X-Force #59
Jul. 21st, 2025 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iamrman posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scans_dailyWriter: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Anthony Castrillo
Inks: Bud Larosa
X-Force tries to help Shatterstar out with his identity crisis.
( Read more... )
[Prompt #451] BtVS / Spike — Another Lifetime
Jul. 21st, 2025 10:07 amveronyxk84 posting in 100wordsFandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairing: Spike
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Word count: 100 (Google Docs)
Setting/Spoilers: Set in a post-series future
Summary: Dawn is graduating as a Watcher for the new Slayer Organization; Spike sets foot in his hometown after a long time.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made. All rights belong to the respective owners.
Prompt: #451 - Work of Art
Crossposted:
drabble_zone, My journal, Sunnydale After Dark —
( READ: Another Lifetime )
Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race
Jul. 21st, 2025 08:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
smartbitches_feed
Back in the early aughts I had a minor obsession with the Tudors. The Other Boleyn Girl was in theatres, The Tudors was on Showtime, and Phillippa Gregory and Alison Weir were having literary moments.
Six Wild Crowns pulled me right back into my fascination with that moment in time (in fact, I’m rewatching The Tudors). This is a high magic fantasy based loosely on Henry VIII and his six wives, but with a feminist twist. It is not, however, a romance.
First of all, this novel is the beginning of a series (or duology, I’m not sure) so if you don’t want to start a series that isn’t finished yet, be aware that this is the only book published so far.
Six Wild Crowns takes place in a fantasy version of England called Elben. Henry is king and he is married, simultaneously, to six queens. The magic system in this novel involves a magical force called the bordweal that forms an invisible barrier around the island Elben that potential invaders or enemies cannot cross. The king also has some magical abilities himself.
In order for Henry to access his magic and for the bordweal to be maintained, he must have six queens, each of whom occupies a coastal castle, and through a ritual during their wedding ceremony, strengthens Henry’s bond with his own magic.
This part was a little confusing. The average person in this book does not have magical abilities, and the queens do not have them until they marry Henry and take occupancy of his castle. Initially it’s pretty unclear where that magic comes from.
When the book opens Henry has just married Queen Boleyn. Boleyn is similar to her historical counterpart in her looks and intelligence, and she is in love with Henry and he with her. It’s tradition for each of the queens to gift a new queen a present on her wedding day, and rather than jewels or or a pet dragon (there are dragons in this book and they are cool), Queen Aragon gives her a servant–Seymour. Seymour is actually there as a spy (of course) and her assignment is to assassinate Boleyn on Aragon’s orders.
The book is told through Boleyn and Seymour’s alternating viewpoints. Boleyn is a strategist, determined to become the most powerful and favorite queen among Henry’s five other established wives. She’s also researching why, despite Henry now having his six queens, the bordweal has been consistently weakening.
Seymour is an unwilling spy and assassin. She comes from a noble family who groomed her to help her family’s fortunes rise, but she mostly just wants to be left alone. She cannot lie convincingly, she doesn’t want to kill anyone, and she doesn’t want to be involved in royal political games. So of course she does the most inconvenient thing possible and falls in love with Boleyn.
Boleyn meanwhile begins to see Henry’s true colors and her love for him changes to disgust. She meets Queen Howard, who she realizes was married to Henry at just thirteen and is still very much a child. She sees Henry’s selfishness and vanity.
Her research into ancient texts about the bordweal leads her to information that stuns her.
Realizing that Henry remaining in power will be disastrous not only to her personally, but also the kingdom, she tries to unite the other five queens against Henry.
While this is going on, Henry’s wife Queen Blount dies, and much to everyone’s surprise, he marries Seymour. She can’t stand Henry, is afraid of him, and loathes sexual encounters with him. Even though Boleyn doesn’t return Seymour’s romantic love, they form a close friendship and unifying force.
The main theme of this book is power being stolen from women, and women being pitted against each other for the benefit of the patriarchy. The six queens are supposed to be jealous and conniving against one another in order to be most beloved in Henry’s eyes. They are never meant to be friends or allies.
I always like the theme of women discovering their power, and women coming together to be stronger as a group. This is definitely a “fuck the patriarchy” fantasy. I also liked the courtly machinations and political plots. It’s a little bit House of the Dragon that way. The color of clothing, the type of gift given, all have important subtle but symbolic meanings and every gesture from a queen means something significant beneath its face value.
The only thing I thought Six Wild Crowns could have improved on was the relationship between Boleyn and Seymour.
Boleyn knows Seymour is in love with her, but doesn’t return the feeling (she’s not queer), so they just sort of become friends. Seymour’s romantic feelings for Boleyn aren’t really addressed again after that and I guess we’re just supposed to assume she’s just dealing with them? The tension of “I love her but she doesn’t love me” isn’t really addressed.
Aside from that, this book is a wonderful reading experience. The setting, clothes and manners are all from a familiar enough place in time that it didn’t require a ton of world building, but Elben was still unique as a fantasy world. The action and the conflict were paced very well so the book grows in momentum. There’s also the “Earl has to die” plotline that I always appreciate.
Six Wild Crowns is a fun, historical fantasy and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.
askamanager_feedIt’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…
1. How to coach an employee to stop name-dropping
I manage a small team of five people. We are a very busy team, but I have had the great fortune to end up with people who are friendly, easygoing, and hard-working. None of us take ourselves too seriously, which is critical for surviving the work we do.
One of my staff members recently went on maternity leave, and another employee in the organization came over on assignment (let’s call her Jane). Jane briefly worked with our group a few years ago, for about a year, and then moved on to a different area. Since she’s been with us, she’s done great work, but her name-dropping is uncontrollable. Any time I task her with something, she drops in a mention about how she did X the last time she was here. She also talks (name-drops) incessantly about which senior manager likes her cookies (she bakes), and she knows this person in X branch, etc. etc. It’s so tiresome, and it also really doesn’t matter — no one on the team cares about who you know, we just care about getting the work done.
She’s only going to be with us for the year, but in the interest of making the next 11 months manageable (and doing her a kindness for future work), I’d like to coach her on how to shift her habits in this area. Do you have any suggestions?
I’m not sure you should! This might fall under the category of “people are allowed to have annoying personalities.” It’s also possible that it will drop off as Jane starts to feel more comfortable and established on your team.
If it’s affecting her relationships with others on the team, I’d be more inclined to address it, but then you’d be focusing on the specific effects you’re seeing — like, “When someone’s explaining a project and you interject to explain who you know on the other team, it disrupts their explanation and takes us off track” or whatever specifically you’re seeing. But I suspect you’re better off just not reacting when she does it; hopefully over time she’ll see she’s not getting the impressed response she’s going for and will start feeling more secure about her place on your team.
2. Hiring a coach to teach someone not to be a jerk
I’m an executive assistant in a multinational company and in one management team meeting we were informed that an employee has accused another employee of harassment. After HR looked into it, it was agreed that it wasn’t necessarily harassment but a very serious behavioral issue with this employee, due to their personality and the way they address people. This person had been insulting the other employee on several occasions. One solution to this problem that was brought up was to get this employee a coach. Coaching sessions are quite expensive, and I don’t understand why the company needs to spend money on coaching to teach an adult how to behave in a professional environment.
What is your opinion on this? I actually brought this up, and the answer I got in the meeting was that we do it when an employee is otherwise valued and very good at their job.
It is a bit ridiculous to bring in a coach to treat someone how to behave civilly with colleagues. But yeah, if someone is extremely valued (not just “decent at their job” but unusually good) you do sometimes see companies try coaching. And sometimes it works! Some people really do have terrible interpersonal skills and do benefit from coaching on them. It’s also not wrong to say, “We don’t think we should need to teach you to act like a decent human” — but for a company that really wants to keep the person’s skills, trying some short-term coaching isn’t outrageous. That said, it needs to be short-term with clear outcomes laid out, and clear consequences if the person doesn’t change, not just a way to avoid dealing with the problem.
3. Explaining I’m giving myself meds with my phone
I just started a new job and it’s traditional in my field to go out for coffee and/or lunch with my colleagues. I enjoy this and want to do it! However, I have a medical condition that means that I need to give myself medication whenever I eat or drink most things that aren’t water. I am able to do this very conveniently using my phone, which is awesome. But when I get my coffee or sandwich, I need to give myself medicine, and I feel horribly rude fiddling with my phone without explanation. (It takes about 10 seconds to a minute, depending on how cooperative the software is being.)
Can you help me with how to casually inform my colleagues that I am going to give myself medicine with my phone — without inviting a lot of followup or giving unnecessary detail? I don’t actually want to tell my colleagues what my illness is, but I also need to take my meds.
“Sorry, I just need a few seconds to do a medical thing with my phone.”
A lot of people won’t realize “medical thing” means “giving myself meds”; they’ll think you’re confirming a prescription or responding to a doctor’s time-sensitive message or similar … and since those things are pretty boring, hopefully you won’t get many people asking about it. But if anyone does, it’s completely fine to say, “Oh, just a minor medical thing, nothing to worry about” or “Oh, just a minor medical thing; I try not to bore people with it at work.”
4. How to handle blatant discrimination in a job interview
You have written in the past about professional situations that come up in movies and TV shows. I recently started watching the show “Younger” (even though it came out years ago). In the show’s opening scene, Liza, a 40-year-old seeking to re-enter the book publishing world after being away for 15 years raising her child, is interviewing for a job at a publishing house. Her two interviewers, 20-something women, are incredibly condescending regarding all of the latest media trends she’s unaware of, and one of them nearly blurts out that Liza is too old before catching herself and claiming, implausibly, that she was going to say she was too “orange.”
The purpose of the scene is to set the table for the show by establishing that Liza will never get hired, which then leads to her claiming to be 26 at a subsequent interview and getting the job. But I couldn’t help wondering: if such a scenario took place in a real-world interview, what would you recommend the job seeker do?
On the one hand, the age discrimination was pretty blatant. On the other hand, it would be the word of two company employees against her. And what would she have to gain by suing potential employers? She would almost certainly torch any future prospects in the industry. It might be good for society in general to expose that kind of discrimination, but as is frequently the case with whistleblowing, it would very likely come at a high personal cost.
I suppose one could engage in what’s known as “putting the gun on the table.” You write a letter to the head of HR documenting what happened but don’t explicitly threaten a lawsuit, and see how they react. But as much as I hate to admit it, it’s hard not to conclude that the smartest thing for Liza to do in that situation is exactly what she did do: nothing. (To be clear, lying about her age in subsequent interviews was decidedly not the smart thing to do.)
Yes, that’s why so many (probably most) incidents of discrimination in interviews go unaddressed. People do the same calculation you did and decide it’s not in their best interests to pursue it.
Your “this is what happened” letter to the company is a middle-ground option. You can also talk to an employment lawyer to get a better sense of likely outcomes if you do pursue legal action. But … yeah.
5. Is unpaid work like this legal?
I recently started pet-sitting for a national pet-sitting company. I am a W2 employee, so this is not really gig work. However, the company is not at all transparent about pay. They pay per visit using some formula, but there is so much work required behind the scenes that is unpaid that far exceeds the stated visit time. So yesterday, for a 30-minute meet and greet, I ended up working over 2.5 hours and making $11. (This does not include driving to and from the assignment; it’s all actual work.)
Now, some of this is me being extra thorough with notes and prep, or being inefficient because I am new, but this is caring for someone’s pet, so of course I am thorough! But some of it is actually required, like entering detailed notes into their app, and helping the customer sort out some confusion caused by the office in the name of good customer service.
Is this somehow legal? The offer letter stated an hourly rate, but the language around that was a bit weaselly so maybe they covered their butts that way? It just feels exploitative to me, which bothers me a lot, as we’re all just animal lovers trying to do a genuinely great job and make some money in a terrible job market.
It’s not legal. If you’re a W2 employee (not a 1099 independent contractor), they are required by federal law to pay you for all time you spend working. That’s true even if you do more work than they require (like entering more detailed notes). They can say, “You’re taking too much time to do this work and so we’re firing you for that,” but they do need to pay you for all the time you spend on the work.
The post employee won’t stop stop name-dropping, hiring a coach to teach someone not to be a jerk, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.
D.O.P.-T.
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:50 pmweofodthignenRambly Response to Response to The Goblin Emperor
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:23 pmlabingiI don't especially warm to it as a novel, however, and I've been in an interesting and invigorating discussion of it with
rocky41_7 on books. I ended up pretty much writing meta I'd planned to write in the comments over there, so I'll post it here too. Context:
rocky41_7 has been rereading the book with a newfound appreciation and feeling of now understanding why it is so beloved. Reasons why - and I agree all those things are there and are good - include a truly good/well-intentioned hero, realistic politics, realistic supporting characters, and breaking fantasy conventions. I find the book lacking in character development and plot/character arcs, however. Below (with a few, fairly minor spoilers), I explain why with some reference points to other stories, which may contain some very light spoilers.My Reply to rocky41-7's reply to my reply to their post. ( Read more... )
Daily Happiness
Jul. 20th, 2025 08:40 pmtorachan2. I thought the limited edition chamoy Kettle Chips were all sold out for good as we hadn't seen them in a while, but they got restocked, so we snagged another couple bags.
3. Chloe is such a cutie.
Done This Week
Jul. 20th, 2025 08:14 pmscrubjayspeaksI obtained a relatively sensible number of new plants, provided you ignore the part where I really didn’t need *any* new plants. And I was gifted one huge, competition-worthy specimen as a thank-you from the club for the multi-month effort of setting them up to use barcode scanners. I even have a lovely proper pot for it to live in. If I can keep it happy for a year, I think I might try entering it in the competition. I’ve never had anything suitable before.
For now, though, I have two boxes of plants on the dining room table and a bed that is calling my name.
Lewisia: no new pieces written, but still on track
Day job: 42.5 hours
Gardening: the final scramble on the club’s barcode database, club meeting, day one of the sale
Listening: Dance and Cry by Mother Mother (I’ve had a few tracks from them in mixtapes over the years and finally bought an album, this one has “It’s Alright” on it ;_;), Muminröster (the Swedish version of Moomin Voices, after my “Oops! All Finnish!” purchase)
Clock Mouse: 1271 words
Weekly Reading
Jul. 20th, 2025 08:14 pmtorachanNikhil Out Loud
10%. Middle grade book about a teen voice actor who moves from LA to Ohio with his mom when his grandfather gets sick. This is by Maulik Pancholy, whose Murder at the Patel Motel I recently enjoyed a lot. Since I liked his narration of the other book, I decided to do this as an audiobook, too. I'm enjoying it so far.
The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State
6%.
Kill Her Twice
33%.
Just Happy to Be Here
58%.
Sister Outsider
60%.
Recently Finished
A Slash of Emerald
I enjoyed this. Looking forward to more in the series.
A Deadly Night at the Theatre
The new Dahlia Lively mystery came out just as I was finishing up A Slash of Emerald. Perfect timing. I like this series a lot.
The Nice House by the Sea vol. 1
I knew this was associated with Nice House on the Lake (obviously) but since the name is different, I didn't realize it was the direct continuation. So I read it, but I didn't remember enough about The Nice House on the Lake, so then I had to reread those first two volumes as well (not a hardship as it's a great series). There are too many characters and too many things going on and I am almost certainly going to have to reread things before the next volume comes out, too...
Something Is Killing the Children vol. 8
I hadn't realized this was out. It's just a collection of stand-alones set at various times in the series rather than being a new arc.
The Deviant vol. 2
I liked this series a lot, but was a little disappointed in the ending as I thought we would get to find out who had really committed the first string of murders as well. ( spoilers )
Fic: “the Body Politic”
Jul. 21st, 2025 10:49 amaadler posting in summer_of_gilesTitle: “the Body Politic”
Author: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
aadler
Rating: G
Season: Pre-Season 1 (Buffy)
Genre: Character interaction only
Characters/Relationships: Giles, Quentin Travers
Summary: There’s a choice to be made … more than one, in fact.
Word count: 4,192
Story at LiveJournal – at Dreamwidth
Writerly Ways
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:09 pmcornerofmadness
What brought this up is this book i'm reading The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. Someone recced this mystery to me (Can't remember if it was here or elsewhere) and while I like the mystery part, Ruth, the main character absolutely has me THIS close to quitting the book. (which will suck since it fits one of my popsugar prompts and I paid full price for this thing)
I'm overweight, by a lot. I do not like this about myself. On the other hand I'm not always thinking about this. I dress however I please for myself. Would I change this? Yes I'm working on it (and yes there are a subset of overweight people who find that alone offensive. I've run into that).
Anyhow Ruth in chapter 1 is talking about wearing only black because she's fat. Okay in the 90s and early 00s (this was pubbed in 09) that WAS the rec for overweight women. Wear black it's slimming. Uh huh. In ch 2, she is paranoid about getting into the car with the detective because what if the seatbelt won't go around her (I have never had this fear, in an airplane, yes, car no), images a siren blurting out from the seat giving away how fat she is. in ch 3, the detective is thinking about how fat she is, how she can barely do her job because she can't walk to the site (she's a field archaeologist) and how horrified his wife would be at how fat she is. ch 4 has her being picked up in a police car and she images it's for the crime of being single and fat. Thankfully the next few chapters don't mention her weight but....
So how fat is she? 12 stone. For the Americans of the group that's 168 pounds. Let that sink in. This woman is barely 30 pounds overweight. I thought she was going to be the size of someone who might have a weight-based show on TLC, my 600 pound life or something. I was put in mind of my friend at work and her struggles (she is in that weight range). ALL THIS FUSS and she's 30 pounds overweight. I'm literally 100 pounds more than here and I can still hike a few yards without breathing hard. Never have I worried I'm too fat for a car seat.
It made me a) want to not read this book b) wonder how to make a character unhappy with their physical appearance without being horrendously fatphobic or ableist etc etc
How do/would you handle it? I think in some ways I do a decent job of it (points to story in yesterday's post) For example while it's not really in the canon, it is in Viv's notes and is a huge part of fanon. Angel Dust hates his feet. I'd like to think I did a decent job of depicting that without being obnoxious or insulting.
There has to be a happy medium, right?
OPEN CALLS
The Final Girl Review: Now Seeking Submissions
81 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (July 2025)
What’s Your Age Again? Comedic stories (speculative included) with a romantic age gap
Fascination Nature-fueled magical stories that both enchant and unsettle the reader
Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores August 2025 Window Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world.
Electric Spec November Issue 2025 Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we’re willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres
Best Served Cold A New Collection of Chilling Short Stories of Crime & Revenge very close deadline
From Around the Web
How and Why to Bring Novelty into Your Writing
What Your Favorite Book Can Teach You About Writing
Audio Interview: Elevating Indie Book Design
Writing 101: Avoiding Purple Prose
Poetry Formatting: How to Format a Poetry Book
The Four Levels of Book Editing Every Author Should Understand
How to Find a Literary Agent
From Betty
How Three Book Series Kept Readers Interested
How to Make Unexplainable Conflicts Work
Twitch: An Author’s Unexpected Secret Weapon
Don't Delete That!
Reader Friday-The Awesome Power of Words
Writing 101: Avoiding Purple Prose
What happens on and off the page in your novel?
Book Launch Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
How to Create an Effective One Sheet to Showcase Your Writing Project
The Secret to Writing Witty Characters (Without Trying So Hard)
Do You Need Story Inspiration? Look to Nature
missingvolumeThe Waiting by Michael Connelly, Christine Lakin (Narrator), Titus Welliver (Narrator), Madison Lintz (Narrator)
This book covers three cases, two cold cases and one case that Renee can’t make an official case since it deals with her badge and gun being stolen while she was surfing. The first cold case is an old series of rapes that gets a familial hit that send then trying to solve an even older rape case. The second cold case is one that Maddie brings to the unit when she gets flagged on her personal time at her storage unit when they owner finds an abandoned unit with graphic evidence of a very old serial killer. Renee reaches out the Harry to help her with getting her badge and gun back and that leads to a trail of breadcrumbs to a bigger case that she has to decide what to do about.
I Really Need to Block the Hole in the Fence
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:09 pmdays_unfoldingWoke up a little after 7 AM and fell back asleep until 8:30. The dogs are wrestling on the bed.
“Storms continuing though 3 PM.” Okay, it’s an inside day. While I was out with the dogs, it started raining pretty hard, so I brought them in. They don’t usually do their business in the rain. Here comes a full-blown thunderstorm.
Gracie is upset that Oliver won’t play with her. She’s emitting ear-piercing barks.
I got intrigued with Coldplay due to the kiss-cam brouhaha. I discovered that I like their music. I gather that makes me uncool, but I don’t care. Bought a couple of albums.
The Dynamic Duo are wrestling. I might need to kick one of them out. I bought them some tug-of war ropes and a Kong toy, but they prefer to play tug with random things. Bella has a plastic bottle that she’s ripping apart, and Gracie wants it.
Napped. Woke up after an hour but went back to sleep for another hour.
Someone on Facebook suggested putting affirmations in a digital photo frame. I asked ChatGPT to create some for anxiety and stress, but it put them all in one graphic, which isn’t what I wanted, but I’ll work with them later. I should look for digital photo frames on Mercari (done). I also want one about getting things done for the kitchen.
Oliver wants some food, but I told him that it was too early to feed him. He’s cuddling next to me. Had lunch. I’m going to take another short nap.
More thunderstorms are coming. I might not get out today.
I ordered some more pairs of underwear and socks for my trip. One thing that I need to do after I shower is to try clothes on and pack. I need to make a list of stuff to buy.
Showered. I’m trying to decide what to do. I need to try on clothes and to feed the critters, but it’s not supposed to rain for the next two hours. On the other hand, no rain on Monday.
Tried on clothes. I like the blue striped linen dress and the black striped shirtdress. They were both a little wrinkled, so I put them in the dryer. The blue dress is still wrinkled, so I need to try out my clothes presser. Bought ballet flats to go with them. I also had a Columbia dress that was very cool (temperature-wise), so I looked for another one. One of my Chico's dresses is missing. I know that I got it, so it's here someplace.
Fed us all and took the dogs out. Gracie somehow got her leash off--her collar was still on--and she went through the gap in the fence and took off down the street. I couldn't figure out where she went, but she came back to see Bella, so I ran over and put the leash on her. When I was getting her in the yard, it was Bella's turn to take off. She came back though, and I let her in the yard. Yikes. The collars with AirTags and my phone number can't come too soon.
I checked out goop because Coldplay --> Gwyneth Paltrow --> goop. I was surprised that I found some blush and reef-safe sunscreen that I liked. The prices were similar to those for high-end makeup.
Bought a strapless bra from Underoutfit because some of the dresses have narrow straps. I also bought some "cooling thigh protectors".
My tooth is hurting. I think that I want to go to bed and get up early. I'm feeling cranky. Actually, I should do an hour of work on the kitchen and then go to sleep.
[10 out of 20] Sherlock Holmes (ACD): Gen
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:25 pmstonepicnicking_okapi posting in sweetandshortFandom: Sherlock Holmes (ACD)
Rating: Gen
Length: 200
Prompt: surprise
Summary: Watson reflects on the decision to go to Dartmoor with Sir Henry Baskerville.
( Read more... )
Just wondering
Jul. 20th, 2025 11:38 pmmy_spikesgirl58_feedDo you have a nightlight in your bathroom? Is it simple or fancy?
Do you have a lot of clutter in your bathroom, or do you keep your countertop fairly clutter free?
![[admin post]](//www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/admin_post.png)
Admin Post: Challenge 486: Revenge
Jul. 21st, 2025 12:09 pm![[admin post]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/admin_post.png){kind=small}
china_shop posting in fan_flashworksREVENGE
As always, you can interpret the prompt literally or figuratively, in whatever way works for you.
Each work created for this challenge should be posted as a new entry to the comm. Posting starts now and continues up until the challenge ends at 4pm Pacific Time on Friday, 1 August. No sign-up required.
Mods will tag your work with fandom and challenge. When you've posted entries to three consecutive challenges, you will earn a name tag, and we'll go back and tag all your previous entries with your name.
All kinds of fanworks in all fandoms are welcome. Please have a look at our guidelines before you play. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact a mod. And if you have any suggestions for future challenges, you can leave them in the comments of this post.
Also, keep an eye out for the next
ffw_social post, which will go up in the next couple of days. If you haven't joined the ffw_social comm, it's never too late to come and check it out. (Posts are locked, which means you have to join to see them.)Admin: Challenge closed
Jul. 21st, 2025 12:06 pmchina_shop posting in fan_flashworksSherlock Holmes (ACD): Fanfic: In The Mirror by
smallhobbitSealomimi: Art: silly faces by
himejoshiheartMCU: Fanfiction: Facing Things by
lucy_romanS.W.A.T.: Fan Fiction: Face The Future, Together by
darkjediqueenNarnia: Fanfic: to be with you (a wild thing cohabiting) by
bluedreamingBuffy the Vampire Slayer: Fanfic: Face Of A Vampire by
badly_knittedTorchwood: Fanfic: Seeking Sympathy by
badly_knittedWomen's Soccer RPF: Fanfiction: In Her Arms by
infinitum_noctemTorchwood: Fanfic: Spat in the eye by
m_findlowOriginal Fiction: Facesiting, The Proper Alpha Love Language by
analogbasiliskPrincess: The Hopeful: Fic: bird flight by
himejoshiheartOriginal Work: Craft: plushie!!!! by
himejoshiheartGreek Myth: Fanfic: Face Your People by
drabblewriterBuffy the Vampire Slayer: Fanfic: One of a Kind by
veronyxk84Pokémon: Fanart: Visage by
javertCity of Streamers: Fanfic: there all along by
teaotterMarvel Comics (616): icons: He Knows He's Gorgeous by
highlander_iiGuardian: fic: Behind another face by
china_shop\o/ \o/ \o/
Thank you to everyone who participated! You're now free to post your entries to your journal or wherever else you'd like. If you're archiving on AO3, you can add your work to our fan_flashworks collection there.
Next challenge coming right up.
Arizona’s Declining Groundwater
Jul. 21st, 2025 12:00 amearthobservatory_iod_feed
Decades of satellite observations show that the aquifers in the southern part of the state are ailing.
frozen lake, warm sun gilted glow
Jul. 20th, 2025 06:43 pmyamamanama
I met a super cute dog named Faramir at Kendall Station. Made up for the fact that the lever wasn’t working.
The theme this year was Freeze, as you can see here. Not just freeze like taking our mind off the July heat. (what I was expecing was 80F, maybe 82F. What I got was 87F) but also frozen time and motion and freeze frames and just slowing things down.
Amanda sleeps with a stuffed animal at the age of 31 and does not feel ashamed about it and also said that drag and heat do not mix.
There was a dog named Noodle and a dog named Wagnolia whose human had purple hair and a chug (that is, chihuahua-pug with a pug tail and a chihuahua bark) named Nova and a husky named River who is so well-insulated she doesn’t even know it’s hot out.
Sarah was talking about the time her friend had two fully-grown snapping turtles. They had the shell of one that was around 10 years old, relatively young, probably dead from natural causes.
For lunch, I had a pancit canton from Sinta, a Filipino food stall. That is to say, wok-fried rice and egg noodles in a soy-based sauce with mixed vegetables (carrots, cabbage) with a pork lumpia.
Evan Goodrow is a singer-songwriter. He and his band played a song called Dreams but not that Dreams.
The Smack Dabs played a bunch of songs from the 30s on steel guitar, clarinet and saxophone, keyboards, washboard, cornet, upright bass. Black and Tan Fantasy by Duke Ellington. I’m Gonna Get High by Tampa Red, Too Long by Papa Charlie McCoy, Has My Gal Been By Here by Casey Bill Weldon, Why Should I Spend My Money? and Going Back To Arkansas (which featured a train whistle) by Big Bill Broonzy, Root Hog Or Die (we can’t say what this song is about. There are children in the audience), No Mail Today by Blind Johnny Davis. It’s always the cornet player who drops something. At the end, the washboardist pulled out a rubber chicken.
Dandelion sung a few originals, one filled with wordplay about counting on friends. They were like “We’re going to play something by our friend Kermit the Frog.” And so I was expeting Rainbow Connection or maybe It’s Not Easy Being Green. What they did sing was I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon. Excuse me. That’s Ernie. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because Kermit and Ernie were both voiced by Jim Henson. Well, anyway, he’s talking about visiting for an afternoon (y’know, cause they rhyme) and I’m wondering if he means an Earth afternoon or a lunar afternoon which is about nine days.
I looked up if the moon has seasons and someone’s like “two seasons: cold and airless or hot and airless.” In fact, I should point out that the places that Ernie wants to visit but not live (a tropical jungle, the Jurassic) are warm. Maybe under the sea. At the very least, it'd feel cold.
They concluded with an Indigo Girls song that I didn’t realize was Closer to Fine until it was over.
On one arm, Heather has a tattoo of a weirding glyph with a snake and a moon and nails, on the other, a raven. Talia has no visible tattoos but was wearing floral-themed clothing.
They also had a cellist. They sing about intergalactic robots and gardening according to the SAC page.
Thea Hopkins is a Wompanoag singer-songwriter.
Bahloul Jazz Trio played jazz and Egyptian songs on electric oud and ney (end-blown flute) and drum kit.
Mada Silva is a Cape Verdean singer.
Estelle was taking pictures and one of her friends had a guitar so I thought he was in Moon Machine but nope.
Moon Machine was back from their hiatus. I got a bowl of larb gai from Dakzen and threw a few scoops of bird’s eye chili peppers and chili oil in for funsies and didn’t get to actually draw them because they’re progressive metal and the best place to hear them was over in Emily’s booth. Emily draws maps of both real and imaginary places.
A patron had teal hair and a Cthul-aid shirt, another had bright green hair, another had purple hair and the tattoo of a xenomorph.
The one thing is that Mamadou got to bring back Crazy Don.
I’m familiar with Layzi but I’m not sure if Layzi is a stage name for Carissa and she’s playing with session musicians, one of whom has swallow, not a swift, tattooed on his arm, or if Layzi is the entire group. Anyway, Carissa has some text, a cactus, and a sigil tattooed on her arm.
Danielle was writing notes and has a log cabin tattooed on her arm.
Layzi showedme their setlist: Different, Shop Around, Eventually, The Other Side, In Between, If U Want Me 2, Tummy Ache, Everybody Knows, As It Was, Waist of Time. One of the songs was suitable for slow dancing although the terrain is completely unsuitable especially if you’re on the side with shade. They finished with Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.
At times Hilken Mancini and her band reminded me of Dinosaur Jr. and lo and behold, they’ve done things with J. Mascis.
I was trying to cram the guest artists in with distance and less than adequate lighting conditions, Finley, a guitarist alum of the Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls; Emily, a violinist; and one of the guys from Buffalo Tom.
the only problem is that I couldn’t hear any of the violin. I don’t think standing closer would’ve helped.
Chucky showed up but he was dancing so maybe tech support switched him to good. I joke but that was the actual plot to the remake.
Lisa has a ribbon choker and a blur of dark on her arm that I think might be a bruise because it's not coherent enough to be a tattoo.
I've asked this to people but not as a burning question.
burning question: who is your favorite muppet?
Talk With Others!
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:32 pmyourlibrarian posting in everykindofcrafticontalking is looking for people to ask questions of their icon making volunteers who stepped forward to talk about icon making and share tutorials as so far they don't have any 😟Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 21 & 22
Jul. 20th, 2025 11:58 pmtrobadora posting in sid_guardian
Welcome aboard for this week's chapters of our Guardian readalong!
Here are last week's chapters. You can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5), or via the !readalong tag.
This week's chapters:
- Chapter 21: The Yanluo Kings want to use Zhao Yunlan's heart's blood as the Guardian Lantern's wick, but the yao storm the Yanluo Courts under the leadership of Fourth Uncle, and likewise the daoists and assorted other immortals who were present at Kunlun Mountain. Ghost Face and various gui break free from the Wangchuan, and Shen Wei's trap is sprung. Zhao Yunlan half learns, half figures out Shen Wei's plan, and Zhu Hong clarifies Zhao Yunlan's feelings for Shen Wei. Ghost Face blows himself up.
- Chapter 22: Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi fight various youchu (including the fake rogue cultivator) with the combined might of fear stick and zombie powers, then escape to the top of the mountain, but end up in trouble there again anyway. Meanwhile, Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and Lin Jing run into Daqing, escape from the Netherworld, and find SID and other people waiting for them. Shen Wei plans to re-seal the Four Pillars with the Hallows, and Zhao Yunlan tells Shennong's mortar to take his place and take care of his parents. Everyone comes together to help Shen Wei.
Excerpts:
( 1) Zhu Hong defends Zhao Yunlan against the Yanluo Kings' designs )
( 2) Shen Wei is caught out )
( 3) Zhu Hong and Shen Wei have a rapprochement )
( 4) Speech time for Ghost Face )
( 5) Chu Shuzhi weaponises Guo Changcheng's fear )
( 6) Shen Wei addresses the crowd )
( 7) Zhao Yunlan's request for Shennong's mortar )
Questions:
What do you think of Shen Wei's plans? Or of the way he acts towards Zhao Yunlan? Is it satisfying seeing all the different characters coming together again? Are you following everything that's going on? How annoyed are you that we don't learn how Lin Jing made it to the Yanluo Courts in one piece? Any thoughts about Ghost Face exploding himself, and what the drama made out of that? Which of the things that has a direct parallel in the drama is your favourite bit of adaptation?
(As usual, these are just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like!)
Our schedule - please sign up to host a post if you can!
Minor amusement
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:45 pmjhetleyFace: Guardian: fic: Behind another face
Jul. 21st, 2025 09:44 amchina_shop posting in fan_flashworksFandom: Guardian (TV)
Rating: G-rated
Length: 100 words
Tags: Body-sharing, Complications, Secrets
Summary: Zhang Shi meets Shen Xi.
( Behind another face )
LJ Idol Prompt 4: Figure of speech
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:42 pmgarnigalI grew up in rural Ontario. It was a very homogenous town, where we all had the same frame of references - sports, farming, the same food and traditions.
And then I grew up and moved to the city for University.
It wasn’t even a big city, but there was certainly a variety of different perspectives, different backgrounds, different frames of reference. I learned so much, not just in class, but by being surrounded by new people. But even there, it was still southwestern Ontario - whiteness and English language ruled.
Things changed after graduation. In my career, I worked with many people for whom English is not their first language, particularly Canadian English. I’ve enjoyed that diversity, but mostly I’ve enjoyed helping define the random turns of phrase that come up in discussion without even thinking about the confusion you are creating.
In my 25 year career, I’ve been a tech writer, an editor, a trainer, a knowledge manager. The commonality is communication. With that focus, I’ve seen teams made and broken by poor or excellent communication.
“What is two-four?” “What is dart?” “What is give’r?”
It is my honour to be the person asked when language is used in unusual ways. It’s improved my own communications, not just with my colleagues, but also with my family.
We are a playful species, and our biggest game in language. We use it to connect or separate, to build or destroy. In the end, the opposable thumb and tool using may have made us capable, but language using is what made us human.
(no subject)
Jul. 20th, 2025 10:17 pmvampwillowBut it was a close thing.
Borrowing from the library
Jul. 20th, 2025 10:10 pmvivdunstanIt is encouraging I can still find physical books I want to borrow, even if I can't read print or even large print now. And it's marvellous how the online library catalogue lets me call books in from all over Angus. There's a particularly good Scottish cultural/history collection in store at Forfar.
Meanwhile I continue to read masses on my Kindle. I have a huge pile of ebooks on my virtual to read pile. I often snap them up when they're on reduced sale price. I buy far more ebooks than I ever get read! But at least it lets me keep reading extended fiction and non fiction. With gargantuan font.
Marvel Comics (616) : icons : He Knows He's Gorgeous
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:02 pmhighlander_ii posting in fan_flashworksFandom: Iron Man comics
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of Tony Stark's face from various points across 616 canon.
( He Knows He's Gorgeous )
General Update
Jul. 20th, 2025 02:45 pmwrote_and_writ
That said, I am taking a summer class on using sketch notes in the classroom (credits toward recertification), and I'm excited to try those out in class next year.
I took a road trip to the Oregon Coast with my bestie. We spent a little time in Portland (hello Powell's!) and then drove up and down between Tillamook and Newport, poking around. I added a bunch of birds to my life list. I didn't get great pictures, alas, but I'm not really interested in investing in photography at this point. I am, however, determined to get some binoculars that work with my glasses. It was frustrating to see eagles and hawks soaring but not be able to really identify them. (Or to see some sort of sandpiper scuttle away as I squinted at it.)
On the subject of birds, I started my life list officially a few years ago, and I decided I would add birds as I saw them from the date I decided to start the list. So even though I have seen golden eagles, for example, I wasn't going to add them to my list officially until I saw them again. It's encouraged me to keep my eyes open and observe familiar places with fresh eyes. We saw a bald eagle as we were driving away from Cape Meares -- I said, "Holy shit! A bald eagle!" and made Erin pull over so I could take a pic. My favorite new-to-me birds from this trip are: white-crowned sparrow, pigeon guillemot, Brandt's cormorant, common murre, and a chestnut-backed chickadee. The rangers at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse were very helpful pointing out the birds that were hanging out nearby. I also saw a great blue heron walking along the tidepools and successfully spear a fish. It was really neat! A fellow tourist asked if I had seen the puffins yet, and I said no! She said she heard there were some at Cannon Beach, which was too far north for our plans, so alas, puffins remain unobserved.
Like many people, I am super into K-Pop Demon Hunters, so Erin and I listened to the soundtrack a lot on the drive. I also introduced her to Six and Hadestown.
On the subject of musicals and theater and art, one of my goals for next year (as a teacher, I view life in terms of school years) is to take advantage of the art scene in Shanghai more than I did last year. I plan to ask our drama teacher about plays, but I also happened to see ads for a production of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and a production of a Macbeth musical called Lady M and I went ahead and booked tickets for myself for each show, so I have that to look forward to. Mom and I are going to see Alison Krauss and Union Station in concert next week, and then right before I go back to China, we'll go see the Idaho Shakespeare Festival's production of Dial M for Murder. (ISF has really moved away from Shakespeare over the last few years. They only had one Shakespeare play this season, way back in May. They should probably change their name to something like the Theater Festival, but ISF is a beloved brand, so they probably won't.)
Oh, I also watched The Residence, taking advantage of Mom's Netflix subscription, and I really enjoyed it. I would watch many more series or movies with Cordelia Cupp!
Alright, that's it for now. I'm going to lie down in my cool bedroom and either knit or read (lbr I'll probably nap). I hope you all are well!
Face: City of Streamers: Fanfic: there all along
Jul. 20th, 2025 12:58 pmteaotter posting in fan_flashworksFandom: City of Streamers (mods: you can use the Cdrama tag)
Pairing: Feng Shizhen/Rong Jiashang
Warnings: spoilers for a late plot point
Length: 100 words
Summary: Once it was pointed out, it was obvious.
( Read more... )
former tripwires
Jul. 20th, 2025 12:03 pmthistleingrey
Resuming latest Babylon 5 rewatch
Jul. 20th, 2025 07:17 pmvivdunstanBut now restarted, aiming for that Sunday night slot. And we’re picking up where we’d got to, with season 2 episode 15* “There All The Honour Lies”. Luckily we have watched the whole run many times, so know the overarching plot well. Otherwise we might be a bit confused about the arc plot after such a long gap.
Watching this it does feel like revisiting old friends and a favourite place. I hope we can keep the momentum going. There are some stunning episodes coming soon. Seasons 2 and 3 are my favourites of the run.
* actually might be #14. But it’s far through the season anyway.
Thor #279
Jul. 20th, 2025 07:09 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Don Glut
Pencils: Alan Kupperberg
Inks: Pablo Marcos
You didn’t think you were free of Jane Foster, did you?
( Read more... )
Check-In Post - July 20th 2025
Jul. 20th, 2025 07:08 pmbadly_knitted posting in get_knitted
Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: What do you like to listen to / watch while crafting?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
[ SECRET POST #6771 ]
Jul. 20th, 2025 02:04 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6771 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 31 secrets from Secret Submission Post #969.
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.
(no subject)
Jul. 20th, 2025 10:55 amgreghousesgf
B5 Quadruple Drabble: Denial
Jul. 20th, 2025 06:03 pmbadly_knittedTitle: Denial
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Stephen Franklin, Michael Garibaldi
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Setting: Interludes and Examinations.
Summary: Stephen attempts to prove that he isn’t addicted to stims.
Written For: Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at
fan_flashworks, using Challenge 84: Drugs.Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.
A/N: Quadruple drabble.
FAKE Double Drabble: Don't Give Up
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:50 pmbadly_knittedTitle: Don't Give Up
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 459: Going To Pot at
drabble_zone.Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Ryo and Dee aren’t going to let the current political situation drag them down.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.
Double Drabble: Annoying Situation
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:37 pmbadly_knittedTitle: Annoying Situation
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 874: Mad at
torchwood100.Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack has done something stupid.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
overcast
Jul. 20th, 2025 08:05 amsusandennisYesterday was just a lovely day of OMG-I-am-so-lucky-to-live-here. It just slaps me upside the head sometimes in the most wonderful way.
Today I had nothing on the agenda until I got a text from Richard (one of my volleyball buds and husband of Martha) asking if I would be willing to take him to Costco today to get a new battery for his car. Happy to. He says it will take an hour. Richard is one of those guys who has his own way of doing things and that is coupled by his extreme thrift. He spent his life teaching and then managing teachers of special education. In fact, turns out, one of the teachers he managed years ago, was Jan - the woman who just moved into Myrna's apartment!
So I'll meet him out at the elbow at 10. He has exceedingly long legs. It will be fun to watch them fold into the Smart Car.
Last week, when I took Martha to Fred Meyers, we stopped at Krispy Kreme and I took some mini donuts to elbow coffee. Everyone oood and awed at the donuts and I explained that they had Martha to thank and then they oood and awed at Martha "you got to ride in the little car???!!!" It was pretty funny.
We'll be home in time for baseball. The Mariners beat Houston in a walk off long after I was asleep.
Guess I'd better get dressed. And I need to put in a load of laundry and unload the dishwasher.
