Linguistics
Jan. 20th, 2026 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithHere's an interesting observation:
Hey ding-dongs, let’s have a chit-chat about Ablaut reduplication.
If you have three words, the order usually goes 'I-A-O.'
-tic-tac-toe
If there are only two words, ‘I’ is the first and the second is either ‘A’ or ‘O.’
-click-clack
-King-Kong
I can think of a few exceptions, like "bone-dry," and more rhymes like "helter-skelter." Some like "merry-go-round" seem to follow a similar high to low pattern.
Hey ding-dongs, let’s have a chit-chat about Ablaut reduplication.
If you have three words, the order usually goes 'I-A-O.'
-tic-tac-toe
If there are only two words, ‘I’ is the first and the second is either ‘A’ or ‘O.’
-click-clack
-King-Kong
I can think of a few exceptions, like "bone-dry," and more rhymes like "helter-skelter." Some like "merry-go-round" seem to follow a similar high to low pattern.
I wrote a Silksong drabble and got Silksong gifts
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:41 pmschneefinkI think this is the last year I do ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomtrees because like last time I didn't make as many gifts as I wanted and feel bad...
But I did write a post-canon Silksong drabble I'm quite proud of:
Silk Snare for![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
knave_of_swords
post-canon Lace(&Hornet) drabble
Summary: Much Silk was needed to see her sustained.
Notes: One of my favorite fannish drabbles I've written, I think it works very well.
I got pretty icons under my tree: some Hornet icons bygimmighoulcoins and some Grian icons by sarajayechan :D Lovely.
And I also got two other Silksong gifts recently:
Sunlight Dyed byCrushingOnGogh
stained glass art
Summary: Hornet from Silksong, depicted in stained glass
So pretty! The lights and the colors and the shapes!
reprieve bystrifetxt
1k, Hornet & Shakra gen
Summary: Hornet, a conversation, and a musing.
Aaah the Hornet feelings <3
fandomtrees because like last time I didn't make as many gifts as I wanted and feel bad...But I did write a post-canon Silksong drabble I'm quite proud of:
Silk Snare for
post-canon Lace(&Hornet) drabble
Summary: Much Silk was needed to see her sustained.
Notes: One of my favorite fannish drabbles I've written, I think it works very well.
I got pretty icons under my tree: some Hornet icons by
gimmighoulcoins and some Grian icons by sarajayechan :D Lovely.And I also got two other Silksong gifts recently:
Sunlight Dyed by
stained glass art
Summary: Hornet from Silksong, depicted in stained glass
So pretty! The lights and the colors and the shapes!
reprieve by
1k, Hornet & Shakra gen
Summary: Hornet, a conversation, and a musing.
Aaah the Hornet feelings <3
TV Tuesday: Well, I Didn't Know That
Jan. 20th, 2026 11:42 amyourlibrarian posting in tv_talk
Do you watch educational TV shows or documentaries? What makes these shows watchable or interesting to you? Are there particular ones that spoke to you?
Book reaction: Beggars and Choosers (Nancy Kress)
Jan. 20th, 2026 10:52 ambrithistorianYesterday, I finished reading Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress, the sequel to Beggars in Spain. I enjoyed this book and found it engaging enough that the problems I had with Beggars in Spain no longer bother me.
As I noted in my reaction to Beggars in Spain, given the power of the other genetic modifications on the Sleepless, the lack of a need to sleep seems almost like an afterthought. Apparently Kress realized this as well, because in this book, humanity is divided into four groups (listed here in decreasing order of genetic modification):
- Super-sleepless (AKA Supers)
- Sleepless
- Donkeys
- Livers[^1]
The Sleepless are pretty much written out of the story — most of them are in prison by this point, and the ones who aren't are pretty much helpless to affect the course of the story. The Sleepless are still necessary to the overall arc of the story, though, as without them there would be no Super-sleepless.
I think the problems that I still have with both this book and with Beggars in Spain come down to them being the first two parts of a trilogy where the parts are pretty much inseparable[^2]. Looking back from Beggars and Choosers, Beggars in Spain becomes sort of a prologue ("I told you that story so I can tell you this one..."). I don't really feel like it would be possible to tell the story of Beggars and Choosers without having told Beggars in Spain first — there's simply too much to try to squeeze it all into early chapters and/or memories. At the same time, Beggars and Choosers suffers from "second book of a trilogy" disease: it doesn't end so much as just stops.
Also, I'd like to remind/inform you: I keep a list of links to the monthly logs of books that I read at this sticky post, and the monthly logs contain links to the reactions I've written. If you see a book title without a link, it means I haven't written a reaction to that book, but if you'd like to hear what I thought about it, leave a comment and I'll write a reaction!
[^1] I think "Livers" in this context is rather an awkward word — my mind immediately went to the organ, but instead it's formed from the very "to live."
[^2] It seems like there ought to be one word for "three stories told in three consecutive books which share the same world and characters" and another word for "one story split into three books because of the limitations of bookbinding and/or the nature of the publishing industry," instead of using "trilogy" for both.
Heated Rivalry: Fanfic: A Thousand Pairs of Socks
Jan. 20th, 2026 04:58 pmseeyouontheice posting in fan_flashworksTitle: A Thousand Pairs of Socks
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)
Length: 450 words
Author notes: fluff in a flash (busy week so about 40 mins!)
Summary: Shane learns something new
( A Thousand Pairs of Socks )
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)
Length: 450 words
Author notes: fluff in a flash (busy week so about 40 mins!)
Summary: Shane learns something new
( A Thousand Pairs of Socks )
SFFest38: Fest Nearing An End!
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:50 amspikedluv posting in smallfandomfestI can't believe it's almost the end of January already! There’s just about 12 days left to get your fanwork submission or pimp posted this round! (Or make another claim. *g*) Good luck!
The Pitt: i want to be the one patrolling your border by Lirazel
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:50 pmfalena posting in fancakeThis is my first time posting here, hope I'm doing it right
Fandom: The Pitt
Pairings/Characters: Mel King/Frank Langdon
Rating: Explicit
Length: 15,986
Creator Links: Lirazel on Ao3, lirazel
Theme: Crack treated seriously, (not really) unrequited love, (something) made them do it, sex pollen
Summary:
There are all kinds of protocols in place to prevent this sort of thing, but of course they mean exactly nothing when faced with the reality of emergency medicine.
Frank and Trinity both complain that Mel has no sense of self-preservation, but she’s actually a very careful and responsible person. Despite what they say, she never puts herself in danger if she can help it, she feels that she makes level-headed decisions even under pressure, and even if she usually finds people hard to read, she’s read The Gift of Fear and is pretty sure she can tell when someone has actually malicious intent.
Pretty sure until, with no warning at all, a patient—Griffin Jackson, white male, 27, complaining of chest pains—pulls out a tiny jar of neon-yellow powder and pops off the top.
Reccer's note: This is a classic fandom trope (sex pollen) treated seriously. Mel and Frank are just co-workers in canon, but in canon it's obvious they have a connection and this fic explores how much they might grow to mean to each other, and it does so while keeping them (and all other characters that appear) tremendously in character. The sex is, of course, very hot too. :D And the fic also does consent right!
Fanwork Links: i want to be the one patrolling your border
Mods, we need a tag for The Pitt and the pairing too maybe, please? Thank you.
Today's grump: philosophy
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:09 pmfred_mouse.. I'm not being grumpy at all philosophy today, although I have days when I encounter bits and I have Thoughts and Opinions that can be summed up as 'philsophy sucks'. I have not, historically, engaged very well with particular bits of philosophical thinking and/or the way it is presented.
Today, I'm struggling, because I am being too literal. And because the starting point is swan == white, and then the author is extrapolating out from that. I, however, fall over at the first hurdle, because I have to stop and parse swan==white, and spend time getting out of my comfort zone, rather than starting in my comfort zone. And I get that this is Western Australia is a niche case (and, presumably, anywhere our swans have gone and set up communities) issue.
And not only do I struggle when I encounter this damn thinking. But I get annoyed. Black swans have been known about *in Europe*---the source of most of the philosophy I try reading---for at least 150 years (the Swan River Colony was established in 1829, there were French and Dutch explorers in the vicinity before). These explanations don't start with 'let us assume that there are only white swans' or anything acknowledging this. Or at least, the ones I remember encountering don't.
I hate not being able to grasp the foundational thought on which the next n pieces are built. It makes it so hard to read. I suspect I'm going to skip this chapter and see whether the next one (different authors) is better.
Works Due This Saturday; 'Ware Outage
Jan. 20th, 2026 11:07 pmmodzilla posting in fffxGood luck everyone!
Works are due at 11:59pm EST, Saturday 24 January | see countdown.
That's soon.
Additionally, AO3 is going down for 15 hours on January 21st. So you won't be able to upload a draft or check your assignment on AO3 during that time.
Good news! You can always check the details of a prompt at the app.
This is a great time to check your recipient's Do-Not-Wants - because if your story or comic overlaps with an unwanted topic, you still have time to change it, check with a beta, send your recipient a question through me, or default.
Good luck again to everyone currently working!
Works are due at 11:59pm EST, Saturday 24 January | see countdown.
That's soon.
Additionally, AO3 is going down for 15 hours on January 21st. So you won't be able to upload a draft or check your assignment on AO3 during that time.
Good news! You can always check the details of a prompt at the app.
This is a great time to check your recipient's Do-Not-Wants - because if your story or comic overlaps with an unwanted topic, you still have time to change it, check with a beta, send your recipient a question through me, or default.
Good luck again to everyone currently working!
Unsold Poems for the January 6, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:54 amysabetwordsmithThe following poems from the January 6, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Heated Rivalry: All I Do is Stay Winning by Ragazza_Guasto
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:46 pmmific posting in fancakeFandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors
Rating: Mature
Length: 5144
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Descriptions of illness, choking, vomiting.
Creator Links: Ragazza_Guasto on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, Pining, Getting back together, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Angst with a happy ending
Summary: “Can you believe it? How the hell did he end up bagging her?”
Ilya stared, brain not comprehending what his body already seemed to, that Hollander was dating-
“Rose fuckin’ Landry! How does the lamest guy in the League-”
He knew that smile. He thought it was for him, just for him. But it wasn't.
“No,” he whispered. His stomach spasmed.
“You good, Roz?”
Why would he- How could he-
They were holding hands…
“Rozanov? What the fuck?”
He jumped up from the table and stumbled for the front door, just barely making it through before the first mass of petals came up. He heaved as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the pavement, somewhere he could hide what was happening.
Unfortunately, his teammates had followed, because of course they would. He saw a photo of Shane Hollander holding hands with a movie star and promptly threw up.
Who wouldn't be curious?
Reccer's Notes: Hanahaki disease, where a sufferer of unrequited love starts bringing up flowers, has to be one of the crackiest tropes ever. In this story Ilya develops Hanahaki after seeing the pics of Shane going out with Rose Landry. But it's not some gently romantic fluttering of petals from his lips, it's bloodily bringing up a hard, painful tulip bulb, then more flowers, more bulbs. I guess the trope always has a potentially serious outcome (death vs requited love) but to me the "treated seriously" aspects here are the medical details and treatment, the painful and unromantic way the disease affects Ilya, and the way the fic cleverly incorporates his family history, via his mother. Ilya gets very sick indeed before Shane finds out, with inevitable results. Well written, and a great read.
Fanwork Links: All I Do is Stay Winning
All I Do is Stay Winning (podfic by sd_ryan)
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors
Rating: Mature
Length: 5144
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Descriptions of illness, choking, vomiting.
Creator Links: Ragazza_Guasto on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, Pining, Getting back together, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Angst with a happy ending
Summary: “Can you believe it? How the hell did he end up bagging her?”
Ilya stared, brain not comprehending what his body already seemed to, that Hollander was dating-
“Rose fuckin’ Landry! How does the lamest guy in the League-”
He knew that smile. He thought it was for him, just for him. But it wasn't.
“No,” he whispered. His stomach spasmed.
“You good, Roz?”
Why would he- How could he-
They were holding hands…
“Rozanov? What the fuck?”
He jumped up from the table and stumbled for the front door, just barely making it through before the first mass of petals came up. He heaved as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the pavement, somewhere he could hide what was happening.
Unfortunately, his teammates had followed, because of course they would. He saw a photo of Shane Hollander holding hands with a movie star and promptly threw up.
Who wouldn't be curious?
Reccer's Notes: Hanahaki disease, where a sufferer of unrequited love starts bringing up flowers, has to be one of the crackiest tropes ever. In this story Ilya develops Hanahaki after seeing the pics of Shane going out with Rose Landry. But it's not some gently romantic fluttering of petals from his lips, it's bloodily bringing up a hard, painful tulip bulb, then more flowers, more bulbs. I guess the trope always has a potentially serious outcome (death vs requited love) but to me the "treated seriously" aspects here are the medical details and treatment, the painful and unromantic way the disease affects Ilya, and the way the fic cleverly incorporates his family history, via his mother. Ilya gets very sick indeed before Shane finds out, with inevitable results. Well written, and a great read.
Fanwork Links: All I Do is Stay Winning
All I Do is Stay Winning (podfic by sd_ryan)
Tags:
Nomination queries #2 + new nomination closure deadline.
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:03 pmcasemod posting in caseficexchangeHello detectives! There is a scheduled AO3 maintenance that will go into effect and will apparently last for 15 hours, which will impact nominations as AO3 will be down during this period. Please view their "What time is it for me?" so you can plan your nominations accordingly. As we may miss a day to nominate, I've chosen to extend nominations to Saturday 24 January. [ In your timezone + Countdown ]
*
Please review our nomination guidelines before nominating. There's an opportunity to transfer accepted tags from the 2025 tagset to the 2026 tagset.
I'm seeking clarifications on the following nominations. If I could hear back about these, that would be appreciated so we can keep our nomination approvals moving.
All Media Types + Related Fandoms
Can the nominator(s) please amend their nominations? We do not accept "All Media Types" and "Related Fandoms" without a case being made.
Crossover Fandom
Recursive fandom missing permission statement proof
Other
There are queries from the first nominations post that I'd appreciate the nominator's input on.
Please let me know on any nominations post if you see any duplicates or errors (like typos!) in the tagset. We've had some wandering tags a few detectives have successfully captured (thank you!). Happy nominating!
*
Please review our nomination guidelines before nominating. There's an opportunity to transfer accepted tags from the 2025 tagset to the 2026 tagset.
I'm seeking clarifications on the following nominations. If I could hear back about these, that would be appreciated so we can keep our nomination approvals moving.
All Media Types + Related Fandoms
Can the nominator(s) please amend their nominations? We do not accept "All Media Types" and "Related Fandoms" without a case being made.
- Transformers - All Media Types
Any Decepticon Character
Drift | Deadlock/Perceptor
Impactor/Springer (Transformers)
Megatron/Rodimus | Rodimus Prime
Optimus Prime/Ratchet
Ratchet/First Aid
Rung & Whirl (Transformers)
Can the nominator please renominate this under the desired series? Are you after the Michael Bay or animated movies? The video games? Books?
Crossover Fandom
- Crossover Fandom
Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Mobius M. Mobius (Loki TV)
Loki & Sylvie (Loki TV) & Thor (Marvel)
Can the nominator please update their disambiguations for the Marvel portion of these nominations? The disambiguation is too vague. Is it MCU? Marvel 616?
Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries) & Jane Marple (Agatha Christie)
Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries)/Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)
Can the nominator please specify which version of Jane Marple and Phryne Fisher they would like? It seems the character of Jane appears in books, TV and anime, and Phryne in books and TV. If you're happy to receive any version, please let me know and I will accept these as is.
天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Xie Lian (TGCF) & Wei Wuxian (MDZS)
Recursive fandom missing permission statement proof
Arcturus Rigel "Archie" Black/Hermione Granger (Rigel Black Chronicles)
Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson & Blaise Zabini (Rigel Black Chronicles)
Lionel "Leo" Hurst/Harriet Potter | Rigel Black (Rigel Black Chronicles)
Solo: Aldon Rosier (Rigel Black Chronicles)
Solo: Harriet Potter | Rigel Black (Rigel Black Chronicles)
Can the nominator please provide proof of the permission statement for this work? I approved these and cannot find any evidence that the nominator has provided a permission statement for this work. Our nomination guidelines state that recursive works need permission evidence provided by the nominator. If it's not given by the end of the nomination period, I will remove these tags from the tagset.
Please read up on the nomination guidelines for recursive nominations and be sure to provide evidence!
Other
- Lucifer (TV) — Does it belong in DC's Arrowverse?
There are queries from the first nominations post that I'd appreciate the nominator's input on.
Please let me know on any nominations post if you see any duplicates or errors (like typos!) in the tagset. We've had some wandering tags a few detectives have successfully captured (thank you!). Happy nominating!