Check-in Week 7 (Feb 8th - Feb 14th)
Feb. 14th, 2026 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athaiaI still went to work, because although I'm one of the people with the least amount of sick days, whenever I do have to call in sick, you can bet that at least two other people decide not to show up for a whole week, either, so I drag myself in because we're such a small practice that the work load would get unbearable for the few people who still show up. I can't wait until all the Boomers and GenXers go into retirement. I'll stock up on popcorn and watch how Gen Zombie fails to manage then.
I'm at scene 26 of 36 now, so the rough draft should be done around the 25th. It took me only six weeks to get it all written, which is nice. Don't see the need to hurry up with editing, seeing the ROI on my other stuff. Maybe it'll stay on my harddrive, wouldn't make any difference. But writing it was fun, and I like editing, too. So I'll do it for my own enjoyment.
Dear Spacer Letter- 2026
Feb. 13th, 2026 11:06 ammaidenjedi![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
space_swap exchange this year and thrilled that we matched on one of these fandoms. I put some general ideas in my sign-up already and I'll put them below as well, but my general likes/dislikes/DNWs are:
Likes: character pieces, thoughtful world-building, plot that explores alternate beginnings and endings. Angst with happy or at least resolved endings. Closed door sex but public flirting and maybe even some cheeky foreplay. Dialogue. Apocalypse is always fun. Platonic relationships that have weight. In Star Wars, political intrigue, bureaucracy as both the intrinsic evil and ultimate downfall of the Empire (and yet a tool used by the Rebellion and New Republic!), canon pairings, non-canon or offscreen meet-cutes, and you can be as heavy or as light with Force mythology as you like. In Marvel, effects of the "blip"/snap are hugely important to me, especially how the trauma of time lost or time without loved ones is still something everyone is dealing with.
Dislikes/DNWs: alternate settings unless requested (I don't really like modern AUs, for example), explicit sex of any kind, real-world politics unless it's a real-world property to begin with. Non-requested character deaths. Canon-typical violence is fine, gore or unnecessary/gratuitous violence is not. In Star Wars, I would prefer not to take the characters out of the Star Wars Universe. Would prefer characters not use the Force for coercive sex. In Marvel, strongly prefer canon relationships unless otherwise stated.
( Specific thoughts on requests by fandom )
work in progress wednesday | 911: Retrograde Ch8 Update
Feb. 11th, 2026 05:52 pmcypresssunnTitle: Retrograde
Fandom: 9-1-1
Rating: Mature
Chapter: 8
Words: 89k {total}
That’s what Eddie gets to do, it seems. He gets to take up space inside Evan, inhabiting all the thoughts he can’t control. Even on a day dedicated to not seeing or hearing from him, Eddie is always just over his shoulder, riding along in his blind-spots, his voice in Evan’s eardrums.
Open your eyes for me, baby. Where does it hurt?
Evan shivers. Then blanches. Because, wait, no.
Eddie never said—
work in progress wednesday | TBS&TDH: Half Gone Ch4 Update
Feb. 11th, 2026 07:42 amcypresssunnTitle: Half Gone
Fandom: The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself
Rating: Explicit
Chapter: 4
Words: 17 k
Annalise is lounging on the outdoor settee with a tawdry paperback when they slog back up to the villa. She wiggles an eyebrow at their obvious dishevelment; both of are them damp, clothes unkempt from having redressed in a hurry, only managing to rinse the worst of the blood off with seawater. Gabriel’s half carrying Nathan up the stairs to the front door all the while managing to keep one hand firm to his ass. A fact Annalise very much notices.
“You two took your time.”
“We did, didn’t we? Particularly lovely sunset.”
“Hm. I’ll bet.” Snapping her book shut, Annalise flickers off a grin to Nathan, asking brightly: “Get anything out of him?
.
SS Waratah: The Titanic That Disappeared
Feb. 11th, 2026 11:18 amdannye_chase
Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.
Today: SS Waratah: The Titanic That Disappeared
Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today we’re on another sea voyage, and around here, those never end well. But let’s head out!
On July 26, 1909, the steamship SS Waratah left Durban, South Africa, on 3-day a voyage to Cape Town. She’d begun the trip in Australia, and from South Africa, she was headed back to Europe, with 211 people on board. She was a grand ship, expected to spend many years making the crossing between Australia and Europe in lavish style, just like the Titanic on its Europe-to-America route.
Both ships would suffer awful fates. It’s just that in the case of the Waratah, we don’t know exactly what went wrong. The ship known today as Australia’s Titanic went down with no witnesses, and no one left alive to tell the tale.
There are two big clues to the Waratah’s fate. #1 is that the ship was widely reported to be “unstable.” That meant when the Waratah rolled from side to side with the motion of the sea, she took a long time to come back upright. This might have been a design issue, possibly even done on purpose to keep a gentle roll for passenger comfort. Or it could have been the fact that the Waratah took both passengers and cargo on different trips, which made loading (and thus stability) complicated. The Waratah was less than two years old, which meant it was up to the latest safety standards, but largely untested on the open sea.
Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:
Call out the spirits. 211 people lost their lives on the Waratah, leaving countless friends and family members behind. You could write a dramatic treatment of bereavement, focusing on a relentless search for answers by those left behind. If you want to get speculative, you can throw in a psychic connection between parted lovers that never quite faded, or an attempt to make contact with the lost passengers via seance. Just the way Arthur Conan Doyle did in real life. No, really.
DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers
Image Credit
Book review: The Squire and His Prince by Briar Niran
Feb. 10th, 2026 11:36 amdannye_chase
Book review!
The Squire and His Prince by Briar Niran (M/M Romantasy)
Prequel to The Sun King and his Knight quartet
“You did not yield,” Richard said, standing far too close. “And I know that you would not have.”
The pining in this prequel is absolutely delicious. 18-year-old squire Kaelen’s childhood crush on the prince he’s sworn to serve has developed into love. But Prince Richard is next in line for the crown, and his parents are pressuring him to make a political marriage. The problem is, the prince experiences no romantic or sexual desire.
Kaelen seems to be one of the few who has realized this, and he genuinely wants his prince to be treated with the respect he deserves. In fact, Kaelen will go to extraordinary lengths to be the best squire he can be. I’m very much looking forward to the next book!
Check out The Squire and His Prince for magic, royalty, adorable siblings, fast friendships, high stakes, drama, intrigue, so much pining, and amazing ace rep.
DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers
Resist and Unsubscribe
Feb. 8th, 2026 01:40 pmbemused_writerI removed comments from this post just because I don't want to get into too much conversation on politics or what does and doesn't work. I'm more about keeping it light on the Internet, but I think it's fair to say things are not going great, and there's no way to completely avoid talking about the reality we're in, so I figured I'd share this as an option.
Resist and Unsubscribe Web Site
( Video under the cut... )
It's February???
Feb. 8th, 2026 02:24 pmnonesensedOne thing I'm getting to today is going through what books I read last year.
In 2025 I read 90 books, which I'm fairly pleased with. Sadly had to give up on the Book Bingo I was doing because I didn't have the brainpower to think through my book choices - but there's always next/this year 😊
If you're curious about what those 90 books were, here's a link to a summary on Storygraph.
( Some thoughts and comments )
Those were my book thoughts from last year! And I've already got started on my reading for this year 😁
Any books/comics/manga people are really looking forward to read?
got through the weekend
Feb. 8th, 2026 07:51 pmtielanUGH.
I mean, it was only twice. But both times it was about stuff that my uncle was trying to get rid of. First his wife called me (after he called my phone and couldn't get through, she called B1's phone, and B1 WOKE ME UP to give me the phone). And then mum called me WHILE I WAS TRYING TO SLEEP IN ON SUNDAY MORNING.
IDK. I try to sleep, it never manages to be enough lately. Like I'm functional, just tired. Also, headaches a lot. And my temporomandibular joint has been giving me trouble. It feels fine most of them time, but biting down on things is a bit dodgy.
Tomorrow, I'm going to watch the superbowl with some guys from church. It's annual, and just one of those Things That I Do. Three of the four friends who usually come along and watch have checked in with me to see if I'm coming. And as for the fourth friend, I'll just say "curiosity is not his love language".
Oof, I might go lie down and do some reading until I fall asleep.
I did write about 1200 words today, though. That was good.
Check-in Week 6 (Feb 1st - Feb 7th)
Feb. 7th, 2026 06:41 pmathaiaGod I hate this shit.
I still wrote my two scenes per day over the weekend and on Wednesday, which means I'm now at scene 20 of 36 (I always outline in scenes), and that means I'm already planning for the next story. The original idea was to set this one on a steamboat, but research opened up fascinating new rabbit holes: apparently, the Romans had oxen-powered paddle wheelers! That's the perfect clockpunk tech for my story world, but of course in my story, the cranks will be turned by humans (that's also not without historic precedent: Blasco de Garay invented a paddle wheeler powered by humans, the carrack Trinidad, for Charles I of Spain, and from what I could find on Wikipedia, the tests were successful - the whole project just never got off the ground because of political scheming against him). He also invented a diving apparatus (that apparently worked), and a desalinator, among other things. I wish I could find more material about him, but the web is frustratingly devoid of that, save for a single book on scribd that's written in spanish (and my subscription has run out anyway). I'd also love to have some construction drawings (can't have things go wrong in your story if you don't know how they're supposed to work in the first place), but again, nothing. Well, I have this picture:
I know chances are low, but if anyone does have material on this topic (like a construction drawing of the Trinidad) and would share, that would be so cool!
watch Bridgerton with me?
Feb. 6th, 2026 11:55 amtielanI want to watch it, I just need to schedule time to watch it, and have someone else metaphorically "on hand" to keep me from rushing off and doing something else.
Yes, we would have to do some tricksy scheduling to manage it if you're in the (usual) locations of Europe/the US. I'm happy to try to work something out.