Holy forking shirtballs, The Good Place isn't on Netflix anymore! And when I tried to cue it up on Prime, it wouldn't play - I got an error. So I ordered the dvds. I can't be having with this bs anymore. I also need to buy Leverage at some point, and The Expanse. Maybe I will for Christmas this year, as long as I'm not furloughed or anything.

*

I posted this on Bluesky on Friday, so I guess I can cross-post it here.

( a wordy discussion about how you would actually accept private money to do a project affecting a public building )

As seen all around these parts, the AO3 alphabet meme:

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for [starting] a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

A - Another Gravity (Firefly, Mal/Zoe)
B - The Boys of Summer (Hot Corner Rag) (SPN, Sam & Dean)
C - Courtship Rituals of the World's Most Awkward Superheroes (Avengers/Amazing Spider-Man, Steve/Peter)
D - the dream of flight persists (Star Wars/Firefly, Anakin/Kaylee)
E - Eight the Hard Way (Ocean's 8, Amita/Daphne)
F - The Forces Ranged Within Us and Against Us (SPN, Sam/Dean)
G - Girl, You're Like a Weird Vacation (Blue Beetle, Brenda/Paco)
H - The Hubbert Peak (Dark Angel, Max/Alec)
I - The Injurious Internet Meme Incursion (The Middleman, Wendy, MM, & Ida)
J - Joy has he whom she embraces (Amelia Peabody, Peabody/Emerson)
K - Katie, Bar the Door (DCU, Jason, ensemble)
L - A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action (Ocean's 11, Danny/Rusty)
M - Mother Is the Name for God (Star Wars, Leia & Padme)
N - No Exit (Star Wars; Darth Vader/Ahsoka)
O - Only where love and need are one (L'Engleverse, Adam/Joshua)
P - Paint a thank-you on my palm (Six of Crows, Inej, ensemble)
Q - Quality (LotR, Faramir)
R - Retail Therapy (DCU, Cass, ensemble)
S - Stuck in the Middle with You (Star Wars, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka)
T - There's Still Time to Change the Road You're On (Star Wars, Anakin, Luke, Leia)
U - Until the Sea Shall Free Them (The Iliad, Achilles/Patroclus)
V - Visiting Hours (DCU, Alfred & Jason)
W - with our way lit only by stars (Earthsea, Ged/Tenar)
X - Xue Bai, Xue Hong (Firefly, Mal/River/Simon)
Y - you and your high top sneakers and your sailor tattoos (Avengers, Steve/Darcy)
Z - The Zombie Love Bug Concatenation (SPN/The Middleman, Dean/Wendy)

26/26, out of 950 stories on AO3. I ignored the ones that start with parentheticals and numbers. I also went mostly on vibes, so it's not a real overview of my stuff, but it is one title for every letter of the alphabet.

*

Archive.org has The Wretched of the Earth/Damnés de la terre (1961) available here. It is a work on colonialism, revolution, and racialization.

It was also written by a man with a name that is, for me, intensely unfortunate.

The foreword is titled "Framing Fanon."

As hannah points out, "It's pronounced 'Fa-NOH.'"

I'm so sorry, Frantz Fanon. You were there first, having a perfectly cromulent name, and then those fans came and made your name a word to be feared for reasons having nothing to do with colonialism.

I'm going to see how far I get with it, and if I have issues, there is an audiobook of an analysis of it available via NYPL that I will take out and dig into.

-- possibly after Yuletide, because racialized colonialism is gonna be fucked whether or not I get my assignment in on time.

Zounds (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Slings & Arrows
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ellen Fanshaw/Geoffrey Tennant
Characters: Ellen Fanshaw, Geoffrey Tennant
Additional Tags: Drabble, Love Bites, Bruises
Summary:

Ellen leaves marks.

*

Tell Old Man Worry to go climb a tree (600 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Leia Organa/Luke Skywalker/Han Solo
Characters: Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo
Additional Tags: Mpreg | Male Pregnancy, Incest, Drabble Sequence
Summary:

The Force moves in mysterious ways in order to get great-grandkids.

I recorded the fandom on each of mine because I was curious what the spread was. There are surprisingly few, and surprising, repeats.

A - The A Train - DCU/Supreme Power
B - Back where we began - Hockey RPF
C - C'est la faute à Rousseau - DCU (sorry, Les Misérables fans)
D - The Daddy's Boy Job - Star Wars Prequel Trilogy/Leverage
E - Each result and glory - Doctrine of Labyrinths - Monette
F - Failsafe - Vorkosigan Saga - Bujold
G - Game theory - Life on Mars (UK)
H - Ha -- h'm - Horatio Hornblower - CS Forester
I - I ain't no brilliant writer, Kethe knows - Doctrine of Labyrinths (please don't ask why I wrote a sonnet in Mildmay voice)
J - Janet and Thomas's Halloween - Tam Lin - Dean
K - Keep it down in there - Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
L - L'appel du vide - Life on Mars (UK)/Ashes to Ashes
M - M'don'a's sex advice - Star Wars Prequel Trilogy/Madonna's Sex Advice
N - Naked truth - due South
O - Oak of the clay lived many a day - Promethean Age - Bear
P - A pack that almost became historic - Les Misérables + Psychic Wolves
Q - Q. E. D. - John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, Logic Guards Sketch
R - Rated able seaman - Hornblower (TV)
S - Safe and sane - DCU
T - Take heed of loving me - Hockey RPF
U - Ululation - Harry Potter (written 2002)
V - A Vaderwan limerick for your delectation - Star Wars Original Trilogy
W - Wait till you hear the next one, legate - Marcus Didius Falco - Davis/Good Omens - Pratchett & Gaiman
X - X axis, Y axis, 2 axes - Murderbot/due South fusion
Y - Yas queen - Iskyrne Series - Bear & Monette/@dog_rates
Z - Nothing yet. Zounds - Slings & Arrows, just posted, because I am a completist.

26/26, 1312 works.

Bonus points: I have stories titled beginning with #, numbers, ¡ (inverted exclamation point), à, and ᓄ.

Also, I have no idea what possessed me to write a sonnet in Mildmay voice, but I'm proud of it just the same.

I made this apple cider doughnut holes recipe today and meh. I didn't even like them enough plain to make the glaze. They just tasted so strongly of nutmeg to me and nothing of apple cider or even cinnamon.

I was also going to make char siu today and then pork buns with the leftovers tomorrow, but I forgot the meat has to marinate overnight so now I will make the ribs tomorrow, freeze the leftovers, and try to make the buns next weekend. Or maybe I'll just make pork fried rice. Idk. I used to always order pork buns but I don't see them on menus anymore (lemon chicken, another Chinese restaurant fave, has also seemed to disappear, at least from the places around here), so it would be fantastic if I could make them myself. It doesn't seem too hard. I mean, the hardest part for me will probably be rolling and sealing them. *hands* Eventually we'll see!

In other news, Baby Miss L has settled on being a witch for Halloween and her costume is ADORABLE. But she also has a secondary costume, as she has quite the busy social schedule, which is a cow, which doubles as pajamas, for those nights where she's out past bedtime. SO CUTE. I also got some pictures of her pumpkin picking while wearing a jack o'lantern t-shirt and she remains the cutest and best dressed kid around. 😍😍😍😍😍😍

*

Good morning, afternoon, and evening!

We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)

I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.

Ta for now!

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/scrap-the-bathroom-ban

From TransActual and Trans+ Solidarity Alliance. Produces a template letter to your MP which you can customize as much as you can or want to.

Article by Jane Fae of TransActual (who have been absolutely kicking ass):

https://www.scenemag.co.uk/jane-fae-a-director-of-transactual-writes-on-the-eve-of-launching-a-new-campaign-to-get-mps-to-reject-the-ehrcs-bathroom-ban/

There are now a bunch of Labour MPs who are worried and making noises at the government, even if it's only about the impact on businesses of rules which are possibly illegal and impossible to follow without getting sued:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/23/dozens-of-labour-mps-warn-of-chaos-for-firms-over-gender-recognition-advice

It's alleged that Bridget Phillipson was sitting on the guidance because she was worried it'd scupper her bid for the deputy leadership, whereas Powell is actively trans-friendly and has called for MPs to have a chance to debate and vote on the guidance.

The below may be an overly optimistic view but it seems clear there's tension and conflict between the EHRC and government:

https://iandunt.substack.com/p/frightened-and-desperate-ehrc-anti (warning for Substack, in case you are boycotting it)

So this is a moment when leverage is possible, and letters to your MP may actually do something.

My new collection, Petra's Food Bank Donation Thank-You Works, has its inaugural work:

And spread the welcome mat for you (100 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian
Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian
Additional Tags: Drabble, mid-autumn festival, mooncakes
Summary:

Wei Wuxian presents Lan Wangji with a mooncake.

*

Details on how to participate in the collection here.

Chess is a show I know entirely through the cast recordings; if I recall correctly, it was such a thoroughly Cold War project that the liner notes referred to the two chess players as only "the American" and "the Russian". The new book by Danny Strong turns it into a (even more) melodramatic period piece, with the chess matches not simply a allegory for political tensions or a way of obtaining minor diplomatic concessions but tools for averting World War III. The Arbiter is dragooned as a narrator, who exposits both the global situation and the personal interactions with the characters, partly through a series of very bad and very obvious jokes.

Freddie Trumper, American grandmaster and obnoxious wunderkind, is challenged by Anatoly Sergievesky, mordant, depressed, and engaged in a clandestine flirtation with Freddie's chess second and lover, Florence Vassy. Freddie is notoriously a weak point in the original book, so prone to anti-Communist slurs, misogyny, and temper tantrums it is impossible to extend him much sympathy. The new version mitigates this by giving him bipolar disorder and medical noncompliance, and also by casting Aaron Tveit. Tveit is indeed so good and so charismatic that I was on Freddie's side way more than I expected, although not enough to take self-pity anthem "Pity the Child" seriously. (The rest of the audience seemed less skeptical.) Lea Michele as Florence is just as strong vocally, and almost as strong in terms of acting, though unfortunately without much romantic chemistry with either partner. (The closest any scene comes to a sexual charge is Freddie's sleazy half-assed attempt at persuading Anatoly to throw the game in Act II.) Nicholas Christopher as Anatoly is the weak point in Act I, where I had the same opinion as I had of his Sweeney Todd: he's got the potential to be great, but he isn't quite there yet. He really needs to work on his emoting, which is too flat even for the murderous Sweeney or the dour Anatoly. He is greatly handicapped in Chess by having to affect a Russian accent, which I really hope the production drops. But! He pulled out all stops in Act II, both for the songs and the acting, and won me over with his intensity and vocal power.

So basically: the book is still flawed and they need to cut the runtime, particularly in Act I. This was the second night of previews, so there's still time for changes before the show technically "opens". If we're lucky, they'll start by cutting the topical jokes.

But the point of Chess has never been the book; it is the score full of bangers and power ballads. The music is by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and the lyrics by Ulvaeus and Tim Rice. And the musical performances are GREAT. I am still guiltily fond of the kinda-no-really-very-racist "One Night in Bangkok" (which can plausibly be explained as Freddie's typical white guy take on the city) and which in this production is a camp masterpiece. I am seriously tempted to see the show again just for that.

HI! Thank you, new friend who has good taste and likes at least one fandom I like, and hopefully the same characters in similar ways! I hope this is the kind of letter you click on and think, "Ooh, I can do that!" and not "Ahhh what have I signed up for /o\". It's yuletide, so... I'm very familiar with both. It'll be fine :)

(Is this most of this letter copy pasted from previous years? INCLUDING THIS VERY INTRO? Yes. Originality is overrated.)

The fandoms I request for yuletide are usually just fandoms that I really, really enjoyed, and I just want more of them. I would have loved to finish these canons and go to AO3 and just read 10-20 more fics in these universes! But alas they are not always there.

In all fandoms I requested, I am fine with any rating/sexual content (or lack of) that works for you.

In no particular order, let's go:

(  1. Three Men and a Baby (1987), 2. Lilywhite Boys - K.J. Charles, 3. Society of Gentlemen - K. J. Charles, The Summer I Turned Pretty (TV 2022), House of Guinness )

Generic DNWs: noncon, daddy kink, incest, anything you wouldn't traditionally gift to anyone unprompted. Dubcon of the 'they both actually want it' variety is fine (eg love spell, sex pollen, etc), pandemics/quarantines is fine, generally if it's a topic/trope that took place in the canon it's also fine.

*

I will finish with the usual end notes:

In the end, everything I wrote are just suggestions, and I am a very flexible reader who likes a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF so really, I'm just glad to be getting something in any of these fandoms, and I hope you enjoy the process of writing and participating. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to approach me via anonymous comment/the mods. Thank you and have a wonderful yuletide ♥♥♥

Much of this letter is c&p'd from years past, because I'm a predictable person I guess.

Hello, I'm yasaman both here and on AO3! I am open to receiving treats!

Another year, another Yuletide! :D Thank you for signing up to write in one of my fandoms! I can't wait to see whatever you come up with, and with these fandoms, chances are I'll love whatever it is you choose to write. If my requests/prompts/details don't catch your interest, just remember that Optional Details Are Optional, and that I will be thrilled to get fic in any of these fandoms at all.

As far as my basic preferences go: I am okay with gen, het, slash, and femslash. If I've indicated a pairing preference in my request, don't feel pressured to write it! I'm a big gen lover, and I'll specifically note if there's a pairing I don't want to see with the characters I've requested. Also, a confession: I usually skim through sex scenes. I know, I know, what am I doing in fandom if I skim past the porn. But I am almost always way more interested in character interaction than in sexy times. Feel free to include sex scenes! I'd just really prefer that porn not be the whole point of the fic.

Things I love: happy endings, banter, subtle but meaningful declarations of love and/or trust, pining, characters finding home and family with each other, the smaller moments of domesticity or the calm before the storm, crossovers, detailed worldbuilding, lolz, feelings, women being complex and sometimes assholes, dudes being stoic yet simmering with repressed emotions, people being kind to each other in ways both obvious and not obvious, any number of forced intimacy situations (fake married! Undercover relationship! Surprise soul bond! Huddling for warmth! Oh no there’s only one bed! Sex pollen! I could go on, really), threesomes/sedoretu-style moresomes, and indulgent emotional hurt/comfort.

DNWs that apply in general: dark fic, character bashing, permanent character death of canon characters (this DNW does not apply to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, given the canon, lol), non-con, infidelity, incest, alpha/beta/omegaverse fic, mpreg, harm to children, being mean to robots, unhappy endings (that are not canonical, at least), issuefic (by which I mean dealing with racism/sexism/homophobia/transphobia etc. or sexual orientation and/or identity being the focus of the fic), ageplay, infantilization, daddy/mommy kink, scat, watersports, extreme underage, humiliation or anything that would trigger secondhand embarrassment, gaslighting, mundane AUs, readerfic.

1. 17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future - Any (Juice, Nine, Ten, Hubble, Worldbuilding)

( Read more... )
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Video Game) - Clea Dessendre, Painted Verso Dessendre, Original Verso Dessendre [SPOILERS BELOW]
( Read more... )

3. Blue Prince (Video Game) - Simon P. Jones, Worldbuilding

( Read more... )