Stuff I love challenge in February
Feb. 5th, 2026 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
galadhirI followed a link over to dreamersdare who has created a February 'Stuff I love' challenge to remind us--in this darkest part of the year--that there are still things to enjoy.
And how does this challenge work?
Each week in February, you are challenged to write a themed top ten list, with a focus on different aspects of media.
Week 1 (February 1st-7th): Standalone media (e.g. films, novels, short stories, plays) Week 2 (February 8th-14th): Series (e.g. TV shows, webtoons, comics, web serials) Week 3 (February 15th-21st): Music picks (e.g. bands, artists, songs, music videos) Week 4 (February 22nd-28th): Relationships in our media (e.g. platonic, shippy, familial, canon, fannish)
As it's the 5th of February today, I have a list of standalone media, not listed in order of importance because largely they are all equal in my estimation:
Bladerunner (the original and best.) So atmospheric and dreamy. Went into it expecting to love Harrison Ford's character (because Han Solo was the best,) came out of it with a new blorbo in the shape of Roy Batty, and a new background for the next five years of my life in the shape of that Vangelis music.
Oh blimey, speaking of plays, there was one play that became a hyperfixation for me before I knew the term hyperfixation, and that was an adaptation of Riddley Walker which was on at the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester when I was a student there. I absolutely adored the made-up futuristic dialog of the play--which is set in a post-apocalyptic England that has reverted to savagery. Just gorgeous language - I mean choppy, brutalist, but so new and vital. I would love to see it again some time.
Speaking of old, pre-fandom blorbos, I loved Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence largely because in those days (1980s and before) it was vanishingly rare to get any queer content, and MCML was about the obsessive/destructive attraction between a captive in a Japanese POW camp (played by David Bowie) and his captor (played by Riuichi Sakamoto.) There was lots of yearning! But there was also an amazing soundtrack by Riuichi Sakamoto's band the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and that was another big part of the soundscape of my youth.
Murderbot--All Systems Red. Enough said. Actually no, I do have something to say. I didn't know there was a word for what I was (asexual/agender/aromantic) until I was in my mid 40s. I had never seen or even conceived of anyone like myself, and I fixated hard on robots and also on other queer people. I recognized my community without knowing why I belonged there. Murderbot combines my love of robots with a character who actually gets what it's like to prefer to be what you are. It is the ace representation I didn't know I needed.
Stargate (the movie.) Ancient Egyptians in space? What more do you need. I have a strong love for things that are alien to my own experience, so obviously I was primed to love the villains in this, and that was only cemented by the fact that Ra was so beautiful, Anubis was so handsome, and they had that (Hollywood thinks it's villainous) homoerotic tension between them. Chef's kiss.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin. I'm sure I've talked about this one before. Gorgeous language. Representation of a whole planet where the people are asexual like 90% of the time. Obviously the narrator thinks this is weird, but Genly Ai is a moron, and Therem Harth Rem ir Estraven was a childhood blorbo who I still hug to my heart today.
Pirates of the Caribbean (the first movie only.) The movie that launched a thousand fics, and accidentally also launched my professional writing career. I deeply loved Commodore Norrington and as a result I began to research the Age of Sail in 18th Century England. And as a result of that I wrote my first book and got it published. The later movies spoiled this franchise for me but I owe it so much.
Lord of the Rings (the book.) Shaped my life. Taught me my morality. Formed my writerly voice and taught me how to describe things. I can't over-emphasise how much this is a load bearing pillar of my personality.
The Time Bandits. Another one from my youth. Some of God's dwarven helpers steal the map to all the holes in creation and use them to travel in time stealing valuable things. By accident they also drag a young boy from his bedroom and drag him through time and mythology in a series of whacky adventures. Apart from the truly amazing best giant ever, the thing that stuck with me with this one was the depiction of ancient Greece, which turned it back into a proper ancient culture to me, as opposed to the usual Hollywood depictions.
Forerunner Foray by Andre Norton I mentioned my enchantment with things that are alien to me, and this is so alien. It was formative in shaping what I hope for from science fiction, even though what it actually deals with is being possessed by ancient things and cultures. I just love the weird things.
The Washington Post was gutted today
Feb. 4th, 2026 11:31 amphynckeJeff Bezos gutted the Washington Post today like he was cleaning a fish.
Here is a letter from the head of Meidas Touch — independent journalist.
Dear Jeff Bezos and the leadership team of The Washington Post,
As you know, I am Ben Meiselas, the co-founder and chairman of the MeidasTouch Network, now the largest independent news network in the world.
I never thought I would need to write this letter.
The Washington Post was once a standard-bearer for American journalism. It stood for fearless investigative reporting, for holding the powerful accountable, and for the simple but radical idea that democracy cannot survive without a free press.
That institution is now being destroyed.
Roughly one-third of your reporting staff has been eliminated. Some of the most respected journalists in the profession—people with decades-long careers devoted to serious investigative work—were discarded. Not with dignity. Not with gratitude. But with a cold, generic letter from human resources.
That level of callousness tells us everything.
Let’s be clear about what this really is. This is not restructuring. This is not belt-tightening. This is not a difficult but necessary business decision.
This is capitulation to authoritarianism.
While journalists were being purged from The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos chose to spend approximately $75 million funding a movie about Melania Trump. At the same time, Donald Trump, an open fascist who has vowed revenge against the press, continues his campaign to crush independent journalism, aided by billionaire allies and compliant corporate media executives.
This is what bending the knee looks like.
Trump’s movement is not simply hostile to journalism. It is fundamentally authoritarian. It seeks to silence dissent, punish truth-tellers, and replace reporting with propaganda. We are already watching this play out across corporate media, including at CBS, where pressure, intimidation, and capitulation have become routine.
What is happening at The Washington Post fits squarely into that pattern.
When you gut investigative reporting, you are not being neutral.
When you purge respected journalists, you are taking a side.
And when you do it as Trump and his right-wing oligarchs escalate their fascist attacks on the press, the intent is unmistakable.
This is how journalism is killed. Not all at once, but piece by piece, through fear, obedience, and surrender.
It is painful to watch a once-great institution fall this way. But it has also made something else clear.
As corporate media collapses under the weight of billionaire cowardice, independent journalism is rising.
At the MeidasTouch Network, we are expanding our investigative reporting, growing our reach, and holding authoritarians accountable because we refuse to bow to fascism. We believe journalism’s job is not to appease power, but to confront it.
To the journalists who were just laid off: if you want to do real investigative work, if you want to expose corruption, if you want to defend democracy instead of accommodating authoritarianism, we see you. As we continue to grow, those are exactly the voices we intend to bring into this movement.
This is the crossroads.
Corporate news organizations are betraying their mission.
And authoritarianism is advancing because too many institutions are surrendering without a fight.
Independent journalism is fighting back. But we cannot do it alone.
If you’re reading this and you believe democracy requires a free and fearless press, please subscribe. And if you can, become a paid subscriber. Your support allows us to hire more journalists, expand investigations, and build the kind of media ecosystem that fascism fears most.
As corporate media kneels, we stand.
As journalism is attacked, we fight.
And as authoritarianism rises, we will not be silent.
— Ben Meiselas
Here is a letter from the head of Meidas Touch — independent journalist.
Dear Jeff Bezos and the leadership team of The Washington Post,
As you know, I am Ben Meiselas, the co-founder and chairman of the MeidasTouch Network, now the largest independent news network in the world.
I never thought I would need to write this letter.
The Washington Post was once a standard-bearer for American journalism. It stood for fearless investigative reporting, for holding the powerful accountable, and for the simple but radical idea that democracy cannot survive without a free press.
That institution is now being destroyed.
Roughly one-third of your reporting staff has been eliminated. Some of the most respected journalists in the profession—people with decades-long careers devoted to serious investigative work—were discarded. Not with dignity. Not with gratitude. But with a cold, generic letter from human resources.
That level of callousness tells us everything.
Let’s be clear about what this really is. This is not restructuring. This is not belt-tightening. This is not a difficult but necessary business decision.
This is capitulation to authoritarianism.
While journalists were being purged from The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos chose to spend approximately $75 million funding a movie about Melania Trump. At the same time, Donald Trump, an open fascist who has vowed revenge against the press, continues his campaign to crush independent journalism, aided by billionaire allies and compliant corporate media executives.
This is what bending the knee looks like.
Trump’s movement is not simply hostile to journalism. It is fundamentally authoritarian. It seeks to silence dissent, punish truth-tellers, and replace reporting with propaganda. We are already watching this play out across corporate media, including at CBS, where pressure, intimidation, and capitulation have become routine.
What is happening at The Washington Post fits squarely into that pattern.
When you gut investigative reporting, you are not being neutral.
When you purge respected journalists, you are taking a side.
And when you do it as Trump and his right-wing oligarchs escalate their fascist attacks on the press, the intent is unmistakable.
This is how journalism is killed. Not all at once, but piece by piece, through fear, obedience, and surrender.
It is painful to watch a once-great institution fall this way. But it has also made something else clear.
As corporate media collapses under the weight of billionaire cowardice, independent journalism is rising.
At the MeidasTouch Network, we are expanding our investigative reporting, growing our reach, and holding authoritarians accountable because we refuse to bow to fascism. We believe journalism’s job is not to appease power, but to confront it.
To the journalists who were just laid off: if you want to do real investigative work, if you want to expose corruption, if you want to defend democracy instead of accommodating authoritarianism, we see you. As we continue to grow, those are exactly the voices we intend to bring into this movement.
This is the crossroads.
Corporate news organizations are betraying their mission.
And authoritarianism is advancing because too many institutions are surrendering without a fight.
Independent journalism is fighting back. But we cannot do it alone.
If you’re reading this and you believe democracy requires a free and fearless press, please subscribe. And if you can, become a paid subscriber. Your support allows us to hire more journalists, expand investigations, and build the kind of media ecosystem that fascism fears most.
As corporate media kneels, we stand.
As journalism is attacked, we fight.
And as authoritarianism rises, we will not be silent.
— Ben Meiselas
A Hundred Miles Through the Desert - Chapter Fifty
Feb. 4th, 2026 01:03 pmstarsprayFandom: Tolkien
Rating: T
Characters: Sons of Feanor, Elrond, Feanor, Daeron, various others
Warnings: n/a
Summary: After years in Lórien, Maglor and Maedhros are ready to return to their family and to make something new with their lives--but to move forward, all of Fëanor's sons must decide how, or if, they can ever reconcile with their father.
Note: This fic is a direct sequel to High in the Clean Blue Air.
Prologue / Previous Chapter
Rating: T
Characters: Sons of Feanor, Elrond, Feanor, Daeron, various others
Warnings: n/a
Summary: After years in Lórien, Maglor and Maedhros are ready to return to their family and to make something new with their lives--but to move forward, all of Fëanor's sons must decide how, or if, they can ever reconcile with their father.
Note: This fic is a direct sequel to High in the Clean Blue Air.
Prologue / Previous Chapter
( Read more... )
tis the season, as they say
Feb. 4th, 2026 01:24 pmfiachairechtFresh Femslash Salad Bar table year three! My overall level of accomplishment seems to hover around 1-2 fills, so let's see if we can, hm, meet that this year. Exceeding would be nice, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
fiachairecht's salad bar
Salad 1 feels like Ripley/Delilah fic ... salad 3 might be Bletchley Circle fic ... salad 8 is absolutely Toni/someone(s) wrestling fic ... I am thinking thoughts!! I do not know that I will write any thoughts. But I like collecting tables so here I am.
fiachairecht's salad bar
| salad 1 | Antihero, Infidelity & failed resurrection |
| salad 2 | Cigarettes, Enemies that Fuck & the villains win |
| salad 3 | Violence, Exes & unable to ever go home |
| salad 4 | Chiaroscuro, Friends with Benefits & the corrupted hero |
| salad 5 | Elbow Length Gloves, Enemies to Lovers & breakup |
| salad 6 | Revenge, Rivals to Lovers & slowly but steadily losing control |
| salad 7 | Femme Fatale, Friends to Lovers & winning the battle but losing the war |
| salad 8 | Paranoia, Established Relationship & time travel break-it |
| salad 9 | Alienation, Unrequited & running away from problems |
| salad 10 | Doomed, Getting Together & giving up |
Salad 1 feels like Ripley/Delilah fic ... salad 3 might be Bletchley Circle fic ... salad 8 is absolutely Toni/someone(s) wrestling fic ... I am thinking thoughts!! I do not know that I will write any thoughts. But I like collecting tables so here I am.
Spider Quinn 20 The Imitation Tempest Part 3
Feb. 4th, 2026 07:58 pmfardell24The Enigma left the facility the way she had come in. “SpiderGirl is sure to be far away by now,” she said to herself. ‘But I’m not far from the Giant Strawberry.’ She headed in that direction.
Tania saw that Dafoanairi was still there after the service had ended. “You must have a reason to stay,” she said.
“I did want to talk with you about what’s happening in town further.”
“Here? In the park?”
“I was thinking of the Historia,” Dafoanairi said.
“Up on the roof again?”
Dafoanairi nodded.
“Sure.”
The Enigma looked at the town through a telescope on the top of the Giant Strawberry. The town looked peaceful, but she knew that belied the reality. ‘It’s not like Osborn has another glider that can be seen,’ she thought after fifteen minutes. She then glanced at the Historia and saw two figures on the top. “Can’t make them out, as the Moon isn’t full,” she murmured. ‘I know it isn’t SpiderGirl, but it could be Dafoanairi. I’ll go and tell her about what happened.’
( Read More )
Tania saw that Dafoanairi was still there after the service had ended. “You must have a reason to stay,” she said.
“I did want to talk with you about what’s happening in town further.”
“Here? In the park?”
“I was thinking of the Historia,” Dafoanairi said.
“Up on the roof again?”
Dafoanairi nodded.
“Sure.”
The Enigma looked at the town through a telescope on the top of the Giant Strawberry. The town looked peaceful, but she knew that belied the reality. ‘It’s not like Osborn has another glider that can be seen,’ she thought after fifteen minutes. She then glanced at the Historia and saw two figures on the top. “Can’t make them out, as the Moon isn’t full,” she murmured. ‘I know it isn’t SpiderGirl, but it could be Dafoanairi. I’ll go and tell her about what happened.’
( Read More )
Dance name
Feb. 4th, 2026 06:56 amgaladhirSo, every time I sign up to do a solo, there's a place on the form for my dancer's pseudonym, and every time it makes me think 'should I have a dance name?' and 'if I should, what should it be?
I don't feel happy about just awarding myself an Arabic name, so these are the three choices I've managed to come up with:
Ursula Ogg - after Ursula the octopus villain, and Nanny Ogg the witch. I'll be honest, the main driver for choosing either of these names is that I'm fat. Nanny Ogg is my favorite Discworld witch, but I feel no connection to the idea of witchery in general, and if I was to choose a favorite villain, Ursula wouldn't be on that list at all. So basically I just chose this because they were two cool people who were also fat.
AElfgifu - means 'Elf-gift' and is my favourite Anglo-Saxon name. I am Anglo-Saxon myself so this would be a safe cultural bet.
Athalia - means 'God is exalted' and is a Biblical name. I would like for my name to exalt God, and there's a long tradition among Christians to grab names out of the Bible, so if it's cultural appropriation, it's a long standing one.
Now I've put them all down I think Ursula is off the table and I just need some help choosing between AElfgifu and Athalia.
I feel more of a personal connection to AElfgifu through my years of Anglo-Saxon re-enactment, but I might need to give pronunciation tips with it, which would be a faff. (It's pronounced 'Alfg-aye-vuh')
On the other hand Athalia would be a new start, it doesn't require an Old English primer to pronounce, and of all the names it's the only one that made my heart leap a little.
What do you think? Athalia? Something else entirely?
(There's a lady I follow on Tumblr who is of a similar build to me and her dance name is Ursa Major, which I think is fantastic.)
A Hundred Miles Through the Desert - Chapter Forty Nine
Feb. 3rd, 2026 11:54 pmstarsprayFandom: Tolkien
Rating: T
Characters: Sons of Feanor, Elrond, Feanor, Daeron, various others
Warnings: n/a
Summary: After years in Lórien, Maglor and Maedhros are ready to return to their family and to make something new with their lives--but to move forward, all of Fëanor's sons must decide how, or if, they can ever reconcile with their father.
Note: This fic is a direct sequel to High in the Clean Blue Air.
Prologue / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter
Rating: T
Characters: Sons of Feanor, Elrond, Feanor, Daeron, various others
Warnings: n/a
Summary: After years in Lórien, Maglor and Maedhros are ready to return to their family and to make something new with their lives--but to move forward, all of Fëanor's sons must decide how, or if, they can ever reconcile with their father.
Note: This fic is a direct sequel to High in the Clean Blue Air.
Prologue / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter
( Read more... )
Candlemas and a Bad Forecast
Feb. 2nd, 2026 09:59 pmermingarden"Si sol splendescat Maria purificante / maior erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante."
Or: "If Candlemas is fair and clear / there'll be two winters in the year."
Or: if the groundhog sees his shadow...six more weeks of winter!
I am dismayed that not only Punxsutawney Phil (overall accuracy: a dismal 35%) but also our local groundhog, Staten Island Chuck (overall accuracy: an impressive 85%), is reported to have seen his shadow this morning. Furthermore, the weather today was the nicest it's been in weeks. More winter it is, apparently!
My choir sang Arvo Pärt's setting of the Beatitudes this past Sunday, and I may be a little bit obsessed with this piece now - it's haunting! Here's my favorite version I've seen on YouTube:
We also sang at a special service for Candlemas this evening - all in Latin, with the church lit only by candlelight. (We sang, among other things, William Byrd's "Senex puerum portabat"; I love Byrd, so that was a favorite for me!) It was lovely, and was one of those moments in which one feels strongly a degree of continuity with the past - for how many centuries have people been celebrating this day in more or less exactly the same way? Though, of course, it's only to the modern eye that the candlelit church is an unusual sight! (Perhaps we should add in a blessing of the lightbulbs as well as the candles?)
Or: "If Candlemas is fair and clear / there'll be two winters in the year."
Or: if the groundhog sees his shadow...six more weeks of winter!
I am dismayed that not only Punxsutawney Phil (overall accuracy: a dismal 35%) but also our local groundhog, Staten Island Chuck (overall accuracy: an impressive 85%), is reported to have seen his shadow this morning. Furthermore, the weather today was the nicest it's been in weeks. More winter it is, apparently!
My choir sang Arvo Pärt's setting of the Beatitudes this past Sunday, and I may be a little bit obsessed with this piece now - it's haunting! Here's my favorite version I've seen on YouTube:
We also sang at a special service for Candlemas this evening - all in Latin, with the church lit only by candlelight. (We sang, among other things, William Byrd's "Senex puerum portabat"; I love Byrd, so that was a favorite for me!) It was lovely, and was one of those moments in which one feels strongly a degree of continuity with the past - for how many centuries have people been celebrating this day in more or less exactly the same way? Though, of course, it's only to the modern eye that the candlelit church is an unusual sight! (Perhaps we should add in a blessing of the lightbulbs as well as the candles?)
As Kafka famously wrote, “Too tired.”
Feb. 2nd, 2026 05:18 pmfabiadrakeI’m recovering from a virus, which I think may be one of those “stressful situation ends → get ill” scenarios. I have things to be thankful for! And I’m ill. Tragically, I suspect this is not a coincidence.
I may have finished the aforementioned essay, and it is probably the above-caused brain fog that is making me contemplate creating a community solely for Tolkien’s writings about Middle-earth (i.e. no adaptations). This is probably a dreadful idea, because either nobody would post or people would post and I’d have to live up to my administrative responsibilities. This may be too high a price to pay. Also, I flit between stories often and prefer it that way. I would just quite like a legendarium space that has nothing to do with any adaptations.
It’s been a minute since I’ve done any academic writing (excepting the history-writing I’ve been working on recently), and I regret to say that I rather enjoy reading style guides. For example, The MHRA Style Guide and The Guardian style guide, the latter of which I sometimes flagrantly disregard. This is my idea of a good time — perhaps yours too.
I would have gone to see this already if I hadn’t been unwell. Some other time, if it comes around again.
I think I may have come to a conclusion as to where I want to move to: pleasant area, good train connections to places I like to visit, some good commute options, closer to a shul, affordable. But I will not be surprised if I somehow end up revising this decision completely; these things happen.
I finished work early; I’ve done a little baking. I wanted to prime a board so that I could do some painting soon but ultimately unpacking the primer seemed too much like work. I must send off some films for development.
If I owe you a reply somewhere, forgive me. Things are slow, and by things I mean me.
I may have finished the aforementioned essay, and it is probably the above-caused brain fog that is making me contemplate creating a community solely for Tolkien’s writings about Middle-earth (i.e. no adaptations). This is probably a dreadful idea, because either nobody would post or people would post and I’d have to live up to my administrative responsibilities. This may be too high a price to pay. Also, I flit between stories often and prefer it that way. I would just quite like a legendarium space that has nothing to do with any adaptations.
It’s been a minute since I’ve done any academic writing (excepting the history-writing I’ve been working on recently), and I regret to say that I rather enjoy reading style guides. For example, The MHRA Style Guide and The Guardian style guide, the latter of which I sometimes flagrantly disregard. This is my idea of a good time — perhaps yours too.
I would have gone to see this already if I hadn’t been unwell. Some other time, if it comes around again.
I think I may have come to a conclusion as to where I want to move to: pleasant area, good train connections to places I like to visit, some good commute options, closer to a shul, affordable. But I will not be surprised if I somehow end up revising this decision completely; these things happen.
I finished work early; I’ve done a little baking. I wanted to prime a board so that I could do some painting soon but ultimately unpacking the primer seemed too much like work. I must send off some films for development.
If I owe you a reply somewhere, forgive me. Things are slow, and by things I mean me.
February!
Feb. 2nd, 2026 10:59 amsauronnaiseFebruary marks the first month of the solar spring season. It's still the heart of winter for me, but I'm looking forward to more sunlight. The sun sets at 5pm now instead of 4pm, which I appreciate. February tends to be a tad sunnier than November, December and January, though that also depends on the temperature. Temperatures of -20°C or below are welcome because it means sunny days.
The Holiday season is when the days are the shortest of the year. It gets to me every time. Though what gets to me the most are cloudy days. Québec, especially the southern bits, is very cloudy in winter. The gloominess is what impacts my morale the most. I enjoy greyness every now and then, especially in summer, but autumn and winter greyness starts to be too much at some point.
I'm not looking forward to slush season, however.
The Holiday season is when the days are the shortest of the year. It gets to me every time. Though what gets to me the most are cloudy days. Québec, especially the southern bits, is very cloudy in winter. The gloominess is what impacts my morale the most. I enjoy greyness every now and then, especially in summer, but autumn and winter greyness starts to be too much at some point.
I'm not looking forward to slush season, however.
Some number of things makes a post
Feb. 2nd, 2026 08:25 amkraitTea friends, I haven't forgotten you. Spent some of yesterday mixing up a few tea blends and gathering up bagged options.
The one thing cold weather is good for is chopping down one's unread book stash.
( Reading )
( Icons )
( Flight Rising )
The one thing cold weather is good for is chopping down one's unread book stash.
( Reading )
( Icons )
( Flight Rising )
(no subject)
Feb. 2nd, 2026 11:27 amgaladhirPlateaued on the diet, mainly because I gave blood on Thursday and just ate everything in the house that evening because I felt wobbly and in need of food. I imagine that not being able to go out cycling because of rain/because I was banned from heavy exercise by the blood transfusion service also contributed.
Cycling is not looking good this week either as it continues to rain. I'll have to do the exercises attached to the diet instead, and at least I can pick the weightlifting back up, although it doesn't help that I am going to give evidence in my son's autism assessment on Wednesday - which is normally a weightlifting day. I guess that means this week weightlifting is Tuesday and Friday instead.
Life gets in the way of all our goals, and this is normal. Just have to do my best and hope it is better than nothing.
I have at least replanted the baby apricot tree out of the pot it was in and into the raised bed where it will have a chance to stretch its roots and grow a bit better.
Now to go and get the shopping for the week, come back and clean the kitchen, make lunch (and dinner?), then hopefully there will be time to edit another chapter on the narrowboat novel before it's time to eat the dinner and go to belly dance class.
Zeno's Dichotomy Paradox, D&D Edition
Feb. 2nd, 2026 01:38 amermingardenZeno's Diminishing Dichotomies
5th-level Illusion
The target must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a success, the target takes no damage and the spell ends. On a failure, the target loses half of its current HP and must repeat the save at the end of each of its turns for the spell's duration. On a failure, the target again loses half of its current HP. On a success, the spell ends.
Damage from this spell can never take a target below 1 HP. If a target fails a save while at 1 HP, the spell does not end, but the target takes no damage from the spell that turn.
Components: V, S, M (a fragment of tortoiseshell)
Casting time: 1 action
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Range: Touch (in true Zeno fashion, be prepared to argue with your DM about whether it is in fact possible for anyone to actually touch anyone else, since the person approaching must first reach the halfway point between the two, etc., etc.)
Some thoughts:
- I made it an illusion spell because it's based on a paradox. I was thinking that it's an int save because the target is trying to see through the paradox...but since seeing through the paradox would, here, be realizing that HP is not infinitely divisible and thus it's possible to be killed, that doesn't make perfect sense.
- I think making it a 5th-level spell (in 5e) is fair because (a) there's no guaranteed damage on the first turn (unlike, e.g., Immolation, another 5th-level spell), so you risk burning your spell slot for no payoff; (b) it's a touch spell; and (c) legendary resistances severely limit its utility against really powerful targets. That said, I could definitely see an argument for 6th level. (The 3.5 spell Avasculate, a 7th-level spell which reduces the target's HP by half once, has the caster make a spell attack rather than the target roll to save and isn't a touch spell; you also get a lot more higher-level spell slots in 3.5 than you do in 5e.)
Thoughts? I'd love to hear any opinions on this or suggestions for improvement!
ficathon: bring her bleeding heart to me (round eight)
Feb. 1st, 2026 01:08 pmfiachairechtBring Her Bleeding Heart to Me
{ a dark femslash commentfic meme for femslash february }
{ a dark femslash commentfic meme for femslash february }
Year eight! And ya ghoul's still using the promo graphics she made in 2018! Do not worry about it! You know the drill by now, February is a dreich month redeemed by the existence of Femslash February, let's celebrate our redemption from the weather by creating dark femslash! If we suffer our faves should suffer, or something like that, and also the purity brigade gets more annoying by the year.
Rules
- You must be 18+ to participate
- One prompt per comment.
- Prompt comment subject lines should follow the format "Fandom - Ship - short description of prompt", for example "Fate: The Winx Saga - Farah/Rosalind - noncon somnophilia"
- Fills should be posted as replies to the prompt comment, with subject lines following the format "FILL: Title - Rating", for example "FILL: in your dreams - Explicit"
- 'Any Fandom', '[Canon character]/Any female character' and 'Any female character/Any female character' prompts are allowed'.
- If filling an 'Any' prompt, fandom and/or ship names in the fill titles are appreciated but not mandatory
- Warnings at the start of fills are appreciated but not mandatory. In fact, the entire comments section is a choose not to warn-friendly space.
- Multiple fills and self-fills are both allowed.
- Don't be a fuckwit. Kinkshaming, ship-bashing, and any other harassment will get you banned from my journal.
- If you're banned from my journal you're also banned from this event.
FAQ
What can I prompt?
Any / relationship between two or more female characters, from any fictional canon(s). You cannot prompt rule 63. Female player characters from games where you choose the PC's gender (e.g. Mass Effect's Female Shepard) are allowed, canon alternate-universe female versions of main-universe male characters (e.g. Marvel Comics' Natasha Stark) are allowed.
How many prompts can I leave?
As many as you like, but each prompt must be its own comment.
Can I repost prompts from a previous year?
Yes.
Can I fill prompts from previous years without reposting them?
Sure, all previous posts are in the tag, and if you want people to see it you can link in this year's fills thread.
Are crossovers allowed?
Yes. Your prompt should make it clear which canons you're requesting, and which characters belong to which canons.
Is RPF allowed?
No, this fest is for fictional canons only. Fictionalised versions of real people (e.g. Anne/Ann from Gentleman Jack) are allowed. Kayfabe/in-character professional wrestlers are allowed. Idols and other musicians playing themselves in music videos are allowed.
What about original works?
No, but original female characters from any fandoms are more than welcome, in the form of '[Fandom] - [Canon character]/OFC' or '[Fandom] - OFC/OFC' prompts.
Is there an underage policy?
Prompt whatever you like. However, sexually explicit fills involving characters under the age of 16 need to be posted elsewhere and linked.
Do fills have to be fic?
No! Fanart, fanmixes, podfic (new or with the original author's permission), or pictures of your lovingly-crocheted Rey and Phasma dolls murdering each other are all great too.
Is there an AO3 collection?
Yes, over here, though posting is not a requirement and in the commentfic meme spirit of old I encourage you to also crosspost to your personal or fic journals. You're under no obligation to gift fanworks to the prompter, and prompters are free to reject fills - this is not an exchange. There is also a collection on Superlove thanks to
luckyzukky! I'm not active on AO3 anymore and that collection is effectively unmoderated, but I do hang out on Superlove so give me a shout if something's up with that collection.Can I use things I write for this to fill prompts in other events / combine prompts here with prompts in other events?
Yes, as long as the mods of that event are fine with cross-fills.
What makes fanworks dark?
I am borrowing
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
darkestnightex's definition, and saying it is "anything that deals with disturbing, violent, and/or depressing themes." Sexy body horror, gory murder, psychological manipulation, noncon, extreme angst, getting together in the aftermath of one character's attempted suicide, etc are all fair game, as are dark takes on traditionally-fluffy tropes such as soulmates. If you want inspiration for Situations to put your favourites in, summerofhorrorexchange has a fun list of horror subgenres with examples.But that means there'll be problematic fic here!
Yes, that's the point, now take responsibility for your own internet life and go be somewhere else.
Banners + Promotion
Feel free to use the banner below to promote this wherever you like!
Femslash February With Friends
likealighthouse is running a fall out boy femslash febrary ficathon, if you want all your prompts to be Fall Out Boy lyricselasticella is running the fresh femslash salad bar, if you want to build prompt tables from themed listslinky is running a tokusatsu femslash prompt meme, if you want more toku femslash