I received two wonderful gifts for Yuletide! Hoping to spend more time reading in the collection over the next few days. :D

reach down and prove something
Pitch, Mike & Ginny, 1406 words, rated G
Post-retirement. Loved the glimpses into Ginny's career, and Mike as a constant presence in her life. So forward-looking and open, what a lovely future! I loved this.

Uno Reverse
Macdonald Hall + I Want to Go Home! (Gordon Korman), Bruno/Boots, Mike/Rudy, 2579 words, rated T
Matchmaking! Pining! Mistaken for a couple! Skating on the Rideau Canal on New Year's Eve! What an absolute delight.

Scientists stunned by a massive hydrothermal field off Greece

Scientists have uncovered an extensive underwater vent system near Milos, Greece, hidden along active fault lines beneath the seafloor. These geological fractures act as pathways for hot, gas-rich fluids to escape, forming clusters of vents with striking visual diversity. The discovery surprised researchers, who observed boiling fluids and vibrant microbial mats during deep-sea dives. Milos now stands out as one of the Mediterranean’s most important sites for studying Earth’s dynamic interior.


This is fascinating, but it is not surprising. Most seams leak. If you want to find vent systems, identify underwater faultlines and check them for leaks.

I’m doing the Reading Meme one day early this week, as tomorrow is the last day of the year and therefore the day for the Year In Review.

What I’ve Just Finished Reading

I am freeeeeeeee of my vow to read Christmas books for Advent, and therefore… accidentally read one more book with Christmas in… Marilyn Kluger’s Country Kitchens Remembered: A Memoir with Favorite Family Recipes, about the farm kitchens she remembers from her childhood during the Depression, not only her own family’s but her grandparents on both sides. Like any good farm kitchen memoir, the book documents the different foods of each season, which means of course a Christmas chapter, but also chapters about the new peas of spring, the corn on the cob fresh cut from the stalk literally minutes before lunch, the frost-nipped persimmons brought in during the Thanksgiving grouse hunt… Good eating and good reading.

But then! Then I truly broke free with Ngaio Marsh’s Spinsters in Jeopardy! Set in summer in the south of France, Inspector Alleyn and his lady wife Troy co-star in a mystery featuring a drug racket run by an erotic murder cult. You know I love a cult! Also featuring their six-year-old son Ricky, a surprisingly well-observed child. A shocking number of writers of adult fiction couldn’t write a convincing kid to save their life.

And I also slipped in my December Unread Bookshelf book by the skin of my teeth: E. Nesbit’s The Phoenix and the Carpet. I got this soon after I read Five Children and It, then it languished for so many years that I forgot why I was putting it off, but as I read it I remembered: I find these children so stressful! They are forever doing things like “setting off firecrackers inside the house,” which is how they set fire to the old nursery carpet which results in the bringing in of the magic carpet.

What I’m Reading Now

I’ve started Rumer Godden’s Thus Far and Now Farther, which so far is what I expected Elizabeth and her German Garden to be: a charming memoir about a woman in an isolated location with her children, her governess, and her vast army of underpriced labor making a charming garden.

What I Plan to Read Next

No plans! Only vibes! Okay, actually I do have plans, but I am contemplating if I ought to jettison them in favor of vibes. Maybe 2026 should be the Year of Vibe Reading? I have been trying to come up with a good New Year's Resolution...

Today is cloudy and cool.  It spit snow a bit yesterday but didn't amount to anything.

I fed the birds.  There was a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches perched in the forest garden waiting to be fed.  :D

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.




.
 

A set of recs with commentary at my DW, sorted by whether or not you need to know canon. For most of these, you don't.

The canons are "17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future" - Jon Bois, House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland, James Hoffman's Coffee Videos (Web Series)/Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft/"A Study in Emerald," "Tower Wizard" - Bluesky, True Detective - season one, World War Z - Max Brooks.

Recs for Cherryh: Finisterre, Brother Cadfael, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Yes, Minister in my journal

I read these offline and have not commented on most of them yet on AO3, but I wanted to rec them before reveals because they're great.

Don't need to know canon

"17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future" - Jon Bois. I only know this canon from Yuletide stories, and all I really know is that in the very far future, it's a post-scarcity world where everyone is immortal. It reliably produces lovely stories that feel kind of like the more personal/emotional xckd comics. Here is another one.

What Rock Collecting Will Look Like in the Future. Funny, bittersweet, cool worldbuilding; I was surprised and delighted to learn that fordite is real!

James Hoffman's Coffee Videos (Web Series)/Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft/"A Study in Emerald." All you need to know is that a coffee guy reviews coffee online, and this is him reviewing eldritch coffee.

I'm ranking 5 coffees from beyond this world (literally). "I feel a bit as if the coffee tasted me and not the other way around." Hilarious, dead-on coffee notes, dead-on Lovecraft; makes me want to try some of the coffees despite the risk of growing gills or being possessed by Elder Gods.

Tower Wizard - Hourly updates on the life of a wizard who lives in a tower, like "The little cat plays with a leaf. The wizard carefully checks that it's not a dangerous reagent, then returns it to the little cat." His best friend is an ex-paladin, and they eat a lot of interesting food. That's it, that's all you need to know.

Ruins and Roads. A charming original fantasy story, magical and cozy and bittersweet.

True Detective - season one. All you need to know to read this story is that Rust and Marty used to be cops, and they were both seriously injured when they reunited to investigate a weird case that might or might not have supernatural elements.

burned in kind. An outstanding post-series casefic and get-together with a flawless Rust voice, A+ hurt-comfort, and a creepy maybe-supernatural maybe-not case. If you know the series, this is 100% not to be missed; if you don't, you might still really like it as a standalone spooky mystery with excellent characterization.

World War Z - Max Brooks. You just need to know that there are zombies.

little stone. Zombies in 9th century Latvia! An atmospheric story about grief and loss in a time far from us; the protagonist's emotions are raw and vivid. Note: child death.

Need to know canon

House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland

You Live in a Hollow House. Creepy, unsettling horror with an excellent use of color and image embeds.

Meeting Halfway. Creepy, unsettling horror with a touch of sweetness.

Don't need to know canon

"17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future" - Jon Bois. I only know this canon from Yuletide stories, and all I really know is that in the very far future, it's a post-scarcity world where everyone is immortal. It reliably produces lovely stories that feel kind of like the more personal/emotional xckd comics. Here is another one.

What Rock Collecting Will Look Like in the Future. Funny, bittersweet, cool worldbuilding; I was surprised and delighted to learn that fordite is real!

James Hoffman's Coffee Videos (Web Series)/Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft/"A Study in Emerald." All you need to know is that a coffee guy reviews coffee online, and this is him reviewing eldritch coffee.

I'm ranking 5 coffees from beyond this world (literally). "I feel a bit as if the coffee tasted me and not the other way around." Hilarious, dead-on coffee notes, dead-on Lovecraft; makes me want to try some of the coffees despite the risk of growing gills or being possessed by Elder Gods.

Tower Wizard - Hourly updates on the life of a wizard who lives in a tower, like "The little cat plays with a leaf. The wizard carefully checks that it's not a dangerous reagent, then returns it to the little cat." His best friend is an ex-paladin, and they eat a lot of interesting food. That's it, that's all you need to know.

Ruins and Roads. A charming original fantasy story, magical and cozy and bittersweet.

True Detective - season one. All you need to know to read this story is that Rust and Marty used to be cops, and they were both seriously injured when they reunited to investigate a weird case that might or might not have supernatural elements.

burned in kind. An outstanding post-series casefic and get-together with a flawless Rust voice, A+ hurt-comfort, and a creepy maybe-supernatural maybe-not case. If you know the series, this is 100% not to be missed; if you don't, you might still really like it as a standalone spooky mystery with excellent characterization.

World War Z - Max Brooks. You just need to know that there are zombies.

little stone. Zombies in 9th century Latvia! An atmospheric story about grief and loss in a time far from us; the protagonist's emotions are raw and vivid. Note: child death.

Need to know canon

House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland

You Live in a Hollow House. Creepy, unsettling horror with an excellent use of color and image embeds.

Meeting Halfway. Creepy, unsettling horror with a touch of sweetness.

It's the spookiest time of the year, and I have a fandom update.

Media Consumed

I Was a Teenage Slasher - Stephen Graham Jones

Funny meta horror about a bullied eighties teenager stuck as the slasher in a horror movie. I read this in less than ideal circumstances, 5-10 pages at a time over three months, and that made the book drag more than I think it deserves. Tolly's narration was really absorbing, and I loved the eventual reveal of the fated dance between slasher and final girl, even if it felt like it took way too long to manifest. I'm curious to read more of this author, once I have more reading time in my schedule.

Saw, Saw II

Most of the franchise was free on Tubi in September, and I got through the first two before they left the platform. These are really fun, twisty mysteries with complex characters and satisfying amounts of gruesome gore. I didn't expect the escape room logic puzzle elements, and those were easily the best part of the movies. I'll keep an eye out for the rest on streaming.

Him

This got absolutely trashed in reviews and I don't really understand it. It was a stylish, sexy, creepy dive into the trauma football inflicts on the body and the lengths people will go to achieve sports excellence. The ending goes a bit off the rails, but I enjoyed the performances and visuals and had a good time.

Frankenstein (2025)

I was lucky enough to see this in theaters Halloween weekend, and it was gorgeous and powerful on the big screen, but I haven't rewatched it on Netflix since. I think this movie has amazing performances and design, and it's very good at conveying its thesis, but that thesis is pretty simplistic: humans are the real monsters, and monsters are innocent (which differs pretty strongly from the original novel). If you like grotesquely beautiful Del Torro movies with tragic fuckable monsters and the alienated women who love them, you'll enjoy this one. I think I liked Eggers' Nosferatu better, the themes and subtext left more for me to chew on.

Fics Posted/Gifts Received

The only exchange I did was Trick or Treat, where I wrote and received two fics each.

My gifts, both for An American Werewolf in London:

Hungry Like The... by Missy - David Kessler/Alex Price. Alex wakes up beside a living, breathing David. They talk about the future, and Alex feels the drumbeat hunger of the wolf in her veins.

fate up against your will by hearthouses - Jack Goodman/David Kessler. David and Jack both make it off the moors.

My works, one pinch hit and one treat:

reach out and touch faith - The Locked Tomb Series, Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus. The corpse of Gideon Nav wanders the Mithraeum and yearns.

Mama's Boy - Scream, Billy Loomis/Stu Macher. It's a normal night for Stu Macher, watching Psycho and talking about murder and wanting to fuck his best friend.

In Progress/Upcoming

I'm neck deep in Stranger Things right now, and will probably write some fic or post some thoughts soon. I also had a fun doing an all horror Trick or Treat and thought it might be fun to do the same thing for Candy Hearts.

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills "The Last Command" square in my 1-1-24 card for the Public Domain Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. This is the third poem in the series Crystal Wood; it follows "Trees of Glass" and "Ghost Forests."

Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.

( Read more... )

There are ten initial pinch hits and they will be due at the same time as assignments, on February 6th, 10PM PST. [Countdown] [In Your Timezone]

To claim a pinch hit, you can comment on this post (comments are screened) with your AO3 username and the pinch hit # that you want or you can reach out via email at rarefemslashexchangemod@gmail.com. While you can comment anonymously, please remember that you won't be able to get notified or see the reply.

( Pinch Hit #1 (fic): Short Term 12 (2013), Red Band Society (US TV), Degrassi the Next Generation, Roseanne (TV 1988), Divergent Series - Veronica Roth, Blossom (TV 1990), Alexa & Katie (TV), Emily Price/Victoria Sands (Animal Control) )

CLAIMED! ( Pinch Hit #2 (fic, art): 1000xRESIST (Video Game), Dispatch (Video Game), Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games), Misericorde (Visual Novel), Original Work, The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson, House of the Dragon (TV), Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) )

CLAIMED! ( Pinch Hit #3 (fic): NoPixel (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs )

( Pinch Hit #4 (fic, art): 魔尊也想知道 - 青色羽翼 | Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know - Cyan Wings, ゆりでなるえすぽわーる | Yuri de Naru Esupowaru | Yuri Espoir (Manga), 화산귀환 | Return of the Blossoming Blade (Webcomic) )

( Pinch Hit #5 (fic): Psychonauts (Video Games), Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry, Dragon Ball, Tekken (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics) )

( Pinch Hit #6 (fic): 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong, 내가 키운 S급들 - 근서 | S-Classes that I Raised - Geunseo, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, Cage of Roses (Visual Novel), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer, 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) )

( Pinch Hit #7 (fic, art): The Devils Series - Joe Abercrombie, Katabasis - R. F. Kuang, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- (Video Game) )

( Pinch Hit #8 (fic): Disco Elysium (Video Game), Long Live the Queen (Video Game), Galaxy Princess Zorana (Video Game), Crossover Fandom (Long Live the Queen/Galazy Princess Zorana) )

( Pinch Hit #9 (fic): Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett, The Seventh Victim (1943), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), In a Lonely Place (1950), Harper (1966), Columbo, Sette note in nero | The Psychic (1977) )

( Pinch Hit #10 (fic): aoen (Band), &TEAM (Band), Dark Moon: The Grey City (Webcomic) )

Not much going on here. I think I will spend New Year's Eve going to Jack London for dinner (poss. Everett & Jones?) and then go to my favorite Irish pub for drinks and live music.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Fireplace (noun)
fire·place [fahyuhr-pleys]

noun
1. the part of a chimney that opens into a room and in which fuel is burned; hearth.
2. any open structure, usually of masonry, for keeping a fire, as at a campsite.

Related Words
chimney, furnace, stove

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

Origin: First recorded in 1645–55; fire + place

Example Sentences
The living area comes complete with a cozy fireplace and an expansive view of the backyard, which features a resort-style pool.
From MarketWatch

“The living room wasn’t big enough, and it featured a huge red brick fireplace that had doors on either side of it, leading to the backyard,” said Warwas.
From Los Angeles Times

The faces of the women, who are sitting in front of a grand fireplace, have been redacted with black squares.
From BBC

Hearing Nat King Cole croon about chestnuts roasting on an open fire dozens of times is one of the many reminders that fireplaces are luxuries most of us don’t have.
From Salon

I can relax by the fireplace, newly appreciating the relative safety of home.
From The Wall Street Journal

Hello! I’ve got a rather niche one particularly for Arabic speakers/historians - my writing is set in the medieval crusading period, where European/Catholic individuals would often use expressions of annoyance/surprise/exasperation that are largely religious-based, such as ‘oh sweet Christ’, 'dear God', ‘Christ’s bones’, ‘Saint Jude’s eyes’ etc etc. (One can then make as crude as you like while focusing a lot around divine/saintly body parts!).

I also have a few Levantine Arab Christian characters with mixed Arab/European heritage and I'm wondering if the above sort of religious-based swearing might have been used also in the Levant (particularly if they've taken some verbal influence from their European father), or if would come across as jarring to use these more western-associated idioms in a Middle Eastern setting?

Also: I've done some research around Arabic idioms already, but it would also be great to hear of any Arabic phrases (either in Arabic or transliterated) of annoyance or surprise similar to 'oh Christ' or 'for God's sake' that might be used? (I know ‘ya Allah’ is one such phrase but I’m trying to diversify) Similarly, any other recommendations of non-religious exclamations (of the ‘damn, bugger, blast’ varieties) would be very helpful!