Was missing camper kept alive by two wolves? We inspected unlikely claim

Jan. 20th, 2026 11:00 am
[syndicated profile] snopes_feed

Posted by Laerke Christensen

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/01/17/missing-camper-two-wolves/

The story circulated online with images showing what appeared to be several different hikers.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/01/17/missing-camper-two-wolves/

Heated Rivalry rec, incendiary warning

18 Jan. 20th, 2026 05:37 am
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2026/012: Troth — E H Lupton

Jan. 20th, 2026 11:08 am
tamaranth: me, in the sun (Default)
[personal profile] tamaranth
2026/012: Troth — E H Lupton
“Don’t be so bourgeois, darling. You’re a powerful magician and your lover is a retired god. Of course things are going to be a bit unusual.”
“It’s terrifying.”
“Eh, bien?” Mariah made a dismissive French noise. “It’s love. It’s supposed to be terrifying.” [p. 191]

Third in the series, and the last (for now) of the novels that focus on Ulysses and Sam. It begins with the two moving into a new apartment together, and meeting the neighbours (Vikram and Sita) who have a ghost problem -- and, it turns out, a connection to Sam's family.

Both Ulysses and Sam are growing up.( Read more... )

  • Current Mood: cheerful
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, January 19

Jan. 20th, 2026 03:47 am
burnhername: Faith pic with the word editor (SH editor Faith)
[personal profile] burnhername posting in [community profile] su_herald
Buffy and Angel begin kissing passionately again. After a while they stop and look at each other.
ANGEL: You still haven't told me what you wanted for your birthday.
BUFFY: (smiles) Surprise me.
ANGEL: (smiles) Okay. I will.
They kiss.

~~Surprise ~~


Happy Birthday to Buffy Summers!

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Works Due This Saturday; 'Ware Outage

Jan. 20th, 2026 11:07 pm
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[personal profile] modzilla posting in [community profile] fffx
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!

Yet again, I’ve been injured doing laundry

Jan. 22nd, 2026 03:23 am
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
I held the bannister and I got it

I sat down to look for it

I took it with me because I could not find it

Damn splinter!

Choices (16)

Jan. 20th, 2026 08:21 am
the_comfortable_courtesan: image of a fan c. 1810 (Default)
[personal profile] the_comfortable_courtesan
Could hardly believe he was not dreaming

Humphrey Thornton could sometimes hardly believe he was not dreaming. After a fortnight or so being congratulated in the bosom of his family and shown about the locality to be boasted upon, had proceeded to Yeomans. For they had said that even though 'twas somewhat of a holiday for the children during the summer months, one should not lose all discipline and 'twould be in order to keep up the habit of a few lessons – and there was also Miss Roberts putting him in the way of literary work – reviews &C – and he would be earning, that was a consideration for the son of a country doctor, that had made his way through Oxford on scholarships and prizes.

His father had enquired, was Miss Ferraby any connection of the physician of that name? – he was her brother? – and the famed explorer and zoologist was another of her brothers? – and Miss Roberts was the sister of that noted botanist? One had quite the greatest confidence in such an establishment.

And, Humphrey had been moved to add, the famed Mrs Veriker is part of the household and eminent savants come call upon her.

So here he was, at this beautiful mansion with its well-kept gardens and charming small park and feeling as if he were in some fairytale, and did he pluck a flower from the wrong bush, or ask the wrong question, there would be a clap of thunder, and he would find himself alone in a howling desert.

The orphans such lively yet well-mannered children – not all, he apprehended, entirely orphaned, Jamie’s father being in the Americas, Theo the son of Ellen, the governess, and one apprehended that little Hari was the offspring of some connexion of the Dowager Duchess of Humpleforth in Bombay, that she was having brought up and educated in England. The rudiments of education already well-established by Ellen – Mrs Marshall – along the principles Miss Ferraby proclaimed.

Mrs Veriker quite the most wonderful of women – as he had told his father, much visited by other botanists, and with an extensive correspondence but also, as Verrie, a beloved honorary grandmother to the children.

Miss Ferraby a little frightening – Hannah Roberts also somewhat daunting, but already becoming the most helpful of mentors in the matter of literary life – must, she said, bring you along to the Lowndes Sunday literary teas – a little quiet at present of course –

He was like to expire with ecstasy – the Lowndes literary teas!

And he was not the only one of their set that found his place in pleasant pastures. While one did not suppose St Wilfrid’s East End parish quite met that description, Wood’s letters therefrom were entirely enthusiastic – work to one’s hand – what an excellent shepherd to his flock is Lucas – what a fine helpmeet is Lady Agatha –

Smithers ensconced in lodgings near the Temple in the anticipation of pupillage with Geoffrey Merrett, that acclaimed barrister, when the law-term opened, and meanwhile provided with work in the form of copying and devilling.

Averdale finding that his duties as secretary to Lord Trembourne came to encompass a great deal he had not expected – matters all round having been sadly neglected under the father in spite of the efforts of Lady Undersedge – but sounded to be enjoying himself.

Shallock, one feared, did not find his lot quite so agreeable – a deal of dreary matters to do with now being the heir – though, he wrote, at least being in mourning precluded any possibility of immediate hunt for an eligible bride, although he was already, one could only say, being shown the studbook.

Humphrey shook his head. Though, the thought struck him, here was his brother, courting a young lady from another medical family, all considered this a very eligible connexion, a most prudent match. Much about the same thing, he supposed. Had there not been somewhat of a flirtation with one of their sister’s friends, that was bound for a governess?

He passed the very fine taxidermied wombatt, that was the like of a household god to the children, that they swore on, descended the stairs, and entered the parlour, where Miranda was instructing Hari in the names of the ivory elephants.

Oh! Humphrey bowed deeply, blushing. The Dowager Duchess of Humpleforth was seated in one of the easy chairs, looking on with amuzement.

She rose and shook his hand. Mr Thornton, well met. Archie – South Worpley – desired me to convey to you this – she took an envelope from her reticule – inviting you to Maraston Towers to convoke about butterflies. As the Towers will be entirely crowded with the Duke’s political set, Archie and his friends are joining my little party in the Dower House –

Humphrey gulped and stammered a very grateful acceptance – would go write at once – how exceeding civil – he and Mrs Veriker had already had some notions about a butterfly garden –

She gave him an enchanting smile. Darling Verrie – I must go see her – I hope she is flourishing?

So, here he was, feeling very much beyond his depth, descending from the trap that had been sent to collect him from the nearest station, at the handsome portico to the Maraston Towers Dower House. That would have seemed daunting enough, but then one saw Maraston Towers itself looming and casting its shadow.

His modest luggage being taken care of – the door opening – bouncing forth therefrom a – one supposed that was one of Her Grace’s mongeese – mongooses? – that came to investigate what was ado, sniffing about his feet and offering to climb up his leg. Came out, past the somewhat flustered butler, Mr Josiah Ferraby, grinning broadly.

He stooped down to pick up the mongoose. Mr Thornton! We met at Lady Bexbury’s. Do you come in and take tea while I go find some secure place for this truant. I hope you left my little sister in health?

Humphrey mumbled something civil, and agreed that he had left Miss Ferraby in quite flourishing condition.

There was a rather terrifying deal of company in the drawing-room, though when he was capable of more sober reflection he realized that there could not be above a dozen individuals at most there, including the Dowager Duchess herself, Lord South Worpley, that handsome young black harpist Lydia Marshall, and others he did not know.

After he had made his bow to Her Grace – and desired not to stand upon ceremony, this was Liberty Hall – South Worpley took him about to make introductions, and he was finally provided with a cup of tea, that came very grateful. Presiding over the tea-service was South Worpley’s sister Lady Augusta Dalistet – one saw the resemblance at once. The dullish brown hair – the somewhat protuberant blue eyes – a nose that was, alas, rather unfortunate in a female face –

She determined his preferences in the matter of tea, poured him a cup, and remarked that he must be Worps’ butterfly friend?

Why, said Humphrey, I apprehend we have that interest in common –

She remarked that she was glad that that her brother took up such an attractive topic of study – had heard of fellows that became interested in spiders – she shuddered – and one that he may pursue at home – she cast a glance at Mr Ferraby, that one must fancy was discoursing of his adventures to a fascinated group –

Perhaps not the time to mention Mr Enderby’s account of the quite spectacular appearance of the butterflies he had seen in Brazil!

But I hear you were at Oxford with Lord Peregrine Shallock, that I suppose we must now be titling Talshaw?

Humphrey conceded that he had indeed been at Oxford with Shallock – part of the same set – rather put about that this matter of succession meant that he was obliged to renounce a College fellowship – very clever fellow – did not neglect sporting prowess but did not make an entire cult of it –

It was very similar to when his sisters had heard of some new fellow in the locality and wished to know what he was like!

The following day South Worpley offered that he might care to take a stroll round the menagerie? Humphrey apprehended that Ferraby was purposing taking groups – should not be entire crowds, that will upset the creatures – in the afternoon, and that this private invitation was, perchance, to discuss the butterfly house proposal without interruption.

In fact, he discovered, this was a matter of further interrogation about Shallock – the question a brother might ask about a possible suitor – had his friends not already heard his plaints about the business of matrimony? One must suppose that he was already being measured up by prospective wives, the poor devil.

No, there was no question of any existing attachment – Shallock – Talshaw – had been in the expectation of taking up this Fellowship – had never been in a wild set at Oxford – dedicated to study –

They leant on the fence of the enclosure in which a rather sullen porcupine was resting, failing even to rattle its quills at 'em. South Worpley remarked that of course the new Talshaw would not at present be attending balls and soirées, but he supposed that a fellow of intellectual interests would be going about to lectures &C?

Humphrey agreed that Shallock was in the greatest anticipation of drinking in the wisdom displayed at antiquarian and archaeological societies, expatiating a little upon the dig in progress at Worblewood – also fancied that the occasional private music party could not be objectionable – his sister Lady Lucretia Grigson quite the greatest friend of Lady Rondegate, that one heard much acclaimed for her talents –

They walked on a little to a paddock where a few goat-like creatures were nibbling at the grass.

South Worpley gave a deep sigh and enquired whether Thornton found women a great mystery?

Humphrey, that had sisters, female cousins, and was also acquainted with their friends, and was now surrounded by the Ladies of Yeomans, did not think that the female sex was really such an obscure matter, but made a sympathetic noise.

This led His Lordship to disclose his troubles with Lady Inez Offgrange, that had seemed so perfectly eligible, the most serious and sensible of creatures, devoted to botany – one had the encouraging example of her sister Lady Rollo Beaufoyle – wonderful looks, the finest dancer –

Goes be quite besotted with Gillie Beaufoyle –

Humphrey apprehended that South Worpley found himself in need of a confidant – he doubted that he would have any profound advice to give, but mayhap could provide a sympathetic ear.


CWRU Sci-Fi Marathon liveblog 2026

Jan. 20th, 2026 03:07 am
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[personal profile] erinptah

Spent the weekend at the 51st CWRU Sci-Fi Movie Marathon.

Like last year, I used the OpenVibe app to auto-crosspost my liveblogging to both Mastodon and Bluesky. The app has threading now! So these are in slightly-longer chunks of text than last year, because I could split a longer reaction across multiple threads and post them all at once.

…But the overall text is shorter, in part because I swear the breaks between movies were seriously cut down this year. There was a lot of “I had a longer thought here, but the next thing is already starting, so I have to finish typing as fast as possible (with my coat draped over my phone so the light isn’t bothering everyone else) and hit send.”

 


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FFA DW Post #2419 - A grandmother clause: if you eat a grandmother's pussy, that's allowed.

Jan. 20th, 2026 08:09 pm
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[personal profile] sunnymodffa posting in [community profile] fail_fandomanon
 
The Justice League aren't just asking potential recruits if they eat pussy, they're trying to trap them into eating pussy and revealing their villainous nature.

No masturbation, no eating pussy, potentially no sucking cock: what even is there to live for? Really everyone in Gotham trying to destroy the city is just doing everyone else a favour.

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Snowflake Challenge 02026 #10: The Aesthetic of It All

Jan. 19th, 2026 11:05 pm
silveradept: A head shot of Firefox-ko, a kitsune representation of Mozilla's browser, with a stern, taking-no-crap look on her face. (Firefox-ko)
[personal profile] silveradept
The [community profile] snowflake_challenge has put out challenge number 10, and it works in media that I generally do not think in nor work in.

Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board)

CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).


( I suppose I can make a fanmix for El Higgins? )
  • Current Mood: artistic
  • Current Music: Bloodhound Gang - I Hope You Die
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Music Monday

Jan. 19th, 2026 11:03 pm
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Life, a series of memorials and signals

Jan. 19th, 2026 11:00 pm
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[personal profile] sovay
My plans to sleep out a recovery from Arisia were somewhat complicated by the move-in of the new upstairs neighbors and the resonating chamber of feet and furniture our bedroom immediately downstairs of this process necessarily turned into, but the snow remains beautifully fallen and is not even supposed to rain back into immediate slush or, worse, spring.

I am re-reading Kathryn M. Drennan's To Dream in the City of Sorrows (1997) for the first time since it came out and had completely forgotten the introduction by J. Michael Straczynski in which he designates it the first fully canonical novel in the Babylon 5 tie-in line. Despite the volumes of Harlan Ellison I was tracking down in used book stores and reading at the time—his credit as creative consultant was a point in the show's favor—it was not until years later that I caught since how much of his nonfiction voice had been adopted by JMS. "How difficult a task was this? Job would've packed it in, Hercules would've retired, and Orpheus would've decided that his days spent in Hades weren't really that bad."

The Post-Meridian Radio Players have now opened auditions for their spring show: Jeeves & Wooster: Hijinks and Shenanigans. I am seriously considering throwing myself on a slot for the genderswapped adaptation. It would be something of an exercise if I went for it; most of my performance skills do not translate into straight acting and I am frankly missing the facility with accents specified in the sides or I'd be able to code-switch out of being asked all the time where mine's really from. I would have to hope I was not just wasting the creative team's time. But even if it's just the hangover from Arisia, I have not auditioned for anything since 2019 and so long as I could decouple the experience from actually landing a part, it suddenly looked as though it might be fun.

Indeed, I had never heard of hickory oil. I am not however thrilled by the prospect of trading off maple syrup.
  • Current Music: Dry Cleaning, "Hit My Head All Day"

Babylon 5 Rewatch: “Intersections in Real Time”

Jan. 20th, 2026 06:30 am
[syndicated profile] reactor_feed

Posted by Sarah

https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/

https://reactormag.com/?p=836879

Column Babylon 5 Rewatch

Babylon 5 Rewatch: “Intersections in Real Time”

An interrogator works to get a confession out of Sheridan…

By

Published on January 20, 2026

Credit: Warner Bros. Television

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<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Sarah</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/">https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=836879">https://reactormag.com/?p=836879</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-horizontal"> <div class="container container-desktop"> <div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container"> <div class="post-hero-content"> <div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase"> <span class="mr-3"> <i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i> <a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/column/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Column 0"> Column </a> </span> <span class="mr-3"> <i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i> <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/babylon-5-rewatch/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Babylon 5 Rewatch 1"> Babylon 5 Rewatch </a> </span> </div> <h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1"><i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Intersections in Real Time”</h2> <div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">An interrogator works to get a confession out of Sheridan&#8230;</div> <div class="post-hero-wrapper"> <div class="post-hero-inner"> <p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&amp;_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/keith-decandido/" title="Posts by Keith R.A. DeCandido" class="author url fn" rel="author">Keith R.A. DeCandido</a></p> <span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span> <p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv"> Published on January 20, 2026 </p> </div> </div> <div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-vertical [&amp;_a]:link"><p>Credit: Warner Bros. 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9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" /> </g> <defs> <clippath id="clip0_1051_121783"> <rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" /> </clippath> </defs> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-hero-media "> <figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="493" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-01-740x493.jpg" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) under interrogation in Babylon 5 &quot;Intersections in Real Time&quot;" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-01-740x493.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-01-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-01-768x512.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-01.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure> <div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-horizontal [&amp;_a]:link"><p>Credit: Warner Bros. Television</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </post-hero> <div class="wp-block-more-from-category"> <div> </div> </div> <p><strong>“Intersections in Real Time”</strong><br>Written by J. Michael Straczynski<br>Directed by John Lafia<br>Season 4, Episode 18<br>Production episode 418<br>Original air date: June 16, 1997</p> <p><strong>It was the dawn of the third age…</strong> We open with Sheridan in a featureless cell. He’s unshaven and injured. Flashbacks remind us of how he got captured <a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-the-face-of-the-enemy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">last time</a>. Some uniformed personnel enter and set up a desk and two chairs, then an interrogator—he’s never named in dialogue, but his guest credit says he’s named William, so we’ll go with that—enters and puts a briefcase down on the desk. He asks Sheridan if he has any allergies or illnesses, if he’s taking any medications, and if there are any issues with his heart. They go back and forth a bit, with Sheridan trying to attack William, but they’ve put a shock collar on him. If he gets within three feet of William, he’ll get a nasty shock. If he gets within two feet of him, he’ll be shocked much more intensely, enough to render him unconscious.</p> <p>Eventually, Sheridan answers in the negative to the health questions. He sits in the chair opposite William, and then finds himself bound by his wrists and ankles, which William says is for his own protection.</p> <p>After the credits roll, we come back to see Sheridan sitting in the chair with lights on each armrest shining in his face. William comes in and removes the lights, and says, “Good morning.” Sheridan says it’s dark out, and it was light out when William was there earlier, so it can’t be morning. But then William touches a control, and the light in the corridor changes. William also shocks Sheridan, admonishing the captain to never contradict him.</p> <p>William also explains that he’s got no personal animus against Sheridan, he’s just doing his job. He expresses surprise at Sheridan’s recent actions, as he’d never shown any interest in politics before. He asks if there have been any outside influences on him. Sheridan says no, which William records as a lie. There are, he says, <em>always</em> outside influences in one’s life.</p> <p>Suddenly, William announces that it’s lunchtime, which is at odds with his earlier insistence that it was morning. Since Sheridan hasn’t eaten in two days, he offers him half the corned beef sandwich with mustard—but only if he admits that it’s lunchtime, despite being explicitly told that it was morning only a few minutes ago. Sheridan says it’s lunchtime <em>somewhere</em>, and that gets William to share the sandwich.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="825" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02-1100x825.jpg" alt="Sheridan and his interrogator in Babylon 5 &quot;Intersections in Real Time&quot;" class="wp-image-836933" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02-1100x825.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02-740x555.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02-140x105.jpg 140w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02-768x576.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-02.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Warner Bros. Television</figcaption></figure> <p>Truth, William explains while Sheridan chows down, is mutable. When Sheridan fought in the Minbari War, the Minbari were the enemy. Now there is peace between Earth Alliance and the Minbari Federation, so the Minbari aren’t the enemy, and Sheridan has gone so far as to take a Minbari as a lover.</p> <p>Then he says that it’s suppertime, and prepares to leave. On his way out the door, he announces that the sandwich is poisoned. Nothing fatal, just a bunch of toxins that William himself has built up an immunity to.</p> <p>After the commercial break, we come back with Sheridan writhing on the floor of the cell, having apparently spent the night puking. &nbsp;</p> <p>After explaining that they have to break his body before breaking his mind, he invites Sheridan to sit in the chair. To Sheridan’s surprise, he’s once again bound to it. William asks if Susan Ivanova is still his first officer. Sheridan refuses to answer, saying that Earth has their records, but Williams points out that it’s only accurate up until B5’s secession. William’s bosses want up-to-date, accurate information. (Tellingly, Sheridan never does provide it.)</p> <p>William also offhandedly mentions that his father is doing okay. He’s also being interrogated by one of William’s colleagues. William bumped into that colleague in the corridor and asked to pass on to Sheridan that his father sent his warm wishes. William then all but bullies Sheridan into thanking him for this. After prying that gratitude out, William then holds up a confession they expect Sheridan to sign. Sheridan not only refuses to sign it, but demands an attorney and a military tribunal. William’s response is that he will get none of those things as he has no rights anymore—and is surprisingly emotional for someone who says he’s just doing a job and has no animus toward Sheridan.</p> <p>William also says that, if Sheridan signs the confession, he’ll be free to go—and so will his father. So the fact that David Sheridan is still imprisoned is entirely Sheridan’s fault.</p> <p>During their next session, William brings in a Drazi prisoner, who appears to have been pretty thoroughly tortured. He confesses to being part of Sheridan’s conspiracy to overthrow EarthGov, and names Sheridan as a co-conspirator—as well as a senator that Clark doesn’t like, who’s just been added to the whole thing for convenience. Sheridan tries to convince the Drazi not to go along with this, and the Drazi decides to stop confessing. The Drazi is then strapped to a gurney and sent to Room 17. William then continues his interrogation, asking about Ivanova and who his contacts in the Resistance are. While he does so, the lights dim, and the Drazi’s screams can be heard.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="825" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06-1100x825.jpg" alt="Sheridan&#39;s interrogator and a Drazi prisoner in Babylon 5 &quot;Intersections in Real Time&quot;" class="wp-image-836934" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06-1100x825.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06-740x555.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06-140x105.jpg 140w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06-768x576.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-06.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Warner Bros. Television</figcaption></figure> <p>William turns on a very loud recording on a loop telling Sheridan that he must confess and leaves the room.</p> <p>The next day, William turns off the recording and checks Sheridan’s IV, which is how they’re feeding him now. William says that the IV will be discontinued if he doesn’t cooperate soon. All he has to do is sign the confession. Sheridan points out that, once he signs it, they’ll kill him. William says that isn’t true, they’ll keep him alive as a symbol that you can’t beat the system, which William declares as an absolute truth of our time. No, they’ll wait until he’s forgotten and then kill him quietly, not kill him soon after the confession, as that will make a martyr of him. No, they’ll let him live a happy life for some time.</p> <p>Sheridan is unimpressed and spits on the confession.</p> <p>The next day, William urges Sheridan to sign the confession. They’d prefer Sheridan alive and reading the confession in front of a live audience, as that will have more power than a recorded message, which can be accused of being faked. But William’s bosses are running out of time and patience, and they’ll settle for a faked video recording if they have to.</p> <p>Sheridan, however, refuses to give in. William said that the absolute truth of our time is that you can’t beat the system, but he also said that the truth is mutable, and that means that there is no absolute truth. And the system can be beaten as long as at least one person refuses to be broken. William scoffs at the notion that he can win, and Sheridan replies that he wins every time he says “no.”</p> <p>One last time, William asks if Sheridan will sign the confession. Sheridan says “no.”</p> <p>He’s then put on a gurney, and sent to Room 17, the same place the Drazi was sent. As he goes, a priest accompanies him down the corridor, reading last rites. He’s wheeled into a room with a person in an executioner’s robe and hood.</p> <p>After several seconds, more people come into the room with a chair and put Sheridan in it, putting another chair behind the gurney. They fold the gurney up into a desk. A completely different interrogator comes in to sit at the desk, and starts asking Sheridan if he’s has any allergies or illnesses, if he’s taking any medications, or if he has any heart issues.</p> <p><strong>Get the hell out of our galaxy!</strong> Sheridan remains defiant to the end. In fact, he’s more defiant at the end than he is at the beginning, which is the opposite effect intended. The only times he gives in are when he accepts half a sandwich and when he thanks William for the best wishes from his father. But those serve to put him more on his guard, not break him as expected.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="825" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03-1100x825.jpg" alt="A hallucination of Delenn appears behind Sheridan&#39;s interrogator in Babylon 5 &quot;Intersections in Real Time&quot;" class="wp-image-836930" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03-1100x825.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03-740x555.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03-140x105.jpg 140w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03-768x576.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-03.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Warner Bros. Television</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>If you value your lives, be somewhere else.</strong> Twice Sheridan sees a hallucination of Delenn, which obviously gives Sheridan strength.</p> <p><strong>Welcome aboard. </strong>Raye Birk plays William while Bruce Gray plays his replacement interrogator. Wayne Alexander plays the Drazi, having previously played Sebastian in “Comes the Inquisitor,” G’Dan in “And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place,” and had the recurring role of Lorien at the top of this season.</p> <p>Gray will return next time in “Between the Darkness and the Light.” Alexander will next be seen as a Drakh in “Movements of Fire and Shadow.”</p> <p><strong>Trivial matters. </strong>Bruce Boxleitner is, for all intents and purposes, the only regular in this episode. Mira Furlan appears briefly as a hallucination of Sheridan’s, but has no dialogue, and footage from “<a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-the-face-of-the-enemy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Face of the Enemy</a>” is used with Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian as, respectively, Garibaldi and Ivanova.</p> <p>The title, according to scripter J. Michael Straczynski, is a literal description of the episode’s structure. Each act is in real time, broken by the intersections of commercial breaks.</p> <p>Straczynski credits his support of PEN International, which monitors the treatment of writers who are prisoners of conscience around the world, as well as the experiences of family members who have been victims of Nazi concentration camps and Soviet gulags as the primary inspirations for how this story developed. While there are definite echoes of similar works of fiction—<em>1984 </em>by George Orwell, the TV show <em>The Prisoner</em>, the movie <em>Closet Land</em>—that, according to Straczynski, is coincidental because they are all drawing on real-world instances of government-driven torture of prisoners.</p> <p>In Straczynski’s original plan for the series, this was to be either the end of season four or the beginning of season five, depending on which source you read. However, during the third season it was obvious that the Prime Time Entertainment Network that distributed <em>B5</em> to syndicated markets was crumbling around them, so Straczynski tightened up the storytelling for season four making sure that it ended with closure on the President Clark plotline, in case the show ended after four seasons. However, to allow for some suspense, this was the last new episode for some time, airing in June, with the final four episodes held to October, as had become traditional.</p> <p><strong>The echoes of all of our conversations.</strong></p> <p>“Do you have any allergies or illnesses that I should know about? Are you currently taking any medication? Had any trouble with your heart? You&#8217;ll answer my questions when they are asked. Resistance will be punished. Cooperation will be rewarded.”</p> <p>—The start of each of Sheridan’s interrogations.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="825" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04-1100x825.jpg" alt="Sheridan&#39;s interrogator in Babylon 5 &quot;Intersections in Real Time&quot;" class="wp-image-836932" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04-1100x825.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04-740x555.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04-140x105.jpg 140w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04-768x576.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/babylon-5-intersections-in-real-time-04.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Warner Bros. Television</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>The name of the place is Babylon 5.</strong> “You just have to say ‘no, I won’t’ one more time than they can say ‘yes, you will’.” &nbsp;It would’ve been very easy for this to slip into being a gimmick episode, but thanks to a great script by J. Michael Straczynski and a couple of magnificent performances by Bruce Boxleitner and Raye Birk, it very much isn’t.</p> <p>Some great works of dramatic screen fiction have been done with just a couple people in an interrogation room. There’s the movie <em>Closet Land </em>(with Alan Rickman and Madeleine Stowe), there’s the <em>Homicide: Life on the Street</em> episode “Three Men and Adena” (with Moses Gunn, Kyle Secor, and Andre Braugher), and there’s <em>Star Trek: The Next Generation</em>’s “<a href="https://reactormag.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-chain-of-command-part-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chain of Command, Part 2</a>” (with Sir Patrick Stewart and David Warner). What made all three of them work was a superlative combination of writing and acting—you’ll note that the seven actors listed in this paragraph are among the finest.</p> <p>It’s to the immense credit of Straczynski, Boxleitner, and Birk that this episode deserves to be mentioned in same breath as the other three I cited. Credit also to director John Lafia, who gives the whole thing a very theatrical feel befitting the story, which could easily be done as a stage play.</p> <p>What I especially like is that William’s techniques are all good ones for breaking a subject, with the misdirections, the attempts at mitigation (“I’m just doing my job”), the velvet glove covering an iron fist (giving him half the sandwich only to reveal that it’s poisoned), mixing friendliness (“I’m the only ally you have here” and conveying his father’s good wishes) with brutality (shocking him for disagreeing, bellowing that he has no rights).</p> <p>But while Sheridan does bend a few times, he never breaks. In fact, he’s more defiant at the end of the episode than he is at the beginning, which is probably at least one reason for William being replaced as Sheridan’s interrogator. Sheridan’s made a lot of speeches on this show, and he’ll make more, but for my money, the most effective thing he’s ever said was his response to William’s query of “But can you win?” with “Every time I say ‘no’.”</p> <p>Birk’s performance is what really makes it, though. He doesn’t have Secor’s or Braugher’s intensity or Warner’s or Rickman’s charisma, he really is just a guy doing a job. The biggest truism about fascistic regimes is that they start with a charismatic leader, but they’re maintained by a whole lot of people who are just following orders, just doing a job, just doing what they’re trained to do. While Straczynski has issues with the first part of that (which we’ll talk about a couple of episodes hence), he’s absolutely got the banality of evil part down pat, from Alex Hyde-White making NightWatch sound so <em>reasonable</em> in “<a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-in-the-shadow-of-zhadum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum</a>” to Roy Dotrice’s well-meaning stooge in “<a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-the-fall-of-night/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Fall of Night</a>” to here.</p> <p><strong>Next week:</strong> “Between the Darkness and the Light.”[end-mark]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/">&lt;i&gt;Babylon 5&lt;/i&gt; Rewatch: “Intersections in Real Time”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/">https://reactormag.com/babylon-5-rewatch-intersections-in-real-time/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=836879">https://reactormag.com/?p=836879</a></p>

Heated Rivalry: All I Do is Stay Winning by Ragazza_Guasto

Jan. 20th, 2026 06:46 pm
mific: (Ilya)
[personal profile] mific posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors
Rating: Mature
Length: 5144
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Descriptions of illness, choking, vomiting.
Creator Links: Ragazza_Guasto on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, Pining, Getting back together, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Angst with a happy ending

Summary: “Can you believe it? How the hell did he end up bagging her?”

Ilya stared, brain not comprehending what his body already seemed to, that Hollander was dating-

“Rose fuckin’ Landry! How does the lamest guy in the League-”

He knew that smile. He thought it was for him, just for him. But it wasn't.

“No,” he whispered. His stomach spasmed.

“You good, Roz?”

Why would he- How could he-

They were holding hands…

“Rozanov? What the fuck?”

He jumped up from the table and stumbled for the front door, just barely making it through before the first mass of petals came up. He heaved as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the pavement, somewhere he could hide what was happening.

Unfortunately, his teammates had followed, because of course they would. He saw a photo of Shane Hollander holding hands with a movie star and promptly threw up.

Who wouldn't be curious?

Reccer's Notes: Hanahaki disease, where a sufferer of unrequited love starts bringing up flowers, has to be one of the crackiest tropes ever. In this story Ilya develops Hanahaki after seeing the pics of Shane going out with Rose Landry. But it's not some gently romantic fluttering of petals from his lips, it's bloodily bringing up a hard, painful tulip bulb, then more flowers, more bulbs. I guess the trope always has a potentially serious outcome (death vs requited love) but to me the "treated seriously" aspects here are the medical details and treatment, the painful and unromantic way the disease affects Ilya, and the way the fic cleverly incorporates his family history, via his mother. Ilya gets very sick indeed before Shane finds out, with inevitable results. Well written, and a great read.

Fanwork Links: All I Do is Stay Winning
All I Do is Stay Winning (podfic by sd_ryan)

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(no subject)

Jan. 20th, 2026 05:59 am

Ow

Jan. 19th, 2026 09:54 pm
azurelunatic: Vivid pink Alaskan wild rose. (Default)
[personal profile] azurelunatic
Two canes can be better than one.

I have a battery of tests aimed at me for the leg weakness, in case it's neurological.

And my primary care is leaving (again) within a few months. They said last time that I would be assigned to someone in the same practice. That was inaccurate. They're saying it again this time, so I will prepare for battle.

Cats are nice and warm, and extraordinarily heavy on the knees.

Transformers (Bay Movies): WHAT. WHAT., by crimsonclad.

Jan. 20th, 2026 12:17 am
full_metal_ox: A gold Chinese Metal Ox zodiac charm. (Default)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Pairings/Characters: Bumblebee/Ironhide
Rating: Not Rated (I’m going to say Teen And Up; this is brazen steaming erotica, but performed in terms that circumvent meat-centric censorship laws.)
Length: ~800
Content Notes: Alien biology, fusion as relationship, Pervy Human Fancying, size difference, transformation kink
Creator Links: (AO3) [archiveofourown.org profile] crimsonclad; (LJ) [livejournal.com profile] crimsonclad

Theme: Crack Treated Seriously, Pre-AO3 Works, Rare Pairings, Robots, Androids & AI, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology

Summary: It was many years since Bumblebee had taken a lover, and as he looked up at Ironhide, he could feel his body trembling. "What do you think we will become?"

Ironhide smiled, and the familiar metallic sound of that motion made Bumblebee shiver. "I don't know, 'Bee. But I can't wait to find out."

Author’s Notes: Perhaps I am more comfortable writing porn with no recognizable gonads????

Reccer's Notes:

Bumblebee's first partner-- so long ago-- had been a sweet thing, and the result of their coupling-- a windmill, turning lazily in the winds of Cybertron-- had been as gentle and solid as their relationship. Once, in the later days of the war, Bumblebee had thrown caution to the wind and mated with an old friend turned traitor, temporary truce formed through their mutual desperation. The result had been a ravenous sawmill, capable of churning through any kind of metal. The sheer power had been intoxicating, but afterward, Bumblebee had felt empty, used. Lonely.

But so many years later, curving up against Ironhide's warm bulk, he knew this would be different. He knew they couldn't help but become something wonderful.

This is another fandom where I scarcely go (and therefore don’t know how common this trope is), but transformation and fusion here become an ecstatic discovery in ways that anticipate Steven Universe. (And don’t miss the avalanche of gleeful bawdy squee in the comments!)

Fanwork Links: WHAT. WHAT., by [livejournal.com profile] crimsonclad on LiveJournal.
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Arisia Sunday and Monday!

Jan. 19th, 2026 11:30 pm
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
[personal profile] sorcyress
I left off Satureve, I think? lots of very late dancing, which felt very good???

So Sunday continued my pattern of very leisurely late wakeup time (Arisia is one of the only times of year I just straight up guilt-free get to run my sleep schedule the way I actually want to). I got my stuff transferred from the one room to the other, and then had just enough time to hit up the art show before my goat check shift. But first.......Mount Arisia!

On Saturday, [personal profile] mindways decided to try a speed run (apparently aided by wearing his very speedy pants) during the climb time, and managed to get the thirteen floors in a truly staggering time. I know that I'm not necessarily in nearly as good shape as him, was not wearing speedy pants (in fact, at that point I was wearing a lovely-but-heavy suede skirt), and critically, am quite a bit shorter. I didn't run it. I just decided "okay, if I was going to walk up these stairs like I meant it, what would I score?"

I was not quite a minute slower, but I am _very happy_ with my 2:15 ascension. A bit over ten seconds per floor when *not* running? Yeah, I'll definitely take that, and if we're in the same hotel in 2028, I think I'll have to at least try and beat that. I don't know if I have the stamina to full run up the whole thing, but gosh, wouldn't it be fun to try?

Having not made it up to the art show earlier, I had the vague disappointment of seeing several pieces I would consider buying, if they hadn't already sold. I think that's perfect in some ways, because it meant I got to admire them, and feel happy the artist is being paid, but not have to spend the money myself. It also meant I had a little more buffer to buy needless pretties in the dealer's hall instead, which I'm honestly quite happy about. (shockingly, I did resist the EXTREMELY LARGE d20s. Like, a size for putting on the desk and pondering. And _gorgeous_ too, too often the big ones are just kinda chintzy.)

Goat check was nice, then off to check my texts and send massive congratudolances to Tuesday upon hearing that The Providence Bureau of Invest-Egg-Ations, after placing second the last two years, has won the 2026 Mystery Hunt! Am I gonna get to see this particular sweetie ever in the upcoming year? Probably not, but I'm real happy for them regardless!

I wandered a bit and dealers halled a bit and eventually wound up eating food and hanging out with mom in their room until it was time for us to head to the masquerade. Mom always works as the backstage pirate, and I often work with them. It was...fine. Mom was lovely and the costumers were lovely and Antonia is an absolute bangup MC, and I don't think the audience could tell any of the particularly rough spots (except of course that the judges took forever, because they always do.)

Post Masque I did some lobbyconning. jere7my and I went and got Toast, and then eventually Tuesday showed up and they and I went to get more Toast. I am very pleased that by my last round of the evening, they had more cookie butter, so I could get my favourite combination.

Tues and I wandered a bit, including playing Lost Cities in person, where I did about as badly as I have ever played --I scored a total of one point. Just _brutally_ unlucky with the cards! Tuesday had like, 150 points to make up for it.

Off to bed went we, and that was that.

Monday morn was going to start lazy, but when I checked my phone, I saw a somewhat urgent message from LB saying that they'll were feeling sick and could I put a sign on their table until they could figure out how to get their supplies back. I sailed downstairs to the dealers hall and blatantly ignored the "this space is not open for another forty minutes" sign entirely. I can't summon the authority of I Am Supposed To Be Here everywhere, but I _definitely_ can at sci-fi cons. Do you _know_ who I _am_? I'm the child of Greykell and Richard, this place is in my blood!

I gathered LB's things for them, and was very pleased to see their box exactly fit in my (really, Rey's) rolly crate. So that was trivial to bring home, and I'll swing it by their place later this week. It is good to be able to help my friends and community!

Tuesday and I ate breakfast and got ready for our respective tasks --I had one last goat check shift, which was incredibly slow --apparently the snow scared people out of coming for just Monday?-- and she was off to the wrapup for hunt. I helped clean up and that was that, everything else about the con was lazing about deliciously.

More photos to come later. I hope you are having a good time of things. I hope tomorrow works out well for the all of us.

~Sor
MOOP!

Challenge 200: Icon Pass It On 6 - Icon Showcase

Jan. 19th, 2026 08:07 pm
luminousdaze: a humpback whale spy hopping against a daytime sky (Default)
[personal profile] luminousdaze posting in [community profile] iconthat
We have over 60 icons from the pass-it-on activity.
Thank you very much to all the participants! ✨💖✨
( See more... )
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Link: Boss, it's the fascism

Jan. 19th, 2026 07:56 pm
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[personal profile] sonia
I saw this go by on Mastodon, and it stayed with me, so I'm reposting it from Tumblr by [tumblr.com profile] nitewrighter. (First few comments are worth reading.)
Me: I don't get it. I thought I was doing a lot better than I was a few years ago. I'm like 10 times more on top of things than I used to be. How does everything feel terrible now?

The Tiny Me in OSHA-approved Hi-Vis Gear Who lives in my brain and pulls all the levers: Boss, it's the fascism. You're completely gunked up with cortisol due to the fact that your entire daily life is now underscored with a haunting awareness of the rapid erosion of your rights, dignity, and any and all social safety nets, and you're also bearing witness to the most vulnerable people immediately being persecuted. This creates a natural stress response that basically means you're going to continue having memory and organizational problems, as well as emotional imbalances.

Me: BUT I HAVE A BULLET JOURNAL AND I MEDITATE NOW.

Tiny OSHA Me: BOSS, THE FASCISM.
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