aidenfire | Reading

+ Lit my Christmas incense and drank some red soda today. It's pouring down outside but it still did the trick! Hopefully there's a dry morning soon so I can get some decorations out of the shed.

+ Many thanks for the lovely comments on the Holiday Love Meme, I was coming out of a bout of stomach flu combined with my period, and the tiny bumps of kindness throughout the days was highly appreciated ♥

+

BeautifulBooks does yearly videos on their favorite illustrated books, and is already out with their Myths & Legends and Children & Young At heart collections. If you're looking for bookish gifts this year - or just want to look at some art - might be a good one to check out.

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Rec-cember Day 2

Star Wars
Song for a fifth child by

Deputychairman (5978 words). A glimpse into Leia's life before and after the events of Force Awakens. Hands down my favorite Leia fic I've read so far.
Her daily life doesn’t change when Han dies.

He’d been gone for years, and she was used to that. He was there on a Comm link once a week, sometimes, and other times she wouldn’t hear from him for months, but she knew he was out there.

She feels the difference anyway. Like losing a tooth, or a bone in the ear - something from deep inside. It didn’t show, but you knew it was gone.

Current Mood: thankful
Current Location: Couch finally playing CK3
Current Music: Sevdaliza - Joanna

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3175/

Tired of waiting on hold? Use our website to chat with one of our live agents, who are available to produce words at you 24/7!

https://xkcd.com/3175/

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

As always, our theme for December is amnesty. This month you can post recs for any past round—from any year—as long as the work hasn't already been recommended for that theme. Refresh your memory with a spreadsheet of previous rounds or search the comm for past recs.

Be sure to tag your recs with theme: amnesty in addition to the relevant theme(s).

If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.

( Rules! )

( Posting Template! )

( Promote this round! )

Reblog on Tumblr | Reskeet on Bluesky | Retoot on Mastodon

goodbyebird

Ey let's start out with our beloved franchise that's getting a new mooovieeee :DDD

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Rec-cember Day 1

The Mummy
as wine pervades water by

betony (2,266 words). Delightful!
The last thing Rick expects to hear, when Evie opens the door at last, is a grim: “Darling, we’ve got to get married.”

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser, Ray Vecchio, Diefenbaker, Harding Welsh
Rating: Teen
Length: 4590
Content Notes: The author chose not to warn. AU from the end of Victoria's Secret as Fraser wasn't shot and he left with Victoria on the train.

If you'd much rather know about major AO3 warnings and be spoiled for the reveal at the end, click the arrow at left. SPOILERS

Ray doesn't realise until near the fic's end that it's Fraser's ghost meeting with him, as Victoria killed him then ran for the US border. But with Fraser's and Welsh's help, they catch her.

Creator Links: MSSalieri on AO3, Salieri's old website
Themes: Mystery and suspense, Friendship, Cops and Crime, AU: Fork in the road

Summary: He’s in a booth around the corner, hands folded on the Formica table. It’s his jacket, the one he had on when he jumped onto the train, so Ray believes it’s him. But it’s not the guy Ray knew. His hair hangs to his collar. His eyes are dark with exhaustion, his face gaunt. He’s been gone nineteen months. It might as well be nineteen years.

Dief’s whine is thin, a little panicky. He’s shivering against Ray’s knee.

“Hello, Ray,” Fraser says.

Reccer's Notes: This is a tough story, but I keep going back to it from time to time because it's just so good. Set more than a year after Ray Vecchio stumbled and missed the shot so that Fraser left with Victoria on the train, Ray meets up once more with a very changed Fraser in a motel at the ass end of Canada, in a blizzard. It's sad, spooky, and wonderfully written. Powerful and haunting, and very much worth a read.

Fanwork Links: Dysmas on AO3, Dysmas on Wayback

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: Gen, background M/M (Everything implied no specifics); Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Nie Mingjue; Song Lan | Song Zichen/Xiao Xingchen, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Nie Mingjue, Song Lan | Song Zichen, Xiao Xingchen, A-Qing, Original Character
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 6,330
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, OC POV, Outsider POV, Neurodivergent Character POV, disability as a communication obstacle, heavy verse-specific content
Creator Tags: Communication is hard when you're dead, We ain't afraid of no ghosts, We've been dead for years, Bad jokes because writer is in a mood, NaNoWriMo Breaktime, ghost hunt - Freeform, mystery haunting, Undead Investigation Team

Creator Links: (AO3)

JustAWanderingBabbit; (Tumblr)

justawanderingbabbit

Theme: Mystery & Suspense, Casefic, Just Plain Fun, Outsider POV, Post-Canon

Summary: The Vermillion Peony Tree has stood for two hundred years... It might stand for two hundred more.... Given no one's stupid enough to annoy its guardian.

In which a possibly familiar Original Character meets a group of very familiar Night Hunters, attempting to clear a haunting from an inn built maybe a bit too close to the Burial Mounds.

(Part of the Mending the Pieces Universe.)

Author’s Notes:

* Not every monster or ghost you go after is a real monster. Sometimes the ones you have to worry about are the living people.
* Which, of course, was the message of the early Scooby Doo Adventures. Wish they hadn't lost that later on.

Reccer's Notes: A post-canon Halloween Scooby-Doo homage in which sapient fierce corpses Nie Mingjue and Song Zichen and demi-undead Meng Yao, incognito and under aliases, have become a wandering occult investigation trio. (Or, to the inn stableboy who can see ghosts Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing, a quintet.)

(JustAWanderingBabbit is the sort of author who maintains a repertory company of sorts; POV character Ah Bai is an OC who recurs in several of her MDZS works.)

Fanwork Links: House on Haunted Hill (AO3-locked).

musesfool

Meant to post this earlier, but got distracted, but I'm back now! November 2025 recs update:

unfitforsociety has been updated for November 2025 with 11 recs in 4 fandoms:

* 7 Batfamily, 1 Batfamily/Criminal Minds crossover
* 1 The Bear, 1 Star Wars, and 1 Stranger Things

*

I also made a cute little chocolate cake with chocolate ermine frosting (pic). I'm happy with how it came out. It's just enough cake for 1 person for like 5 days (refrigerated).

*

Stranger Things, season 5, episodes 1 - 4!

( spoilers )

I think this "drop 4 episodes, then do another 2-3 episodes 2 more times" is the worst of all possible distribution patterns, but I guess Netflix will never do a weekly series, which I can honestly say after years of binge-watching seems preferable to me. But at least it's all within a month instead of half in August and half in November or whatever. As much as I dislike the amount of time it's taken for them to put out each season, I am still enjoying the show and want to see how it all wraps up.

*

Current Mood: ditzy
Current Music: Broncos vs Commanders on SNF

devilc

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

kalloway posting in

readingtogether

And we're to the end of November! How did your month go?

(and a reminder that

readingtogether is open to all sorts of read-alongs hosted by anyone. I'll probably be doing my sometimes-annual Lingering challenge between Xmas and New Year's.)

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Elrond
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: leucisticpuffin on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: This is a lovingly detailed depiction of the garden at Imladris (Rivendell), with a somewhat younger Elrond sitting, reading. The notes are interesting as well, giving additional detail. I like the warm tones, and of course the amazing gardens and scenery.
Link: Elrond in the flower garden at Imladris

denise posting in

dw_news

Hello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means

karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.

The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.

( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )

Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.

On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.

post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/sunday-secrets-580/

https://postsecret.com/?p=51293

The post Sunday Secrets appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/sunday-secrets-580/

https://postsecret.com/?p=51293

post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/petty-aunt-pie/

https://postsecret.com/?p=27718

[Written On Back]
*This recipe has been a family secret for 100 years. It’s a great pie, and deserves to be shared. My petty, vindictive aunts don’t deserve to keep it to themselves. I love and miss you, Grandma!*

[PostSecret Facebook Comments]
My “Petty Aunt Pie” just came out of the oven. Looks and smells delicious. Can’t wait to eat it! I miss my Grandma too. I understand why you posted.

I have this theory that people hoard good recipes to maintain friendships with people.

I make this pie every year since I saw the secret! Delicious. Squeeze liquid out of the grated apples first, though.

I want a thread of forbidden family recipes. I’ll go first. Mother puts almond extract in the buttercream frosting. That’s the mystery flavor.

We put some of Mom’s recipes on her memorial cards for people to take with them (of course, we saved a couple of the most loved for just the family).

It sounds great! I hope it brings you joy that it will be made all over the place and everyone will think of your grandma.

The first keepsake I look for when a loved one dies – the recipe box.

Read the full article from the Today Show website.

*What’s that little extra flavor in this? Is it pettiness? Is it an extra pinch of cinnamon? Who knows. Either way, savor each bite knowing it’s pissing off someone’s aunt somewhere.*
[Preparation Tips]

I made two versions of the Petty Aunt Pie [see chart] and distributed pieces around town as I did some errands. Some went to friends, others I gave to complete strangers, including a guy holding a sign that said “hungry and homeless”. Next time I’ll carry some forks with me.

Hi, Frank,
The pie is my secret. I didn’t intentionally time my secret to coincide with Thanksgiving, but it seems to be kismet. My heart is so full of joy that my grandma’s pie is going to be on Thanksgiving tables.

The post Petty Aunt Pie appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/petty-aunt-pie/

https://postsecret.com/?p=27718

post_secret_feed

Posted by Frank

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/classic-secrets-588/

https://postsecret.com/?p=51311

The post Classic Secrets appeared first on PostSecret.

https://postsecret.com/2025/11/30/classic-secrets-588/

https://postsecret.com/?p=51311

musesfool

I arrived at my sister's on Wednesday, just as she left to pick Baby Miss L up from school, so I got to spend an afternoon with her and my middle niece, who as previously mentioned, had to work on Thursday and wouldn't be joining the holiday dinner. We had a fantastic time - Baby Miss L opened her birthday presents and declared the clothes, "Cute!" She also liked the books - she can identify Batman on sight - "Batman!" - and also really liked "Peekaboo Who?" She played with the magnetic tiles I gave her, and then we had a Sesame Street-themed dance party. She also acted out "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" when it came on.

Thanksgiving dinner itself was also lovely, though since one of my cousins invited herself since she had nowhere else to go, we were better behaved than we might normally be.

I once again floated the idea of pajama Christmas, which my sister and niece were 100% into, but my brother-in-law was not, so unfortunately, much like apps and dessert Christmas (my other perennial suggestion that gets ignored), I don't think it's going to happen.

Then I came home yesterday morning and napped for like 3 hours, and then I watched the third period of the Rangers game and the Bears-Eagles game, so it was kind of a weird day - was it Friday? Was it Sunday? It was hard to tell.

I did finally open the box of mason jars I ordered to use for my work holiday gifts and realized I ordered 8oz jars instead of 16oz ones, so I only need half as many pecans as I thought. Which my wallet appreciates. I'm running the first set through the dishwasher, and then I need to do a test run of the recipe to make sure I know how to do it - the comments recommend using ziploc bags instead of bowls and that seems like a wise plan to me, but I also think maybe a bowl for the egg whites and a bag for the sugar might be the way to go, using a slotted spoon to transfer from bowl to bag.

We'll see how it goes.

*

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: Rangers vs Bolts on tv

marycatelli posting in

books

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's Vol. 6 by Matsuri Akai

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

( Read more... )

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Sam Carter
Rating: Unrated. I'd say, Teen.
Length: 8260
Content Notes: The author chose not to warn.

If you'd much rather know about major AO3 warnings and be spoiled for the reveal at the end, click the arrow at left. SPOILERS

John has died and it's his ghost or semi-ascended self keeping the team company on their memorial road trip. He's kind of in denial about this until the end, after which he ascends.

Creator Links: vain_glorious on AO3
Themes: Mystery and suspense, Road trips, Team, Friendship, AU: fork in the road

Summary: Following the events of 5X01, Team Sheppard goes to Earth and takes a roadtrip across the US.

Reccer's Notes: The team, plus newborn Torren, are back in the USA, travelling across the country and stopping at all John's favourite attractions. It should be a fun time, but they're all in unhappy moods and John can't get them to perk up at all. As the story progresses, we become aware that something's off, but it's hard to figure out what. The mystery's finally made clear in a possibly hopeful ending, depending on your point of view. It's not for those who don't like any darkness in their fics, but there's great characterisation and it's very well written, surprisingly funny at times, and the ending is powerful.

Fanwork Links: Unmanifest Destiny

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Tolkien: Lord of the Rings
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Boromir
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: traditional art (pastels)
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: electracution on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: A lovely pastel drawing of Boromir. I love the use of minimal colours, and the few very effective white highlights. Aced the likeness, too.
Link: Boromir

china_shop

Previous poll review
In the Making friends with chatbots poll, 66.1% of respondents hadn't used AI in the last seven days, as far as they were aware, and 8.9% had used it for work. A quarter of respondents had used it against their will. Once again, I'm left wondering how representative Dreamwidth denizens are. My people!

In ticky-boxes, alpine octopuses practising their yodelling came a distant second to hugs, 41.1% to 67.9%. Thank you for your votes!!

Reading
( Read more... )

Kdramas
( Read more... )

Other TV
( Read more... )

Audio entertainment
Tons of Tech Won't Save Us, which is really good. Argh, everything. /o\ Most of the available episodes of new Aotearoa NZ political podcast Cross Party Lines (in the vein of and inspired by The Rest is Politics), which is really good -- intelligent and informed, of course, and I appreciate that the right-wing representative has zero time for our current government. Writing Excuses. Letters from an American. One episode of Fansplaining. A couple of episodes of The Life Indigenous, and the start of an episode of The Tongue Unbroken: Language Revitalization & Decolonization.

Online life
Constantly running to keep up, partly because I haven't been around as much. | I need to not compare my Yuletide productivity with last year's -- finishing my assignment is enough! Anything else is jam. | The

sid_guardian Slo-Mo Guardian Rewatch continues to be wonderful!

Writing/making things
A few bits and pieces inspired by the Slo-Mo Rewatch, a few flashfics. It's time to roll up my sleeves and dig into my Yuletide fic: so far I have 360 words and a scene list. I'm in a reasonably good writing headspace, so I expect it to be fun ~~if I can keep from second-guessing my prose~~. *knock on wood*

Life/health/mental state things
( Read more... )

Link dump
Ryan Coogler gives a speech at Chadwick Boseman's posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony (via

minoanmiss) |

dyk-tv-theme-song | wordhippo.com is my current thesaurus of choice | The Old College Try (Feel Good (TV) fanvid) by

periru3 | Japanese heavy metal (who linked to this? the video is amazing) | From Now on I’m Taking All of My Storytelling Lessons From This Wild Epic About Love, Loyalty, and Necromancy by Kali Wallace (via

starandrea) | !!!!! Did you know you can search across all sign-ups for events on AO3? !!!! :D

Good things
Meerkats and kangas and lemurs, oh my! Sunshine. TV. Dumplings. Biking. Yuletide and Guardian. Dreamwidth. Haircuts (I had 8 months' worth cut off, and when I stood up, there was a MOUNTAIN of clippings on the floor). Coloured pencils. Podcasts. Libraries.

Poll #33888 Subscriptions

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 46

View Respondents

Have you cancelled any subscriptions for political reasons, lately?

View Answers

yes
13 (28.3%)

no, but I'm going to
0 (0.0%)

no, but I'm thinking about it
3 (6.5%)

no (too hard, don't have any, or other no)
23 (50.0%)

other
2 (4.3%)

grar at everything
16 (34.8%)

ticky-box full of hard copy media
18 (39.1%)

ticky-box full of instant gratification takes too long (Carrie Fisher)
16 (34.8%)

ticky-box full of lemurs locked together like lego pieces
14 (30.4%)

ticky-box full of the dishes are done!
14 (30.4%)

ticky-box full of fairies "helpfully" filling all your cups and mugs with snowdew and honeyflakes
15 (32.6%)

ticky-box full of hugs
31 (67.4%)

china_shop

Slo-Mo Rewatch post ✅
Yuletide assignment draft
media update post (or, as I generally refer to it in my notebook: MUp) ✅
attack email inbox/tabs
First Aid flashfic (started) ✅
draw something *struggles with the urge to disclaim this to the horizon and back* ✅

Already achieved: dishes;

fandomtrees signup submitted, tweaked, and re-tweaked (I'm not going to touch it again!) (NINE fandoms, whaaaat?).

Also, I took almost no zoo photos the other day (and none of the meerkats), but I did snap these.

A conspiracy of ring-tailed lemurs, tightly huddled.