20 January 2026 @ 11:42 am

Laptop-TV combo with DVDs on top and smartphone on the desk



Do you watch educational TV shows or documentaries? What makes these shows watchable or interesting to you? Are there particular ones that spoke to you?
 
 
20 January 2026 @ 11:20 am

Posted by Zach Weinersmith



Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
It works when you bang humans together the right way!


Today's News:
 
 
20 January 2026 @ 05:07 pm
I've been meaning to post all month, but Snowflake didn't appeal to me all that much, plus there's a lot of history there for me, even if I wasn't directly involved with the drama.

However, one thing I will be taking from Snowflake is the top 10 lists, outsourced. Ask me for any and I'll answer in the comments!

I am also going to make a little wishlist, much smaller than the one for Christmas. This is stuff that would make me happy:


  1. Jigsaw puzzles
  2. PS5 gift cards
  3. Subscriptions to my ko-fi, which I'm planning to turn into a place to share all my TTRPG card, homebrew, merch and map designs
  4. 4. Art of my PCs from the TTRPG campaigns I play in


-

It's been a pretty stressful month, money-wise. We've managed, but it is what it is. Doesn't help that it's cold and that I'm the only person in this house who's capable of not taking things out on other people. I've been doing jigsaw puzzles and deleting photos from my backlog and trying to figure out a permanent set-up for my day-a-page planner, which I keep meaning to post about to [community profile] journalsandplanners. I took pics and everything.

One upside that's been keeping me sane is the soft light my friend Nate got me, which I use to get selfies even when it's too dark because winter. It helps my self-esteem a lot, even if I'm more aware of the way my skin keeps breaking out. I figure most of that is coming from the same place as the daily nightmares.
 
 
20 January 2026 @ 11:07 pm
Good luck everyone!

Works are due at 11:59pm EST, Saturday 24 January | see countdown.

That's soon.

Additionally, AO3 is going down for 15 hours on January 21st. So you won't be able to upload a draft or check your assignment on AO3 during that time.

Good news! You can always check the details of a prompt at the app.

This is a great time to check your recipient's Do-Not-Wants - because if your story or comic overlaps with an unwanted topic, you still have time to change it, check with a beta, send your recipient a question through me, or default.

Good luck again to everyone currently working!
 
 
Hello detectives! There is a scheduled AO3 maintenance that will go into effect and will apparently last for 15 hours, which will impact nominations as AO3 will be down during this period. Please view their "What time is it for me?" so you can plan your nominations accordingly. As we may miss a day to nominate, I've chosen to extend nominations to Saturday 24 January. [ In your timezone + Countdown ]

*

Please review our nomination guidelines before nominating. There's an opportunity to transfer accepted tags from the 2025 tagset to the 2026 tagset.

I'm seeking clarifications on the following nominations. If I could hear back about these, that would be appreciated so we can keep our nomination approvals moving.

All Media Types + Related Fandoms
Can the nominator(s) please amend their nominations? We do not accept "All Media Types" and "Related Fandoms" without a case being made.

    Transformers - All Media Types
    Any Decepticon Character
    Drift | Deadlock/Perceptor
    Impactor/Springer (Transformers)
    Megatron/Rodimus | Rodimus Prime
    Optimus Prime/Ratchet
    Ratchet/First Aid
    Rung & Whirl (Transformers)

    Can the nominator please renominate this under the desired series? Are you after the Michael Bay or animated movies? The video games? Books?


Crossover Fandom

    Crossover Fandom
    Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Loki (Loki TV)
    Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Mobius M. Mobius (Loki TV)
    Loki & Sylvie (Loki TV) & Thor (Marvel)

    Can the nominator please update their disambiguations for the Marvel portion of these nominations? The disambiguation is too vague. Is it MCU? Marvel 616?

    Crossover Fandom
    Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries) & Jane Marple (Agatha Christie)
    Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries)/Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)

    Can the nominator please specify which version of Jane Marple and Phryne Fisher they would like? It seems the character of Jane appears in books, TV and anime, and Phryne in books and TV. If you're happy to receive any version, please let me know and I will accept these as is.

    天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
    Xie Lian (TGCF) & Wei Wuxian (MDZS)

    I'm canon blind to the canons in the disambiguations. Can the nominator, or someone familiar, please confirm if this should be nominated under "Crossover Fandom"? The disambiguations imply it should be.


Recursive fandom missing permission statement proof

    Rigel Black Chronicles - murkybluematter (DFE)
    Arcturus Rigel "Archie" Black/Hermione Granger (Rigel Black Chronicles)
    Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson & Blaise Zabini (Rigel Black Chronicles)
    Lionel "Leo" Hurst/Harriet Potter | Rigel Black (Rigel Black Chronicles)
    Solo: Aldon Rosier (Rigel Black Chronicles)
    Solo: Harriet Potter | Rigel Black (Rigel Black Chronicles)

    Can the nominator please provide proof of the permission statement for this work? I approved these and cannot find any evidence that the nominator has provided a permission statement for this work. Our nomination guidelines state that recursive works need permission evidence provided by the nominator. If it's not given by the end of the nomination period, I will remove these tags from the tagset.

    Please read up on the nomination guidelines for recursive nominations and be sure to provide evidence!


Other

    Lucifer (TV) — Does it belong in DC's Arrowverse?

    For those familiar with Lucifer (TV), do you think this show should be considered under the DC Arrowverse umbrella? I'm only familiar with Lucifer's involvement in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event and the ramifications of that. I'm happy to keep it separate, but I wanted to check in with nominators/interested parties to see if it should go under our DCTV umbrella.


There are queries from the first nominations post that I'd appreciate the nominator's input on.

Please let me know on any nominations post if you see any duplicates or errors (like typos!) in the tagset. We've had some wandering tags a few detectives have successfully captured (thank you!). Happy nominating!
 
 
20 January 2026 @ 05:59 am
 

What powers this unusual nebula? What powers this unusual nebula?


 
 
 
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 08:15 pm
I've got work tomorrow. If I keep saying it, maybe I'll believe it ahead of time.

It's more of a gig than a job - my parents knew some people who needed their home library alphabetized and reorganized, and we met last week to see if we'd be a good fit. It turns out we are, so for at least two full working days a week for the next few weeks, I'll be heading a few blocks uptown to get paid to do what I went to school to learn how to do. Alphabetizing novels by author is one thing; working with an individual to figure out their needs for their personal library and how to organize within that is another. So far I suggested moving all the kids' books to the two children's bedrooms, and creating a city/travel section as would be useful for them, though not for others.

I'm going back to packing my own lunch. Though as it's in someone else's apartment and they've said I can use their mugs and their tea, I might not need to pack my own silverware. But I might, just to be on the safe side about these things.
 
 
Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: nothing now
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 06:01 pm
 
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, January 19, to midnight on Tuesday, January 20. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34098 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25

How are you doing?

I am OK.
12 (48.0%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
13 (52.0%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
13 (52.0%)

One other person.
8 (32.0%)

More than one other person.
4 (16.0%)




Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
 
Tags:
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 07:21 pm
 
i spent part of this weekend very cranky about not getting enough stuff done fast enough and then i realized i'm on track to finish four (4) giant projects in january alone (2 comics, tellius bg resource, gunter animatic) that have been on my plate since middle of last year.

... suddenly less cranky XD

anyway Very Cool Stuff is happening art-wise, i'm finally getting the clothes shipments/some sick doujin packages from last year and i feel like i can start for real celebrating the new year \o/



Tags:
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 06:47 pm
 

 
 
19 January 2026 @ 01:54 pm

The Scavenger Door by Suzanne Palmer : The third book in The Finder Chronicles; as much fun as its predecessors, and the end had me immediately turning around to start book four. Spoilery thoughts. )

Non-spoilery thought: Suzanne Palmer sure knows what it's like to live with a cat.

Um Actually live show: I don't subscribe to Dropout, so I'm sadly unfamiliar with most of their shows, but during high pandemic, they dropped a bunch of Um Actually episodes on YouTube, and T and I spent a lot of time watching them. So when we learned that there would a live show at this year's SF Sketchfest, we immediately decided to get tickets. The panel, which was not announced in advance, was Janet Varney, Marc Evan Jackson, and Tawny Newsome; they were an awesome group who played well off the hosts and each other, and we had a great time.

 
 
Current Mood: good
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 04:05 pm

my partner took their own life shortly after my last journal.

there's a lot i could say, but not right now. let me wallow in this sorrow a little longer.

 
 
Current Mood: depressed
 
 
 
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 10:12 pm
The regular weekly post for us to talk about any and all of our thoughts about the week's new releases.

EXO - Crown
Forestella - Nella Notte
Catch the Young - Amplify
can't be blue - should be you
Lola - TATz
La Poem - Meant to Be
Oneus - Grenade
M.O.N.T - History
AxMxP - Pass/Thereafter
1verse - WABIF (Wide Awake Before I Fall)
TNX - Call Me Back
dodree - Just Like A Dream (debut)
L.I.N.C
XG - Hypnotize
Momoland - White Spring
Zerobaseone (pre-release)

New MVs are also added to an ongoing Youtube playlist.

Last week's MVs: 12 January

Feel free to add new comments in the replies for songs/MVs we missed.

[ Rec Something Wednesday | WIP Wednesday | Monthly General Chat | Comment Fest ]
 
 
19 January 2026 @ 05:18 am
 

This infrared view of Jupiter by Webb is illuminating. This infrared view of Jupiter by Webb is illuminating.