Reading

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Rec-Cember: Two recent short Murderbot gen fics

As I don't have the bandwidth for a lot of reccing tonight, here are two quick recs of short Murderbot friendship gen from the last couple of days that I enjoyed. Both of these are more bookverse than show-based.

Ransom by

BoldlyNo (400 wds, Gurathin-centric)
Augment-based ransomware! What a terrible/brilliant idea. This is short but complete-feeling and satisfyingly whumpy.

The Truth, Bitter as It Is by

HonorH (900 wds, Gurathin & Murderbot)
An even worse truth comes out about Ganaka Pit. I went into this fic worried that it would be terribly depressing, but it's not; it is much sweeter and kinder than it has to be.

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A couple of links

amperslashexchange just announced a collection delay and still needs pinch hitters! See if there's anything you can pick up here - there are some with bigger fandoms as well as some small fandoms.

Romance author Fern Michaels died recently, and I enjoyed reading this old article from early in her career (NYT archive article from 1978, not sure if it's paywalled). I didn't know that Fern Michaels started off as a writing duo of two different women! Apparently the one who eventually became "the" Fern Michaels took over the pen name later, but at the point this article was written, they only had three books out. The article is not at all disrespectful, and I was interested in the details of how the two women chose to position themselves in the market, which reminded me of our brainstorming process for Zoe a bit:

“There used to be a market for the little 60,000‐word romance with no plot,” Mrs. Anderson said, “but our publisher has become very demanding.”

Fern Michaels's books usually end up containing about 250,000 words.

Mrs. Anderson credits the success of the books to the authors’ attitude about women. As she put it:

“We don't have women love men who brutalize, beat and brand them. Our women don't put up with that.”

Anyway, I enjoyed this look at the state of the genre circa 1978, as well as the very early days of an author (or authors) who became a powerhouse in the 1980s-2000s romance scene.

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year-end roundup

Year in review and next year's plans

I normally do this at the end of the year, but I'm doing it early this year because I'll be out of town 'til the 27th, and I don't really expect much to change; all my publications for the year are publicated. See the tag for previous years' updates!

This year's cover grid:

3 full-length novels, 2 novellas, 1 collection. That's honestly much better than I was expecting; I spent most of the year clawing my way back from burnout, and the final two books were slammed out at the end of the year when suddenly my creative brain came back online.

( Checking in with last year's plan )

( Next year's plans )

( Edited to add: one more thing )

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fanfic:babylon 5

Babylon 5 fic: Movie Nights

I finished something I started a while back!

Movie Nights (2735 words) - Babylon 5, seasons one to five
Summary: Just a bunch of aliens getting hooked on each other's trashy serial media.

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fanfic:mash

MASH Christmas fic

This is actually something I wrote last winter, February or so, when I was bingeing MASH. I figured that although I could post it at the time I wrote it, I could also wait and post it at actual Christmastime.

Goodnight Moon (1816 words) by Sholio
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: MASH (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Charles Emerson Winchester III, B. J. Hunnicutt, Minor Characters
Additional Tags: Christmas, Missing Scene, Episode: s09e05 Death Takes a Holiday
Summary: Hawkeye makes a discovery. (Missing scene for 9x05 "Death Takes a Holiday," the season 9 Christmas episode.)

(no subject)

Daily updates for Rec-Cember are going about as well as anything daily usually does for me, so I think I'll switch to weekly posts - say Thurs or Fri. That sounds like a plan.

I think what I'm finding is that writing one rec is actually not much less work than a batch of them, and the batch style is more fun for me because I don't feel like I have to come up with as much to say about each individual fanwork. Even though I know I could just yeet the link on DW and flee. Why are brains.

I'm really enjoying the event, though!

(In other news, it is cooooooold, and I am struggling with motivation for Christmas. Maybe I need to write some Christmas/holiday/winter fic. I went to a holiday concert this weekend with

ellenmillion and it was lovely! I need more of that kind of thing.)

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Rec-Cember Day 4-6: 3 Babylon 5 recs [2 fic, 1 fanart] + a commenting success story

I figured that I'd group these together as they're by the same author. I wanted to talk about this anyway, because this is one of the more gratifying experiences I've had with leaving comments on older fic. Basically, I commented on a long WIP that hadn't been updated in several years, and the author not only wrote the rest of it but ALSO, to my delighted amazement, posted another long fic in the same universe, and started posting some new fanart too. It was wonderful. ♥ Never be afraid to comment even years later; sometimes you not only make someone's day but get lovely fanworks in return.

( 3 Londo/G'Kar Babylon 5 recs (by the same creator) cut for spoilers )

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fanfic.py

Site update! (Sort of.)

I ate'nt dead and all that...

We upgraded Ubuntu on our webserver, which upgraded PHP, which broke the CMS I was using for random.fangirling.net. The CMS (PicoCMS) is no longer supported or under active development, as is the way of such things, and it makes sense to me because the niche it filled - flat file CMSes - was quickly squeezed out by static site generators.

So I figured I should rebuild it using a static site generator (SSG), and spent some time playing around with Astro and Eleventy before I got too frustrated by how hard it was to build a site with the file structure I wanted. And then I thought, why did I spend all that time writing a static site generator if I wasn't going to use it?

And thus, here we are. random.fangirling.net is now mostly functional again. Please let me know if anything seems amiss!

The biggest thing that's missing is the breadcrumb navigation, which was the only kind of navigation I had on the site but which is difficult to generate with my script. So that's on the TODO list.

I thought I might make the code I use to generate the site public too, as a demo for how to use my makesite.py fork. Something to ponder!

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tv:stranger things

Stranger Things 5x01-04

We finally got around to watching the first Stranger Things new episode drop! Somehow I had remained completely and utterly unspoiled for it, to the extent of having even forgotten that there was a new season until suddenly a post with "stranger things spoilers" arrived on my Tumblr dash and I immediately blocked the tag. So I knew literally nothing.

( Random spoilers in no particular order )

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books:vlad taltos

Rereading Dragaera

For reasons not worth exploring at this juncture (i.e. a friend asked which book to start with), I reread Jhereg earlier this week and then promptly tore through Yendi, Dragon, Taltos, quite a bit of Tsalmoth, and am now reading Issola. (Look, they're short books, okay.)

( Spoilers and speculation about Where It's All Going )

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promptfic:biggles

Biggles ficlets from Tumblr part 2

Continuing with the latest batch; also see previous post in case you missed anything.

9. Biggles/EvS forced to maintain close proximity by mad science

Responding to the prompt call with a Biggles prompt- Biggles and EvS are cursed or exposed to a mysterious mad-science substance that makes them have to maintain physical contact or very close proximity or else suffer increasingly debilitating pain &/ illness the farther they are apart- and now must work together in these constraints to fix this situation

Originally posted on Tumblr

( 900 wds under the cut )

10. Scotland Yard ladies gossiping about EvS

Biggles prompt! The Scotland Yard ladies chatter about that tall, dark & handsome foreign gentleman Mr. Boelke who comes round to Raymond's office once a month. Biggles is Extremely Normal about this.

Originally posted on Tumblr

( 500 wds under the cut )

11. Tied to a bed

Biggles prompt! There was only one (piece of furniture sturdy enough to tie a prisoner to and it was a) bed

Originally posted here

( 100 wds under the cut )

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promptfic:biggles

Biggles ficlets from Tumblr (catch-up edition)

Unless I mistagged it, I don't think I posted ANY of these from the last half-year or so here; so if anything is familiar, I apologize; and otherwise, enjoy.

1. Biggles/EvS: Biggles's friends "subtly" attempting to be supportive

I don't know if you're currently accepting Biggles prompts, but if you are: Algy, Bertie, and Ginger all try to "subtly" feel each other out to make sure no one is going to cause problems for Biggles and Erich (if there were something going on) (which there clearly can't be) (obviously)

https://www.tumblr.com/sholiofic/786139943995064320/i-dont-know-if-youre-currently-accepting-bigglesPosted on Tumblr here.

( 700 wds under the cut )

2. Dramatic dying in Biggles's arms confession (contains no actual death)

Since you're officially soliciting prompts- A dramatic Dying-In-Biggles's-Arms confession on EvS's part turns out decidedly unlike his daydreams and in fact Rather Awkward when he does not, in fact, end up dying after all, having reckoned without certain Biggles-worthy levels of determination to save him.

Posted on Tumblr here

( 700 wds under the cut )

3. Only One (team cuddlepile) Bed

As seen in commentfic here

( 500 words under the cut )

4. Whatever it is that Algy does on the many occasions he's left behind to man the phones.

Originally posted at a bigglesevents commentfest.

( 700 wds under the cut )

5. Algy and EvS caretaking

Hey, if you're still open to prompts, please may I request some Biggles whump, someone beaten up and another taking care of them, maybe Algy and EVS but whoever you like really, thank you!

Posted on Tumblr here

( 400 wds under the cut )

6. Friendly fire with Algy and Ginger

Hi! If you're still taking prompts, how about a friendly fire incident with the Biggles gang? Thanks! :)

Originally posted on Tumblr here

( 600 wds under the cut )

7. Biggles left to die

A new prompt- in their noble adversaries era, EvS leaves Biggles in/places him in a situation he knows would ordinarily merely delay Biggles before an eventual escape- were Biggles not injured or incapacitated somehow, which, when EvS realises is the case, he rushes back from his own getaway to save Biggles. Not that this choice signifies anything regarding his feelings for him.

Originally posted here

( 700 wds under the cut )

8. Erich abandoned by his associates

Biggles/EvS. EvS has not yet defected and is working a job with other Soviet agents in London. Said agents abandon EvS in a sticky situation, leaving him cornered to fight his own way out through British police. Raymond gets word of what’s happened and calls Biggles at Mount Street, who arrives at the scene to talk EvS down and convince him to defect.

Originally posted on Tumblr

( 600 wds under the cut )

(I have another batch from tonight coming soon, but I figured I'd catch up on the older ones first.)

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Rec-Cember Day 3: Vid(s): Jagged Little Slayer (BtVS)

Jagged Little Slayer by

periru3 and

Tafadhali.
(Link goes to series page; see individual vids for content notes.)

This is an ambitious project to vid Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the entirety of Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album, one vid per song. A wide variety of pairings and characters are represented, and a lot of moods - dysfunctional and sad, uplifting and warm. I definitely have some favorites among these and some that weren't quite my thing (much like the songs on the album itself) but overall, it's an incredibly ambitious project, very nicely done, and there's probably something in here for almost every fan of the show. I didn't even realize I still had this much nostalgia for BtVS - it was one of those shows that I watched and enjoyed, but never really got into the fandom for - but wow, apparently I do, and this is a great tribute to all its ups and downs.

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Rec-Cember Day 2: Vid: Not Gonna Stop Me Getting Through (Babylon 5)

A G'Kar vid! This well edited vid does a marvelous job of hitting the grace notes of G'Kar's arc without exactly recapping it. (Does definitely contain spoilers.)

Vid by

sandalwoodbox - I think it was Tumblr where I originally saw this, but it's posted on AO3 here.

Watch on YouTube

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Rec-Cember Day 1: Rubberducking (Murderbot)

So this is for

rec_cember, a month-long reccing event that I mentioned a couple of days ago! I don't currently know if there will be roundups or some other way to see what other people are reccing. Weekly check-in posts have been mentioned, but that's all I know about! Anyway, I signed up for daily reccing, so I'll see how long I can keep it up. I will also occasionally round these up over at

recthething.

(BTW, as per the previous poll, there was enough interest in cutting Babylon 5 spoilers that I will do that, as well as anything else significantly spoilery in my recs for other fandoms.)

I'm starting off on easy mode and reccing a short Murderbot TV-verse fic I read the other day that I enjoyed!

Rubberducking by

writingmonsters (Murderbot TV w/some book elements, Gurathin + Murderbot, gen, 979 wds)
Rubber duck debugging (or rubberducking): a debugging technique used in software engineering, wherein a programmer explains their code, step by step, in natural language—either aloud or in writing—to reveal mistakes and misunderstandings.

A cute little slice-of-life genfic in which Gurathin talks through a programming problem by using Murderbot's drone as a sounding board.

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Happy December! Have another free book!

I genuinely can't believe I finished this BUT I DID.

book cover with a magpie holding a Christmas ornament in its beak

The cover is .... there. It may need work.

Anyway - another Fated Mountain Lodge novella arrives for the holidays to answer the question everyone is asking: will the lodge's reservation system work any better this time than it has in the previous four books?

Download from Bookfunnel if you'd like a copy! It comes out on Dec. 7, so the link will stop working then.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/lzcdk6pga8

Under the cut: a brief history of how this book came to be written.

( Click for details )

Look! I remembered to post before December started this year!

Hello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means

karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.

The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.

( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )

Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.

On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.

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rec-cember

How is it almost December

I signed up for

rec_cember, a new reccing challenge comm for posting recs in December. I am going to at least TRY posting bite-sized daily recs, but my track record at daily anything is pretty dismal, so it might turn into weekly posts. I'll make an effort to do roundup posts over at

recthething as well.

This will probably be mostly Murderbot and Babylon 5 (also Biggles? is there any point to posting Biggles recs, in a fandom that small where everyone has probably read anything they're interested in already?). I've actually got a B5 question. I still hope to drag some of you into watching it with me if possible, but I don't want to spoil any potential watchers for major developments in the series, which is really best unspoiled (if you are inclined to enjoy things that way) and doing recs in this particular way is probably going to be spoilergeddon.

So I am curious if people care about this or not.

Poll #33891

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 29

Would you like me to put Babylon 5 spoilers under a cut?

Yes please, that would be appreciated.
6 (20.7%)

I would prefer that you don't, so I can read everything without clicking a cut.
2 (6.9%)

No preference/answer too complex for your binary boxes.
21 (72.4%)

(Results are viewable only to me, so you're not committing yourself publicly to watching the show or anything. I would just like to know if there's any particular reason to be careful about spoiler-cuts or if it doesn't matter all that much at this point.)