littledust | Recent Entries

1. I find it funny-sad that I still compose my thoughts like a ~~LiveJournal~~ Dreamwidth entry, but I never get around to actually posting them. My mind goes super blank at the sight of a blinking cursor and it's a bummer.

2. Like the rest of the Internet, I have seen K-Pop Demon Hunters and the soundtrack has been on repeat ever since.

3. I do need to booklog a recent reading experience, which went from "hmm, this YA book could explore its themes better if it were written for adults" to "if this YA book had been id-tastic, balls to the wall, OT3 incest-y space fantasy for adults, I could have ignored the numerous plot holes in favor of Vibes."

4. Keeping up with a mature fruit tree is a part-time job! Thank goodness everyone in my family likes peaches. Fun fact: applesauce muffins made with peach sauce = delicious.

5. I have been doing a bad job at going to bed at actual teacher bedtime, so I should... do that.

Current Mood: sleepy

Ah, I see I never updated for the entire month of February. Although I am aware that babies do not care about one's modest ambitions, I keep relearning the lesson. Shortly after I got through half of my physical TBR pile, my brain went from "hooray, new things!" to "no, only popcorn urban fantasy rereads" and then further to "no, only Naruto fanfiction rereads, even though I never got more than a few chapters beyond the timeskip." Thanks to pressing library due dates, I am back to reading new-to-me books, but who knows how long it will last? *hands*

1. Baby: J continues to live his best life, with lots of smiling, cuddling, and blowing spit bubbles. He treated us to TWO random full nights of sleep this week. He also spent a day doing almost nothing but nursing and sleeping, which meant I did almost nothing but nursing and reading. Surprisingly draining in multiple senses of the word. B's parental leave comes to an end next week. In a way, I'll enjoy the greater freedom to structure my days, but we had a nice "extended breakfast, solo shift, solo shift, family time, bedtime" schedule going. We've also been going to the weekly baby storytime at our local library. J loves it even though he's not interacting very much yet, beyond staring at ALL THE PEOPLE. *G*

2. Reading: I finished reading Wellness by Nathan Hill, which really deserves its own post. On the popcorn urban fantasy side, I started rereading the October Daye series. I hear and understand the criticism of the series, especially "some books are just filler," but a changeling P.I. who ends up dating the King of Cats scratches a very particular itch. *G* I should also do a roundup of Kakashi/Iruka fanfics I enjoy. It's a pairing with little canon basis that nevertheless has several things that appeal to me: hyper-competent adults, respect for teaching as a profession, hand-to-hand combat, and adopting an orphan or two. (I don't think pairings with canon basis are superior, only that I tend to ship characters who have lots of intriguing canon interactions.)

3. Cooking: I've been in a rut! Last night, I realized too late that the chicken had not defrosted, so I was forced to make black bean soup and cornbread instead. I also could not resist buying blood oranges (so pretty!), so a citrus loaf cake is on the horizon. I'm also dreaming of some kind of big winter salad. Roasted sweet potatoes ought to be involved, along with some kind of crunchy element. We just did a big grocery delivery, but I could pick up a few things and take J on his first trip to the grocery store...

4. Writing: I've been writing with much greater consistency, hooray! It's all free writing, written on my phone at the end of the day, with the goal of hitting 250 words. Very doable, but it means I haven't touched anything longform. No fic WIPs, no longer DW post drafts, nada. *sigh* I like writing these intermittent updates on DW, but I feel like the quality of my writing has deteriorated. (Not a plea for reassurance, more reflecting on how much less time I have to edit, as well as the light, glossy nature of these updates. Gotta up my wittiness game, or at least stop using "also" as a segue 2-3 times in one paragraph.)

5. Watching: B and I are current on Fantasy High, and slowly working our way through The Unsleeping City Chapter II. The creativity and fun make me really miss playing in my D&D home game. (Why don't I have a Dimension 20 tag? I should rectify this.) When I am solo nap trapped under a baby, I turn on Gilmore Girls. I never watched it in its heyday, so it's all new to me. I enjoy a light, low-stakes drama about women! I could do with so much less of the teenage love triangle, but that's sort of the price of admission for a network show.

Current Mood: good
Current Music: Hadestown NYTW, "His Kiss the Riot"

How about that, for once I'm updating about my reading on a Wednesday! My current project is to go through my physical TBR pile and sort into keep/donate. This project is slightly more perilous than I originally envisioned, since I read while nursing J and I worry about dropping hardcovers on his wee head. (I have not actually dropped a book on my child, don't worry.) I am not done yet, but here are the results thus far!

1) Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger. Travis and Craig fall in love in high school, then drift apart. Twenty years later, Travis, an incurable romantic, realizes that Craig is the great love of his life. He just doesn't know how to get in touch with him. Or that Craig has a long-term partner. A light-hearted contemporary M/M romance told via letters, journal entries, answers to bonus questions on quizzes, court transcripts, and other miscellany. This novel somehow pulls off some romance tropes I hate, like "every secondary and tertiary character is invested in The Romance" and "let's aggressively pair off every single adult." Something about the humor and the leads' great love of musicals make my brain relax and go, "Okay, heightened reality rules are at play here." Kudos to the novel for making The Other Man a great guy, and his relationship with Craig strained because of understandable differences. I genuinely did not know how the romantic storyline was going to resolve. One caveat: there are some lines that have not aged well since 2004.

Verdict: Keep. I can see myself packing it for a nice beach reread, or lending it to someone else. Helps that it's a paperback and doesn't take up much space. Would consider buying as an ebook if I need more bookshelf space, though.

2) Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. Jam is a teenage girl growing up in a post-revolution utopia. One generation ago, "angels" (revolutionaries) fought and eradicated all the "monsters" (corrupt cops, rapists, etc.) as well as the systems that propped them up. When Jam accidentally brings one of her mother's paintings to life, she discovers that there's a monster loose in her hometown. The writing is lyrical, and I love that Jam is a Black trans girl, but her narrative is about catching the monster. The identity of the "monster" is easy to guess, and the whole angel/monster metaphor is massively oversimplified. That said, I am not the intended audience of a YA book! That ALSO being said, I feel very hmm about the single line that mentions eliminating all religion as part of what makes the utopia a utopia. Hmm! ( Also, an excellent point I read in a review on the type of plot twist this book employs. Cut for spoilers, even though it's pretty easy to figure out. )

Verdict: Discard. I'm not the intended audience for this book, and too much of it is too oversimplified for me. I would rather it go to my local library, where it has a better chance of finding its reader(s).

3) Provenance by Ann Leckie. A standalone novel set in the Imperial Radch universe! Ingray is the adopted child of a politician. Her brother is the favorite to inherit the family name, so naturally her solution is to spring a criminal out of prison and recruit them to steal back the priceless artifact they originally stole. Despite Ingray's intentions at the beginning, this novel is not a heist! There is a murder, but the novel is much more interested in asking questions about incarceration, heritage, and cultural artifacts than whodunnit! The cultural artifacts, murder, and Ingray all end up at the center of an escalating interstellar conflict, so there are some exciting hostage scenes as well. I liked this book well enough, but I think it tried to do far too much and subsequently didn't do any of its big ideas full justice. Also, the premise of SPACE HEIST is too tantalizing to abandon in a satisfactory way! ( One other minor, spoilery disappointment. )

Verdict: Discard. I liked the experience of reading the book well enough, but I'm overall lukewarm on it. (Also, having it in hardcover means it takes up a lot of space on my bookshelf.) If I ever want to reread it, I don't have any big concerns about being able to find Ann Leckie books in ebook format.

...I also totally broke the rules and read two library holds when they came in, but I have run out of time for this entry!

Current Mood: accomplished

This is me, attempting to get over my hatred of writing on my phone in order to write any words at all. I’m always impressed by people who can. I’m not particularly precious about my writing environment, but I like a good flow state as much as any writer, and it’s harder to achieve with app notifications and whatnot. Not to mention a child who could wake up from a nap at any moment. 😅 With my current lifestyle, though, I am rarely at my computer, whereas I almost always have my phone.

Various and sundry:
* I didn’t manage anything for

fandomtrees, but I refuse to let the list of ficlet ideas I jotted down go to waste. (Writing a DW entry on my phone is going to be my bridge to writing fiction on my phone. I am determined!)
* So glad that my baby-wearing coat extender came. I attached it to my good winter coat yesterday. Baby J and I were nice and toasty on our walk! Once again I learn that fresh air is important to my mental health, even if it’s cold fresh air.
* AO3 user sylviamorris created GORGEOUS art based on The Needle and the Nail! I am still absolutely bowled over by how perfect it is, and what a nice response I got from the creator. Fandom!! 🥹

Current Mood: determined

Currently stuck in "everything I want to write feels Too Long and therefore I will write nothing" procrastination mode. Updating DW it is!

Reading: I am determined to make a dent in my physical TBR pile, if only to decide which books to keep and which to donate. So far I've got one in each category. I will have to make a separate post for booklogging! I'm finishing a surprising amount of reading material, considering that I'm also caring full time for a newborn.

Watching: B and I finished Dimension 20's Unsleeping City S1 last night. Every single character is my favorite. Where else but New York City can a rat man, a nurse/Chosen One, a himbo firefighter, a monk hairdresser, a drug dealer/Other Chosen One, and a fey bard join forces to fight capitalism? Also, there's Santa Claus. Also also, the cast 100% does not understand the rules of Hex and Bless in D&D 5E, but they get better in later seasons I've watched! ( Spoilers for the final battle. )

Baking: Nothing today, alas, but I am determined to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies before the week is out. Oats help with lactation, and cookies are delicious. Challenging to do time sensitive things like baking around baby J's feeding schedule, though. (Also, *throws down gauntlet* RAISINS, not in MY oatmeal cookies!)

Writing: I jotted down some ideas for little

fandomtrees treats! Brain and baby willing, I might get some of them down before deadline. My writing time used to be during what has shifted to my bedtime, and it is HARD to make the adjustment.

Baby: Still adorable, and growing at a rapid clip. We have been gifted plenty of clothes in the next size up, but I've been dithering over which baby sleep sacks to buy. (Blankets are a no-no for safe sleep.) Our bedroom is, of course, the draftiest room in the house. A wool sleep sack would be pricey, but it would be warm and supposedly fit him for two years... Maybe I can find some used ones on eBay or something.

Current Mood: mellow

Thank you for the congratulatory comments on my last post! ♥ I enjoyed reading them, although I'm still getting the hang of replying to comments again.

i. Baby: Baby J is thriving! He sleeps amazingly well at night for a newborn--up to eat once, and then sound asleep after he's had his fill. We have entered what baby development guides claim is peak newborn fussiness. In J, that looks like "I would prefer to be held for most of my daytime naps, thank you." B and I are happy to oblige, especially at such a dark, chilly time of year. J is also just starting to explore social smiling, which is SO CUTE. In my unbiased opinion.

ii. Holidays: We've had so much rescheduling thanks to cold and flu season! I wish our families had reversed the order of celebrations (come see us, then attend larger family gatherings with the inevitable exposures), but ah well. We have certainly enjoyed the food our relatives have brought, regardless of when it actually happened! Also, there was no way we would have finished decorating the Christmas tree without the additional time granted by rescheduling. We don't do much decor, but twinkly lights sure help with the darkest time of year.

iii. Writing: It's tricky to work out a schedule around a newborn and the holidays, but I've finally realized that I should do quiet hobbies while B has a solo baby shift, instead of doing chores or going for walks. (J loves to sleep in the baby wrap, so it's better for both of us if I baby-wear him on a walk.) I'm hoping that browsing

fandomtrees sparks some inspiration for Untamed ficlets. Not signing up for Yuletide was the right choice, but I'd love to write a little something.

iv. Watching: Even though I have yet to finish A Starstruck Odyssey, I started the first season of The Unsleeping City as seasonally appropriate entertainment. I'm only one episode in, but I love everyone's characters. Bless this era of nerdy streaming D&D games. Speaking of nerdery, the other thing I managed to do was finish a watch of the Lord of the Rings trilogy extended editions. They remain the epic fantasy movies of my heart! Most of my livetweets were quotes and crying emojis.

Current Mood: busy

[blows dust off journal] Hello! I’ve been scarce around these parts because I am now the mother of a one-month-old! I meant to post a birth announcement after we got home from the hospital, and then, er, it was a month later. 😅 Such is the parenting life! I do want to write things up in much more detail, but that keeps delaying and delaying me posting at all. Everyone is healthy, fed, and reasonably clean, which is all one can really ask for from life with a newborn. Said newborn is VERY cute, and already breaking my heart by outgrowing his cute little bunny swaddle. Speaking of the blessed child, it is time for his bedtime meal and bath.

I hope all of you are doing as well as possible. ❤️

Current Mood: loved

Satisfying my conflicting desires to write vs. go to bed by writing a quick DW update!

1) As one can surmise from the previous sentence, I am so very sleepy by about 6 PM every day. Still feeling pretty darn good for someone nearing the end of third trimester pregnancy, but the exhaustion is real. I also have slightly stiff hands by the end of the day, which is good encouragement to put my phone down and pick up a book.

2) After wrestling with pharmacy websites, I have achieved both a flu shot and a COVID booster shot! I could not tell if I had any side effects, because pregnancy fatigue. Did NOT spike a fever, though, which I appreciated.

3) Crawling along with a fic WIP by adding between 150-200 words most days of the week. This is the part of getting back into writing that I like least, where every word is an effort and it's so difficult to get into a flow state. Alas, it is a phase I must muscle through before writing becomes fun again.

4) I am slowly reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. (Slowly because I keep falling asleep after 5-10 pages.) I always enjoy finding out the science behind various cooking techniques. I can't promise that my "it's a weeknight and I am tired" lazy cooking ways will improve much, though. *G* It's hard to change one's habits, even with brand new knowledge!

5) I think I'm channeling my nesting urges into making the most perfect long-term substitute resources ever. Yesterday I labeled all of my classroom cabinets; today I started a social story. My students will be just fine in the hands of a good sub, but we are fond of each other! I left a blank page for the sub to glue in a picture of the baby, which is going to THRILL them when the time comes.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: Chappell Roan, "Kaleidoscope"

1. I live! Our baby shower was last weekend, and it was a blast. Everyone ate well (the most important part of any event). My mom went above and beyond with decorations, as I knew she would. The gifts were lovely! We also have some hilarious onesies and bibs to put our child in, thanks to our decoration station. *G* Every bit of work the shower took was completely worth it! Just don't ask me to manage apartment deleading, moving classrooms, starting the school year, and planning half of a big party EVER again. 😂

2. That said! There is so much less STUFF in our apartment, since the need to pack up our things forced a big decluttering. I will never be a minimalist, but it's quite soothing to look around and see better organization of fewer things. It's encouraging me to be more thoughtful about how I place the tchotchkes and 9,000 scented candles that are still in storage.

3. I have a Bluesky account now! I am also littledust there! It feels weird to have an unlocked panfandom social media account again. That's not, ya know, DW.

4. Yesterday I had a writing date with

genarti and

skygiants! I haven't truly worked on a WIP since April, although I finished two exchange fics this summer. All it took was enforced writing time and accepting the reality of future revisions. Anyway, I have added 757 words to "modern AU Jiang Cheng attempts to win over the Wens' cat," which really does not need to be as long as it is, except it turned into a character study as well as a Chengqing get-together. Whoops.

5. In general, I try not to do work at home, but I am making an exception this weekend for the sake of my Monday morning sanity. (I've had to prioritize organizing the new classroom while at work, for obvious reasons. Also because it seems cruel to my future maternity sub to leave them an outwardly organized classroom and a series of hidden junk drawers/shelves...)

Current Mood: productive

1. Been quiet on the old Internet because it turns out that almost all of our apartment has lead paint in it! Preparing for deleading is a lot like moving, in that everything must be all packed up. Unlike moving, we merely have to pile everything we own into the center of each room. I wanted to do some massive decluttering before the baby came. Having to do it all at once is, er, a lot. My feet hurt so much. But once the deleading is done and all our furnishings back in place, various spaces will be SO much less cluttered and SO much more organized. Also, no lead poisoning!

2. I have seen recent media! First up: the Barbie movie. Great visuals, great aesthetic, great soundtrack, a fun summer popcorn flick. I did not expect any extraordinary feminist insights and was thus able to enjoy the movie for what it was.

3. I have also witnessed Good Omens S2! ( Spoiler cut for this one. )

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Dua Lipa, "Dance the Night"

1. I have the familiar restless/bored feeling that means I am ready to jump start my writing brain! Unfortunately, the urge has not come with a specific project. Well, other than my Rare Pair Exchange fic, which I really need to take from draft to final form.

2. I'm sure the "hey, I should write something" feeling also comes from one of my summer classes wrapping next week. I still owe fully half of the short assignments, but soon I will not have to sit on Zoom for five hours a week! (This class has a ton of valuable learning, but unfortunately, I already know about 70% of the material thanks to other trainings. I... should not be tuning out as much as I am.)

3. Despite my jumpy attention span, I have managed to finalize our baby shower venue and order invitations! The drawback of "family willing to help but does not live close by" is that it is much easier for me to handle a lot of the logistics myself. Also, the women in my family do not delegate well, lol. (See: My sister planning her own baby shower.) I have made a list of Tasks Others Can Do For Me, plus B did 90% of the registry. So really, I'm killing it.

4. Good Omens S2! I have zero expectations other than "I will see faces I enjoy again." I hope I can direct my creative impulses towards revising the one fic I started right after finishing S1. There was literally one revision note from my beta reader, and I... never addressed it.

5. Basil pesto... is so good. I bought a pound of basil from a local farm and made a few jars. Still have plenty of pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese, so perhaps another pound of basil is in my future. It makes such a good gift! (Not that many jars make it out of my house.)

Current Mood: restless

1. Got back from the beach in the middle of last week, sleepy and content and thankfully not at all sunburned. I then spent a lot of time grumbling about some fool who signed up for two summer classes, AKA me. One course is entirely self-paced, but per the deadlines I set for myself, I spent Thursday-Saturday catching up.

2. I have utterly failed to promote it in any way, so here! For the MXTX Exchange 2023, I wrote The Vines That Bind, a short(ish) 'n' smutty Liu Mingyan/Sha Hualing fic featuring the "handcuffed together" trope remixed as some kind of magical vine curse. Long live SVSSS and its narratively convenient plants!

3. Now, of course, it is time to work on Rarepairs and I am so dang distracted all the time. In my defense, I am trying to learn things, prepare for childbirth, and keep some houseplants alive. (Outdoor veggies and herbs continue to thrive! One tomato plant is a problem child who is not fruiting, but it IS still growing.)

4. I must make one of the recipes I have open in my browser, since I am swimming in Too Many Tabs. I'm thinking summer pea salad with unexpected dressing, since I need vegetables for my lunches and the spouse is not a huge fan of peas.

5. In my quest to watch the whole Dimension 20 catalogue, I have started A Starstruck Odyssey! The combination of ridiculous characters and dystopian capitalist hellscape (covered in fun retro print) is so, so funny. Murph and Emily are one of my favorite quasi-celebrity couples of all time, and the way their two characters play off each other makes me nearly pee myself laughing. (Admittedly not as difficult to achieve with a growing baby hanging around the vicinity of my bladder.)

Current Mood: busy

I enjoy that I listed off some topics I'd like to post about in my last post, only to write this one about... none of them. *G* (In my defense, I am 2/3s through another Dimension 20 season, so I will hold off on that topic until I'm done!) But anyway, I realized that I have just two days left on the OG 31 Days of the Untamed meme!

30. Talk about another aspect of your The Untamed fannishness not covered yet: I discussed this a bit on Day 16, but: I just love the sheer variety of AUs in this fandom. There are so many points of divergence for a canon divergent AU: Wei Wuxian's parents survive, various orphaned characters get adopted by another sect, No Golden Core Transfer AUs, Jin Guangshan dies before things get real bad AUs, Wen Qing lives AUs (otherwise known as canon)... I also LOVE me an arranged marriage AU. And that's just for canonverse! I tend to be pickier about how writers map canon dynamics onto other types of AU (e.g. modern AUs with no cultivation sects), but the sheer amount of talent in this fandom means that I've read plenty that work for me. Rolling around in the what-ifs is really fun! The creativity and variety of thought around the same canon is delightful! It's also a good touchstone for the fun in fandom, especially if fandom happens to be wanky that particular week.

31. Prompt for a fanwork: Given the talk of AUs above, my brain just went, "An unconventional arranged marriage AU!" Let's say that Jin Guangshan decides to secure an alliance with Qishan Wen through marriage, so he takes in Jin Guangyao earlier to have a bargaining chip. Now Wen Qing and Jin Guangyao are betrothed! I don't ship them, but they're both clever, and Jin Guangyao has the ability to solve Wen Qing's evil uncle problem for her. If Wen Qing and Jin Guangyao had any kind of alliance while living in Qishan, I can also see Jin Guangyao securing some kind of safety for her and for Wen Ning. If the Dafan Wen still end up in the camps, Wen Qing will definitely find a way to rid Jin Guangyao of his evil father problem... (And yes, if I'm writing this idea, it WILL somehow end in all my ships. *G*)

( The rest of the days! )

Current Mood: hot

1. The school year is over! Only it doesn't feel like it, since I'm one of the facilitators for a week-long PD that starts tomorrow. Given that I have to be at my place of employment anyway, I am also taking my time doing a deep clean and reorganization of my classroom. I had two shame drawers, thanks to the first two years of the pandemic.

2. Slowly, slowly drafting my MXTX Exchange fic with my eye on the looming deadline. Given the proximity of the due date, I might scrap my original idea and go with a simpler one. I haven't written a proper story since posting the final parts of The Needle and the Nail in April. The end of the school year is perhaps not an ideal time to tackle new-to-me characters in a plotty fic.

3. Just starting to put together baby shower plans, ahh! The first trimester crawled by, but the first month of my second trimester slipped away like nothing. My challenge will be to delegate some of the shower planning. *G*

4. Tori has been playing a ton of songs from Scarlet's Walk on this leg of her tour, so now I have the album on repeat. "Taxi Ride" hits differently in front of a 2023 audience in Florida. 🥲 Gosh, I love that album.

5. I've been super quiet around here lately, thanks to life stuff. Longform post ideas I've been kicking around in my head: finally writing up my thoughts on finishing The Needle and the Nail; an account of my first trimester of pregnancy, for my own memories if nothing else; the sheer number of Dimension 20 shows I've been watching; and my Scum Villain reread.

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: Tori Amos, "Taxi Ride"

Dear Rarepairs Exchange Creator,

Hello and thank you for creating something for me! My apologies for not having this quite done by assignments going out. I'm

littledust on AO3 and

littledust on my 99% queue Tumblr. I have a CQL-specific Twitter over at

part2thecql. (Also, I do RT some Scum Villain things now that I've finished the novel!) I am a graduate of the Yuletide Optional Details Are Optional Academy, so please do have fun with my requests. I included prompts in case you needed a jumping off point, but if you have another idea in mind, GO FOR IT. My own fic is a good indicator of what I like to read. I RT plenty of fanart over on Twitter, too!

Treats are totally welcome! If I happen to be requesting a pairing/prompt you've always wanted to write, I would be delighted to read what you create!

A note about my CQL and SVSSS requests: I had a big internal debate with myself over requesting the same pairings for this exchange as well as MXTX Exchange. Then I thought about how much I LOVE these pairings and would happily read a million fics about them. Including fics with the same tropes! I want to read about these characters in situations! Please, please do not stress if you were assigned one of these pairings. ❤️

( General likes and dislikes! )

( The requests! CQL, SVSSS, The Locked Tomb, Arcane (2021 Cartoon) )

Current Mood: excited

As usual, five things make a post:

1) They were not kidding about second trimester vs. first trimester energy levels. Yesterday was a much-needed day of (mostly) slothing, but today I caught up on a litany chores I've been neglecting for a month, watered all my plants, and meal prepped breakfast, lunch, AND dinner for 4/5s of the week. Present me is tired. Future me is grateful, because I have some kind of appointment or obligation every day after work this week. I, local genius, even booked myself two different appointments on Monday. *sigh*

2) My creative energy is still coming back online, but that's all right. I transferred the outline for my MXTX Exchange fic to GDocs today! My assignment delights me, even if I fell prey to the dread "everything in the house MUST be clean before I could POSSIBLY put fingers to keyboard" today. 😅 I'm also thinking of signing up for Rarepair Exchange, provided I can think of enough fandoms + rarepairs to request. The time frame is so compatible with school break!

3) The spouse and I are determined to catch up with Succession before the series finale airs. I look forward to modern day King Lear's inevitable happy ending. *coughs* Ofc it's not a King Lear adaptation, it's its own thing, but I would cheerfully read the inevitable grad student essay drawing parallels between the play and the show.

4) I'm trying out a little balcony vegetable garden for the first time! I fully assume that these plants' days are numbered, but I have: tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and kale! Maybe I will get to eat something that I grew myself, aside from the little indoor mint plant I have. (Bless mint's survivability. All the other herbs I bought at the time did NOT make it.)

5) Oh, the other "uptick in energy" development: I've been using my prenatal yoga app, Downward Dog, with actual consistency! I like all the customization options, and that it makes a different workout for me every time. I can't vouch for its beginner friendliness, since I have it set on Intermediate, but it's a nice little app. A gentle way to get back into regular exercise for sure. (Although I should give myself credit, given that my work commute involves biking up hills every day.)

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: First Aid Kit, "My Silver Lining"

Dear MXTX Creator,

Hello and thank you for creating something for me! I'm

littledust on AO3 and

littledust on my 99% queue Tumblr. I have a CQL-specific Twitter over at

Current Mood: excited

Hello, DW! I am on vacation this week! I intend to spend it revising fic, beta reading fic, doing more cooking/baking than usual, and taking care of some minor household projects. (Like, er, putting away the Christmas decorations. Listen, January is still a VERY dark month and I like lights.)

Today, however, I did none of those things! I blasted through the last two volumes of the licensed translation of Scum Villain/s Self-Saving System. It is the first MXTX novel I have read all the way through, since I bounced off both the fan translation of MDZS and the licensed translation. Overall, I enjoyed SVSSS! I'm always going to enjoy a sarcastic, genre-savvy unreliable narrator. (So unreliable! I loved that SQQ went on and on about Binghe's good looks with zero self awareness. *G*) The translation did a great job working in some Internet-speak. Shen Qingqiu becoming a beloved teacher whose disciples all adore him is exactly my kind of jam. And, as anyone who has read it knows, SVSSS is gleefully, wonderfully weird. Sure, just grow a replacement plant body!!

The side characters were also super fun, so they can have their own paragraph! Liu Mingyan: impeccable warrior, author of jianghu slash RPF was a delight. I totally ship her with Sha Hualing, because otherwise what is the point of their sexy Volume One duel? Predictably, I loved Liu Qingge in all his grouchy glory. (Two IRL LOL moments: SQQ wryly observing that LQQ's usual way of entering a room involves kicking the door open, and LQQ valiantly suppressing the succubi sex perfume.) I enjoyed the Airplane extras, although I could have done with fewer beatings... but you know, SQH and Mobei-Jun, YKINMKATO.

( The two elements that didn't work for me were, unfortunately, more prevalent in the latter two volumes. )

I should do at least one or two of the things on my to do list, but feel free to throw SVSSS fic recs at me! (Including self-recs!)

Current Mood: cheerful

Still in recovery from holiday burnout + head cold mode, but getting better! Writing brain hasn't really come back online, but I AM excited about this new D&D character I've rolled. Hence this post!

( Cut for the uninterested, or on the very unlikely chance that my party members read DW and are at risk for spoilers. )

Anyway, I'm so excited to play this character that my creative brain is essentially stuck in waiting mode. I would really like to write some

fandomtrees fills tomorrow, though. Not to mention my 2022 in review... Maybe now that this post is out of my system!

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Sara Bareilles, "City"

1. I had a whirlwind, but lovely, Christmas with family. I am still in recovery mode because I got a head cold RIGHT in the middle of Christmas baking. It was the kind of mild cold that can be slept off after a day of doing nothing, but that was not an option. Multiple cookie tins were filled, gifts were wrapped, and orange cranberry rolls were baked! I was no longer contagious when it was time to travel, so things more or less worked out.

2. Yuletide! Due to aforementioned head cold, I have only one story in the archive this year. It's in a fandom I've never written before. You are welcome to guess which one is mine! I will write you a ficlet of your choice if you do.

3. I got TWO lovely gifts for Yuletide this year! on the eve is an Exandria Unlimited: Calamity fic about Maya and her last night in Avalir. Starts off as an ordinary teenage girl's night, ends in apocalypse. 😭 Give Them Something They Can Carry is 23k of post-Daevabad trilogy centered on Muntadhir, Jamshid, and their rebuilding efforts. It is a lovely look at post-canon and I need to reread the trilogy immediately. [shoves TBR stack to the side]

4. Discord is still mostly not my thing, but joining a low-key cooking server has done wonders for getting me out of a "protein in the Instant Pot + a green side salad" rut. Last night I made chicken noodle soup; tonight I made a kung pao chicken stir-fry. Nothing fancy, but tasty and different.

5. I am trying to give my brain a gentle nudge back into writing mode after baking (and polishing my Yuletide story) through a head cold. Even if this week ends up mostly a wash, I signed up for a 240-day habit pledge at

getyourwordsout and a 75,000-word pledge at

inkingitout. My writing goals and intentions for 2023 probably deserve their own post, though.

Current Mood: tired

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a little dust never stopped me none

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