Pen's Nest

every word I say is true

2026-04-10T08:16:06Z

...was a palpable sense that you, as a vocalist, were—CATFOOD
It was so perfect, I just had to laugh.

Why no, I do not pay YouTube and yes, the advertising can break in at awkward times

But when I came home after chorus last night I happened upon a Richard Marx episode of Stories To Tell, on YouTube, from about five months ago. It's here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyiVEWcVcU

The guests are JC Chasez and Lance Bass, and it is lovely! Really interesting, from both of them, from different perspectives on the early days of Nsync to how Lance really felt about being unable to come out to JC's work on the Frankenstein musical (Playing With Fire), all kinds of stuff. And Richard Marx genuinely likes them both and they like him. It is just a delight to listen to. And it is almost an hour and a half long.

Marx mentioned Candide—okay, Candide? anybody? What did JC do with that?

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this new life has begun

2026-04-09T15:18:38Z

Sycamores, now. Sycamores.

The sycamore tree is a glorious thing. It is a handsome tree, tall and straight and with majestic and elegant branches. Its leaves are lovely and, in autumn, spectacular.

And it is evil. It is out for world domination. A sycamore tree's one ambition is to fill the entire temperate zone with sycamore forest. Its seeds sprout everywhere and are relentless. Miss one, and you have a sapling three feet tall which takes enormous effort to extract, or a five foot high growth which must be KILLED WITH FIRE.

I plucked about fifty baby sycamores this morning when I had only gone into the garden to pick some kale. Grar.

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as warm as the sun from up above

2026-04-08T15:44:53Z

It is my LJ 21st anniversary. Amazing. Am still sad about LJ's demise, since DW, while plainly better functioning and better run, was too late to pick up on all the fandoms that fled, and so is less lively than LJ used to be. It transformed my fannish life.

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I walked four kilometres (plus a little bit) today, to the hairdresser and back. It is a delightfully sunny, warm Spring day, and I regretted even putting on a cardigan to go out. Stuffed it into a bag on the way home.

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My plantses are growing. Three green courgettes and two yellow (I broke the third, sigh); three pumpkins, a dozen sweetcorn stalks. A sole cauliflower and about four feeble kales, which is disappointing as I got a lot of tasty crunchy cake last year and would like to do more this time. The mange tout I planted in the garden have done nothing at all, but I have put out framework for beans and will plant them this week.

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that the world would never forget

2026-03-25T14:33:36Z

I—I—Lance Bass has written books. For children. Whimsical children's books. Books! Lance! Lance Bass!

I am (as you can tell) absurdly happy about this.

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knowing, slowing, growing things

2026-03-19T16:57:11Z

The sky was beautifully blue on Sunday, a helpful incentive to get me out in the garden. I unstrangled the blackcurrant bushes from the netting I had put very badly over them, then dug out a bunch of weeds, rediscovered the tentatively emerging rhubarbs, and planted a rhubarb root that I was given recently. Good job, plenty more to do.

( lots more rambling about garden, dancing, and stuff )

Costume night at rehearsal this evening. I have accumulated a number of witchy outfit-adjacent items, it will be a matter of figuring out how they fit together. But at least I won't have to go on stage naked, even though that would probably be more authentic than anything else.

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to see that look of wonder, wonder and delight

2026-03-08T16:53:30Z

I spent much of yesterday being very self-indulgent, wandering around the city buying things like fancy paper and a cheap but splendid blue and green skirt. And met up with a subset of my knitting group in the Waterstones café, where the three of us spent quite a bit of time surreptitiously eyeing the rather fancy sweater being sported by a quiet chap who had moved table so we could sit together. His shoulders/sleeves were bright stripes, the rest of the garment being a pleasing soft grey, and we would have liked to interrogate him about it but thought that might be a bit much.

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Exciting developments along the Daughter's Wedding front, as I went with Bun and her three bridesmaids to start dress shopping on Friday. I drove, in fact, as one bridesmaid was coming from Hertfordshire and the other two, as well as Bun and myself, from Norwich. Entire trip was completed well within one batteryload, so both environmentally friendly and cheap! We went to Newmarket, whither I had never been before, to a nice little dress shop that looked like a converted house but was well provided with customer parking. It may seem odd to go to Newmarket, when Norwich is knee-deep in bridal stores, but Norwich is a long way from everywhere else, and it was kinder to the Hertfordshire bridesmaid!

I was quite surprised by Bun's initial choices. Tea length I did expect, as the nuptials will feature ballroom dancing, but I am sure we had a conversation years ago about how she liked lace but abhorred glitter. These were sparkly dresses! Sparkly dresses with extra sparkle!

Anyway. We four sat in a row while Bun was helped into a succession of lovely dresses on the other side of a massive curtain. No traipsing through the store to stand on a platform, it was efficient, friendly and somehow pleasantly informal. There were even Ferraro Rochers for us, which I thought was brave, with all those nearly-white dresses so close!

Half a dozen tea lengths later she picked her favourite of those (lace-free) and went on to some long dresses. Even trying on a long-sleeved one which the bridesmaids had decided she ought to try, despite her expression when it was presented to her. It did look nice—given that she is a well-shaped, fairly slender 5'9", this is not surprising—but not for her. In any case, she had The Dress right there.

Well. It wasn't precisely an 'everybody bursts into tears' moment (my eyes were prickling but they do that a lot, these days), but The Dress made her look like a goddess, and it was perfectly clear from her face that she loved it. It was definitely a that's so YOU dress. It was, inevitably, the most expensive she tried on, though the attendant-dresser-saleswoman instantly offered to knock £150 off the price, which was nice. So we bore it back to the car in triumph and went off for a burger. The dress will need a modest amount of alteration—slight shortening of the straps, and something doing to hitch up the train so that she can dance. And hemming, of course. Essentially it fits beautifully.

Awwww.

So, a very satisfactory day, and since the bridesmaids all agreed over lunch that the dress one of them had suggested looked like an excellent option, that seems to be sorted as well, bar the actual purchasing. A most satisfactory day.

*

Next up, my outfit. Gibber. I am neither 5'9" nor slender, so it will be a tiresome process unless I get very lucky.

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bring your good times and your laughter too

2026-03-01T14:52:11Z

Dear me, somehow my Reddit feed is full of posts by young women who apparently have no personal taste. Asking which wedding dress they should choose, or which engagement ring, or which wedding ring goes with their engagement ring. Sigh. Girls! It's your body, your hand. It should be dressed according to your taste, not mine! (Especially when your taste involves something that looks like fancy underwear with draperies, or has those sad, drooping sleeves.)

I mean. I suppose it's most likely "I wanna make a post and be given lots of attention" more than "I dunno what I want", but it's irritating.

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Went to a rather sweet birthday party yesterday evening. Quite a lot of potential guests have been stricken with the current lurgi and had to cancel, but there were enough of us to have a good time. There were members of all three of the choruses, just about enough to put on somewhat unbalanced mini-choruses. And my quartet managed a couple of songs, and I sang "I Won't Mind" which everybody thought was a lovely song, because it is. And I think the Birthday Celebrant had a good time. Very friendly and family-oriented. Although it was in the Middle Of Nowhere, Norfolk, and involved a long and entirely dark stretch of single-track road. Bleah.

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We had our coaching evening with Deke Sharon on Tuesday, an experience generally enjoyed by all. It's not that the message of Emotion Is Thing To Communicate has not been put across before, it has, but somehow he managed to make that connection for most of the chorus, and it worked! They (I, still struggling with a cold, observed and wrote stuff down) sang A Million Dreams, and the first time through, the tension was *huge*! By the fourth repetition, though, it brought tears to my eyes and my Beast's. (Beast, and a handful of others from the men's chorus, took advantage of the invitation to come and watch.)

Deke is quite a showman, and was very entertaining. It was not an intense, information-rich session, but the message that got through really did make a difference to the singing. Most interestingly, the chorus sang better without the MD.... obviously it takes a lot of work to be able to get to that point, but once we can sing with our MD joining the singers, we should. Anyway. A very worthwhile experience. And Deke was awarded a pot of Colman's Mustard, of course.

Also, he started off by saying, "Judging Art is fundamentally stupid." Go Deke!

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why did I buy those blue pajamas

2026-02-25T15:37:46Z

I just spotted a recipe for something that I scribbled down on a notepad next to my computer.

Cup warm water
spoonful sugar
spoonful baking soda
spoonful vinegar
Cover and leave for two days.

Which is fine as far as it goes, only... what is it? What does it do?

Anyone?

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when your head's down over your pieces

2026-02-24T16:48:49Z

We've just finished watching Queen's Gambit, the show about Elizabeth Harmon (of whom I know nothing). It was remarkable how exciting the show managed to make chess. Chess! I mean, I kept hoping desperately that someone would help her get out of the trough she was in (Jolene!), but the chess tournaments were amazingly gripping, considering I barely know how to play.

Also, it had Thomas Brodie-Sangster in it, and I love watching him. It was a surprise when he cropped up—we'd watched season two of Dodger just beforehand, in which he has the leading role. I like him so much as an actor, but am bewildered that he continues to look about seventeen. I know he was in a Doctor Who double episode, but I feel sure I saw him as a heroic and capable RN midshipman in something... I cannot find it. Anyone? Am I thinking of a completely different actor?

Anyway. I now wish for somebody to make Twelfth Night with Thomas Brodie Sangster and Anya Taylor Joy as Sebastian and Viola. A little matching of the complexions, a suitably paired set of wigs, and voila!

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we go together

2026-02-19T16:30:07Z

I learned today that (see Tuesday's post) Sable was companionably choosing to relieve herself next to The Man, who was on the loo at the time.

This amuses me so much.

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pensnest @ 2026-02-17T11:16:00

2026-02-17T11:19:59Z

When I went up to bed last night, my Beast announced that the cat had peed in the bidet.

On the whole, I'm inclined to think that if Sable wishes to urinate somewhere in our bedroom suite, the bidet is about the best bet. The shower would also do, but then she'd get her feet wet and leave unwelcome little footprints everywhere.

On the other hand—why? Sable, why? You have a litter tray and an entire garden, which have between them sufficed for several years.

Sigh. Cat urine is very pungent, and the anti-urine spray is not much less unpleasant.

*

Still. I woke up with a horrendous cold this morning so I'm probably not getting the full, er, impact of the smell.

*moan*

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i enjoy being a girl

2026-02-10T17:32:26Z

I have acquired a rather splendid scarlet T-shirt which bears the following legend:

THINGS WE DID:
Built this city; shot the Sheriff

THINGS WE DIDN'T DO:
Start the fire; shoot the Deputy

THINGS WE WANT TO DO:
Break free; know what love is

THINGS WE WILL DO:
Rock you, Anything for love

THINGS WE WON'T DO:
That.

I should like to make a feminine version. Can you help? I want phrases sung by women, in whatever context. Any suggestions for any of the categories will be considered gratefully, and I will amend this post accordingly, though bear in mind that I am old-fashioned and may not recognise them all!

THINGS WE DID:

THINGS WE DIDN'T DO:

THINGS WE WANT TO DO:
Zig a zig Ah
be loved by you
danced with somebody
have fun
build a snowman

THINGS WE WILL DO:
survive!
come out of the kitchen
always love you

THINGS WE WON'T DO:
be seen and not heard

THINGS WE CAN'T DO:
say no

THINGS WE NEED:
a hero

Interesting how different these are from the bloke version! Thanks for contributions so far, and I would be delighted to have some more.

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no ceiling when i'm in my zone

2026-02-08T15:04:19Z

The glorious Wordsmiths At Gorsemere continue to bring me joy. Today's episode was possibly the most sublime. One Mr Sheats arrived, and a cricket match ensued, with commentary by, in succession, Sheats, Wordsmith, and Cholerick.

As the episode drew to a close, Dorothy Wordsmith was heard to say, "Oh, dear, Mr Sheats has forgotten his stockings. I shall preserve them in this basil pot." And I was overtaken by relentless giggles.

Seriously. If you think you might enjoy listening to a radio comedy based upon the humble lives of several lakeland poets, let me hasten to assure you that you would, indeed, you would.

And now, I must paint.

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giving me excitations

2026-02-05T23:59:10Z

Lovely rehearsal this evening, with lots of singing, though we did spend a little while working on the new song. When we sang Good Vibrations, we danced!

I didn't go to rehearsal last week because on Wednesday I had to leave my lentil soup and chips rather hurriedly in order to do some highly dramatic vomiting. My ribs hurt all the next day, so I didn't want to sing. Neither my homemade lentil soup nor chips has ever had that effect on me before, and I didn't care for it.

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Yesterday, funeral for one of my chorus members. The chapel was gratifyingly full. I had to stand, not because I was too late for a seat but because a fellow chorus-member was standing next to me and I knew she has back problems. Managed to sing two of the hymns more or less convincingly, but the third I did not know at all. It has been a very long time since I was in church for anything other than tourism or a funeral.

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I have been listening to The Wordsmiths of Gorsemere, the fabulous BBC Radio 4 production featuring Simon Callow as Colerick (or possibly Cholerick) and Miriam Margolees as Stinking Iris. It is very funny indeed. Dorothy Wordsmith is so devoted to William, and his fiancée/wife Mary never gets to finish a phrase. Several literary associates have dropped in to Vole Cottage with varying degrees of success, but Quinine is currently resident there.

It's old but I have been wanting to listen to it for years, and Beast got it for me for Christmas.

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life is demanding without understanding

2026-01-25T11:24:50Z

Went for breakfast at the café by the river this morning, and looked at why the road is closed for two weeks. There is a remarkably deep trench going from some brand new buildings to, er, somewhere, with a very big digger parked next to it. Which explains things, really. Breakfast was tasty but a bit gluey—loaded hash browns, with sausage, bacon, melted cheese, a fried egg, and rather good mushrooms. I shall have an apple for lunch! Or possibly prunes.

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I was doomscrolling yesterday afternoon and found a little video of a kitten making a lotta fuss. I turned the sound on, and Sable hurtled into the room with a face full of concern. She kept looking for the kitten in distress, and was most unimpressed when I showed her the phone.

Sometimes I wish she had a kitten of her own.

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Yesterday we watched The Electric State, and I realised that I don't enjoy watching Chris Pratt. He always seems to play mostly-stupid, mostly-selfish characters who 'come good' at some point, and I find the type annoying. At least, I say 'always'—that probably isn't true, just the things I've seen him in. Is it type-casting? Is it pure coincidence that these are the things I've seen and I've missed the ones where he is a different kind of character? I don't know. Just, meh.

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Things that made me LOL this week: Tom and Lorenzo describing Jason Statham as 'the gay porn version of Homer Simpson', which, yes. Yes he is.

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Deke Sharon is coming to the UK. Deke Sharon is going to coach my chorus! Woohoohoo!

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Snowflake Challenge #6, sort of

2026-01-21T14:46:41Z

Well. This post is inspired by the relevant Snowflake Challenge, but does not conform to it.

You see, the 6th Snowflake Challenge this year asks for my Top Ten somethings. And that's really hard to do. Top ten books? Impossible. If I kept lists and records of everything I've read and ranked each book, maybe, but lists and records? Me? Ditto songs. Can't do top ten musicals either. I would need a smaller pool from which to draw!

This is where inspiration struck. My socks! I have many fun pairs of socks, most of which were knitted for me by the wonderful turlough. There are of course others: the ordinary socks, like the long plum-coloured ones that go with my dark red dress, and the plain black ones for concerts. And there are the slightly more fun socks with 'art' on them, like the yellow 'Klimt' ones or the grey ones with 'The Scream' depicted around the ankle.

But the socks of which I speak are the superior socks from my selection. And even then, I cannot readily pick a Top Ten.

So I decided not to do a Top Ten after all. Instead, I shall show you my favourite baker's dozen pairs of socks, and invite you to select your Top Three. Here are the socks.

To expand, click. Meanwhile,

Top pic, top row, left to right:

1 green, yellow, purple, teal stripes in a zig zag. Cheerful, interestingly textured, and perfectly comfortable

2 Gryffindor socks! very comfortable

3 red with leaf pattern, lovely lace design, a couple of stitches too long in the foot for perfect fit

4 the zig zag socks are more of a magenta pic than shows up in the photo, fabulously pink!

5 woodland stripes in a funky design, comfortable and fun

Bottom row, left to right

6 lovely orange socks with great cable section in the middle, pity it gets hidden in shoes. I am wearing them right now.

7 Cheerful red, blue, purple and green stripes, an older favourite

8 Fraternal socks, bought, not gifted by turlough, comfy though a teensy bit long, and I like the one with the black toe more than the one with the red toe!

9 Llama socks, bought at Royal Norfolk Show. Knee length, useful under dresses

10 Sheep socks, ditto, but not quite as adorable as llamas!

Double picture:

11 pink and purple striped socks, lovely design, good fit, alas that I have worn through the toe and darned badly.

12 Sloth socks! The sloths are rather bigger than I had bargained for, but they actually don't get in the way as they clutch the fronts of my ankles, and they occasioned great amusement at my recent rehearsal.

Individual picture:

13 purple socks with cable design on the outside of each foot. Love these, very comfortable

So. Which ones would you pick as your Top Three?

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Snowflake Challenges #7 and #8

2026-01-17T22:48:37Z

I went to another interesting theatre experience this evening. This time there were four pieces, all small cast or single person, and all partial shows.

The first was about a boy/man who is angry at the prospect of going bald like his father.

The second was about pollution and about the woman who was trying to help being perceived as a witch. Probably the least advanced, and rather loose, but with potential

The third showed a boy/man who learned how to become invisible. The actor created his childhood self, who was given a magic set but wasn't very good at magic, his adult self who could get the magic right, and his teenage self, with a bully. Lots of audience interaction.

The fourth was a woman character doing improv for the first time. Lots of physical comedy and a long stretch with no dialogue at all—very brave!

There was an online survey asking us to fill in three words to describe each piece, two words to describe how I felt after watching it, and giving an opportunity to ask a question.

Afterwards, we were offered a drink and an opportunity to discuss anything of interest with cast members. I did compliment the improv woman, but did not convey my thoughts (although I had them) to anyone else from the cast! However, it was again very interesting.

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Snowflake, er...#7 LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

I like my ability to write. I learned to read when I was three and always had my head in a book if I possibly could, so I absorbed the rules of English without ever thinking about them. I very rarely get tripped by the technicalities of constructing coherent prose, so I can concentrate on writing the story. Or the newsletter, or the email, whatever.

I said to my husband just yesterday that my life would be a lot less organised without him in it. And his would be a lot less varied without me in it. I like my ability to feed us a reasonably interesting, healthy and varied diet by buying ingredients and being able to open the fridge, see what's there, and figure out what to cook. That's not the only kind of variety I bring to his life, but I'm happy that my Beast is not doing what he used to do (ie eating the same things all the time because food is just fuel). I like my butterfly-mindedness, that prods me into doing something different. I can provide variety in entertainment, too, not just food, but food is every day and important.

I like my artistic ability. I'm not a great artist, or even particularly skilled—I'd love to be better at drawing or painting what is in my head, but I find it very hard. However, I can produce interesting, tasteful things, whether those be cards, shawls, pictures or something else, that benefit from having 'a good eye' involved in the production. As I say, I'm not a great artist, but I can usually produce something a bit more enjoyable to look at than someone without 'a good eye' would produce. I like that.

And, while I'm at it, Challenge #8: Talk about your creative process.

My creative process is mostly 'let's see what happens'.

I've never been a planner. Stories do not get planned in advance. They just grow. Some discipline is imposed eventually, but not until I know what the story *is*. It starts, usually, from an idea. If I get a scene, or a moment, or a phrase, or a plot, or some kind of notion in my head that wants to be a story, that's a good enough germ for the story to start from. It might be "Lance and Adam are two different kinds of gay", for example (see Bouquet). Or, a scene in which Chris has injured both his hands and is wearing some kind of foam protective mittens and Lance goes to him and how exactly do they figure out how to have sex? (That one was particularly interesting because it spawned an entire story of which I am very proud, but did not actually happen in the story (The White Room). That's my 'this is how to write a story' brain taking over from my 'this is how to write fanfic' brain.)

Mostly I just start writing. I've been working on a romance lately, and I just started writing, and my viewpoint character emerged as I wrote and I liked her very much.

Prompts, therefore, are good. I wrote so many stories to prompts on LiveJournal's fic_requests community, because there they were, and they sparked a ficlet, and that was all I needed.

It's mostly the same with more artistic/crafty creations. I used to make quite a lot of LJ icons, and it was just a matter of doing a crop that I liked and then experimenting in Photoshop to see what happened. Sometimes I'd have an idea, but mostly I'd see what tools and resources came to mind, and proceed from there.

With knitting, it's a bit different, because I'm frequently working from a pattern. Frequently not, though—I make quite a lot of impromptu shawlettes and scarves which just involve me picking a bunch of colours that work together, and getting on with it.

Card-making, too, depends more on what mood I'm in and which of my seventeen thousand crafty bits and pieces is top of mind/closest to hand at the time. There might be layers of different papers, or shiny bits, or a glasspainted 'window' or a glasspainted topper for a stack of papers, or lace, or whatever. I don't generally set out with a plan. Which is sometimes a bit of a shame, as I would do better to get the ingredients together first and make something for a specific card and a matching envelope, but hey. I have fun exploring/experimenting.

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you make my heart go giddy up

2026-01-10T22:23:03Z

In response to Rahaeli's recent suggestions on Bluesky (I think) about the way LiveJournal is going, I thought it might be a good idea to see if I could figure out how to import the fic_requests community. Back in the day it provided very considerable inspiration for me—I should think at least fifty of my ficlets were inspired by something in that community.

And I noticed a community on my DW that I had completely forgotten existed. It is called popslash_lollipops and it is, in fact, a repository of the fic_requests community from the old popslash-on-LiveJournal days. I don't think there's any point attempting to import the Index, which wouldn't work anyway as all the links will be different, but the stories (or at least the links) are here on DW.

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as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes

2026-01-05T22:00:18Z

The world is still white, and likely to remain so. It's going to be -5C tonight, which has not happened for a *very* long time, and our heat pump is working hard! And the house is pleasantly warm. Sable has taken to sleeping on the beanbag in Beast's study, with her head next to the radiator. I have thoughtfully provided her with a fleece-lined sleeping sack, but she has spurned it. Sigh.

Snowflake Challenge #3: a Love Letter to Fandom. I refer you to my previous answer here.

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Snowflake Challenge #2

2026-01-03T17:18:15Z

Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom

Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

Well, this is fun!

As it's loosely defined as 'pets of fandom' I won't go into raptures about my first dog, strictly my family's first dog, but she was wonderful. She was half Rhodesian Ridgeback and half Red Setter, which may ring a faint bell for assiduous readers of my stories.

My first pet, strictly speaking, was my daughter's pet, but Bun was only nine when we got kitten Socks, and Socks ended up more my cat because, well, there I was, and unlike my Beast, I was happy to have her on my lap. Incidentally, Socks took the leading role in my podfic of Let The Cat Out Of The Bag, written by lizibabes and produced for the Pod_Together Challenge in 2013.

Socks lived to the grand age of 19, and then for a while we were petless, but after moving to a new city and having copious building work done, we adopted Princess Fluffykins and Sable, sisters, the former of whom was a very beautiful beige tabby, the latter a void. Sadly, we lost the Princess, who was too confident for her own good and used to cross the road to maraud in the park, and, well. Sable remains with us, a plush, soft little cat, barrel-shaped but mostly fur, with her own quirks. She is a knee cat, rather than a lap cat, and will nestle between Beast and me when we watch telly, or between my knees when I am on the sofa alone.

It was hard to decide which pet icon to use, as I have several, but the eventual choice is Socks.

*

My early days in fandom occasionally also featured a cat, as I was brought into fic fandom by Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which Data has one. There were at least three cats which starred as Spot. I attempted to explain their differing appearances in this story, Qualicative Assessment. And much later, I wrote An Odd State of Flux, set shortly after Data was kidnapped from the Enterprise by Kivas Fajo in The Most Toys. Spot helps him to recover. Rather fond of this one.

When I moved on to my beloved Popslash, however, it was generally about dogs. My sparkly dancing boys (Nsync, and a bit Backstreet Boys), canonically owned dogs. I'm grateful to them!

But there were others, and as I went through my index I found rather more unusual pets than I had initially remembered. Ferrets and dragons, for example. Oh, and this one, somewhere between a pet and a, hmm, baby: Justin Junior. In this story, there is a magical slash fairy godpiglet. (It's popslash, okay? Slash fairy godpiglets are entirely normal. I'm surprised there weren't more of them.) And a dog, too, eventually.

So, anyway, dogs.

In Cat Chris has an Entirely Canonical Dog (although this is an AU), and AJ seems to have acquired a cat.
My first Lance Bass/Adam Lambert story includes Lance's two Entirely Canonical Dogs. Bouquet.
In The Pussycat and Porcupine, JC acquires a cat, and Lance, two dogs. I'm sorry to have to report that nobody acquires an actual porcupine.
In The First Step Lance is walking his ECDs when he meets an unusual stranger, who knows them.
I wrote two versions of Wanna Tell Me About It? , but it is the revised (and much longer) version in which Lance and Adam get non-canonical dogs (eventually).
The dogs in Dragon Country are canon-based, but this is an AU. There is a scene of rape and violence in this story, so if you decide to read it, be warned.
And I think my final effort is Jamie, written for the final Make The Yuletide Gay challenge and featuring the adoption of a very cute little dog who was tenuously based in canon but not entirely. Pet adoption is a heartwarming thing to put in a Christmas gift story, yes? Happily for me, My Adored Lance spent quite a while advertising dogs on behalf of a pet shelter.

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Snowflake Challenge #1

2026-01-02T15:14:57Z

I did just squeak in before the reveal with yesterday's recs, happily. Not that it matters, because there are so many authors around for Yuletide, and I maybe recognise a handful of names—I doubt I'd go looking for Writer X's Stuff. Anyway, I hope you all had a chance to read through whatever may have caught your eye.

My story was With What Intense Desire, a Mansfield Park fic which changes the end of the story so that Fanny goes home earlier from Portsmouth, and gets to listen to Edmund whingeing about Mary in person instead of reading his letters.

My recipient wanted Fanny to be happy, and my conclusion from re-reading was that Fanny's truest source of happiness is being at Mansfield, at Home, in fact, so that is what I gave her. I may not have been quite heavy-handed enough, as nobody in the comments said they were glad to see her becoming the mistress of Mansfield Park, but there it is. It was fun to do, mostly because I was able to adjust Fanny a wee bit so that she gets more impatient with Edmund, which I do myself.

The title is from a quote in Chapter 45, "With what intense desire she wants her home," from Cowper.

So, that's Yuletide done for another year!

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Snowflake Challenge 2026, challenge no. 1: The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

I seem to have introduced myself many, many times, as I've been doing an online journal since I joined LiveJournal in 2005, and have (I think) done at least some of the Snowflake Challenge every year since it began.

So rather than reiterate how I came to be a fanfic-fandom person, I'm going to send anyone who's interested to the Snowflake 2022 post I made, in which I introduce myself via some posts. A selection of my posts, rather than a(nother) post About Me. The first is a love letter to fandom; the second mourns the death of a creative idol of mine (Stephen Sondheim) and also mourns the country I wish I lived in. The third is about death, though possibly a bit less miserable than that sounds. And there's a bonus fourth, to cheer you up a bit—a really unhelpful phonetic alphabet. As a collection, I think they give quite a good idea of Me, though I'm not usually quite so death-focused.

What do I want from Snowflake this year? I'm not sure. Some entertainment, maybe the discovery of a couple of new people to interact with? As much as anything, I have the feeling that this is a little burgeoning of posts, and I would like to be part of that.

What do I want from DreamWidth this year? Hmm. I'd like to put in a bit of the energy that I've been frivolling away on Reddit lately—although on Reddit I am somewhat more astringent and wit-focused, I think, than I am in this my own space. I hope there will be more discussion of Stuff I'm Interested In, whether that may be barbershop or fandom in general and the changes it has undergone of late, or the pleasure-pain of writing, or what to wear to dance at my daughter's wedding, and more. We shall see.

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how lucky we are to be alive right now

2026-01-01T11:21:58Z

My last selection of reviews for Yuletide. I think the author reveal happens today, though it isn't likely to make any difference!

Perspectives - Heyer, The Nonesuch
It's been a long while since I read this book, but the story brought it back wonderfully. Tiffany (beautiful, slappable) is perfectly characterised, and there are so many carefully-concealed hints in the dialogue. A delight.

a woman with a ripe and smiling lip Sense &Sensibility
A delightful little postscript to the book, Elinor being happy and enjoying the moments she thought would never come. I found myself smiling as I read.

Nice collection of Wimsey fics, all worth reading, but my preferred three being these:

a certain group of women
This is a thing I did not know I wanted to see—the Dowager Duchess of Denver arguing with a bunch of academic women in the SCR. What a delight! I do so enjoy stories that explore the relationships between Harriet and the various women in her life, and it makes so much sense that the Duchess would enjoy the visit to Shrewsbury.

Happiness In Time of Joy
Peter and Harriet's wedding. Voices are spot-on.

The Day After
A post-Busman's Honeymoon fic dealing with the day after. Which is rather more chaotic than anticipated. Nicely in character and well written.

Rotational Freedom For All Mankind
Ahhh. GOOD story. Molly was so stubborn, this is Molly. This is what she was thinking when she did it.

A couple of Pern stories. I haven't read the most recent of the Pern books, so some of the canon references in other stories escape me. These, I liked particularly.

The day the riders came Pern
A chilling look at things. Really, it's not surprising that the non-dragon people look at dragons with so much fear. Great twist on the canon.

find the true Pern
F'lar is entirely F'lar, and Mirrim is absolutely as she should be. She gets frustrated in her, hmm, day job, dragonriders being what they are, and she is without regular friends since the Weyrs are still very hidebound.. Finding Mirrim a job that needs to be done well sounds like a brilliant solution.

We Were Meant For Us Singing in the Rain
Hollywood gave Don his big break, but Cosmo always pieced him back. How and why the trio became a threesome.

Snake Logistics for Spring Defenses
The canon is FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense—Luke Burns
This is worthy of it. Disconcertingly, some of the emails sound as though they were written by my son.

Never Could Get the Hang of Thursdays Slow Horses
As the title hints, rather a delightful crack!fic. River and Jackson have a problem. Catherine... copes.
Wonderfully written, feels exactly like them all.

Happy New Year, everyone.

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a hero and a scholar

2025-12-29T15:24:21Z

The children came round yesterday for Lasagne and a long post-prandial natter, which was very nice. Meanwhile, I have been reading more Yuletide fics, so here are some more recs.

The Truth that Once Was Spoken - Les Miserables/Chalion (Lois Bujold)
I love the Five Gods—it's the most appealing fictional religion I have ever read—but I would never have expected to find that world paired so perfectly with Les Miserables. It works remarkably well, and I was absolutely absorbed as I read. I am familiar with both canons (less so with Les Mis, but I suspect you would understand it if you know only one, or even neither. One of my favourites this year.

Hoar and Hound Brother Cadfael—Ellis Peters
Not a major mystery, rather a minor rescue mission, but Cadfael's voice is caught so perfectly, and the descriptions are wonderful.

The Parthenos in All Her Glory Saga of the Exiles - Julian May
It has been many years since I read the Saga of the Exiles, and I have forgotten a lot of the details, but this was written in a style that felt exactly right. Main character Felice is somewhat more likeable and somewhat less batshit than she becomes in canon, but it all plays out in a very believable way.

It would never have occurred to me that there might be a six-word canon, but there is: For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn. And it is possible to write rather good fic for it, because there are in fact three such fics. This one is my favourite:
Never Worn
But the others are also well worth your time.

By Special Licence Georgette Heyer's Cotillion
This is one of my favourite Heyer stories. I adore Freddy, and I'm charmed to see Lord Legerwood faced with the evidence that his son is now a capable adult. Legerwood is also one of my favourites, and this fic captures him perfectly.

And this is the story that was written for me!
Defending Honour
Arthur Dent... is not very good at Girls. Ford, on the other hand, has a gift. But there's something a bit...off about Ford, when Arthur really pays attention. Deftly done, and it made me grin.

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a world of pure imagination

2025-12-26T17:58:48Z

Magnificent Christmas Dinner prepared by my Bun and her man, possibly with additional assistance from her out-laws. We had roast pork, full sized pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, individual Yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, roast carrots, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, cabbage cooked with pancetta, apple sauce, and gravy. Deeeelicious. And followed by a pannettoni bread and butter pudding with cream.

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I have been perusing Yuletide stories today, and rejoicing once again in the quality of the writing! I tend to old-fashioned fandoms, so perhaps that helps—do the Young People These Days even read, say, Swallows and Amazons?—but it is certainly satisfying.

Some recs, in no particular order.

The Princess Murdered Princess Bride/Colombo

Even though I haven't seen Colombo in *years* and have held no particular affection for the show, I started smiling in the paragraph that introduces Colombo, which is completely perfect. Absolutely delightful. And Humperdinck is also spot-on in his entirely selfish machinations and general contempt for the rest of the world. Only problem with this one is, I want more!

A Gentlewoman's Debt A Civil Contract, Heyer
A charming story! Jenny Lynton is one of my favourite heroines, and this one gives a glimpse of her married life and a new friend she makes by chance.

The Cruelty of Man"- Sweeney Todd
Ooh. Poor Lucy. This is an entirely believable characterisation. She's a gentle soul. I can almost imagine the song she might have sung, quietly, on her own with the baby. And the Judge is sooooooo sinister. Very well done. Mrs Lovett also perfectly pragmatic.

I Will Be True Austen
Whenever I read Sense and Sensibility I find myself hoping that this time, Elinor will get to marry Colonel Brandon. Somehow, it never happens. And in this story, she comes to her senses, deliberately does not encourage Edward, and learns to love Brandon instead, while he at the same time recognises that his feelings for Marianne were based on a false starting point. It's a delightful read.

Dick and Dorothea's Week in London World of Swallows and Amazons
This is lovely! I am so charmed! The D's, sharing the bad raincoat. Susan, turning into a woman and learning more about cooking. And the image of the D's yelling "Titty!" in a crowded railway station is somewhat hilarious. This is very much like a little slice of the life the children led in between adventures.

A Succession of Remarkable Changes The Princess Bride
Inigo needs training if he is to become a proper Dread Pirate Roberts. This left me chuckling with glee. Dread, but with panache! It is entirely correct and wonderful, and I hope Inigo enjoys himself enormously as Dread Pirate Roberts. Just delightful!

Once, Long Ago - a Persuasion fic,
A very good alternate timeline, although it left me quite teary. So much regret for years of happiness missed! It's very well characterised, from the main couple down to the little appearances of Sir Walter, Mary, and Lady Russell. If you need a bit of melancholy after the joys of Christmas, read this one.

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he knows if you've been bad or good

2025-12-24T17:58:42Z

My labours of yesterday—cooked a spiced apple cake, and a lemon possett flan, made several sandwiches and decorated—and today—made GF plain scones, Cherry scones, and Cheese and Chorizo scones, put cream cheese+horseradish and smoked salmon onto GF crackers—were well rewarded by a mostly-empty table and smiling (and slightly groany) people. We had Afternoon Tea for lunch, and it was very nice.

And now, my crocheted llama has mysteriously acquired a Santa hat.

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