donutsweeper

It's really too early for me to feel like doing a full Babylon 5 rewatch yet, so instead I had a possibly cursed idea, which is to watch IMDB's top 10 and bottom 10 rated episodes and report back on them. And in fact I think I am going to do exactly that.*

*Unless I get distracted by something along the way, as often happens.

The best/worst lists are hidden in case you want to preserve the element of surprise.

The 10 best episodes according to IMDB, starting at the top

1. Severed Dreams 3x10
2. War Without End Part 2 3x17 (Since Part 1 is also in the top 10, I'm just going to watch them together, I think)
3. Z'ha'dum 3x22
4. Endgame 4x20
5. Sleeping in Light 5x22
6. The Long, Twilight Struggle 2x20 (By about this point I will probably have died of Drama and Tragedy. RIP me.)
7. Point of No Return 3x09
8. The Coming of Shadows 2x09
9. The Fall of Night 2x22
10. War Without End Part 1 3x16 (will be combined with part 2)
11. No Surrender, No Retreat 4x15

This looks fun! (For Babylon 5 values of fun.)

And as an escape from all of these heavy episodes, apparently I will be watching, in order of worst to ... slightly less worst:

IMDB's lowest rated

1. TKO 1x14
2. Infection 1x04
3. Secrets of the Soul 5x07
4. The Gathering 1x00
5. Grey 17 is Missing 3x19
6. Grail 1x15
7. The Long Dark 2x05
8. Strange Relations 5x06
9. The War Prayer 1x07
10. Survivors 1x11

Genuinely surprised that they're not even all from season one and five! Absolutely unsurprised that most of them are! I do genuinely like some of these, and at least one of them, I skipped most of when I was originally watching season one, so it will be interesting to see what I think of it now.

Not starting this tonight (probably) because I have other things to do, but Soon™.

languagelog_feed

Posted by Victor Mair

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73306&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recent-language-sciences-references

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73306

Because there are so many excellent entries of interest to Language Log readers in various fields, I am including all of those in this extensive list;

"Genetic History of Scythia." Andreeva, Tatiana V. et al. Science Advances 11, no. 30 (July 25, 2025): eads8179. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads8179. Updated 27 March 2026.
"Decoding Parrot Duets: Complex Communication in Yellow-Naped Amazons." Dahlin, Christine R. et al. Journal of Avian Biology 2026, no. 1 (February 12, 2026): e03552. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jav.03552.

"The Dual Formative *tsi in Tibeto-Burman Languages." DeLancey, Scott. Himalayan Linguistics 25, no. 1 (March 3, 2026). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/92z910mm.
"Lexical Richness in the Speech of Mandarin Chinese for L2 Learners." Hao, Yuxin et al. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 13, no. 1 (April 9, 2026): 437. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-026-06566-9.
"Biomechanics and Evolution of the Primate Tongue." Sekhavati, Yeganeh et al. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 35, no. 2 (April 2, 2026): e70026. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/evan.70026.
"One Test, Many Tongues: Surveying Language Proficiency across the Globe." Van Rijn, Pol et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123, no. 13 (March 27, 2026): e2420179123. https://pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2420179123.
"Enduring Constraints on Grammar Revealed by Bayesian Spatiophylogenetic Analyses." Verkerk, Annemarie et al. Nature Human Behaviour 10, no. 1 (November 17, 2025): 126-136. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02325-z.
"Social Perception of Creaky Voice in Mandarin Chinese: Everyone's Gender Matters." Yao, Yao et al. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (March 27, 2026). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-026-07108-z.

[Thanks to:

Edward M "Ted" McClure, Librarian
https://patreon.com/Bluehorse887
https://researchbuzz.masto.host/@Bluehorse

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73306&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recent-language-sciences-references

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73306

scalziwhatever_feed

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/12/congratulations-hungary/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=60110

I’ve been to Hungary twice, most recently a couple of years ago when I was the guest of honor at the Budapest International Book Festival. Both times I was there I (and when she visited with me, Krissy), were made to feel welcome by nearly everyone we met there. It’s fair to say I have an attachment to the country.

Today, with a turnout of over 77%, the voters of Hungary voted out the autocratic government of Viktor Orban, whose 16-year rule saw the country become less free, less tolerant and more corrupt. Getting back from all of that won’t be easy and won’t be fast — but it all has to start somewhere, and now Hungary can start.

To which I can say: Lord, I see what you have done for others and want it for myself, and hopefully, soon.

In the meantime: Congratulations to my friends in Hungary. I hope what you have is catching. And I hope to visit you again, in this new era of yours.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/12/congratulations-hungary/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=60110

senmut

I still haven't found a new fandom to immerse in.

FTH 2026 is proceeding apace:

~ 3,371/5k - 1st auction (Doctor Who)
~ 2,350/5k - 2nd auction (Multi-fic fulfillment [thank you so much, recipient!] that has a completed Highlander fic. Toying with my options for the next part.)
~ 2,030/5k - 3rd auction (Also Multi-fic fulfillment, but all will be DCU comics)
~ 3,006/5k - 4th auction (Star Wars, pre-Prequels era)
10,757/20k - OVER HALFWAY!

I only have one work in progress, a sequel to a previous fic, that is going to be at least twice the length of the original. Just having too much fun playing with different dynamics for the Do'Urdens.

I think, given how much my new Queensryche playlist is soothing me, I am going to be making more dedicated artist playlists. As many of my FAVORITES still have albums I can't stand, or songs I skip every time. Corey Hart will likely be the next one I make in this fashion.

Trying to decide what book to read again. No, nothing new. I am... not coping with new books. I need a tried and true. Clan of the Cave Bear was very happy-making to revisit, but not sure I want to read any of the others. Maybe a McCaffrey or a Heinlein... or back to Barsoom again.

Sense8 rocked my socks. Some difficult moments to get through, but then Black Sails was the same. No fic vibes in my soul for either fandom. Hey, wait, maybe I can start watching Ted Lasso and see what happens, since I already drabble in it.

ranalore

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Current Mood: sore
Current Location: i like thunderstorms but they do NOT like me

loganberrybunny

Public

I am so unbelievably relieved to see that Viktor Orbán is on his way out in Hungary. The margin of victory for Magyar (his main opponent)'s party was so large that there was absolutely no doubt about it. I do have to acknowledge that Orbán conceded defeat without claiming the election had been rigged. But what matters is that Putin's main ally in the EU will no longer be there to block help for Ukraine. I don't know any Hungarian beyond "goulash" and "coach", so I'll stick to English and say: thank goodness!

Current Mood: relieved

flareonfury posting in

fandom_on_dw

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james_davis_nicoll

Exit Orban, at least for now.

sheliak posting in

icontalking

Better late than never, right?

( A year of icons )

ysabetwordsmith

Tropical trees favor cooperation over competition

Step into a tropical forest, and something feels different right away. The air feels rich, the ground feels alive, and every plant seems part of a bigger system.

This sense of connection is not just your imagination. Science now shows that trees in these forests actively support one another, creating a strong and balanced ecosystem.

Current Mood: busy

snickfic

(I guess I'm letting out all my bottled-up words today...)

A collection of essays on feminist topics. I've been meaning to read some Solnit ever since everyone was reading her book Hope in the Dark during the first Trump administration. I randomly was in need of an ebook to read, and this was the book of Solnit's available through my library, so here we are.

On one hand, I did not find this a challenging read. Most of what Solnit had to say, I've encountered in some form or another before, and most of these essays are surface-level examinations of their topics. OTOH, there's something to be said for having thoughts laid out in a coherent essay format when one has previously only encountered them via social media, haphazardly and in fragments. And even though the collection had a strong feminism 101 feeling for me, I did highlight a bunch of quotes, which I am putting below under a cut, mostly for my own use. So, clearly I got some value out of the book!

IMO, by far the strongest essay is the one where she gets into specifics, and that's the final essay, "Giantess," about a 1950s film called Giant starring Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. I feel like I might vaguely have heard of this movie, and although it doesn't sound like my usual jam genre-wise, the politics sound progressive even today, so I'm tempted just from a point of historical interest.

( quotes )

merricatb posting in

fandomweekly

Theme Prompt: #296 - Locked Door
Title: These Keys Were Made For Losing
Fandom: Sense8
Rating/Warnings: Teen for mild sexual language
Bonus: No
Word Count: 742
Summary: Nomi comes to Grace's rescue when she loses her keys

( Read more... )

doranwen

As I was working on the LJ project, I came across various icon resources that were hosted on DA (textures, brushes, etc.). And of course, all the pretty icons are making me want to play around with icon making once again, so I decided to start collecting them.

However, I found that in order to download, not only are accounts required - but they recently implemented a ridiculously restrictive limit of 10 free downloads a week (though that number goes up to 150 *if* you pay for Core+). The comments on the news post about it are absolutely scathing, and blow apart any idea that the new rules are for anything but a money grab. (They blame users downloading thousands and thousands of downloads, but there are LOTS of other and better ways to thwart AI scraping, and large numbers of active users naturally download larger amounts than 10 in a single week, despite their claim that this won't affect people.)

While right-clicking still works for any actual artwork (though you'll only get the original full-size if the artist set it to display), and gallery-dl can handle that sort of thing in bulk, the side effect of this limit is that anyone looking to download packs of images - like sprite packs, folder images, or (like me) icon making resources - is now extremely hampered in what we can get. A single artist with over a hundred resource packs will now take several months to download all their work.

I've tried reaching out to some artists, and the one that responded was happy to upload all their stuff to my MegaDrop folder, but others may not check their email, have lost access to the email in question, have passed away, etc.

Which brings me to my question: Does anyone reading this know of anywhere that people are pooling their DA stashes? Or collaborating to save art they're mutually interested in? If two users want the same 20 zips, for instance, they can split them up and each download 10, then share their copies with each other to maximize what they can get. Add a few more in the pool and the potential really goes up.

I'd love to work on something like that but don't know where to start, and I'd first like to find out if someone is already doing it. I'm told that sort of discussion is likely to happen on Tumblr but as I don't use Tumblr… can't really ask there. Anyone?

tinny

Ooops it's April already, and I haven't posted my

100fandomicons table for 2026 yet! Okay, then, here it is! There are already 23 icons in it, and it needs to be filled by the end of November. So far that's looking good. All of these icons have been posted to my journal before, the challenge states they have to be made between my signup dates (Dec 25 to Nov 26) but not specifically for this challenge, and I love to make full use of that and try not to make any specifically until the very end. Lets see how that will go this year.

Teasers:

( 23 of 100 icons in 100 fandoms )

fandoms list

Arcane
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love
Asterix (comics)
Bridget Jones's Diary
Calvin and Hobbes (comics)
Dr. Seuss (comics)
Farewell My Concubine
Filter
Frozen
HPI
Lost You Forever
Love Like The Galaxy
Love on the Turquoise Land
Musician (Hoshino Gen)
North of North
Pirates of the Carribean
Sports (Football Player)
Squid Game
The Jungle Book
The Mandalorian
The Matrix
The Orville
The Witcher

I love comments, and if you have concrit for me, I'm open for that, too. All my icons are free to take and use, credit is appreciated. The list of makers whose textures and brushes I like to use is here in my resource post.

Previous icon posts:

settiai

Pride's Solace, a Dragon Age exchange focusing on Solas, when live a little while ago. I ended up getting not one but two lovely gifts from it!

First up is a fleeting moment, focusing on Lucanis & Solas & Spite post-Tearstone Island in DA:V.

Then there's Garden of Statues, focusing on Solas & Tarquin with Tarquin meeting Solas sometime pre-DA:V. There's also a lovely bit with Ashur towards the end.

Current Mood: cheerful

siria

Care and Feeding
The Pitt | Gen | ~750 words | For

ceeturnalia

(Also on AO3)

( Jack does not have a cat. )

douqi posting in

baihe_media

There's a new (human) translation currently serialising, of crime thriller Miss Profiler (侧写师小姐, pinyin: cexieshi xiaojie) by Wu Man Qing Shan (雾漫青山). This came out in 2024 on JJWXC and has been something of a hit in mainland baihe circles. It features a romance between criminal profiler Liu Huisheng and police captain Zhao Yu. The sequel is currently serialising on JJWXC.

The translator is Berps and the main page for the translation is here. Berps has also translated some of the free-to-play material from the audio drama adaptation of the novel.

umadoshi

Our impending new raised planter is still showing as scheduled to arrive tomorrow while we're both home/not working, so here's hoping!

We just spent a while sifting through some seed listings on the Halifax Seed website (and I mostly kept myself from looking at tomato seeds, since we are not growing any tomatoes from seed*).

*I really wish there were some indication of what tomato varieties will be offered as seedlings, and also wish I knew if the different plant nurseries tend to offer similar varieties of tomato seedlings or not. (ALSO-also, we need to decide whether to focus on trying a few different types to see how we like them vs. focusing on a few determinate plants with the intention of just processing most/all of the fruit into sauce.)

(The seedling sale from a relatively nearby nonprofit that I'm hoping to make it to does offer a short list of potential varieties of things, with the caveat of "These are all the options that we have intended to grow but as all farmers and gardeners know, not every crop pans out. We apologize in advance if some of these options are unavailable, or not ready." For tomatoes, it says "Roma, Brandywine, Scotia +more! / Tropical Sunset, Sungold, Red Torch +more!")

But as noted yesterday, we don't plan to put tomatoes in the actual planter anyway. Thoughts for the actual planter so far: ( thoughts + variety notes )

Current Mood: hopeful

dewline

May Orbán go away quietly and never haunt Hungary/Magyarország in particular or Europe in general ever again and may no one in those places or myself be compelled to regret my saying as much.

Current Mood: hopeful

princessofgeeks

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Current Mood: tired

Profile

donutsweeper

April 2026

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Page Summary

sholio - A cunning plan
languagelog_feed - Recent language sciences references
scalziwhatever_feed - Congratulations Hungary
senmut - Fannish Update
ranalore - Your body is a ship of pain
loganberrybunny - Hungary!
flareonfury in fandom_on_dw - Crossover Galore Challenge
james_davis_nicoll - Vance Effect Works Again
sheliak in icontalking - Icon Progression 2025
ysabetwordsmith - Nature
snickfic - The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
merricatb in fandomweekly - [#296] These Keys Were Made For Losing (Sense8)
doranwen - DeviantArt - pooling stashes/download allotments?
tinny - 100fandomicons table for 2026
settiai - Pride's Solace
siria - 2613 / Fic - The Pitt
douqi in baihe_media - Fan Translation of Miss Profiler (侧写师小姐)
umadoshi - Garden pre-PRE(?)-planning. Or something.
dewline - About the Elections in Hungary/Magyarország Today?
princessofgeeks - Heated Rivalry recs

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Network

A cunning plan

Recent language sciences references

Congratulations Hungary

Fannish Update

Your body is a ship of pain

Hungary!

Crossover Galore Challenge

Vance Effect Works Again

Icon Progression 2025

Nature

The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit

[#296] These Keys Were Made For Losing (Sense8)

DeviantArt - pooling stashes/download allotments?

100fandomicons table for 2026

Pride's Solace

2613 / Fic - The Pitt

Fan Translation of Miss Profiler (侧写师小姐)

Garden pre-PRE(?)-planning. Or something.

About the Elections in Hungary/Magyarország Today?

Heated Rivalry recs

Profile

April 2026

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