fred_mouse: a small white animal of indeterminate species, the familiar of the Danger Mouse Evil Toad (startled)
([personal profile] fred_mouse Dec. 26th, 2025 06:40 pm)

I am a little bemused to discover that it is more than a week since I last posted. I am entirely failing to work out what has been going on. Surgery recovery seems to be going better than the first time, although there might be some contribution from the fact that staying nearly flat on my back is the best way to not irritate the pulled shoulder muscle.

The last two days have been having Weather! with yesterday's temperature (in the city, so 15km north) peaking at 43°C. Today is quite mellow; it is currently 20°C and I'm resenting the breeze for not being warm enough. We have, however, swapped the warm quilt/doona for the very thin one made by Artisanat's mother.

There are fires, with friends currently hosting parents who have been evacuated (D&F, D's parents, I believe). The gold mine at Boddington is listed as on fire. I am choosing to not go down the rabbit hole of working out what that means, although I suspect it is actually bushland on the same site that is on fire.

Youngest finished up their internship on Friday last week, and is beyond bored. Fortunately, they are reasonably good at keeping themself amused (although, if it weren't that all retail and hospitality work is already grabbed for the season and winding down, I suspect they would be out there trying to get another job).

I have been working on two low energy tasks - digital decluttering, and finishing books. Over in the Discord for the Habitica Book Club, I signed up for a bingo card with 16 books that I have abandoned ('paused') over the last however long. The challenge runs December/January, and I've finished three and progressed two. Which isn't really as much as I would like, but is well within the goal of 'make progress'. I probably won't get around to writing those up, and I'm kind of okay about that.

I do have a stack of other notes that might get turned into blog posts at some point, but I'm very much allowing life to just happen, and if the enthusiasm hits, that is a win.

As for uni: I took this week off entirely as recovery / summer break, and I'll go back (work from home) on Monday. I have to have a stack of my ethics application done by mid-January, and before that can be written I need to have a solid theoretical framework for what questions I want to ask. Which means reading about 50 papers next week ('reading').

Craft wise I have abandoned hope on getting Eldest's quilt top done by the end of the year. Not being allowed to do much with the right arm and having upset the shoulder has meant that sewing has been Too Hard. I do have thoughts about just getting the pieces cut though, and maybe I'll do that this evening.

nanila: me (Default)
([personal profile] nanila posting in [community profile] awesomeers Dec. 26th, 2025 08:09 am)
It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!
Fandom: Original Work, Christmas Tales & Traditions, Barbie
Pairings/Characters: OCs; a child & her faithful dolls.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 612
Content Notes: No Content Warnings Apply
Creator Tags: Barbie Dolls, Christmas, Christmas Tree

Creator Links: (AO3) [archiveofourown.org profile] Rubynye; (Dreamwidth) [personal profile] minoanmiss; (Tumblr) [tumblr.com profile] rubynye

Theme: Amnesty, Female Relationships, Action/Adventure, Comfort Fic, Female Friendships, Folklore & Fairytales, Teams

Summary: All around her spread the magnificent brilliance of the shining tree, its decorations alight and glittering.

Author’s Notes: Merry Christmas to my dear friend Amaebi!

Reccer's Notes: A little girl’s Barbie dolls come to life to keep her company on Christmas Eve. The author maintains a keenly lived-in sense of scale; acting as a team in the fashion of the Madagascar Penguins, the dolls scale the California redwood heights and marvel in the celestial lighting of the Christmas tree (while remaining vigilant against the approach of the Parents—or, worse, the Kitty!)

A nostalgic snapshot of the fierce Velveteen Rabbit Reality of our imaginary friends.

Fanwork Links: How to View a Christmas Tree, by [archiveofourown.org profile] Rubynye for [personal profile] amaebi.
Part 18 of How To Indulge Your Writerly Soul.
Fandom: Chen Qing Ling; A Christmas Carol
Pairings/Characters: Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Jin Guangshan, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Wen Ruohan, Background & Cameo Characters
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Length: 7,500
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, (although Jin Guangshan is his own content warning.)
Creator Tags: Minor Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Crack, Christmas Crack, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Jin Guangyao is gonna soften his dad's heart if it kills him, Jiang Cheng wasn't even supposed to be here today, Lan Wangji is only here for the snacks, (Wei Ying is the snack), Daddy Issues: The Play, It's WangXian but that's not the focus here

Creator Links: (AO3) [archiveofourown.org profile] Mikkeneko; (Tumblr) [tumblr.com profile] mikkeneko

Theme: Amnesty, Uncommon Settings, Crack, Crossovers/Fusions, Humor, Research, Trope Subversion & Inversion

Summary: It's Christmas Eve in the Jianghu, and Jin Guangyao is determined to show his father the meaning of charity and generosity and the brotherhood of man if it kills him.

(It will.)


Author’s Notes: You know, throughout this fandom I've seen fans extend grace towards all sorts of morally grey characters. There are Xue Yang stans, Su She truthers, Wen Ruohan fuckers and Meng Yao apologists, I've even seen Jin Zixun have something like a redemption arc! But the one thing I've never, ever seen is a redemption story for Jin Guangshan.

This fic isn't one either.

… Thanks for reading! I'm so sorry.

I referenced this copy of Charles Dickens' ACC while writing this fic. How come nobody told me Dickens was such a fuckin' comedian? The adaptations only ever quote the dramatic lines.


Reccer's Notes: This is one of the most meticulous, erudite, and considered pieces of crack I’ve ever read; the characters themselves are constantly lampshading the incompatibility of the crossover. Mikkeneko manages, somehow, to keep everyone in character while shoehorned into the Christmas Carol roles and to transpose this Christian morality play into the context of a Xianxia China unbothered by missionaries—demonstrating a thorough understanding of both the canons she’s Frankenstitched together. There’s a smidgen of Shakespeare in there too; the Christmas Carol scenario is a stage play, presented by Jin Guangyao in a Hamletesque ploy to lay a ruler’s sins bare.

Fanwork Links: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35699251
full_metal_ox: A gold Chinese Metal Ox zodiac charm. (Default)
([personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] fancake Dec. 18th, 2025 06:21 am)
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairings/Characters: F/M; Emily Prentiss/Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/Jennifer "JJ" Jareau; Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Henry LaMontagne, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: 50,833
Content Notes: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, bittersweet ending, canon-typical violence, colorism, period-characteristic prevalence of smoking, period-characteristic attitudes toward mental illness, PTSD, war-typical gore
Creator Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Everybody's Looking Sharp, Get Some Benny Goodman on the Radio, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Author is a Research Nerd, And Not Ashamed of It Either, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Alternate Universe - 1940s
Creator Links: (AO3) [archiveofourown.org profile] mosylu, (Dreamwidth) [personal profile] mosylu, (FF.net) [fanfiction.net profile] mosylu, (Tumblr) [tumblr.com profile] mosylufanfic

Theme: Amnesty, Mystery & Suspense, Uncommon Settings, Casefic, Characters of Color, FANCAKE IS FIFTEEN, Fandom Classics, Historical AUs, Research, Women Being Awesome

Summary: Historical AU. In 1947 New York, a motley group of strangers are about to come face-to-face with the idea that you can catch a criminal from within his own mind.

Author’s Notes: Honestly, this came about because of Garcia's hair. Yes, Garcia's hair. Follow me here. There was an episode where she was wearing it in this marvelous retro-40's do, and I started picturing how she'd look in a whole 40's ensemble. And then I started picturing the entire cast in 40's styles. (Boy howdy, would it suit Reid, and Morgan would rock a fedora like nobody's business.) Then I started thinking about how different their lives would have been sixty years ago, and then the social and cultural upheaval of an entire nation coming back from WWII, and . . . well . . . enjoy.

Historical Note: Shell shock was the World War I term, and battle fatigue the WWII term, for what we now call PTSD.


Reccer's Notes: A post-WWII noir mystery AU in which an oddly assorted bunch of cops, academics, veterans, and civilians, coordinated by their friendly neighborhood reference librarian and gossip networker, band together to solve some violent local crimes—and proceed to pioneer criminal profiling in the process.

(When this fic debuted in October 2010, the mystery of Reid’s chronic migraines was an ongoing canon subplot; this setting provides a ruthlessly plausible explanation. That’s all I’m going to say.)

Fanwork Links:
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3161369
Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6391786/1/War-Crimes
bitterlawngnome: (Default)
([personal profile] bitterlawngnome Dec. 25th, 2025 01:28 pm)
Happy Christmas if you're celebrating!

The first orchid pictured here, the Calypso, gave me one of the best "miracles" of the year. Despite having lived in their native range my entire life, I'd never seen them - they won't grow on disturbed soil, that is, anywhere that's been logged - and where they *do* grow, people pick them (don't get me started). But in one wonderful trip with the fam to Pemberton, BC, they were growing plentifully in an accessible location. It's like meeting a phoenix or a dragon, to me.

a tiny orchid photographed up close - five petals and sepals rise from the top of the flower, all red violet with deeper stripes of the same colour; the labellum tc below are white with maroom spots; the BG is blury leaves
Calypso bulbosa
©Bill Pusztai 2025



as above but with the leaves of some other plant in the composition
Calypso bulbosa 9348
©Bill Pusztai 2025



A very exotic looking paph with an upright and a down-pointing petal.sepal, gold striped with deep red; the lateral sepals/petals dotted instead of stiped, hirsute; the labellum a more subdued version o fthe same colours
Paphiopedilum 'Saint Swithin' (P. philippinense x P. rothschildianum) 6434
©Bill Pusztai 2025



as the above, but the verticals are white striped green, the laterals green spotted red, and the labellum veined red
Paphiopedilum sukhakulii 4832
©Bill Pusztai 2025



a profile of the bloom, with icy green sepals and petals with a splash of red-violet at the throat, labellum and column deep violet and yellow, some roots in the BG
Phalaenopsis bellina fma coerulea 0634
©Bill Pusztai 2025



as above
Phalaenopsis bellina fma coerulea 0858.
©Bill Pusztai 2025



This Phrag is the first of the genus I've ever managed to bloom. I killed several of them by overfertilizing - they want weak fertilizer and between fertilizings they must be flushed through with plain water to avoid any sort of salt buildup. Otherwise they start to die back from the leaf tips.

Labellum inflated, very round, pink on the outside, white on the inside, psotted pink; the uproight and lateral petals/sepals white washed with the same pink
Phragmipedium 'Ecuagenera Dream' (P. Sedenii × P. kovachii, Ecuagenera 2017) 0613
©Bill Pusztai 2025



as above
Phragmipedium 'Ecuagenera Dream' (P. Sedenii x P. kovachii, Ecuagenera 2017) 8801
©Bill Pusztai 2025

([personal profile] cosmolinguist Dec. 25th, 2025 06:48 pm)

My alarm went off this morning (only at ten, but I needed it) to make sure I was up in time to walk Teddy before his humans were away for their Christmas lunch.

I thought I was the first person to make it downatairs this morning but while I was just getting to the bottom of the stairs I was already greeted by [personal profile] angelofthenorth already in her usual comfy chair saying "Merry Christmas! Do you want some bucks fizz?" (Which is basically a pre-made mimosa. Luckily I'd been reminded of this recently by being offered it after the ceremony at the wedding we were at a few weeks ago; I'd been able to ask D then to remind me what it is.)

It's a lovely Christmas morning: chilly but not cold, usually pretty sunny, and dry.

It had been a week or so since Teddy and I had seen each other so we were both very excited to do so again.

On our walk, we saw a young probably-dad-type person heading to the recycling bin in front of his house with an armful of cardboard, the boxes already broken down. We grinned a greeting at each other.

A few houses down, a woman in pajamas and a big scarf was just trying to nip out to her car in front of the house, but since Teddy wants to say hello to everyone (human or dog) and assumes every human wants to pet him, so I couldn't drag him past her before she gave in and ruffled his ears and said "Merry Christmas" to me.

As we were leaving the park, I noticed we'd just been joined by two kids with the kind of lightsabers that make the noise when you hit them against each other, and a little scotty dog that I know is called Biscuit because they were getting told off/called over when they were ignoring the humans to say hello to Teddy.

I got home, opening the door to the lovely smells of [personal profile] angelofthenorth already well into the process of cooking our amazing Christmas dinner.

([syndicated profile] koonj_feed Dec. 25th, 2025 05:52 pm)

Posted by Shabana Mir

Spending time with an aging parent is punctuated by recurrent stabs of pain. Because you’re made constantly aware of how your mother used to be, and how changed she is. Every time she forgets, or limps, or you catch her gazing at you sadly, you are suddenly shocked by how much has been lost.

It’s not just me: she also has “past me” in her vision. She often doesn’t quite recall that I am now in my late 50s. When I’m with her, she frequently is reminded of how I have chronic conditions, and is upset by these reminders. We missed a lot of time together.

So I stay upbeat to spare her pain. She says I bring raunaq to the home. Liveliness. I am jokester, for sure: I put up a show for people. Now especially, I allow no melancholy to seep into my time with her. I am diligently upbeat. Though I am naturally melancholy, I force myself to be cheerful all day.

When the sun is shining brightly, and I’m reading Qur’an outside by the orange tree, and the birds are singing, it’s easier to be cheerful. When the light dims, it’s harder.

It doesn’t help that I don’t have my routine. My stuff. My cereal and oatmilk. My couch. My TV shows.

I haven’t watched any of my usual shows since I left Chicago. I don’t even eat my usual food. My body is confused: when I try to enjoy a treat like some Skittles or Starburst – my mouth doesn’t enjoy them. I force them down, and it doesn’t work. I eat only home food and boiled water but traveler’s diarrhea continues. My body and mind and heart are between my different lives.

I almost chickened out and thought, maybe I should return early. After all, my family misses me (I think?) Thank God for a friend who reminded me to hold it. To stay the course. To drink in the love even if it comes with pain.

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([personal profile] susandennis Dec. 25th, 2025 07:46 am)
I'm sitting here at my table looking out across the trees (I'm on a hill). It's darker than usual today, not light enough yet to see if it's clouds causing the dark but I suspect it is. Thank you, clouds. I love these dark mornings so much. The other night the little chirpy weather girl (still many years away from being a woman) said that this was the longest day of the year and soon we'd have 18 hours of daylight. Shut Up, Bitch. I know she's not wrong but does she have to throw it in my face???

Oh turns out to be clouds and fog. A double gift.

The cats got up before I did and were quite interested in breakfast, ate a bunch of it, and are now back in their closet fast asleep.

I think I'm going to suit up and go for a swim and then come home and enjoy the rest of the day. I have plenty to keep me amused. I have food aplenty. No need for any peopling. A very lovely Christmas.

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