Merry and bright.
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ashkittyOutside revisiting old fics, I've been at my parents for the better part of a week. It's been a lot of work, but I love Christmas and I love my family, so I'm happy to be able to do things for them.
My mom got to come home today. After the long-term care hospital she was in a skilled nursing facility for a while, getting OT and PT to build her strength back up. Recovery takes a long time (I read somewhere you should assume a month of recovery for every week you were bedridden - I don't expect this to take a whole seven years, but it's fine if it's slow going for a while). She's still in a wheelchair a lot of the time and likely will be for a while. We went to church, and everyone was very kind. The point is that she's home for Christmas, which is the one thing I wanted most.
Nadolig llawen, friends. I hope you all have whatever sort of holiday you like best.
My mom got to come home today. After the long-term care hospital she was in a skilled nursing facility for a while, getting OT and PT to build her strength back up. Recovery takes a long time (I read somewhere you should assume a month of recovery for every week you were bedridden - I don't expect this to take a whole seven years, but it's fine if it's slow going for a while). She's still in a wheelchair a lot of the time and likely will be for a while. We went to church, and everyone was very kind. The point is that she's home for Christmas, which is the one thing I wanted most.
Nadolig llawen, friends. I hope you all have whatever sort of holiday you like best.
Holiday baked goods!
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 11:13 pmmistressofmusesI spent much of the last two days doing my holiday baking!
I am always torn between my love of the end result and the frustration I experience while actually doing it, haha. This year, the enjoyment did win out, which is nice!
It helped that I split some of the labor-intensive parts up, as much as I could. A lot of what ends up frustrating me is just how much my back ends up hurting after I've been standing for long enough.
Yule logs!
These were more cooperative this year than some. The dough is really stiff and a bit of a struggle to get together, but it actually rolled out a lot better than it often does. This year we also had higher-quality spices, and the flavor is really good!
Kolaches!
Alex picked peach and raspberry for the flavors this year. This dough is definitely the worst: it's so extremely sticky and elastic. The recipe calls for 2.5 inch squares... which you can actively watch immediately shrink once you cut them out, as the dough contracts. (It made for a very ugly first batch, haha.) I ended up having to cut the squares and then re-roll them, which did turn out nicer, but was an annoying extra step.
Kahlua truffles!
The last time I made truffles, I swore I would not be making them again, because they were such a pain. But that was years ago, and I decided to give them another go. While not perfect, they were far less frustrating than I remember. I wore gloves instead of rolling them with my bare hands and that was a game-changer, ha.
Today, my mom and Taylor made one of our classic family holiday cookies:
"Bird's nests!"
(I was at work, so did not help with these.) We call them bird's nests, though they're just a type of thumbprint cookie. I can't ever make them at home, because Alex is allergic to nuts. I'll enjoy them while I'm here! (And they are always careful to use separate pans and utensils for anything containing nuts.)
And this evening we all made:
Molasses cookies!
Possibly my favorite of all. Warm, soft, delicious... It was a group effort, and well worth it.
Happy Christmas Eve (minutes before midnight)!
I am always torn between my love of the end result and the frustration I experience while actually doing it, haha. This year, the enjoyment did win out, which is nice!
It helped that I split some of the labor-intensive parts up, as much as I could. A lot of what ends up frustrating me is just how much my back ends up hurting after I've been standing for long enough.
Yule logs!
These were more cooperative this year than some. The dough is really stiff and a bit of a struggle to get together, but it actually rolled out a lot better than it often does. This year we also had higher-quality spices, and the flavor is really good!
Kolaches!
Alex picked peach and raspberry for the flavors this year. This dough is definitely the worst: it's so extremely sticky and elastic. The recipe calls for 2.5 inch squares... which you can actively watch immediately shrink once you cut them out, as the dough contracts. (It made for a very ugly first batch, haha.) I ended up having to cut the squares and then re-roll them, which did turn out nicer, but was an annoying extra step.
Kahlua truffles!
The last time I made truffles, I swore I would not be making them again, because they were such a pain. But that was years ago, and I decided to give them another go. While not perfect, they were far less frustrating than I remember. I wore gloves instead of rolling them with my bare hands and that was a game-changer, ha.
Today, my mom and Taylor made one of our classic family holiday cookies:
"Bird's nests!"
(I was at work, so did not help with these.) We call them bird's nests, though they're just a type of thumbprint cookie. I can't ever make them at home, because Alex is allergic to nuts. I'll enjoy them while I'm here! (And they are always careful to use separate pans and utensils for anything containing nuts.)
And this evening we all made:
Molasses cookies!
Possibly my favorite of all. Warm, soft, delicious... It was a group effort, and well worth it.
Happy Christmas Eve (minutes before midnight)!
12 Days (til) Christmas Day 12
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 10:45 pmashkittyDay 12! We made it!
We end where we began, with Star Trek. This is the first K/S Advent fic I wrote, and the most enduring. I loved being able to make a world that is completely strange, completely alien, and to give the Enterprise a mission where while there is danger, there’s nothing trying to attack or harm them. Space is dangerous, but also wondrous, and the crew should get to enjoy that sometimes.
Snowflakes (Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/Spock, G)
‘Spock was already pulling out his tricorder. "It appears to be...life, Jim. Plant life," he said slowly. Spock had a lot of ways of speaking slowly. There was the way that meant he was thinking, and the way that meant he was thinking Jim was an idiot. There was a way that meant he was absolutely determined not to laugh, and a way that meant he was still processing something shocking. This was a new one, though, Jim thought. It was almost wonder.’
Song: O Holy Night
Rec: Wizards in Winter by Vibishan (Calvin & Hobbes/Young Wizards, G)
The one where Calvin becomes a wizard. I don't know what else to say about it beyond that - but look, you know (if you know Young Wizards) that the younger the wizard, the more raw power. And that wizards are offered the Oath when they're needed. Anyway, I knew from the beginning this was the rec I wanted to end on.
Merry Christmas.đđâď¸
Back to Day 11.
We end where we began, with Star Trek. This is the first K/S Advent fic I wrote, and the most enduring. I loved being able to make a world that is completely strange, completely alien, and to give the Enterprise a mission where while there is danger, there’s nothing trying to attack or harm them. Space is dangerous, but also wondrous, and the crew should get to enjoy that sometimes.
Snowflakes (Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/Spock, G)
‘Spock was already pulling out his tricorder. "It appears to be...life, Jim. Plant life," he said slowly. Spock had a lot of ways of speaking slowly. There was the way that meant he was thinking, and the way that meant he was thinking Jim was an idiot. There was a way that meant he was absolutely determined not to laugh, and a way that meant he was still processing something shocking. This was a new one, though, Jim thought. It was almost wonder.’
Song: O Holy Night
Rec: Wizards in Winter by Vibishan (Calvin & Hobbes/Young Wizards, G)
The one where Calvin becomes a wizard. I don't know what else to say about it beyond that - but look, you know (if you know Young Wizards) that the younger the wizard, the more raw power. And that wizards are offered the Oath when they're needed. Anyway, I knew from the beginning this was the rec I wanted to end on.
Merry Christmas.đđâď¸
Back to Day 11.
wednesday christmas eve books
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 11:31 pmlandofnowherePride and Prejudice, play adaptation by Sherwood Smith (sartorias) of the Jane Austen novel. Thank you sartorias for letting us read your adaptation of P&P originally performed by high school students! It did a really good job of condensing the plot while leaving in some dialogue that adaptations often leave out, and it was funny!
Much Ado About Numbers, Rob Eastaway. I picked this up again and finished it, but found that the bits that I'd already read were the most interesting to me. I found this book to be strongest when it was explaining the technology level of Shakespeare's time, and weakest when it was going into speculative interpretations of Shakespeare. (Though some of the theories it admitted were too far out there, like the joking theory that Cassio the "great arithmetician" might have inspired the naming of the Casio calculator.)
Alice James: Her brothers, her journal, edited by Alice Robeson Burr. I recently learned about Alice James, sister of the better known late 19th century American intellectuals Willam and Henry James, and was interested enough to pick up her diary. This book also contains Alice Robeson Burr's essay on the James family, which had some interesting tidbits that led to my learning more about forgotten 19th century American women intelectuals, like Mary Moody Emerson, aunt of and inspiration to the better-known Ralph Waldo, and Sarah Alden Bradford Ripley, of which Burr writes "In those days and communities, there was always a woman who read Greek, and in Concord it was Mrs. Ripley who had this distinction."
I'm about halfway through Alice James's diary ; being a diary (and without contextual footnotes) it is slow going although it does have some good passages writing about her chronic illness and other things.
St. Helios, Alice Robeson Burr. The diary being slow going, I decided to look into what else Anna Robeson Burr had published -- she was a prolific popular novelist, and encountered this entertainingly snarky review of her novel St. Helios, which was enough to get me to pick it up. I found it to be very readable but ultimately disappointing novel. It is set in 1920 and centers on the triangle between an aristocratic British poet who is both a relic of the Victorian era and a Byronic figure, his illegimate daughter, and the American lawyer who falls in love with both (though the book is not that slashy). The daughter starts out as the most interesting of the three main characters, but halfway through she gets a change of heart and moves from manipulative schemer to damsel in distress. After reading, I found two more contemporary reviews of this book, which are just as entertaining as the NYT review.
sartorias) of the Jane Austen novel. Thank you sartorias for letting us read your adaptation of P&P originally performed by high school students! It did a really good job of condensing the plot while leaving in some dialogue that adaptations often leave out, and it was funny!Much Ado About Numbers, Rob Eastaway. I picked this up again and finished it, but found that the bits that I'd already read were the most interesting to me. I found this book to be strongest when it was explaining the technology level of Shakespeare's time, and weakest when it was going into speculative interpretations of Shakespeare. (Though some of the theories it admitted were too far out there, like the joking theory that Cassio the "great arithmetician" might have inspired the naming of the Casio calculator.)
Alice James: Her brothers, her journal, edited by Alice Robeson Burr. I recently learned about Alice James, sister of the better known late 19th century American intellectuals Willam and Henry James, and was interested enough to pick up her diary. This book also contains Alice Robeson Burr's essay on the James family, which had some interesting tidbits that led to my learning more about forgotten 19th century American women intelectuals, like Mary Moody Emerson, aunt of and inspiration to the better-known Ralph Waldo, and Sarah Alden Bradford Ripley, of which Burr writes "In those days and communities, there was always a woman who read Greek, and in Concord it was Mrs. Ripley who had this distinction."
I'm about halfway through Alice James's diary ; being a diary (and without contextual footnotes) it is slow going although it does have some good passages writing about her chronic illness and other things.
St. Helios, Alice Robeson Burr. The diary being slow going, I decided to look into what else Anna Robeson Burr had published -- she was a prolific popular novelist, and encountered this entertainingly snarky review of her novel St. Helios, which was enough to get me to pick it up. I found it to be very readable but ultimately disappointing novel. It is set in 1920 and centers on the triangle between an aristocratic British poet who is both a relic of the Victorian era and a Byronic figure, his illegimate daughter, and the American lawyer who falls in love with both (though the book is not that slashy). The daughter starts out as the most interesting of the three main characters, but halfway through she gets a change of heart and moves from manipulative schemer to damsel in distress. After reading, I found two more contemporary reviews of this book, which are just as entertaining as the NYT review.
Plates will shift and the earth will groan
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 11:20 pmsovayHow did it get to be Christmas Eve? Are we sure? This year has been hard to believe in. I fell asleep in front of the decorated tree. Merry Erev Christmas.
Yuletide! :DD
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 03:42 pmhamsterwomanYuletide has revealed! (a bit more than intended, LOL, but everything appears to be back in order now, thanks to some swift manual workarounds by the mods! ♥)
I got two wonderful fics, which both really, really surprised me. I was convinced that I was getting a Rivers of London fic, because when my gift popped up, that was the only fandom I had requested with stories, and there was a RoL fic that fit what I had requested, which had recently appeared, so of course I figured it was mine. Then a treat popped up the night before reveals, and the fandoms were unchanged, so I figured it had to be another RoL fic⌠except Varvara wasnât tagged in more than one fic, so I was very puzzled. Until I remembered/realized that Lady Eveâs Last Con would not have been wrangled yet, so, OK, my treat was probably that. But it never for a second occurred to me that my main gift could ALSO be Lady Eveâs Last Con, so I was completely blindsided by it:
Forgetting is Musical (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Esteben Mendez-Yuki & Sol Mendez-Yuki, Esteban Mendez-Yuki/Jules Johnson
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Sol Mendez-Yuki, Ruthi Johnson
Summary:
It is a set of Esteban-centric vignettes, pre- and post-canon, and through this format it manages to fit pretty much ALL of my letter prompts into a single elegant package (all the more impressive because I know it was a late pinch hit). I loved getting a glimpse of the roots (heh) of Estebanâs interest in soil, the light humor, complicated family stuff, the abiding but very sibling-y love of his relationship with Sol, and a hopeful ending, the whole of it very poignant and warm.
I also absolutely loved my treat, which was indeed also Lady Eveâs Last Con, but still surprised me because it was for the crossover prompt I never expected to get, because Iâve been prompting crossovers since my very first Yuletide, in every fandom, and have never gotten any, until now! And not just a crossover between fandoms, but the specific crossover prompt that had greatly amused me when I was reflecting on the book:
Natural Habitats (2161 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow, Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Mark Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
This was such a fun fic! The crossover works perfectly, the universes blended seamlessly, the fun of the premise itself â but Iâd posited it offhandedly, as a cracky plot idea, and my author took it deeper, into excellent character work where Mark and Esteban can relate to each other in interesting ways. And I love this Estebanâs POV, and his awkward flailing at an academic conference, and the uplifting win-win ending.
(It appears from the comments that it is entirely possible to enjoy this fic with only Vorkosigan Saga knowledge, so, yâall who are Vorkosiverse fans should go do that, and then you should read Lady Eveâs Last Con, and read the other fic too ;)
Anyway, so, both fics were a blast, in highly complementary ways. And Iâm so pleased that Lady Eve fic now exists in the archive! :D
And I got a very nice comment from my recipient within an hour of the collection opening, so, Yuletide is being very good to me :D
Also, itâs nice to be able to read my gift(s) and comment immediately, instead of reading them either while falling asleep or still bleary pre-coffee, so Iâm a fan of this new reveal time.
*
In non-Yuletide news â Merry Christmas to friends who celebrate! Or actually, Merry Krysa-mouse!
(Backstory is that B made a joke, pronouncing "Merry Christmas" as "Merry Krysa-mas" and then L took it a step further to "Merry Krysa-mouse" [krysa = rat, for the non-Russian-speakers]. Of course, I embraced this new holiday, and was even compelled to illustrate it. You are looking at the pinnacle of my artistic ability, y'all. Drawn from "life" -- i.e. a rubber Halloween rat (which is no more, as it melted/disintegrated several years ago -- horrifying pictures available upon request) and a box of mouse finger puppets.)
We are having a quiet day after a very active Tuesday and before Bâs return tomorrow, so Iâm going to enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit :)
I got two wonderful fics, which both really, really surprised me. I was convinced that I was getting a Rivers of London fic, because when my gift popped up, that was the only fandom I had requested with stories, and there was a RoL fic that fit what I had requested, which had recently appeared, so of course I figured it was mine. Then a treat popped up the night before reveals, and the fandoms were unchanged, so I figured it had to be another RoL fic⌠except Varvara wasnât tagged in more than one fic, so I was very puzzled. Until I remembered/realized that Lady Eveâs Last Con would not have been wrangled yet, so, OK, my treat was probably that. But it never for a second occurred to me that my main gift could ALSO be Lady Eveâs Last Con, so I was completely blindsided by it:
Forgetting is Musical (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Esteben Mendez-Yuki & Sol Mendez-Yuki, Esteban Mendez-Yuki/Jules Johnson
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Sol Mendez-Yuki, Ruthi Johnson
Summary:
Intimacy is a name given to an infinite distance.
Esteban has a few more things to learn.
It is a set of Esteban-centric vignettes, pre- and post-canon, and through this format it manages to fit pretty much ALL of my letter prompts into a single elegant package (all the more impressive because I know it was a late pinch hit). I loved getting a glimpse of the roots (heh) of Estebanâs interest in soil, the light humor, complicated family stuff, the abiding but very sibling-y love of his relationship with Sol, and a hopeful ending, the whole of it very poignant and warm.
I also absolutely loved my treat, which was indeed also Lady Eveâs Last Con, but still surprised me because it was for the crossover prompt I never expected to get, because Iâve been prompting crossovers since my very first Yuletide, in every fandom, and have never gotten any, until now! And not just a crossover between fandoms, but the specific crossover prompt that had greatly amused me when I was reflecting on the book:
Natural Habitats (2161 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow, Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Mark Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Esteban escapes New Monte for an academic conference on Escobar, where he receives an intriguing business proposal.
This was such a fun fic! The crossover works perfectly, the universes blended seamlessly, the fun of the premise itself â but Iâd posited it offhandedly, as a cracky plot idea, and my author took it deeper, into excellent character work where Mark and Esteban can relate to each other in interesting ways. And I love this Estebanâs POV, and his awkward flailing at an academic conference, and the uplifting win-win ending.
(It appears from the comments that it is entirely possible to enjoy this fic with only Vorkosigan Saga knowledge, so, yâall who are Vorkosiverse fans should go do that, and then you should read Lady Eveâs Last Con, and read the other fic too ;)
Anyway, so, both fics were a blast, in highly complementary ways. And Iâm so pleased that Lady Eve fic now exists in the archive! :D
And I got a very nice comment from my recipient within an hour of the collection opening, so, Yuletide is being very good to me :D
Also, itâs nice to be able to read my gift(s) and comment immediately, instead of reading them either while falling asleep or still bleary pre-coffee, so Iâm a fan of this new reveal time.
*
In non-Yuletide news â Merry Christmas to friends who celebrate! Or actually, Merry Krysa-mouse!
(Backstory is that B made a joke, pronouncing "Merry Christmas" as "Merry Krysa-mas" and then L took it a step further to "Merry Krysa-mouse" [krysa = rat, for the non-Russian-speakers]. Of course, I embraced this new holiday, and was even compelled to illustrate it. You are looking at the pinnacle of my artistic ability, y'all. Drawn from "life" -- i.e. a rubber Halloween rat (which is no more, as it melted/disintegrated several years ago -- horrifying pictures available upon request) and a box of mouse finger puppets.)
We are having a quiet day after a very active Tuesday and before Bâs return tomorrow, so Iâm going to enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit :)
My Yuletide gift: The Spear Cuts Through Water fic
Thursday, 25 December 2025 11:29 amchina_shopI received an utterly gorgeous, poetic post-canon moment between Keema and Jun, and I love every single word. If you know the canon, please check it out!!
After the Moon Rose Anew (1048 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keema of the Daware Tribe/Jun Ossa
Characters: Keema of the Daware Tribe (The Spear Cuts Through Water), Jun Ossa
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Introspection
Summary:
After the Moon Rose Anew (1048 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keema of the Daware Tribe/Jun Ossa
Characters: Keema of the Daware Tribe (The Spear Cuts Through Water), Jun Ossa
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Introspection
Summary:
After the curtains close on the Inverted Theater, there are still moments of interest in the lives of these two young heroes who are no longer gods but mortals seeking contentment in their second lives.
This is one such moment.
Yuletide 2025 gift
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 05:14 pmellen_fremedonHappy Yuletide! I got an excellent Impromptu fic from my Mystery Writer!
la femme comme il (en) faut (3283 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Impromptu (1991), 19th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: George Sand (1804-1876), Franz Liszt, Eugène Delacroix, Duchess Claudette dâAntan, Pauline Viardot, Gustav Courbet
Additional Tags: french romantic era, Misses Clause Challenge
Summary:
A story about hanging out with artists, highly recommended for anyone who likes hanging out with artists. Thank you so much, mystery writer!
And I wrote one story this year. I will make my usual offer of a drabble to anyone who guesses it before reveals, but this is basically me offering a drabble to everyone, because boy howdy is it obvious which story is mine.
la femme comme il (en) faut (3283 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Impromptu (1991), 19th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: George Sand (1804-1876), Franz Liszt, Eugène Delacroix, Duchess Claudette dâAntan, Pauline Viardot, Gustav Courbet
Additional Tags: french romantic era, Misses Clause Challenge
Summary:
âThat Duchess, whatâs her name, is at your door,â remarked Liszt, looking down into the street. It was a nasty, windy November afternoon, with rubbish scudding down the avenues and rain threatening in the east, terrible for making calls. âThe one with a thing for artists.â
âOh, balls,â George said, and threw down her hookah pipe.
A story about hanging out with artists, highly recommended for anyone who likes hanging out with artists. Thank you so much, mystery writer!
And I wrote one story this year. I will make my usual offer of a drabble to anyone who guesses it before reveals, but this is basically me offering a drabble to everyone, because boy howdy is it obvious which story is mine.
Happy Yuletide!
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 01:03 pmrachelmanijaThe Yuletide collection is live!
Enjoy browsing the collection! Leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoy a story! Comment here to recommend stories, and/or recommend them at the![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yuletide comm!
I have three stories in the collection. Can you find them?
I shall now spend the rest of the day cuddling with my cats and reading Yuletide stories.
Enjoy browsing the collection! Leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoy a story! Comment here to recommend stories, and/or recommend them at the
yuletide comm!I have three stories in the collection. Can you find them?
I shall now spend the rest of the day cuddling with my cats and reading Yuletide stories.
Books I've Read: January-April 2025
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 11:52 amhrjIt's going to be a bit trickier to create this post while visiting at my Dad's place since my process involves three different windows (spreadsheet of reading notes, Dreamwidth entry, and database for finished reviews) which I can normally pull up on different screens.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher -- (audio) The plot is...well, letâs call it âallusive ofâ rather than âbased onâ the fairy tale of the goose girl and her talking horse. Thereâs a horribly abusive mother (whose comeuppance is similar to the climax of my fairy tale The Language of Roses), a sympathetic ingenue, and a lovely second-chance romance involving an older woman (a Kingfisher specialty). Big content notice for violence and coercion. It's a very painful story, so I'm not sure that "enjoyable" is the right description, but I'm glad I read it.
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott -- (audio) I was exploring some sale books to see if I could find any interesting historic mysteries and thought this book looked interesting. Itâs set between the World Wars and involves two old school chumsâ-one an English spinster and one an American adventuressâ-who stumble into several mysteries. Itâs a pleasant enough mystery, though I was unwarrantedly hoping for a touch more sapphic subtext, along the lines of Miss Buncleâs Book.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf -- (audio) Picked up from an audiobook sale, in part because I'd done an interview where the interviewee made the assumption that of course every feminist has read Woolf and I realized I hadn't. A Room of One's Own is broadly about the difficulties of being a woman writer. Pair this classic with Joanna Russâs How To Suppress Womenâs Writing and then sink into a deep depression about how little has changed since those books were written.
All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny -- (audio) A pleasant enough medieval f/f romance with competent prose, but the historic grounding is exceedingly thin and occasionally annoying. Horses aren't cars. Parchment isn't post-its. Village brewers don't work at industrial scale. It wasnât a matter of large inaccuracies, but of a constant flow of small details that kept distracting me from the endearing main characters. This book is a follow-on from her previous one which focused on a gay male couple. The two stories are connected by family ties.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older -- (audio) The second in a sapphic space-mystery series. These are novellas set in a colony constructed around Jupiter after humanity fled an uninhabitable Earth. Murder mysteries get solved by a detective and academic duo who are also negotiating a revival of their romance. The books are enjoyable and have a fun time grounding the mysteries in the worldbuilding.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker -- (audio) I finally got around to reading this highly praised book, which came out a number of years ago. The novel asks the question: can a naĂŻve and brilliant golem who has lost her immigrant master on the voyage to America, and a metal-working Jinni newly freed from magical entrapment find their way together in early 20th century New York and foil the schemes of the sorcerer who wants to re-enslave them both? This was beautiful and heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant and I donât know what took me so long to come back to it, given that Iâve owned a hard copy since it first came out.
Gentleman Jack by Anne Choma -- (audio) I donât usually consume books for the lesbian history blog via audiobook -- it makes it hard to take notes! It made sense in this case because itâs more of a narrative history rather than a scholarly analysis. This is a narrative history of Anne Listerâs life between November 1831 and March 1834, the period covered by the tv series Gentleman Jack. The book was written specifically as a companion to the tv series, giving the actual details of Anneâs life during that period, which differ in various details from the tv series. (The tv series both omitted and invented significant details.) Interspersed in the narrative are extensive quotes from Anneâs diaries. The account is very readable and will give you a solid background of Anneâs life and times. It is neither a scholarly historical analysis (for that, you might try Jill Liddington) nor an extensive and contextualized survey of significant portions of the diaries (for which you want Helena Whitbread). But it hits a sweet spot for the general reader. And if youâre a fan of the tv series, it makes an interesting âcompare and contrastâ to understand how history gets adapted for the requirements of drama.
The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison -- (audio) I think this finishes up the Cemetaries of Amalo series, set in the same universe as The Goblin Emperor. As with previous books in the series, there are a number of plot threads that braid together in the resolution. Our protagonist, a "witness for the dead" who can communicate with dead souls finds himself representing a murdered dragon. One of the other major plot threads about an escaped insurgent ties back in at the climax in a way that feels a little too convenient. And there's a surprising twist to a hinted-at romance arc that's been developing across the series.
The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan -- (audio) I've read several Courtney Milan historic romances in the past, with mixed impressions. This one worked very well for me, centering around Victorian-era feminist movements and one of her favorite tropes: aristocrats who are desperately trying to escape their fate. But the reason I picked it up was for the very-much-background sapphic romance that has been slipped into the cracks of the main story.
I was originally going to do just January and February in this post, but then there were only two books I finished in March, and none in April, so it made sense to expand the official scope. (April was, of course, my last month on the job and I was a bit distracted.) Looking ahead in the spreadsheet, I may do another four-month set in the next post and then do one post each for the final four months of the year, based on numbers.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher -- (audio) The plot is...well, letâs call it âallusive ofâ rather than âbased onâ the fairy tale of the goose girl and her talking horse. Thereâs a horribly abusive mother (whose comeuppance is similar to the climax of my fairy tale The Language of Roses), a sympathetic ingenue, and a lovely second-chance romance involving an older woman (a Kingfisher specialty). Big content notice for violence and coercion. It's a very painful story, so I'm not sure that "enjoyable" is the right description, but I'm glad I read it.
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott -- (audio) I was exploring some sale books to see if I could find any interesting historic mysteries and thought this book looked interesting. Itâs set between the World Wars and involves two old school chumsâ-one an English spinster and one an American adventuressâ-who stumble into several mysteries. Itâs a pleasant enough mystery, though I was unwarrantedly hoping for a touch more sapphic subtext, along the lines of Miss Buncleâs Book.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf -- (audio) Picked up from an audiobook sale, in part because I'd done an interview where the interviewee made the assumption that of course every feminist has read Woolf and I realized I hadn't. A Room of One's Own is broadly about the difficulties of being a woman writer. Pair this classic with Joanna Russâs How To Suppress Womenâs Writing and then sink into a deep depression about how little has changed since those books were written.
All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny -- (audio) A pleasant enough medieval f/f romance with competent prose, but the historic grounding is exceedingly thin and occasionally annoying. Horses aren't cars. Parchment isn't post-its. Village brewers don't work at industrial scale. It wasnât a matter of large inaccuracies, but of a constant flow of small details that kept distracting me from the endearing main characters. This book is a follow-on from her previous one which focused on a gay male couple. The two stories are connected by family ties.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older -- (audio) The second in a sapphic space-mystery series. These are novellas set in a colony constructed around Jupiter after humanity fled an uninhabitable Earth. Murder mysteries get solved by a detective and academic duo who are also negotiating a revival of their romance. The books are enjoyable and have a fun time grounding the mysteries in the worldbuilding.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker -- (audio) I finally got around to reading this highly praised book, which came out a number of years ago. The novel asks the question: can a naĂŻve and brilliant golem who has lost her immigrant master on the voyage to America, and a metal-working Jinni newly freed from magical entrapment find their way together in early 20th century New York and foil the schemes of the sorcerer who wants to re-enslave them both? This was beautiful and heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant and I donât know what took me so long to come back to it, given that Iâve owned a hard copy since it first came out.
Gentleman Jack by Anne Choma -- (audio) I donât usually consume books for the lesbian history blog via audiobook -- it makes it hard to take notes! It made sense in this case because itâs more of a narrative history rather than a scholarly analysis. This is a narrative history of Anne Listerâs life between November 1831 and March 1834, the period covered by the tv series Gentleman Jack. The book was written specifically as a companion to the tv series, giving the actual details of Anneâs life during that period, which differ in various details from the tv series. (The tv series both omitted and invented significant details.) Interspersed in the narrative are extensive quotes from Anneâs diaries. The account is very readable and will give you a solid background of Anneâs life and times. It is neither a scholarly historical analysis (for that, you might try Jill Liddington) nor an extensive and contextualized survey of significant portions of the diaries (for which you want Helena Whitbread). But it hits a sweet spot for the general reader. And if youâre a fan of the tv series, it makes an interesting âcompare and contrastâ to understand how history gets adapted for the requirements of drama.
The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison -- (audio) I think this finishes up the Cemetaries of Amalo series, set in the same universe as The Goblin Emperor. As with previous books in the series, there are a number of plot threads that braid together in the resolution. Our protagonist, a "witness for the dead" who can communicate with dead souls finds himself representing a murdered dragon. One of the other major plot threads about an escaped insurgent ties back in at the climax in a way that feels a little too convenient. And there's a surprising twist to a hinted-at romance arc that's been developing across the series.
The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan -- (audio) I've read several Courtney Milan historic romances in the past, with mixed impressions. This one worked very well for me, centering around Victorian-era feminist movements and one of her favorite tropes: aristocrats who are desperately trying to escape their fate. But the reason I picked it up was for the very-much-background sapphic romance that has been slipped into the cracks of the main story.
I was originally going to do just January and February in this post, but then there were only two books I finished in March, and none in April, so it made sense to expand the official scope. (April was, of course, my last month on the job and I was a bit distracted.) Looking ahead in the spreadsheet, I may do another four-month set in the next post and then do one post each for the final four months of the year, based on numbers.
playing: pokemon odyssey
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 12:14 pmtozkaTaking advantage of the fact that I have a hacked 3DS to try out Pokemon fan games! There's a thriving Pokemon romhacking community where they take base Gameboy/Gameboy Advanced games and edit them, sometimes making entirely new storylines and regions.
This one is a blend of PokĂŠmon, Etrian Odyssey and Made in Abyss. The base game is FireRed, which I've never played.
Here's the description:
The gameplay is heavy on Pokemon with the world setting and some mechanics (like Etrian's F.O.E. bosses) from the other games. So you collect and battle Pokemon as usual, but the storyline is focused on exploring the labyrinth (and the ocean, which has mysterious islands to find) and doing sidequests. There's no Team Rocket or evil organization to defeat, nor gym leaders or champions. Likewise, there's no map to fill out like in Etrian games.
I'm about 4 hours into it and just about ready to progress to the second Labyrinth level! I'm really enjoying it so far. They've done an amazing job making "Etrian variant" Pokemon (which you can see here) and the game design is really fun.
The only thing I'm a little iffy on is they give you a "team" of two other characters, and then they don't do anything. They don't help with battles, or even explore the labyrinth with you! I'm guessing they're re-skinned rival characters from the base game (I didn't look it up) which makes more sense for how they act in THIS game.
Anyway, a bonus for me: the thing I'm using to play GBA roms on my 3DS apparently sucks up WAY less battery than the regular 3DS software. It's not an emulator, it's using hte 3DS hardware/software to run the ROM directly. Sooooo I'm currently able to play like 6 hours straight without having to charge! Maybe longer-- I'll have to keep testing and see.
(I actually replaced my 3DS battery a couple months ago but it keeps blinking low-battery red after like 4 hours, and idk if it's actually low or if the gage is just borked because of the new battery-- apparently it's a common issue. Anyway...)
If you're interested, I've put some of the more interesting Pokemon romhacks I've found so far in my Link Library here. I'm really interested in ones that use the Pokemon games as a base and create totally new storylines or settings-- if you know of any good ones that I haven't added to my list yet, let me know!
This one is a blend of PokĂŠmon, Etrian Odyssey and Made in Abyss. The base game is FireRed, which I've never played.
Here's the description: On an island in the middle of the sea stands a massive maze known as the "Yggdrasil Labyrinth", which has been attracting adventurers from all over the world for years.
No one knows how deep it goes, or if there's anything at its end.
Some say there's a treasure of immeasurable value hidden within, while others claim the remnants of a lost civilization lie there.
In the game you'll play as Nyx, a young adventurer who joins the guild of Talrega with the goal of unraveling the Labyrinth's mysteries.
But something goes terribly wrongâŚ
The gameplay is heavy on Pokemon with the world setting and some mechanics (like Etrian's F.O.E. bosses) from the other games. So you collect and battle Pokemon as usual, but the storyline is focused on exploring the labyrinth (and the ocean, which has mysterious islands to find) and doing sidequests. There's no Team Rocket or evil organization to defeat, nor gym leaders or champions. Likewise, there's no map to fill out like in Etrian games.
I'm about 4 hours into it and just about ready to progress to the second Labyrinth level! I'm really enjoying it so far. They've done an amazing job making "Etrian variant" Pokemon (which you can see here) and the game design is really fun.
The only thing I'm a little iffy on is they give you a "team" of two other characters, and then they don't do anything. They don't help with battles, or even explore the labyrinth with you! I'm guessing they're re-skinned rival characters from the base game (I didn't look it up) which makes more sense for how they act in THIS game.
Anyway, a bonus for me: the thing I'm using to play GBA roms on my 3DS apparently sucks up WAY less battery than the regular 3DS software. It's not an emulator, it's using hte 3DS hardware/software to run the ROM directly. Sooooo I'm currently able to play like 6 hours straight without having to charge! Maybe longer-- I'll have to keep testing and see.
(I actually replaced my 3DS battery a couple months ago but it keeps blinking low-battery red after like 4 hours, and idk if it's actually low or if the gage is just borked because of the new battery-- apparently it's a common issue. Anyway...)
If you're interested, I've put some of the more interesting Pokemon romhacks I've found so far in my Link Library here. I'm really interested in ones that use the Pokemon games as a base and create totally new storylines or settings-- if you know of any good ones that I haven't added to my list yet, let me know!
Wednesday Reading Meme
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 12:07 pmosprey_archerWhat Iâve Just Finished Reading
Christmas books! So many Christmas books. Look, the problem is that so many Christmas books are short, all right? Like Janice Hallettâs The Christmas Appeal, a slim novella that I definitely should have read last year when The Appeal was still fresh in my mind, as I spent about half of The Christmas Appeal remembering who was who. But it was still a fun fast read and there was a cameo by my girl Issy, who remains just as Issy as ever, bless her little heart.
Continuing this murder kick, I read J. Jefferson Farjeonâs Mystery in White, a fascinating example of the genre in that the closest thing the book has to a detective is a guy from the society of psychic research who keeps murmuring about how itâs like the crime WANTS to be solved⌠well, thatâs one way to explain why the heroes keep literally stumbling upon the evidence. Enjoyed the snowy atmosphere and the character portraits, especially the chorus girl Jessie, who should have gotten David in the end IMO. Not sure they were really that well-suited, but I was annoyed that a more class-appropriate girl appeared three-quarters of the way through the book.
And also Agatha Christieâs Murder for Christmas, known in the UK has Hercule Poirotâs Christmas, but presumably American publishers were afraid that without the word murder in the title American readers might assume that Poirot is having a holly jolly Christmas eating plum pudding without any murder at all. Quite enjoyed this one. Always nice to see a horrible family dynamic play out in a murder mystery.
Also Ruth Sawyerâs The Long Christmas, a collection of Christmas legends from around the world and a reminder that the Christmas Spirit, for all its current holly jolly picture-perfect Hallmark movie reputation, can in fact be pretty metal. The Christmas spirit is not about giving a bit of spare change to a photogenic waif before retreating to your mansion with the gingerbread on the eves perfectly outlined in Christmas lights. The Christmas Spirit says, âOh, none of you are going to share your fireside and your last crust of bread with this weary footsore traveler on Christmas Eve? Well, then, I am going to raise the floods and drown your entire selfish town.â
Although Sawyerâs This Way to Christmas did not repeat this particular story, some of the other stories overlap with The Long Christmas. Published in 1915, the story centers on a little boy facing a lonely Christmas on a snowy mountain where none of the neighbors speak to each other, for they are of all different nationalities and races: German-American, American Black, Brazilian Portuguese, and small Ruritanian country that just got invaded by Germany.
However, our hero (inspired by a visit from a fairy wearing a squirrel suit) visits each cottage, hears a Christmas story from each person, and in the end inspires his foster parents to invite them all to Christmas, invitations in the form of signposts saying THIS WAY TO CHRISTMAS, hence the title.
And in the archives, I read Lee Kingmanâs The Magic Christmas Tree, illustrated by Bettina. Little Joanna is lonely because sheâs the youngest of ten and always in the way, until she finds her own special secret place: clearing in the woods with a pine tree just her size. Little Julie is lonely at home because sheâs the only child in a vast mansion, but finds solace when she finds a little pine tree in the woods perfect for a hideaway. And then at Christmastime, Joanna hides a beloved doll by the tree⌠and Julie, thrilled by this magical appearance, brings the mystery doll a little doll bed and fur coverlet⌠and when Joanna returns with a baby doll so her doll wonât be lonely, she in turn is astonishedâŚ
OMG. So cute. I do wish it were longer so there was more time for the girlsâ friendship to develop after they finally meet.
What Iâm Reading Now
Unable to face another Christmas book, I broke down and started Aleksander Solzhenitsynâs In the First Circle... which turns out to start on Christmas Eve! The German POWs are having a Christmas tree. One of the other zeks is making a Christmas present. I canât even. Iâll never escape.
What I Plan to Read Next
Non-Christmas books! Anything but Christmas! In particular, Iâve got Andy Weirâs Project Hail Mary and Mai Ishizawaâs The Place of Shells checked out, while Emile Zolaâs Therese Raquin and Elizabeth Enrightâs Then There Were Five are on hold.
Christmas books! So many Christmas books. Look, the problem is that so many Christmas books are short, all right? Like Janice Hallettâs The Christmas Appeal, a slim novella that I definitely should have read last year when The Appeal was still fresh in my mind, as I spent about half of The Christmas Appeal remembering who was who. But it was still a fun fast read and there was a cameo by my girl Issy, who remains just as Issy as ever, bless her little heart.
Continuing this murder kick, I read J. Jefferson Farjeonâs Mystery in White, a fascinating example of the genre in that the closest thing the book has to a detective is a guy from the society of psychic research who keeps murmuring about how itâs like the crime WANTS to be solved⌠well, thatâs one way to explain why the heroes keep literally stumbling upon the evidence. Enjoyed the snowy atmosphere and the character portraits, especially the chorus girl Jessie, who should have gotten David in the end IMO. Not sure they were really that well-suited, but I was annoyed that a more class-appropriate girl appeared three-quarters of the way through the book.
And also Agatha Christieâs Murder for Christmas, known in the UK has Hercule Poirotâs Christmas, but presumably American publishers were afraid that without the word murder in the title American readers might assume that Poirot is having a holly jolly Christmas eating plum pudding without any murder at all. Quite enjoyed this one. Always nice to see a horrible family dynamic play out in a murder mystery.
Also Ruth Sawyerâs The Long Christmas, a collection of Christmas legends from around the world and a reminder that the Christmas Spirit, for all its current holly jolly picture-perfect Hallmark movie reputation, can in fact be pretty metal. The Christmas spirit is not about giving a bit of spare change to a photogenic waif before retreating to your mansion with the gingerbread on the eves perfectly outlined in Christmas lights. The Christmas Spirit says, âOh, none of you are going to share your fireside and your last crust of bread with this weary footsore traveler on Christmas Eve? Well, then, I am going to raise the floods and drown your entire selfish town.â
Although Sawyerâs This Way to Christmas did not repeat this particular story, some of the other stories overlap with The Long Christmas. Published in 1915, the story centers on a little boy facing a lonely Christmas on a snowy mountain where none of the neighbors speak to each other, for they are of all different nationalities and races: German-American, American Black, Brazilian Portuguese, and small Ruritanian country that just got invaded by Germany.
However, our hero (inspired by a visit from a fairy wearing a squirrel suit) visits each cottage, hears a Christmas story from each person, and in the end inspires his foster parents to invite them all to Christmas, invitations in the form of signposts saying THIS WAY TO CHRISTMAS, hence the title.
And in the archives, I read Lee Kingmanâs The Magic Christmas Tree, illustrated by Bettina. Little Joanna is lonely because sheâs the youngest of ten and always in the way, until she finds her own special secret place: clearing in the woods with a pine tree just her size. Little Julie is lonely at home because sheâs the only child in a vast mansion, but finds solace when she finds a little pine tree in the woods perfect for a hideaway. And then at Christmastime, Joanna hides a beloved doll by the tree⌠and Julie, thrilled by this magical appearance, brings the mystery doll a little doll bed and fur coverlet⌠and when Joanna returns with a baby doll so her doll wonât be lonely, she in turn is astonishedâŚ
OMG. So cute. I do wish it were longer so there was more time for the girlsâ friendship to develop after they finally meet.
What Iâm Reading Now
Unable to face another Christmas book, I broke down and started Aleksander Solzhenitsynâs In the First Circle... which turns out to start on Christmas Eve! The German POWs are having a Christmas tree. One of the other zeks is making a Christmas present. I canât even. Iâll never escape.
What I Plan to Read Next
Non-Christmas books! Anything but Christmas! In particular, Iâve got Andy Weirâs Project Hail Mary and Mai Ishizawaâs The Place of Shells checked out, while Emile Zolaâs Therese Raquin and Elizabeth Enrightâs Then There Were Five are on hold.
Did You Make a Thing?
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 04:06 pmdancing_serpent posting in c_entSo, the month is almost over. How did it go with your fannish creativity? Did you manage to make a thing?
Did you create fanart or made vids? Wrote fic or meta? How about picspams, link collections, character mood boards, themed playlists, promo posts?
Here's the place to share it with us! Leave a link in the comments, or elaborate on it as much as you want.
Did you create fanart or made vids? Wrote fic or meta? How about picspams, link collections, character mood boards, themed playlists, promo posts?
Here's the place to share it with us! Leave a link in the comments, or elaborate on it as much as you want.
on Rob Reiner
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 04:35 amcalimac45-minute CBS documentary on Rob Reiner. Really thoughtful and insightful views of the man, mostly from actors he directed in his films. A couple of them (both men, by the way) even break down in tears while talking about him. Also plenty of clips from interviews with Reiner, the movies, and All in the Family. Very much worth watching if you're at all interested in Reiner or his movies. It's amazing that the makers were able to put together such a polished and substantial piece of work in such a short time.
So, 1000xResist
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 08:10 amrydra_wongI was too tired to have the focus for Dark Souls-ing in the last few days, so binge-played 1000xResist and now I feel like I'm been punched in the head.
Basically a walking simulator/visual novel, so don't go expecting complex gameplay, but HOLY FUCK.
For all of you looking for fiction with fucked-up complicated women who are somewhere on a spectrum from "morally grey" to "evil but sympathetic" (with the odd dip into "idealistic but destructive") having fucked-up dynamics with other fucked-up complicated women: 1000xResist has SO MANY of them. It has almost no characters who don't fit that archetype, in fact.
(I considered whether it passes the reverse-Bechdel test -- i.e. two male characters have a conversation that's not about a woman -- and I think it may juuust scrape past in a 5-second exchange in one of the flashbacks, but barely. There are very very few men in this story, for plot-related reasons.)
I found out afterwards that the development team were a devised theatre group who decided to start making a game when everything was shut down during the pandemic, and somehow this fully checks out (complimentary).
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/1000xRESIST/ (you can even pick it up in a bundle with Slay The Princess for bonus visual novel headfuck)
Do note the content notes from the devs: Photosensitivity Warning: Flashing Lights, Cursing and Crude Language, Generational Trauma, Acts of Violence and Terrorism, Disease Outbreak, Mention of Suicide, Mention of Animal Cruelty/Pet Death, Blood, Body Horror, Emotional Abuse, Bullying, Dead Bodies, Vomit, Drowning, Fire, Gore, Needles, Racism and General Mature Content.
(I would also add a specific note for torture, and for fucked-up mother-daughter and sister-sister relationships, that being one of the core elements of the game, along with the aforementioned generational trauma.)
Basically a walking simulator/visual novel, so don't go expecting complex gameplay, but HOLY FUCK.
For all of you looking for fiction with fucked-up complicated women who are somewhere on a spectrum from "morally grey" to "evil but sympathetic" (with the odd dip into "idealistic but destructive") having fucked-up dynamics with other fucked-up complicated women: 1000xResist has SO MANY of them. It has almost no characters who don't fit that archetype, in fact.
(I considered whether it passes the reverse-Bechdel test -- i.e. two male characters have a conversation that's not about a woman -- and I think it may juuust scrape past in a 5-second exchange in one of the flashbacks, but barely. There are very very few men in this story, for plot-related reasons.)
I found out afterwards that the development team were a devised theatre group who decided to start making a game when everything was shut down during the pandemic, and somehow this fully checks out (complimentary).
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/1000xRESIST/ (you can even pick it up in a bundle with Slay The Princess for bonus visual novel headfuck)
Do note the content notes from the devs: Photosensitivity Warning: Flashing Lights, Cursing and Crude Language, Generational Trauma, Acts of Violence and Terrorism, Disease Outbreak, Mention of Suicide, Mention of Animal Cruelty/Pet Death, Blood, Body Horror, Emotional Abuse, Bullying, Dead Bodies, Vomit, Drowning, Fire, Gore, Needles, Racism and General Mature Content.
(I would also add a specific note for torture, and for fucked-up mother-daughter and sister-sister relationships, that being one of the core elements of the game, along with the aforementioned generational trauma.)
