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Cool
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicollastrafoxen on blusky created some visual aids showing Saturnian moon orbits.
They're all great but a detail in this one is worth mentioning.
The odd green squiggle to the right is a visual of Neptune's outer irregular moons, whose orbits around Neptune are large enough to be visible across the solar system. https://www.dreamwidth.org/comments/recent
They're all great but a detail in this one is worth mentioning.
The odd green squiggle to the right is a visual of Neptune's outer irregular moons, whose orbits around Neptune are large enough to be visible across the solar system. https://www.dreamwidth.org/comments/recent
Secrets Of The Silent Witch, volume 1 by Matsuri Isora (Translated by Alice Prowse)
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:50 amjames_davis_nicoll
A powerful but timid sorcerer is sent to guard a prince as he attends school.
Secrets Of The Silent Witch, volume 1 by Matsuri Isora (Translated by Alice Prowse)
Fanmix: DEPRESSED! (I'M NOT I TAKE MY MEDS)
Jan. 7th, 2026 05:22 amtoothpastepancake posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
beagoldfishTitle: DEPRESSED! (I'M NOT I TAKE MY MEDS)
Medium: Playlist/fanmix
Fandom: NBC Stumble
Length: 8 songs
Summary:
A too-serious-for-this-show fanmix for Sally, with strong hints of Sally/Courteney. Tracklist / thoughts under cut. Also, first fanwork for this fandom!
Listen here.
( Read more... )
Medium: Playlist/fanmix
Fandom: NBC Stumble
Length: 8 songs
Summary:
A too-serious-for-this-show fanmix for Sally, with strong hints of Sally/Courteney. Tracklist / thoughts under cut. Also, first fanwork for this fandom!
Listen here.
( Read more... )
Need to have a word with past-me
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:12 amvriddyA couple of days ago, I dug out a Wind Breaker fic I've been puttering on since June last year... Honestly, it's just every single character involved in this panel losing their shit over what happened in that moment, because why should I be the only one suffering?! But anyway, slapping an ending on it has been hard, with a lot of false starts. I outlined another one that's meh and started writing it -- at some point, one just needs to finish things!! There are a lot of good lines in the first few chapters at least XD
Then this morning I went back to edit the kn8 fic, as usual. Once I was done, I checked the notes app on my phone because I'm going somewhere today that I haven't been to in a long time, and sometimes I leave myself tips about directions, how long it actually takes, things like that.
I scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled to try to find a note from around that time (which didn't actually exist btw), and stumbled across a detailed note with... an ending for that fic?! One that includes a super fun concept I'd never have thought of except apparently I did?! *shakes past-me* WHY DID YOU NOT TELL MEEEE?!?!!! Haha. I'll have to remove/adjust some of the stuff I wrote a couple of days ago because the characters are in different locations, but I really really want to use that idea now in some way now XD
Thank you past-me............ I guess?! Hahaha
Then this morning I went back to edit the kn8 fic, as usual. Once I was done, I checked the notes app on my phone because I'm going somewhere today that I haven't been to in a long time, and sometimes I leave myself tips about directions, how long it actually takes, things like that.
I scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled to try to find a note from around that time (which didn't actually exist btw), and stumbled across a detailed note with... an ending for that fic?! One that includes a super fun concept I'd never have thought of except apparently I did?! *shakes past-me* WHY DID YOU NOT TELL MEEEE?!?!!! Haha. I'll have to remove/adjust some of the stuff I wrote a couple of days ago because the characters are in different locations, but I really really want to use that idea now in some way now XD
Thank you past-me............ I guess?! Hahaha
Welcome 2026, let us preserve fandom history.
Jan. 6th, 2026 07:51 pmrogueslayer452++ We had rainstorms from Christmas all through New Years, which was a great present for me because, yay rain and thunder! Unfortunately, our backyard did get a little flooded because of how intense the downpour was (it cleared up within hours, don't worry) and a lot of stuff did get blown around the backyard....one item actually flew out from our backyard and across the street. So, that was fun to retrieve. With that being said, it was a pretty chill Christmas and we welcomed 2026 with minimal fireworks due to the rain.
++ There is a New Years friending meme currently up and active.
++ I will be participating in this yearssnowflake_challenge, something I've enjoyed doing in previous years and last year was one that I was very active in commenting on other people's posts on various challenges which was fun. I'll be doing that again this year, I just need to find the right moment to do so because I've been kind of stressed this week alone with some personal things that I truly haven't had enough time to actually sit down and write something.
++ VERY IMPORTANT NEWS: I don't know how widespread this is at the moment, but it seems that LiveJournal is undergoing a recent change that will drastically affect all users, including Russian users.![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png)
denise has already made a post welcoming Russian users who are importing their journals from LJ to DW due to this situation, but she has also appeared in various individual places in fandom communities imploring all people who still have access to their LJ accounts (personal journals or communities) to backup/import them to DW immediately. This is quite literally an LJ Exodus 2.0, but this does seem like this could really be final for many people, especially if they're attempting to gatekeep the website from anyone who isn't Russian or complies with Russian law, which isn't surprising considering the way things have been going since the ownership change years ago but it's still devastating to witness all the same. The fact that LJ used to be incredibly lively and has, gradually overtime, turned into a virtual graveyard of what once was a rich and thriving website featuring various communities (fandom, personal, other subcultures) is heartbreaking, and to lose all of that history would be even more so.
If you still have an LJ account please back it up, and if you know someone who does still have access to their account(s) also please notify them of this so they can also back up their information while they still can. Either importing to DW, saving and transporting fanfic to AO3, using the Wayback Machine, whatever possibility is available to preserve LJ/fandom history.
++ There is a New Years friending meme currently up and active.
++ I will be participating in this years
snowflake_challenge, something I've enjoyed doing in previous years and last year was one that I was very active in commenting on other people's posts on various challenges which was fun. I'll be doing that again this year, I just need to find the right moment to do so because I've been kind of stressed this week alone with some personal things that I truly haven't had enough time to actually sit down and write something.++ VERY IMPORTANT NEWS: I don't know how widespread this is at the moment, but it seems that LiveJournal is undergoing a recent change that will drastically affect all users, including Russian users.
denise has already made a post welcoming Russian users who are importing their journals from LJ to DW due to this situation, but she has also appeared in various individual places in fandom communities imploring all people who still have access to their LJ accounts (personal journals or communities) to backup/import them to DW immediately. This is quite literally an LJ Exodus 2.0, but this does seem like this could really be final for many people, especially if they're attempting to gatekeep the website from anyone who isn't Russian or complies with Russian law, which isn't surprising considering the way things have been going since the ownership change years ago but it's still devastating to witness all the same. The fact that LJ used to be incredibly lively and has, gradually overtime, turned into a virtual graveyard of what once was a rich and thriving website featuring various communities (fandom, personal, other subcultures) is heartbreaking, and to lose all of that history would be even more so.If you still have an LJ account please back it up, and if you know someone who does still have access to their account(s) also please notify them of this so they can also back up their information while they still can. Either importing to DW, saving and transporting fanfic to AO3, using the Wayback Machine, whatever possibility is available to preserve LJ/fandom history.
What's Making Me Happy Today: Flight of the Icaron
Jan. 6th, 2026 10:17 pmdelphiThe actual-play audio drama podcast ![[youtube.com profile]](https://youtube.com/favicon.ico)
worldsbeyondnumber just started a short science fiction campaign, Flight of the Icaron, and the first episode knocked it out of the park.
Official Summary:
We have Aabria Iyengar as space mining mogul Kiki Davis, Brennan Lee Mulligan as engineer and father Andrei Dalca, and Erika Ishii as troubled young tragedy survivor Vera "Fishcakes" Lam—with Lou Wilson as GM, bringing some top-notch narration and NPC work that immediately has this feeling like a fully fledged universe full of characters with long histories and established relationships. There's a weight and rootedness to the worldbuilding and plot, but there's also still plenty of humour, especially in a recurring bit about trying to heist the good herbed Cheddar from a boring government party. I'm hooked, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
Official Summary:
This is the maiden voyage of the Icaron - Earth’s first S-Class Battle Station. This demonstration flight has been certified as routine by all relevant oversight bodies. Systems have been tested, personnel vetted, and contingencies reviewed. Passengers are reminded that the Icaron represents the highest standard of planetary defense engineering.
Please remain seated.
We have Aabria Iyengar as space mining mogul Kiki Davis, Brennan Lee Mulligan as engineer and father Andrei Dalca, and Erika Ishii as troubled young tragedy survivor Vera "Fishcakes" Lam—with Lou Wilson as GM, bringing some top-notch narration and NPC work that immediately has this feeling like a fully fledged universe full of characters with long histories and established relationships. There's a weight and rootedness to the worldbuilding and plot, but there's also still plenty of humour, especially in a recurring bit about trying to heist the good herbed Cheddar from a boring government party. I'm hooked, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
(no subject)
Jan. 6th, 2026 09:14 pmcahnSo, we had a winter break!
We had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve, going to D's church's Christmas Eve service, making and opening presents, etc. We got to the airport at 5am Christmas day to go visit my family and were promptly informed (we had gotten no communication from Southwest beforehand) that the airport had flooded and all flights were grounded. Not totally unexpected, as there had been a lot of rain, but kind of annoying. After some back and forth during which we went home and fell back into bed, then were informed that our flight was leaving after all two hours earlier than they'd said and we were about to miss it, then rebooked for later (which at least allowed me to leave Yuletide gift comments), then finally got out that afternoon, then were able to catch an earlier connection than we were booked for. Yay! Keeping track of local news after that, I learned that the airport flooded again an hour after our rebooked flight left (and I think it didn't open back up again until the next day), so we got out just in time. It's been flooding off and on since then, when it rains again, and we were lucky enough that our flight back was not on one of the rainy days. I think no more rain for a while, now.
Anyway. Had lots of family time! ( An incomplete list: )
We had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve, going to D's church's Christmas Eve service, making and opening presents, etc. We got to the airport at 5am Christmas day to go visit my family and were promptly informed (we had gotten no communication from Southwest beforehand) that the airport had flooded and all flights were grounded. Not totally unexpected, as there had been a lot of rain, but kind of annoying. After some back and forth during which we went home and fell back into bed, then were informed that our flight was leaving after all two hours earlier than they'd said and we were about to miss it, then rebooked for later (which at least allowed me to leave Yuletide gift comments), then finally got out that afternoon, then were able to catch an earlier connection than we were booked for. Yay! Keeping track of local news after that, I learned that the airport flooded again an hour after our rebooked flight left (and I think it didn't open back up again until the next day), so we got out just in time. It's been flooding off and on since then, when it rains again, and we were lucky enough that our flight back was not on one of the rainy days. I think no more rain for a while, now.
Anyway. Had lots of family time! ( An incomplete list: )
Last Day here
Jan. 6th, 2026 11:00 pmcornerofmadnessMom and I went to the casino to lose money and I did that well. Mom won. We also hit Primanti's and I got a second rubber ducky in my duck juice cocktail so yay for that.
I am not ready for work for reasons I don't want to get into publicly and has everything to do with the changes Ohio's Republicans have made with education.
So for my second fannish 50, have bunch of fandom related end of year memes
( they're long so they're under here )
I am not ready for work for reasons I don't want to get into publicly and has everything to do with the changes Ohio's Republicans have made with education.
So for my second fannish 50, have bunch of fandom related end of year memes
( they're long so they're under here )
Daily Happiness
Jan. 6th, 2026 07:48 pmtorachan1. Apparently today is Three Kings Day as someone brought in a king cake to work, but it was actually a really good king cake! I've only had King Cake once before and found both the style of cake and frosting to be not my jam, but this is a Mexican style king cake, which is not actually cake, but rather just very sweet bread, and instead of royal icing on top, it has bits of like quince paste or something. It is still ring shaped and has a plastic baby Jesus in it, though. It was from the in-store bakery of a Mexican supermarket chain and there's one not that far from work so if I remember about it next year I might actually consider buying a whole one myself.
2. Cutie guy.
2. Cutie guy.
(no subject)
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:39 pmolivermossEarlier today I decided to gently, carefully, with references, talk to some people in my local discord - as in, these are people I know IRL - that ConformityGate is not real. It's easy to debunk ConformityGate because some of their 'proof' are claims that certain things happened on the show, but those things did not happen. You can just screepcap or clip and 'no, that is not what happened, they literally made shit up, here is what actually happened.'
If you have remained blissfully unaware, it's Byler Truther bullshit. Unhinged Stranger Things fans who learned nothing from being humiliated in Scriptgate.
Don't ask me what Scriptgate is, because I will explain and you will take 1d4 psychic damage
Now, it's being covered by MoistCr1TiKaL, a very prominent youtuber. 17.6 million subscribers. Their collective meltdown is big enough to be covered by Charlie of all people. jfc....
If you have remained blissfully unaware, it's Byler Truther bullshit. Unhinged Stranger Things fans who learned nothing from being humiliated in Scriptgate.
Don't ask me what Scriptgate is, because I will explain and you will take 1d4 psychic damage
Now, it's being covered by MoistCr1TiKaL, a very prominent youtuber. 17.6 million subscribers. Their collective meltdown is big enough to be covered by Charlie of all people. jfc....
Fic: In the Demon's Claws
Jan. 6th, 2026 06:06 pmsenmutAO3 Link | In the Demon's Claws (2219 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden & Vierna Do'Urden
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Ensemble Cast, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Typical Violence, Resurrection
Summary:
Drizzt Do'Urden gazed out over the lands, thinking about everything endured. If Regis had not escaped sooner — no, it didn't bear thinking about. What he knew had let them disarm the trap, though not without personal cost for Drizzt himself. He had caused his father's death, brought about the deaths of his House from afar, and now… personally slain his sister, both by dam and sire.
His only consolation had been seeing her less a zealot, more sane in her eyes even, as the light faded, letting him cast true blame upon Lloth once more. It had been Catti-brie who supposed the entire raid had been concocted as but one thread of a web, given how near it had been to losing Wulfgar to the yochlol, how strange that they had chosen to come for Drizzt inside the dwarven stronghold rather than upon the road some night when he would be alone.
Bruenor had thundered, and Wulfgar had pledged support, with Regis managing advice based on his studying Artemis Entreri while the human consorted with drow. Aid had come from the region, and it would be a long time before Menzoberranzan could stir from its cesspool of hate and anger.
Catti and Wulfgar needed to work upon their relationship. Regis still had much recovery to make from his ordeal. Bruenor had a much expanded clan to lead to prominence.
Drizzt?
He looked back to the road for salvation from that which ate at his soul. A passing remark from one of the Harpells had reminded him of unfinished business concerning a crystal… and a demon that had been defeated once.
There had never been any chance of an ending that led anywhere but to the Demonweb Pits, Vierna had known. Either she would arrive in favor, and become one of Lloth's own servitors in some form —
— or she would arrive in full disfavor to be tortured.
She had learned three things as she endured the torture, and then the bartering deal with the balor.
Her father was not in the Demonweb Pits. This had been clear while she was still tortured under the servants of Lolth. He would have been an instrument in those tortures, as she had, again, fallen into that strange emotion surrounding Zaknafein, on seeing how true to himself her brother had remained.
There was the fact that Lloth had never been worth her devotion. This point — she'd had sight of it in the fall of her House — had clarified when the religious madness fell from her eyes even as her brother was lowering her body to the floor. If she had only managed to learn it earlier, and used her power to protect the two males she'd felt strong emotions over!
And, somehow, this balor intended to use her against her brother. Errtu could not keep himself from alternately salivating over his plans against Drizzt Do'Urden or raging in a froth of madness over what the impertinent drow had done to him.
She would just have to help her brother beat the demon at his own game. Vierna was looking forward to his death at Drizzt's hands.
Drizzt's concerns about the demon had proven too correct. He finished cleaning Icingdeath, his mind turning over the words spit at him by the fiend before its death. The gloating, brash taunts of what Errtu meant to do with him — after Errtu finished rending the soul of one that Drizzt cared for — had been too in line with what he knew of the balors. They were incapable of getting over a defeat that had been meted out to them.
Only? Errtu had an advantage over him. The only person's soul that could possibly be at risk to the demon was his own father. Drizzt would no more leave the soul in peril than he ever would have risked the man in life, had he but been a little wiser.
He didn't dare not follow up on this, no matter the source. Since Drizzt had left Mithral Hall, burdened by the suffering, deaths, and his own actions, he'd been seeking a purpose. He would recover the damnable crystal, and trek to a land known to hold the knowledge of the ages. Surely he could learn what was needed to save his father and destroy both threats if he but tried hard enough.
With resolve etched in every line of his body and soul, Drizzt plunged into the frozen north once more, intent on his goals.
The Crystal Shard couldn't be tricked by Drizzt. Nor could it offer him what he wanted, not in a way that ever tempted the drow. The psychic effect of merely carrying it in a quiescent state was enough to make Drizzt constantly question his own mind as he traveled. Guen, on her visits to the Material Plane, also kept a watchful eye on him.
It was a necessary evil, bait for the demon that was seeking vengeance. After the not-so-minor trouble of getting back to it, finding it, Drizzt was just as relieved to find his next destination after a stop in Longsaddle. He'd kept the artifact's presence carefully hidden, indulged Harpell curiosity as some were in residence now that he had not met before.
"If you're dead set against leaning into the alliances you've made in Silverymoon," Bella began, the brighter eye rolling with what she thought of that and the dull one fixed on him, "you need to head for Tethyr, a small kingdom down there with a cathedral being built.
"The priest of Deneir, Chosen they say, will point you to the knowledge you need to deal with this demon you need to be rid of."
"It seems I should see if Captain Deudermont will aid me in my journeys, then," Drizzt said, not keen on going so far south once again, but he was no priest nor wizard, to be able to banish the demon for good… and with luck, this cleric might well know how to rid the realms of the Crystal Shard.
With the right tools, Drizzt Do'Urden would be willing to wager against the evil ones, and try to reclaim his father's soul from the Abyss.
"You could become a cleric of sufficient rank in the decades you have left. Or a wizard of strength," Cadderly mused at Drizzt, even as the wizened Chosen walked beside Drizzt in the garden, aware that Pikel and Ivan both were still keeping an eye on the solitary drow.
"They say time stretches in the Abyss, and I feel that taking the time to do so would further torment the one I seek to rescue. Likewise, I will make no bargain with a Power to become a warlock."
Cadderly looked at Drizzt then, leaning on his staff as they paused. "And yet you refuse your goddess Her offer?"
Drizzt flushed, looking down, and Cadderly knew the ranger had not expected that to be known. When he looked up, it was with an expression of sadness. "She has been good to me, and I will serve Her so long as She walks the path I view as right.
"But I do not trust myself with a spark of who She is."
"Which is of course why She would most want it to be you, for that very distrust, but. You have closed that door — for now — and having a pressing need to save one you care for. The vile artifact's destruction is what you seek, but not before you are able to barter with and defeat the balor.
"A complicated task you have set yourself, but I will set people to the research of it."
"Thank you; it is all I can ask."
Vierna felt something change in her captor. He was eager, close to success of some kind? She felt weaker than she had even in the moments after Lloth forsook the House. How could she aid her brother like this?
When the demon back-handed her for daring to spit in his direction, she lolled in her bonds, feigning unconsciousness and made the choice to reach out to a different power. Never again would she submit to the divine… but bargain with one? That she could — and would! — manage.
~Vhaeraun son of Araushnee and Corellon, god of drow,~ she prayed, all of her singular focus on inviting the Named One to take notice of her. Even now, out of favor and having renounced her former goddess, the names burned in her mind, invoking pain.
Pain that she further used to fuel her call to the one that could make her plans work — she would not fail! Her brother, the boy she had taught and raised, needed her, and this time, she was embracing that.
Little did she know that her very need to aid a male sibling was the right spark to bring the god's attention to her.
"As long as your darkness holds," Danica coached, "the thing will be destroyed."
Drizzt looked past her to the rather unassuming man with them, very little giving away his draconic nature.
"And Icingdeath will guard me from the flames," he reminded himself.
"Yes, a superb frostbrand," Vaeros said, having inspected the magic on the blade to be certain.
"The breach of magic has made it possible for the balor to come to a simple summoning," Drizzt recited. "I will offer the artifact, and then we will be 'attacked', at which point the crystal will burn while I hold darkness — and evade the enraged demon while protecting my father."
"Presuming that the captive is brought, and that it is your father," Danica agreed. "Should be simple for the drow that decimated Menzoberranzan's might."
Drizzt stared at her, then saw the twitch of her lips, and gave into the laughter at that outrageous elaboration of his part in the war of Mithral Hall.
"We will do this, Ranger, on our shared love of the Wilds," Vaeros said, once the laughter had worn off, with the effect of living Drizzt lighter in spirit.
"So we shall."
It was not Zaknafein.
That small fact half-broke Drizzt's willpower at first. He wanted to angrily decry that he didn't care about Vierna.
His heart knew that for a lie.
She looked mangled in the grasp of the demon, and trickles of blood had formed where the clawed hand pierced flesh.
She was conscious, and her eyes locked on his.
Distantly, he could remember the plan even as the sealed case with Crenshinibon hung from an outstretched hand, the demon gloating within the summoning circle.
His mind toured over early, harsh lessons. He recalled the gentle touches that had been rare and treasured. He remembered that someone had to have told Zaknafein of his speed and skill with both hands. He recalled the look of sanity in her eyes, at the end of her life, blood spilling from a wound he'd made in her.
Something in her eyes told him she trusted him, and that she was ready for whatever came next.
"Let her go, and you can have what you want."
"You think I am unaware of the treachery lurking in your soul, drow?" Errtu demanded, hand closing more —
— and Vierna uttered a quick phrase in formal drow, one that called upon Vhaeraun, god of the male drow. The next moment, she was small, transformed into a bat that eluded the demon's grasp, fluttering valiantly into the hood of the cloak Drizzt wore.
He prayed that was enough to protect her, as he gave himself over to the Hunter, Icingdeath more than eager to drink the blood of this balor once more. Errtu had no chance to evade, or even dispel the darkness, as Drizzt furiously fought for his life, the crystal's end, and for the daughter of his father.
Vierna awakened at the feeling of healing being pushed into her, the kind that traced fire in her veins, counter to her very nature but helping abate the last tortures' marks upon her.
She found herself looking into the purple eyes that had entranced her since his birth.
"We're in a small cave. I didn't want to impose on my allies," he told her softly. "You turned back to drow after the fight ended."
"I did not ask for it to be a permanent change," Vierna said, but she reached for his hand on her shoulder. "You can heal?"
"If my patron agrees, yes," he said, taking her hand and shifting so he could sit more comfortably and hold it. "Vhaeraun?"
"I promised Him I would become a potent cleric for Him, if He let me aid my troublesome little brother against the balor."
Her smile on those words provoked one from him.
"I thought it was my — our father."
"And yet, you still pushed through with the plan you had made." She squeezed his hand. "We will have peace, Drizzt. I swear it on my continued life."
He contemplated her words a long moment, then laid down on the bedroll, sliding an arm under her neck, tucking close to give her the warmth he had.
"Good. There's been enough strife for us both, I think."
She closed her eyes, shifting a little to be comfortable, and decided that he was still strange to her.
But she had become something different and wanted to embrace the strangeness with him.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden & Vierna Do'Urden
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Ensemble Cast, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Typical Violence, Resurrection
Summary:
Things in the Hall went slightly different, but still Drizzt chooses the road, and learns of one more quest.
In the Demon's Claws
Drizzt Do'Urden gazed out over the lands, thinking about everything endured. If Regis had not escaped sooner — no, it didn't bear thinking about. What he knew had let them disarm the trap, though not without personal cost for Drizzt himself. He had caused his father's death, brought about the deaths of his House from afar, and now… personally slain his sister, both by dam and sire.
His only consolation had been seeing her less a zealot, more sane in her eyes even, as the light faded, letting him cast true blame upon Lloth once more. It had been Catti-brie who supposed the entire raid had been concocted as but one thread of a web, given how near it had been to losing Wulfgar to the yochlol, how strange that they had chosen to come for Drizzt inside the dwarven stronghold rather than upon the road some night when he would be alone.
Bruenor had thundered, and Wulfgar had pledged support, with Regis managing advice based on his studying Artemis Entreri while the human consorted with drow. Aid had come from the region, and it would be a long time before Menzoberranzan could stir from its cesspool of hate and anger.
Catti and Wulfgar needed to work upon their relationship. Regis still had much recovery to make from his ordeal. Bruenor had a much expanded clan to lead to prominence.
Drizzt?
He looked back to the road for salvation from that which ate at his soul. A passing remark from one of the Harpells had reminded him of unfinished business concerning a crystal… and a demon that had been defeated once.
There had never been any chance of an ending that led anywhere but to the Demonweb Pits, Vierna had known. Either she would arrive in favor, and become one of Lloth's own servitors in some form —
— or she would arrive in full disfavor to be tortured.
She had learned three things as she endured the torture, and then the bartering deal with the balor.
Her father was not in the Demonweb Pits. This had been clear while she was still tortured under the servants of Lolth. He would have been an instrument in those tortures, as she had, again, fallen into that strange emotion surrounding Zaknafein, on seeing how true to himself her brother had remained.
There was the fact that Lloth had never been worth her devotion. This point — she'd had sight of it in the fall of her House — had clarified when the religious madness fell from her eyes even as her brother was lowering her body to the floor. If she had only managed to learn it earlier, and used her power to protect the two males she'd felt strong emotions over!
And, somehow, this balor intended to use her against her brother. Errtu could not keep himself from alternately salivating over his plans against Drizzt Do'Urden or raging in a froth of madness over what the impertinent drow had done to him.
She would just have to help her brother beat the demon at his own game. Vierna was looking forward to his death at Drizzt's hands.
Drizzt's concerns about the demon had proven too correct. He finished cleaning Icingdeath, his mind turning over the words spit at him by the fiend before its death. The gloating, brash taunts of what Errtu meant to do with him — after Errtu finished rending the soul of one that Drizzt cared for — had been too in line with what he knew of the balors. They were incapable of getting over a defeat that had been meted out to them.
Only? Errtu had an advantage over him. The only person's soul that could possibly be at risk to the demon was his own father. Drizzt would no more leave the soul in peril than he ever would have risked the man in life, had he but been a little wiser.
He didn't dare not follow up on this, no matter the source. Since Drizzt had left Mithral Hall, burdened by the suffering, deaths, and his own actions, he'd been seeking a purpose. He would recover the damnable crystal, and trek to a land known to hold the knowledge of the ages. Surely he could learn what was needed to save his father and destroy both threats if he but tried hard enough.
With resolve etched in every line of his body and soul, Drizzt plunged into the frozen north once more, intent on his goals.
The Crystal Shard couldn't be tricked by Drizzt. Nor could it offer him what he wanted, not in a way that ever tempted the drow. The psychic effect of merely carrying it in a quiescent state was enough to make Drizzt constantly question his own mind as he traveled. Guen, on her visits to the Material Plane, also kept a watchful eye on him.
It was a necessary evil, bait for the demon that was seeking vengeance. After the not-so-minor trouble of getting back to it, finding it, Drizzt was just as relieved to find his next destination after a stop in Longsaddle. He'd kept the artifact's presence carefully hidden, indulged Harpell curiosity as some were in residence now that he had not met before.
"If you're dead set against leaning into the alliances you've made in Silverymoon," Bella began, the brighter eye rolling with what she thought of that and the dull one fixed on him, "you need to head for Tethyr, a small kingdom down there with a cathedral being built.
"The priest of Deneir, Chosen they say, will point you to the knowledge you need to deal with this demon you need to be rid of."
"It seems I should see if Captain Deudermont will aid me in my journeys, then," Drizzt said, not keen on going so far south once again, but he was no priest nor wizard, to be able to banish the demon for good… and with luck, this cleric might well know how to rid the realms of the Crystal Shard.
With the right tools, Drizzt Do'Urden would be willing to wager against the evil ones, and try to reclaim his father's soul from the Abyss.
"You could become a cleric of sufficient rank in the decades you have left. Or a wizard of strength," Cadderly mused at Drizzt, even as the wizened Chosen walked beside Drizzt in the garden, aware that Pikel and Ivan both were still keeping an eye on the solitary drow.
"They say time stretches in the Abyss, and I feel that taking the time to do so would further torment the one I seek to rescue. Likewise, I will make no bargain with a Power to become a warlock."
Cadderly looked at Drizzt then, leaning on his staff as they paused. "And yet you refuse your goddess Her offer?"
Drizzt flushed, looking down, and Cadderly knew the ranger had not expected that to be known. When he looked up, it was with an expression of sadness. "She has been good to me, and I will serve Her so long as She walks the path I view as right.
"But I do not trust myself with a spark of who She is."
"Which is of course why She would most want it to be you, for that very distrust, but. You have closed that door — for now — and having a pressing need to save one you care for. The vile artifact's destruction is what you seek, but not before you are able to barter with and defeat the balor.
"A complicated task you have set yourself, but I will set people to the research of it."
"Thank you; it is all I can ask."
Vierna felt something change in her captor. He was eager, close to success of some kind? She felt weaker than she had even in the moments after Lloth forsook the House. How could she aid her brother like this?
When the demon back-handed her for daring to spit in his direction, she lolled in her bonds, feigning unconsciousness and made the choice to reach out to a different power. Never again would she submit to the divine… but bargain with one? That she could — and would! — manage.
~Vhaeraun son of Araushnee and Corellon, god of drow,~ she prayed, all of her singular focus on inviting the Named One to take notice of her. Even now, out of favor and having renounced her former goddess, the names burned in her mind, invoking pain.
Pain that she further used to fuel her call to the one that could make her plans work — she would not fail! Her brother, the boy she had taught and raised, needed her, and this time, she was embracing that.
Little did she know that her very need to aid a male sibling was the right spark to bring the god's attention to her.
"As long as your darkness holds," Danica coached, "the thing will be destroyed."
Drizzt looked past her to the rather unassuming man with them, very little giving away his draconic nature.
"And Icingdeath will guard me from the flames," he reminded himself.
"Yes, a superb frostbrand," Vaeros said, having inspected the magic on the blade to be certain.
"The breach of magic has made it possible for the balor to come to a simple summoning," Drizzt recited. "I will offer the artifact, and then we will be 'attacked', at which point the crystal will burn while I hold darkness — and evade the enraged demon while protecting my father."
"Presuming that the captive is brought, and that it is your father," Danica agreed. "Should be simple for the drow that decimated Menzoberranzan's might."
Drizzt stared at her, then saw the twitch of her lips, and gave into the laughter at that outrageous elaboration of his part in the war of Mithral Hall.
"We will do this, Ranger, on our shared love of the Wilds," Vaeros said, once the laughter had worn off, with the effect of living Drizzt lighter in spirit.
"So we shall."
It was not Zaknafein.
That small fact half-broke Drizzt's willpower at first. He wanted to angrily decry that he didn't care about Vierna.
His heart knew that for a lie.
She looked mangled in the grasp of the demon, and trickles of blood had formed where the clawed hand pierced flesh.
She was conscious, and her eyes locked on his.
Distantly, he could remember the plan even as the sealed case with Crenshinibon hung from an outstretched hand, the demon gloating within the summoning circle.
His mind toured over early, harsh lessons. He recalled the gentle touches that had been rare and treasured. He remembered that someone had to have told Zaknafein of his speed and skill with both hands. He recalled the look of sanity in her eyes, at the end of her life, blood spilling from a wound he'd made in her.
Something in her eyes told him she trusted him, and that she was ready for whatever came next.
"Let her go, and you can have what you want."
"You think I am unaware of the treachery lurking in your soul, drow?" Errtu demanded, hand closing more —
— and Vierna uttered a quick phrase in formal drow, one that called upon Vhaeraun, god of the male drow. The next moment, she was small, transformed into a bat that eluded the demon's grasp, fluttering valiantly into the hood of the cloak Drizzt wore.
He prayed that was enough to protect her, as he gave himself over to the Hunter, Icingdeath more than eager to drink the blood of this balor once more. Errtu had no chance to evade, or even dispel the darkness, as Drizzt furiously fought for his life, the crystal's end, and for the daughter of his father.
Vierna awakened at the feeling of healing being pushed into her, the kind that traced fire in her veins, counter to her very nature but helping abate the last tortures' marks upon her.
She found herself looking into the purple eyes that had entranced her since his birth.
"We're in a small cave. I didn't want to impose on my allies," he told her softly. "You turned back to drow after the fight ended."
"I did not ask for it to be a permanent change," Vierna said, but she reached for his hand on her shoulder. "You can heal?"
"If my patron agrees, yes," he said, taking her hand and shifting so he could sit more comfortably and hold it. "Vhaeraun?"
"I promised Him I would become a potent cleric for Him, if He let me aid my troublesome little brother against the balor."
Her smile on those words provoked one from him.
"I thought it was my — our father."
"And yet, you still pushed through with the plan you had made." She squeezed his hand. "We will have peace, Drizzt. I swear it on my continued life."
He contemplated her words a long moment, then laid down on the bedroll, sliding an arm under her neck, tucking close to give her the warmth he had.
"Good. There's been enough strife for us both, I think."
She closed her eyes, shifting a little to be comfortable, and decided that he was still strange to her.
But she had become something different and wanted to embrace the strangeness with him.
Signups Closing Tomorrow!
Jan. 6th, 2026 06:33 pmcandyheartsexRemember, signups will close tomorrow night (January 7) at 11:59 PM EST.
Here's a countdown clock.
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January Manga TBR
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:04 pmbluapapilioUsed my manga TBR boardgame.
I finished 10/10 on my last board! I even read them all in order! It was a mix of 'great' and 'okay'.
Avatar:
Tanjirou (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Skill: Move 2 extra tiles 1 time (trap tile if roll Even)
Roll #1:
An 8 and the generate from TBR tile oh boy trap tile would've been better. #1349. Okay that wasn't too bad actually, removed one manga and 1349 is a BL oneshot, Peeping Tom .
Roll #2:
A 7, prompt: amnesia. BL Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa.
Roll #3:
A 9, prompt: award-winning work. Too many good options! But I do want to get ahead more in Dr. Stone before the next anime season!.
Roll #4:
An 11, prompt: featuring a group of friends. Okay...I haven't read this one in too long but I'm gonna read more Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.
Roll #5:
A 12. I had really high roles this challenge, dang! The physical manga reread this time is Lover's→Flat.
~Manga TBR List~
[BL/Smut] Peeping Tom
[BL/Romance] Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa
[Sci-Fi/Adventure] Dr. Stone
[School Life/Fantasy] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
[BL/Romance Lover's→Flat
x josei, x2 shounen, seinen, x3 BL
I finished 10/10 on my last board! I even read them all in order! It was a mix of 'great' and 'okay'.
Avatar:
Tanjirou (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Skill: Move 2 extra tiles 1 time (trap tile if roll Even)
Roll #1:
An 8 and the generate from TBR tile oh boy trap tile would've been better. #1349. Okay that wasn't too bad actually, removed one manga and 1349 is a BL oneshot, Peeping Tom .
Roll #2:
A 7, prompt: amnesia. BL Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa.
Roll #3:
A 9, prompt: award-winning work. Too many good options! But I do want to get ahead more in Dr. Stone before the next anime season!.
Roll #4:
An 11, prompt: featuring a group of friends. Okay...I haven't read this one in too long but I'm gonna read more Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.
Roll #5:
A 12. I had really high roles this challenge, dang! The physical manga reread this time is Lover's→Flat.
~Manga TBR List~
[BL/Smut] Peeping Tom
[BL/Romance] Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa
[Sci-Fi/Adventure] Dr. Stone
[School Life/Fantasy] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
[BL/Romance Lover's→Flat
x josei, x2 shounen, seinen, x3 BL
Alt bricks: Welcome to Luanzang Hill (Mo Dao Zu Shi)
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:01 pmxinger posting in beagoldfishTitle: Welcome to Luanzang Hill
Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed
Character(s): Wei Wuxian, Jiang siblings, Lan Wangji
Details: Building happy Mo Dao Zu Shi scenes using Lego and alt bricks.
Summary: Wei Wuxian's siblings bring him supplies at Luanzang Hill.
Link to picture: dreamwidth
Image description: An alt-lego build of a courtyard at Luanzang Hill. It is brown and mostly empty. A Wei Wuxian figure stands in it holding a shovel. Jiang Yanli stands beside him holding a lotus bloom and a basket of plants. Jiang Cheng is behind them, setting down a crate of food. In the background, Lan Wangji has a group of rabbits and a jar of Emperor's Smile.
!needs tag
Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed
Character(s): Wei Wuxian, Jiang siblings, Lan Wangji
Details: Building happy Mo Dao Zu Shi scenes using Lego and alt bricks.
Summary: Wei Wuxian's siblings bring him supplies at Luanzang Hill.
Link to picture: dreamwidth
Image description: An alt-lego build of a courtyard at Luanzang Hill. It is brown and mostly empty. A Wei Wuxian figure stands in it holding a shovel. Jiang Yanli stands beside him holding a lotus bloom and a basket of plants. Jiang Cheng is behind them, setting down a crate of food. In the background, Lan Wangji has a group of rabbits and a jar of Emperor's Smile.
!needs tag
(no subject)
Jan. 6th, 2026 04:07 pmshadarasOver the last ~week, hafnia and I went "sooooo what if we ran a multifandom remix event" and now it is up and ready for signups! We're hoping it'll be a fun time, and we'd love to have you join us. <3
Remix Through the Seasons is a quarterly, trope-based multifandom event hosted on ao3.
Participants will write one new story (between 1-5k) and then be assigned another story written for the event to remix. These stories can be in any fandom (including Original Work). Matching will be based on the stories' tropes (and creator DNWs) rather than pairings/fandoms. Remixing works from one fandom into another is allowed (even expected).
Schedule:
Signups open: Now!
Signups close: January 24
Assignments sent: January 31
Original works revealed: January 31
Remix works due: March 14
Remix works reveals: March 21
All author reveals: March 28
All due dates etc are at 11:59pm GMT on the listed date
DW Comm:seasonalremix
Ao3 Collection
(getting everything finalised involved spending a couple hours on a discord call editing the gdoc full of rules and only occasionally getting distracted talking about other things, which tbh is pretty good for how many moving parts there can be for stuff like this and how easy it can be to get sidetracked talking to your bestie. we think the rules are clear! ask questions [preferably on the comm] if they aren't! <3)
hafnia and I went "sooooo what if we ran a multifandom remix event" and now it is up and ready for signups! We're hoping it'll be a fun time, and we'd love to have you join us. <3Remix Through the Seasons is a quarterly, trope-based multifandom event hosted on ao3.
Participants will write one new story (between 1-5k) and then be assigned another story written for the event to remix. These stories can be in any fandom (including Original Work). Matching will be based on the stories' tropes (and creator DNWs) rather than pairings/fandoms. Remixing works from one fandom into another is allowed (even expected).
Schedule:
Signups open: Now!
Signups close: January 24
Assignments sent: January 31
Original works revealed: January 31
Remix works due: March 14
Remix works reveals: March 21
All author reveals: March 28
All due dates etc are at 11:59pm GMT on the listed date
DW Comm:
seasonalremixAo3 Collection
(getting everything finalised involved spending a couple hours on a discord call editing the gdoc full of rules and only occasionally getting distracted talking about other things, which tbh is pretty good for how many moving parts there can be for stuff like this and how easy it can be to get sidetracked talking to your bestie. we think the rules are clear! ask questions [preferably on the comm] if they aren't! <3)