riventhorn | Reading

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 26, to midnight on Wednesday, May 27. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34655 Daily Check-in

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 9

How are you doing?

I am OK.
8 (88.9%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
1 (11.1%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
5 (55.6%)

One other person.
1 (11.1%)

More than one other person.
3 (33.3%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

linky posting in

anime_manga

As part of my fills for

icon_promptly I did a set of eight icons for Tetia from Witch Hat Atelier! (Other fandoms and stock icons are in the batch too.)

Find them here at

chemyxstory

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Cliff Marleau, Eric Bennett, Carter Vaughn, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Greg Huff, JJ Boizeau, Hayden Pike, Jackie Pike, Gloria Grey, Svetlana Vetrova
Rating: Teen
Length: 6606
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: Cricket_Writes on AO3
Themes: Journeys and Travel, Road Trips, Friendship, Teams, Families of choice, AU: Fork in the road, Pining

Summary: “Holy shit,” Carter says from the stall next to Scott, also staring at his phone. “Did you all see about Rozanov and Hollander?” The way Vaughan says it, it doesn’t sound like good news. Carter thrusts his phone in Scott’s face, and he takes it, pulls it back so the headline will focus. HOCKEY STARS CAUGHT IN STEAMY AFFAIR, the headline proclaims, and Scott skims through it quickly. Rozanov and Hollander, years—years?!—worth of videos and photos leaked. Scott is in an NHL locker room, watching his worst nightmare happen to someone else. Holy shit.

Reccer's Notes: This is a reversal of canon, as Shane and Ilya are outed much earlier and that kick-starts Scott into coming out and resolving things with Kip. After the public outing, Scott, Carter and Eric embark on a long (there and back) road trip from New York to Shane and Ilya's very suddenly organised wedding in Montreal. It's a lovely fic told from Scott's POV, in which Shane and Ilya are crucial but largely in the background, and are overwhelmed by the support of their friends, teams, and family, while Scott finally gathers the courage to love Kip openly.

Fanwork Links: Scott Hunter's Life-Changing Road Trip

linky posting in

anime_manga

Fandom: Witch Hat Atelier
Author/Artist:

linky/

linkily
Title: Thoughts While Drawing
Pairing: Coco/Agott
Rating: G
Word Count: 200
Summary: Coco and Agott watch each other draw.
A/N: Written for

femslashfete's Ink prompt!

Read on Ao3, Read on DW

starwatcher posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, May 25, to midnight on Tuesday, May 26. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34650 Daily Check-in

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 21

How are you doing?

I am OK.
15 (71.4%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
6 (28.6%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
10 (47.6%)

One other person.
7 (33.3%)

More than one other person.
4 (19.0%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: M/M; Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 57 words; 26:47
Content Notes: No AO3 Warnings Apply; winter weather as relentless atmosphere and adversary; public transportation as a liminal zone; possible unreality—the situation is open to interpretation.
Creator Tags:
Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Podfic, Podfic Length: 20-30 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending
Creator Links: (AO3)

flamingwell, (Tumblr)

flamingwell
Theme: Journey & Travel, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired Work, Modern AU, Non-Fic Recs: Fanart, Non-Fic Recs: Podfics

(Image description (Cut for length): ( Continue. )

Summary: When he came to, the bus was on the freeway. The windows were dewed with drops of melted snow that shone with captured light. Outside, traffic was at a standstill. Dingy slush covered the roads, gradually accumulating as snow drifted down from the woolen sky, the flakes picked out in sharp contrast where they plunged into the light of streetlamps and headlights. Wei WuXian laughed softly to see it. When he turned away from the window, he saw that the beautiful man from earlier was still sitting next to him, watching him with an expression that might, optimistically, be called inquisitive.

“The snow,” Wei WuXian said, gesturing outside. “It looks like champagne bubbles, only going the wrong way.” He laughed again, and rubbed his head. “Have you ever felt drunk, but been pretty sure you weren't drinking? Haha, no, never mind me. I'm just tired.” He rubbed a hand over his face, wanting desperately to sleep.

Podfic of Night Bus by Suspicious_Popsicle.

Author’s Notes: (Cut for length): ( Continue. )

Reccer's Notes: Suspicious_Popsicle’s tale of an encounter between a sore-pressed traveler and a mysterious benefactor in an isolated and enveloping environment, with the ambiguity of possible supernature in play and a twist ending that leaves room for continuing speculation, has many of the elements of a classic Old-Time Radio drama, in the fashion of Quiet, Please or Lights Out!

flamingwell understood the assignment. Her delicate and hushed narrative voice is a perfect vehicle for the subject, animated by Wei Wuxian’s nervous chatter—gradually devolving from restless to febrile to fading—and punctuated by Lan Wangji’s dark temple-bell solemnity.

Fanwork Links: [Podfic] Night Bus, by

flamingwell: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77059901
Collections:
Mic-bearing Podtriarchs
Voiceteam Mystery Box 2025

birdylion posting in

fancake

Fandom: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion
Pairings/Characters: Belladonna Took
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 11440 words
Creator Links:

Thimblerig
Theme: Journey & Travel, Action/Adventure, Backstory, Epistolary, Female Characters, Gen, Pre-Canon

Summary:
Gandalf exclaimed once: 'That I should live to be 'Good morninged' by a son of Belladonna Took!' Bilbo's mum has a story to tell and this is it. Holidays by the Sea, Elves, and much Falling in the Water.

Reccer's Notes:
This is such a lovely story about Belladonna Took, an adventurous hobbit herself. We read/hear it as she writes it down while pregnant with Bilbo, and she tells the story of a journey she took when she was younger and "less respectable". It's an action adventure and quite fun to read and listen to, a really nice background for her.

Fanwork Links: My Adventure, by Belladonna Baggins nee Took on ao3
Podfic of My Adventure, by Belladonna Baggins nee Took read by the author

mecurtin posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, May 24, to midnight on May 19 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34645 Daily check-in poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25

How are you doing?

I am OK
14 (56.0%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
9 (36.0%)

I could use some help
2 (8.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
11 (44.0%)

One other person
8 (32.0%)

More than one other person
6 (24.0%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

trobadora

Still reading the 520 Day collection, but I'm also writing!

Among other things (which I can't talk about because exchanges), I'm currently working on an original thing, and I'm having trouble with a character that won't quite come together. I know rather a lot about them, but I don't have a real feel for them as a character yet.

Now, part of the reason is no doubt that I haven't fully settled on a name - characters never entirely come together for me until I've found the "right" name for them - but maybe some outside inspiration would help, too. Sometimes it does help to think about similar characters/archetypes, and where the differences lie!

To that end: if you know any good mentor characters who remain in the story after their "student" surpassed them or no longer needs them, please tell me about them! I'd really appreciate it. ♥

mekare

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mekare

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

birdylion posting in

fancake

Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairings/Characters: Boromir; Faramir, Aragorn, OCs
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Length: 95,516 words
Creator Links:

Scribbler
Theme: Journey & Travel
Previously recommended by

beatrice_otter for the themes pre-AO3, fixit AU, plotty fic, novel-length, family (link to rec)

Summary:
Against all odds, Boromir survives Amon Hen. Ashamed and filled with remorse, he goes on a quest for redemption. Bound by his promise to a sick man, Faramir keeps the secret of his brother's survival. But as secrets are wont to do, the truth comes out eventually and Aragorn journeys north to bring Gondor's prodigal son home.

Reccer's Notes:
Although previously recommended for other themes, this fic is perfect for Journey and Travel as we follow Boromir's travels through Gondor and beyond while he tries to regain the honor he feels he lost on Amon Hên. Again and again he meets new people and sees how the war impacted their lives.
The story encapsulates the aspect of "wandering" that first drew me to LotR: how immediate the surroundings are when you're out by yourself, how much shelter and food matter for this kind of travel, or weather and season. The story spans over a few years, during which he sometimes stays in a place for a few months, often out of necessity. I love how the story shows the physicality of Middle Earth, so to speak. You can feel the distances.

Content Notes

Among other things, this story contains
- canon-typical violence
- death of a beloved pet

Fanwork Links: The Long Road Home on ao3

umadoshi

Reading: I am still slowly working through Braiding Sweetgrass, which is well suited to a gradual reading of one chapter at a time. I've also started in on The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible. And I started reading Diary of a Keen Gardener (Mary Keen), but I think I'm bouncing off it after a chapter; no slight to the book itself, but so far I don't think it's my thing.

I finished reading To Ride a Rising Storm and now have to wait for however long for the next book. (Ah, for that window of childhood when I was quite young and ransacking the adult SFF section of the library and thus completed series were in epic supply. OTOH, it was all by definition books from the '80s or earlier, so.) I'm currently reading Eden Robins' Remember You Will Die, which is really neat so far.

And my copy of the new Yotsuba&! (vol. 16) arrived and I devoured it almost immediately. It remains the one manga series that gets read AT ONCE whenever there's a new release. It remains impossibly charming. It's also not a series I would ever have imagined making me rear back in surprise--the scope of the story is incredibly small! It's a slice-of-life about a five-year-old!--but this volume did that. Amazing.

Watching: A bit more Justice in the Dark (we're now one episode shy of halfway through) and a bit more Witch Hat Atelier. (I have now confirmed via Goodreads that I only ever read vol. 1 of the Witch Hat Atelier manga, back in 2020. The timing may explain why I remembered essentially nothing about it.)

mekare

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

china_shop

For 520 Day, I received the most wonderful romp from

ehyde. Srsly, it made me shout with laughter every second paragraph. :D :D :D

Secret's Safe With Me (1820 words) by EHyde
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Guo Changcheng & Shen Wei, Shen Wei & Shen Wei's Students (Guardian)
Characters: Guo Changcheng, Shen Wei (Guardian), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Bodyswap, Hand-Wavy Dixing Powers (Guardian)
Summary:

Guo Changcheng gets (very literally) mixed up in one DCU student's misguided attempt to protect her favorite professor from the SID.

I wrote outsider POV for

echo_ph0enix -- Zheng Yi's take on the first part of episode 14, including some missing scenes with Shen Wei.

Senza Sordino (没有弱音器) (6858 words) by china_shop
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei & Zheng Yi, Zheng Yi & Tan Xiao, Background Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Zhèng Yì, Shěn Wēi, Tán Xiào, Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Episode Related, episode 14, Missing Scene, Canon Compliant, POV Outsider, Fatalism, Trauma, Mentions of deportation, No One Is Actually Deported, Happy Ending, rated for themes
Summary:

Zheng Yi quavered. On her left were the conscious and unconscious casualties of her desperate search; on her right stood the object of it, Tan Xiao. She’d been too desperate to consider anything or anyone else while she’d been parted from him, but that was no excuse. Something inside her cracked, and guilt poured out.

In this private space shared with only the Envoy, it felt safe to speak. She gulped back tears and opened her mouth. Whatever kind of person the Envoy was, she had to say it. “I’m sorry.”

china_shop

Previous poll review
In the Circus poll, 25% of respondents would like to be the knife-thrower, while 18.2% would prefer to be the acrobat. In ticky-boxes, eight hours' sleep beat hugs, 79.5% to 77.3%! Artistic poetry-reciting tigers came third with 54.5%. Thank you for your votes! ♥

Reading
Cetaganda by Bujold (read by Grover Gardner) is fun, but we're not getting through it very quickly for logistical reasons.

I started Ann Leckie's latest Radch book, Radiant Star, read by Adjoa Andoh my beloved, but I'm having trouble focusing. My usual method of audiobook listening is to surf the emotional wave, so to speak, and this is political, worldbuildy omniscient POV. Maybe I should try it in text instead.

I also have some Nghi Vo and the latest Amina al-Sirafi (Shannon Chakraborty) to catch up on, along with the entirety of the 520 Day Guardian Reverse Exchange collection, which went live this week, yay!

Kdramas
I'm super enjoying To My Beloved Thief, a historical that bears similarities to Knight Flower but manages to be crackier. The prince plays against type, which is great, and I'm hanging out for an enemies-to-lovers OT3 (not my usual flavour of OT3, but they're all so entangled). We shall see. No spoilers, please!

Also still into Absolute Value of Romance, though last week's episodes were a bit weird. I'm increasingly conspiracy-theorising that it's a stealth m/m show. Could it be? Surely they realise who their audience is, given the starting premise?! (I haven't been able to watch this week's eps yet. Please don't tell me anything, not even a hint.)

And last weekend, Andrew and our friend Ed and I semi-randomly started a supernatural mystery/thriller called Miraculous Brothers, which I was mostly interested in for Bae Hyun Sung (Hae Joon from Family by Choice). I have no idea where it's going, which is always fun.

Other TV
Pardon My Icelandic - Ari Eldjárn standup special on Netflix. Great linguistic humour, fun with accents. (Hilariously, it came up when I searched for British stand-up.)

Cunk on Earth - one episode. Did not click.

Scrubs (original flavour) has outstayed its welcome. I'm starting to actively dislike JD, and the male-gaziness is off the charts. (Sorry to people who like it!)

The Burroughs - three episodes of the Duffers' new show. It's a bit slow, mostly an exercise in "who's that actor?" but it's only 8 episodes, so we'll probably finish it. (Honestly, I don't think it needs the monsters.) My favourite part is Geena Davis and her younger love interest.

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Better Offline, Tech Won't Save Us (episode: "The UK Government's AI Obsession is a Big Risk w/ Will Dunn" /o\), Cross Party Lines, Guilt-Free Pleasures ("Whitesnake's Here I Go Again"), Dreaming Against the Machine, about 20 minutes of Pod Save America, Keep It Steady episode 7 (timeline cleanse), a bunch of ChinesePod beginner lessons ("不好意思, 我先走了"), and half an episode of You Can Learn Chinese.

Online life
The 520 Day Reverse Exchange is live, yay!!! I'll post separately about my Utterly Delightful Gift and the thing I wrote. I haven't been very present on Dreamwidth, but I've been around a lot, modding and writing, which feels Dreamwidth-adjacent (at least to me).

Writing/making things
I spent an hour on Wednesday rewriting a single sentence in my 520 Day fic. That's sort of how it's going. I have 687 words of a flashfic that I started for the last

fan_flashworks round (Avalanche), which I'm now planning to squeeze into this round (Late). Hopefully I'll finish it soon, so I can keep my "one fic a month" average steady. And then I'll get back to my Yuletide fic.

Life/health/mental state things
At some point pre-Covid, I had standing lunch dates every weekday, plus (at one point) multiple weekly language exchange meet-ups and TV-watching dates. These days, almost all of my socialising involves friends coming over here for lunch or dinner/TV. My sole remaining regular lunch-date-in-town friend moved away last year but has been commuting, so we've met up roughly every second week. But she's just taken a job nearer her new place. I still see people a reasonable amount, but soon I won't have regular reasons to leave the house anymore. I may need to do something about that...

Some bad attacks by middle-of-the-night brain weasels lately. Bah!

House
My IKEA shelves arrive next week. I'm trying to plan how to organise things so I don't just stuff them full and close the door. Maybe I should watch some home organisation youtube videos? *loses half an hour* Oops!

Language Learning
I'm still going on Duolingo and Hello Chinese. The former has given me 30 days of free Premium (I can say, 我的爸爸不去中文书店和韩国饭店，你的爸爸呢？-- though, ha, when I came back to it, I didn't recognise the characters for bookstore or restaurant, despite knowing the pinyin.) With Hello Chinese, I'm still on the free option, so I mostly practice the 10 most commonly used characters (这是和不在有一的了人) and 一 to 十) and take the pronunciation quiz. (Typing is still a work in progress, but I'm getting there.) Question: is vocal fry part of 3rd tone? It seems really common, especially when people are enunciating clearly.

NZ politics, argh
( Cut to spare you. )

Good things
520 Day, woohoo! The weather has been conveniently mild. I made lemony fish pie on Friday; it was yum. Imminent new pillow and shelves (both in transit). My car actually started on Friday. A friend is lending us an EV to go up the coast and have lunch with my parents.

Poll #34642 Siblings

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 50

View Respondents

Among my siblings (if any), I'm

View Answers

the oldest
20 (40.0%)

the youngest
12 (24.0%)

in the middle
7 (14.0%)

an only child
11 (22.0%)

a twin/triplet/etc.
1 (2.0%)

it's complicated
3 (6.0%)

other
1 (2.0%)

ticky-box full of giant pandas on streamer-bedecked penny-farthing bicycles
18 (36.0%)

ticky-box full of too many online subscriptions
15 (30.0%)

ticky-box full of electric eel electricians
19 (38.0%)

ticky-box full of taking a boogie break
13 (26.0%)

ticky-box full of hugs
38 (76.0%)

adafrog posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Saturday to midnight on Sunday (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34641 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 20

How are you doing?

I am okay
14 (70.0%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
6 (30.0%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
9 (45.0%)

One other person
7 (35.0%)

More than one other person
4 (20.0%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

forestofglory

Last time I save up my notes on longer things until I had finished them, but this time I've read a bunch of shorter things, so have another post sooner that I thought!

The Girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert— A middle grade fantasy graphic novel about a girl and a Galdurian(a kind of frog person) on a quest together. I really love the art, the colors are lovely and there’s lots of awesome landscapes. The story is fun so far too. It’s slowly explaining how the world works in a way I really enjoy. I have the rest of the series out form the library

Spirit World by Alyssa Wong et al.— I’ve been eyeing this since I saw it highlighted somewhere for AAPI heritage month. Turns out it is really good! It's a comic in the DC universe inspired by Chinese myths and legends. The main character, Xanthe, can travel between the spirit world and the ordinary world. They can also make themselves items out of joss paper. I did not know in advance that this features Cassadra Cain (batgirl) but I was very happy that it did. I loved her Batgirl hanfu! This was a fun story, with great colorful art, and fun magic!
Content notes: Deadnaming, main character died as a child (but is alive-ish now)

Batman: Eternalby Scott Snyder et al— I think my completionist tendencies overwhelmed my normal good sense to stop reading stuff I’m not enjoying. I sometimes have trouble with that for things I’m reading for reasons other than just fun. Anyways I think this wasn’t worth it. It had some good character moments but overall was kinda incoherent, both plotwise and thematically. I think there are interesting stories that could be told about Batman’s legacy but this isn’t really it, and only tries to be some of the time

Yotsuba&! #15 by Kiyohiko Azuma— I got confused about whether I had read this or not. Turns out I had but once I had it out from the library I decided to read it again. Extremely charming! I love the rock hunting part!

Detective Beans & the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen— A very cute kids graphic novel about a very cute kitten looking for his missing hat! Extremely cute, with bright colorful adorable art! (My one complaint is that the police show up for a hot second and are portrayed pretty positively)

Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy— A graphic novel about a muslim teen girl who moves from a place where she is the only hijabi girl to Dearborn, Michigan where there is a large muslim community and has a bit of an identity crisis about it

adafrog posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34637 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 21

How are you doing?

I am okay
14 (66.7%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
7 (33.3%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
11 (52.4%)

One other person
6 (28.6%)

More than one other person
4 (19.0%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

trobadora

Happy belated 520 Day, everyone!

Our annual Guardian Reverse Exchange revealed two days ago, and our collection is full of gorgeous works! We have a whole bounty of drama and novel works, fanfic, fanart, podfic and vids this year. So happy-making! :D

My own exchange experience this year is all Ya Qing-centric, yay! I received a delightful Ya Qing vid from

amedia:

These Boots [General]
Characters/Relationships: Ya Qing & Zhu Jiu, Ya Qing & Wang Xiangyang, Ya Qing & Ye Zun, Ya Qing & Ying Chun
Content Tags: Celebrating BAMF!Ya Qing, 520 Day Guardian Reverse Exchange 2026, Prompt Fill, Gift vid, Fanvids, Short vid (just over a minute)

Summary: Ya Qing is SO DONE with all her co-conspirators.

And I wrote a Ya Qing/Zhu Hong fic myself, for

plingo_kat:

Unwritten (3,017 words) [Teen]
Relationship: Ya Qing/Zhu Hong
Characters: Ya Qing, Zhu Hong, Ying Chun, Snake Tribe's Fourth Uncle
Content Tags: Post-Canon, Post-Fix-It, Guardian Treaty, Yashou Worldbuilding, Yashou History, Fu You's Legacy, High Chief Zhu Hong, Pre-ship, First Kiss

Summary: It's foolish to have a quarrel with a dead woman, but Ya Qing does. She's had it for years, ever since she began to realise how much the Guardian Treaty and Yashou neutrality were holding her people back. Fu You's legacy looms large among all the Yashou tribes, and everything Ya Qing did was to try and escape it.