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Friday, January 23rd, 2026 09:25 am
Introduction Post* Meet the Mods Post

Challenge #1*Challenge #2 *Challenge #3*Challenge #4* Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 * Challenge #7 *Challenge #8 * Challenge #9 * Challenge #10 * Challenge #11

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #12 )

And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

Friday, January 23rd, 2026 08:18 am

I don't think I mentioned getting a new phone last month. I very much enjoyed my tiny Jelly Star for a long time: it was very good for making it unsatisfying to scroll while out and about, and instead listen to more music and pay more attention to where I was. But eventually it started to be actually annoying and I did some thinking and looking at different phones, and ended up with a Motorola Razr folding phone. Still small by default! Still easy to prioritise music over scrolling! But much easier to do messaging, emails, etc when I need to.

As a surprise bonus, I have found that having a decent camera and a screen I can clearly see the results on means I'm taking more photos. It also has a neat timer function, and the folding phone is easy to set up to take photos at distances longer than my arm.

Here is a result taken this morning: me wearing another new possession, my CUIHC fleece. It is soft and cozy and I adore it, I've had it since Monday and love it unreasonably. I want to wear it all the time.

Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 02:13 am
If you're actually writing for children, especially young children, then I guess you don't want to scare them off - but if you're writing for adolescents or adults you can afford to be honest.

So here's the thing. Every book or story in which a character gets glasses for the first time - or the second if their first pair is painfully out of date - emphasizes how clear everything is and how they can see so much detail that they had no idea they were missing. And yes, that's a thing. None of them point out that it's a thing that can be less "wondrous" and more "disorienting and distracting" until you've gotten used to seeing that much detail.

None of them mention that if your prescription is strong enough - especially if there's astigmatism involved - your perception will be wonky and you'll have a hard time judging how close and far things are for a day or two.

Definitely none of them mention that you will absolutely get eye strain every time you get a new prescription, and possibly headaches or nausea to accompany it. It goes away, again, in a day or two, but until it does you'll feel like you're cross-eyed at all times. (And with children, every year is a new prescription. They grow, which means their eyeballs grow, and just like that growth is unlikely to suddenly give them perfect vision if they already were nearsighted, it's also unlikely to keep them exactly where they were before.)

Absolutely none of them point out that if you've never worn glasses before you'll have to spend the aforementioned day or two learning how to not see the frames. This is also true if your old frames were much bigger than the new ones, but that, at least, is less likely to apply to children - their faces grow along with the rest of them, necessitating larger frames, so even if they choose a smaller overall style with the new pair the fact that it fits properly may even out.

Moving past the realm of accurate fiction writing, children really should have their first optometrist appointment, at the latest, in the summer before first grade (so, aged 5 or 6 years old). Ideally, they'll have it before they start school, at age 2 or 3, but you can't convince people on that point. They should have a new appointment every year until the age of 20 or so, or every two years if every year really is unfeasible, even if you don't think you see the signs of poor vision. They won't complain that they can't see, because they'll just assume that their vision is normal. This is true even if they wear glasses - you never notice how bad your eyes have gotten until you get a new prescription, and then it's like "whoa".

The screening done at school or at the doctor's office is imperfect at best. You really want the optometrist.

*******************


Read more... )
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 09:20 pm
~ Dreams of Her Own - https://archiveofourown.org/works/71432751 - Sequel prompts from [profile] ukiacatdragon - Eilistraee, the shroud of Lolth, Corellon, Arvandor's overwhleming goodness, plotting to nullify Lolth's plots via Sharr, the raid being brought up, Tall Ones finding Ellifain early, closure for drow and elf child, quest - 1,027 words

~ HLH shortcuts sequel - https://archiveofourown.org/works/74116516 - Joe and Rachel meet in Seacouver - 0 words

~ [community profile] 10trueloves - 3/10 written

~ [community profile] genprompt_bingo 0/5 written (Line Only)


Random Plot Bunnies to Hold Over

GenPrompt Fills:

~ A Moment of Understanding / Clarity - Commander Appo comes face to face with Atin (includes a horrific flashback to Ashla's death from Appo's POV)

~ Teenagers - Continue https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124011 - Rex and Ahsoka with Hera and Chopper

~ Telepathy - Long Distance Phone Calls in the Force: "You left me/He wanted me dead/I would have protected you/But could you really" / "It hurts/You always hurt, couldn't he get you better healing/There wasn't much of me left/He all but owns a master cloning world and you're stuck like that? Your benefits package sucks"

~ Freestyle Crossovers - Jurassic Park/X-Men crossover (late request for More Joy Day)

~ A Test of Worthiness - OPEN




~ Ahsoka the Daughter whispering guidance through time in Anakin's head. Starting in AotC TPM. Includes:
Okay no wonder some said I was just like you (her reaction to the reckless deal in TPM)
Hey Skykid, what's a guy with all the power thinking to make a point of having time for you? (Comics of the Padawan years)
Oh kriff he's so young (first meeting of Anakin and Rex)
I am SO shiny (Ahsoka arriving)

~ Fulcrum and Rex time travel to before Anakin runs to Mace.
~ Fulcrum accidentally pulls Anakin to Malachor in That Fight.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 10:17 pm
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, January 22, to midnight on Friday, January 23 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34111 Daily check-in poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 15

How are you doing?

I am OK
11 (73.3%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
4 (26.7%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
5 (33.3%)

One other person
5 (33.3%)

More than one other person
5 (33.3%)



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.
Tags:
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 08:38 pm
AO3 Link | Shelter in Danger (500 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DC Comics (General), Marvel Comics (General)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dinah Lance/Erik Lensherr
Characters: Dinah Lance, Erik Lehnsherr
Additional Tags: Crossover, +Modern Age (1986-Present)
Summary:

While trapped in a different universe, Dinah falls for another older man



Shelter in Danger

When Dinah Lance found herself catapulted into another dimension, it wasn't all that shocking. She's been tossed through time, sent to other worlds, and even touched alternate versions of her own world. To wake up in a world that was completely unlike her own as far as people and problems went, but still an Earth wasn't that hard to come to terms with.

No, the thing that shocked her was finding an older white-haired man with a harder sense of justice than she usually took for herself that stirred her emotions so strongly. Similarities to another man of her own world may have set the stage for growing closer, but it was Erik's ability to debate with her, to see her as a capable fighter in her own right, and his old-fashioned manners that sealed her doom.

There was just something irresistible in a man that opened doors for her but didn't think she needed to be in the kitchen for Dinah Lance.





She'd given her word that she would help defend this small island refuge. She wanted no part of his retaliatory strikes, but the people who were just trying to live their lives were under her protection. As Erik — Magneto currently — was deflecting the heavy artillery back into the attackers, Black Canary was ably working defense against the ground assault with his other combatants.

She had no idea how many amphibious vehicles she grounded permanently, how many people in deep-water gear were shoved back off the beach, but eventually Magneto gathered up all of the remaining debris from the assault and threw it out to join the artificial reef off his coastline. While he did that, she acquired one of her protein-gels, slaking a need for energy and liquid at once before seeing if she needed to help with injured.

Magneto landed beside her moments later, his hand going to the small of her back. She wasn't thinking about the likely human cost of the assault; mutants were feared and hunted here, and that force had come with the intent to kill or enslave from all she had managed to dig up.

"Your voice, my dear, is devastating. And yet you espouse more peaceful notions than I," he said with grim satisfaction over the results she'd gotten.

"I learned to modulate it over the years, so I get the effect I want," she said, shifting just slightly closer, her voice dipping into flirting tones.

"Hmm, and what effect do you wish now?" he asked, matching her tone, as that strong hand on her lower back shifted more to her hip and upper ass.

"The ability to be somewhere private and less clothed, of course," she told him.

He laughed, deep and throaty. "Oh, I like that direct approach." He guided her toward his own room, leaving the aftermath to his lieutenants. Dinah was more than happy with that choice, hoping if she distracted him long enough, he'd choose some other way than direct assault on the attacking nation.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 08:09 pm


Couldn't they possibly have, perhaps and please, cast actors who don't look so goddamn alike for Steve & Bucky, I'm sorry, I mean Scott & Kip?

If they shave or the other one of them gets slightly more facial hair, I've not even the slightest hope here. In the sex scenes, it's like whatever, if you wanted me to know who is who, you'd light it better.

Put a shirt on. Why do you have identical torsos, one of you is a professional athlete and the other one works two jobs.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 08:08 pm
What's getting to me about forgetting my headphones and MP3 player at my client's place more than having forgotten them is that my client sent me a text message about it. The forgetfulness is its own issue; that I didn't get a phone call about it has me absolutely baffled. She's a good few decades older than I am, and the messages she sent are iMessages that require internet access, not what I'd call "plain texts" that don't. So there's a good chance I wouldn't have seen it after I left the apartment's wifi range and got back to my place.

A direct phone call would've been much easier. I'll head over tomorrow and get it then, so it's less of a problem and more of an inconvenience, and it's still got me baffled she didn't simply call.
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 07:31 pm
many people are getting The Big Storm this weekend. We are currently predicted to get 13 inches of snow starting sunday morning, so not too bad at all. I am going to spend part of tomorrow cutting and splitting wood, the new chainsaw bars came yesterday and it took me about a minute to get through a test log that was probably 30 inches in diameter, smooth and easy. So nice. We have plenty of wood to get through the storm, but I want to keep working on it. 

We have around 5 gallons of gas and two generators that work to power our or the relatives houses. Plenty of food and water and I just split some more wood for the indoor burner today plus we have another tote at the other house. I will need to drain the downstairs bathroom pipes tomorrow night since they freeze when the temps get too close to 0F, oh well. 

We picked up a trailer of straw today, unsure if we'll be able to get it all spread before the storm due to the intense winds we are supposed to get. But I'm hoping we get at least two loads done tomorrow, possibly three if we can, then two Saturday morning. It takes around 5 donkey cart loads to empty the trailer. I don't really want to do it because it will be either windy or cold as fuck but we can't spread when there's much snow on the ground and we can't spread if it's windy since it blows the straw before it drops. Cold as fuck it will be. 

Plow is on the tractor, ready to go for snow removal. Shovel is on the back porch. 

I don't think we'll lose power, my parents barely lose it compared to the house in NY which lost power a lot, so I think it's all good. We've got hot chocolate and I'm tempted to try making it on the wood stove for fun. 

Good luck to everyone else, stay safe and let your pipes drip
Tags:
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 11:16 pm
So I have chronic insomnia, right? It’s pretty normal for me to still be awake at 2, 3 in the morning. 
 
And usually this comes in extremely handy at certain times of year when the tennis is happening in the middle of the night.
 
Except.
 
EXCEPT.
 
I am sleeping really well right now??
 
Like… going to bed. Actually falling asleep. Turning off the 1:30 alarm for Sunshine. Having a day off today, not getting up for work, and turning off the 08:00 alarm for Jannik. And I’ve only woke up at 11:00 this morning like some kind of well-adjusted adult human. Who authorised this?
 
I don’t know if it’s since handing my notice in at my job (which, honestly, feels suspiciously relevant), but apparently my brain has chosen now - during prime nocturnal tennis season - to be like: “ah yes, rest. healing. circadian rhythm. wellness.”
 
Absolute traitor behaviour.
 
Li is also wondering if having an alarm set for the middle of the night makes my brain go “it’s okay, you’re only sleeping for a few hours,” like I’m tricking myself into thinking I’m just having a nap and that’s why it’s working?? Which is extremely stupid if true, but also… uncomfortably plausible. We might try it post-AO, because at this point I am open to psychological warfare against my own brain.
 
So now I’ve got some matches to catch up on while I finish the reading for my assignment, like a fool who accidentally became well-rested.
 
Honestly, I’m not mad about sleeping better. I am mad about the timing.
 
My insomnia saw the AO on the calendar and said “actually no 🧡”.
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 02:29 pm
Back in 2015 I wrote an anti-ode to prednisone. Last night my brain came up with another verse, so I'm posting the revised version for posterity.

(Youtube version of the original is here)

Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
How fucked-up are your side-effects!
You make my mood go here and there
And make me sweat, like, everywhere
Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
How fucked-up are your side-effects!

Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
You make me so unhappy
Because I'm hungry all the time
I can't think of a proper rhyme
Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
You make me so unhappy

Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
I really dislike taking you
The anti-inflammation's great
But all the rest is cause for hate
Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
I really dislike taking you

Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
I can't wait til I'm done with this
You taste like shit, and what's more wrong
You made me filk this stupid song
Oh prednisone, oh prednisone,
I can't wait til I'm done with this
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 10:00 pm

Heated Rivalry is on this year's Canada Reads longlist.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 03:35 pm
50-65 F? - One layer with a jacket.
35-50 F? - Double pants, jacket, hat and gloves.
20-35 g? - Double layers, jacket, hat, gloves, winter boots.
Below 20 F? - Double layers, jacket, hat, DOUBLE GLOVES, Utility Work Suit, winter boots.

And yes, I will wear that at any temp below 20, into the negatives, as witnessed by previous winters. And, since the wind USUALLY dies at night, it's actually not so bad to walk late, unless there's slippery ice on the road.
Tags:
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 05:52 pm

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!



Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 12:30 pm
I've made this post a number of times without any luck, but I wanted to try again just in case I have better luck this time. Would anyone be interested in any of the following Nintendo Switch games?

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! (example on Amazon)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (example on Amazon)
TemTem (example on Amazon)

If you're not interested but know someone who might be, please point them my way. I'm about $70 shy of being where I need to in order to cover bills after that vet trip yesterday, so it would help a lot if I could manage to sell any of these games.

For payment, I have CashApp ($Settiai), PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle (nancy.lynn.foster@gmail.com).
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 12:00 pm

It's been a whole adventure watching Heated Rivalry go mainstream (for once I can claim I was a fan before it was cool!). I turned on Radio 2 in a hire car on Tuesday evening and the presenter was talking about it. Half the UK ice hockey clubs are making social media posts riffing off the show, or at minimum using music from it in their updates.

But it's also more complicated. Zach Sullivan, one of the very very few out queer professional male hockey players in the world, made an Instagram post a few days ago, about how conflicted he feels about the show. Well worth a read if you have time. Heated Rivalry is a romantic fantasy, the hockey aspects are often wrong, and I agree with Zach that I'm not at all sure the enthusiasm over the show is making things better for closeted male players right now. (I hope it will in the long term, but I worry about the harm right now.)

Also, I am developing a visceral loathing for the phrase "boy aquarium" for hockey rinks.

  1. it's gross
  2. it's not just boys (men) who play ice hockey
  3. please stop sexualising the spaces where people play and get changed

That last point: I play with two mixed (male-dominated) teams, I get changed in the same room as the men, and because my teams are not gross and the changing room is not a sexualised space, I feel safe doing so. If I changed separately, I would miss out on a whole load of the team connection and conversation, all the stuff that creates a team out of a bunch of people who turn up in the same place each week. So I stay and change with my team, and it's not a big deal, and I don't want people to make it a big deal.

Tags:
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 10:15 pm
 
Here is my first attempt to making a graphic of a Storygraph Challenge. I completed 3 challenges this year (A-Z Challenge, Read Queer All Year and the Trans Rights Readathon), but making this one exhausted me, so until I find a better way, this will be it for graphics. Maybe one day Storygraph will make some shiny graphics for their challenges, I mean, it's right there in their title, yes? 


 
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 01:07 am
Dear Annie: I'm just heartbroken. My son moved out last year, and he never talked to me about anything before he moved. We were so close, and we always talked. But all of a sudden, he packed up and moved out with no explanation. He had met someone a year prior to that. I met her for a second, and that was it. I do know where he is living but he doesn't know that I know. He has a new baby boy; I don't even know his name, yet he is my grandson. I know that he has two stepdaughters, but I don't know their names either.

I kept trying to call him but get no response. Now his phone is disconnected. I'm so lost and confused as well as upset. I miss him dearly.

He is my only child. He did a great job in school and had his own business after he graduated from high school. I am trying so hard to go on with my life, but it's so hard not knowing how he is, or whether he is safe, healthy and happy. He was a very good kid, and now he's a man. I just hope and pray that he will come around some day. -- Mom Is Lost


Read more... )
Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 01:03 am
Ms. Marcus says that an occasional poem is a poem
written about something
important
or special
that's gonna happen
or already did.
Think of a specific occasion, she says—and write about it.

Like what?! Lamont asks.
He's all slouched down in his seat.
I don't feel like writing about no occasion.

How about your birthday?
Ms. Marcus says.
What about it? Just a birthday. Comes in June and it ain't
June, Lamont says. As a matter of fact,

he says, it's January and it's snowing.
Then his voice gets real low and he says
And when it's January and all cold like this
feels like June's a long, long ways away.


The whole class looks at Ms. Marcus.
Some of the kids are nodding.
Outside the sky looks like it's made out of metal
and the cold, cold air is rattling the windowpanes
and coming underneath them too.

I seen Lamont's coat.
It's gray and the sleeves are too short.
It's down but it looks like a lot of the feathers fell out
a long time ago.
Ms. Marcus got a nice coat.
It's down too but real puffy so
maybe when she's inside it
she can't even tell January from June.

Then write about January, Ms. Marcus says, that's
an occasion.

But she looks a little bit sad when she says it
Like she's sorry she ever brought the whole
occasional poem thing up.

I was gonna write about Mama's funeral
but Lamont and Ms. Marcus going back and forth
zapped all the ideas from my head.

I guess them arguing
on a Tuesday in January's an occasion
So I guess this is an occasional poem.

*************


Link
Monday, January 26th, 2026 06:00 pm
No real symptoms, but I'm a little stuffy and super sleepy.

******************************


Read more... )
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 12:16 am
In tonight's game, the rest under a cut for those who don't care. )

And that's where we left off.
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 12:11 am
DEAR ABBY: Our 24-year-old daughter is getting married in 10 months. My wife is invited to the wedding, but I am not, and I am furious. The groom's family is paying for the trip, but they say I am not invited "for financial reasons."

I don't have a great relationship with my daughter. But that isn't the point. I told my wife that if the roles were reversed and she was excluded, I would not go. This may be a deal-breaker for me. It's apparent that our marriage doesn't mean as much to my wife as it does to me. What are your thoughts? -- ELIMINATED IN TEXAS


Read more... )
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 09:55 pm
Dear Eric: My fiancé and I are facing an impasse regarding the guest list for our upcoming wedding. I want to exclude his brother's (the best man) wife from the invitation list.

She consistently refuses to engage with me socially, going no further than a brief "hi." There has been no conflict; she simply does not converse with me. Although, if I ask her about herself or what's going on in her life she will answer, but there's no back and forth. I doubt she even knows my name.

For context, my fiancé is Hungarian, and his family is small. Although she speaks English fluently, she is the only family member who never attempts to talk to me or ask me any questions. While they invited me to their wedding a few months ago, I believe it was purely out of obligation.

My fiancé says that excluding her will create drama. He has acknowledged her behavior is "mean-spirited" in the past, yet he excuses it as shyness. Saying she took years to warm up to him. I find this a poor excuse for a complete lack of basic manners, and I am unwilling to have a guest at my wedding who will not speak to me.

I have told my fiancé that he needs to discuss this with his brother, but he has not done so, and invitations are about to be sent out. I am intent on sending a clear message by not including her. And from now and until our wedding there won't be any more chances to interact as we don't live in the same country.

Am I overreacting or is it reasonable to save my money while also slighting her.

– Guest List


Read more... )
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 06:02 pm
 
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Wednesday, January 21, to midnight on Thursday, January 22. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34105 Daily Check-in
This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 24

How are you doing?

I am OK.
12 (52.2%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
11 (47.8%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
9 (37.5%)

One other person.
11 (45.8%)

More than one other person.
4 (16.7%)




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.
 
Tags:
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 06:15 pm
Reading Jean Baudrillard these days remains rewarding and thought-provoking, except for the occasional moment where he starts talking about nuclear proliferation and I realize he's taken several hundred words to say what Tom Lehrer could manage with just a fraction of that.

Sunday, January 25th, 2026 08:16 pm
That is not a sentence I want to read at any time in the morning.

(In celsius terms, it's -10 and feels like death.)

**********************


Read more... )
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 08:20 pm

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!



Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 11:30 am
House Concurrent Resolution 70 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 26 were introduced on January 15th by Representative Khanna (D - CA) and Senator Gallego (D - AZ).

I think it might be a good idea to ask congresspeople to support them.

https://congress.gov/bill/119-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/70

https://congress.gov/bill/119-congress/senate-concurrent-resolution/26

the main text of both under the cut )
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 11:44 am
Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 * Challenge #7 * Challenge #8 * Challenge #9 * Challenge #10 *

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #111 )

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 04:37 pm
Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. They live there. It is their country.

They are legally Danish citzens. Greenland is largely self-governing, with the possibility of becoming independent if they choose to.

Denmark can't "sell" them or their country because Denmark does not own them.

And after a number of centuries and some debate, a general consensus was arrived at that selling people is not ethically acceptable, you know?

Even if they wanted to, Denmark can't "sell" Trump Greenland any more than the UK could sell him Scotland.

Also N.B. 85-90% of the Greenlanders are Inuit.

I am very certain that this is absolutely about thinking that Native people don't really count as citizens and they don't really own their land; it is Terra Nullius, and they can be sold off in a deal between the "real" nations of Denmark and the US.

(Or their land can be sold out from under them and they can just be forced elsewhere, which I'm sure Trump would be just fine with.)

If the US wanted to try to ethically acquire Greenland, it could talk to the government of Greenland and offer them a great deal with significant benefits if they wanted to become independent and then have a free association deal with the US.

Or rather, it could have, maybe, because now the Greenlanders are fucking pissed off and scared over the threats and offers to buy them, and if they have to choose between the US and Denmark they are unambiguously choosing Denmark:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgx8w4pgk0o
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/14/us-invasion-threat-greenland-trump-denmark
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 11:22 am
Last month I was rereading one of Alaric Albertsson's books( think it was 'To Walk a Pagan Path') and there was a chapter on creating a calendar meaningful to where you actually live...so I decided that this was going to be one of my projects for this yr.
It's pretty simple; just Journal what happens each month in the natural world around you. I live presently in E Tennessee and actually, the Solstices and Equinoxes pretty well "map" here in Loudon County but we can fine tune things.
This yr, of course, had to be anomalous;>! Normally, within a couple weeks of Winter Solstice we get temps in the high teens. This yr until last week it had actually got to 70F! Now, it's "seasonal" with today in the 40's.Due to the warmth my neighbor's early Daffs budded up and right now they don't look like they'd recover. Me? Mine are breaking ground and at least one Snowdrop has buds, though most are just breaking ground a well.
We've also got Canadian Geese, Ducks and at least one Heron here on the inlet....a BIT early.
Preliminary name for 1st month; "Frikkn Freezing Moon";>!
Cheers,
Pat
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 05:26 pm
I'm happy to do more top 10s in this post, especially if they have to do with TTRPGs tbh, I forgot I love listing D&D things.


These past few days have been really stressful due to a combination of my sister hogging the washing machine, lack of money, PMS, and yet another delivery that was marked as received when it wasn't, which meant I had to call the store I ordered from yesterday to see if they can do something about that. I would have done it sooner but my brain was not cooperating in the slightest.

Today is -- extremely weird, to be honest, but I did get good news in the form of my mom's request for financial aid being approved and a date for when she'll get the first payment, which is a huge weight off my chest. We just need to survive until March 1, which is... fine? Probably? (Any help is extremely appreciated.)

But holy shit my brain is so confused, y'all. I do not get it. I don't get anything is how confused I am. Who am I. What do I do with my life. I have lists! I have Finch! I have a planner! I have a Trello with multiple possibilities of things to do! I have a page on my planner for stuff I want to watch/read/try! What is wrong with me. (It's my brain recalibrating, I assume. I've had to push down so much anxiety I've had nightmares every fucking day since last Monday. I don't not get it, logically. But feeling it is disconcerting.)
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 03:30 pm
A post by Naomi Kritzer:

https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/

This also has advice on how to start preparing for if and when this shit comes to your home state.

(If you are in Minnesota: https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/19/how-to-help-twin-cities-residents/ )
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026 03:29 pm
A post by Naomi Kritzer:

https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/

This also has advice on how to start preparing for if and when this shit comes to your home state.

(If you are in Minnesota: https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/19/how-to-help-twin-cities-residents/ )