emotional support spinning
Oct. 25th, 2025 08:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yhlee(cross-post with more technical details: ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
prototypediablerie)
Three-ply yarns where each single is a different wool variety since I was going through and spinning up some samples. Next up will be an experiment in dyeing.
Also, the next owner of this spinning wheel is going to have to live with the aftermarket addition of Warhammer 40,000 base magnets to hold the hecking orifice hook because I keep losing them (and having to DIY new ones out of paper clips - this works quite well and is easy but also, I'm running embarrassingly low on paper clips).
prototypediablerie)Three-ply yarns where each single is a different wool variety since I was going through and spinning up some samples. Next up will be an experiment in dyeing.
Also, the next owner of this spinning wheel is going to have to live with the aftermarket addition of Warhammer 40,000 base magnets to hold the hecking orifice hook because I keep losing them (and having to DIY new ones out of paper clips - this works quite well and is easy but also, I'm running embarrassingly low on paper clips).
Eva returning from the dead...
Oct. 25th, 2025 12:52 pmluzulaAlas, Eva has disappeared today and was probably taken by a fox. : (( Her ducklings are all grown up and I do not think they miss her. I shed some tears, but actually more for Egon than for her, because he keeps looking around for her and not finding her. : ( They always stuck together. But I'm actually glad they're not in monogamous pairs like geese, because the other partner can sometimes die of grief when one of them dies. We have also lost a very good brooder. Why can't the fox take males instead, if it has to take our ducks?? But I'm not surprised it took Eva, because she was the one always wandering off from the rest of the flock, with Egon following after. She was also blind on one eye.
ETA: OMG, EVA IS BACK!!! Where on earth has she been?? She was gone for like five hours, which never happens. Whatever she was doing, I am VERY glad to have her back. <3 <3
I did not sign up for Yuletide, sigh. I am just so busy right now, and it felt like too much pressure. Perhaps I will treat. But I did sign up for the Get Your Words Out challenge to write 15 days in November and 15 in December. I WILL finish that longfic.
ETA: OMG, EVA IS BACK!!! Where on earth has she been?? She was gone for like five hours, which never happens. Whatever she was doing, I am VERY glad to have her back. <3 <3
I did not sign up for Yuletide, sigh. I am just so busy right now, and it felt like too much pressure. Perhaps I will treat. But I did sign up for the Get Your Words Out challenge to write 15 days in November and 15 in December. I WILL finish that longfic.
Write Every Day: Day 25
Oct. 25th, 2025 06:14 pmchina_shop"Nobody talks about the middle. The part where the excitement fades and progress stalls. Where the work feels endless, the wins feel small, and the finish line isn't even in sight.
The middle part is where most people quit – not because they couldn't do it, but because they thought it wasn't supposed to feel this way.
But this is actually where the growth happens. Push through.
One day, this chapter will be the part of the story you're most proud of."
–Jay Yang, via Instagram
My day 25: A bit of a slow start (partly distracted by the Yuletide letters post), but I managed 1,115 words of a new gift fic. I'm trying to slow down the writing and let it be sensory, rather than racing to get to the finish. Let's see how that goes. (There are so many things I'm "in the middle of" or meaning to write atm that my head feels splintered. I need to get back into the habit of sustained attention and finishing, without making the writing feel rushed.)
Other than that, another walk through trees this afternoon, and a quiet evening ahead.
The tally
( Tally )
Day 23:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cmk418, cornerofmadness, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadoraDay 24:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, china_shop, cmk418, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadoraWhen you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.
wreak
Oct. 25th, 2025 01:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
merriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 25, 2025 is:
wreak • \REEK\ • verb
Wreak means “to cause something very harmful or damaging.” It is often used with on or upon.
// The virus wreaked havoc on my laptop.
Examples:
“Ours is a geography of cataclysm: Santa Anas wreak their psychic wrath; the odor of disaster seeps from the street like that sulfurous egg smell of the La Brea Tar Pits.” — John Lopez, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sept. 2025
Did you know?
In its early days, wreak was synonymous with avenge, a meaning exemplified when Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus proclaims “We will solicit heaven, and move the gods / To send down Justice for to wreak our wrongs.” This sense is now archaic, but the association hasn't been lost: although wreak is today most often paired with havoc, it is also still sometimes paired with words like vengeance and destruction. We humbly suggest you avoid wreaking any of that, however, no matter how badly you may crave your just deserts.
sad news for those who know obi_ki and her son Alan
Oct. 24th, 2025 10:45 pmride_4everobi_ki and her son Alan have been two of my Con*Strict friends. I've just today learned of Alan's death. Too sad for me to write more here but you can read about Alan's life and his family and his friends at Alan's obituary.Subject or object?
Oct. 25th, 2025 02:58 amigenlode posting in fan_writersA quick conundrum: if someone notices that another character is looking at him, does that make him the *subject* or the *object* of an assessing gaze?
I feel that logically speaking one ought to write "found himself the object of an assessing gaze", but my first instinct was to put "subject"; certainly he was *subjected to* the other character's thoughtful look :-)
I feel that logically speaking one ought to write "found himself the object of an assessing gaze", but my first instinct was to put "subject"; certainly he was *subjected to* the other character's thoughtful look :-)
Attic Archaeology, Kitchen Cupboard version: Quae narravi, nullo modo negabo
Oct. 24th, 2025 07:32 pmelisem (I call housecleaning and sorting through old treasures "attic archaeology.")
Quite a while back, Joel Rosenberg and a number of us had a joke that there should be a Minnesota Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (MSFFWA), and its motto should be "Quae narravi, nullo modo negabo," which he told us means loosely "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." There were cups made, bearing motto and also logo, which was crossed sword and space shuttle over the shape of Minnesota.
(I cannot manage to upload the photos yet. I'll work on it.)
Quite a while back, Joel Rosenberg and a number of us had a joke that there should be a Minnesota Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (MSFFWA), and its motto should be "Quae narravi, nullo modo negabo," which he told us means loosely "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." There were cups made, bearing motto and also logo, which was crossed sword and space shuttle over the shape of Minnesota.
(I cannot manage to upload the photos yet. I'll work on it.)
Cigarette, Alka-Seltzer, career to the back of the place
Oct. 24th, 2025 06:20 pmsovayI can't listen to podcasts. It's the same problem as audio commentaries. They are difficult for me to extract information from. I make the occasional effort for friends or colleagues and otherwise read transcripts where available.
I have just discovered that Bill Nighy has a podcast. Apparently it launched on my birthday. It is the half-hour ill-advised by Bill Nighy. I am as we speak listening to the first episode which I selected at not very random considering there are only three so far:
Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on where you are on the planet. Welcome to ill-advised by Bill Nighy—and the clue is in the title, particularly on the first word. The risk of getting to my age is that you can not infrequently be mistaken for somebody who knows what's happening or how to carry on, and you only have to take a quick look around the world to see how that's going, and how my generation are managing the planet, for instance. I mean, you may have picked up a few things along the way which might be of use, like, I don't know, parking, or online shopping, or not taking cocaine, obviously. But other than that, in all the big important things, I remain profoundly in the dark. But I try and keep a straight face when people start acting weird.
After which he immediately begins to tell the listener about his recent eye operation. It does eventually pertain to the nature of the podcast, but frankly it was such an ideal segue for a programme that bills itself as "a podcast for people who don't get out much and can't handle it when they do . . . a refuge for the clumsy and the awkward . . . an invitation to squander time" that it won me over to treating it as an audio drama whose laconically anxious and slightly acid narrator has a very good fund of self-deprecating stories that wind their way around to some species of advice, defined by Nighy as "not actually making things worse." He sounds unsurprisingly like his interviews. The difficulty of extracting information does not improve just because I like the speaker, but apparently I will now make the occasional effort for actors, too.
Update: the parking is a lie. Nighy spends most of the introduction to the second episode explaining that he cannot and never could park successfully. "I'd drive miles to find somewhere where you didn't actually have to park, you could just leave the car." Well done, Reginald?
I have just discovered that Bill Nighy has a podcast. Apparently it launched on my birthday. It is the half-hour ill-advised by Bill Nighy. I am as we speak listening to the first episode which I selected at not very random considering there are only three so far:
Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on where you are on the planet. Welcome to ill-advised by Bill Nighy—and the clue is in the title, particularly on the first word. The risk of getting to my age is that you can not infrequently be mistaken for somebody who knows what's happening or how to carry on, and you only have to take a quick look around the world to see how that's going, and how my generation are managing the planet, for instance. I mean, you may have picked up a few things along the way which might be of use, like, I don't know, parking, or online shopping, or not taking cocaine, obviously. But other than that, in all the big important things, I remain profoundly in the dark. But I try and keep a straight face when people start acting weird.
After which he immediately begins to tell the listener about his recent eye operation. It does eventually pertain to the nature of the podcast, but frankly it was such an ideal segue for a programme that bills itself as "a podcast for people who don't get out much and can't handle it when they do . . . a refuge for the clumsy and the awkward . . . an invitation to squander time" that it won me over to treating it as an audio drama whose laconically anxious and slightly acid narrator has a very good fund of self-deprecating stories that wind their way around to some species of advice, defined by Nighy as "not actually making things worse." He sounds unsurprisingly like his interviews. The difficulty of extracting information does not improve just because I like the speaker, but apparently I will now make the occasional effort for actors, too.
Update: the parking is a lie. Nighy spends most of the introduction to the second episode explaining that he cannot and never could park successfully. "I'd drive miles to find somewhere where you didn't actually have to park, you could just leave the car." Well done, Reginald?
Yuletide 2025 Signups Closed!
Oct. 24th, 2025 10:28 pmyuletide_admin_feedThere's a new post up on the Yuletide Admin comm regarding
Yuletide 2025 Signups Closed!. Please note that there may
have been a delay between that post and this crosspost.
You can go through to DW to check the details:
Dreamwidth Post
If you have follow-up questions, they can be asked in the DW comment section using a DW login, OpenID with another login, or a signed anonymous comment.
You can go through to DW to check the details:
Dreamwidth Post
If you have follow-up questions, they can be asked in the DW comment section using a DW login, OpenID with another login, or a signed anonymous comment.
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo, in print!
Oct. 24th, 2025 11:42 pmqianskygiants did a very kind post about this development, which made me think perhaps I should also do a public post about it on this, the social networking site on which I am probably most active ...Anyway, my epistolary novella The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo is being republished by indie press Homeward Books and for the first time, it will be available in hard copy form! With a jazzy new cover featuring art by Kim Nguyen, it is SO cute and chic. Homeward Books are fundraising to put out their first two releases (Jade is the second) and you can pre-order both via the Kickstarter here.
[ SECRET POST #6867 ]
Oct. 24th, 2025 04:49 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6867 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #980.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Yuletide Letter 2025
Oct. 24th, 2025 03:32 pmmelannenOh no, I have become one of those people who only uses their DW for yuletide letters. :( Maybe this year I will make an effort to get back to journaling.
Anyway for now this is just a quick and dirty paste of my signup before signups close; I will come back and clean it up soon I hope. Until then: I have no general DNWs and a few fandom-specific ones are in the signup. I like all kinds of fic, I like crossovers, I am one of those annoying people who really truly does just want anything at all for their small fandoms. the fandom:yuletide tag on my journal has a lot of previous letters and things; feel free to mine that for general likes and other fandoms to crossover with.
( Measurement League: Guardians of the SI (NIST), Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Brennu-Njáls saga | Njal's Saga - Anonymous, Mademoiselle de Maupin - Théophile Gautier, Dimension 20: On A Bus, Fandom: Le Roman de Silence | The Romance of Silence, Mairelon the Magician - Patricia Wrede, Dogsbody - Diana Wynne Jones )
Anyway for now this is just a quick and dirty paste of my signup before signups close; I will come back and clean it up soon I hope. Until then: I have no general DNWs and a few fandom-specific ones are in the signup. I like all kinds of fic, I like crossovers, I am one of those annoying people who really truly does just want anything at all for their small fandoms. the fandom:yuletide tag on my journal has a lot of previous letters and things; feel free to mine that for general likes and other fandoms to crossover with.
( Measurement League: Guardians of the SI (NIST), Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Brennu-Njáls saga | Njal's Saga - Anonymous, Mademoiselle de Maupin - Théophile Gautier, Dimension 20: On A Bus, Fandom: Le Roman de Silence | The Romance of Silence, Mairelon the Magician - Patricia Wrede, Dogsbody - Diana Wynne Jones )
Dear Yuletide Writer...
Oct. 24th, 2025 02:54 pmsavageseraphDear Yuletide Writer,
First, let me say that I'm so happy to have you writing something for me that I don't get to see every day but wish that I did. Thank you in advance for that!
I know that my prompts lean toward the slashy and the sexy. I like slash, het (though not vanilla het), and femslash. If you’re writing either het or femslash, I like strong, capable women who own their own strength, intellect, and desire. Of course, I like that in men too. I like BDSM, though more in terms of power dynamics and less in terms of highly ritualized behavior.
However, I love interesting and complex characters and good stories above all else. Even when it comes to the sexy, the sorts of stories I like best are the ones that really get inside the characters’ heads, ones that go beyond the act itself and show how it impacts the characters or their relationship. If you want to see the sorts of things I write (and like to read), I'm also Savageseraph over at the Archive of Our Own.
This is not an exhaustive list, just some things that often tend to make me smile.
LIKES
Dirty talk
The seductive power of language
Power exchanges/dynamics
Kink
Surrender (even against better judgement)
Smart, strong, capable characters
Temptation
Bondage
Angst (but not at melodramatic levels)
RPF where there’s some bleedover between actors and their characters
NonCon (usually just in FPF, unless the fic is an AU, but no AU’s for this Yuletide)
DubCon (I’ve no objections to this in RPF.)
Non-vanilla/traditional characters/situations
Explicit-rated fics (though I do like story and character with my porn)
High Passion/Sensuality/Stakes
Sexual Tension
Tension between resistance and surrender
An edge of darkness/danger
Intensity (physical, emotional, and/or situational)
While this shouldn’t be perceived as a critique of items in the list, these are things I would prefer not to receive in my Yuletide Fic.
DO NOT WANTS
Watersports/Scat
Hurt/Comfort
MPREG
A/B/O verse
Overly sentimental or cloyingly romantic fic, schmoop
Domestic fic/curtain fic
Crackfic/humor
Social issue/political fics
Characters behaving OOC for their canon
No AU’s for the fandoms this Yuletide
Weak female characters
Feminization of male characters
Angst that becomes overly emo
Woobie fics
Fluff
Character death
And now, a bit about the fandoms I've requested for this Yuletide exchange.
Guild Hunter Series – Nalini Singh
I read this series at the start of 2019, but after I started, I mainlined the crap out of it because it hit so many of my kinks. It was romantic (but not sappy), dark and gritty, had angels and vampires, had epic worldbuilding and new and interesting supernatural world: what’s not to like. I really admire Singh’s management of story arcs across novels, her worldbuilding and her characters. I do like the pairings in the series a lot, so since I’ve asked for slash, it might be nice if the fics were set before the characters find their het mates.
What would I like for Yuletide? I’d love some Raphael/Dmitri back when they were both young and struggling with their griefs and becoming brothers-in-arms (and perhaps in beds). I love power struggles, and while there is abiding friendship and loyalty between them, they do clash over things. I wouldn’t mind angry sex between them or something to take the edge off after a battle.
Of course, we’ve had teases of a less-than-platonic relationship between Ilium and Aodhan all along, and if you'd like to give the boys some post-ARCHANGEL’S LIGHT sexy time I wouldn't object. Pre-ARCHANGEL'S LIGHT longing/angst (and perhaps more) would also be good. Were they intimate in the past, but Aodhan’s trauma that lead to his aversion to touch split them apart temporarily? While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Waxwork
This was one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies when I was younger, and yes, I might have rewatched the Dracula and Marquis bits more than the rest of the movie. I'm good with Dracula/China or The Marquis de Sade/Sarah. You can feel free to mix up the pairings or have all of them together.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Critical Role (Webseries)- RPF
Calamity remains one of my delights. I loved the doomed city of Avalir and The Circle of Brass. I especially enjoyed Luis Carazo's Zerxus. His interactions with Asmodeus were electric (and seductive), and I'd like to see something of that captured in a Luis/Brennan fic where character interaction in game bleeds over into interactions between the actors.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better.
Warlock
This is another guilty pleasure film from my youth. I'd love to see a Warlock/Redferne story. The two of them get hit them with a fuck-or-die curse or magical sex pollen? Something darker where the Warlock holds Redferne as his prisoner? Redferne punishing the Warlock for killing his wife? Something else entirely?
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better.
Ruinous Love Trilogy - Brynne Weaver
I have ALL THE LOVE for Brynne Weaver’s BUTCHER AND BLACKBIRD and LEATHER AND LARK. I am counting the days until February 11 when the next book releases. I love horror, so I love the ruthless and pitiless darkness of the story, which contrasts beautifully the love and loyalty and friendship and family. I also love the spiciness and kinkiness both books have. Did I mention that when I saw one of the kinks in Leather and Lark was pegging, I squeed?
I’d love either Sloane/Rowan or Lark/Lachlan. Or possibly a group scene with all of them. I’d be fine with Lark/Sloane and Rowan/Lachlan. I’m pretty much good with any combination or grouping of the characters. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Wicked Games Series - Kaylie Smith
This year, Kaylie Smith's Phantasma and Enchantra were two of my favorite reads. I liked the deadly games, the twists and turns, and the Grimm sisters and their love interests. I also really liked the worldbuilding with the supernatural races and creatures. So give me some Salem/Ophelia or Genevieve/Rowan goodness either during the games or after.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Candela Obscura – A Critical Role Webseries
I was very taken by the exchanges between Sean and Marion where Sean is wounded and Marion asked if Sean wanted to pee on it, and how that played out in the end when Marion is gravely wounded. The romantic/sexual play between them is delicious, and I'd REALLY love to see what happens after that scene above once the boys are safe and alone together. Guilty confession: I haven’t watched the last episode yet, but I will do so before Yuletide. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Psy-Changeling Series - Nalini Singh
I read Singh’s GUILD HUNTER series first, and honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy this series as much. Vampires and angels had to trump shifters and psionics. Well, I was wrong about that. I like this series just as much as the other. I do like the pairings in the series a lot, so since I’ve asked for slash, it might be nice if the fics were set before the characters find their het mates.
Two alphas in a contest of wills is one of my favorite things, and it definitely takes me to my happy place.
My favorite character in the series is probably Kaleb (one of the top tier at least), and since the Arrows are very much a lethal, creepy band-of-brothers, I’d like to see a fic with Kaleb and Judd and/or Aden when their icy control snaps. I have no issues with something forcing them into emotional vulnerability and physical intimacy against their training and possibly against their will that turns into a forbidden unleashing of physical/emotional passion (would like that to be before reuniting with Sahara).
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
Having said that, I read and write and enjoy lots and lots of things that aren't really represented in my fics, so I don't want you to feel boxed in. Write what you really love, what inspires you, and it will show in the fic. If you have any questions, you could bounce them off my writing partnercaras_galadhon.
I'm sure I'll love what you make for me, and I'm already looking forward to reading it!
First, let me say that I'm so happy to have you writing something for me that I don't get to see every day but wish that I did. Thank you in advance for that!
I know that my prompts lean toward the slashy and the sexy. I like slash, het (though not vanilla het), and femslash. If you’re writing either het or femslash, I like strong, capable women who own their own strength, intellect, and desire. Of course, I like that in men too. I like BDSM, though more in terms of power dynamics and less in terms of highly ritualized behavior.
However, I love interesting and complex characters and good stories above all else. Even when it comes to the sexy, the sorts of stories I like best are the ones that really get inside the characters’ heads, ones that go beyond the act itself and show how it impacts the characters or their relationship. If you want to see the sorts of things I write (and like to read), I'm also Savageseraph over at the Archive of Our Own.
This is not an exhaustive list, just some things that often tend to make me smile.
LIKES
Dirty talk
The seductive power of language
Power exchanges/dynamics
Kink
Surrender (even against better judgement)
Smart, strong, capable characters
Temptation
Bondage
Angst (but not at melodramatic levels)
RPF where there’s some bleedover between actors and their characters
NonCon (usually just in FPF, unless the fic is an AU, but no AU’s for this Yuletide)
DubCon (I’ve no objections to this in RPF.)
Non-vanilla/traditional characters/situations
Explicit-rated fics (though I do like story and character with my porn)
High Passion/Sensuality/Stakes
Sexual Tension
Tension between resistance and surrender
An edge of darkness/danger
Intensity (physical, emotional, and/or situational)
While this shouldn’t be perceived as a critique of items in the list, these are things I would prefer not to receive in my Yuletide Fic.
DO NOT WANTS
Watersports/Scat
Hurt/Comfort
MPREG
A/B/O verse
Overly sentimental or cloyingly romantic fic, schmoop
Domestic fic/curtain fic
Crackfic/humor
Social issue/political fics
Characters behaving OOC for their canon
No AU’s for the fandoms this Yuletide
Weak female characters
Feminization of male characters
Angst that becomes overly emo
Woobie fics
Fluff
Character death
And now, a bit about the fandoms I've requested for this Yuletide exchange.
Guild Hunter Series – Nalini Singh
I read this series at the start of 2019, but after I started, I mainlined the crap out of it because it hit so many of my kinks. It was romantic (but not sappy), dark and gritty, had angels and vampires, had epic worldbuilding and new and interesting supernatural world: what’s not to like. I really admire Singh’s management of story arcs across novels, her worldbuilding and her characters. I do like the pairings in the series a lot, so since I’ve asked for slash, it might be nice if the fics were set before the characters find their het mates.
What would I like for Yuletide? I’d love some Raphael/Dmitri back when they were both young and struggling with their griefs and becoming brothers-in-arms (and perhaps in beds). I love power struggles, and while there is abiding friendship and loyalty between them, they do clash over things. I wouldn’t mind angry sex between them or something to take the edge off after a battle.
Of course, we’ve had teases of a less-than-platonic relationship between Ilium and Aodhan all along, and if you'd like to give the boys some post-ARCHANGEL’S LIGHT sexy time I wouldn't object. Pre-ARCHANGEL'S LIGHT longing/angst (and perhaps more) would also be good. Were they intimate in the past, but Aodhan’s trauma that lead to his aversion to touch split them apart temporarily? While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Waxwork
This was one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies when I was younger, and yes, I might have rewatched the Dracula and Marquis bits more than the rest of the movie. I'm good with Dracula/China or The Marquis de Sade/Sarah. You can feel free to mix up the pairings or have all of them together.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Critical Role (Webseries)- RPF
Calamity remains one of my delights. I loved the doomed city of Avalir and The Circle of Brass. I especially enjoyed Luis Carazo's Zerxus. His interactions with Asmodeus were electric (and seductive), and I'd like to see something of that captured in a Luis/Brennan fic where character interaction in game bleeds over into interactions between the actors.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better.
Warlock
This is another guilty pleasure film from my youth. I'd love to see a Warlock/Redferne story. The two of them get hit them with a fuck-or-die curse or magical sex pollen? Something darker where the Warlock holds Redferne as his prisoner? Redferne punishing the Warlock for killing his wife? Something else entirely?
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better.
Ruinous Love Trilogy - Brynne Weaver
I have ALL THE LOVE for Brynne Weaver’s BUTCHER AND BLACKBIRD and LEATHER AND LARK. I am counting the days until February 11 when the next book releases. I love horror, so I love the ruthless and pitiless darkness of the story, which contrasts beautifully the love and loyalty and friendship and family. I also love the spiciness and kinkiness both books have. Did I mention that when I saw one of the kinks in Leather and Lark was pegging, I squeed?
I’d love either Sloane/Rowan or Lark/Lachlan. Or possibly a group scene with all of them. I’d be fine with Lark/Sloane and Rowan/Lachlan. I’m pretty much good with any combination or grouping of the characters. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Wicked Games Series - Kaylie Smith
This year, Kaylie Smith's Phantasma and Enchantra were two of my favorite reads. I liked the deadly games, the twists and turns, and the Grimm sisters and their love interests. I also really liked the worldbuilding with the supernatural races and creatures. So give me some Salem/Ophelia or Genevieve/Rowan goodness either during the games or after.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Candela Obscura – A Critical Role Webseries
I was very taken by the exchanges between Sean and Marion where Sean is wounded and Marion asked if Sean wanted to pee on it, and how that played out in the end when Marion is gravely wounded. The romantic/sexual play between them is delicious, and I'd REALLY love to see what happens after that scene above once the boys are safe and alone together. Guilty confession: I haven’t watched the last episode yet, but I will do so before Yuletide. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own inner demons, so much the better.
Psy-Changeling Series - Nalini Singh
I read Singh’s GUILD HUNTER series first, and honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy this series as much. Vampires and angels had to trump shifters and psionics. Well, I was wrong about that. I like this series just as much as the other. I do like the pairings in the series a lot, so since I’ve asked for slash, it might be nice if the fics were set before the characters find their het mates.
Two alphas in a contest of wills is one of my favorite things, and it definitely takes me to my happy place.
My favorite character in the series is probably Kaleb (one of the top tier at least), and since the Arrows are very much a lethal, creepy band-of-brothers, I’d like to see a fic with Kaleb and Judd and/or Aden when their icy control snaps. I have no issues with something forcing them into emotional vulnerability and physical intimacy against their training and possibly against their will that turns into a forbidden unleashing of physical/emotional passion (would like that to be before reuniting with Sahara).
I’m interested in the forces of attraction and repulsion, surrender and resistance. I love to see strong men/women struggling to have the upper hand physically, intellectually, and sexually over each other, and if that also involves wrestling with their own (or their characters’) inner demons, so much the better. While I love spice and some kink, I also like it when those things highlight the characters and their relationship.
Having said that, I read and write and enjoy lots and lots of things that aren't really represented in my fics, so I don't want you to feel boxed in. Write what you really love, what inspires you, and it will show in the fic. If you have any questions, you could bounce them off my writing partner
caras_galadhon.I'm sure I'll love what you make for me, and I'm already looking forward to reading it!
Yuletide Letter 2025
Oct. 24th, 2025 11:43 amsophia_helixDear Yuletide writer:
Thank you for writing for me! I had a lot of fun thinking of various requests in various fandoms this year, several of which are new to me so they’ve got that shiny new fandom glow. I’m an easygoing recipient and open to a lot of things; always happy to read a gen fic if that’s where you end up going but in most cases happiest with ship fic.
( Intro )
( Black Bag (2025) )
( Emily of New Moon - L.M. Montgomery )
( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L Sayers )
( The New Yorker RPF )
( Post-classical Hollywood RPF )
Thank you for writing for me! I had a lot of fun thinking of various requests in various fandoms this year, several of which are new to me so they’ve got that shiny new fandom glow. I’m an easygoing recipient and open to a lot of things; always happy to read a gen fic if that’s where you end up going but in most cases happiest with ship fic.
( Intro )
( Black Bag (2025) )
( Emily of New Moon - L.M. Montgomery )
( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L Sayers )
( The New Yorker RPF )
( Post-classical Hollywood RPF )
2025 52 Card Project: Week 42: Quiet
Oct. 24th, 2025 12:12 pmpegkerrThis was one of those weeks that had me wondering, "What was this week about? What can I do for my collage?"
I had a hard time coming up with anything. The week was uneventful, and I have been feeling quiet inside. A little subdued, maybe.
The cold is starting to settle in, and I see frost on the grass in the mornings now.
I have been drinking hibiscus tea to try to bring my blood pressure down a bit.
Fiona and M came over for a visit last Sunday. Poor Fiona was so exhausted (hard work digging trenches during the day, welding classes in the evening, and up with a screaming baby at night), and so after I fed her apple pastries, I told her to go upstairs and take a nap on my bed while I hung out with M.
Babies are oblivious to schedules and deadlines. They live in the moment. I sang songs to her and let her stand on my thighs and bounce up and down (she has Strong Opinions and Takes Umbrage at traditional baby holds. No, no, no. She wants to stand). She fussed for a while until I gave her a bottle and let her sleep. I stared at her for half an hour, just drinking in her presence and enjoying the quiet, until Fiona awoke and came downstairs again, looking sleepy.
"Thanks," she said.
"Anytime," I told her. "Come back again to rest anytime."
Image description: A hand holds a brown leaf up against the sun. Top: a woman's hand cradles a baby's hand. Lower right corner: a cup of hibiscus tea with a slice of lemon floating on the surface of the tea. Semi-transparent overlay: frost on the grass.
Quiet
Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
I had a hard time coming up with anything. The week was uneventful, and I have been feeling quiet inside. A little subdued, maybe.
The cold is starting to settle in, and I see frost on the grass in the mornings now.
I have been drinking hibiscus tea to try to bring my blood pressure down a bit.
Fiona and M came over for a visit last Sunday. Poor Fiona was so exhausted (hard work digging trenches during the day, welding classes in the evening, and up with a screaming baby at night), and so after I fed her apple pastries, I told her to go upstairs and take a nap on my bed while I hung out with M.
Babies are oblivious to schedules and deadlines. They live in the moment. I sang songs to her and let her stand on my thighs and bounce up and down (she has Strong Opinions and Takes Umbrage at traditional baby holds. No, no, no. She wants to stand). She fussed for a while until I gave her a bottle and let her sleep. I stared at her for half an hour, just drinking in her presence and enjoying the quiet, until Fiona awoke and came downstairs again, looking sleepy.
"Thanks," she said.
"Anytime," I told her. "Come back again to rest anytime."
Image description: A hand holds a brown leaf up against the sun. Top: a woman's hand cradles a baby's hand. Lower right corner: a cup of hibiscus tea with a slice of lemon floating on the surface of the tea. Semi-transparent overlay: frost on the grass.
Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
(no subject)
Oct. 24th, 2025 01:31 pmnestraHello, yuletide writer!
It's funny, I made my requests without looking at what I asked for last year...and I picked almost all the same stuff as last year. The heart wants what it wants, I guess.
Likes: Kissing, teasing, tension, banter, humor, character ambiguity, sacrifice, found families, pining, slow realizations, fast realizations, the slow burn of desire, explosive confrontations, wry self-knowledge, self-discovery, loyalty, love.
Dislikes: Death, bucketloads of angst with no balance, character-bashing (especially canonical female love interest bashing), incest, non-con, betrayal (including marital infidelity), mpreg, omegaverse, extreme kink unless you run it by me (anonymously) or someone who knows me well. I would prefer to avoid anything that's dark just for the sake of being dark.
Totally up to you: Presence or absence of smut or romance, level of explicitness, presence of additional or original characters.
I am willing to receive treats!
If you have any question whether I might like something, you can askshrift.
(Uh, on the off chance you're not current on all the books, spoilers ahead.)
Lydia and Ysidro are in America, great! James is stuck in the middle of a completely different continent, not so great. I want the band back together!
The constant contradiction at the heart of the relationship has sort of been resolved, now that Ysidro doesn't need to murder people. But there were many, many years when they knew what he was and still chose to be his friends and allies, knowing that his continued survival meant more innocent deaths.
If you want to go the threesome route, I'd love that. I'm less interested in only James/Ysidro or Lydia/Ysidro, though if it's not framed as a betrayal of the other partner, that would help. But if the spirit moves you in that direction, go for it. For gen options, you could explore something of Ysidro's past, or James and Lydia's fear over parenting a child in a world where vampires exist.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, mpreg, omegaverse, human characters turned into vampires, breakup of the marriage
Years ago, Yuletide kicked off my love for Archie/Saul, and each year, there are a few more stories (including some amazing ones written for me!). But I'm greedy.
Canonically, it's kind of fuzzy whether Saul has a wife and family, because it seems to depend on the book. I don't mind if a wife exists, but I would prefer it if Saul doesn't cheat on his wife. So if you're going for Archie/Saul (always good!), please either have them divorced/profoundly separated, or make her not exist. I can see how the pairing might not be your thing, and if it's not, I would be perfectly happy with a mystery kind of thing, or a poker-playing scene, or anything where those two guys interact. Because they're hot and competent. Also, feel free to go crazy, if you want to, in terms of the setting. Anywhere in canon is fine, present-day is fine (Wolfe vs. the Internet!), even the future is fine (Wolfe vs. artificial gravity!).
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity, mpreg, omegaverse
This movie is so spare and quiet and and gentle and perfect. I love how Gheorghe basically has to teach Johnny to be a functioning human, and how loving Johnny becomes once someone treats him kindly. Anything during or post-movie would be great, or pre-canon Gheorghe pre-movie.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity (though mention of the canonical infidelity is fine, just no new infidelity), mpreg, omegaverse, breakup of the relationship
I love that Nita and Kit have reached the stage of awkwardly growing and fumbling their way through their changing relationship, and there's definitely the potential of a Thing with Ronan. Any exploration of that would be fun. Feel free to address the physical aspect, and age them as much as you need to to feel comfortable -- I wouldn't want to read anything explicit between them unless they're 17 or 18.
Otherwise, pretty much anything with the three of them would be great. Shit-talking the US vs. Ireland, making a meal, mocking Dairine and Roshaun and their own weird Thing, just taking a moment to be friends and not have to save the world. Don't feel any obligation to get into the more technical aspects of the magic unless that's something you enjoy.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity, mpreg, omegaverse, breaking up
It's funny, I made my requests without looking at what I asked for last year...and I picked almost all the same stuff as last year. The heart wants what it wants, I guess.
Likes: Kissing, teasing, tension, banter, humor, character ambiguity, sacrifice, found families, pining, slow realizations, fast realizations, the slow burn of desire, explosive confrontations, wry self-knowledge, self-discovery, loyalty, love.
Dislikes: Death, bucketloads of angst with no balance, character-bashing (especially canonical female love interest bashing), incest, non-con, betrayal (including marital infidelity), mpreg, omegaverse, extreme kink unless you run it by me (anonymously) or someone who knows me well. I would prefer to avoid anything that's dark just for the sake of being dark.
Totally up to you: Presence or absence of smut or romance, level of explicitness, presence of additional or original characters.
I am willing to receive treats!
If you have any question whether I might like something, you can ask
shrift.James Asher Vampire Series - Barbara Hambly
(Uh, on the off chance you're not current on all the books, spoilers ahead.)
Lydia and Ysidro are in America, great! James is stuck in the middle of a completely different continent, not so great. I want the band back together!
The constant contradiction at the heart of the relationship has sort of been resolved, now that Ysidro doesn't need to murder people. But there were many, many years when they knew what he was and still chose to be his friends and allies, knowing that his continued survival meant more innocent deaths.
If you want to go the threesome route, I'd love that. I'm less interested in only James/Ysidro or Lydia/Ysidro, though if it's not framed as a betrayal of the other partner, that would help. But if the spirit moves you in that direction, go for it. For gen options, you could explore something of Ysidro's past, or James and Lydia's fear over parenting a child in a world where vampires exist.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, mpreg, omegaverse, human characters turned into vampires, breakup of the marriage
Nero Wolfe - Rex Stout
Years ago, Yuletide kicked off my love for Archie/Saul, and each year, there are a few more stories (including some amazing ones written for me!). But I'm greedy.
Canonically, it's kind of fuzzy whether Saul has a wife and family, because it seems to depend on the book. I don't mind if a wife exists, but I would prefer it if Saul doesn't cheat on his wife. So if you're going for Archie/Saul (always good!), please either have them divorced/profoundly separated, or make her not exist. I can see how the pairing might not be your thing, and if it's not, I would be perfectly happy with a mystery kind of thing, or a poker-playing scene, or anything where those two guys interact. Because they're hot and competent. Also, feel free to go crazy, if you want to, in terms of the setting. Anywhere in canon is fine, present-day is fine (Wolfe vs. the Internet!), even the future is fine (Wolfe vs. artificial gravity!).
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity, mpreg, omegaverse
God's Own Country
This movie is so spare and quiet and and gentle and perfect. I love how Gheorghe basically has to teach Johnny to be a functioning human, and how loving Johnny becomes once someone treats him kindly. Anything during or post-movie would be great, or pre-canon Gheorghe pre-movie.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity (though mention of the canonical infidelity is fine, just no new infidelity), mpreg, omegaverse, breakup of the relationship
Young Wizards series
I love that Nita and Kit have reached the stage of awkwardly growing and fumbling their way through their changing relationship, and there's definitely the potential of a Thing with Ronan. Any exploration of that would be fun. Feel free to address the physical aspect, and age them as much as you need to to feel comfortable -- I wouldn't want to read anything explicit between them unless they're 17 or 18.
Otherwise, pretty much anything with the three of them would be great. Shit-talking the US vs. Ireland, making a meal, mocking Dairine and Roshaun and their own weird Thing, just taking a moment to be friends and not have to save the world. Don't feel any obligation to get into the more technical aspects of the magic unless that's something you enjoy.
DNW: Death, rape/non-con, infidelity, mpreg, omegaverse, breaking up