kat_lair | Reading

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...

* Posted "How to cope with broken resolutions and the mid-January slump" in

goals_on_dw.

* Posted "Finding Art in 2026" on

art.

* Commented on the January 28 post in

awesomeers.

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith in

goals_on_dw

How to cope with broken resolutions and the mid-January slump

January is a difficult month for many people. We come in at the start full of excitement and hope, determined to accomplish our goals, only to find by the middle of the month, we have already failed to follow through on our resolutions. Add to that feeling of dejection days of minimal sunlight, and, for some, seasonal depression.

Yes, January can be tough. However, January can also be freeing and satisfying. As a person born in January, this month holds deep meaning for me, and I hope the ideas shared below serve you well in the coming weeks and beyond.

Current Mood: busy

emeraldnebulae1

I was looking for some art tips because I want to get back into drawing traditionally more. Not a whole lot here yet but I'll add to it when i can.

DIY Fixative spray:

Water in a fine mist might work. I remember using water colors in the past and that made it a little harder to rub the pencil off underneath.
skim milk in a small spray bottle I cant believe I'm almost 30 and i didn't know Van Gogh used MILK to preserve his graphite drawings.
I favor pencil over pen but all my drawings smudge badly. I have fixative spray but I have to go outside for that and spend a long time shaking the bottle or having to find a mask and fixing my drawings to a board and taped surface so it doesn't blow in the wind... lot of effort. It's also freezing outside, literally -8. Jeebus. I need something small that will allow me to quickly revisit my drawings without the risk of loosing hours of progress because a small line smudged.

If you have any ideas to add to this, leave a comment!

Current Mood: artistic

ysabetwordsmith

gs_silva made a post pointing to the Patreon post in which he answers one of my questions about Maurice. It's just such a unique backstory for the character, and I love it. :D

Current Mood: amused

apiphile in

derekpoetrydump

the world is very big and the light is very weak

Somewhere right now someone is singing. Sara is singing as she does her chores, singing a song her mother sang while she mops the floors; Maya is singing to her son as he nurses at her breast and Makysm sings to himself as he counts fighter jets and Rawan sings in a whisper to put little Anas to sleep and someone is singing something in the back of the jeep but it's not Omar, he can't breathe.

And fifty thousand people are singing in the freezing knive-sharp cold as they prepare to fight and Elizabeth is singing in the weak candlelight and they're singing as they lie in the mud of Parliament Square and they're singing in the club as they set light to Ashley's hair and the voices loud and they're fierce and they're strong and they're singing different songs, different songs--

Because they're singing in the barracks as they practice crushing heads and they're singing in the palaces as they dream of spiking Reds and they're singing in the houses where they're so afraid of brown skin but they're singing in the streets we will win we will win; they're singing lullabies to cover aching stomachs in the tents and they're singing hymns in the sewers while they hold their dying friends

And the singing never ends, it never ends, it never ends.

bluapapilio

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Current Mood: sick

pronker in

fancake

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Pairings/Characters:

Celeborn/Haldir of Lothlórien, Celeborn/Galadriel | Artanis, Orophin/Rúmil of Lothlórien, Boromir/Théodred, Aragorn | Estel/Elrond Peredhel, Arwen Undómiel/Éowyn, Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee, Elladan/Elrohir/Erestor (Tolkien), Gandalf | Mithrandir/Saruman | Curunír, Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf, Sauron | Mairon/Witch-King Of Angmar, Éomer Éadig/Faramir (Son of Denethor II), Gollum/Gríma Wormtongue, Elrond Peredhel/Glorfindel, Denethor II/Théoden Ednew

Rating: Mature

Length: 7,126 words

Creator Links: AO3 Profile

Theme: Crack Treated Seriously

Summary: Théoden and Denethor hunt the elusive Slash Fairy after she makes them... do things. Over and over. Featuring the horses of Middle Earth, with music by Fountains of Wayne, Celine Dion and Kenny Loggins.

Reccer's Notes: This month's theme is "ideas that are very, very bonkers, but approached with the utmost dedication to making it work within whatever passes for reality in that fandom." Author's dedication is key in this humorous tale of slash spreading like a glorious spready thing in the LOTR world and you'll believe that Denethor and Théoden-King need each other whether they realize it or not. The fairy is merely the mechanism. Just check out the other pairings and revel the night away! I especially liked that femmeslash was included, and also horses.

Fanwork Links: The Slash Fairy Cometh

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: sofa
Current Music: whoosh of properly functioning heater

adafrog

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ysabetwordsmith

Thanks to

nsfwords, both Arts and Crafts America and The Bear Tunnels are now up to date. \o/

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith in

goals_on_dw

Go Further Together

When you set a goal it’s best to buddy up! Rely on friends, or a community of people, to stay motivated and help you become your best self. Friends and networks, especially healthy ones, are good for motivation and accountability. Here are some practical tips for finding these people -– both near and far –- to help you achieve your goals.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the content notes for "Shopping for College."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

bluapapilio

Used my manga TBR boardgame.

I finished 5/6 on my last challenge, a couple were ehh but a couple were great too. Honestly since I'm sick reading manga is the easiest thing besides gaming for me to do right now.

Avatar:

Gon
Skill: Choose own prompt once

Roll #1:

A 7, okay, getting the trap tile out of the way;; ...Or not. Another 7, and what's funny it was the opposite dice this team (1-6 vs 6-1). Okay here we go, a ten and the prompt is reincarnation. D.Gray-Man.

Roll #2:

A 6, prompt: reverse harem. Men of the Harem.

Roll #3:

An 8, prompt: mystery element. I guesss I should continue Are You Alice?.

Roll #4:

Another 8, using my skill to choose. Picked 'taboo', Ai no DNA.

Roll #5:

A 5, prompt: featuring a group of friends. Oh yay, Mairimashita! Iruma-kun!

Roll #6:

An 8 and the end. The physical BL manga this time is Picnic (Yamada Yugi). I'm going ahead and reading the prequel too to knock them both out.

Most looking forward to: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
Least looking forward to: Picnic

~Manga TBR List~

[Action/Fantasy] D.Gray-Man
[Fantasy/Harem] Men of the Harem
[Mystery/Fantasy] Are You Alice?
[BL] Ai no DNA
[Fantasy/School Life] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
[BL/Romance] Boku ni Datte Iibun ga Aru ✔️ & Picnic

x 1 josei, x3 shounen, x3 BL

Current Mood: sick

trobadora

Many thanks to sakana17 for offering to host WED in February! We'll continue next month over at sakanawords. :D

This morning I had the plumber in to have my my gas boiler serviced and the flue replaced. "Oh no, you don't need to remove the stuff under it, it'll be fine," they said. - Never mind the stuff directly under the boiler, the entire room ended up covered in dirt.

Mystery of the day: am I developing a cold, or did I just breathe in too much dust/soot? /o\

Today's writing

More exchange fic wrangling.

Tally

( Days 1-25 )

Day 26:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 27:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 28:

china_shop,

trobadora,

ysilme

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

bluapapilio

For my manga TBR list:

Read the BL 30,000 Yen Boyfriend, rated it 6/10.

Read the first volume of the classic BL Haru o Daiteita!

Read the BL Amai Jouken and rated it 6/10.

(Re) read the BL NightS, kept the rating at 8/10!

Read chapter 1 of volume 2 of Basara.

For The S-Classes that I Raised, I've decided to go forward with the novel instead. I might do what I'm doing with Trash of the Count's Family and read them both at the same time, once I catch up anyway.

Current Mood: sick

ysabetwordsmith

430,000-Year-Old Wooden Tools Are the Oldest Ever Found

The finding, along with the discovery of a 500,000-year-old hammer made of bone, indicates that our human ancestors were making tools even earlier than archaeologists thought.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and cold, but less frigid than yesterday.

I fed the birds. I refilled the suet feeder. I've seen a flock of sparrows, two starlings, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel at the corncob.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I refilled the hopper feeder.

I've seen a male cardinal and a wren.

EDIT 1/28/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

greghousesgf

I'm cooking orange chicken and rice for lunch, speaking of food, I would be doing major grocery shopping today but my legs are acting up again.

Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: Martin Scorcese Blues soundtrack

celli

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bluapapilio

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: sick

spikedluv

I've rewatched the first two eps (but have seen the entire season, so if you want to compare these early eps to later eps in comments, please feel free). ( spoilers )

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kat_lair

January 2026

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Page generated Jan. 29th, 2026 07:04 am

Journal of Mistress Kat

Reading

Community Thursdays

How to cope with broken resolutions and the mid-January slump

Art Notes

Alien Romance

(no subject)

🌈BL Manga Check-in: "Boku ni Datte Iibun ga Aru"

Lord of the Rings: The Slash Fairy Cometh by Cyberwulf

Choir Day

Website Updates

Go Further Together

Content notes for "Shopping for College"

January-February Manga TBR

Write Every day 2026: January, Day 28

January Manga Wrap-Up 2

Early Humans

Birdfeeding

(no subject)

books of the week

🌈BL Manga Check-in: "NightS"

Heated Rivalry: Eps 1.01 & 1.02

Profile

January 2026

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