Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday
Dec. 23rd, 2025 11:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icon_uk posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scans_dailyIn the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.
Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.
The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.
Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.
It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.
The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.
Someone appears to have given the current POTUS one of those DYMO lablemaker things because he seems determined to slap his name over everything.
As predicted, those who heard the Epstein files were being released and who bought shares in Sharpies parent company probably made a killing.
"The War Between the Land and the Sea" came to an end. It somehow managed to have both sides do horrific things and yet never felt quite like a war or a resolution and even Kate stewart doing morally dubious things that seem at odds with her established character. And Barclay, after several episodes of establishing him as an interesting character with depth and complexity, seemed to become little more than a lovesick teenager. Not a bad ending, just an unstaisfying one (to me, at any rate).
Scans_Daily remains profoundly non-demoninational (My Santa-based Mod avatar being a slight personal quirk more than anything), so if you celebrate Christmas, Kwanza, Solstice, Krampusacht, the purposefully nebulous "Holiday" of the Pastafarians, or nothing at all, then we wish you equally well. (And I think a couple of those are already past)
To those headed home for the holidays, may it go as smoothly as possible, and for those who aren't... well, we're still here for you so you're not alone!
And a special shout-out to those poor folks whose birthday is December 25th who are tired of it being overshadowed by "that guy".
Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.
The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.
Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.
It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.
The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.
Someone appears to have given the current POTUS one of those DYMO lablemaker things because he seems determined to slap his name over everything.
As predicted, those who heard the Epstein files were being released and who bought shares in Sharpies parent company probably made a killing.
"The War Between the Land and the Sea" came to an end. It somehow managed to have both sides do horrific things and yet never felt quite like a war or a resolution and even Kate stewart doing morally dubious things that seem at odds with her established character. And Barclay, after several episodes of establishing him as an interesting character with depth and complexity, seemed to become little more than a lovesick teenager. Not a bad ending, just an unstaisfying one (to me, at any rate).
Scans_Daily remains profoundly non-demoninational (My Santa-based Mod avatar being a slight personal quirk more than anything), so if you celebrate Christmas, Kwanza, Solstice, Krampusacht, the purposefully nebulous "Holiday" of the Pastafarians, or nothing at all, then we wish you equally well. (And I think a couple of those are already past)
To those headed home for the holidays, may it go as smoothly as possible, and for those who aren't... well, we're still here for you so you're not alone!
And a special shout-out to those poor folks whose birthday is December 25th who are tired of it being overshadowed by "that guy".
36 Hours to Reveals
Dec. 23rd, 2025 10:06 pmyuletidemods posting in yuletide_adminWe're so close! This year, Yuletide reveals are at 9pm UTC on 24 December - that has changed since last year.
COUNTDOWN TO REVEALS
Issues often arise when posting from Google Docs. You can use this Google doc or this extension to help convert your document to HTML for a better copy/paste experience. The problem with italics and punctuation can also be solved by including the punctuation inside the italics tags.
If your story has no space between paragraphs, check to see if you pasted your story into the HTML tab instead of the Rich Text tab. Paragraph spacing occasionally gets added to places like summaries when you edit them, so you might want to double-check that also!
( Below the cut are examples of spacing that’s too big, too little, and juuuuust right. )
If the spacing in your work is wacky, we recommend editing it to avoid putting off potential readers.
Before July 2024, the default setting for comments allowed on your work was "Registered users and guests can comment." In July, AO3 changed that so that the default setting is "Only registered users can comment." That means that if you posted your Yuletide work without changing the settings, no one can comment on your work without logging into their account.
If that matches your preferences, that's great. If you'd like to make it possible for anyone who reads your work to comment, please edit your work and change the setting. This setting is directly above the Work Text field.
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If your fandom is a subset of a canonical tag (like an RPF fandom that belongs in Actor RPF, or a season of a Let's Play fandom that has an overarching canonical), we recommend tagging with the parent fandom. Please reach out to mods if you're not sure that's what you should do.
Please check these guidelines for whether to post treats in the main Yuletide collection (closes Dec 24) or the Yuletide Madness collection (closes Dec 25). Unlike in some exchanges, Yuletide's treating period does not continue indefinitely. Please get your treats in before reveals - or you'll need to wait until next year.
Schedule, Rules, & Collection | Contact Mods | Participant DW | Participant LJ | Pinch Hits on DW | Discord | Tag set | Tag set app
Please either comment logged-in or sign a name. Unsigned anonymous comments will be left screened.
Tips
Formatting
Getting your story up on AO3 is the main thing. But, now it's there, please check it over again before reveals - especially to see if you've left in any bits you're going to replace like [xxx]. But also please check for legibility - check for text with no gaps between paragraphs, or text with massive gaps between paragraphs. Click/tap for more information...
Issues often arise when posting from Google Docs. You can use this Google doc or this extension to help convert your document to HTML for a better copy/paste experience. The problem with italics and punctuation can also be solved by including the punctuation inside the italics tags.
If your story has no space between paragraphs, check to see if you pasted your story into the HTML tab instead of the Rich Text tab. Paragraph spacing occasionally gets added to places like summaries when you edit them, so you might want to double-check that also!
( Below the cut are examples of spacing that’s too big, too little, and juuuuust right. )
If the spacing in your work is wacky, we recommend editing it to avoid putting off potential readers.
Your comment settings
In recent years, AO3 changed the default settings for comments on your work. If you want to allow comments from guests/readers who aren't logged in, check your work. Click/tap for info...
Before July 2024, the default setting for comments allowed on your work was "Registered users and guests can comment." In July, AO3 changed that so that the default setting is "Only registered users can comment." That means that if you posted your Yuletide work without changing the settings, no one can comment on your work without logging into their account.
If that matches your preferences, that's great. If you'd like to make it possible for anyone who reads your work to comment, please edit your work and change the setting. This setting is directly above the Work Text field.
Tagging and "Unspecified Fandom"
Please tag your work accurately, including warnings. We encourage you to use "Unspecified Fandom", alongside a specific tag, to help users find a fandom that isn't wrangled yet. Please reach out if you're not sure how to tag a new or non-canonical fandom. Click/tap for info...
For warnings, Choose Not to Warn is a valid warning tag. You may wish to use the end notes if there is content that you don't want to spoil with specific tags.
If your fandom is completely new, please use the tag that was approved into the tag set. These tags were formulated to meet archive guidelines and will be more quickly canonized, so that your work can be found from the Fandoms page of the collection. We recommend you also use "Unspecified Fandom", because this will show up in the fandoms list immediately, even if the actual fandom tag isn't wrangled straight away. Please do not tag your work with Unspecified Fandom as the only fandom tag. Instead, tag with both Unspecified Fandom and the actual fandom tag.
If your fandom is a subset of a canonical tag (like an RPF fandom that belongs in Actor RPF, or a season of a Let's Play fandom that has an overarching canonical), we recommend tagging with the parent fandom. Please reach out to mods if you're not sure that's what you should do.
Your author's notes
Please keep these positive. Please don't identify yourself - no social media links! Also, please don't apologize for your work, tell your recipient all about what a tough time you had writing, or otherwise ask your recipient to accept a negative sentiment along with their gift.Treats!!
Additional works are warmly welcomed for participants signed up to Yuletide* and all additional pinch hitters.Please check these guidelines for whether to post treats in the main Yuletide collection (closes Dec 24) or the Yuletide Madness collection (closes Dec 25). Unlike in some exchanges, Yuletide's treating period does not continue indefinitely. Please get your treats in before reveals - or you'll need to wait until next year.
Not all users accept treats
Please do not create treats for: Arsenic, BluebirdCT, Budouka, couch1141, theblakery, Witgifu. This list is subject to change, as you can change the setting to accept treats (or not) at any time. Check with mods if unsure.Please either comment logged-in or sign a name. Unsigned anonymous comments will be left screened.
you gotta be real smart then if you're gonna try to bring pressure
Dec. 22nd, 2025 09:21 pmmusesfoolI managed to get into bed by 11 last night, and my alarm went off at 7:20 and I hit snooze a couple of extra times, but I was up and ready to go by 8, which was the goal. It turned out that they only turned the water off in one set of apartments, so at least I didn't have to deal with that! (After the Big Leak of January 2023, I believe one of the "upgrades" was the ability to do this so they don't have to turn the water off for everyone every time, though I could have that wrong.)
Chocolate, mocha, and red velvet (mini) cupcakes are done! I got 80 of the chocolate and the red velvet using the smaller scoop, which is typical of my experience (though one of the chocolate ones got messed up when I put the pan in the oven, so I technically only have 79 cupcakes), and I got 92 of the mocha (usually also 80, though I guess I used the bigger scoop before?), but 2 exploded - a phenomenon I had not seen except on vanilla cupcakes before - so I have 90 usable ones of those. Then I stopped to have dinner and run the dishwasher and take the garbage out, and it was hard to get back in the kitchen then, but I did it. I made mocha Swiss meringue buttercream, and as frequently happens, it curdled when i added the flavoring, so I had to melt it, wait for it to cool down (about 12 minutes) and start whipping it again, which worked, thankfully. Then I made an outlandish amount of vanilla American buttercream for the funfetti cupcakes I will bake tomorrow, since that is what the boys prefer, but I find it grossly sweet.
I used up enough butter and eggs today that I had space for the containers of frosting, which is good. I still need to empty and reload the dishwasher, take a shower, and then run the dishwasher again so it's done for the next round. I mean, I have 4 bowls for my KitchenAid, and multiples of each type of attachment (e.g., beater, whisk, dough hook, etc.) but it's best to start the day with everything clean, just for my own peace of mind, though of course on Wednesday, the sink will be full of dirty things since I generally don't have time to empty and reload the dishwasher on Christmas Eve morning, what with all the piping and frosting and packing to go. We'll see what happens this year, since I don't have to leave as early as in past years, since we don't have an early reservation, but I still don't want to push it too late so I can avoid the worst of the traffic. We'll see how it goes.
***
( 6-day plan, day 4 )
***
Chocolate, mocha, and red velvet (mini) cupcakes are done! I got 80 of the chocolate and the red velvet using the smaller scoop, which is typical of my experience (though one of the chocolate ones got messed up when I put the pan in the oven, so I technically only have 79 cupcakes), and I got 92 of the mocha (usually also 80, though I guess I used the bigger scoop before?), but 2 exploded - a phenomenon I had not seen except on vanilla cupcakes before - so I have 90 usable ones of those. Then I stopped to have dinner and run the dishwasher and take the garbage out, and it was hard to get back in the kitchen then, but I did it. I made mocha Swiss meringue buttercream, and as frequently happens, it curdled when i added the flavoring, so I had to melt it, wait for it to cool down (about 12 minutes) and start whipping it again, which worked, thankfully. Then I made an outlandish amount of vanilla American buttercream for the funfetti cupcakes I will bake tomorrow, since that is what the boys prefer, but I find it grossly sweet.
I used up enough butter and eggs today that I had space for the containers of frosting, which is good. I still need to empty and reload the dishwasher, take a shower, and then run the dishwasher again so it's done for the next round. I mean, I have 4 bowls for my KitchenAid, and multiples of each type of attachment (e.g., beater, whisk, dough hook, etc.) but it's best to start the day with everything clean, just for my own peace of mind, though of course on Wednesday, the sink will be full of dirty things since I generally don't have time to empty and reload the dishwasher on Christmas Eve morning, what with all the piping and frosting and packing to go. We'll see what happens this year, since I don't have to leave as early as in past years, since we don't have an early reservation, but I still don't want to push it too late so I can avoid the worst of the traffic. We'll see how it goes.
***
( 6-day plan, day 4 )
***
[ SECRET POST #6927 ]
Dec. 22nd, 2025 07:03 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6926 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 34 secrets from Secret Submission Post #989.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
2025 week 51
Dec. 22nd, 2025 05:54 pmlarissagot my MRI results back! the good news: no surgery. the bad news: i probably have arthritis, sob. at least now i know why the treatments the hand doctor gave me weren't working...
in any case, the past week was mostly spent mucking about in new ff14 content, as is typical for patch week. i never got around to writing a post on the new raid tier but i quite enjoyed the fights (and am still quite sad i won't be able to do savage this time around). my hands have generally been feeling well enough for me to actually play, which has been nice, though it's clear that i still need to take it easy overall. still, i'll take what i can get.
also, the new extreme is WILD. what a wild fight. the designers were really cooking with this one.
planning on seeing family this week for the holiday, though the specific plans are still somewhat up in the air. i should be able to see both sides of my family though, so that'll be nice. i got the last few bits of my shopping done this past weekend, so i should be good to go on that front.
still reading this brutal moon; i didn't really intend to read it this slowly but at the same time i've been enjoying it so much that i'm glad to not be rushing it. that said, i've clearly reached the point in act 3 where everything comes to a head and i'd like to read the rest in one sitting, so hopefully i can find time for that this week.
it's that time of the year where i'm starting to think about plans and goals for next year, but i think i'll hold off talking about them in depth until next week. i do think i'm not going to make weekly posts next year; i've enjoyed having an excuse to blog regularly but also i've definitely struggled to think of what to post on slow weeks.
Hug!
Dec. 23rd, 2025 11:10 amchina_shopI doodled this in front of the TV last night. Looking at it today, I think it might be an accidental, stylised hug. (One person is the yellow and orange upright rectangle type, and the other is glommed onto/around them.) So here, have a hug!!
ION, writing is still stuck, ugh, but I did manage to finish off an M-rated Guardian masturbation flashfic set during ep 4, so there's that at least.
ION, writing is still stuck, ugh, but I did manage to finish off an M-rated Guardian masturbation flashfic set during ep 4, so there's that at least.
when this guy moves around, good things happen
Dec. 21st, 2025 08:38 pmmusesfoolStayed up too late last night and got a late start this morning, so I am already behind on my plan. But I will try to go to bed earlier tonight and get up earlier tomorrow to get back on track. Unfortunately, there is another planned water shut-off for plumbing repairs from 9 am - 12 pm, so I'll have to make sure to make the coffee required for both the chocolate and the mocha cupcakes ahead of time (it has to be room temp anyway), as well as making sure I have an extra bowl for handwashing.
I did get all the fig cookies made and packed into the cute cookie tins I bought so I'm not always giving away my ziploc containers (they are useful and they changed the shape so I can't get any more of the ones I really like), and the pork buns as well (pics) but I didn't eat dinner until after 7 pm and now the dishwasher is running, so I'm done for the night.
oh, I wanted to note that this year, I bought some fancy holiday/red-and-green sprinkles from KAB for the cookies - normally I just use multicolor nonpareils, but these look kind of festive, I thought. I also got red/green sprinkles for the funfetti cupcakes so I will be very on-theme.
***
( 6-day plan, day 3 )
***
I did get all the fig cookies made and packed into the cute cookie tins I bought so I'm not always giving away my ziploc containers (they are useful and they changed the shape so I can't get any more of the ones I really like), and the pork buns as well (pics) but I didn't eat dinner until after 7 pm and now the dishwasher is running, so I'm done for the night.
oh, I wanted to note that this year, I bought some fancy holiday/red-and-green sprinkles from KAB for the cookies - normally I just use multicolor nonpareils, but these look kind of festive, I thought. I also got red/green sprinkles for the funfetti cupcakes so I will be very on-theme.
***
( 6-day plan, day 3 )
***
[ SECRET POST #6925 ]
Dec. 21st, 2025 03:55 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6925 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 43 secrets from Secret Submission Post #989.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Vegas Pro bundle is back
Dec. 21st, 2025 02:47 pmgoodbyebird posting in viddingHumble Bundle is running a package with Vegas Pro 22, Sound Forge Pro 17, Music Maker 2024, and movie Studio 2024 Suite. The minimum is €48.56, and it supports the World Central Kitchen.
It's up for another four days.
It's up for another four days.
let's see what approach they take here
Dec. 20th, 2025 06:06 pmmusesfoolSo I may have been a little...over ambitious in purchasing eggs and butter and expecting it all to fit into my tiny apartment-size fridge. I did get all of it in there, but there was literally no room to let orange rolls rise overnight so I knocked that off the list. Maybe I will do them for New Year's morning instead.
I also had an unfortunate start to the fig cookies. I made the filling yesterday and I might have put too much cocoa in as I thought it was the bottom of the container so I just dumped it in and well, there was more than I expected in there. *hands* It's fine. Then when I made the dough earlier, it smelled weird. I think maybe the Crisco had gone off? Idk, but I threw out what I'd made and did it again with the newly opened can of Crisco and it smelled correct, so I didn't really get to make cookies this afternoon as planned, but I might make some after dinner, which is how we did it when I was a kid - every night for the 2 weeks before Christmas we were in the kitchen making fig cookies.
I did marinate the pork country ribs last night and they are now in the oven roasting, so that at least is on track.
I also watched Wake Up Dead Man yesterday, and I liked but didn't love it? I'm not sure why? ( spoilers )
This is a long essay about the movie (spoilers, obvs) that goes much deeper into it: Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man by Leah Schnelbach.
Oh, the timer just went off so I have to take the ribs out of the oven, so I guess I'll just hit post!
***
( 6-day plan, day 2 )
***
I also had an unfortunate start to the fig cookies. I made the filling yesterday and I might have put too much cocoa in as I thought it was the bottom of the container so I just dumped it in and well, there was more than I expected in there. *hands* It's fine. Then when I made the dough earlier, it smelled weird. I think maybe the Crisco had gone off? Idk, but I threw out what I'd made and did it again with the newly opened can of Crisco and it smelled correct, so I didn't really get to make cookies this afternoon as planned, but I might make some after dinner, which is how we did it when I was a kid - every night for the 2 weeks before Christmas we were in the kitchen making fig cookies.
I did marinate the pork country ribs last night and they are now in the oven roasting, so that at least is on track.
I also watched Wake Up Dead Man yesterday, and I liked but didn't love it? I'm not sure why? ( spoilers )
This is a long essay about the movie (spoilers, obvs) that goes much deeper into it: Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man by Leah Schnelbach.
Oh, the timer just went off so I have to take the ribs out of the oven, so I guess I'll just hit post!
***
( 6-day plan, day 2 )
***
