Seven books read so far in 2026, but five were rereads, one was already 3/4 done, and all were audiobooks. I finished rereading the Enlightenment trilogy and confirmed my recollection that it was a delightful and satisfying romance, but I decided that the narrator was just OK. I've now picked up the audiobook for The Great Mortality by John Kelly and realized the narrator was the same person who read the Will Darling Adventures, but under a different name, so it was nice to hear a friendly voice tell me about GRUESOME DEATH AND THE END OF THE WORLD. Last night I also started a new-to-me romance because I didn't want to fall asleep listening to the apocalypse--A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell is a trans m/f romance set in the late 1800s, and it's cute so far, but I fell asleep so haven't gotten to the romance yet.
I checked some dead tree books out of the library as well, but the text was annoyingly small, so I may not read the 800-pager (K-Punk by Mark Fisher, known to me only because of Capitalist Realism). My second attempt at Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is going faster now that I'm no longer trying to read the Middle English. First thing I noticed was that King Arthur was young and vigorous, unlike the film adaptation with Dev Patel.
After the snow has fallen, sometimes it looks like more snow is falling when the wind blows it off of trees and roofs. Do you have a word or specific phrase for this?
honestly kind of wondering what last-minute twist they'll pull to try to make us regret voting forgive for kazui, though honestly given the moral judgements i've seen on irl milgram (r/aita) there's a chance they're just gonna go with the Fandom Accepted Kazui Backstory
looking at how milgram has been going lately and wondering if my weird-ass take stemming from my weird-ass political views (milgram is about how retributive justice is inherently immoral) was actually like half right in terms of the ultimate message of the series. current thesis statement: milgram is about how the act of passing judgement is inherently immoral.
a complaint i've been hearing from a lot of people is that it currently seems like, with the backstories revealed, it's as if the writers are deliberately trying to make each vote seem like the "wrong" thing to do, and these writing decisions would make more sense if the message that was trying to be conveyed was that it is wrong to pass judgement at all, whether it is to forgive or not to forgive. this theme reverberates through a lot of the characters, whether it's shidou and yuno falling victim to the writers' bioconservatism judging certain kinds of "life" as more worthy than others, kotoko/fuuta/muu judging their victims, haruka's parents judged him, amane judges people through her cult, there's a lot of that sort of judging going on.
and we also judge. why do we judge? we judge because we're told to (and in milgram, too!), we judge because that's the whole premise this shit is based on. we judge, the characters judge, and none of this leads to good outcomes for anyone.
and this kind of ties back to the title of the whole thing- milgram. most people figured this title was referencing the milgram experiment's most famous takeaway (people will do awful shit if an authority figure tells them to), but taking all this together, i think there's another part to the title. what was the horrible act that the milgram experiments original revolved around? judging the performance of another person and punishing them for it.
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 23 secrets from Secret Submission Post #993. Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ]. Current Secret Submissions Post:here. Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
When Secunit returns from a solo mission mute, disconnected from the feed, and with a mangled ARTdrone, ART desperately needs to know what happened. Unfortunately for it, the only person who knows refuses to talk to anyone.
"It's been three planetary cycles since my shuttle arrived with my destroyed drone and a mute Secunit. The privacy baffle remains up, and the only sign that my Secunit is even here is the constant presence of its drones following each crew member."
After the incidents that took place in Multiverse of Madness
No one would had expected that the Scarlet Witch survived
Before dying she traveled to another dimension, one she made sure no one would trace her back to
This was her last opportunity. She didn't wish to find her kids' or bring back those she loved. She now understood it was not possible without causing more damage
So now she just wanted to live a normal life a new beginning….. to be happy
And she would try to achieve this Without Magic
But it just gets complicated when some Bat and Bird themed vigilantes start looking for the new mysterious magic user in Gotham
---------
But how long can the mystery witch stay hidden when familiar faces show up too
I’m a gay man in my fifties, comfortable in my skin, but I suffered severe bullying throughout school, which was often abetted by teachers. A recent class reunion prompted me to write a tell-all letter to the current school director regarding that trauma. His gracious response was incredibly healing. My family has accepted me since I came … Read More »
What is the polite way to ask someone to clean their teeth and deal with their neglected oral hygiene? A man’s girlfriend wants him to ignore her sexually, and focus exclusively on himself. But he wants to give her pleasure. How can they reconcile this? On the Magnum, have humans always been kinky? If the … Read More »
The Soft Curve Suite, a modern open plan project designed by GUR Studio, is a calm space that doesn’t rely on bold colors or loud decor to make a statement. Instead, it uses shape, warmth, and clean architecture to do the talking. The best part? It still feels livable, not like a “don’t touch anything” kind of home.
So if you love minimalist interiors but want them to feel softer and more human… you’re going to want to stay for this one.
Living Room
The living room of the Soft Curve Suite is a definition of minimalism that feels warm. Nothing is loud, nothing is trying too hard, yet every detail has that quiet “designer did this on purpose” energy.
The oak paneling wraps the space, and the soft lines make it feel extra cozy. The transitions stay seamless, too, so the room flows as one, clean composition instead of separate parts. Even with simple furniture and a neutral palette, the room still holds presence.
Bedroom
Things in the bedroom appear quietly elevated, carrying the same soft architectural language as the rest of the suite. It’s part of an open plan layout, but not in an “exposed” way. That’s thanks to the curved metal partition, which creates privacy without fully closing off the space.
Behind the bed, the oak wall panels keep the room looking grounded. The vertical lines add structure, and the lower upholstered headboard panel pulls it all together. Even the vanity zone and sleek workstation feel intentional, tucked right into the curve as they belong there.
Breakfast + Reading Nook
These small moments are what make The Soft Curve Suite feel lived-in.
The breakfast nook sits neatly along the wall with a round table and built-in bench seating. Overhead cabinetry stays minimal, so the whole corner reads clean and calm. Nearby, the reading nook works like a soft pause in the layout; a single chair against warm oak paneling is all it needs.
Theme: Crack treated seriously, (not really) unrequited love, (something) made them do it, sex pollen
Summary:
There are all kinds of protocols in place to prevent this sort of thing, but of course they mean exactly nothing when faced with the reality of emergency medicine.
Frank and Trinity both complain that Mel has no sense of self-preservation, but she’s actually a very careful and responsible person. Despite what they say, she never puts herself in danger if she can help it, she feels that she makes level-headed decisions even under pressure, and even if she usually finds people hard to read, she’s read The Gift of Fear and is pretty sure she can tell when someone has actually malicious intent.
Pretty sure until, with no warning at all, a patient—Griffin Jackson, white male, 27, complaining of chest pains—pulls out a tiny jar of neon-yellow powder and pops off the top.
Reccer's note: This is a classic fandom trope (sex pollen) treated seriously. Mel and Frank are just co-workers in canon, but in canon it's obvious they have a connection and this fic explores how much they might grow to mean to each other, and it does so while keeping them (and all other characters that appear) tremendously in character. The sex is, of course, very hot too. :D And the fic also does consent right!
Like last year, I used the OpenVibe app to auto-crosspost my liveblogging to both Mastodon and Bluesky. The app has threading now! So these are in slightly-longer chunks of text than last year, because I could split a longer reaction across multiple threads and post them all at once.
…But the overall text is shorter, in part because I swear the breaks between movies were seriously cut down this year. There was a lot of “I had a longer thought here, but the next thing is already starting, so I have to finish typing as fast as possible (with my coat draped over my phone so the light isn’t bothering everyone else) and hit send.”
(Friday)
Jan 16, 2026, 03:37 PM
Gearing up to liveblog #Marathon51! (Would be really nice if my country could avoid doing anything apocalyptically stupid and/or murderous in the next 48 hours…)
Jan 16, 2026, 08:07 PM
#Marathon51 was supposed to start Superman at 8pm, and opening safety announcements didn’t start until 8:05. Is this the fastest we’ve ever fallen behind schedule? Might be!
First few trailers are all straightforwardly “movies on the schedule later.”
Cartoon was a lackluster Super Mouse, but then we got a Special Message From James Gunn. “I regret that I can’t be with you all in Cleveland tonight…” :3
Jan 16, 2026, 10:54 PM
Still a good movie. Funny and fast-paced enough that it’s enjoyable even when you know where it’s going, and it really benefits from the energy of an audience to cheer at the good bits.
And hey, I know a bunch of those places! I saw them film one of those scenes!
A few gripes. (Should’ve passed the Bechdel test. Jimmy, be less exasperated that a hot woman with a head for strategy is into you. James Gunn, why give us a version of Con-El with that ending?) Nothing movie-ruining. Still fun.
Next is Surprise 1! (Was due to start at 10:40.)
Previews: a bunch of commercials, sports promos, and local news clips? And the intro to Alien Autopsy, complete with srs bsns Will Riker…
Jan 16, 2026, 11:46 PM
Fire alarm! Somebody took their eye off a popcorn machine. The alarm went off at exactly the moment the movie went “Intermission”, leading to mass confusion about “Wait, is this part of it, or…?”
So now we’re all huddling out in the cold. Yay.
(Saturday)
Jan 17, 2026, 12:27 AM
Surprise 1 is the reason they were handing out 3D glasses on the way in! Robot Monster (1953), B&W, deeply terrible. They have a slapdash plot, a max of 3 sets, even the 3D effects seem glitchy.
If I knew any of those 1950s celebrities, maybe it would’ve been funny. As-is, it had people yelling “Can we put on Solaris instead?”
Jan 17, 2026, 12:52 AM
Sweet little bonus feature, a documentary clip about the guy who made it his mission to restore these old 3D films, including both the pieces played here.
Good for him.
Starting now: Parasite, scheduled to start at 12:20.
Opening cartoon: Concerto in 3D, a little music piece with CGI instruments. It’s giving AniMusic. And the depth effects on this one worked much better. I like it.
[Note from the future: …It just literally was AniMusic. Nice.]
Parasite (1982) was also in 3D, with a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration efforts!
…And it was enough of a Gross Bug Movie that I took the opportunity to rest my eyes. (Too early to fall asleep, but I gave them a break, at least.)
Next featurette: “The Animal World“, a lil dinosaur documentary. Claymation! Painted backdrops! A really beautiful job of it, even with the “oh no, we’ve figured out that’s not how that worked” of the science.
Next movie: Dinosaurs! (1960), was scheduled to start at 2am
Dinosaurs was a lot of fun. Surprisingly modern/natural-feeling dialogue, lots of comedy bits that aged well, the hateable villain got a Disney death, the plucky kid got to ride a brontosaurus.
Not everyone part of it aged well (Bechdel fail, too) but overall, a good time.
Next up is THX 1138, which I’m sure I’ve seen before, and plan to sleep through. (Scheduled for 3:40.)
Trailer for Krull, two neat ads for THX, trailer from when “Revenge of the Jedi” was the title…
And our opening cartoon was a weird lil SW thing. With more of the “riding dinosaurs” theme.
Jan 17, 2026, 06:02 AM
gonna sleep through Mad Max too, just wanted y’all to know our pre-movie cartoon is Gumby Racers
Jan 17, 2026, 09:49 AM
Woke up just in time for the start of Robinson Crusoe On Mars, the Tomb-Buster-era intermediate step between Robinson Crusoe and The Martian. It was fine. I liked the monkey. (I hope the monkey was treated well on-set.)
Bechdel fail. I know most of the movie was 1 character talking to himself, but there were no women anywhere in the whole thing. Except the monkey.
Lilo And Stitch starting now. (Set to start at 9:15.) Will have to nap, on account of It’s So Good (it’s the original) But I’ve Seen It And I’m Tired.
Jan 17, 2026, 11:36 AM
Saturday Morning Cartoon Break, aka “playing a bunch of cartoon opening themes, try to gauge the age of the audience by how many people sing along.”
…Although it was way shorter than last year’s. Tactic to make up time? Surprise 2 was set for 11:30.
Trailers included the alien Gonzo movie, Ed Wood, and now we get “A Tale of Two Kitties”… in which a proto Tweety Bird faces two cats who must not have gotten a fan base, I don’t even recognize them…
Surprise 2 was The Cat From Outer Space! Extremely red old print. Looks like they were dedicated to using An Actual Cat for all the cat scenes. I dozed off toward the end, but it looks like the good guys won.
Losing track of Bechdel passes here. The site where I double-check them isn’t loading. Kinda suspect Lilo And Stitch is the only other pass since the first.
As tends to happen with these, I ended up losing Algol’s plot, just closing my eyes and enjoying the live music. (The player called it something like “one of the craziest films I’ve done this for…”)
Weird fable about an alien giving one guy a perpetual motion machine, so he becomes a monopolist tyrant. There’s some “labor-saving devices are immoral” subtext, but also some classic “unfettered capitalism lets the worst people hoard power.” Literally!
Krull was set to start at 3:40. No cartoon, just going right into it.
Jan 17, 2026, 06:03 PM
Krull was the expected fun fantasy epic. Villains in spiky black armor, comic-relief shapeshifter, bandits with hearts of gold, shiny magic weapon of destiny. I like how the evil castle was built like a body: the architecture is giant bones and blood vessels, the kidnapped queen is under watch in an eye socket, the interior guards wear white as in blood cells.
Needed more women. I got my hopes up in the first 5 minutes when the FL got to grab a sword, but nope, kidnapped. She did get to be a turning point in the final showdown, at least.
Suspicious voiceover about “ruling a galaxy” that never came into the plot. I wonder if they were angling for the Star Wars audience. Could’ve paid off that idea in a sequel if it got funded!…which it looks like it did not.
[Note from the future: Post-Krull was the point when Dad let me know he was having a Weird Medical Issue, which had just upgraded into a Concerning Medical Issue, so we walked over to the ER across the street to get it checked out. It never actually got worse than Concerning…which meant the next few hours involved a lot of “sitting around waiting for doctors who had a few minutes to spare between handling Acutely Dangerous Medical Issues.”]
[Lucky I wasn’t planning to watch Dune anyway, huh…? Texted someone still in the theater to find out what Surprise 3 was, and, good news, I was okay with missing that too.]
Jan 17, 2026, 09:56 PM
Skipped out on Dune 2 (saw the first one, wasn’t dying to see what happened next).
Surprise 3 is Repo! The Genetic Opera, which I remember fandom being really into for a hot minute? …almost 20 years ago, wow. Didn’t feel the need to see it then, hasn’t changed since.
Cartoon was The Rabbit Of Seville.
Anyone who was into Repo, is there…any kind of thematic connections here? Or does the Film Society just really like showing The Rabbit Of Seville?
Jan 17, 2026, 10:29 PM
The internet argues over whether Dune 2 is a Bechdel pass (all conversations come back to Paul, not slowly).
Repo is an easy pass, though! Possibly just our third one of the night.
(Sunday)
[Future note: At some point after midnight, the doctors told Dad “the tests we’ve done so far haven’t figured out what caused the Concerning Issue, and it hasn’t stopped on its own either, so we want you to stay here overnight.” So I went back to the theater, to get some food, attempt a nap, and see the last movie.]
Jan 18, 2026, 01:17 AM
Eyes resting for the back half of Frankenhooker…but from what I heard, I enjoyed the ending.
Mickey 17 was scheduled to start at 12:40. Trailers running now…
[Normally I wrap up the liveblog when the last movie ends! This time, there’s a big pause while I’m wrangling our gear — a couple things got dropped off with Dad, a lot of it got stashed in his car to go home with him eventually, the rest went home with me — and arranging a ride.]
Jan 18, 2026, 04:31 AM
Marathon51 over. Mickey 17 was trying to be at least 5 different movies at once, and I liked at least 3 of them, so it worked out.
Now I’m home and the cats are fed, which for them is the big hit news of the weekend <3
[The doctors finally found something that stopped the Concerning Issue on Sunday afternoon! And Dad has reported feeling fine ever since. Everybody cross your fingers that keeps up.]
I saw a tumblr post and got possessed to write a draft about it except raw hurt no comfort makes me sad so I left it vague. https://www.tumblr.com/b12-art/806139730976800768/i-had-a-horrible-idea-what-if-art-was-truly?source=share
^^^ tumblr post in question
--- ART is dead. It's crew (or what remains) have been sent home. Preservation is fine. Murderbot navigates on its own in the empty skeleton of its friend.
Fandom: Heated Rivalry Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors Rating: Mature Length: 5144 Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Descriptions of illness, choking, vomiting. Creator Links:Ragazza_Guasto on AO3 Themes: Crack treated seriously, Pining, Getting back together, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Angst with a happy ending
Summary: “Can you believe it? How the hell did he end up bagging her?”
Ilya stared, brain not comprehending what his body already seemed to, that Hollander was dating-
“Rose fuckin’ Landry! How does the lamest guy in the League-”
He knew that smile. He thought it was for him, just for him. But it wasn't.
“No,” he whispered. His stomach spasmed.
“You good, Roz?”
Why would he- How could he-
They were holding hands…
“Rozanov? What the fuck?”
He jumped up from the table and stumbled for the front door, just barely making it through before the first mass of petals came up. He heaved as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the pavement, somewhere he could hide what was happening.
Unfortunately, his teammates had followed, because of course they would. He saw a photo of Shane Hollander holding hands with a movie star and promptly threw up.
Who wouldn't be curious?
Reccer's Notes: Hanahaki disease, where a sufferer of unrequited love starts bringing up flowers, has to be one of the crackiest tropes ever. In this story Ilya develops Hanahaki after seeing the pics of Shane going out with Rose Landry. But it's not some gently romantic fluttering of petals from his lips, it's bloodily bringing up a hard, painful tulip bulb, then more flowers, more bulbs. I guess the trope always has a potentially serious outcome (death vs requited love) but to me the "treated seriously" aspects here are the medical details and treatment, the painful and unromantic way the disease affects Ilya, and the way the fic cleverly incorporates his family history, via his mother. Ilya gets very sick indeed before Shane finds out, with inevitable results. Well written, and a great read.
Fandom: Transformers (Bay Movies) Pairings/Characters: Bumblebee/Ironhide Rating: Not Rated (I’m going to say Teen And Up; this is brazen steaming erotica, but performed in terms that circumvent meat-centric censorship laws.) Length: ~800 Content Notes: Alien biology, fusion as relationship, Pervy Human Fancying, size difference, transformation kink Creator Links: (AO3) crimsonclad; (LJ) crimsonclad
Summary:It was many years since Bumblebee had taken a lover, and as he looked up at Ironhide, he could feel his body trembling. "What do you think we will become?"
Ironhide smiled, and the familiar metallic sound of that motion made Bumblebee shiver. "I don't know, 'Bee. But I can't wait to find out."
Author’s Notes:Perhaps I am more comfortable writing porn with no recognizable gonads????
Reccer's Notes:
Bumblebee's first partner-- so long ago-- had been a sweet thing, and the result of their coupling-- a windmill, turning lazily in the winds of Cybertron-- had been as gentle and solid as their relationship. Once, in the later days of the war, Bumblebee had thrown caution to the wind and mated with an old friend turned traitor, temporary truce formed through their mutual desperation. The result had been a ravenous sawmill, capable of churning through any kind of metal. The sheer power had been intoxicating, but afterward, Bumblebee had felt empty, used. Lonely.
But so many years later, curving up against Ironhide's warm bulk, he knew this would be different. He knew they couldn't help but become something wonderful.
This is another fandom where I scarcely go (and therefore don’t know how common this trope is), but transformation and fusion here become an ecstatic discovery in ways that anticipate Steven Universe. (And don’t miss the avalanche of gleeful bawdy squee in the comments!)
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aethel
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