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io9_feedChina whacked Trump on the head with rare earth mineral restrictions during the trade war. He's finally buying a hard hat.
io9_feed
books read; fics written
Feb. 3rd, 2026 01:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenluai have been so miserably sick for nearly two weeks now. woe is me!
***
during that time, in varying states of lucidity i have finished reading:
* The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (good)
* Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (terrible)
* Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant trans. Douglas Parmée (LMAO???)
if you would like further commentary on any of the above, lmk and i will pontificate accordingly~
***
in varying states of lucidity i have also been dashing off fills for the three sentence ficathon. mostly variations-on-the-theme-of-Clair-Obscur-incest because empirically that is What The People Want & i aim to please: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six.
***
HOPE ALL Y'ALL ARE COUGHING A LOT LESS THAN I AM; take care; ta for now~
***
during that time, in varying states of lucidity i have finished reading:
* The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (good)
* Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (terrible)
* Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant trans. Douglas Parmée (LMAO???)
if you would like further commentary on any of the above, lmk and i will pontificate accordingly~
***
in varying states of lucidity i have also been dashing off fills for the three sentence ficathon. mostly variations-on-the-theme-of-Clair-Obscur-incest because empirically that is What The People Want & i aim to please: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six.
***
HOPE ALL Y'ALL ARE COUGHING A LOT LESS THAN I AM; take care; ta for now~
Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday
Feb. 3rd, 2026 08:40 amicon_uk posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scans_dailyIn the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.
Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.
The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.
Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.
It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.
The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.
A shout out to all in Minnesota who are doing a spectacular job of peacefully pissing off people in power (That came out more Stan Lee than I expected).
More of the Epstein files were released, and I've lost track of what is being released to distract from what because it seems to be a Möbius strip.
In what I think must be a first, Disney+ dropped all the episodes of their Yahya Abdul-Mateen II led "Wonder Man" series. One might suspect lack of confidence in their product in not even giving it a weekly release.
On the plus side, The Muppet Show special airs this week, and I think we all need something like that right now.
A documentary about the current FLOTUS also arrived to be greeted by reviews which were a gift to the sarcastic (My favourite remains "If they showed this as an in-flight movie, the audience would STILL walk out") and lots of photos of empty cinemas, though it did manage to get bums on seats in the US.
The Grammy's happened but, since my musical awareness rarely extends beyond oompah-bands and/or Himalayan throat-singing I don't feel qualified to comment.
Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.
The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.
Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.
It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.
The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.
A shout out to all in Minnesota who are doing a spectacular job of peacefully pissing off people in power (That came out more Stan Lee than I expected).
More of the Epstein files were released, and I've lost track of what is being released to distract from what because it seems to be a Möbius strip.
In what I think must be a first, Disney+ dropped all the episodes of their Yahya Abdul-Mateen II led "Wonder Man" series. One might suspect lack of confidence in their product in not even giving it a weekly release.
On the plus side, The Muppet Show special airs this week, and I think we all need something like that right now.
A documentary about the current FLOTUS also arrived to be greeted by reviews which were a gift to the sarcastic (My favourite remains "If they showed this as an in-flight movie, the audience would STILL walk out") and lots of photos of empty cinemas, though it did manage to get bums on seats in the US.
The Grammy's happened but, since my musical awareness rarely extends beyond oompah-bands and/or Himalayan throat-singing I don't feel qualified to comment.
WTF
Feb. 3rd, 2026 01:08 amsoc_puppetDownright astounding that I managed to forget about basting stitches for nigh on two decades.
On the plus side, now that I've remembered them, patching the worn out inner thighs of my pants is much less of a headache!
On the plus side, now that I've remembered them, patching the worn out inner thighs of my pants is much less of a headache!
SGA: Oblivious by astolat
Feb. 3rd, 2026 06:46 pmmific posting in fancakeFandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Carson Beckett, Aiden Ford
Rating: Explicit
Length: 8100
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: astolat on AO3
Themes: Inept in love, Friends to lovers, First time, Favorite fanworks
Summary: In which Rodney and John fail to pay attention.
Reccer's Notes: For me, this is the ultimate "inept in love" fic. It's clever, very funny, and brilliantly written, as Rodney bounces blithely from assumption to oblivious assumption, with John startled by the sudden sex they're having, but somehow never managing to communicate clearly that Rodney's got it all wrong about them being in a relationship - until it's finally totally clear that they both are. An all-time classic!
Fanwork Links: Oblivious on AO3
And there are TWO excellent podfics!
podfic by cookiemom6067
podfic by jenwryn
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Carson Beckett, Aiden Ford
Rating: Explicit
Length: 8100
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: astolat on AO3
Themes: Inept in love, Friends to lovers, First time, Favorite fanworks
Summary: In which Rodney and John fail to pay attention.
Reccer's Notes: For me, this is the ultimate "inept in love" fic. It's clever, very funny, and brilliantly written, as Rodney bounces blithely from assumption to oblivious assumption, with John startled by the sudden sex they're having, but somehow never managing to communicate clearly that Rodney's got it all wrong about them being in a relationship - until it's finally totally clear that they both are. An all-time classic!
Fanwork Links: Oblivious on AO3
And there are TWO excellent podfics!
podfic by cookiemom6067
podfic by jenwryn
Day 2 - Fic - Transformers - Elita One, Chromia, Firestar
Feb. 2nd, 2026 11:55 pmdustbunny105 posting in halfamoonTitle: Business Before Pleasure
Fandom: Transformers (Sunbow G1)
Character(s): Chromia, Firestar, Elita One
Rating: PG
Summary: Not long after losing the Ark crew, Firestar is keen to steal a few moments of fun. Chromia isn't so sure, especially when they find themselves suddenly under Elita One's scrutiny.
Notes: Also for "Chromia, Firestar and Elita One; business before pleasure" at fembot_prompts on Tumblr.
( Read more... )
Fandom: Transformers (Sunbow G1)
Character(s): Chromia, Firestar, Elita One
Rating: PG
Summary: Not long after losing the Ark crew, Firestar is keen to steal a few moments of fun. Chromia isn't so sure, especially when they find themselves suddenly under Elita One's scrutiny.
Notes: Also for "Chromia, Firestar and Elita One; business before pleasure" at fembot_prompts on Tumblr.
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Feb. 2nd, 2026 09:38 pmloup_noir Reading, because I'm not doing much else except birding.
The two prequels to the Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, disappeared in a day each. Not being a part of the fandom, I'd no idea that there were more in the series until the movie version of Songbirds and Snakes was offered on a flight. The movie was leaden; the book, much better. Sunrise on the Reaping was one of those where I stole time I ought to have been using for outside projects or cleaning my dusty, cluttered house to read. I haven't buried my nose in a book like that for a very long time.
Now I'm looking for my next fiction escape, before I head back into the comfy, funny world of St. Mary's. It's nice to have a long series waiting on my phone/tablet/desktop for whenever I need some down time. Also, I can read the text, unlike most printed books these days. Aging. Sigh.
We made our annual birding trip to the central valley. The forecast claimed there would be a break in the fog. It was wrong. The trip was still fun despite having to peer through fog to see the waterfowl and cranes. Should you ever find yourself anywhere close to Willows on I5 and it's close to dinnertime, head over to Red 88. The food was fantastic, the staff entertaining, and the prices weren't that outrageous.
Now it's back to weeding and trying to wedge plants into wherever I can, as almost all of the many wine barrels I've been using as planters are nearly rotted through.
Watching: Blue Lights S1 and enjoyed this Belfast-based cop show. S2 and S3 require yet another streaming service, so I'm balking.
Finished the Seven Dials on Netflix and, while enjoyable eye candy, found it kinda dumb.
Reading: looking for that next good book, while ignoring the various TBR piles.
Knitting: nothing. After hurting my shoulder in August and then, just after it stopped hurting, tripping and falling again (boat and rough seas to blame for the first; my clumsiness and never looking at where I put my feet for the second), I haven't done much knitting. There's a three-quarter done sock sitting on my needles, the first of a pair.
Photography: yes. Lots of bird photos, some weird textures I like, funny-to-me signs, and experimental post processing.
The two prequels to the Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, disappeared in a day each. Not being a part of the fandom, I'd no idea that there were more in the series until the movie version of Songbirds and Snakes was offered on a flight. The movie was leaden; the book, much better. Sunrise on the Reaping was one of those where I stole time I ought to have been using for outside projects or cleaning my dusty, cluttered house to read. I haven't buried my nose in a book like that for a very long time.
Now I'm looking for my next fiction escape, before I head back into the comfy, funny world of St. Mary's. It's nice to have a long series waiting on my phone/tablet/desktop for whenever I need some down time. Also, I can read the text, unlike most printed books these days. Aging. Sigh.
We made our annual birding trip to the central valley. The forecast claimed there would be a break in the fog. It was wrong. The trip was still fun despite having to peer through fog to see the waterfowl and cranes. Should you ever find yourself anywhere close to Willows on I5 and it's close to dinnertime, head over to Red 88. The food was fantastic, the staff entertaining, and the prices weren't that outrageous.
Now it's back to weeding and trying to wedge plants into wherever I can, as almost all of the many wine barrels I've been using as planters are nearly rotted through.
Watching: Blue Lights S1 and enjoyed this Belfast-based cop show. S2 and S3 require yet another streaming service, so I'm balking.
Finished the Seven Dials on Netflix and, while enjoyable eye candy, found it kinda dumb.
Reading: looking for that next good book, while ignoring the various TBR piles.
Knitting: nothing. After hurting my shoulder in August and then, just after it stopped hurting, tripping and falling again (boat and rough seas to blame for the first; my clumsiness and never looking at where I put my feet for the second), I haven't done much knitting. There's a three-quarter done sock sitting on my needles, the first of a pair.
Photography: yes. Lots of bird photos, some weird textures I like, funny-to-me signs, and experimental post processing.
Welp.
Feb. 3rd, 2026 12:54 amkiyaNot my best way to start a year, honestly, this state of mind.
ETA ... okay random shuffle is being perfect in a lolsob way.
Time is like a bullet from behind
I run for cover just like you
Time is like a liquid in my hands
I swim for dry land just like you
Time is like a blanket on my face
I try to be here just like you
Time is just a fiction of our minds
I will survive and so will you
We are the only ones right now that are celebrating
And we are joining hands right now
We are the only ones right now that are suffocating
We are the dying ones right now
As the water grinds the stone
We rise and fall
As our ashes turn to dust
We shine like stars
Here's the whole thing, and welp.
Official video.
ETA ... okay random shuffle is being perfect in a lolsob way.
Time is like a bullet from behind
I run for cover just like you
Time is like a liquid in my hands
I swim for dry land just like you
Time is like a blanket on my face
I try to be here just like you
Time is just a fiction of our minds
I will survive and so will you
We are the only ones right now that are celebrating
And we are joining hands right now
We are the only ones right now that are suffocating
We are the dying ones right now
As the water grinds the stone
We rise and fall
As our ashes turn to dust
We shine like stars
Here's the whole thing, and welp.
Official video.
Drive by post
Feb. 2nd, 2026 08:15 pmsholioThere's a Biggles February prompt fest, Biggletines, going on over at bigglesevents:
https://bigglesevents.dreamwidth.org/18654.html
Feel free to leave prompts, answer prompts, or both!
bigglesevents:https://bigglesevents.dreamwidth.org/18654.html
Feel free to leave prompts, answer prompts, or both!
SpaceX and xAI Are Merging Into a Very Silly-Sounding Conglomerate. Take It Seriously
Feb. 3rd, 2026 03:20 amio9_feedA social media site, an ISP, the lives of astronauts, and the health of the economy may soon depend on one absurd company.
monday poem #337: Mary O'Malley, "The Lie"
Feb. 2nd, 2026 09:06 pmheresluckThe Lie
The lie that a protester shot dead by ICE
in Minneapolis was a terrorist, the lie
that killers set loose on their own cities
are victims, the lie that a poem is a gun.
A poem is not a gun, though a poem
from the pen of Akhmatova or Neruda
or Mandelstam, not one of whom ever
to my knowledge fired a shot, might
in certain conjugations of the stars
lodge in the heart and spread out
across mountains and borders
across languages and the sea and you
can't shoot it down, or lock it up
or alter its pixels. It is played
on the hollowed reeds of dead bones.
A poem like that is a bomb.
— Mary O'Malley
from The Irish Times, 31 January 2026
The lie that a protester shot dead by ICE
in Minneapolis was a terrorist, the lie
that killers set loose on their own cities
are victims, the lie that a poem is a gun.
A poem is not a gun, though a poem
from the pen of Akhmatova or Neruda
or Mandelstam, not one of whom ever
to my knowledge fired a shot, might
in certain conjugations of the stars
lodge in the heart and spread out
across mountains and borders
across languages and the sea and you
can't shoot it down, or lock it up
or alter its pixels. It is played
on the hollowed reeds of dead bones.
A poem like that is a bomb.
— Mary O'Malley
from The Irish Times, 31 January 2026
posting to clear the earworm
Feb. 2nd, 2026 08:46 pmlannamichaelsI have had this song stuck in my head on and off for days upon days, so here is a post to maybe make it go awayyyyy
-Lovers in a Dangerous Time
(also randomly having johnny are you queer in my head but at least that one can be banished if I try hard enough)
Groundhog Day gift exchange
Feb. 2nd, 2026 09:00 pmredbirdThe Scintillation Discord does an annual Groundhog Day gift exchange, a somewhat arbitrary date that has nothing to do with either weather/climate predictions or time loops (xkcd: https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/groundhog_day_meaning_2x.png). I received two small books, a blank notebook, and some dark chocolate stars, along with a note explaining that the giver wasn't sure what to get me.
The bag of chocolate says "contains: milk, soy" with no further information, so I sent the shop an email asking for more information, and explaining why. The store is in Minneapolis, so I added that I hope they aren't doing too badly under ICE occupation. I have already heard back, with a note saying that the items are made for them, so he can't be sure how much milk or soy they contain, and that they are doing OK during these very troubling times.
The bag of chocolate says "contains: milk, soy" with no further information, so I sent the shop an email asking for more information, and explaining why. The store is in Minneapolis, so I added that I hope they aren't doing too badly under ICE occupation. I have already heard back, with a note saying that the items are made for them, so he can't be sure how much milk or soy they contain, and that they are doing OK during these very troubling times.
Palantir Touts $2 Billion in Revenue from Aiding Trump Administration’s ‘Unusual’ Operations
Feb. 3rd, 2026 01:23 amio9_feedWhether the efforts targeted immigrants or transgender people, Palantir was there to supply the technology in 2025.
Second of the second.
Feb. 2nd, 2026 08:42 pmhannahDinner plans shifted about halfway through cooking: I'd planned to make boxed macaroni and cheese with some vegetables added in, but the vegetables ended up smelling so good, I ditched the cheese. Sauteed onions, garlic, and herbs with rapini and canned tomatoes might've taken well to the cheese sauce, but I'm pleased at how it came out just the same.
My new plan is to make boxed macaroni and cheese with double the cheese sauce at some point in the future, and feel absurdly luxurious for being able to do so.
My new plan is to make boxed macaroni and cheese with double the cheese sauce at some point in the future, and feel absurdly luxurious for being able to do so.
Daily Check-In
Feb. 2nd, 2026 06:00 pmstarwatcher posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, February 2, to midnight on Tuesday, February 3. (8pm Eastern Time).
Poll #34176 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 22
How are you doing?
I am OK.
15 (68.2%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
7 (31.8%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
10 (45.5%)
One other person.
8 (36.4%)
More than one other person.
4 (18.2%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.