The workshops were...different

May. 26th, 2026 06:23 pm
cornerofmadness: (Default)
[personal profile] cornerofmadness
I had a hypoglycemic event last night so of course the correction left me over 300 this morning and for some reason my phone did not go off when I set it. It went off when I was getting up the last two days so I was cranky about getting to the breakfast with barely time to get to the first workshop.

It was an oddly laid out place with workshops all over the damn place (I did not bring my cane. I will bring it tomorrow) My first workshop was moved all the way across campus so I went to the one next door. Not really a topic that interested me that much but I did get some helpful things from it for the syllabus.

Work shop number two was canceled. Boo. I wanted to do the dungeon crawl case study escape room thing. I went to the one next door. This one was interesting, talking about how out dated some of the graphics and concepts we still use are and I was wondering why some of it hasn't been adopted.

The lunch hour was something else. I have been going to these off and one for 16 years and this is the first time the line was insane (I was literally in a different building) They had one table of food and RAN OUT. There is no real excuse for this because they know how many people have registered, not sure who messed up. Luckily more food was cooked up (didn't go with the rest of it mind you). I got my food 10 minutes before the afternoon session started.

That was a case study one by a former doc turned teacher (similar to my story) and...for the first time I used ChatGPT to create the case studies and I was a bit terrified at how fast it did it and relatively accurate too. In talking to a few others I might remove the extended responses from my exams and put in simple case studies (as the nclex for the nurses are all going to those). Also it made me very sad to write this case study as a SOAP note (even though I am relieved I no longer have to write SOAP notes any more, the medical record a doc writes every time they see you).

My last workshop was a bust. No one showed up. I moaned not again. I don't want to sneak into another workshop late again. And my table mates say why bother? Let's just go get on the bus and go home. And so we did. The fun thing was before that we were talking and I mentioned my age (it was relevant to whatever it was we were talking about) and the guy I was with said I would never have guessed that (his partner agreed) why thank you. I don't think I look nearly 60 either.

Also at lunch I brought out my heavy ass laptop because the blaster box for Hazbin Hotel was dropping at noon (10 minutes late as it turns out) it's their new card set and it will sell out. I managed to get it...twice over because I fat fingered my touch screen and it would NOT let me empty it out probably because it sold out in minutes and I'm like fine, I'll buy it because I can either sell it whole or more likely get the cards out and sell them separately. These cards have been selling out in under 5 minutes and people are reselling them for hundreds. I won't do that but I can sell it for easy 10-20 a card if I wanted to. I can recoup this and each one has an ultra rare and rare and other specials. Those I'll keep. Have I mentioned I love cards? I've been collecting them since 1977 with Star Wars (I even have the 70s era Planet of the Apes tv show), I have shit tons of Buffyverse and Fullmetal Alchemist cards. I have the entire Sandman set including chasers (probably worth a lot less now that we know how skeevy Gaiman is)

Dinner was chicken speidini at Garozzo's, yummy but I almost wish I had ordered the other chicken dish (they're credited from turning the traditional beef speidini to chicken) because I didn't like the pasta that came with this. I would have enjoyed the garlic/olive oil one with the other dish. I haven't eaten the tiramisu yet.

I also DID buy my Kansas City Gangster tour ticket for Saturday at 10. All the afternoon ones were sold out but you know what I don't mind. I have been getting up early for days now and once I get that over with I'll have time to do my afternoon stuff. Now to sit down and figure out my tourist days. I know what I want to do Thursday but now for the rest of the weekend.

Have fannish 50 the questions, I'm using Buffy for this

Day 4: Least favourite female character. This was much harder than it should be. I decided I wasn't going to use any one off characters and using Joyce or Dawn felt too easy. I didn't hate them. Joyce made a lot of bad choices that annoyed me and Dawn was...supposed to be younger than who was cast so I don't actually blame the character for being off.


I went with Kendra. She was a poorly drawn character. I liked that they went with the naivete/lack of social awareness because she was never a girl. She was just a weapon to be used until she was killed. That was a nice contrast to Buffy's wild side. Maybe it was that she came off as rather...dumb and that the one character of color on this whole show (other than Giles' girlfriend and Mr. Trick, a villain) was there really to make the white characters look better. It was uncomfortable. She was there to die (so much for the traditional training).

all questions under here )

Sparkle Retreat days 3-5

May. 26th, 2026 07:20 pm
suzy_queue: Shane and Ilya watch the sun set over the lake (Heated Rivalry: Sunset)
[personal profile] suzy_queue
I can't believe my retreat is almost over! One more day, then a work day, then another day off, then a work day, and then a Sunday off, ha. So at least I'm easing back into it.

I have kept up successfully with my three daily goals: move my body, leave my apartment, connect.

A very strong thunderstorm woke me up at 7am on Sunday, which was not a fun thing! I enjoyed the thunder, but not the timing of it. I had lower energy through the day, which makes sense after two busier days and an early wake up. But I still found ways to meet my goals: I took some boxes to the garbage, I did a seated dance class with the English Ballet, and the teen in the BFF/teen combo asked to FaceTime with me!!

And then I had DnD in the evening, from home. Things were getting really dire in the memory we were trapped in--half of us, including my BE, were down to 1 hp and would be knocked unconscious or killed at the end of the round with the next wave of fire damage. She gave one last final holler for the guy we were searching for---and I rolled a nat 20, the exact number needed to find him! After three full weeks in this fiery hellhole, we were all thrilled to be out of there, but also narratively thrilled that BE is the one who found him. <3 So we are safely out of there, BE has seen a memory of her mother one last time, and we can finally get back to the real world. Yay! Also I colored a Betsy-Tacy print during the game, sipped tea, and burned my Mistawis candle that came with my Blue Castle anniversary box.

I also did some journally workbooky things on mindsets and growth, which was good. I got through the gratitude and self love prompts fairly well, started to struggle with the healing ones, and couldn't get anything down for the transformation prompts. So, areas to think about.

Yesterday, I had a reiki appointment, and it was good. I think that she hadn't intended to have a session on the holiday, and honestly I had been expecting a cancellation email, but she was there. We talked about my sparkle retreat and challenges, and she gave me some good tips on ADHD hacks that work for her that I want to try, too. She also encouraged me to add play into my intentions and try to think of myself as a kindergartner when thinking about food, water, and sleep, ha. I walked there and back, which was both leave my apartment and move my body.

I had a good chat with Lady K and dove a little more into the workbook prompts I had done, which was helpful. I also set an appointment with a therapist who specializes in executive functioning and supports for late diagnosed AuDHD women, who does telehealth. We have a consultation on Friday to see if it would be a good fit. It would be out of pocket, but I feel like even three or four weeks of practical things would be a big benefit.

Even though I hit my goals, I was feeling that I didn't really do enough yesterday. I actually woke up not exhausted, and I feel like I didn't capitalize on that enough. But I did also watch movies, actually watch them, and played some Sims for the first time in awhile. But I think I need to be sure to do an activity in the evening to bring the day to a positive close. I also think I didn't connect with people enough, I should have done another BFF/teen FT or something.

I went to sleep at a reasonable time yesterday, and slept super poorly with a headache, ended up awake for good around 7:30 and was pretty unhappy about it. I had a bit of a rough morning with anxiety. I had two appointments--a 9:20 telehealth about my estrogen and a 12:45 blood draw, with a stop to pick up my meds on the way--and I think the waiting for those and worrying about the timing stressed me out. I read through a really great book called Looking After Your Autistic Self by Niamdh Garvey, which was excellent and is giving me some practical things to try.

When I got back and still felt off, I decided to try and push back by watching some funny episodes of Schitt's Creek and Modern Family, and that really did help. I also took a walk this afternoon, but honestly the air quality is really bad and it and my asthma made my lungs feel like I was suffocating. So I cut that short, but I did it!

And now I am in a writer's lounge, writing this blog. I also created some graphics for fandom_empire, so that was good.

Overall, I think it's been a good balance of self-care types, relaxing and also making intentional choices to do harder things. I'm a little nervous about how I will keep this going once I'm back into work and our busy season. I will really have to build in moving my body and evening activities. I'll noodle on it. The slow reentry will hopefully help!

tea review: gaba oolong tea

May. 26th, 2026 03:53 pm
spiralicious: heart shaped tea cup (<3 tea)
[personal profile] spiralicious
Tea Month 2026: Tea 15

Tea Review
Name: Gaba Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Boulder Tea Co.
Type: oolong
Loose leaf

Notes:
This was my other favorite from the March tea tasting. It's another selection from Taiwan. I, unfortunately, did not get all the details written down for this, but this tea is exposed to nitrogen gas in someway while it's growing to increase the amount of GABA in the tea leaves, which is supposed to make it more relaxing. It is considered an afternoon tea. We dubbed it the cookie tea because it smells like brown sugar and tastes faintly of nutmeg. While still being a light roast, it is darker and a lot closer to being a black tea than the Tung Ting Oolong was. The later infusions of this tea we tasted had the same color, scent, and flavor of the early ones, just stronger.

Rate
Appearance: 9
Aroma: 9
Flavor: 9

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

FAKE Double Drabble: Taken

May. 26th, 2026 05:52 pm
badly_knitted: (Dee & Ryo black & white)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Taken
Fandom: FAKE
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Dee and Ryo are investigating an abduction.
Written Using: The dw100 prompt ‘Ransom’.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble and a half, 250 words.
 


 
Taken... )

Doctor Who Drabble: Quick Thinking

May. 26th, 2026 05:36 pm
badly_knitted: (Eleven & TARDIS)
[personal profile] badly_knitted


Title: Quick Thinking
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: OC, Fifteenth Doctor.
Rating: G
Written For: Challenge 1029: ‘Outrage’ at 
[community profile] dw100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: The Doctor talks his way out of trouble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who, or the characters.
 


 

Double Drabble: In Shock

May. 26th, 2026 05:24 pm
badly_knitted: (Give Ianto A Hug)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: In Shock
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 919: Happy, at 
[community profile] torchwood100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack is in shock, and Ianto is worried.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
 
 


kiramaru7: (Default)
[personal profile] kiramaru7
Africa was awesome! We landed in Cape Town and the whole getting off the plane and immigration was QUICK compared to here. We then found our driver and headed to the Radison Red hotel. It's a nice hotel, very minimalist modern (except the AC wasn't working right and had to be fixed) and we overlooked the drydock in the harbor. Sealions are everywhere on the docks and in the harbor. We were very close to the Victoria and Alfred (the Queen and son) waterfront and mall of the same name. We explored the area the next day. It's full of little boutique style shops leading to the mall as well as several restaurants. We ate curry at one place, and German style food at the restaurant next to it. We also ate at Wimpy Burger, like a slightly fancier McDonald's. The food was really good where we ate. We also visited the aquarium, which is just outside the V & A waterfront. Next to it was the bus station for the on and off buses, which we toured around the area in our last two days there. Before that, we hired a guide to take us around. We went to Table Mountain and rode the cable car up and down the mountain (you can hike up and down as well). Up on top, you can walk around. We saw an adorable furry potato also known as the rock hyrax. Believe it or not, this small cat sized animal that looks like a rabbit and a guinea pig had a baby (small piggy ears) is related to the elephant! We went to Bo Kop, where they used to have a slave market, but now it's a colorful Muslim neighborhood. We also went to Boulder Beach to see the penguins on the beach-too cute! We also drove around, saw an ostrich farm (didn't get out of the car) and some baboons on the side of the road, where Dad lost the lens hood on his camera. He got of the car to get it to the amazement of us and the baboons! During our guided tour, we ate lunch at a nice seafood place on the beach, and went to the southernmost point in Cape Town. The on and off busses were fun too! We got out at various places along the way and you can easily pick up again from the special bus stops.

Then we flew to Johannesburg, where we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which is across the street from the airport. It was overnight, so we could make our flight to Medikwe. We flew out of a tiny airport next to the O.R. Tambo International Airport. We flew on a tiny bush plane and landed on a dirt airstrip. We were picked up by our guide from Rhulani Lodge, named Donald. We were very excited to see elephants and zebras, and impalas! The lodge was nice, we had a "hut" to ourselves. It had a plunge pool, which was too deep for me! I slid off the ledge and went under! 🫢After which, I was done with the pool! I sat on the edge and watched the bush buck family in the bush surrounding us. We had a game drive that night and the net morning started with the first of 2 daily drives. The highlights of the drives were the wild dogs and the start of their hunt! They came so close I could have reached down and petted them as they went by! The two lions, who were brothers from different mothers, that dug a warthog out of an old aardvark burrow and killed it for food! Poor piggy! I can still hear its squeals! 🙁And the cheetah boys! They're a group of 5 cheetahs that formed a group and they hang out together. It's sooo nice in Medikwe! You can clearly see tons of stars at night! And because you're in the bush, there's a guide named Michael, who takes you to and from your room at night as well as in the morning, to keep you safe from the wildlife. The rest of the staff was also excellent! The night before I got sick, we ate in the boma under the stars. It was a buffet/bbq of African food! The staff also sang to us several African songs! The next day I was SICK with stomach issues and a fever. Little did I know, I had come down with C-diff, an intestinal bacterial infection. You DO NOT want to get sick with it-EVER!! Apparently that bacteria lives in your gut and causes no problems unless it multiplies. You are so sick you want to die! I somehow got through things with the help of Imodium. The only downside to being sick, was I missed saying goodbye to a little girl who went home that day. We were friends while there and entertained each other at the boma dinner with pics on our phones. 😄

All too soon, it was time to go home. We went back to the dirt airstrip to wait for the plane. While waiting, we had fun chasing zebras off the airstrip with the game truck! 😄Then it was time to board the tiny bush plane for the flight back. We had an afternoon stay at the hotel, before heading back across the street to the airport. Jo-burg's terminal was nice, but disorganized compared to Cape Town's. Add rowdy foreign football/soccer fans (I fight broke out in the lines for security!), who pushed their way through to cut the lines, sang football chants loudly and badly, and were generally obnoxious to everyone around them and it just added to the stress of flying. Once past them, there was MORE security?! And lines before boarding the plane. I spent about half of the 17 hour flight in the bathroom. 🙁 I never slept and was exhausted by the time I got home. Things cleared up slightly, before I woke up weak and was taken to Urgicare. They said it was dehydration and a UTI. The next day, I was so weak, I couldn't really walk and I slid onto the floor and couldn't get up. Dad called an ambulance and I spent the next 3 weeks in the hospital, where I was tested for everything to explain the weakness. The C-diff was diagnosed by smell (it has a unique smell) and sample. A week later I was transferred to the rehab floor, where they figured out; I also have Guillum-Barre syndrome. They gave me IV-globulin, which took away my weakness. Apparently, my recovery was so dramatic, they called it a miracle. I'm still a bit weak and need a fancy walker to get around, but I should be back to my old self. Best part of being sick? Losing 22 pounds!

I am full of gin and beef

May. 25th, 2026 06:28 pm
cornerofmadness: (boys in blue)
[personal profile] cornerofmadness
the conference portion of the con is over and now it'll be two days of workshops which are always so invigorating. I almost wish this was the end of July/beginning of August so I could roll into the new semester all fired up.

We had the celebratory cocktails and it's usually appetizers but today it was make your own ramen bowl. Wow. (kimchi and spicy tofu were so in my bowl). Expecting not much, I had already ordered dinner from a BBQ joint (highly recced) it had a menu like none I've seen. So beef burnt ends and beef ribs with a pool of smoked beans it is. Delicious. I mean I don't usually eat meat but when I do go carnivore, it gets ridiculous.

Finally met my mentee who didn't much need me (as expected) as he's a retired family practice doc just moving into teaching. got a mug from holt anatomical. Didn't win a single door prize. Didn't murder any kids but the urge was there (they were screaming in the halls until 130 in the morning and several other Hapsters did complain. I had to turn them in when I went to heat up my lunch. they had trashed the microwave, food and wrappers all over the floor. You know, I've BEEN a kid at a hotel with school functions and I never did this

I did find a few things that no one but me will be interested in but I'm putting them here so I remember. A study contract for students (how long to study, what days, what's in their way), having them do a group eportfolio of their dissections, collaborative testing before exams to build confidence, using the guess who game to do histology quizzing (and others if you build it) and gee I've already forgot a few.


I watched a giant chunk of The Pitt (they had the whole season on) today. It is easily the most accurate medical drama I've ever seen and there was some real ptsd on a few of those scenes for me. Shudders. And then I saw The Bride (part of it) WTF was that? Easily the worst movie I have seen in years. Also thanks for the multiple sexual assault attempts in it.

dinner


new mug


It's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is # 27 A song you discovered from a tv show. I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

There are SO many TV shows that introduced me to so much music )





here's the whole prompt list

All under here )

Music Monday - E

May. 25th, 2026 08:21 pm
badly_knitted: (B & W 9)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 
And today, the letter is E, so there's only a handful.


The Highwaymen brought together four of country music's best - Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. This is one I play to remind myself it's not just me.



Emmylou Harris has one of those instantly recognisable voices. I think this was the first of her albums I bought.



Johnny Cash on his own, with a slow one.



And something a little livelier from Hoyt Axton. 



Finally, a bit of guitar courtesy of Norman and Nancy Blake. 








badly_knitted: (Rose)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Preparations
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Varian, Dr Jordan, Eve, Scott.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 502: Come With Me at 
[community profile] drabble_zone.
Spoilers/Setting: Vortex.
Summary: Varian must help rescue Dr Jordan’s friends, but first they need to regroup and make plans.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Fantastic Journey, or the characters. They belong to their creators.
A/N: Quadruple drabble.
 


 

Ficlet: Burnt Coffee

May. 25th, 2026 04:48 pm
badly_knitted: (Give Ianto A Hug)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Burnt Coffee
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 817
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack is doing the best he can, so Ianto is determined to suffer the bad coffee without complaint.
Written For: 
[personal profile] kalira’s prompt ‘any, any, sometimes love means drinking burnt coffee’, at [community profile] threesentenceficathon.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
 


 

How is this so exhausting?

May. 24th, 2026 09:48 pm
cornerofmadness: (Default)
[personal profile] cornerofmadness
I mean I'm just sitting in lectures and walking around one exhibitor hall but I feel like I've worked 36 hours without a break.

Okay had to stop for a second after three loud explosions. Not lightning. Not fireworks. No clue. Pool people were looking around too but maybe it is a storm, just one I can't see lightning for. But it was nice all day. Weird.

All the little kids are gone but now there are new ones in this hotel (it's huge, 40 floors) and they're doing the same thing, running floor to floor taking up the elevators and screaming down the halls. eye roll (seriously I had a focus group today, left a talk I was enjoying early to give myself 15 minutes to get upstairs for my lap top and back again only to still end up 5 minutes late. Slow elevators. We also have an Indian wedding going on with all their beautiful finery (one of the boys was talking to me in the elevator, he was the sweetest thing)

Speaking of sweet, man it's a matter of outside perspective isn't it? I was SO disappointed in my not-violet hair color but people have commented about how nice it looks but between last night and today like a half dozen strangers have come up to tell me how much they liked my purple plum hair one young professor (grad student?) told me that it matched my plum flower shirt perfectly and even my hair style reminded him of flowers. And here I thought people would think it was ugly because it wasn't the color I had originally wanted.

I learned a few things in the update seminars today including the huge role of vitamin A in craniofacial deformities (cleft lip, cleft palate etc). Planning a child? Get some A in your life. And while I knew that pigs were very close to humans physiologically (more so than mice but I don't normally talk animal testing because of people's feelings about it), I didn't know we were looking at them in terms of fertility. Nor did I know that male fertility has dropped 52% in the last 50 years (so 1% a year which doesn't sound like much until you really see the math) I missed why they think it is other than endocrine disruptors and environmental health, like pesticides nor did I know we had transgenic pigs with the glowing green jellyfish gene that they are using to test a few theories about breast milk which is another cause of lowering fertility, immunologic health and probably more. Breast milk has more than colostrum and fats/sugars in it. They have EVs (extracellular vesicles) which they're tracking with those transgenic pigs but we do know be it human or pig, breast milk leads to the healthiest of babies, cow milk is a close second but formula and plant milk are way behind (sorry vegans) Soy milk especially has the ability to be an endocrine disruptor because it's an estrogen mimic (this I knew and I don't eat much tofu any more or drink the milk at all because my cancer is estrogen sensitive and why risk it)

The focus group I was in was interesting but way harder than I thought. It was on escape rooms and I mean it was HARD. It took me and my partner a half hour and some hints to get out. It's not available to buy yet but I think it might frustrate my students because you really have to not only know your stuff but solve puzzles too. It is a virtual game, fantastic graphics etc and like a true professor on a labeling exercise there were more than you needed to get it right (and it took me a second to realize that randomly capitalized letters were the code for getting a lock open) some things you really had to know your shit or you were staying locked in there. My students are never escaping (and hell I barely made it past the match the emoji string part but mostly because I couldn't see it on the labeling part, too small, I'm too old) I think the overall feeling was shorter ones with just key systems would be good versus trying to tie multiple systems together this was tough enough to be a final exam prep (I'd have to give them major points) I think it was fun and if it was reasonable I would consider it. However, with all due respect to the very cool VR tool another vendor let me use 1000$ a student to use it is not reasonable. A full lab would cost me 25K (but it's only 3K in years after that. Per student? Per class? Don't matter, that's the entire budget for my entire department.

I never met my mentee. We just played phone tag. I did have a great idea handed to me at breakfast (there was that explosion sounds again wtf IS that?) one of the profs is sharing her pintrest and what she does is collect AI generated anatomy stuff, much of which is wrong and she prints it and makes the students fix it.

And yeah no writerly ways other than links (because I'm just sitting here watching Insidious while eating dill pickle corn puffs and whatever that sound is, it's shaking the windowpane. It seems mechanical almost like a train track.) I did make progress on my merfolk story and the sapphic divinity story crapped out today (mostly because I have a character and a setting and no plot and I don't know the Rifreddo Witch festival. I need to research it more)

Oh it IS Fireworks. I can't see them in the sky because my view is wrong but I can see them reflecting on the glass building across from me. Probably some baseball game or memorial day celebration.

and as I wrap this up it's nearly 1130 and people are running and yelling in the hall and I am not amused

OPEN Calls


81 Publishing Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (keeping in mind this isn't just people of color, LGBT, disability etc count for some of them)


28 Journals with Fast Response Times

Fun In The Dark. Small town weirdness, uncanny communities, strange local traditions, unsettling suburban or village horror

The Submission Pit May 2026 Window Open speculative fiction

Spookane: A Spokane-Based Horror Anthology Horror stories connected to Spokane, Washington and nearby regions

The Monstrous & The Divine This is the one I'm trying to write for once I do more research on that witch festival in Italy

Crooked Spine Issue 1 Open horror / debut issue horror fiction

Movie Horror Themed Anthology Horror centered on movies, filmmaking, or watching films



From around the web

YouTube Is Crawling with Pirated Audiobooks Made Using A.I. This is behind a pay wall but the title tells you all you know. I did find someone (real) reading classic short stories and after listening to a few of them I am FLOODED on YT with AI readings of all the classics plus I'm sure if I clicked on it AI pirated books. Can we just not.

How and Why I’m Creating a Physical Archive of My Writing

Association of American Publishers Applauds Sweeping Default Judgement Against Notorious Pirate Site Anna’s Archive

Authors Guild Wins Default Judgment Against TouchPoint Press.

The Ghost in the Machine (Inherited Creative Blocks).

How to Pace Your Prose for Greater Impact another one for the current book


From Betty

Anatomy of a Fable.

Five Surprisingly Successful Characters and Why They Work


Giving Your World Fantastic Skies.

Should Your Tale Start With Dark Backstory?

Literary Pathways for Microtension

How to Spot and Plug Plot Holes

Revisited: “Your Brain on Writing”

The Kind of Short Stories People Really Want to Read

Why Writers Should Never Make Smart Characters Act Dumb

How Writers Can Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic and Build Long-Term Visibility

Why Consistency Matters More Than Ever for Author Email Newsletters

Do Authors Really Need a Book Launch Team? What Every Writer Should Know

Do Authors Really Need a Book Launch Team? What Every Writer Should Know

What to Do When Someone Writes ‘Your’ Book

Thoughts on How the Marketplace Is Shaping the Stories We Tell

The Weird Editing Habit I Can’t Write Without

A Plot Twist with a Twist

Why Research is Important when Writing Fiction

Your Voice Is the Point. Stop Toning It Down

The Art of Withholding Information I need to contemplate this one for my current novel

Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Visualization

B5 Triple Drabble: Facing The Future

May. 24th, 2026 06:59 pm
badly_knitted: (B5)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Facing The Future
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: John Sheridan.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
Spoilers/Setting: Rising Star.
Summary: As the new President of the Alliance, Sheridan will have his work cut out for him.
Written For: Challenge 513: Amnesty 85 at 
[community profile] fan_flashworks, using Challenge 485: Face.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.
A/N: Triple drabble.
 


 

FAKE Double Drabble: Going Camping

May. 24th, 2026 06:25 pm
badly_knitted: (Dee & Ryo black & white)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Going Camping
Fandom: FAKE
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 502: Come With Me at 
[community profile] drabble_zone.
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Ryo has decided to go away for a few days.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.
 


 

Double Drabble: Entrepreneur

May. 24th, 2026 06:08 pm
badly_knitted: (Eyebrow Raise)
[personal profile] badly_knitted
 


Title: Entrepreneur
Author: 
[personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Bernie Harris, Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 918: Denial, at 
[community profile] torchwood100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Bernie is up to new tricks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
 


 

tea review: tung ting oolong tea

May. 24th, 2026 09:54 am
spiralicious: heart shaped tea cup (<3 tea)
[personal profile] spiralicious
Tea Month 2026: Tea 14

Tea Review
Name: Tung Ting Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Boulder Tea Co.
Type: oolong
Loose tea

Notes:
This was one of my two favorite teas from the tea tasting in March. It's from Taiwan. We tried six infusions of this tea. It is at the least roasted end of the scale. The color stayed pretty consistent across the infusions, a lighter black tea color. The first two infusions had a very grassy/leafy scent and taste. It became more floral tasting over the next infusions until the 6th one, where it had a slightly smokey aftertaste.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 8

Overall Rating: 4 stars
flareonfury: (Supergirl TAS)
[personal profile] flareonfury

In honor of the release of Supergirl (2026) film on June 26, 2026 over at [community profile] supergirl_tv we're going to have a drabble/promptathon/prompt meme (whatever you want to call it) focused on Supergirl (any universe).

So from now until June 25th, comment here with prompts & I'll post a masterlist by June 26th at [community profile] supergirl_tv. That gives us about over 5 weeks submit prompts and then a free-for-all to grab the prompts and start writing. There will be no "claiming" or "signing up". You basically have the rest of the Summer to write something for these prompts to help us celebrate the new movie!

PROMPT AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE AS YOU WISH! THE MORE THE MERRIER! You want a full sentence or song title or whatever go ahead, or you can just do simple one or two worded prompts. If you have more than one prompt for a pairing or character, please separate by a comma (such as Barry Allen/Kara Zor-El - bed, kiss, sing battle). More than one prompt can go in a comment; If you're still unsure how to do it, check out my comment below for ideas.

More information here + Comment with prompts!!

Made it here

May. 23rd, 2026 11:43 pm
cornerofmadness: (Default)
[personal profile] cornerofmadness
very nice hotel room, too tired to say too much more.

I basically missed the cocktail party, did manage to sneak in for a gin and tonic and got upstairs to my online Abney Park concert.

Dream Imagination is also here in the hotel which is a steam contest for first grade thru college so this hotel is PACKED and packed with kids.


I did not sleep last night but as I rolled like a hot dog on a quickie mart heating rack I know how Ezio Asha and Liliana's novel ends

but i'm falling asleep and 6 AM comes early so..

Sparkle Retreat day 1-2

May. 23rd, 2026 01:54 pm
suzy_queue: Ilya in a mirror wearing a black tank and backwards cap (Heated Rivalry: Fashion baby)
[personal profile] suzy_queue
Two days of Sparkle Retreat 26 are in the bag, and I think they've been successful.

Day one: I had a two hour FT chat with my friend M, and went out to dinner with Unicorn. That actually managed to cover all three goals of leaving my apartment, moving my body (I walked to dinner), and connecting with people. I also showered and changed my sheets.

Day two: A lot of organizing and resetting and weeding my space! I put things away, threw things away, brought things down to my storage unit, and set up my new cart in the living room. I also used my stepper to move my body, and posted comments and blogged to connect. I also hope to engage some in Discord tonight. I also ate the mixed fruit I bought--no ADHD tax on that one!

I also walked to work a few times this week, and went to an online inclusive dance class last weekend. It was really fun, and I love how we could all choose our movements to support our energy and disabilities. We did a movement set with stroll, stop, stretch, and shrink as our intentions. We all strolled through the park, and then chose the rest of our story and movements. Mine was about seeing a dog in the park and getting to pet it, ha.

These have been two mostly good days. I don't feel squished for time, and I'm able to come and go from the activities as I need to give myself a break and get them accomplished.

Tomorrow, I want to work on my closet and do some of the worksheets I found--mindset mastery, self care reflections, etc. And light a candle! I think I will enjoy that.

Tonight, I'm going to at least start my fandom_empire challenges, and finish catching up with Widow's Bay on AppleTV, which is a very fun horror show. Reminds me a lot of the CW Nancy Drew show.

fic: words i cannot say (shane/ilya)

May. 23rd, 2026 05:57 pm
svgurl: (heated rivalry: hollanov all star game k)
[personal profile] svgurl
This is what I wrote for the [community profile] unsent_letters_exchange. :)

Title: words i cannot say
Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Pairing/Characters: Shane/Ilya
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 3122
Summary: Irina loved to write letters. Ilya followed in her footsteps. It was easier, after all, to write than telling Shane Hollander how he felt.

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