grüße

Season 1, Part 5 of 6.

Open invitation that if anybody wants to talk Stargate (we do not have to be subscribed to one another, we do not need to know one another) I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on these episodes, if you happen to remember anything about them (or maybe if you, like me, are doing a rewatch).

( Singularity )
( Enigma )
( Tin Man )
( Solitudes )

More of Season 1. I think this might be part 3 of 6? Once again, open invitation that if anybody wants to talk Stargate (we do not have to be subscribed to one another, we do not need to know one another) I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on these episodes, if you happen to remember anything about them (or maybe if you, like me, are doing a rewatch).

( Bloodlines )
( Fire and Water )
( The Nox )

We started a Stargate rewatch mostly for nostalgia reasons, and for me for Teal'c reasons. Everything is Teal'c <3

I've been trying to type up my thoughts about the episodes but I don't always have too much to say as a) they're not very good episodes yet, and b) a lot of what's been said about Stargate (heavily pro-US military, not great writing for women or minorities, 0 queer people, playing into the racist 'aliens instead of ancient non-white people' theory, etc etc etc) has been said already by people who are better at words than I am, and I don't want to spend all my time writing an essay that's basically already been done. So here's a standard disclaimer I will be pointing back to in case anybody is like "but what did you think about the problematic message in this! How could you ignore that!" Here is a heads up that if it's already well-known and documented, I didn't ignore it, I'm just not writing a ton about it.

Also I am primarily in this fandom for 💖️Teal'c💖️. Teal'c is best character. I will try to give every episode a Best Teal'c Moment so we can all appreciate how great he is together. <3

Open invitation that if anybody wants to talk Stargate (we do not have to be subscribed to one another, we do not need to know one another) I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on these episodes, if you happen to remember anything about them (or maybe if you, like me, are doing a rewatch).

In the meantime, anyway, here's the first few episodes so far. I clearly need a Stargate icon...

( Children of the Gods )
( The Enemy Within )
( Emancipation )
( The Broca Divide )
( The First Commandment )
( Brief Candle )

/collapses

It was a good trip! I will have to post something more in-depth about it later though, because I am so wiped. There's no transatlantic flight that is actually relaxing (although we really lucked out with Icelandair this time, I think that was about as good as it could get) and also I tried working abroad for the first time (interesting experience doing it -6 hrs behind the workday) and also we toured around to Niagara with brightisthedawn which was incredible and I even got some writing mojo back & got some writing in and sprints with a friend and we saw a bunch of final year recitals for my niblings as it's nearly their end-of-year and oh right, I got married.*

*kind of married, I mean we were already married over a decade ago but we never had had the actual ceremony before with friends and stuff. Planning that transatlantically? Do not recommend! But it went well and we were unexpectedly clever in doing it basically the first thing we did when we landed, so there was no time to stress endlessly which let's be real, I would absolutely have done.

Unfortunately job woes have woed their most recent woe, and I'm anticipating work will increase - again. During this latest set of restructuring/layoffs, the higher-ups mentioned "don't forget, if you don't like the new position you're in, remember: it's just work." oh??? really??? promise????? I'll be holding you to that one, guys...

But I have new music to play and new things to write and my beading turned out really nice for the dress and I kinda want to pick that up again. Things feel ok. It could all have gone a lot, lot worse, and it was like 8 mos of stress and tears and frustration and heartbreak, mostly because my family is awful, but it's over now. Now I have to figure out how to dye my wedding dress so I can reuse it.

📚️ I finally finished Wind and Truth; Brandon Sanderson is an exercise in stamina for sure. I'll have to put my thoughts in a proper reading post sometime soon. Other than that, haven't been reading a lot.

🇫🇷️ Except for all the les mis fic that I have been reading. Here's a fantastic Eposette longfic by a writer I had not known of before! Every so often I just kinda go on a valvert binge hoping to find something new and this time I did! At some point I really have to start collecting recs.

🤢️ I'm doing a course for work that starts Monday and I'm not looking forward to it. Three guesses what horrible tech it covers.

💻️ Work is. I was sick recently during a time when I could not afford to be (we're very siloed at work) and I felt like I had to work through the illness, which is never fun. My boss made a big deal of possibly promotion but now he seems to have waned in his zeal for it. I'm not angry because a) I don't think I am working at that level and b) I think it would mean a lot more work which I'm not keen on right now, I'm still trying to pare down my responsibilities and claw back some work-life balance, I'm just annoyed that he's so flip-floppy. I kind of can't stand 2 out of my 3 coworkers and the 3rd one is just kind of cardboard so hardly enough there to dislike. I feel desperately, horribly lonely.

👯‍♀️️ Didn't plan it this way but celebrating international women's day with Amaranthe / Epica concert tomorrow :'D I'd really like the Monday off but Germany doesn't do days in lieu, when your holiday falls on a weekend that's just shit luck.

🐺️ Finished volunteering with the org, and what a shame I left right before that weird down-up-down-up-down time. I wasn't a systems vol, but man to be a fly on the wall for that. At some point I wanted to write my thoughts about the past 7ish years, but I don't know if anybody would care, and I suppose there's only so many times I can say "this was at worst pretty shitty and at best kinda meh".

✒️ But there is one bright spot, and that's that I'm starting to feel like writing again. Sort of. It's still so hard to pull the energy for it, and sometimes I can push past it and other times I can't, so it's not really consistent yet. But having regular sprinting with a friend has helped a lot.

🐢️ I've worked late every day this week. Without details, we basically have a product we need to go-live on Tuesday, and it seems I'm like the only person who is able to do it. I did it in the requisite 3 days I was given, but I'm a bit ticked that a) when asked how long it would take, I was pressured into giving a date sooner than I would have liked, and b) all of the tech I was using was well-known and adopted by others none of whom were available to help me. So it was just kind of a floundering situation and me trying my best. I hate it when you're struggling and other people watch you struggling and could be the guy who turns over the turtle but instead they just watch. And even if you explicitly ask for help, they're like 'over there is a place where you can turn yourself over, maybe, idk I haven't looked at that code in awhile' with a vague gesture and point. Not great experience, all in all. And as always I feel like I can't say anything about that without people thinking I'm hard to work with.

🖍️ Picked up some pinch hits for exchanges recently, forgot how much fun that was. I think the low effort exchanges are more likely to be pinch-hittable for me, there's one right now that I could take for a much higher minimum but man, I just can't. I'm so tired.

🦩️ This list-as-many-animals-as-you-can game was super fun: https://rose.systems/animalist. I got 135, which I think is pretty good for someone who is normally thinking about mushrooms which, and this is true, are not animals. Mostly it was snakes and birds that saved me. I need to expand my animal horizon. Out of curiosity I tried amoeba and it gave me a very snarky answer. I'm also pleased that it understood 'bin chicken'.

❓️ Here's a meme, since my mind is too mush to do anything else. I stole it from tumblr, you can steal it from me you want.
<b><em>ask game for aging (tumblr) population</em></b> <b>1 what's your favourite kitchen appliance?</b> <b>2 do you have a collection of anything?</b> <b>3 what's the best job you've ever had?</b> <b>4 what's the worst job you've ever had?</b> <b>5 what's your favourite piece of furniture and where did you get it?</b> <b>6 what's your go-to recipe when you want to make something that requires minimal effort?</b> <b>7 are you married or do you intend to get married?</b> <b>8 do you have kids? do you want them?</b> <b>9 are you on good terms with your parents?</b> <b>10 do you have siblings? do you hang out with them?</b> <b>11 do you vote?</b> <b>12 what's the biggest purchase you've ever made?</b> <b>13 what are your hobbies?</b> <b>14 what's a hobby you'd like to get into?</b> <b>15 do you collect anything?</b> <b>16 how long have you known your oldest friend?</b> <b>17 are you a member of any clubs or associations?</b> <b>18 have you ever changed fields in your career or education?</b> <b>19 how many wisdom teeth do you have and have you had any removed?</b> <b>20 what's your favourite beverage?</b> <b>21 do you have any living grandparents?</b> <b>22 do you have nieces/nephews/godchildren/other kids in your life that aren't yours?</b> <b>23 what's the coolest place you've visited?</b> <b>24 what's your most recent degree and has it been useful to you?</b> <b>25 would you rather own a dishwasher or a laundry machine if you could only have one or the other?</b> <b>26 do you make a list before going to the grocery store or just wing it?</b> <b>27 what's your favourite household chore?</b> <b>28 what chore do you hate the most?</b> <b>29 do you have houseplants and how are you at keeping them alive?</b> <b>30 what's your living arrangement? (who do you live with, in what kind of building, do you own or rent or other?)</b>

( my answers... )

Snowflake time already /o\ I'm speedrunning 1-5 here to catch up as I've only just gotten home.



( #1: icebreaker )

( #2: pets of fandom )

( #3: love letter to fandom )

( #4: rec the contents of your last page (forest fire/climate change discussion) )

( #5: wishlist )

rec_cember is run by goodbyebird

Flying out tomorrow and I know I'm not gonna have any time to leave recs, so let me dump them all here. Wishing everybody a nice time this holidays and happy new year :D Maybe see some of you reccers in the snowflake_challenge?? Which I always start and somehow never finish :')

Anyway. This challenge while I didn't see it through super perfectly was kind of a reminder to me that I don't have to wait for a challenge to a) like a fic enough to rec it, and b) actually post the rec. It's really not that hard and I can definitely stand to do it more frequently than I do. /o\ It's a job for 2026 me to rec more and more frequently.

cold blooded old times, by dicktective
Fandom: Stranger Things
Words: 31.6k
Rating: E
Pairing: Steve/Jonathan

Jonathan moves like he’s trying to recreate a painting he’s never seen, one that’s been vaguely described to him. And Steve thinks that there’s some part, deep down, that does remember him, because, as unfamiliar with this person as he is, Jonathan still kisses him the way he used to.

I love nonlinear narratives and I think this one works super well. I also really love the intense feelings between Steve and Jonathan both before and after the accident that causes Jonathan's retrograde amnesia and how messy they both are about it. It's a WIP, 3/4 chapters, and I think the author will finish but - speculation on my part - it might be only after S5 is released. (I say this because if I were in their position I'd probably do the same!! Not inadvertently, it just kinda helps to see how it's gonna end before you write your own ending y'know?)

Canon knowledge required: Technically canon compliant up to and including ST 5 Vol 1 but there's no mention of ST characters from 2-5 and no spoilers for events, so you could read this with only ST 1/2 for context on the relationship between Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy.

This Could Be Home, by inkstainedwretch
Fandom: Mass Effect
Words: 8.6k
Rating: E
Pairing: Legion/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

The old cities were well-kept by their synthetic stewards, but they were also chillingly vacant. The whole fleet didn’t even fill the capitol, and as they flew over unused roads through one empty town after another, the word Tali couldn’t help but think was hollow.

Really excellent and compelling Legion/Tali, also with a frank discussion of power dynamics and what the Geth are, and were, to the Quarians. And a further even franker discussion of what Geth, and Legion specifically, are to Tali. I read this fic forever ago before it was archive locked and then for the life of me could not find it so I'm happy to actually keep it around in my bookmarks lest I go and lose it again. It really stuck in my mind <3

Canon knowledge required: you would need to play all 3 Mass Effect games (or have watched a playthrough) as there are spoilers for Legion's mission in ME3 (specifically the mission "Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadron").

Search for Signs in the Dark, by Jintian
Fandom: Farscape
Words: 5.1k
Rating: T
Pairing: Gen, feat John Crichton & Stark

John finds a moment of peace after the Chair. Set during "The Hidden Memory."

This is some really lovely John Crichton & Stark hurt/comfort during episode 20 of season 1 (when John's in The Chair and we first meet Stark). I always wanted more from Stark both in consistency of his madness on-screen (as in I would have really liked more of it, or a partial explanation of why he has periods of relative stability and what brings those on vs what sets him off) as well as his strange, weird powers, and also a developing friendship between him and Crichton. This is another one of those fics I keep losing because I forget to actually use the bookmark function. I just think it's super well-done and extremely IC and there are these lovely elements of softness between them among the surrealistic brain-break Crichton-whump atmosphere that I really loved Farscape for. <333

Canon knowledge required: Up to S1 E20, no need for anything further as it's essentially an episode tag.

Revolution, by morgan32
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Words: 69.7k
Rating: E
Pairing: Jack O'Neill/Teal'c

Canon-divergence from Children of the Gods. The first time Teal’c met Colonel Jack O'Neill he defied Apophis’ orders to kill the Tau’ri prisoners. The second time Teal’c met Colonel Jack O'Neill, it was in battle, and he again spared the Tau’ri commander’s life. When they met for a third time, it changed everything.

Jack/Teal'c, longfic canon divergence - my bookmarks say simply "I've wanted this fic forever." and it is SO TRUE. Every time I rewatch SG-1 I am awestruck by how shippy the Jack/Teal'c is (and Cam/Teal'c later in S9-10). I love this enemies to lovers take on them which is canon divergent from the start of the show where Teal'c doesn't take Jack up on his offer to save the captives and doesn't immediately switch sides, but Teal'c is still every bit the revolutionary atheist he is in canon. The Jaffa worldbuilding is pretty good and the Teal'c characterisation is phenomenal 🤩️

Canon knowledge required: S1E1 (Children of the Gods) is required, and the original movie would be helpful but in lieu of that, enough episodes of early SG-1 to know who the players are would help.

Into the Infinite, by mswhich
Fandom: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Words: 50.7k
Rating: E
Pairing: Dave/Hal

Dave Bowman is calm. He’s not upset. He’s not panicking. He’s calmly, efficiently making his way to the ship’s logic core.
There is horror threatening to seep in around the edges. He’s in an airless ship with three dead astronauts and an insane computer. He just jettisoned Frank’s body into the depths of space. He’s a hundred million miles from home, and the communication antenna is broken.
But Dave has a simple objective. He’s going to get to the logic core and disconnect HAL.
—
Or, a non-traditional love story between an AI and the human he once tried to kill.

This fic is for me the fic for 2001. I love the AI that gains consciousness trope and this is drawn out to a natural and believable degree while also not shying away from the elements of danger (inherent in the canon story, Hal's creepy-cute sweet-but-strange vibes are perfect here) or the things that Hal does (Dave doesn't come around quickly and Hal doesn't ask a lot of consent). To me, it's just a perfect canon divergence and I really really loved the ending.

Canon knowledge required: Watch the full movie first!

< REST / UNREST >, by woodironbone
Fandom: Control
Words: 5.5k
Rating: T
Pairing: Jesse Faden/Emily Pope

What is a house?

One of my favourites!! I really love the narrative styles between the switching narrators - Ahti feels appropriately different from The Board who feels appropriately different from Jesse and everybody is super in character. It also has that surrealistic vibe of the canon done to such an accurate degree that it feels very like a post-canon mission.

Canon knowledge required: It's needed to play the whole game through - or watch a let's play - and I think the DLC (The Foundation) is also required because it sets the stage for how much you really ought to trust the Board.

Overindulgence, by bixbobeau
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Words: 4.4k
Rating: E
Pairing: Damar/Weyoun

After the Battle of Cardassia and the Founder’s death, Weyoun is left in charge of the Dominion. Things begin to change.

Weyoun is perfectly creepy in this Damar/Weyoun noncon one-shot, and the author does a remarkable job of making the entire thing skin-crawlingly unsettling. In a weird way I almost feel sorry for Weyoun who is clearly being used and not adjusting to his particular role completely without issue. But I definitely feel worse for Damar. Very inspired Vorta biology for the xeno aspects as well.

Canon knowledge required: This fic is set post-canon in an AU where both Damar and Weyoun live, and the Cardassian conflict in the last bit of S7 goes a bit differently. Could be read with just the final bits of S7, but it's definitely more satisfying if you have spent some time with these characters from S3 onwards.

A Matter of Habit, by DHW
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Words: 30.1k
Rating: E
Pairing: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak

His mission is simple: DESTROY OMIGOS 15.
The year is 2347, and the galaxy is on the brink of war. Sent back into the past by the Federation's Department of Temporal Investigations, Dr Julian Bashir finds himself unwittingly embroiled in secret war between Section 31 and the Obsidian Order. Caught in a deadly game of secrets and lies, he knows one thing for certain: he must destroy Omigos 15.
And time is running out.

A lot of the time travel in Star Trek doesn't grab me, because it doesn't really address consequences and implications (but why would it, when Star Trek has this 42-minute reset button). But I really like this fic for the time travel mechanism it employs which is best left unspoiled but which I think really works.

Canon knowledge required: Up to and including S6 probably suffices so you know who S31 are, who Sloan is, and why they're after Julian specifically, but I would recommend having seen the whole show.

rec_cember is run by goodbyebird

Built on Bones and Middens, by BilbosMom
Fandom: Star Wars (The Clone Wars)
Words: 92.1k
Rating: E
Pairing: CC-1010 aka Fox/Quinlan Vos

Most people living in the upper levels of Coruscant didn't give much thought to what happened to their trash. But when trillions of people are living on top of one another it builds up fast. The privileged probably assumed it was burnt or buried or shipped off to some other planet. The truth was, when trash has nowhere left to go, it doesn't disappear. It simply stops being trash and becomes something else. Part of the landscape, a feature, a landmark. Eventually, even the ground underfoot.
The detritus of a thousand generations, discarded and crushed and compressed until eventually it was indistinguishable from the intentional structures around it. Coruscanti schist, the bedrock of the planet. The present and the future built on the bones and middens of the past.
So when Fox said Coruscant was a city built on its own filth, he meant it literally.

When a handful of clones unexpectedly attack their Jedi, Commander Fox is tasked with clearing their names before "justice" is served. He and his reluctant partner, the peculiar Jedi Quinlan Vos, pursue their investigation deep into Coruscant’s underworld.

This fic was incredible. I loved the gritty, noir-esque atmosphere it has, there is some exquisite Coruscant worldbuilding, and I also really dig the two characters who I won't lie I went into this not knowing all that well. (They're fleshed out enough that you don't need the backstory to either of them to enjoy the fic.) Actually, in full confession, I started writing up the rec for this at 2 chapters into this fic, that's how good it is, I already knew I would want to rec it. I have a lot of really great things to say about this fic and they are:
- intricate and extremely compelling casefic!! There's a fantastic noir atmosphere here and there's the gritty ugly parts of Coruscant I always want to see people have to deal with more
- the writing style is very pleasant and flows expertly with a natural dialogue and plenty of atmosphere - this is a very skilled writer
- Fox's characterisation is really phenomenal, and I really like his interactions with people (Guard personnel under his command, civilian OCs, his batchmate Cody).

Canon knowledge required: Basic knowledge of Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (all 3 films) suffices, but might be helpful to have seen a handful of Clone Wars episodes (animated show, set between films 2 and 3) and in particular the episode "Hunt for Ziro". But you basically do not need to know who Fox or Quinlan Vos are, because the fic will explain everything and has its own twist on both Fox and Vos' personalities.

However, if you're curious for these characters specifically and their canon interpretation, you really only need to watch the Clone Wars episode "Hunt for Ziro". Fox is only like in 8 Clone Wars episodes total or something, while his canon death occurs in the Darth Vader comics in the arc "The Dying Light" (synopsis here). Quinlan Vos appears in even fewer Clone Wars episodes but a lot more comics, and he has a very interesting story which if you like you can learn more about here in this video. He's definitely one of the more interesting Jedi and he has a very curious story (and he survives Order 66!) but none of that is in the films or even the Clone Wars cartoons.

rec_cember is run by goodbyebird

The Book of Vengeful Demons, by Un_finished
Fandom: Babylon 5
Words: 8.1k
Rating: T
Characters: Garibaldi, Delenn, Sinclair, Talia, Ivanova, Franklin, Lennier

Later, Garibaldi will tell himself - almost convincingly - that he flagged the crate in customs because it was an anomaly.
An episode tag (of sorts) for the S1 episode “The War Prayer.”

- and -

The Third Principle of Sentient Life, by Un_finished
Fandom: Babylon 5
Words: 69.5k; 6/8 chapters so far [WIP]
Rating: T
Characters: Delenn, Shaal Mayan, Draal, Branmer, OCs

Delenn. Child of two very different worlds. Budding mystic. Unwilling pawn.
Mayan. A gentle outcast with an extraordinary voice.
G’Had. Refugee. Survivor. Possibly the last remaining practitioner of Narn’s most sacred art.
Three remarkable younglings, a mysterious Sisterhood, and a race against time to solve a two thousand year old mystery and right an ancient wrong before it’s too late.
Set in the same universe as The Book of Vengeful Demons.

I'm reccing these as a pair because - well, they really go well together. In a way Third Principle is a prequel to Book of Vengeful Demons but they're distinct enough that you could read them in either order. Book of Vengeful Demons is complete; Third Principle of Sentient Life is a WIP but I have faith the author will complete (and I'm pretty sure any encouraging thoughts right now that someone might be so inspired to leave would very much help 💖️).

These are both intensely Delenn-focused, and feature prominently her friend Mayan, and also a goodly dose of extremely wonderful Minbari worldbuilding. Third Principle of Sentient Life has some extraordinary Narn worldbuilding as well. And the author does a really great job with the mystical aspects of Delenn that I feel go unused in Babylon 5 a lot: Delenn isn't just a political leader of her people, and she's not just a religious leader - she's a mystic, which makes her more-than-Minbari, one-foot-in-two-worlds: the mundane and the magic. These fics lean in strong to that role.

Canon knowledge required: For Vengeful Demons, only S1 is needed (it's an episode tag for the S1 episode "The War Prayer" so technically you don't even need further in S1 than that).
For Third Principle, only S1 is needed (it's set roughly 30 years pre-series).