Amperslash Exchange reveals
Jan. 25th, 2026 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pauraqueAfter several delays, amperslashexchange has in fact revealed! This is a fest about ambiguous relationships that don't fall distinctly into platonic or romantic categories. Somewhere back in the ancient days (seriously, it was over a month ago) I wrote two pinch hits:
A New Course (1890 words) by pauraque
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: General Audiences
Relationship: Beverly Crusher &/ Deanna Troi
Summary: Beverly knows what it's like to have a friend and want more. This is the first time she's ever wondered if she even knows what more means.
Five Things She Isn't (1295 words) by pauraque
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating: General Audiences
Relationship: Kathryn Janeway &/ Seven of Nine
Summary: In her early days aboard Voyager, Seven of Nine does not know what Janeway is. She only knows what she isn't.
(I almost wrote a third pinch hit, but by the time I finished the second one, someone else had snagged it. Now the world will never know what sort of ambiguous relationship I was going to write for I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Which... might actually be for the best.)
amperslashexchange has in fact revealed! This is a fest about ambiguous relationships that don't fall distinctly into platonic or romantic categories. Somewhere back in the ancient days (seriously, it was over a month ago) I wrote two pinch hits:A New Course (1890 words) by pauraque
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: General Audiences
Relationship: Beverly Crusher &/ Deanna Troi
Summary: Beverly knows what it's like to have a friend and want more. This is the first time she's ever wondered if she even knows what more means.
Five Things She Isn't (1295 words) by pauraque
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating: General Audiences
Relationship: Kathryn Janeway &/ Seven of Nine
Summary: In her early days aboard Voyager, Seven of Nine does not know what Janeway is. She only knows what she isn't.
(I almost wrote a third pinch hit, but by the time I finished the second one, someone else had snagged it. Now the world will never know what sort of ambiguous relationship I was going to write for I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Which... might actually be for the best.)
Why i no hazz sherlock icon?
Jan. 24th, 2026 09:22 pmlobelia321 I've been feeling a teensy bit shit and started watching 'Agatha Christie's Seven Dials' and Detective Martin Freeman reminded me of Dr Watson, and what do you know? I found myself watching the entire first episode of 'Sherlock' and laughing out loud all over again. What a show that was in its heyday, what a ride, what a fandom. The vids! The fics! Wingfic! Asexualfic! (It's when I first discovered asexuality.) Weird and wonderful I-don't-even-know sex fic!
It was a wild fandom. And Freeman/Cumberbatch are an utter joy. Anthea, too! I had forgotten Anthea! Mrs Hudson!! It is only now that I cottoned on to her saying that it's not drugs, it's for medicinal purposes, for her 'hip. LeStrade! That madcap run through Soho streets and the inventive camerawork and use of texting!
Pure glorious joy.
It was a wild fandom. And Freeman/Cumberbatch are an utter joy. Anthea, too! I had forgotten Anthea! Mrs Hudson!! It is only now that I cottoned on to her saying that it's not drugs, it's for medicinal purposes, for her 'hip. LeStrade! That madcap run through Soho streets and the inventive camerawork and use of texting!
Pure glorious joy.
2026 Snowflake Challenge #12: Fandom Appreciation
Jan. 24th, 2026 03:42 pmsugareeyChallenge #12: Make an appreciation post to those who enhance your fandom life.
Who makes your fandom life better? Appreciate them in bullet points, prose, poetry, a moodboard, a song... whatever moves you!
I think I have the overall gist covered in my fandom love letter from Challenge #3. However, if we're talking specifics, sure! I can dive into this, since fandom when I first discovered it is sooo different from what is for me now.
( Fandom Life Today... )
Wowww, okay, that was wayy longer than I anticipated. Anyway, it has been a really long time since I've made a fandom reflection like this. If there's anything in here that resonates with you, I'd love to hear it! <3
Thanks for listening to my TED talk!
Who makes your fandom life better? Appreciate them in bullet points, prose, poetry, a moodboard, a song... whatever moves you!
I think I have the overall gist covered in my fandom love letter from Challenge #3. However, if we're talking specifics, sure! I can dive into this, since fandom when I first discovered it is sooo different from what is for me now.
( Fandom Life Today... )
Wowww, okay, that was wayy longer than I anticipated. Anyway, it has been a really long time since I've made a fandom reflection like this. If there's anything in here that resonates with you, I'd love to hear it! <3
Thanks for listening to my TED talk!
2026 Snowflake Challenge #11: Grant A Wish
Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:32 pmsugareeyChallenge #11: In your own space, grant someone's wish from Challenge #5.
You've made your own wishlist, now it's time to grant someone else's wish from theirs! This can be as simple as answering a question to creating something from scratch, one wish or many wishes. Let your inspiration run wild!
I went through quite a few wishlists and left some comments, mainly because there were some folks who wanted recs or some thoughts on different topics that I'm pretty familiar with and am passionate about, or things that I deeply value. It was definitely a nice change of pace from trying to do this say, in Discord or via texting, where things can easily be lost or forgotten.
And also, being mindful in replies...super key to having some fun engagement. <3
You've made your own wishlist, now it's time to grant someone else's wish from theirs! This can be as simple as answering a question to creating something from scratch, one wish or many wishes. Let your inspiration run wild!
I went through quite a few wishlists and left some comments, mainly because there were some folks who wanted recs or some thoughts on different topics that I'm pretty familiar with and am passionate about, or things that I deeply value. It was definitely a nice change of pace from trying to do this say, in Discord or via texting, where things can easily be lost or forgotten.
And also, being mindful in replies...super key to having some fun engagement. <3
2026 Snowflake Challenge #10: Big Mood Board
Jan. 23rd, 2026 12:55 pmsugareeyChallenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
( A Moodboard for a Sterek Fic! )
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
( A Moodboard for a Sterek Fic! )
WIP Wednesday
Jan. 21st, 2026 01:26 pmfirethesoundWordcount this week is way up from last week, which is nice--especially considering how little writing time I have these days. I get 30-40 minutes on my lunch break at least three days per week (sometimes four days, and very rarely five) and then a pretty dependable 20 minutes on Sundays, and that's basically it. Sometimes I throw down some story notes in the evenings, but by that point in the day I'm so completely exhausted that I can barely think, and definitely not up for any writing. Usually I'm able to get a little more wordage out of those blocks of time, but emotionally and mentally this past week was pretty rough so I'm very happy with what I've got.
New words this week : 2614 words which is great, all things considered!
WIPs worked on this week : 2, with no new WIPs (yay!)
The Old Guard
☆ food truck au : 2575 words which brings the total to 46,975 words and with the breakthrough I've had on the second half I feel like it's full steam ahead. Taking a two-ish month break from it was actually the right call, even if it was mostly unintentional. Having some time to simmer in the back of my brain helped me work through the plot of the second half and for the first time I feel like I've actually got a story that fits the wordcount this fucker has ballooned into. I think I'm comfortably over halfway through writing it, so that's exciting as well. Hoping I can wrap it up in another 25-30k.
☆ werewolf au : 39 words which brings the total to 12,702 words and I'm pretty excited for when I get to switch my focus to this one full time.
New words this week : 2614 words which is great, all things considered!
WIPs worked on this week : 2, with no new WIPs (yay!)
The Old Guard
☆ food truck au : 2575 words which brings the total to 46,975 words and with the breakthrough I've had on the second half I feel like it's full steam ahead. Taking a two-ish month break from it was actually the right call, even if it was mostly unintentional. Having some time to simmer in the back of my brain helped me work through the plot of the second half and for the first time I feel like I've actually got a story that fits the wordcount this fucker has ballooned into. I think I'm comfortably over halfway through writing it, so that's exciting as well. Hoping I can wrap it up in another 25-30k.
☆ werewolf au : 39 words which brings the total to 12,702 words and I'm pretty excited for when I get to switch my focus to this one full time.
As the Earth Dreams, ed. Terese Mason Pierre (2025) [part 2]
Jan. 21st, 2026 11:10 ampauraqueThis is my second post about As the Earth Dreams, though these are the first stories in the book. I missed the book club meeting when they were discussed, so I'm afraid you'll only be getting my thoughts on them.
I also read the introduction and learned that it offers a one-sentence synopsis for each story, so I guess I can use those when I can't come up with a better one and/or don't understand a story's plot.
"Ravenous, Called Iffy" by Chimedum Ohaegbu
( A masseuse attends her mother's fourth funeral, a prelude to her latest resurrection, only to encounter family she's never met. )
"The Hole in the Middle of the World" by Chinelo Onwualu
( In a dystopian future, a refugee sells her memories. )
"A Fair Assessment" by Terese Mason Pierre
( An antiques appraiser summons spirits to learn more about the objects, and encounters her ancestor. )
I also read the introduction and learned that it offers a one-sentence synopsis for each story, so I guess I can use those when I can't come up with a better one and/or don't understand a story's plot.
"Ravenous, Called Iffy" by Chimedum Ohaegbu
( A masseuse attends her mother's fourth funeral, a prelude to her latest resurrection, only to encounter family she's never met. )
"The Hole in the Middle of the World" by Chinelo Onwualu
( In a dystopian future, a refugee sells her memories. )
"A Fair Assessment" by Terese Mason Pierre
( An antiques appraiser summons spirits to learn more about the objects, and encounters her ancestor. )
Tags:
- book club,
- books,
- books: author: chimedum ohaegbu,
- books: author: chinelo onwualu,
- books: author: terese mason pierre,
- books: editor: terese mason pierre,
- books: genre: fantasy,
- books: genre: speculative fiction,
- books: theme: dystopia,
- books: theme: family drama,
- books: theme: ghosts,
- books: theme: magic,
- books: type: short stories,
- books: year: 2025
The Daily Spell (2025)
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:42 pmpauraque
In this daily puzzle game, the goal is to spell out the words in a newspaper headline by choosing letters to drop down from the columns above. The headline starts blank, so you have to figure it out based on possible English words, syntax, and context. (E.g. If there's a one-letter word and the possible letters you can drop are A, G, and X, well...) When you've filled in the headline you get to read a short news article from the cozy fantasy realm of Yliad, where arcane scribes study at rival magic schools. Each week's puzzles form a story arc, and the arcs gradually piece together the worldbuilding.
I saw this game linked in the Clues By Sam newsletter, and I've added it to my morning round of daily puzzles. I find it pretty easy, but word puzzles are definitely more in my wheelhouse than logic puzzles, and there's nothing wrong with a quick warm-up before your brain is fully in gear. The little stories are on the cutesy side, so, you know, don't expect epic tales of blood and sacrifice or anything. The narrative just adds some interest and flavor to your standard drop-quote puzzle. And it's queer-inclusive so that's a plus!
The Daily Spell is free to play in your browser. ✨
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy S1E1&E2 (Spoilers)
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:42 pmlightofdayeThe first two episodes of a new series dropped last week on Paramount Plus.
Spun off from Discovery it features a new class of students entering Starfleet Academy in the 32nd century. The Academy taking place both on the San Francisco campus and a ship the USS Athena.
( Episode 1: Kids these Days )
-
( Episode 2: Beta Test )
Spun off from Discovery it features a new class of students entering Starfleet Academy in the 32nd century. The Academy taking place both on the San Francisco campus and a ship the USS Athena.
( Episode 1: Kids these Days )
-
( Episode 2: Beta Test )