It's the day!

May. 4th, 2026 07:57 pm
trobadora: (Sherlock/Moriarty - in the darkness)
[personal profile] trobadora
A plaque from Reichenbach Falls with German, English and French text reading, 1891-1991. At this fearful place, Sherlock Holmes vanquished Professor Moriarty, on 4 May 1891.


135 years ago today, on 4 May 1891, Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty met their end at the Reichenbach Falls.

Until ACD changed his mind, of course. But it starts here, at the end: the very first we ever hear of Moriarty is the story in which he dies, which is also the story meant to kill off Holmes.

All those years later, the story is still alive, and keeps on going. :D

Happy Reichenbach Day! ♥

Btw, did I mention that I watched the new Young Sherlock show in March? I quite enjoyed it, though it didn't really hit me in the Sherlockian place. Neither its Sherlock nor its Moriarty quite gave me what I want from those characters, though I find it hard to explain how. At any rate, they're very fun characters to follow as they are, so I'm glad I watched!

I also really appreciate that the show has a prominent Chinese character and a whole bunch of scenes with Mandarin dialogue, much of which I could actually follow reasonably well. Xiao Wei and her sidekick Liu Meiyi are an absolute delight, I'd watch a whole show just about them. *g*

And all the Holmes family dynamics were really great; every single person got their chance to properly shine. Such a good ensemble cast! I'm definitely looking forward to season 2, even without the Chinese characters, who seem unlikely to return.

fanvid recs - Killjoys

May. 4th, 2026 08:05 am
aurumcalendula: closeup of Dutch from Killjoys in profile with a sea green background (Dutch (in profile))
[personal profile] aurumcalendula
More recs! This time for Killjoys:

Been Better by [personal profile] lithiumdoll (2015)

Level Up by [personal profile] scribe  (2018)

Home by [personal profile] eruthros (2020)

Queens by [personal profile] thingswithwings (2020)

Down & Dirty by [personal profile] dirty_diana (2023)

Korean practice

May. 4th, 2026 01:44 pm
profiterole_reads: (Sakura)
[personal profile] profiterole_reads
Here's the new Korean practice post! As usual now, it's an open chat.

You can write about whatever you want. If you're uninspired, tell us the story of what you're currently watching/reading/playing...
You can talk to one another.
You can also correct one another. Or just indicate "No corrections, please" in your comment if you prefer.

화이팅! <3

Just one thing: 04 May 2026

May. 4th, 2026 06:39 am
[personal profile] jazzyjj posting in [community profile] awesomeers
It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

Monday Word: Nacreous

May. 4th, 2026 06:33 am
stonepicnicking_okapi: beach (beach)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi posting in [community profile] 1word1day
nacreous [ney-kree-uhs]

adjective
resembling mother-of-pearl; lustrous; pearly, iridescent

examples
1. This one is tough--its nacreous, butterfly shell swings shut on its hinges, small black wings locked like a mouth. "Mussels" [poem] by Lucinda Roy.

2. "Looking like a "portal to the next dimension" or possibly a spaceship, the shimmering colours of nacreous cloud were spotted. "Rare 'rainbow cloud' spotted in UK skies." BBC. 21 December 2023

origin
1590s, "type of shellfish that yields mother-of-pearl," from French nacre (Old French nacaire, 14c.), from Italian naccaro (now nacchera), possibly from Arabic naqur "hunting horn" (from nakara "to hollow out"), in reference to the shape of the mollusk shell. Meaning "mother-of-pearl" is from 1718. The French adjectival form nacré was applied in English to decorative objects iridescent like mother of pearl (1895).

May the fourth be with you!

nacreous

第五年第一百十三天

May. 4th, 2026 08:23 am
nnozomi: (pic#16332211)
[personal profile] nnozomi posting in [community profile] guardian_learning
部首
犬 parts 3-7
狠, ruthless; 狩, to hunt; 独, alone; 狭, narrow; 狼, wolf; 猎, hunting; 猛, fierce; 猜, to guess; 猝, unexpectedly; 猪, pig; 猫, cat; 献, to present/to donate; 猴, monkey; 狮, lion; 狱, prison
pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=94
艹 part 1
艺, art; 节, node/festival/to economize; 芋, taro pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=140

语法
4.1 part 2 并 as "and"
4.2 却, but
4.3 part 1 通过, to pass all the way through/across something (geographically)
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-4-grammar

词汇
标准, standard; 目标, goal
表, watch/form/to express; 表格, form/table; 表示, to express; 表现, to perform; 表扬, to praise; 时间表, timetable
饼干, cookie/biscuit; 月饼, mooncake
并, also/to combine; 并且, moreover
播放, to broadcast/to play; 广播, radio/etc. broadcast
博士, doctor (as in Ph.D.)
pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/

玩玩
Zhou Shen 等晴天 and sodagreen 是我的海; also 我们很快乐,a really silly song recorded for Labor Day in which Zhang Hanyun, Jiang Dunhao and Lars Huang voice-act for a succession of animals on screen.

我种的草莓好甜!明年想种更多的,麻烦归麻烦果然是很值得。大家过得怎么样?
china_shop: Zhao Yunlan stretched out on a stool. (Guardian - ZYL sprawled on a stool)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."


Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 15, up to 23:56

Summary
Cong Bo hacks into the university CCTV and hits paydirt when he sees Shen Wei use dark energy and talk to a smoke messenger from the Regent. Cong Bo goes to Zhao Yunlan and threatens to expose Shen Wei and the SID. The Apology Scene!!! Shen Wei has taken off his glasses; Zhao Yunlan sprawls barefoot on a barstool. Also, Zhao Yunlan has a plan: Lin Jing remotely wipes Cong Bo's hard drive, and Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan pay Cong Bo a visit, showing him the error of his ways and inviting him to join them. Zhu Jiu is still wounded and still holding a grudge against Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei celebrate their success with a toast (water), and Shen Wei explains his power. Zhao Yunlan attempts a do-over of his request for compensation last episode, and this time he gets it right by asking Shen Wei to tidy his not-very-messy flat. Changcheng writes in his diary. In the SID lab, Zhao Yunlan contemplates groping the Hallows again, but Shen Wei catches him and offers a better strategy for finding the missing two Hallows. Zhao Yunlan takes him out for a meal (no drinking!), which tragically happens off-screen. Zhu Hong is drunk and crying because Zhao Yunlan doesn't want her; Da Qing and Guo Changcheng offer comfort. The next morning, an old man arrives in Dragon City, nearly gets hit by a delivery van, and is rescued by a solicitous Changcheng. They meet again a few minutes later, whereupon the old man asks for directions to 4 Guangming Rd. Dun-dun-DUNNN!



Quote
Da Qing to Zhu Hong: You're good in all aspects. You have a special physique that can provide a promising talent: warm in winter, cold in summer.

Detail
I love that when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan toast having dealt with the Cong Bo threat, Zhao Yunlan as well as Shen Wei is drinking water.

Also, I don't think I've registered before that Cong Bo was also spying on Ya Qing and that this had constrained her movements. (I'm impressed she didn't just kill him!)

Questions
Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle? (Is it why Zhu Hong is drinking?) Do you think Zhao Yunlan had forgotten about the banner cam, or he just hadn't come up with a way to take it down without admitting he'd put it there in the first place? When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be? What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material? How do you feel about Cong Bo and his motives? What's your favourite thing about the apology scene? Do you like Cong Bo's apartment? After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??) What was your first impression of the Regent? Does he deliberately target Changcheng (and if so, what does this say about his information networks in Haixing)?

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!

cdrama watching

May. 3rd, 2026 06:57 pm
aurumcalendula: Jiang Li and Shen Man sitting on a bed with Shen Man resting her head on Jiang Li's shoulder (Jiang Li and Shen Man)
[personal profile] aurumcalendula
暴锋雨 | Sharp Downpour (2026):

Read more... )

Seasons of Drabbles recs

May. 3rd, 2026 03:08 pm
snickfic: Oasis: Liam and Noel Gallagher, text "Some Might Say" (Oasis)
[personal profile] snickfic posting in [community profile] recthething
I made some recs here for Oasis RPF, the Kyle Murchison Booth stories, and the Ready or Not movies.
writtenwordsaloud: (Valentino3)
[personal profile] writtenwordsaloud posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Hazbin Hotel
Pairings/Characters: Valentino & Velvette & Vox, Valentino/Vox
Rating: M
Length: 7634
Creator Link: auxkabel (cablecurrent)
Theme: journey & travel

Summary: Some people lose their heads. Vox loses his body. It’s a sex thing.

Or: while Vox is busy making sure Valentino Day goes smoothly, his meatsuit departs on an epic journey across the Pentagram. Now it’s up to Valentino, Velvet and Vox’s head to find the damn thing before something bad happens to it.


Reccer's Notes: Can't usually find much travelling with Sinners in Hazbin, but it definitely counts when some Overlords have to go around on foot to find someone body.


For after reading
First of all, Val being angry that he can't find Vox's body instead of concerned brings me great joy. As if Vox did it all on purpose.

I have to think about all the other reasons (other than Alastor) that Vox would have for letting his body do whatever it wants when his consciousness appears to remain with his body at all times. Does he get to choose where his mind stays? In which case, the body that "wines and dines" Val is only less important because Vox's consciousness isn't in it.

And we know Vox would love Val even as a worm. He would hate loving him as a worm, but he would.

Velvette shaming Val is so tasty. Shaming Vox? Yes, of course. But fixing Val with the disappointed look is so much funnier in this context.

I'm so freaking happy Charlie's first reaction was that Vox's body was a Dullahan. There is a version of this fic where Angel wasn't around to inform them it was Vox, leaving Charlie and Vaggie to go on an adventure to find a head and making it even harder for the Vees to find him.

The goat demon is a freaking boss. Risking talking back to the Vees, considering he actually knows that's who he is talking to. What a hero. Who else of his level could get Val to kiss them?

And I'm glad Maggot Mary seems to have what she wants in order. Her body really does seem like one of the worst punishments Hell could have provided someone. How often does she die and have to reconstitute? I want to know what her guard dogs are like.

So many people might construe calling someone's body "our things" as dehumanizing, but considering it's Velvette saying it Vox indeed has the money on the mark. It's her attempt at being flippant while she indeed cares about him. After all, why would Velvette have bothered putting this much time in otherwise? Even with putting out fires.

In the end, of course Charlie lets him keep the nightgown so he doesn't have to go home nude. And Velvette doesn't bother to give him another outfit to wear. Going for takeout and straight home is such a boon for Vox as well. You know if Velvette wasn't busy she would have wanted to spend some time threatening Vox with having him go into a restaurant like this.

I love to consider what S2 would have been like if this had happened first: because Alastor then wouldn't have Vox to fall upon to get him out of his deal with Rosie, Vox couldn't insult the hotel while convincing people to rise up against Heaven, and it would have been perhaps a somewhat more lighthearted comedy before Vox blew a hole in Heaven.

Fanwork link: Put Your Head On My Shoulder
dickinsons: (barrow thomas)
[personal profile] dickinsons posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Pairings/Characters: Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent, Lady Anstruther, OCs
Rating:T
Length: 79,395
Creator Links: Laramie, LinkWorshiper (AO3)
Theme: journey & travel

Summary: Though Jimmy Kent has found success and fortune since moving on from Downton, he has never been able to forgive Lady Anstruther for the troubles she's caused him in the past. Motivated by a burning desire for revenge, Jimmy takes action - and enlists the help of the one person he's ever trusted. Naturally that person is Thomas Barrow.

Reccer's Notes: This fic has romance, a revenge plot, and mystery fiction elements, all while the characters travel to China. It's a really fun read.

Fanwork Links: Slow Boat to China
full_metal_ox: Samurai-style circular crest of a butterfly with a demon mask for an abdomen and swords for swallowtails. (Crest)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” (Arrogant Worms song; Captain Tractor cover)
Pairings/Characters: Gen; OCs of assorted genders.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 4:13
Content Notes: The OP identifies the song as by the Arrogant Worms—who originated it, but the version used here is Captain Tractor’s cover.
Creator Links: (YouTube): [youtube.com profile] vinnyreid

Theme: Journey & Travel, Fanvid, Just Plain Fun, Kidfic (child performers), Old Fandoms, Pre-AO3 Works

Summary: This is a video that I made with some of the students from the youth group back in April 2003. Its pretty cheezy, but we had lots of fun making it and still get a laugh out of watching it. Hope you enjoy it too. The song is "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" by the Arrogant Worms.



Reccer's Notes: This is an exercise in how to make a killer fanvid on a backyard budget—propelled by the sheer exuberant glee of the kid pirates running amuck and by the masterfully edited nonstop action—Benny Hillesque chase scenes, sword fights, and Scooby Dooby Doors. (Note in particular the inventive use of camera angles and farm and playground architecture to create the impression that they actually have a ship.)

Things I Learned in the process of fact-checking this post: “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” has become such an anthem for Saskatchewanians (and Canadians in general) that it’s taught in grade-school music classes! (It’s also a compelling fantasy to lots of non-Canadian dwellers in regions marked by farming and economic disgruntlement; The Longest Johns (of viral “Wellerman” fame) have localized it accordingly.)

I would have added “a large local body of water”, but it turns out that part of the regional in-joke is that Regina (“Regina’s mighty shores”), the provincial capitol, is in a landlocked part of Saskatchewan; the Jolly Roger is a legendary dive bar there.

Reid doesn’t specify the affiliation of the youth group, but the censorship of the word “damn” leads me to suspect a church.

Fanwork Links: The Last Saskatchewan Pirate (fanvid), by Kevin Reid and his youth group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHAl1tWvvPA

Writing, WIPs and

May. 3rd, 2026 07:58 pm
trobadora: (mightier)
[personal profile] trobadora
I've been commenting a bit over at [community profile] polyamships's NSFW 3 weeks 4 dreamwidth posts, and I thought I'd bring some of that over here, because I had more to talk about that wasn't about poly, but more about writing in general.

On the "current favorite poly ship" question I mentioned a ship that's been on my mind all through April - an original trio from an old origfic WIP I last worked on in 2018, and that took over significant parts of my brainspace again this April.

I'd been reading through my old origfic WIPs because March was the month when I suddenly had a lot of inspiration again for the sort of thing I used to write a lot of, back when I regularly wrote origfic - and then this one really hit me hard again.

The basic concept is a clan feud coming to an end when one side is brought down by a third party, and what happens between the survivors and their former enemies. The ship is a V, with siblings from one side and the third from the other. (Side question: am I the only one around here who likes V-shaped ships? They seem to be pretty unpopular in fandom.)

I wrote a significant chunk of this in 2017 and early 2018, and then didn't touch it again until 1st April this year, for reasons I'm not entirely clear on, though falling into Guardian and cdramas in general probably played a part. *g* I have almost 60k now - but I guess if I ever do finish it in any meaningful way, it'll probably be at least 200k. What I have at the moment is basically the minidrama version: all the dramatic interpersonal moments; everything else more or less sketched in. To pull it off to full effect would take a lot of work! And maybe one day I'll manage that work - I do want to; I just don't have the time or energy I'd need. But in the meantime I've been having a lot of fun just adding more to that world and those characters' arcs.

I mean, really, a LOT of fun. My writing in April looked like this:

Writing stats April 2026: FFFX 12.82%, High Adrenaline 47.84%, poly OW 38.87%, other 0.46%

It's a very rare month when my writing is so concentrated on so few stories! But I had two unrevealed exchange stories to work on, where extensions gave me a lot more time to expand, rewrite, edit and improve - that got a lot of my focus. And then the rest of my brainspace got taken over by that WIP.

And then I was wondering how often that sort of thing happens to other people. So here's a poll for you:

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15


What's the longest time you stopped working on a WIP before getting back to it?

View Answers

less than 1 year
2 (14.3%)

1-2 years
3 (21.4%)

3-5 years
3 (21.4%)

6-10 years
1 (7.1%)

11-20 years
5 (35.7%)

more than 20 years
0 (0.0%)

What's your longest time between starting and finishing a story?

View Answers

less than 1 year
2 (14.3%)

1-2 years
4 (28.6%)

3-5 years
3 (21.4%)

6-10 years
1 (7.1%)

11-20 years
4 (28.6%)

more than 20 years
0 (0.0%)

How often do you get back to older WIPs?

View Answers

never - I finish it at once or not at all
3 (20.0%)

rarely
6 (40.0%)

often - I regularly poke at old WIPs, and finish some on occasion
6 (40.0%)

always - I never abandon anything for good
2 (13.3%)

it's more complicated than that (see comments
1 (6.7%)

I just want to tick a tickybox!

View Answers

ticky
8 (80.0%)

box
6 (60.0%)

tickybox
8 (80.0%)

Wiseguy stuff

May. 3rd, 2026 01:14 pm
aurumcalendula: Vinnie and Sonny from Wiseguy and the text 'oh how I love you' (nights in white satin)
[personal profile] aurumcalendula
Some trivia from the 'No One Gets Out of Here Alive' commentary:

Read more... )
runpunkrun: combat boot, pizza, camo pants = punk  (punk rock girl)
[personal profile] runpunkrun posting in [community profile] fandomcalendar
Photograph of things you might take with you, or pick up, on a trip, with added text: Journey & Travel, at Fancake. Items are neatly arranged on a rustic wooden table or door and photographed from above: hat, knapsack, barn coat, worn boots, folding knife, sunglasses, bottle, magnifying glass, as well as various maps, notebooks, pine cones, cameras, lenses, and rolls of 35mm film.
[community profile] fancake is a thematic recommendation community where all members are welcome to post recs, and fanworks of all shapes and sizes are accepted. Check out the community guidelines for the full set of rules.

This theme runs for the entire month. If you have any questions, just ask!

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