current fandom events
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snowflake_challenge is currently running throughout the month of January! You can jump in and catch up anytime. gamechangerhr is a community dedicated to Game Changers book series/Heated Rivalry TV series. Discussions & fanworks on Rachel Reid's other Hockey Romance books are also allowed/welcome. bookclub_dw is a Monthly Book Club where a host will pick three books, participants vote on them, and everyone reads the winner/discusses later.moodthemeinayear is a low-pressure community dedicated to creating a custom mood themeallbingo is running a Public Domain Bingo Fest through the month of January. There are pre-made cards or you can create your own based on the available prompts. candyheartsex, an exchange focused on both platonic and romantic relationships, is still open for sign-ups until January 7th, 11:59PM EST.purimgifts, an exchange focused on characters who are at least one of: women, Jewish, or persecuted (preferably by evil viziers), is open for both nominations and sign-ups until January 9th.rewrite_a_fic is a low-commitment, multi-fandom event dedicated to rewriting a fic you've written before. More info can be found HERE.fandom_empire is running a Monopoly Challenge. Sign-ups are open until January 15th, 11:59PM UTC. fancake's theme of the month is: crack treated seriously. Click on the banner below to learn more. 
friending_memes is hosting a new one for the New Year! 
Click the banner to join us and make some new friends!
Fandom things
6 Jan 2026 05:43 pmsholiocandyheartsex signups close tomorrow! I was going to try to do it this year, but ... I just don't think it's a good idea. I'm starting to really need a break from exchanges, so I'm going to take a couple months off (aside from the ones I already have, which will be over when Festivids wraps up at the end of January) and then show up again when H/C-ex signups open in March.Amperslash is still looking for two pinch hits! You can find the details here at the Amperslash comm.
• PH 3 - 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018), 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
• PH 9 - Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Honor Harrington Series - David Weber, The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison
If any of those sound like you might want to write them, the exchange has already had several delays and fingers crossed it'll be able to get them filled and open on time! I know there used to be some Guardian people around here; I don't know if anyone's still actively writing in it, or might be able to advertise the PH in Guardian-centric fandom spaces?
Poem: "Done to Perfection"
6 Jan 2026 08:24 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is from today's fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Pain's Gray thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Done to Perfection"
-- a cinquain
Pain's Gray
bakes French pastries --
beignets and petits fours,
choux à la crème and tartes des Alpes --
exquis.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the cinquain form.
French pastries include beignets, choux à la crème, petits fours, and tartes des Alpes.
exquis
French: delightful, delicious
fuzzyred. It belongs to the Pain's Gray thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Done to Perfection"
-- a cinquain
Pain's Gray
bakes French pastries --
beignets and petits fours,
choux à la crème and tartes des Alpes --
exquis.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the cinquain form.
French pastries include beignets, choux à la crème, petits fours, and tartes des Alpes.
exquis
French: delightful, delicious
snowflake day 2: pets
6 Jan 2026 09:28 pmsixbeforelunch
Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom
I originally wasn't going to do this one because it got me thinking about Phoebe and I was sad, but then I decided I wanted to talk a little about Phoebe and let myself be sad.
( CN: Pet death )
snowflake challenge #1
6 Jan 2026 06:09 pmsvgurl
Challenge #1:
The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
I'm svgurl. I'm in my 30s, and have been actively part of fandom on and off since 2007, when I created my LJ. The SV part of my username stands for Smallville, which was my original fandom and I was very mono fandom for years.
My profile is up to date and gives a little background history and the fandoms/ships I'm interested in. I'm focused on 9-1-1/Buddie these days, but I still love MCU, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, and past favorites do come up from time to time.
I can be found on various places:
AO3:
Tumblr:
Discord: svgurl
I mod:
comment_bingo: a bingo challenge that promotes commenting on other fanworks using the provided promptsrarefemslashexchange: a rare f/f fandom exchange that runs once a yearThis is my 5th year participating in the Snowflake Challenge and I really love the way it gives everyone a chance to interact with people that you normally wouldn't. I am not comfortable with just going to someone's journal and talk to them out of the blue, so it's nice that this gives you a chance to do just that. I am looking forward to doing more of that and meet more people on here as well! :)
Poem: "Beneath the Sea"
6 Jan 2026 08:05 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is from today's Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Seas Beneath" square in my 1-6-26 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken and Mercedes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Beneath the Sea"
-- a hexaduad
Jules reads
job feeds.
Come work beneath the sea!
Stock Cans; room and board free.
He knows it's good work and good pay,
but should he go or should he stay?
Tides rise and fall,
feelings, sea call.
Beach, a liminal place;
teen, in similar space.
Jules scans the shore,
texts, Tell me more.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the hexaduad form.
dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Seas Beneath" square in my 1-6-26 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken and Mercedes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series."Beneath the Sea"
-- a hexaduad
Jules reads
job feeds.
Come work beneath the sea!
Stock Cans; room and board free.
He knows it's good work and good pay,
but should he go or should he stay?
Tides rise and fall,
feelings, sea call.
Beach, a liminal place;
teen, in similar space.
Jules scans the shore,
texts, Tell me more.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the hexaduad form.
fic post - Yuletide
6 Jan 2026 07:19 pmalchemiseI wrote for True Detective: Night Country this year and kind of just sunk myself into this world for a couple of months. Did a bunch of research on polar night, only to have to acknowledge that the show just hand-waved whatever it wanted so I followed suit. I love these characters so much that I had an absolute blast writing this.
Endless Night (4657 words) by alchemise
Fandom: True Detective: Night Country (TV)
Relationships: Liz Danvers/Evangeline Navarro
Characters: Liz Danvers (True Detective: Night Country), Evangeline Navarro, Peter Prior, Rose Aguineau, Bee Malee
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Horror, Cosmic Horror, environmental horror
Summary: Liz hadn’t intended to watch the first sunrise of the year.
( fic )
Endless Night (4657 words) by alchemise
Fandom: True Detective: Night Country (TV)
Relationships: Liz Danvers/Evangeline Navarro
Characters: Liz Danvers (True Detective: Night Country), Evangeline Navarro, Peter Prior, Rose Aguineau, Bee Malee
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Horror, Cosmic Horror, environmental horror
Summary: Liz hadn’t intended to watch the first sunrise of the year.
( fic )
Daily Check-In
6 Jan 2026 05:58 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 Tuesday, January 6, to midnight on Wednesday, January 7. (8pm Eastern Time).
Poll #34053 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 13
How are you doing?
I am OK.
7 (53.8%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
6 (46.2%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
5 (38.5%)
One other person.
5 (38.5%)
More than one other person.
3 (23.1%)
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.
her little boy lost in our little world that hated
6 Jan 2026 06:56 pmmusesfoolBack at work, but thankfully 1. I don't have to commute, and 2. we are having no-meeting week, so I can just cross one major task off my list every day without adding new things like meeting notes or whatever.
I think the thing I've enjoyed most about the ancillary explosion of joy around Heated Rivalry is the two hockey podcasts that engaged fully and open-heartedly with it (well, and the proliferation of "Ilya gets added to the WAG chat" fic). Normally hockey podcast bros are not a species I have time for (aside from not being good at podcasts or audiobooks in general), but the Empty Netters dudes were super adorable in their reviews, and they also interviewed Ksenia Daniela with great excitement and are scheduled to have Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie on soon.
I also enjoyed What Chaos's less in-depth but still positive look at the show, and they have a couple of interviews with Jacob Tierney available that I haven't watched yet. I was also very pleased when, during a discussion about Shane's ginger ale habit, one of the dudes started talking about a restaurant(?) that lets you choose ginger ale or 7Up for your Shirley Temples, and I was like, "gotta go with ginger ale on that" and then the guy was like, "and the ones with ginger ale are great!" Because that is the legit truth, my friends. I'm not saying I won't drink a Shirley Temple with 7UP, but I am saying that the ones with ginger ale are 1. how we made them when I was a kid, and 2. better. I was reminded of how we ordered one every night at the free cocktail hour on that cruise we went on back in 2015, which definitely made an impression on the staff. *g* (Princess Donut also approves.)
So I feel like those were a great extender of joy, if you are in need. It's really lovely to see some cishet hockey dudes becoming fans of m/m romance.
In other fannish news, I just read that Sebastian Stan may be in Matt Reeve's The Batman, Part 2 and I don't want to get my hopes up or get fixated on a specific part for him to play, but like, wouldn't he be a fantastic Harvey Dent/Two-Face??? GIVE IT TO ME.
Scarlett Johansson has also been rumored to be involved somehow, and she'd have to be like, Poison Ivy, right? Though maybe they're going with more of a Mask of the Phantasm type thing and she'll be Andrea Beaumont? But I am not sure I buy Battinson as having a girlfriend before Selina, and also, why would you try to compete with Mask of the Phantasm? It's so good, you're just setting yourself up for not measuring up. (I guess she could be Talia, but I hope not.)
I guess we'll see what materializes! I'm kind of sad that they are not in continuity with James Gunn's Superman, because that would be fun to see.
*
I think the thing I've enjoyed most about the ancillary explosion of joy around Heated Rivalry is the two hockey podcasts that engaged fully and open-heartedly with it (well, and the proliferation of "Ilya gets added to the WAG chat" fic). Normally hockey podcast bros are not a species I have time for (aside from not being good at podcasts or audiobooks in general), but the Empty Netters dudes were super adorable in their reviews, and they also interviewed Ksenia Daniela with great excitement and are scheduled to have Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie on soon.
I also enjoyed What Chaos's less in-depth but still positive look at the show, and they have a couple of interviews with Jacob Tierney available that I haven't watched yet. I was also very pleased when, during a discussion about Shane's ginger ale habit, one of the dudes started talking about a restaurant(?) that lets you choose ginger ale or 7Up for your Shirley Temples, and I was like, "gotta go with ginger ale on that" and then the guy was like, "and the ones with ginger ale are great!" Because that is the legit truth, my friends. I'm not saying I won't drink a Shirley Temple with 7UP, but I am saying that the ones with ginger ale are 1. how we made them when I was a kid, and 2. better. I was reminded of how we ordered one every night at the free cocktail hour on that cruise we went on back in 2015, which definitely made an impression on the staff. *g* (Princess Donut also approves.)
So I feel like those were a great extender of joy, if you are in need. It's really lovely to see some cishet hockey dudes becoming fans of m/m romance.
In other fannish news, I just read that Sebastian Stan may be in Matt Reeve's The Batman, Part 2 and I don't want to get my hopes up or get fixated on a specific part for him to play, but like, wouldn't he be a fantastic Harvey Dent/Two-Face??? GIVE IT TO ME.
Scarlett Johansson has also been rumored to be involved somehow, and she'd have to be like, Poison Ivy, right? Though maybe they're going with more of a Mask of the Phantasm type thing and she'll be Andrea Beaumont? But I am not sure I buy Battinson as having a girlfriend before Selina, and also, why would you try to compete with Mask of the Phantasm? It's so good, you're just setting yourself up for not measuring up. (I guess she could be Talia, but I hope not.)
I guess we'll see what materializes! I'm kind of sad that they are not in continuity with James Gunn's Superman, because that would be fun to see.
*
Signups Closing Tomorrow!
6 Jan 2026 06:33 pmcandyheartsexRemember, signups will close tomorrow night (January 7) at 11:59 PM EST.
Here's a countdown clock.
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Science
6 Jan 2026 04:26 pmysabetwordsmithNearly all women in STEM secretly feel like impostors
A striking 97.5% of women pursuing graduate degrees in STEM report moderate or higher levels of impostorism.
Nearly all women in STEM graduate programs report feeling like impostors, despite strong evidence of success. This mindset leads many to dismiss their achievements as luck and fear being “found out.” Research links impostorism to worse mental health, higher burnout, and increased thoughts of dropping out. Supportive environments and shifting beliefs about intelligence may help break the cycle.
That's probably because 97.5% of their male coworkers are misogynistic assholes, and so are a lot of people even outside of STEM.
After decades of being told that girls are bad at math, go play with dolls, harassment as soon as their breasts start growing, male students being put in charge of groups, professors stealing their work, getting lower grades than they deserve, struggling to find a job, their name being left off papers or awards, promotions going to less-qualified males, fighting for funds ... of course women realize that they are aren't wanted, aren't welcome, and nobody likes them.
The last 2.5% of women in STEM? They don't give a shit if people like them, and they aren't there to stroke anyone's ego or penis. Shut up and work. Impostor syndrome? It can be beaten to death with facts.
A striking 97.5% of women pursuing graduate degrees in STEM report moderate or higher levels of impostorism.
Nearly all women in STEM graduate programs report feeling like impostors, despite strong evidence of success. This mindset leads many to dismiss their achievements as luck and fear being “found out.” Research links impostorism to worse mental health, higher burnout, and increased thoughts of dropping out. Supportive environments and shifting beliefs about intelligence may help break the cycle.
That's probably because 97.5% of their male coworkers are misogynistic assholes, and so are a lot of people even outside of STEM.
After decades of being told that girls are bad at math, go play with dolls, harassment as soon as their breasts start growing, male students being put in charge of groups, professors stealing their work, getting lower grades than they deserve, struggling to find a job, their name being left off papers or awards, promotions going to less-qualified males, fighting for funds ... of course women realize that they are aren't wanted, aren't welcome, and nobody likes them.
The last 2.5% of women in STEM? They don't give a shit if people like them, and they aren't there to stroke anyone's ego or penis. Shut up and work. Impostor syndrome? It can be beaten to death with facts.
Birdfeeding
6 Jan 2026 03:23 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Prompt 2720: Black & White
6 Jan 2026 10:19 pmimmortalje posting in dailyiconsToday's prompt is: black & white
• You have 2 days time to submit an icon for this prompt (in other words, until prompt 2722 gets posted)!
• Prompt 2718 has been closed.
• If you have any questions regarding the prompt, feel free to ask in a comment.
• To submit an icon you simply reply to this post with the following information:
Icon:
Claim: (only necessary if it's a specific claim)
Status: (e.g. #1/10 - number of icon completed/table size)
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bloodydisgustingrss_feedIf this morning’s new trailer and poster weren’t enough to sell you on Send Help, the first clip from Sam Raimi‘s darkly comedic survival thriller is playing below.
In the video, undervalued accountant Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is denied a promotion by her entitled new boss, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) — because, despite being great with numbers, she can’t charm a room, make a deal, or golf.
Little do the colleagues know, they’ll soon be stranded together on a deserted island as the lone survivors of a plane crash. They’ll have to overcome past grievances and work together in order to survive.
Edyll Ismail (“La Brea”), Dennis Haysbert (“24”), Xavier Samuel (The Loves Ones), Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians), Thaneth Warakulnukroh (“Thai Cave Rescue”), and Emma Raimi (Sam Raimi’s daughter) round out the cast.
Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason, Friday the 13th 2009) penned the script. Danny Elfman (Spider-Man, Beetlejuice) composed the score.
Raimi produces alongside Zainab Azizi (65, Don’t Move) for Raimi Productions, with JJ Hook (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Bumblebee) serving as executive producer.
Send Help early sneak preview screenings will take place on January 24 before the film hits theaters and 3D on January 30 via 20th Century Studios.
The post Rachel McAdams Is Denied a Promotion by Dylan O’Brien in First ‘Send Help’ Clip appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
(no subject)
6 Jan 2026 04:07 pmshadarasOver the last ~week, hafnia and I went "sooooo what if we ran a multifandom remix event" and now it is up and ready for signups! We're hoping it'll be a fun time, and we'd love to have you join us. <3
Remix Through the Seasons is a quarterly, trope-based multifandom event hosted on ao3.
Participants will write one new story (between 1-5k) and then be assigned another story written for the event to remix. These stories can be in any fandom (including Original Work). Matching will be based on the stories' tropes (and creator DNWs) rather than pairings/fandoms. Remixing works from one fandom into another is allowed (even expected).
Schedule:
Signups open: Now!
Signups close: January 24
Assignments sent: January 31
Original works revealed: January 31
Remix works due: March 14
Remix works reveals: March 21
All author reveals: March 28
All due dates etc are at 11:59pm GMT on the listed date
DW Comm:seasonalremix
Ao3 Collection
(getting everything finalised involved spending a couple hours on a discord call editing the gdoc full of rules and only occasionally getting distracted talking about other things, which tbh is pretty good for how many moving parts there can be for stuff like this and how easy it can be to get sidetracked talking to your bestie. we think the rules are clear! ask questions [preferably on the comm] if they aren't! <3)
hafnia and I went "sooooo what if we ran a multifandom remix event" and now it is up and ready for signups! We're hoping it'll be a fun time, and we'd love to have you join us. <3Remix Through the Seasons is a quarterly, trope-based multifandom event hosted on ao3.
Participants will write one new story (between 1-5k) and then be assigned another story written for the event to remix. These stories can be in any fandom (including Original Work). Matching will be based on the stories' tropes (and creator DNWs) rather than pairings/fandoms. Remixing works from one fandom into another is allowed (even expected).
Schedule:
Signups open: Now!
Signups close: January 24
Assignments sent: January 31
Original works revealed: January 31
Remix works due: March 14
Remix works reveals: March 21
All author reveals: March 28
All due dates etc are at 11:59pm GMT on the listed date
DW Comm:
seasonalremixAo3 Collection
(getting everything finalised involved spending a couple hours on a discord call editing the gdoc full of rules and only occasionally getting distracted talking about other things, which tbh is pretty good for how many moving parts there can be for stuff like this and how easy it can be to get sidetracked talking to your bestie. we think the rules are clear! ask questions [preferably on the comm] if they aren't! <3)
Nature diary
6 Jan 2026 09:17 pmsignoftea posting in common_natureIt started snowing yesterday, and now there's about 5 cm of snow, an amount that is very rare here. I went for a walk to see the beach, because it looks so cool when it's covered in snow. To my surprise, there was even ice on the water! A fragile crust of little floes had formed and seemed to slow down the movement of the waves as they licked the snow away from the breakwater bit by bit.
At first, I didn't hear any bird calls. I did see a few sanderlings darting around, some big birds (probably black-backed gulls) hovering over the sea, and a huge swarm of smaller birds, but they were all far away. I was about to leave when suddenly an impressive formation of geese appeared in the sky. My birding app identified them as barnacle geese. Then the app recorded some more calls, including one from a dunling, a bird I had never seen or heard before.
The snow and the greyish sky skewed my perspective in interesting ways, so that it looked like there were mountains growing out of the sea near the horizon, or like there was a huge wave rolling towards the beach. It felt surreal and a little eerie.
At first, I didn't hear any bird calls. I did see a few sanderlings darting around, some big birds (probably black-backed gulls) hovering over the sea, and a huge swarm of smaller birds, but they were all far away. I was about to leave when suddenly an impressive formation of geese appeared in the sky. My birding app identified them as barnacle geese. Then the app recorded some more calls, including one from a dunling, a bird I had never seen or heard before.
The snow and the greyish sky skewed my perspective in interesting ways, so that it looked like there were mountains growing out of the sea near the horizon, or like there was a huge wave rolling towards the beach. It felt surreal and a little eerie.
Movies: We Bury the Dead, Red Rooms
6 Jan 2026 12:21 pmsnickficClearing out the last of my movies watched last year.
We Bury the Dead (2026). After an American experimental weapons accident kills every human and animal on Madascar, an American woman (Daisy Ridley) comes to help identify bodies and search for her husband who was on a work retreat there. Also sometimes the dead don't stay dead.
As someone who is pretty over zombie movies, I liked this one quite a bit. First of all, it's Australian, and boy can you feel it. This is not your Hollywood zombie blockbuster or even your Danny Boyle zombie blockbuster. For starters, we spend relatively little time running from or fighting zombies. In fact, these are the most ambiguously threatening zombies I can remember seeing in a long long time, and I liked how much that complicated the story. It's also beautifully shot with great atmosphere and a score that really adds to the mood of the whole thing. And I really appreciated how our understanding of the central couple's married relationship gets more complicated as the film goes on.
That said, ( spoilers )
This movie feels like it invites comparison to 28 Years Later, if only by accident, given the timing. I know 28 Years Later has a lot of fans, and I didn't hate it, but overall I liked this a lot better for the indie feel, the focus on a female character, and honestly because I liked the cinematography better.
Anyway, it's out in theaters now. If it sounds fun, I recommend it!
--
Red Rooms (2023). A French-Canadian film about two female true crime fans following the trial of a man accused of raping and murdering underage teen girls. This movie is beautifully made, and with really visible care and precision. The director knew what he wanted to make, and he went for it. The result is moody and fucked up without ever feeling exploitative (to me); this is very much about the groupies, not about the man on trial, and we never seen the horrifying footage at the center of the trial.
It's also shippy as hell. Our main gal Kelly-Anne is a wealthy model and computer hacker who professes herself to be "not bad with numbers," who's obsessed with the trial for reasons that are to some extent left to the viewer, while Clementine is a less well-heeled diehard apologist for the man at the center of the trial and is convinced he's innocent. Somehow out of these two, it's Clementine who feels like the more well-adjusted person; it's questionable whether Kelly-Anne has any friends at all, and yet maybe Clementine becomes one. As a friend of mine described it, "Clementine’s more open neediness draws out a reciprocal vulnerability from Kelly-Anne."
High rec from me. If any of this sounds appealing to you, definitely check it out.
We Bury the Dead (2026). After an American experimental weapons accident kills every human and animal on Madascar, an American woman (Daisy Ridley) comes to help identify bodies and search for her husband who was on a work retreat there. Also sometimes the dead don't stay dead.
As someone who is pretty over zombie movies, I liked this one quite a bit. First of all, it's Australian, and boy can you feel it. This is not your Hollywood zombie blockbuster or even your Danny Boyle zombie blockbuster. For starters, we spend relatively little time running from or fighting zombies. In fact, these are the most ambiguously threatening zombies I can remember seeing in a long long time, and I liked how much that complicated the story. It's also beautifully shot with great atmosphere and a score that really adds to the mood of the whole thing. And I really appreciated how our understanding of the central couple's married relationship gets more complicated as the film goes on.
That said, ( spoilers )
This movie feels like it invites comparison to 28 Years Later, if only by accident, given the timing. I know 28 Years Later has a lot of fans, and I didn't hate it, but overall I liked this a lot better for the indie feel, the focus on a female character, and honestly because I liked the cinematography better.
Anyway, it's out in theaters now. If it sounds fun, I recommend it!
--
Red Rooms (2023). A French-Canadian film about two female true crime fans following the trial of a man accused of raping and murdering underage teen girls. This movie is beautifully made, and with really visible care and precision. The director knew what he wanted to make, and he went for it. The result is moody and fucked up without ever feeling exploitative (to me); this is very much about the groupies, not about the man on trial, and we never seen the horrifying footage at the center of the trial.
It's also shippy as hell. Our main gal Kelly-Anne is a wealthy model and computer hacker who professes herself to be "not bad with numbers," who's obsessed with the trial for reasons that are to some extent left to the viewer, while Clementine is a less well-heeled diehard apologist for the man at the center of the trial and is convinced he's innocent. Somehow out of these two, it's Clementine who feels like the more well-adjusted person; it's questionable whether Kelly-Anne has any friends at all, and yet maybe Clementine becomes one. As a friend of mine described it, "Clementine’s more open neediness draws out a reciprocal vulnerability from Kelly-Anne."
High rec from me. If any of this sounds appealing to you, definitely check it out.
Write Every day 2026: January, Day 6
6 Jan 2026 09:20 pmtrobadoraThird headache day in a row; this sucks. (Today is a bit better than yesterday, but I want it to go away! *kicks it*)
Today's writing
Just a littlefandomtrees work, but I'm really losing momentum here. :(
(I did finish mycandyheartsex letter last night, at least. Now I just have to hope someone requests something I can write ... Sign-ups are still open until tomorrow, btw!)
Tally
Day 1:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, philomytha, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 2:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 3:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 4:alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 5:badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilme
Day 6:china_shop, trobadora
Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
Today's writing
Just a little
fandomtrees work, but I'm really losing momentum here. :((I did finish my
candyheartsex letter last night, at least. Now I just have to hope someone requests something I can write ... Sign-ups are still open until tomorrow, btw!)Tally
Day 1:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, philomytha, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 2:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 3:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 4:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 5:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, chanter1944, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadora, ysilmeDay 6:
china_shop, trobadoraLet me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
Haiku
6 Jan 2026 02:07 pmysabetwordsmithThis is today's freebie, inspired by a prompt from jake67jake.
Maduro kidnapped --
he was quite unpopular,
but it was still wrong
* * *
Notes:
Read a discussion of Venezuela politics.
jake67jake. Maduro kidnapped --
he was quite unpopular,
but it was still wrong
* * *
Notes:
Read a discussion of Venezuela politics.
Just one thing: 6 January 2026
6 Jan 2026 02:00 pmjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt'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!
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!
bloodydisgustingrss_feed“Fear Factor: House of Fear,” a reboot of the reality competition series hosted by Johnny Knoxville (“Jackass”), will make viewers anxious earlier than expected.
Fox is giving the show a special advance premiere this Sunday, January 11, immediately following the network’s coverage of the NFL wildcard game, which kicks off at 4:30pm ET and is expected to wrap up around 8:00pm ET.
“Fear Factor: House of Fear” will then air in its regular Wednesday slot on January 14 at 9pm on Fox. It will be preceded by a “Fear Night” themed episode of The Masked Singer at 8pm.
This version of “Fear Factor” drops 14 strangers into a remote location to live together and face mind-blowing stunts, harrowing challenges, and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting — and fear is a weapon.
Only one contestant conquers all their fears and walks away with the grand prize: $200,000.
Contestants include high school physics teacher Blake, Spelling to Communicate practitioner Chelsea, salon owner Damienne, aerospace engineer Danielle, soccer player Dida, emergency dispatcher Ethan, marketing professional Jayleen, teacher’s aid Jeni, school counselor Kristen, flight attendant Lance, eBike business owner Rob, retired NYPD detective Rodney, stay-at-home mom Tyler, and unemployed coal miner Zach.
Joe Rogan hosted “Fear Factor” during its original run on NBC from 2001-2006 and again for its revival in 2011-2012. Ludacris served as host for MTV’s iteration of the show from 2017-2018.
The post Johnny Knoxville’s ‘Fear Factor: House of Fear’ Gets Early Premiere This Sunday appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
"Stop sending butt plugs to Bahrain"
6 Jan 2026 02:28 pmkathleen_daileyToronto sex store receives letters from U.S. Department of War.
[Grace] Bennett questioned whether or not the American soldiers stationed in Bahrain have been directly notified on what they are allowed to order to the country.
"I don’t know why they’re sending me very cross letters saying, 'Stop sending items that could cause bodily harm to this country,'" Bennett said. "This sounds like a you problem. The call was coming from inside the house."
bloodydisgustingrss_feedIf you thought facial recognition was a horror story in the making, indie Japanese developer/publisher Smiley Dog Studio is making it a reality with DON’T STOP SMILING. Coming to Steam Q2 2026, this first-person psychological horror game makes the player’s own face and their expression the core mechanic for survival.
The premise is deceptively simple: using your PC’s web camera, DON’T STOP SMILING tracks your smile. If your smile fades—even for a moment—you die. While this might seem easy, the game takes inspiration from looping corridor horror mechanic from titles such as P.T., requiring players to navigate an ever-changing dimly lit Japanese high school while you’re showing off your pearly whites.
Along the way, you’ll be solving puzzles and confronting some disturbing situations. Luckily, there’s no combat or chase sequences to make it totally unfair, but it’s not so easy to maintain a smile when you’re scared, is it?
The developer’s goal with this simple rule is to create “a uniquely disturbing experience built on tension, guilt, and forced emotion.” The more the situation makes smiling impossible, the more your body and emotions become directly tied to the horror unfolding on screen.
Those puzzles you’ll be solving aren’t meant to make you feel clever or have a feeling of satisfaction when solved, either. Instead, the actions required to progress—such as being complicit in harmful acts involving others or making morally troubling choices—are intentionally crafted to evoke guilt, disgust, and psychological discomfort.
The post Expression Is Your Key to Survival in Psychological Horror Game ‘DON’T STOP SMILING’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
‘Whistle’ Trailer – ‘The Nun’ Director Summons Your Death Next Month
6 Jan 2026 06:19 pmbloodydisgustingrss_feedDying is not a choice in Whistle, the latest from The Nun director Corin Hardy. Don’t blow it with the new trailer and poster below.
The cursed object horror movie opens in theaters on February 6 via Independent Film Company and Shudder.
It follows a misfit group of unwitting high school students who stumble upon an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. Soon, they discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.
As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the cursed artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion.
Dafne Keen (Logan), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Jhaleil Swaby (“Supergirl”), Ali Skovbye (“Firefly Lane”), Percy Hynes White (“Wednesday”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) star.
Owen Egerton (Blood Fest) wrote the script, based on his own short story.
David Gross (Room), Whitney Brown (The First Omen), Macdara Kelleher (Evil Dead Rise), and John Keville (Evil Dead Rise) produce. John Friedberg (Longlegs) is among the executive producers.
Whistle is rated R for “strong violent content, gore, drug content, and some language.”
The post ‘Whistle’ Trailer – ‘The Nun’ Director Summons Your Death Next Month appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
Poetry Fishbowl Open!
6 Jan 2026 01:11 pmysabetwordsmithStarting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "short forms." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
I'll be soliciting poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 168 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.
In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. I also list gender identities and my characters with disabilities. Want to help me play with my bookshelf? :D I have The Conflict Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2, The Occupation Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. Simply click "Read Sample" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.
( Read more... )
I'll be soliciting poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 168 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.
In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. I also list gender identities and my characters with disabilities. Want to help me play with my bookshelf? :D I have The Conflict Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2, The Occupation Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. Simply click "Read Sample" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.
( Read more... )
The Emperor Has No Wits
6 Jan 2026 01:54 pmjjhunterNo one really believes Donald Trump is going to last. At the rate he's been declining, it would be a minor medical miracle if he survives to the end of his current term.
( Read more... )
tl;dr Who wants to live subject to immoral leaders and exploitive self-sabotaging systems? We are capable of better, and we do have collective powers to choose better and deny support to worse. Let's exercise those powers while we still can avert most of worst.
( Read more... )
tl;dr Who wants to live subject to immoral leaders and exploitive self-sabotaging systems? We are capable of better, and we do have collective powers to choose better and deny support to worse. Let's exercise those powers while we still can avert most of worst.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers
6 Jan 2026 10:57 amrachelmanija
Once upon a time, the moon Panga was industrial and capitalist and miserable. Then robots suddenly and inexplicably gained self-awareness. They chose to stop working, leave human habitation, and go into the wilderness. The humans not only didn't try to stop them, but this event somehow precipitated a huge political change. Half of Panga was left to the wilderness, and humans developed a kinder, ecologically friendly, sustainable way of life. But the robots were never seen again.
That's all backstory. When the book opens, Sibling Dex, a nonbinary monk, is dissatisfied with their life for reasons unclear to themself. They leave the monastery to become a traveling tea monk, which is a sort of counselor: you tell the monk your troubles, and the monk listens and fixes you a cup of tea. Dex's first day on the job is hilariously disastrous, but they get better and better, until they're very good at it... but still inexplicably dissatisfied. So they venture out into the wilderness, where they meet a robot, Mosscap - the first human-robot meeting in hundreds of years.
I had previously failed to get very far into The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novella. It's cozy in a good way, with plenty of atmosphere, a world that isn't quite perfect but is definitely one I'd like to live in, and some interesting philosophical exploration. My favorite part was actually Dex's life as a tea monk before they meet Mosscap - it's very relatable if you've ever been a counselor or therapist, from the horrible first day to the pleasure of familiar clients later on. I would absolutely go to a tea monk.
I would have liked Mosscap to be a bit more flawed - it's very lovable and has a lot of interesting things to say, but is pretty much always right. Mosscap is surprised and delighted by humanity, but I'm not sure Dex ever shakes up its worldview in a way it finds true but uncomfortable, which Mosscap repeatedly does to Dex. Maybe in the second novella, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.
And while I'm on things which are implausibly neat/perfect, this is a puzzling backstory:
1) Robots gain self-awareness and leave.
2) ????
3)
Maybe we'll learn more about the ???? later.
But overall, I did quite like the novella. The parts where Dex is a tea monk, with the interactions with their clients and their life in their caravan, are very successfully cozy - an instant comfort read. And I liked the robot society and the religious orders, as well as a lot of the Mosscap/Dex relationship. I'll definitely read the sequel.
Pass It On 6
6 Jan 2026 01:11 pminnitmarvelous_og posting in iconthat
LINK: https://i.imgur.com/V5e1tWp.jpg
Next: Andor Season 2 (Star Wars)
just putting this out there
6 Jan 2026 10:04 ammuccamukk(Which is def not me procrastinating on homework on the second day of a new term.)
If you use a rich text editor to post to DW so that it does all the coding for you, and you don't have to worry about it, it has the potential to make your posts very difficult to read without clicking through to see the journal in your style. A lot of the rich text editors override the page layouts and styles selected by the user (ie, in this case, me, who is not very tech savvy, so apologies if the terminology is wrong, please correct me in comments!).
To show you what it looks like... ( please click through, rather than expanding the cut tag )
It could also be an issue if you force your font to a particular typeface or size, which overrides people who set their journal style with a typeface/size that they need for accessibility reasons (e.g. low vision or dyslexia).
I'm not trying to call anyone out! (The styles are made up examples.) I don't want to discourage using rich text editors, which make posting so easy for people. I just think that everyone is maybe not aware that this is how their posts look on people's reading page.
I've never used a rich text editor, so I have no idea how to tell it just to post text without modifying the colour/size/typeface, but maybe someone in comments can let me know?
There's probably also a way to make my browser strip out people's customisations, though times I've tried that it's ended up with some pretty odd results, so I gave up on it.
If you use a rich text editor to post to DW so that it does all the coding for you, and you don't have to worry about it, it has the potential to make your posts very difficult to read without clicking through to see the journal in your style. A lot of the rich text editors override the page layouts and styles selected by the user (ie, in this case, me, who is not very tech savvy, so apologies if the terminology is wrong, please correct me in comments!).
To show you what it looks like... ( please click through, rather than expanding the cut tag )
It could also be an issue if you force your font to a particular typeface or size, which overrides people who set their journal style with a typeface/size that they need for accessibility reasons (e.g. low vision or dyslexia).
I'm not trying to call anyone out! (The styles are made up examples.) I don't want to discourage using rich text editors, which make posting so easy for people. I just think that everyone is maybe not aware that this is how their posts look on people's reading page.
I've never used a rich text editor, so I have no idea how to tell it just to post text without modifying the colour/size/typeface, but maybe someone in comments can let me know?
There's probably also a way to make my browser strip out people's customisations, though times I've tried that it's ended up with some pretty odd results, so I gave up on it.