jedibuttercup

Snowflake Challenge + The Fall of Shellpatine

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:30:28 GMT

So, I only made it about half-way through the Snowflake Challenge this year before getting derailed. (Although I will at least finish answering comments!) Part of it's due to RL being exhausting thanks to family injuries and a massive current work project, but part of it is something extra and unexpected.

Tripod (the website hosting site) appears to be finally dying. I've had a site there since at least 2002, maybe even 2000, I think before it was owned by Lycos; the public-facing parts of my page hadn't been updated in years, but I still used it for things like image hosting all the time, and I kept a few things there (scraps of original fiction and poetry, for example) that had never been added to any other archive. But this month I got a weird email notice that the monthly credit card billing had failed, and that if it wasn't corrected within 16 days I'd lose my subscription features. This was the error referenced:

The error message is 'Batch Submitted No Results,Cleanup'.

Which ...has nothing to do with my actual credit card info, as far as I can tell. But I still tried to log in to check. Well, I'd noticed that my paid jedibuttercup domain name had been intermittently having issues forwarding to the underlying tripod web address before, but now it only gives "This site can't be reached" errors. Direct HTML links to my shellpatine tripod site still connect, but when I try to access the admin side of the site at all (to check the aforementioned financial info, or see what files actually are saved there that are not linked on the public webpages such as the photos), all I get are 500 errors that claim "There has been an error with one of our scripts".

It doesn't seem like Lycos is answering support requests, either. I think it's going the way of the dodo.

And then, of course, there are recent developments with LJ going full Russian... and there are a lot of old Dreamwidth posts here that were scraped over when I first transferred that still contain a lot of internal LJ links, photos hosted there, and so on. (I can't see those at work at all; our IT company now filters LJ out entirely for, well, being Russian). I'd like to go ahead and completely purge my old LJ, but I am a little wary of doing that until I've checked all those links (especially photos &etc.).

So, two birds, one fix, although more urgent for one reason than the other. I've started opening every post on my Dreamwidth in the evenings, beginning with the oldest, and have been working my way back through them fixing or eliminating LJ links; grabbing any link that went to my private site, modifying it to use the tripod address, and seeing if it linked to something I want to save; and so on. It's ... a lot. I've still got several years' worth to go through.

It's not all terrible, though. I get to look at all my old photos from when I posted them regularly, and I've found some of that original work, now being rehomed on AO3 under the college pseud behind the name of the failing site: shellpatine. :)

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Snowflake Challenge #7 and #8 - What I Like About Me + Creative Process

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 02:50:59 GMT

Challenge #7 - List three (or more) things you like about yourself. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good.

( My response to this one should be no surprise.... )

Challenge #8 - Talk about your creative process.

( Okay, this one got a little wordy.... )

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Snowflake Challenge #6 - Top 10 Challenge

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:19:20 GMT

Challenge #6 - Top 10 Challenge. The category(ies) you choose are up to you. Can't think of 10 of anything? That's okay, 10 is just an abstract. It's totally up to you.

( Four Lists Related to My Viewing Habits )

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Snowflake Challenge #5 - Create a Wishlist

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 21:51:13 GMT

Challenge #5 - In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.

( Creating a Wishlist... )

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Snowflake Challenge #4 - Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 19:04:17 GMT

Challenge #4 - Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page. Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!

( Fanfic Research That Has Sparked Joy )

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Snowflake Challenge #3 - Write a Love Letter to Fandom

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:31:55 GMT

Challenge #3 - Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.

( Fandom's never really not been a part of my life.... )

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Snowflake Challenge #2 - Pets of Fandom

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 03:15:15 GMT

Challenge #2 - Pets of Fandom - Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

( I need a new kitten icon; two cats and a puppy within.... )

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Snowflake Challenge #1 - Introduce Yourself

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 03:25:22 GMT

Challenge #1 - The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

( Giving this a try again.... )

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BOOKMARK: THE COMPLEAT 2026 READING LIST

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:39:54 GMT

2007 - 100 Books (avg. 408.57 pages)
2008 - 80 Books (avg. 385.50 pages)
2009 - 67 Books (avg. 338.03 pages)
2010 - 129 Books (avg. 378.75 pages)
2011 - 133 Books (avg. 375.98 pages)
2012 - 144 Books (avg. 398.92 pages)
2013 - 130 Books (avg. 397.36 pages)
2014 - 130 Books (avg. 391.13 pages)
2015 - 122 Books (avg. 364.18 pages)
2016 - 100 Books (avg. 433.06 pages)

2017 - 104 Books (avg. 413.24 pages)
2018 - 108 Books (avg. 377.99 pages)
2019 - 125 Books (avg. 389.52 pages)
2020 - 266 Books (avg. 306.32 pages)
2021 - 255 Books (avg. 312.65 pages)
2022 - 251 books (avg. 328.91 pages)
2023 - 240 books (avg. 337.88 pages)
2024 - 236 books (avg. 399.28 pages)
2025 - 273 books (avg. 336.71 pages)

Starting my reading list for 2026! Another year of my most OCD New Year's Resolution. :)

I set a new high-water mark for total book count this year, but 2024 remains my record for total pagecount (at 94,231); this year's books were generally shorter, for a total of 91,921 pages. That's 250 pages per day. Probably still too much, but I tend to read/watch more in exhausting RL years, and 2025 was definitely that for me.

The rough genre counts bear that out, lots of distraction material: 78 narrative non-fiction; 25 post-apocalyptic fiction; 39 mystery or thriller; 32 LitRPG; 23 Jane Austen variations; 35 other scifi; 21 other fantasy; 5 poetry collections; and only 15 historical or literary fiction.

In other stats for 2025: 8 were re-reads; and 10 were graphic novels. 127 were ebooks, the rest physical, 32 of which were borrowed from the library. 7 were YA. And my work book club completed its third year and planned for a fourth! So, on to Year Twenty of book tracking! I record books here as I start them, and remove them if I don't finish.

Books for 2026: 72 including 3 rereads, 20 nonfiction, 0 poetry collections, 1 ya, 43 ebooks, and 7 graphic novels. Library count: 13.

( Books Read in 2026 )

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BOOKMARK: 2026 VIEWING LIST

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:07:20 GMT

[Past: 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25]

As usual, I rounded all TV episodes (however viewed) up to the nearest half-hour mark and most movies to two hours total, then added in repeats. As with 2024, I watched more documentaries and "reality" shows than narrative fiction, many of them on my propped-up smartphone while doing repetitive tasks (blame the ADHD for that; I've found it actually helps). And I saw twelve movies in theaters, a high-water mark in post-pandemic times.

For posterity's sake: that adds up to 1985.5 hours of screentime (5.44 hrs/day). Anyway, on to my nineteenth year of tracking: started off as usual with a New Year's watch party with the BFF followed by a bunch of true crime for background noise while doing chores and packing up the Christmas decorations. We'll see how it goes from here!

( Bookmark Post: TV and Movies Watched in 2026 )

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FIC YEAR IN REVIEW - 2025

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 04:25:20 GMT

At some point I may just have to admit that writing motivation and energy is not the same in my late 40s as it was in my 20s and 30s. But not quite yet. My 2025 total was a tiny bit higher than the year before (by 1 fic and 1,600 words); and I have signed up for getyourwordsout yet again.

For the first time in quite awhile, I had no crossovers in the list; but I did manage to write three fic outside of exchanges. Three were slash, three were gen, four were poly, seven were het, and the plots included a lot of canon divergences, fix-its, soul mates, get-togethers and other tropey indulgences. Also, something I just noticed - all but one were movie fandoms this time. Huh.

Anyway, in March, it will be twenty-four years since my first published fic was finished; my goal for the next two years is to finish my last four WIPs before I hit the quarter-century mark as a fic writer. Might as well dream big!

( On to the list of fic! )

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Fic: some may call it luck [T; Ready or Not; Grace/Daniel]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:41:08 GMT

PG-13; Ready or Not (2019), Grace/Daniel. Canon-divergence AU, 1,400 words. #4/4 for Yuletide 2025.

"Hey, what do you say we stick together for survival?"

some may call it luck

(For Bottomfeeder in yuletide)

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Fic: Take a Risk, Gain the Advantage [T; Ready or Not; Grace/Daniel]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:37:54 GMT

PG-13; Ready or Not (2019), Grace/Daniel. Canon-divergence AU, 3,800 words.

There were only two words printed in an ornate font on the card's surface, this time: "Round Two."

Take a Risk, Gain the Advantage

(For klutzy_girl in trickortreatex)

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Fic: Some Days Really Are Diamonds [T; Logan Lucky; Joe/Mellie]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:31:38 GMT

PG-13; Logan Lucky (2017), Mellie Logan/Joe Bang. Post-movie, 1,100 words. #3/4 for Yuletide 2025.

If she hadn't got him out of her system yet, Mellie was starting to think she might not want to.

Some Days Really Are Diamonds

(For anr in yuletide)

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Fic: the very best there is [T; Wolfs; Margaret's Man/Pam's Man]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:20:33 GMT

PG-13; Wolfs (2024), Margaret's Man/Pam's Man. Post-movie, 1,500 words. #2/4 for Yuletide 2025.

Some things go a little past labels.

the very best there is

(For malfeasance in yuletide)

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Fic: nearest to being alive [T; Twisters; OT3]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:03:32 GMT

PG-13; Twisters (2024), Kate/Javi/Tyler. Post-movie, 2,200 words. #1/4 for Yuletide 2025.

Somehow, that rollercoaster of a day had given Kate back more than she ever could have expected.

nearest to being alive

(For Arsenic in yuletide)

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Fic: The Only Rules That Matter [T; Pirates: AWE; Elizabeth/Will]

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 23:03:42 GMT

PG-13; PotC: At World's End; Elizabeth/Will. Post-trilogy soulmark AU, 1300 words.

Her future was unwritten, the challenges ahead of her many. And yet she would trade none of it for what they had taken together with only their own determination and the skill of their hands.

The Only Rules That Matter

(For Ekevka in ficinabox)

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Fic: So It Has Always Been, So It Always Shall Be [T; Mummy; OT3]

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:57:39 GMT

PG-13; Mummy Returns (2001); Rick/Evy & Rick/Evy/Ardeth. Post-movie, 11,300 words.

Evy O'Connell still loved the scent of books and the organised air of a well-maintained library, but there was nothing like clearing the last shovelful of sand from the entrance to a long-lost wonder of ancient architecture and stepping inside to behold something new.

So It Has Always Been, So It Always Shall Be

(For Ekevka in ficinabox)

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Fic: Heart's Got Everything to Do With It [T; Tin Man; DG/Cain]

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:23:25 GMT

T; Tin Man [2007]; DG/Wyatt Cain, 6700 words. Post-canon soulmates AU.

It was like the Quest had never ended at all; DG had just run out of signposts to follow. Well, except maybe one....

Heart's Got Everything to Do With It

(For anr in rarepairexchange)

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Fic: Finding Order in the Chaos [M; Dredd; Anderson/Dredd]

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:19:45 GMT

M; Dredd [2012]; Anderson/Dredd, 5100 words. Post-canon, natural disaster fic.

"Anderson to Sector 112 Control," Cassandra reported, comm raised to her mouth as she sheltered behind the towering concrete wall of a mega-highway support. "It's getting difficult to make headway out here. What's the status on Weather Control repair?"

Finding Order in the Chaos

(For anr in rarepairexchange)

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Fic: Visualising Better Days [M; A Working Man, Levon/Gunny]

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:25:27 GMT

M; A Working Man (2025); Levon Cade/Gunny Lefferty. 1900w, for bethefirst.

"I was gonna give you another year or so to process, if you were still keeping your distance," Gunny said, "but you sound like a man in need of a reminder that he's not alone. So get your ass on over here."

( Visualising Better Days )

(x-posted @ AO3)

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Big Bang: Serendipity Comes From Defying Expectations [Knives Out | T | Marta/Ransom]

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 20:21:06 GMT

Title: Serendipity Comes From Defying Expectations
Author: jedibuttercup
Fandom: Knives Out (2019)
Rating: T/PG-13; Marta/Ransom
Warnings/Notes: For the 2025 iddyiddybangbang. A Harlan-Lives AU for Iddy Iddy Bang Bang 2025: an exercise in scheming seen through a limited POV, and warping someone else's path simply by being who you are. :)

Summary: Ransom was the only one of the Thrombeys who hadn't been haunting the patriarch's doorstep with demands and pleas ever since the party. Maybe there was a little more to him than the façade of a spoiled rich kid who valued nothing and no one besides himself. 10,500 words

( Serendipity Comes From Defying Expectations ) (or read at AO3)

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Fic: The Question Ain't If But When [M; Expend4bles; Lee/Barney]

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:23:43 GMT

M; Expendables 4; Lee Christmas/Barney Ross, 4700 words. Soul bond AU.

After all, there was nowhere Barney Ross could go that Lee Christmas couldn't follow. Not anymore.

The Question Ain't If But When

(For flawsinthevoodoo in raremaleslashex)

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Fic: A Timely Interruption [T; Jurassic Park OT; Alan/Ian]

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 23:45:44 GMT

T; Jurassic Park OT; Alan Grant/Ian Malcolm, 5800 words. Canon divergence post-The Lost World.

"All right, all right," Ian said dryly, dropping heavily into the chair across the desk from Alan. "Go ahead and say it. Get it out of your system."

A Timely Interruption

(For Ormspryde in fandom5k)

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Fic: the admission of promise (is a recognition of something already there) [T; The Gorge]

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 22:00:05 GMT

T; The Gorge (2025); Drasa/Levi Kane, 2000 words. Slight canon divergence AU.

They were now each other's place to stand; together, maybe they could do the impossible and move the world.

the admission of promise (is a recognition of something already there)

(For Teaotter in bitesizedfandomsex)

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