are (now I can do the prompt for a book about a popstar that I didn't give a damn with a graphic novel about queen)
Have some community recs
betaplease as it suggests, a beta communitygoals_on_dw set goals and get support on keeping themushobwri writing centric. I belong to this one12monthsofmurder If I wanted a new challenge community, why not one where I can kill a character over and over for a year?picture_prompt_fun I don't need another challenge. i don't need another challenge. I would love this.
A Belated Holiday Miracle
Jan. 7th, 2026 09:01 pmI had two things shipping to my parents house. One that was supposed to be shipped back on the 30th but was telling me it should have arrived monday and one that should have shipped by the 3rd that wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow. Both arrived today. Woot. I bought my coveted raven dress from Svaha when they had everything 40% off and I had preordered the husk and angel figures in Loser Baby blue in the summer. Wow, Bandai really hit it out of the park with these two (especially compared to the stuff I got from Youtooz). Now to find a place to put them.
Made it back to Ohio (nearly forgot my apartment key!) half the crap is in the house, half is still in the car. It was a good drive. Rocket is between my feet on the recliner, happy as hell I'm back (mad as hell that I forgot to leave behind 1 can of food for him and only have kibble, he's mad as hell and I hear about it every time I move)
Given how iced over my freezer is, my power must have been out for a long time. Probably throwing all of that stuff out. sigh.
What I Just Finished Reading:
Keeping the Secret - Mostly the tales of the WAVS in Dayton OH in the ladies' own words
Murder Made Her Wicked - loved this historical mystery set in Wellesley
What I am Currently Reading:
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. how is this series so successful? This is not my first in the series (which I forgot when I requested this arc) this is not good.
Murder in the Ranks - Set in WWII with the WAACs in North Africa. Really different. I've read other WWII mysteries but never one with the lady in the war zone. I'm very much enjoying this one
What I Plan to Read Next: La Grand Familia and Zombie Day Care
Made it back to Ohio (nearly forgot my apartment key!) half the crap is in the house, half is still in the car. It was a good drive. Rocket is between my feet on the recliner, happy as hell I'm back (mad as hell that I forgot to leave behind 1 can of food for him and only have kibble, he's mad as hell and I hear about it every time I move)
Given how iced over my freezer is, my power must have been out for a long time. Probably throwing all of that stuff out. sigh.
What I Just Finished Reading:
Keeping the Secret - Mostly the tales of the WAVS in Dayton OH in the ladies' own words
Murder Made Her Wicked - loved this historical mystery set in Wellesley
What I am Currently Reading:
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. how is this series so successful? This is not my first in the series (which I forgot when I requested this arc) this is not good.
Murder in the Ranks - Set in WWII with the WAACs in North Africa. Really different. I've read other WWII mysteries but never one with the lady in the war zone. I'm very much enjoying this one
What I Plan to Read Next: La Grand Familia and Zombie Day Care
Last Day here
Jan. 6th, 2026 11:00 pmMom and I went to the casino to lose money and I did that well. Mom won. We also hit Primanti's and I got a second rubber ducky in my duck juice cocktail so yay for that.
I am not ready for work for reasons I don't want to get into publicly and has everything to do with the changes Ohio's Republicans have made with education.
So for my second fannish 50, have bunch of fandom related end of year memes
( they're long so they're under here )
I am not ready for work for reasons I don't want to get into publicly and has everything to do with the changes Ohio's Republicans have made with education.
So for my second fannish 50, have bunch of fandom related end of year memes
( they're long so they're under here )
La Befana's Night
Jan. 5th, 2026 11:25 pmAnd it was a long weird one for me. Couldn't sleep until after 3 AM only to have someone call the house at 7 AM (non emergency, OMG) and then my cousins were out here from 11-1. One lives not that far from here but the other was up from NC with his girlfriend.
It was actually a nice visit. Afterward that, it was warm enough to melt the ice and Mom and I escaped the hill. Managed to get to Macy's, picked up a last act shirt and blue jeans (all for under 34$ yay), some St. Germaine's liquor to add to my cocktail collection (am contemplating tossing the bottles all over the place back home, maybe the landlord will think it's such a mess because I drink too much) and then on to homegoods to get a new frying pan and whatever other trouble I could find (this time its name was pfeffernusse, and no I'm not sorry)
Almost blacked out at what the Chinese restaurant had jacked their prices too (we had an old menu)
I didn't get much writing done but I did finish the last of my plannedfandomtrees stories. Now to see if there is anything I can do in the many zero or 1 gift trees.
I got this fromtrobadora and sanguinity, the New Year's Book Prediction Meme
Grab the nearest book.
Turn to page 126
The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.
I got 'I know he swaggers' from one of the two books and "The next thing I knew I was hit in the side by what felt like a streetcar.'
Hmmm I wouldn't mind meeting a swaggering man but we know which of these I'll get.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #8 a song from your first concert. I am ashamed to say I can't even remember which WAS my first concert. I think it was this. If not it was very close to being the first.
And finally i have the whole prompt list
( it's under here )
It was actually a nice visit. Afterward that, it was warm enough to melt the ice and Mom and I escaped the hill. Managed to get to Macy's, picked up a last act shirt and blue jeans (all for under 34$ yay), some St. Germaine's liquor to add to my cocktail collection (am contemplating tossing the bottles all over the place back home, maybe the landlord will think it's such a mess because I drink too much) and then on to homegoods to get a new frying pan and whatever other trouble I could find (this time its name was pfeffernusse, and no I'm not sorry)
Almost blacked out at what the Chinese restaurant had jacked their prices too (we had an old menu)
I didn't get much writing done but I did finish the last of my planned
fandomtrees stories. Now to see if there is anything I can do in the many zero or 1 gift trees.I got this from
trobadora and sanguinity, the New Year's Book Prediction MemeGrab the nearest book.
Turn to page 126
The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.
I got 'I know he swaggers' from one of the two books and "The next thing I knew I was hit in the side by what felt like a streetcar.'
Hmmm I wouldn't mind meeting a swaggering man but we know which of these I'll get.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #8 a song from your first concert. I am ashamed to say I can't even remember which WAS my first concert. I think it was this. If not it was very close to being the first.
And finally i have the whole prompt list
( it's under here )
Writerly Ways
Jan. 4th, 2026 10:11 pmtrobadora is hosting write every day this month and posed a question to which several of us answered yes we remember to write every day and then asked how do we remember? Last night I had no real answer to that. I'm not sure I do today either. Once upon a time Deepka Chopra was offering 21 day meditations for free with the idea that psychologists say if you do anything for 21 days it becomes a habit. I'm not sure where he read/invented that. I can tell you it didn't make me keep up my meditation once the 21 days were over for the most part so it might be hokum.
But the truth is I don't remember setting out to write every day but I have done so for so long HOW I managed to make it a habit is lost in my Dorrie the fish memory. I will say I'm NOT a believer in you MUST write every day but it certainly helps to have SOME kind of writing practice. I do know waiting for the mood or your muse isn't really going to get you anywhere.
But for some every day is too much pressure and not necessarily helpful. Some of us have difficult jobs, maybe more than one, we have partners, we have kids, we have chronic illness. Hell I'm always shocked by the people who can write with young kids. We need to be kind to ourselves or we risk damaging our creative self. Some of us can't work if we're anxious. Others (me!) write and write to make the anxiety calm.
And that's my biggest piece of advice for establishing a writing habit. Find what suits you. Some of you will be morning writers ew as far as working for me. I had one friend who was converted by that how to write book back in the later 80s early 90s that talked about morning papers and insisted that was the ONLY way to do it. Nope, there is no ONLY way. Some of you will need a dedicated quiet space. Others can write anywhere. Some might need to go out somewhere else because all the stuff at home is distracting.
Find what works for you and do that. And then do it again. Do it as often as you're comfortable with. If it helps you, set a deadline (which is one of the reasons I write every day. I'm very often on a very real deadline). Have a friend set a deadline for you if that helps. Basically you do you and keep on doing it. You may falter but that's okay. Dust yourself off and go for it again.
Open Calls
Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in January 2026
The Dilettante: Now Seeking Submissions
Waxen Spring 2026 Occult/weird horror, with an eye for experimental work
NEED: Horror Stories You Can’t Live Without Addiction. Hunger. Desperate Love. Medical care. Compulsion. Illness. Oxygen. Technology. If it’s about an all-consuming, soul-destroying, life-altering NEED — I want it. I need it.
Last Girls Club Winter Spring 2026 Issue Haunted
Passing Strange: Queer Weird Arthurian Tales Queer Weird Arthurian Tales
Beyond the Galactic Tide featuring asexual main characters in outer space settings.
From Around the Web
The Physics of Emotion: Writing the Moment Before It Hits
7 Ways to Increase Your Visibility as a Writer on Social Media
How to Get My Book Noticed: Modern Media Readiness for Today’s Authors
How to Find a Literary Agent
From Betty
Six Important Differences Between Filmed and Narrated Stories
Ten Ways to Keep Authorities Out of Your Plot
here.
Twelve Signs a Storyteller Is Building Romantic & Sexual Chemistry
8 Tips for Masterful Scene Revision
Start Small in the New Year: A Grace-Filled Way for Writers to Rebuild Momentum. This one is very Christian preachy. Do with that as you will.
How Writers Can Protect Their Legacy: Essential Steps to Secure Your Creative Work
Christmas is mostly tucked away
Jan. 3rd, 2026 09:17 pmI'm getting to do absolutely nothing. Was going out tonight with my brother and SiL. Now they're sick. Monday is going to be a good day travel wise but everything is closed. Sigh.
I really got nothing done today beyond packing away Christmas and working up one set of notes.
Today was weird. My sugar was in the 80s all morning and even after a pasta dinner it's only 116. Who knows with me
So just have some depressed offerings (which seems apropos of how horrible this year is starting politically)
so have science saturday
January 'Wolf Supermoon': How to see the full moon rise with Jupiter this weekend
Centuries-old 'trophy head' from Peru reveals individual survived to adulthood despite disabling birth defect.
Ash Pendant: The only known depiction of a pregnant Viking woman
How Did Ancient Wolves Get Onto This Remote Island 5,000 Years Ago?
Mysterious Voynich manuscript may be a cipher, a new study suggests
Meet The Honduran White Bat: It's Tiny, It's Fluffy, And It Builds Tents
James Webb telescope spies a monstrous molecular cloud shrouded in mystery — Space photo of the week
The Man Who Drank Radioactive Juice Until His Bones Crumbled And His Jaw Came Off (I talk about him in class every year)
A Distinct New Type of Diabetes Is Officially Recognized.
I really got nothing done today beyond packing away Christmas and working up one set of notes.
Today was weird. My sugar was in the 80s all morning and even after a pasta dinner it's only 116. Who knows with me
So just have some depressed offerings (which seems apropos of how horrible this year is starting politically)
so have science saturday
January 'Wolf Supermoon': How to see the full moon rise with Jupiter this weekend
Centuries-old 'trophy head' from Peru reveals individual survived to adulthood despite disabling birth defect.
Ash Pendant: The only known depiction of a pregnant Viking woman
How Did Ancient Wolves Get Onto This Remote Island 5,000 Years Ago?
Mysterious Voynich manuscript may be a cipher, a new study suggests
Meet The Honduran White Bat: It's Tiny, It's Fluffy, And It Builds Tents
James Webb telescope spies a monstrous molecular cloud shrouded in mystery — Space photo of the week
The Man Who Drank Radioactive Juice Until His Bones Crumbled And His Jaw Came Off (I talk about him in class every year)
A Distinct New Type of Diabetes Is Officially Recognized.
Fiction Friday
Jan. 2nd, 2026 08:22 pm
Isn't this a great cover? It'll be out on the 23rd. My story is a sapphic one, set in the Hocking Hills of Ohio (yes again) and we do love our cryptids in Ohio. If you're interested you can preorder it
here.
All I did today was be stuck atop an icy hill and help Mom take down Christmas. This is a multi day process. I have decided next Christmas I DO need to come home asap because I never get to any of the things I want to do after the holiday. I had at least a half dozen holiday things I wanted to do and I'll be lucky to do one. sigh.
I did finish another
fandomtrees today and posted it. WHEE! There are still plenty of empty or low trees if you want to check out the list and see if there's anything you might like to write.I was supposed to join my brother and SiL for dinner. Couldn't get off the hill.
Have the first Fannish 50 for the year, the friday fic round up
The Other The Murderbot Diaries
The Magic of the Nemeton Teen Wolf
Odd Woman Out Torchwood
Only Love FAKE
Echo of a Memory Stargate Atlantis
Heart-Seed, Heart-Flower Thermos "Flower Series" Commercials
Dragon of Flowers, Dragon of the City.
镇魂 | Guardian/Thermos "Flower Series" Commercials
Scene from a Chinese Restaurant Eerie Indiana
The Worst Part of Waking Up Hornblower
Velvette's Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Hazbin Hotel
End Of The Party Torchwood
The Scrooge from UNCLE. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
strange things are happening to me Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss
a drop of rain within an endless sea 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Starting the New Year Right Hazbin Hotel
Growing Pains Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Flight to Freedom due South
Reflections due South
What Love Is due South
Charitable Deduction Murder She Wrote/Hudson & Rex
Eyes On Me, Pretty Boy Hazbin Hotel
The Coldest Night Torchwood
Form'd for Idleness and Ease The Jacobite Trilogy | The Flight of the Heron Series - D. K. Broster
Rehearsals on the Road Oz
The Healing Properties of Stout Tea Stargate Atlantis
When Business Gets Serious (The Relationship Isn’t…) Hazbin Hotel
shades of grief 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Going to the Stilinski Home Teen Wolf
A New Year
Jan. 1st, 2026 10:34 pm
I'll be honest. I hold out very little hope for this year being better than last year. I did the Meriam Webster's thing on bluesky, you screenshot their gif and whatever word you get sets the tone for your year. I got moribund. Are you fucking kidding me? Why is that even a choice? Is it literally just spitting out every word in the dictionary.
But moribund feels right for the 2020s which if I'm continuing to be honest sucked donkey dong. 2020 - covid 2021- nearly lost my leg and took a year to learn to walk again 2022-23 weren't as horrid 24 - lost my uncle 25 - lost my last uncle. So while I'm hoping moribund is NOT my word of the year, it feels right.
Right about now is when I do my good things jar (okay usually it's next week when I get back to Ohio but I know what's in it) it has three things, presented my sabbatical research (at work and at my conference), got a story into an anthology (i'll give you that info tomorrow) and I went to an all inclusive resort for the first time in Mexico. Pretty slim pickings for good things. Mostly 2025 was me trying to not lose my sanity.
So resolutions? Eh, I don't really make them. I've given my writing goals. In addition to that I'd like to see if I can come up with lunches that don't spike my blood sugar, I'd like to get more active but what I need more than anything, a cleaning schedule for my home because this cannot go on as is.
I'm still thinking about doing
snowflake_challenge. I got really sideways with this challenge a couple years ago and lost my taste for it. But a lot of my list is doing it...sighBut here, let me share some cool things about me and my writing
one of the first of probably several archive things I'll end up doing. Got this one from
lucy_romanfrom AO3
Total works on archive - 894
Works written in 2025 - 74
Longest fic written in 2025 The Porn Star Murders Hazbin Hotel
Fic with most bookmarks (also most hits and kudos)Hope is The Thing With Feathers The Owl House
Shortest fic - Needs Unmet Helluva Boss
And here are my writing stats. I have no complaints here: Original fic count 38,727
Fanfic count 359, 707 for a writing total of 398, 434. My only complaint is I wanted 50K of original fic. sigh.
Thanks to a few of the things on
sholio's post today I have some community recscandyheartsex a multifandom gift exchange with a low minimum and a focus on relationships, both platonic and romantic/sexualtraumaticexperiences a (psychological) trauma themed multifandom exchange that will be run on Ao3. Matching will be done on fandom, relationship/solo character, and freeform. You must be 18+ to participate and maintain anonymity until creator reveals.And one I'm actually in is
allbingo and I'm hosting, the public domain fest bingo. come join us.And for anyone still on LJ and haven't backed up your old blog somewhere else the news is looking bleak. I haven't fully read up on it. I do crosspost there for the few friends who haven't joined me here on DW but it looks like Russia isn't playing games with it any more. You can check out more here on bluesky. and a bit more here on DW about the importing.
January's Bingo
Jan. 1st, 2026 10:50 amThis is the bingo I'm hosting if you want to join us over at allbingo for the Public Domain Fest
allbingo for the Public Domain Fest| Love for Sale | Three Little Words | On the Sunny Side of the Street | King of Jazz | Vile Bodies |
| Sing You Sinners | Cakes and Ale | Livin' in the Sunlight Lovin' in the Moonlight | Outside the Law | Beyond the Blue Horizon |
| Madam Satan | The End of the World | FREE SPACE | Years of Grace | Body and Soul |
| The Sound of Love | Dancing on the Ceiling | Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It) | Ash Wednesday | Something to Remember You By |
| You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me | The Song of Love | I've Got a Crush on You | Free and Easy | Just a Gigolo |
Gravity's Bitch
Dec. 31st, 2025 10:37 pmSo it snowed a couple inches last night but I HAD to get my meds. Have I mentioned my parents live up a large hill? (My own road is even steeper but if I slip there so what, there's no one on it, here I'll skid out into the main road.)
So off I go, get halfway down, spin and now gravity is sucking me down the hill sideways. Well this is fun. Brakes don't work so well when you're going sideways. I did try to ditch it into the forsythia. Luckily I did get stopped before I was on the main road or in the hedgerow. Also luckily no one was coming. Other than that, the trip was fine and now we have the last do your goddamn job for 2025
1. I got pizza at our favorite place, XXL pepperoni (also not doing their job I did NOT check before leaving) Want to know how much pepperoni there was? NONE (I fixed that in post)
2. I get to CVS. They have my meds NOT my needles. Why not? oh we can't tell you that here we cant see that information in this system (it's a lie. I know they can. Mine has this system and they can but this place is huge so they don't want to waste time). I get in the 'we can tell you why we fucked up' line, takes forever. I said maybe you didn't transfer it. No we did. Then WHY isn't it filled? She shrugs, doesn't answer and says can you wait 15 minutes? yes I can. (I know why, everyone is doing what I'm doing, using the last day before the deductibles reset tomorrow and they're swamped.
I get my damn needles, I go to Home Goods, clean up on the Christmas discards (they're all over valentine's day which isn't too bad. Dollar Tree has all the gardening stuff out. yeah sure.
What I Just Finished Reading:
Poorly Made and Other Things - Horror anthology by one person set in his Edenville series. It was pretty good.
To Die Once - a Maisie Dobbs mystery which I haven't read one of these in a while and this is...slow. It's way more about the effect of war on the English people (who were still recovering from WWI) than it's a mystery
Tell Tale Treat - another paranormal mystery with another protagonist ripe for being bitch slapped, wasn't a bad mystery
What I am Currently Reading:
Keeping the Secret - a short thing about the WAVS in WWII
Murder Made Her Wicked - historical mystery set in Wellsley, really good so far
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. Missing children but no one will do a search of the woods because there's no proof other than the FBI things its there (a paranormal FBI team) eye roll. might DNF this arc (but this is the series that did what I tried to do in the early 90s with paranormal mystery and I was laughed at)
What I Plan to Read Next: It's a bunch of new reading challenges time so that
Speaking of thatkingstoken is having a reading challenge and you can find it here.
I forgot to mention I finishedevil_little_dog's book challenge this year
( You can find it under here )
And have December's reads
Wytches, Volume 1 horror graphic novel
Ripped Tide mystery
Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio nonfiction
Death at the Door paranormal mystery
To Die But Once. historical mystery
The Poorly Made and Other Things
Happy New year's my friends
We're spending it playing cards and watching it snow more.
So off I go, get halfway down, spin and now gravity is sucking me down the hill sideways. Well this is fun. Brakes don't work so well when you're going sideways. I did try to ditch it into the forsythia. Luckily I did get stopped before I was on the main road or in the hedgerow. Also luckily no one was coming. Other than that, the trip was fine and now we have the last do your goddamn job for 2025
1. I got pizza at our favorite place, XXL pepperoni (also not doing their job I did NOT check before leaving) Want to know how much pepperoni there was? NONE (I fixed that in post)
2. I get to CVS. They have my meds NOT my needles. Why not? oh we can't tell you that here we cant see that information in this system (it's a lie. I know they can. Mine has this system and they can but this place is huge so they don't want to waste time). I get in the 'we can tell you why we fucked up' line, takes forever. I said maybe you didn't transfer it. No we did. Then WHY isn't it filled? She shrugs, doesn't answer and says can you wait 15 minutes? yes I can. (I know why, everyone is doing what I'm doing, using the last day before the deductibles reset tomorrow and they're swamped.
I get my damn needles, I go to Home Goods, clean up on the Christmas discards (they're all over valentine's day which isn't too bad. Dollar Tree has all the gardening stuff out. yeah sure.
What I Just Finished Reading:
Poorly Made and Other Things - Horror anthology by one person set in his Edenville series. It was pretty good.
To Die Once - a Maisie Dobbs mystery which I haven't read one of these in a while and this is...slow. It's way more about the effect of war on the English people (who were still recovering from WWI) than it's a mystery
Tell Tale Treat - another paranormal mystery with another protagonist ripe for being bitch slapped, wasn't a bad mystery
What I am Currently Reading:
Keeping the Secret - a short thing about the WAVS in WWII
Murder Made Her Wicked - historical mystery set in Wellsley, really good so far
The Witching Hour - by Heather Graham. Missing children but no one will do a search of the woods because there's no proof other than the FBI things its there (a paranormal FBI team) eye roll. might DNF this arc (but this is the series that did what I tried to do in the early 90s with paranormal mystery and I was laughed at)
What I Plan to Read Next: It's a bunch of new reading challenges time so that
Speaking of that
kingstoken is having a reading challenge and you can find it here.I forgot to mention I finished
evil_little_dog's book challenge this year( You can find it under here )
And have December's reads
Wytches, Volume 1 horror graphic novel
Ripped Tide mystery
Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio nonfiction
Death at the Door paranormal mystery
To Die But Once. historical mystery
The Poorly Made and Other Things
Happy New year's my friends
We're spending it playing cards and watching it snow more.
It's the last fannish 50 of the year
Dec. 30th, 2025 11:19 pmNormally around now I'd be doing my year in review of all the stories I wrote but I don't think I'm going to do that this year. Almost no one here is in my current fandoms and I ran a lot of the stories here so those who were going to read them probably have already. I haven't seen anyone else doing any end of the year stuff yet either so I'm sure I'll be doing something.
Instead I thought I'd throw it open to everyone what's your most current fandom that's eating your brain. Talk about. Tell us why. I don't care if it's one you've been faithful to for 30 years or one you found this weekend, let's hear about it.
Here's mine. The Amazing Digital Circus What? You expected it to be Hazbin Hotel right? Well that's true but I've talked about it a lot. While I am not as actively writing TADC (nor do I plan to) I love this weird animation. I will say much like other shows I love (Prodigal Son, Hazbin) that it took until episode 3 for me to really get into it. That's the same here and that's why I'm putting that episode here. It's still my favorite.
TADC is interesting because you have such personalities in it, Kinger whose mind is so damaged he can't function except in the dark where things are quieter, Ragatha of the toxic positivity and people pleasing. Zooble with body dysmorphia, Gangle with depression, Jax with some kind of trauma that has made him an asshole and into this comes Pomni, the latest person sucked into the game that is the circus, who turns into the group therapist after a fashion. Running the game is Caine, the AI that is having his own psychotic episode.
It's 3-D animation which I generally do not like but the story telling is very interesting once it hits its stride. It's also free over here on Youtube (I know, I know)
I did get my meds in theory. It was the doctor who missed the request in the system. She fixed it within the hour. But there was a lot of snow today. Probably more tomorrow but I'll have to go to CVS regardless as tomorrow my insurance ends.
I did a lot of work on my classes. Still so much more to do. Ugh, I always do this, put it off to the last minute.
You can click the eggs if you want.
Instead I thought I'd throw it open to everyone what's your most current fandom that's eating your brain. Talk about. Tell us why. I don't care if it's one you've been faithful to for 30 years or one you found this weekend, let's hear about it.
Here's mine. The Amazing Digital Circus What? You expected it to be Hazbin Hotel right? Well that's true but I've talked about it a lot. While I am not as actively writing TADC (nor do I plan to) I love this weird animation. I will say much like other shows I love (Prodigal Son, Hazbin) that it took until episode 3 for me to really get into it. That's the same here and that's why I'm putting that episode here. It's still my favorite.
TADC is interesting because you have such personalities in it, Kinger whose mind is so damaged he can't function except in the dark where things are quieter, Ragatha of the toxic positivity and people pleasing. Zooble with body dysmorphia, Gangle with depression, Jax with some kind of trauma that has made him an asshole and into this comes Pomni, the latest person sucked into the game that is the circus, who turns into the group therapist after a fashion. Running the game is Caine, the AI that is having his own psychotic episode.
It's 3-D animation which I generally do not like but the story telling is very interesting once it hits its stride. It's also free over here on Youtube (I know, I know)
I did get my meds in theory. It was the doctor who missed the request in the system. She fixed it within the hour. But there was a lot of snow today. Probably more tomorrow but I'll have to go to CVS regardless as tomorrow my insurance ends.
I did a lot of work on my classes. Still so much more to do. Ugh, I always do this, put it off to the last minute.
You can click the eggs if you want.
It's been a weird day
Dec. 29th, 2025 08:44 pmI went to bed at 2 AM. It was 64 degrees out (in the Pittsburgh area!) so I opened my windows (Dad likes this place to be an oven) when I wake up at 9 it's 34. By ten its 24 and the sustained winds were over 20 mph with gusts up to 30-40 mph. Mom and my plan to go to the Phipps conservatory was done. Too windy. It was meant to snow (that didn't happen until after 8 pm as it turned out)
But the good omens continue as my parents are both really pissed at prejudice woman and hateful husband. Turns out PW's aunt HAD to go to the doctor today (or get billed for that nursing home rehab stay) so rather than delay their trip home to NC a few hours they pushed taking her onto my 83 year old mom. They didn't even ask ME to do it. They just fucked off south expecting Mom to do it (she did. In that cold. In that wind. Both old ladies are okay) and they didn't even leave early because they were both drunk last night and hung over and only left 5 minutes after mom got to her bestie's house. They could have taken Aunt S2 to the doc. Dad is very protective of mom and he is furious as is mom.
It's also another round of do your damn job. CVS tells me that my insulin is ready but not my wellbutrin. FInally I get cranky and call them and say where is that. Oh, that is out of refills. OMFG
1. I called my doc about that 2 weeks ago so her nurse did NOT do her job
2. CVS did NOT call me once since friday when I called in my refills
3. CVS AI bullshit phone system said there WAS refills
But in doing your job right and going above and beyond goes to whatever Amazon driver showed up in the dead of night and put both of the lightweight envelopes I got (a usb hub in one, my dexcom pretty patches in the other) half under the planter on the front stoop so they wouldn't blow away (we gave them high praise) contrasted with the UPSP dipshit who delivered my Hazbin poster to the man door of dad's detached garage....
I'll be hosting the public domain bingo in January over inallbingo if you want to come look at some cool creative prompts (but woo boy, this is taking me a lot of time to put together but it's fun though)
Still not getting my story done. Sigh. Power went out a few times today too (wind galloping).
But I did blow off the hill (almost literally) to the post office to get my holiday gift from JK, a super cute p.oed. handmade Husk plushie, some Husk pins and Hazbin stickers. Fun stuff.
Music Monday. This week's prompt is prompt #7 a song you like with no words
( Music under here )
But the good omens continue as my parents are both really pissed at prejudice woman and hateful husband. Turns out PW's aunt HAD to go to the doctor today (or get billed for that nursing home rehab stay) so rather than delay their trip home to NC a few hours they pushed taking her onto my 83 year old mom. They didn't even ask ME to do it. They just fucked off south expecting Mom to do it (she did. In that cold. In that wind. Both old ladies are okay) and they didn't even leave early because they were both drunk last night and hung over and only left 5 minutes after mom got to her bestie's house. They could have taken Aunt S2 to the doc. Dad is very protective of mom and he is furious as is mom.
It's also another round of do your damn job. CVS tells me that my insulin is ready but not my wellbutrin. FInally I get cranky and call them and say where is that. Oh, that is out of refills. OMFG
1. I called my doc about that 2 weeks ago so her nurse did NOT do her job
2. CVS did NOT call me once since friday when I called in my refills
3. CVS AI bullshit phone system said there WAS refills
But in doing your job right and going above and beyond goes to whatever Amazon driver showed up in the dead of night and put both of the lightweight envelopes I got (a usb hub in one, my dexcom pretty patches in the other) half under the planter on the front stoop so they wouldn't blow away (we gave them high praise) contrasted with the UPSP dipshit who delivered my Hazbin poster to the man door of dad's detached garage....
I'll be hosting the public domain bingo in January over in
allbingo if you want to come look at some cool creative prompts (but woo boy, this is taking me a lot of time to put together but it's fun though)Still not getting my story done. Sigh. Power went out a few times today too (wind galloping).
But I did blow off the hill (almost literally) to the post office to get my holiday gift from JK, a super cute p.oed. handmade Husk plushie, some Husk pins and Hazbin stickers. Fun stuff.
Music Monday. This week's prompt is prompt #7 a song you like with no words
( Music under here )
Writerly Ways
Dec. 28th, 2025 10:29 pmI was thinking about writing communities and how I feel like I'm missing one at this point. I don't like this feeling. Other than that twice a month zoom meet up I feel like I have no community (and even there I feel like an interloper but if not for me, there would be almost no one there) My friend and I tried to restart the local group on Nov. It was a miserable failure (other than us enjoying each other's company so it wasn't a complete waste of time)
So I was curious, do you feel like you have a good writing community? I'm not talking about the writing every day sort of thing. I shared plenty of them. I think the closest I come to on DW isushobwri and getyourwordsout. Both are good communities.
And there is every chance the emptiness is in ME and nothing I put into it will fill that hole. And I'm not even sure I have words to articulate what I'd like to see in a group (and it could be that I'm looking for a street team of alpha/beta readers but I'm not even sure that's it either)
So do you have a good one? Is it open? I'm curious.
Open Calls
Gramarye: Now Seeking Submissions
Verify You’re Not Human The main character of the story must be therian (identify as a non-human animal) with a strong focus on what that means
Obsidian: The Dark Space Novelette Anthology Darker 9000-25000 word stories about exploration, isolation, and the harsh conditions of space
Sapphic Spec Fic Anthology of Identity and Purpose Stories that explore sapphic identity and purpose through the lens of fantasy and speculative fiction
Black Horror, Then & Next Stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory. (for Black authors only)
Newsela Original Fiction For Elementary-High School 1,500–5,000 word genre works that are targeting Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School readers
Sci-Fi Ireland Science Fiction where if the science/technology element was removed the plot would not function
Note: To submit, you must be living on, or were born on, the Island of Ireland
23 Publishers Accepting Memoir Submissions
The Knight Before Christmas Christmas romances
From Around the Web
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: December 2025
An Argument for Writing Short Stories
When We Believe
Five Common Motivation Issues and How to Address Them
160 Christmas Writing Prompts
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing by Chuck Wendig (in case you missed it last week the Nebula awards decided to allow AI writing and Publisher Weekly wrote how to use Ai and the authors went nuts (as they should have)
15 Rules for Negotiating a Large Book Sale
How to Make an Author Website in 8 Steps
Rules for Capitalizing Titles and Chapters.
Amazon Metadata Mistakes Every Indie Author Must Avoid
Self-Publishing Your Book: Quick Guide (Updated 2025)
Why Selling Direct Beats KDP for Long-Term Author Profits
17 Exciting Fantasy Novel Ideas for Authors
From Betty
How to Avoid Melodrama in Your Writing
Avoiding the Planet of Hats
Five Common Ways Fights Get Contrived
How to Write Scenes With Lots of New People
The Value of Writing Shock and Avoiding Valueless Trauma
Is Your Novel Ready for a Film Adaption? How to Begin the Process of Adapting My Story for Film
The Complete Guide to Self-editing for Writers Part 2: Practical Tools and Techniques to Strengthen Your Manuscript Before Outside Feedback
So I was curious, do you feel like you have a good writing community? I'm not talking about the writing every day sort of thing. I shared plenty of them. I think the closest I come to on DW is
ushobwri and getyourwordsout. Both are good communities.And there is every chance the emptiness is in ME and nothing I put into it will fill that hole. And I'm not even sure I have words to articulate what I'd like to see in a group (and it could be that I'm looking for a street team of alpha/beta readers but I'm not even sure that's it either)
So do you have a good one? Is it open? I'm curious.
Open Calls
Gramarye: Now Seeking Submissions
Verify You’re Not Human The main character of the story must be therian (identify as a non-human animal) with a strong focus on what that means
Obsidian: The Dark Space Novelette Anthology Darker 9000-25000 word stories about exploration, isolation, and the harsh conditions of space
Sapphic Spec Fic Anthology of Identity and Purpose Stories that explore sapphic identity and purpose through the lens of fantasy and speculative fiction
Black Horror, Then & Next Stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory. (for Black authors only)
Newsela Original Fiction For Elementary-High School 1,500–5,000 word genre works that are targeting Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School readers
Sci-Fi Ireland Science Fiction where if the science/technology element was removed the plot would not function
Note: To submit, you must be living on, or were born on, the Island of Ireland
23 Publishers Accepting Memoir Submissions
The Knight Before Christmas Christmas romances
From Around the Web
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: December 2025
An Argument for Writing Short Stories
When We Believe
Five Common Motivation Issues and How to Address Them
160 Christmas Writing Prompts
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing by Chuck Wendig (in case you missed it last week the Nebula awards decided to allow AI writing and Publisher Weekly wrote how to use Ai and the authors went nuts (as they should have)
15 Rules for Negotiating a Large Book Sale
How to Make an Author Website in 8 Steps
Rules for Capitalizing Titles and Chapters.
Amazon Metadata Mistakes Every Indie Author Must Avoid
Self-Publishing Your Book: Quick Guide (Updated 2025)
Why Selling Direct Beats KDP for Long-Term Author Profits
17 Exciting Fantasy Novel Ideas for Authors
From Betty
How to Avoid Melodrama in Your Writing
Avoiding the Planet of Hats
Five Common Ways Fights Get Contrived
How to Write Scenes With Lots of New People
The Value of Writing Shock and Avoiding Valueless Trauma
Is Your Novel Ready for a Film Adaption? How to Begin the Process of Adapting My Story for Film
The Complete Guide to Self-editing for Writers Part 2: Practical Tools and Techniques to Strengthen Your Manuscript Before Outside Feedback
