anne_d | Network

AO3 Link | To Heal With Trust (200 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey, Outsiders
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Roy Harper & Dinah Lance
Characters: Roy Harper, Dinah Lance
Additional Tags: Double Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis
Summary:

Dinah came to manage his recovery from the gunshots.

To Heal With Trust

"Slow and easy, yes, just like that. I have your head, just let your body float," Dinah said, confident and reassuring all in one.

Roy closed his eyes, his body already feeling less sore as he followed her instructions. When she'd shown up, thrown Ollie out, and told him to stay clear, Roy hadn't known what to expect. Now, living with her, Lian occupied by Oracle and Dinah's teammates, he knew he was in the best possible hands to recover.

The hot tub was set just warm enough to pull his muscles loose, salt-tanged for buoyancy, and she had him. She'd never let him fall under, while his body just floated, easing the stress of his physical therapy away. She pushed when they did it, but not so hard as to build injuries, and then… she always took care of him after.

He wasn't going to fail her, or his baby girl, by wallowing in the fear of the near-fatal shots. He would trust her, as he always had, letting her guide him. When he went back out there, he'd be as strong as he'd ever been.

It was just like when she put him back together from the drugs.

petra

MSN report here, from last year. I just learned this today. If I can stop anyone else from being exposed, it's worth a reblog.

The dishes in question are basically ubiquitous in kitchens I have known and loved, so that's not great.

Current Mood: concerned
Current Music: Get the lead out

senmut

Hope and Courage, a poem about the USA I wrote in 2003.

senmut

На крыльях соблазна (154 words) by WTF Furry Anthro and Xeno 2026
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Gargoyles (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Goliath/Elisa Maza
Characters: Goliath (Gargoyles), Elisa Maza
Additional Tags: Translation, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian, Fandom Kombat, Winter Temporary Fandom Kombat 2026, Don’t copy to another site, Slice of Life, This Work Is Stolen If Not On AO3, Работа Украдена Если Не На АО3
Summary:

Элиза пользуется тем, что Голиаф слишком много думает.

sholio

I don't think I posted about Amperslash when it revealed, but I got a lovely gift!

The Ties that Bind Us (Biggles, slightly ambiguous Biggles/EvS)
A very fun, sensual fic in which they are trying to squirm out of ropes tying them together, while also talking about Feelings.

And I got THREE gifts in Holiday Airdrop, the Biggles exchange I run! This time around, all are gen and Algy & EvS-focused.

Soft Landings, a wonderfully well realized, hurt/comforty AU in which Algy is the first person on the team to encounter Erich during Buries a Hatchet.

A Silver-Topped Cane is a lovely little post-Terai bit of comfort and bonding, in which Erich offers advice and maybe a little commiseration while Algy is healing.

Forge is deliciously iddy and visceral h/c in which EvS and Algy are handcuffed together in the desert.

Between the two exchanges, I wrote five fics, including some pairings I don't normally write! I'm looking forward to getting to 'fess up to them.

daily_illuminator_feed

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2026-01-23

The moment you've all been waiting for is here – pledging for Munchkin Second Edition is now open on BackerKit!

Munchkin Second Edition is an epic upgrade featuring stunning, vibrant art by Munchkin's original artist, John Kovalic. The cards, gameboard, and box all feature his illustrations, enhanced with modern updates. Nearly all the cards and jokes you've come to love over the past quarter century are still there, plus a few new and exciting ones.

Setup and gameplay are faster than ever. For the first time, using the new Gold Pieces, you can micro-bribe your friends and make change when selling Items for levels. Turn phases have been updated to include the all-new Listen at the Door phase, as well as a different way to Loot the Room.

If you've accumulated a large Munchkin collection or own a copy of Munchkin Big Box, don't worry – it's backward compatible! Rules for adapting First Edition cards to Second Edition aspects are included, and there will be a special upgrade kit just for Big Box.

What about stretch goals? You can look forward to a Munchkin Dice Tower STL, skins for Munchkin Digital, and more!

Four pledge levels are available – $1 gets you access to the pledge manager, $40 buys your copy of Munchkin Second Edition, $20 secures the Munchkin Big Box Upgrade Set, or you can choose to pledge $60 for both Second Edition and the Upgrade Set.

Are you ready to start kicking down doors, slaying monsters, backstabbing your buddies, and competing to be the first to reach Level 10 for the victory? Visit BackerKit today to make your pledge!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2026-01-23

senmut

~ Dreams of Her Own - https://archiveofourown.org/works/71432751 - Sequel prompts from

ukiacatdragon - Eilistraee, the shroud of Lolth, Corellon, Arvandor's overwhleming goodness, plotting to nullify Lolth's plots via Sharr, the raid being brought up, Tall Ones finding Ellifain early, closure for drow and elf child, quest - 1,027 words

~ HLH shortcuts sequel - https://archiveofourown.org/works/74116516 - Joe and Rachel meet in Seacouver - 0 words

~

10trueloves - 3/10 written

~

genprompt_bingo 0/5 written (Line Only)

Random Plot Bunnies to Hold Over

GenPrompt Fills:

~ A Moment of Understanding / Clarity - Commander Appo comes face to face with Atin (includes a horrific flashback to Ashla's death from Appo's POV)

~ Teenagers - Continue https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124011 - Rex and Ahsoka with Hera and Chopper

~ Telepathy - Long Distance Phone Calls in the Force: "You left me/He wanted me dead/I would have protected you/But could you really" / "It hurts/You always hurt, couldn't he get you better healing/There wasn't much of me left/He all but owns a master cloning world and you're stuck like that? Your benefits package sucks"

~ Freestyle Crossovers - Jurassic Park/X-Men crossover (late request for More Joy Day)

~ A Test of Worthiness - OPEN

~ Ahsoka the Daughter whispering guidance through time in Anakin's head. Starting in ~~AotC~~ TPM. Includes:
Okay no wonder some said I was just like you (her reaction to the reckless deal in TPM)
Hey Skykid, what's a guy with all the power thinking to make a point of having time for you? (Comics of the Padawan years)
Oh kriff he's so young (first meeting of Anakin and Rex)
I am SO shiny (Ahsoka arriving)

~ Fulcrum and Rex time travel to before Anakin runs to Mace.
~ Fulcrum accidentally pulls Anakin to Malachor in That Fight.

senmut

AO3 Link | Shelter in Danger (500 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DC Comics (General), Marvel Comics (General)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dinah Lance/Erik Lensherr
Characters: Dinah Lance, Erik Lehnsherr
Additional Tags: Crossover, +Modern Age (1986-Present)
Summary:

While trapped in a different universe, Dinah falls for another older man

Shelter in Danger

When Dinah Lance found herself catapulted into another dimension, it wasn't all that shocking. She's been tossed through time, sent to other worlds, and even touched alternate versions of her own world. To wake up in a world that was completely unlike her own as far as people and problems went, but still an Earth wasn't that hard to come to terms with.

No, the thing that shocked her was finding an older white-haired man with a harder sense of justice than she usually took for herself that stirred her emotions so strongly. Similarities to another man of her own world may have set the stage for growing closer, but it was Erik's ability to debate with her, to see her as a capable fighter in her own right, and his old-fashioned manners that sealed her doom.

There was just something irresistible in a man that opened doors for her but didn't think she needed to be in the kitchen for Dinah Lance.

She'd given her word that she would help defend this small island refuge. She wanted no part of his retaliatory strikes, but the people who were just trying to live their lives were under her protection. As Erik — Magneto currently — was deflecting the heavy artillery back into the attackers, Black Canary was ably working defense against the ground assault with his other combatants.

She had no idea how many amphibious vehicles she grounded permanently, how many people in deep-water gear were shoved back off the beach, but eventually Magneto gathered up all of the remaining debris from the assault and threw it out to join the artificial reef off his coastline. While he did that, she acquired one of her protein-gels, slaking a need for energy and liquid at once before seeing if she needed to help with injured.

Magneto landed beside her moments later, his hand going to the small of her back. She wasn't thinking about the likely human cost of the assault; mutants were feared and hunted here, and that force had come with the intent to kill or enslave from all she had managed to dig up.

"Your voice, my dear, is devastating. And yet you espouse more peaceful notions than I," he said with grim satisfaction over the results she'd gotten.

"I learned to modulate it over the years, so I get the effect I want," she said, shifting just slightly closer, her voice dipping into flirting tones.

"Hmm, and what effect do you wish now?" he asked, matching her tone, as that strong hand on her lower back shifted more to her hip and upper ass.

"The ability to be somewhere private and less clothed, of course," she told him.

He laughed, deep and throaty. "Oh, I like that direct approach." He guided her toward his own room, leaving the aftermath to his lieutenants. Dinah was more than happy with that choice, hoping if she distracted him long enough, he'd choose some other way than direct assault on the attacking nation.

rocky41_7 posting in

booknook

Title: A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)
Author: Arkady Martine
Narrator: Amy Landon
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, fiction

I realized as I was approaching the end of this book that it is the third unfinished series sapphic SFF centering the machinations of an empire that I've read lately (the others being The Locked Tomb and The Masquerade). A Memory Called Empire is the first book in the Teixcalaan series by Arkady Martine (narrated by Amy Landon in the audiobook) and tells the story of Mahit Dzmare, a diplomat from an as-yet-unconquered satellite state of the Teixcalaanli Empire entering her role as ambassador for the first time--after the previous ambassador went radio silent.

For fans of fantasy politics, I highly recommend this one. Mahit enters a political scene on the cusp of boiling over and is thrown not only into navigating a culture and society she's only ever read about, but having to piece together what her predecessor was doing, why he was doing it, and what happened to him. It's a whirlwind of not knowing who to trust, what to lean on, or where to go.

Martine creates such an interesting world here in Teixcalaan and the mindset of a people who pride themselves on being artists above all and yet exist as ruthless conquerors within their corner of space. Furthermore, Mahit herself is in a fascinating position as someone who's been half in love with this empire since childhood, and yet is all too keenly aware of the threat it poses to her and her home. Mahit does well in Teixcalaan--she loves the poetry and literature they so highly prize, she's able to navigate Teixcalaanli society and see the double meanings everywhere, and she's excited to try her hand at these things. And yet--if she plays her cards wrong, it will end with her home being gobbled up by Empire, and as Mahit herself says: Nothing touched by Empire remains unchanged.

I really enjoyed her characters too--3-Seagrass stole the show for me--and they all have believably varied and grounded views and opinions, with the sorts of blind spots and biases you would expect from people in their respective positions. There's character growth and change too, which is always fun to see, and I'm excited to see how that progresses in the next book.

If I had a complaint, and it's a minor one, it's that the prose is sometimes overly repetitive and explanatory, as if Martine doesn't quite trust her audience to remember things from earlier in the book, or understand what's being implied, which occasionally has the effect of making Mahit look less intelligent than her role would demand. However, it didn't happen often enough that I was truly annoyed, and I think the book gets better about it as it goes on.

On the whole, a fun, exciting read (although it takes its time to set up--expect a slow start!) that left me actually looking forward to my commute for a chance to listen to more. Already checking to see if my library has the next book available.

musesfool

Over the past few days, I finally watched the most recent season of Only Murders in the Building and I enjoyed it tremendously. I feel like I laughed a lot more than I did last season. The thing that is so great about this show, other than all the other things that are great about it, is that the cast is so stacked that you can't play the "most famous guest star is the murderer" game. I mean, this season alone, we had ( spoilers )

In other news, we are - and possibly you are too - supposed to be getting a big winter storm this weekend so I'm thinking about baking plans. I will definitely post if I make something good. *g*

*

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

thistleingrey

While looking at hood patterns, I found a free-to-use DROPS pattern (Jan 2025) on which another designer seems to've based a mystery knit-along, fall 2025. Making a pattern tougher to knit does not constitute an individual contribution worth charging money for. I've decided not to link.

Pattern design generally, or sometimes "design," has become a rather crowded space in the video-influencer micro-era. Here's a random video in which someone gives the spotlight to free patterns that bear close resemblance to 15 PetiteKnit patterns.

The hood search and current events have reminded me, however---there is one hat pattern that hasn't been awful to wear. I knitted it for my uncle almost 10 years ago, before my last visit, and since he and I were not so different in size (I'm taller, he had heavier bones), I tried it on while modifying the pattern to fit him despite thinner yarn. I bet I could make myself one. Not the same silhouette as the ice-melting toques people are promoting, which evoke a specific moment, but more practical for my head shape.

senmut

50-65 F? - One layer with a jacket.
35-50 F? - Double pants, jacket, hat and gloves.
20-35 g? - Double layers, jacket, hat, gloves, winter boots.
Below 20 F? - Double layers, jacket, hat, DOUBLE GLOVES, Utility Work Suit, winter boots.

And yes, I will wear that at any temp below 20, into the negatives, as witnessed by previous winters. And, since the wind USUALLY dies at night, it's actually not so bad to walk late, unless there's slippery ice on the road.

sholio

9. More scenes from a Babylon 5 fixit AU.

I ended up doing a number of additional prompt fills from the same universe as this fill (#4 in the previous post, major series spoilers).

( 1000 words or so of fixit snippets from the same post-canon AU )

10. And while I'm keeping the spoiler stuff confined to its own post, another B5 spoiler fixit AU based off "War Without End."

( Under this cut here )

daily_illuminator_feed

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2026-01-22

Since October 2025, we've talked up the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised in the GURPS News, my weekly roundups, and the forums. In anticipation of the upcoming release, here's all the information in one place.

Merges Characters and Campaigns into a single 592-page volume. That's 16 pages longer!
Eliminates redundancy (title pages, credits pages, tables of contents, introductions, indexes, etc.), and removes Combat Lite (because it includes the full combat rules!) and an ad, freeing another 15 pages.
Adds a 4-page preface explaining everything discussed here in detail, and including an updated GURPS bibliography (formerly the Ludography).
Adds 27 pages of rules that writers and gamers deem "core," in four sections. Having this means not needing to buy several supplements for a few key pages. Of course, everything added to newer printings (like Complementary Skills) is also here.
Lightly edits the text to fix grammar and errata, clarify terminology, and correct insensitive language.
Has a distinctive new cover – for the printed version, a hard cover.
Replaces lots of art with nicer color pieces selected from the vast GURPS library.
Replaces many filler quotes with rules clarifications and pointers to useful supplements.
Has a more spacious two-column layout, for easier reading.

Despite the changes, the revision is 100% back-compatible! Sensitivity dictated rewriting the slavery rules and renaming Slave Mentality (leaving a pointer), but the rules are otherwise unchanged. Layout tricks – including inserting addenda in place of redundant content – left all headings on their original pages, preserving references. Gamers using this version and the original will be on the same page, figuratively and literally.

For full details, see the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised FAQ, which we will update as our plans unfold.

– Sean Punch

Warehouse 23 News: Why Is The Darkness Blinking?

They're trapped between the realm of the living and the dead . . . and they're not too pleased about it. The Book of Unlife adds 44 unliving monsters to your The Fantasy Trip campaigns, along with a complete adventure setting. Live like there's too many tomorrows thanks to Warehouse 23!

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2026-01-22

lassarina

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

sholio

New Dresden book, which I inhaled over the last two days!

( All the spoilers )

ursula

glowingfish asked:

The Golden Age of published science-fiction was more or less from 1955 to 1975 (lets say). Why did it end when it did? Do you think that science-fiction (or fantasy) published after 1975 was different, or do you just think it had less ability to become part of the "canon"?

This is really non-standard periodization! Wikipedia has the Golden Age of science fiction starting in the late 1930s, in connection with sci-fi magazine publishing history; the end of your period is solidly New Wave.

The counter-argument is the aphorism that the Golden Age of science fiction is twelve; by that rule, it's interesting to think about who was twelve in 1955-1975, or whatever guidelines you want to pick, and what influence they might have had on defining a canon, once they reached their twenties or thirties. The people who were twelve between 1955 and 1975 were mostly baby boomers, in the standard US generational framework; that was my parents' generation (and

glowingfish's parents', I'm guessing), and it makes sense that the stories they considered formative would seem quasi-canonized to our generation.

isis

What I've recently finished reading:

The Bear and the Serpent, the second book of the Echoes of the Fall series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. As with most books that have multiple storylines and POVs, there were parts I liked better than others; I was more interested in Loud Thunder's adventures as reluctant war leader (and Lone Mountain's journey to the coast) than I was in the goings-on of the River Lords. However, I really liked the bits of cultural worldbuilding there as well, particularly the Wolf priest and the Snake priest(ess) coming to an understanding, and the uneasy relationship of Asmander and Asman which sort of echoed that between Maniye and Akrit Stone River.

Toward the end, it became clear that this series ties into the Shadows of the Apt series, which I had read the first book of (Empire in Black and Gold) a while back, but didn't really feel inclined to continue. So when I finished, I grabbed book 2, Dragonfly Falling, but it only took me a few chapters before I had the "yeah, nah" feeling again, so I guess I won't read that series.

What I'm reading now:

I was about to buy book 3 but then my library hold on Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo came in unexpectedly quickly (

wychwood had reviewed it and it sounded up my alley) so I'm reading that now - hey, it's got people who turn into animals too!

What I've recently finished watching:

S2 of The Empress, which was really enjoyable. The setting of a great power in decline desperately trying to hold onto its glory through ill-advised military ventures is great escapism from...oh, never mind. They do have more magnificent dresses, though!

Actually one thing that struck me about this series is that although the women are formally valued only in their ability to produce boy babies, the narrative highlights their strength, the way they are the iron rods stapling things together. They may be swaddled in yards of cloth that make it difficult to run through the forest, but Elisabeth goes out and looks the people in the eye and talks to them, Sophie has a place at the council table, Charlotte gives Maximilian advice (and he listens) - well, they all give men advice, and the men ignore them at their peril.

What I'm playing now:

Still Ghost of Tsushima. Getting close to the end of the first part, I think!

hamsterwoman

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring an image of a wrapped giftbox with a snowflake on the gift tag. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board) – CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).

OK, I’d never made a Moodboard before, but had been sort of wanting to try it, so this was the perfect opportunity. I thought briefly about whether I should do a Taskmaster one, but I do feel like my colorbars from last year fill a similar niche, so I felt like I’d done it. Well, besides Taskmaster, I think it’s fair to say I have only one truly active fandom at the moment, so… Elis James & John Robins it was. And I might have gotten a little carried away XD

(Let me know if this looks giant on your page and I'll add a cut -- mine seems to automatically resize it to something reasonable, but not sure how universal that is.)

( Blathering )

*

Challenge #11: In your own space, grant someone's wish from Challenge #5.

I really like the idea of this challenge, but don’t terribly like the idea of linking to “granted wishes”, so I won’t do that part. I’ve already granted a couple of wishes when originally browsing Challenge #5, but this was my reminder to go finish commenting on another one I’d done in my head but not actually commented on. But then I went ahead and browsed the day 5 comments some more until I granted a wish I hadn’t even looked at before. I plan to continue doing that, but with that I feel like I can call the challenge “done” for the purposes of posting about it :)

Oh, right, and I should probably link to my wishlist, shouldn’t I.

wwdn_feed

Posted by Wil

https://wilwheaton.net/2026/01/its-storytime-wend-way-go/

https://wilwheaton.net/?p=9889

It is Wednesday, and that means there’s a new episode of It’s Storytime With Wil Wheaton, waiting for you wherever you get your podcasts.

This week’s story is Wend-Way-Go by Tim Pratt. It was originally published in Uncanny Magazine.

I made a creative choice for this week that I haven’t made before on the podcast, and it was so satisfying, I wanted to talk about it a little bit.

When I was working on Star Trek, one of the adults in the cast — and I can’t remember who, no matter how hard I try — introduced me to the concept of “meeting the demands of the material.” They meant that our job as actors is to serve the writer’s intention, not the other way around. Before we start changing words or rewriting lines, it is our responsibility to do the work of understanding the author’s intent until the scenes work. And if the scene still doesn’t work after all of that, then it is time to talk about making changes. But you don’t go making changes because you’re 15 and don’t yet know what it means to be an actor, beyond following direction.

It took me awhile to process that, and it took me even longer to reliably meet the demands of the material, but I eventually got there and never left.

As a narrator of over 100 titles, my job is easier, more joyful, and more satisfying because I know to listen to what the author wants to say, and then do my best to communicate that through my performance. When it works, the listener doesn’t even know what I did; they just feel the story more completely than they would, otherwise. It’s a pretty great trick.

When we recorded this week’s story, Gabrielle (who directs and produces) and I both felt that the material was making a specific demand, that was also a gift to me: without saying so directly, Tim sets this story in what felt to both of us like South Carolina, for some reason. It was so clear in the text that the narrative character needed to speak in a soft drawl, that supported his fundamental gentleness.

It is a creative risk, to be sure. Accents are tough, and present a unique trap that catches me all the time when I discover I am doing an accent, when I should be performing with an accent.

So it’s exciting and a little scary, but I’m glad I did it. I loved this story, and I hope you do, too.

And now, links!

You can also support the show on Patreon, where $5 a month gets you access to the show with no ads, a growing community of lovely people, live AMAs with me, and weekly insights behind the scenes of the show.

If this is your first time reading or visiting my blog, welcome! I’m glad you’re here. If you’d like to get my posts in your inbox, here’s the thing:

https://wilwheaton.net/2026/01/its-storytime-wend-way-go/

https://wilwheaton.net/?p=9889

Susan Sto-helit. Because in this world, after everyone panics,

there's always got to be someone to tip the wee out of the shoe.

10trueloves: Trust

Lead Paint on Vintage Corelle Dishes

Link

Translation!

Exchanges!

January 23, 2026: Munchkin Second Edition Is Now On BackerKit!

WiP / Plot Bunny Corral

10trueloves: Surprise

Book review: A Memory Called Empire

the grand facade so soon will burn

hoods all alike

The weather, by layers

3 Sentence Ficathon, part three (all B5 fixit edition)

January 22, 2026: GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Is Getting Revised . . . But How?

What Are You Playing Wednesday

Dresden Files: Twelve Months

January journal: science fiction periodization

wednesday reads and things

Snowflake (days 10-11)

It’s Storytime: Wend-Way-Go

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