grayestofghosts

Actually published a few fanfics this year, so resurrecting this old AO3 meme:

1. How many words have you written this year?

9,459 words were published to AO3 in 2025, and some 12,000 more in active WIPs are hanging around. I've had better years, but also much worse.

2. How many works did you publish this year?

I'm going to count the chapters of the oneshot collection as separate works, in which case it's 13 fics and one fanmix published.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Go Marching In, which addressed a very long-standing itch about how TMNT 2k3 handled the ethical conundrum in 'Rogue in the House' (answer: not super well).

( 4-22 below )

meningioma posting in

everykindofcraft

Made this little quilted book cover for my sister
( Read more... )

soc_puppet

Just ordered myself a new phone, partly as a graduation gift to myself (thank you, aunt who sent me a check for $100!), and partly because, after more than four-and-a-half years, my current phone is getting a bit buggy. I went super-ultra-budget and got a model that's effectively two years out of date, so I saved a fair amount of money there while still getting a product I'm fairly certain I can be happy with.

My current phone still works reasonably well, but it has a tendency to freeze up from time to time that requires a hard restart to fix—a tendency that's becoming more frequent. The Otter Box phone case I got at the same time is also starting to deteriorate, whereas the area over the power button has been pressed so often that you can barely tell there was ever a button representation there in the first place. So I think it might be time anyway 😅 (I'm about four months short of five years with my current phone, I'm pretty sure I beat the average phone trade-in time with room to spare.)

A part of me is still a bit freaked out, because my phone isn't actually broken yet, and also $129 plus other expenses for a new phone case and screen protector aren't exactly a drop in the bucket for me at the moment, but like. I'm still pretty sure it's time.

Current Mood: nervous

tozka

1. Removing my data from various Meta sites-- most of them were there for business purposes, but I want to put my business energies elsewhere AND I don't want Meta to have my stuff floating around to use in their horrible AI nonsense. I'm downloading copies of my data and then deleting the posts (which they make you do one by one). I plan to put up a "where to find me" post for people who may come looking, and I'll keep the usernames for business purposes, but I'm going to focus on my (business) blog (and later newsletter/shop) and that's it.

2. Settling into using Obsidian for my personal data stuff. I think I've got a system set up that I like, and now I just need to add in things. For instance, I'm adding my books read for 2025 into the system and I've set up fun views like this:
A collection of book covers organized in rows

A collection of book covers organized in rows

Which is built from a Base which is a table built from metadata in individual entries. So I'm adding books one by one, making sure the imported data is actually correct, and then copying over my notes/reviews. It's a little slow-going but it's fun to see everything in one place. And I've decided I don't care about counting how many pages I read in a year or even how many books I read in a month, just a general yearly total of books read is fine, so that'll make things easier going forward.

3. Listening to music from DEMO FEST 2025! Some recommendations: Error 804's ANGUISH, Morora's Kosovo, The Carringtons' Wild.

4. Downloading interesting pattern images from the Smithsonian digital collections to use for icons and (if I can figure out how) website backgrounds.

yourlibrarian posting in

newcomers

3 for the Memories' 2025 session will be open for posts on January 3, 2026 and will run for 3 weeks until January 24. Event participation is as follows:

1) Three photos only per person during each annual session. Members are encouraged to discuss the reason for their choices.

2) Photos can be hosted at Dreamwidth or elsewhere, and should not be larger than 800 px width or height.

3) All three photos should be in the same post. Cut tags should be placed after the first photo.

3 for the Memories is not a competition, and entries are not being judged. Rather, participants are encouraged to share photos they took in 2025 that they find meaningful in some way or which represent how they experienced the year.

Questions? Visit the announcement post at

threeforthememories

meridian_rose

The Winter Solstice has been and gone, and the daylight is returning slowly. Not that you'd know today, I haven't seen anything but grey skies! Wrapping is done. Cookies have been baked. Christmas is approaching. Season's greetings and happy Christmas!

(made in Canva)

yhlee

Watch on YouTube

Orchestral mockup WIP featuring a "drunken" viola (Amati Viola). Because sometimes violas want to /burn longer/ have fun too. [1]

Trailure = "failure trailer." This is, fortunately, personal work at this point :) but my last composition summative assignment involved converging incrementally toward trailer format by getting all the errors out of the way one by one. I think the only thing I DIDN'T do was a cappella kazoo ensemble. :p

Meanwhile, back to Candle Arc 2D animation shenanigans: I have vocals recorded for one character, which means I can start nailing down timing on the animatic for lip sync. Still (joyfully) buried under composition/orchestration schoolwork! :3

[1] I was a student violist many a moon ago. :)

https://deuceofgears.bandcamp.com/

for the morbidly curious. :3

tinny posting in

iconcolors

Color by COLOURlovers

palette colors

#e7e0dd

#f6fbb7

#bf61a8

#f961e9

#92bba9

examples:

abyss_valkyrie

fueschgast

applepips

magicrubbish

tinny

Welcome to our last color challenge in 2025! You too can always suggest color palettes for us to use HERE in the suggestion post!

-create 1-3 icons using the colors in the palettes.
-at least one of the colors must be clearly visible in the finished icon.
-you do not have to use the exact colors, you can use similar colors, but using the exact shades makes it more fun/challenging.
-any and all fandoms are allowed (this includes stock).
-icons should be 100x100, 60kb or less.
-post your icons to the community as a new post. tag with round: ##, maker: username. an example post can be found here in the rules post.
-have fun!

Your icons are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT/EST on Sunday January 04 2026! (countdown)

rmc28

The hot yoga place has two levels of classes: "hotpod flow" and "nurturing flow". In January I found the nurturing one a bit too relaxing and slow, and I've been doing the free yoga classes through work pretty consistently all year, so I thought sure, I'll be fine in the standard class. I'll have to modify some of the harder positions but I'm used to that.

It was hot in the class. Not sauna hot, but I was definitely finding it harder than I'd expected based on the January classes. I took the teacher at her word about it being fine to take breaks and drink water as needed, but well before the end I just had to stop, sit, and let my heart rate come down. She checked in with me, and I assured her that I know my body and I'm not going to let myself faint, but yes it was harder than I'd expected. I've switched my classes for the next couple of days to the "nurturing flow", so we'll see how that goes.

slightly gross body stuff

My workout clothes were saturated when I finished. I thought I was sweaty after Huskies practice (two hours skating hard, trying to keep up with young men), but this was a new level. Luckily I had a hoodie and skirt to throw over the top for the bike ride home - it's a weirdly mild December week but not so mild I wanted evaporative cooling all the way. Absolutely everything went in the wash when I got home.

I emptied my 950ml water bottle in/just after the practice, and had another couple of litres of water over the course of the evening, this time with my trusty electrolyte tablets, and managed to see off the lurking dehydration headache. I'm going to make sure there's electrolytes in the in-class bottle too from tonight onward.

magicrubbish posting in

icons

Preview

76 icons from various Thai BL dramas ( 4 minutes , Jack & Joker , KinnPorsche , Love in the air , Love mechanics , Manner of Death , Only Friends , Sotus, The Heart Killers , Triage )

See the icons here @

magicrubbish

Current Mood: busy

magicrubbish posting in

iconic

Preview

76 icons from various Thai BL dramas ( 4 minutes , Jack & Joker , KinnPorsche , Love in the air , Love mechanics , Manner of Death , Only Friends , Sotus, The Heart Killers , Triage )

See the icons here @

magicrubbish

Current Mood: busy

asenathwaite

Current Mood: tired

luminousdaze posting in

iconcolors

Minion Bob
https://i.ibb.co/LzC7HTBH/Minionspromo-Bobpalette1.png

minoanmiss

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

word_never_said posting in

iconcolors

All from MCU's Fantastic Four: First Steps.

( urls )

knitmi

***** worth owning and rereading multiple times
**** worth reading and recommending to family/friends
*** worth reading
** worth reading only if you're bored
* not worth the paper it's printed on

Llewelyn's Sabbat Essentials - Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice by Susan Pesznecker****

Llewelyn's Sabbat Essentials - Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Brigid's Day by Carl F. Neal****

To Marry an English Lord: Tales of Wealth and Marriage, Sex and Snobbery in the Gilded Age by Gail MacColl****

Arctic Play by Mita Mahato***1/2

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner***1/2

Dress Like a Parisian by Alois Guinut****

Anatomy of Color: The Story of Heritage Paints & Pigments by Patrick Baty****

Color Charts: A History by Anne Varichon****

Llewelyn's Sabbat Essentials - Ostara: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Spring Equinox by Kerri Connor***1/2

The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C. Cecily by Richard Ayoade***1/2

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb****1/2

Llewelyn's Sabbat Essentials - Beltane: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for May Day by Melanie Marquis****

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio***1/2

Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su***

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers*****

"A Funeral Elegy for Master William Peter" by William Shakespeare****

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials - Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha by Deborah Blake****

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu****1/2

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid****1/2

Stylepedia: A Visual Directory of Fashion Styles by Fashionary*****

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse S. Sutanto***

Origami Omnibus: Paper Folding for Everybody by Kunihiko Kasahara****1/2

Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You): A How-to Guide from the First Family of Podcasting by Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy****

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials - Lughnasadh: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Lammas by Melanie Marquis****

"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton****

How to Dress Your Best: Discover Your Personal Style and Curate a Wardrobe That Actually Works by Ellie-Jean Royden****1/2

Firefly: Legacy Edition Book One by Zack Whedon, Patton Oswalt, Brett Matthews, Jim Krueger, Joss Whedon, Laura Martin, Michelle Madsen, Julius Ohta, Dave Stewart, Cris Peter, Nimit Malavia, Chris Samnee, Fabio Moon, Will Conrad, and Patric Reynolds****1/2

Firefly: Legacy Edition Book Two by Zack Whedon, Chris Roberson, Joss Whedon, George Jeanty, Karl Story, Stephen Byrne****1/2

Faraway Dreaming by Ulla Thynell*****

Mütter Museum Historic Medical Photographs by College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Laura Lindgren, and Gretchen Worden****

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials - Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox by Diana Rajchel****

Personal Color: The Definitive Guide to Finding and Wearing your Best Colors by Anuschka Rees****1/2

Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor by Lynda Barry***1/2

The Art of Creative Thinking: 89 Ways to See Things Differently by Rod Judkins***1/2

Physics for Cats by Tom Gauld****

Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins―From Spices to Vices by Noah Whiteman****1/2

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials - Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween by Diana Rajchel****

The Knitwear Manual by Fashionary****1/2

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng****1/2

Heal Yourself with Traditional Chinese Medicine: Find Relief from Chronic Pain, Stress, Hormonal Issues and More with Natural Practices and Ancient Knowledge by Lily Choi and Bess Koutroumanis***1/2

The Makeup Artist Handbook: Techniques for Film, Television, Photography, and Theatre by Gretchen Davis and Mindy Hall***

The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History by Edward Brooke-Hitching****1/2

Rat Queens, Volume Eight: The God Dilemma by Ferrier, Ryan***1/2

A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll****1/2

Atlas of Dark Destinations: Explore the World of Dark Tourism by Peter Hohenhaus***1/2

knitmi

Dilly Egg Salad
I think I made this a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure I remember much about it except that it was a tasty upgrade to a standard egg salad.

Burrata Sandwich with Tomato Confit and Pesto
This looked absolutely delicious, so it was a bit disappointing in reality. A pretty tasty sandwich, but nothing life-changing.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Dip
This also looked absolutely delicious, and it was ... except it activated Vinny, my acid reflux monster, so I would be hesitant to make it and eat it again.

Jalapeño Tuna Melt with Cheddar
I love tuna melts, and this was a great upgrade with the crunchy radish and spicy jalapeños.

Baked Brie with Pears, Pistachios, and Honey
Baked brie is always a good idea. I feel like almost any fruit-and-nut combo would work with it. This is a lovely autumnal version.

Cranberry Lemon Bars
I used fresh cranberries in this recipe, and the bars were so satisfyingly tart and tangy that my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Fresh Ginger and Pear Cake
This cake was a perfect (not too sweet) vehicle for fresh pears, and the fresh ginger provided zing without too much heat. I want to make this again and again with different types of fresh fruits.

Confetti Rice Krispy Treats
Rainbow sprinkles make everything more fun. I made these using a few tips I learned recently about how to make the best light, crispy, and chewy (not dense and hard) rice krispy treats: use mini marshmallows using low heat, only melt about half of the mini marshmallows (stir the other half in at the last minute), and only store them at room temperature (not in the fridge).

Apple Cake Sharlotka
A sharlotka is a simple, wholesome Russian/Ukrainian sponge cake with no butter or oil of any kind. The basic recipe contains only four ingredients: apples, eggs, flour, and sugar. I also added lemon zest and vanilla extract. My cake was tasty, but my problematic oven was probably at a much higher temperature than I set it and over-baked the cake. I need to make this recipe again after I get an oven thermometer.

maevix posting in

newcomers

soooo ...

google told me that dw allows users to have multiple journals under one account with easy switching between them. this would be so ideal for my compartmentalization dream & would allow me to start writing more.

but i can't find it in the faq.

any idea where to find this info or directions on how to use this feature? is it even real? D:

also happy holidays y'all!

Current Mood: curious
Current Location: my room
Current Music: di melo - aceito tudo

rmc28

Sunrise at 08:07
Sunset at 15:49

On this shortest day of the year, Nico and I went to Clip-n-Climb first thing, cycling there and back together through a heavily overcast but weirdly mild December day. We did a little Co-op run on the way home, and then I unpacked the hire car before returning it. I decided against buses or scooters and walked the hour or so back home, including a little diversion to collect a yoga towel from Decathlon. If all goes to plan, I will cycle to hot yoga this evening in the dark (and quite probably the rain) for the first of my "festive pass" sessions.

(I mean it about being weirdly mild: both cycling and walking I had to take my hoodie off because I was too hot.)

Technically I started the 21st of December still awake at midnight, and watching the first couple of episodes of Shoresy, a Canadian comedy TV show about ice hockey, on a friend's recommendation. (Same director/executive producer as Heated Rivalry although I didn't realise that until after I'd started watching.) Very crude, very funny.

Ice hockey, climbing, walking outdoors, yoga. Spending time with my offspring, thinking of my friends, and taking care of myself. If this is a turning day of the year, it's a good set of things to mark it.

Strictly we are not yet into the "mellandagarna", the in-between days of Christmas-to-New-Year. I'm still working until lunchtime on Wednesday, but a lot of the usual rhythms of my life and my household are paused now. School's out, hockey practice is out, everything has "holiday opening hours" listed and I'm feeling a bit unmoored. (Being ill most of the last fortnight probably hasn't helped.) My yoga pass is part of my attempt to put a little structure on the downtime.

minoanmiss

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Current Mood: i apoologize sweetie

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The Male Hysteric

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AO3 Wrapped 2025

Quilted book cover

New phone incoming

what I've been up to this past weekend

Three for the Memories Coming Back Next Month!

Festive Greetings

orchestral mockup WIP: "Alto Clef Escapement"

Round 182: 2022 76

In shock news, hot yoga is hot

Thai BL Icons

Thai BL Icons

you don't say

Round 181: assemble the minions

The shortest day

round 181: assemble the minions

read with mimi 22

new recipes tried recently (and not-so-recently)

multiple journals?

Solstice

Because this has been echoing through my head all week

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December 2025

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