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two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

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. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.

+bursts out laughing+ Oh

snowflake_challenge, how did you know I needed this? I am someone who too often seeks the approval of others (and then is disappointed) when really, it's my own approval I should be striving for.

I am not sure I would have been able to do this challenge a mere two weeks ago due to bad depression/anxiety at the time, but I've got some new meds that are helping, and life is turning to the positive again. And thus:

1. I feel I'm a strong writer.

I mean general writing here - I still need practice on fiction, but heck, even my fiction is, I feel, decent! But yes, I'm always being told that I write well, and I believe it. I have a knack for writing journal entries that flow well, with good transitions from point to point.

Sometimes I do draft entries, but TBH most of mine are stream-of-consciousness so I guess my brain likes organizing material into sensible chunks. I do find myself going back to previous sections to expand on a point or tweak a sentence, but mostly, they're written from top to bottom.

2. I'm getting better at acknowledging and recognizing my achievements.

This is important! No, I'm not perfect. Yes, I still have a HECK of a lot I need to learn about people-ing and adulthood and life in general. But I've come so far in the last few years. I've consistently kept up streaming on Twitch for almost five years now. That kind of consistently showing up is unusual for me. I'm still damned proud I even STARTED streaming in the first place, let alone kept it going.

I've also been employed since September 2024. Okay, it's only part time. But folks, I hadn't worked for TWELVE YEARS due to anxiety and depression. I am damned proud of myself for (a) finding the job opening (b) applying to it (c) with a KICK-ASS cover letter (d) doing well enough in the phone interview to be offered the job (e) staying employed this long (f) and not only that, but to be singled out to work on new projects because of past performance. This is huge!

One of the things I'm also getting better on is reaching out. I just had an incident at work where I had a question about what to do on an assignment, and in the past I would have REALLY procrastinated from saying anything, but I asked with minimal hesitation. THAT IS ALSO HUGE FOR ME.

3. I love my creativity!

I've always been drawn to creativity. As a kid, I wanted to be a novelist, and I liked to draw (even though I wasn't that great at it). I tried various forms of being actively creative, but what finally stuck for me was the fiber arts. I'm slowing down with them and my output isn't what it used to be, but it still tickles me to read question threads on Ravelry, or cheer on my teammates in Nerdopolis.

I love that I'm fearless with knitting and crochet. I'll try any pattern that catches my eye, even if it's a new technique. I love that I've designed my own knitted and crocheted dolls. I was so proud of myself when I figured out how to get a doll's dress hem to stop flipping up! And PLEATS! I've knitted box pleats! Probably never again, they are a pain, but I've DONE it.... in a pattern of my own design, having never done pleats before. Fearless? YUP!

I might have more to add to this, but for now, this is good. :)

Mood::

good

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Posting this EVERYWHERE because I am shocked I survived. No seriously, when the battle ended I thought I had died and the gems were coming out of ME, not Riku.

https://www.twitch.tv/altheavalara/clip/RelatedCarelessDoveAliens-xTavKVxdw_67NLp3

(Apparently I can't embed, so click to watch!)

Mood::

shocked

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Well, what did the New Year bring?

For me, the sense of dread, the dozens of WhatsApp messages between members of my family and friends checking whether the others were safe, the phone footage on TikTok of the city I grew up in being bombed, the friends abroad celebrating the violation of my original country and the apparent toppling of a tin-pot dictator, kidnapped or arrested (take your pick) and now standing trial in NYC, accused of a whole pile of stuff he probably didn't do -none of the bad things that he did do, apparently. Interestingly, only one of my friends (an ex-girlfriend, friend of 40 years +) currently living in Vz was celebrating, although many of those Venezuelans abroad were. I told this friend about my concerns about the consequences and repercussions of this not just for Vz but for the whole world. She's now not speaking to me.

I'm no fan of Maduro, but I fear what's to come after this. Whenever the gringos have done something like this (Chile, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya etc) the outcome has been five or more years of extreme violence, tens of thousands of dead. I would not like to see that in my original country.

Mood::

worried

location: flavhaus

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Challenge #6

Top 10 Challenge. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.

Well, I wrote a love letter to Final Fantasy for Challenge 3; it seems only fitting that I'd make a list of favorite music from the games, because it really was the music that first enraptured me and keeps me interested. So here are my favorite songs, one from each game, with some runner up songs because I can't just choose one, lol. Also, these are my favorites TODAY. Ask me tomorrow and it'll probably change.

(I have no idea if Dreamwidth will allow so many YouTube embeds; I guess we find out!)

( Seventeen Favorite Songs from the Final Fantasy Franchise )

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Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

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.

Cheerleading - I'm going through a period of high anxiety, and would appreciate kind words. Even just a "You can do it!" would be helpful. If you "know" me even just a little bit, I would not be opposed to hearing about one thing you like about me.

Icons/userpics for Final Fantasy games - I'm a BIG fan of the franchise, and would love some more icons from it. The icons don't need to be especially made for me! Any game/character is fine, but I currently don't have icons from FFI, FFII, FFIII, FFIV, or FFVI. Static icons only, please. Here's a list of characters from the games:
* FFI - unnamed characters. I am partial to the mages (Red, Black, White) but any job class would be cool.
* FFII - Firion, Maria, Guy, Leon. For minor NPCs, I like Minwu, Gordon and Scott.
* FFIII (DS remake) - Luneth, Arc, Refia, Ingus. For NPCs, I really dig Desch.
* FFIV - I am partial to Cecil, Rydia, Rosa, Palom & Porom
* FFVI - any character would be cool, but I especially like Terra, Locke, Celes, and Kefka

Fanfic Recs for the Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts franchises. I'm looking to read more this year, and I'd really like to start reading fanfic, so would appreciate some recs. I mostly favor short stuff but am not opposed to longer works.

Mood::

anxious

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Challenge #4: Rec Your Last Page

Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!

Oh boy, do I have a lot I want to rec today!

Fiber Arts

Nerdopolis is a crafting challenge on Ravelry (a site for knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners). I've been playing in its tournaments since its inception, and we're now entering our 12th year! The premise is pretty simple: you get several themes each round, and need to make something that fits that theme.

To use my favorite example:

Say we had a challenge relating to architecture. I choose to knit a pink arch lace bookmark. I first tie it to the challenge by saying the lace in my bookmark looks like the St. Louis arch, then I get Nerd Cred by saying the pink color of my bookmark reminds me of the Aurore armor set from Final Fantasy XI, which is also pink. Since I play on Team Co-op which is related to games of all sorts, Final Fantasy XI (a video game) is part of my team’s scope.

Getting Nerd Cred enters you into a drawing for PRIZES! It's a lot of fun, and I do recommend it to anyone who crafts a lot and is looking for inspiration. Disclaimer: I am a moderator in the group because I am the captain of Team Co-op, plus also the Rogue Leader (rogues are individual players not playing on a team.)

communal_creators is a group for ALL types of creativity, and runs a small challenge in the spring, with a larger challenge in the fall. We have writers, knitters, crocheters, weavers, bakers, vidders, kumihimo braiders, and more. It's a positive, friendly group full of people who love to cheer each other on.

KnittingHelp is a site I used a lot early in my knitting journey. I like it because the videos are clear and well-explained, AND she does both Continental and English knitting, which are the two major ways to knit (there are others). I'm a Continental knitter myself but can do English too, so it's been helpful to see those videos.

Planet June is a site for crocheters, especially those making stuffed toys. I love her invisible SC decrease! I've made a few of her patterns, and they are well written and clearly explained with enough photos for clarity without overindulging in them.

Pin Loom Weaving is a blog for those who weave on small looms such as the Zoom Loom or Weave-It. The blog's author has written some pattern books, too, and I've read one of them and was impressed. Pin Loom weaving is a fun way to get into weaving, and you can do some neat things with the squares.

Final Fantasy Fanfic

"Nero tol Scaeva Did Nothing Wrong," Insist Multiple People Despite Overwhelming Evidence To The Contrary (5147 words) by jonphaedrus
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Nero tol Scaeva, Cid nan Garlond, Vorsaile Heuloix, Guydelot Thildonnet, Sanson (Final Fantasy XIV), Alka Zolka, Surito Carito, Summoner Quest NPCs, Tahla Molkot
Additional Tags: Brooklyn Nine-Nine But In Eorzea, Based on a True Story, Resisting arrest, 4.5+ Spoilers, Visually Impaired Character, Arson Murder and Jaywalking, driving without a license, Screen Reader Friendly
Summary:

In a shocking exposé, Mythril Eye reporters reveal that the Eorzean Alliance refused to arrest Nero tol Scaeva (former Tribunus Laticlavius of the XIVth Imperial Legion and wanted war criminal) for breaking the law. Serpent Commander Vorsaile Heuloix insisted tol Scaeva was not guilty of any crimes he had been charged with for his arrest, but the public has yet to prove that!

Althea's comments: a fun romp that will have you cracking up and screaming "hey, it's That Guy!". It's a joy to see the minor NPCs have some time in the spotlight.

Shared History (907 words) by queenlua
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Red XIII | Nanaki
Characters: Red XIII | Nanaki (Compilation of FFVII), Aerith Gainsborough
Summary:

"You know," Aerith said, in a teasing, singsong voice, "you could have spoken up sooner."

Althea's comments: A piece that has stayed with me. A sweet and tender moment between the two.

Black Mage/Red Mage, PG-13-ish by

ghoulmouse, based on my Kiss Battle prompt: Final Fantasy I - Black Mage / Red Mage, only you understand my power

Althea's comments: A yummy fic that had me purring like a contented cat.

...I could probably rec more but I really need to get back to work, so this will have to do for now.

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Challenge 3

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

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

( A long love letter to Final Fantasy )

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Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom

Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

[Image Description: A gray and white "tuxedo" cat. The picture is a close-up on her head, which is turned so that three-quarters of her face is towards the camera. She's got yellow-green eyes that are fixed on something in the distance.]

^that was my Raina. She's been gone many years now, and I've gotten used to life without a cat, but that doesn't mean I still don't miss her. I still, at times, find myself chanting her name to calm myself down when I'm anxious.

A photo of a calico kitty who visited our house for about 20 minutes.

[Image Description: A photo of a young calico kitty. She's standing on a large windowsill, her face turned to look at something off screen to the right. Her tail is upright at attention and curled to the left.]

I would be remiss if I didn't include a picture of 20 minute kitty. This was a neighbor's cat who came up to our patio door, so we let her in for a while. I was ewcited! Mom, less so. Unfortunately the experience solidified her as an anti-cat person, and since I live with her, I have to go without one.

[Image Description: A picture of my sister's dog, Charms. She's a black Labrador and is at attention because I called her name before taking the photo.]

I watch Charms sometimes when my sister goes on vacations. I am NOT a dog person, but as dogs go, Charms is pretty good. We're used to each other now, so it mostly goes smoothly. Why is she named Charms? because she had a brother named Lucky.

Okay, so I can't have a real cat, but I can knit cats!

[Image Description: Two realistic knitted kitties, shown from the front. They are both "tuxedo" cats, with one orange and the other gray.]

I've misplaced them, alas. I really should find them again and perch them on my bed because they ARE a calming presence. They're even more realistic from the rear:

Two realistic knitted kitties, shown from the back.

[Image Description: Two realistic knitted tuxedo kitties, shown from the back. They are gray and orange, and look very much like the classic "kitty loaf".]

When I first started playing Final Fantasy XIV, I was skeptical of the whole minion thing (minions are small critters that follow you around.) I mean, we had nothing like that in Final Fantasy XI and still enjoyed that game! So I admit that I thought the idea of minions to be a little silly.

Then

lassarina gifted me the Fat Cat minion, and well, what a charming minion! She's very plump and rolls to her side.

Animated gif of the Fat Cat minion rolling about under cut!

[Image Description: The Fat Cat minion from Final Fantasy XIV. She's a plump calico cat and likes to roll around.]

I've been playing FFXIV for years now, and no longer use Fat Cat as my minion. Now I use Starbird:

[Image Description: The Starbird Minion from Final Fantasy XIV. It's a blue bird with gray beak and white belly. It's got really long dual tails and large wings.]

The reason I use Starbird? She plays a big role in Endwalker, the first expansion that I played live at its launch. Also, I ran the dungeon Starbird comes from SO MUCH. So, so many times until she finally dropped for me. Can't imagine using a different minion now.

I want to end with a game I played in 2024 that I really, really enjoyed. That game is Stray, in which you play as an orange street cat. I really enjoyed it! The cat does cat things like scratch at furniture and knock things over, but you do this as a way to explore the world and solve puzzles. There's some action sequences where you need to escape from enemies, but I found them all short enough that I didn't mind having to try them over and over (I am not great at action games!).

Anyway, have a clip from the game:

Watch on YouTube

[Video Description: An orange cat jumping about an apartment. He finds a computer and jumps up on the table to investigate, stepping on the keyboard in the process. Kitty typing detected!]

Mood::

nostalgic

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Unexpectedly, I was let out of work early on New Year's Eve so rushed to the foreshore. My trains had engineering work so I had to go a different route but then got on the wrong train from London Bridge and ended up in Norwood Junction, far from the river.

I did eventually make it to the South Bank though. Security were making people detour around the back of Gabriel’s Wharf so wouldn't let me get down the steps to the foreshore there, so I walked back towards Blackfriars and finally made it down.

It was the last day of the year and as the sun set, I was on the foreshore, staring at the Thames.

I found a cowrie shell, which would have been used for trade, as they're not native to the Thames. This is the third one I've found.

I found a piece of Meakin Sol Ware with a sun logo, probably from around 1918 - 1963.

I found another piece of Express Dairies aster design.

I found a piece of Lovatt & Lovatt, Langley Mill, Notts, which would have been from between 1895 and 1930. I mostly find things from London or the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, not so much other places.

I found a piece of a Bovril jar! My second Bovril jar, but sadly this one was not in one piece.

I found a sherd that said "ich" on it. I assumed this must be German, but the Prince of Wales’ motto is "Ich dien" (meaning "I serve"), so it’s likely to be from that, maybe a commemorative plate.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Another year goes by.

2025 was filled with... medical appointments, tests, scans, more tests and more scans. In the end, apparently nothing that will kill me straight away although there are some things that will need follow ups.

It also was a year when I did a little more playing in public. Not a lot, just three local recitals and a few private gigs. But that was good, it is not something that helps me pay the bills a lot but it is something I need to do. Much as the first thing I think when I find myself on stage is 'why do I put myself in this situation' and 'which way up do you hold this guitar thing?'. Need to move more in that direction -of playing more in public, that is, not fretting about it.

Christmas was a very different affair this year. Last year I was in Miami with my sister and family, being shown around, eating exotic non-Venezuelan food and slightly breaking my no-alcohol vows. This time I spent mostly horizontal, mostly coughing my lungs out and with a runny nose and full of brain fog. Mercifully by NYE it had gone and I was able to go to Tarantella at the Albany and dance and catch up with people for a bit.

Let's see what the new year brings. The world outside looks dark and menacing, my own situation will need me to do things -like finally applying for British citizenship, just in case. A very expensive 'just in case' but given the dark clouds over the horizon it will need to be done.

Hope your own Christmas and NYE were good. Still catching up on my 'Reading Page' here.

location: flavhaus

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Get anything you have left on LJ backed up ASAP

posted by

synecdochic:

"I just posted a thread to my Bluesky account about why I think it's extremely urgent for people to back up anything they still have on LiveJournal, however they do it. Thread starts here:

https://bsky.app/profile/rahaeli.bsky.social/post/3mbebi2xfxc25

ru-news LJ post I was relying on:

https://ru-news.livejournal.com/80899.html

Please spread this far and wide so as many people see it as possible, because I really don't see English-language LJ continuing in its present form for much longer, and I know some people may still have things they care about there. It doesn't matter how you get it backed up, but it's absolutely crunch time for getting it backed up."

My old xnera account was still hanging around LJ, even though I long ago imported here and stopped crossposting. I just logged into it and saved the few images I had in storage. I then deleted the account. Was long overdue.

I had other accounts on LJ, but can't remember most of them. Oh well. Nothing in those accounts were vitally important, unlike my personal journal.

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Challenge #1

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

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

Hiya! I'm Althea Valara (my chosen name, not my wallet name). I'm a fiber artist, Twitch streamer, and video game player. For fiber arts, I knit and crochet, plus do a little pin loom weaving. SOMEDAY when I have more space/money, I'll own a rigid heddle loom.

Most of my consumed media these days comes from video games, and primarily the Final Fantasy franchise with a healthy dose of Kingdom Hearts. I currently stream Final Fantasy XI on Fridays, Final Fantasy XIV on Saturdays, and am making my way through the Kingdom Hearts series on Mondays. Start time is around 7:30pm Central and goes until 10:30pm or until I get tired/feel like stopping, whichever comes first. Lately I've been more tired than usual so streams have been shorter, but I'm still streaming!

My stream is at https://twitch.tv/altheavalara - my first stream was on February 13th, 2021, so I'll be hitting my five year anniversary this year, WOW! I started streaming as a way to combat social anxiety. I'm still a very tiny streamer (last month I hit 100 followers, FINALLY!) but I enjoy it and no longer feel anxiety when I start a stream. It's like breathing now - just something I do.

Why I'm doing Snowflake Challenge

Mostly, it's because I've done it for a few years now and had fun with it! I've appreciated the opportunity to blurble happily about my blorbos and otherwise geek out about fannish things. Normally, I do not consider myself as part of a fandom. I mean yes, I love Final Fantasy and do make some fanworks for it, but I usually don't consume fanworks unless people point them to me. Sometimes it can feel lonely in my little corner of the fandom, so I really have loved Snowflake Challenge for giving me an excuse to put myself out there some more.

What I hope to get out of the Challenge

An opportunity to be creative. An excuse to work on my Neocities site some more, which I launched during last year's Challenge. Reading enthusiastic posts from others and seeing both familiar usernames I don't normally interact with, plus new people that I find charming and delightful. I've met some really cool people through Snowflake Challenge like

vriddy,

enemytosleep and

peaked, and I hope to make some new acquaintances, if not friends, this year.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your 2026 be filled with good health and much happiness.

So here's last year's list. I had some success this past year, but not as much as I would have liked:

Fannish Things

1. My Shadowbringers "summaries"

STILL not done. I think I did one update? Gotta get cracking on this!

2. The FFBE script

Last year I was lamenting not having Season 2/all the story events captured. I have since found YouTube channels that have the whole of Season 2 and many of the story events recorded! \o/ I would like to put some work into doing Season 2 this year.

3. Final Fantasy XI story

This was new for last year, and I'm really pleased with how much I've gotten done. I've documented Bastok missions through rank 5, plus the first expansion, Rise of the Zilart. I'm at work on the second expansion now.

4. Neocities!

This was also new for 2025, and I am very happy to say that I completed it! Well, completed in the sense that I got it fixed up enough to launch. It's always going to be a work in progress. I'm hoping to put a lot of work into it this year.

Knitting & Crochet Projects

I finished 23 projects in 2025, some of which had multiple pieces. I have dutifully made the list of WIPs, which is still L-O-N-G.

The following WIPs were deleted in 2025. Either frogged, or thrown away, or just lost and decided I didn't care to finish them:

* Mathilda Bolero
* Hospice Canaries
* Amigurumi Potted Plant
* Cherry Blossom Bonsai
* Perfect Knit T-Shirt
* NewYear Tree
* Little Green Elf Cowl
* Small Eastern Dragon
* Marion Slouch
* Boo! Doily

But I also added a bunch of WIPs, so the number hasn't changed much:

* Weekend Headband
* Mosey - technically done but I might lengthen them, so still marked WIP
* Versailles Scarf
* Pretty Poinsettia Ornament
* Disney Crochet Kit Halloween Stitch
* Sylvan Tee
* Butterfly Shawl
* Sophie Scarf
* SECRET PROJECT
* Diamond Peaks Drawstring Bag
* P 9. Shawl (ショール)
* Glymur
* Sweetheart Soiree
* Emotional Support Chicken

This year, I'd really like to focus on bigger projects and get some garments done. So I don't know how many of these WIPs will be touched this year. We'll see!

Here's the list of WIPs:

#	Date Started	Project Name	Comment
1	2025-12-09	Weekend Headband	Yuppers.
2	2025-11-02	Mosey	Might make longer? Otherwise done.
3	2025-11-01	Versailles Scarf	YES, FINISH! January goal?
4	2025-10-07	Pretty Poinsettia Ornament	Maybe for this year.
5	2025-09-15	Disney Crochet Kit Halloween Stitch	It’s STITCH! Make for Halloween 2026?
6	2025-08-01	Sylvan Tee	To poke at now and then.
7	2025-08-07	Butterfly Shawl	Find and finish.
8	2025-06-05	Sophie Scarf	Unearth and finish.
9	2025-05-06	SECRET PROJECT	SECRET PROJECT. Yes, please finish in 2026
10	2025-04-24	Diamond Peaks Drawstring Bag	Need to start over. Maybe someday?
11	2025-04-07	P 9. Shawl (ショール)	Have yarn, might make.
12	2025-04-01	Glymur	Inspired by my therapist, who wears ponchos. Find and finish in 2026.
13	2025-02-03	Sweetheart Soiree	Unearth and finish.
14	2025-02-02	Emotional Support Chicken	Eh, maybe
15	2025-01-01	Motion Picture Mosaic Cardi	UGH. Starting sleeve over.
16	2024-12-30	Villemo	Newest WIP, will do as I can.
17	2024-08-07	Cat Lady Bag	NEW, and I really want to make this!
18	2024-06-07	Luftslott	NEW in 2024, plan to do in 2025.
19	2024-05-26	Plumeria	NEW in 2025, finish by end of summer?
20	2024-04-04	Final Fantasy XVI Torgal Blanket Square	Tried, wasn’t coming out too good. Unsure what to do.
21	2024-01-05	Poinsettia	Just need leaves!
22	2023-12-04	#13 Central Park Hoodie	For ME. Want done by spring.
23	2025-12-14	Missy C	For ME. No hurry.
24	2023-10-15	Copycat Cowl	Um, did I finish this?
25	2023-09-20	Celtic Placemat	Plan was to make for older sister, not sure I am going to follow through on that.
26	2023-08-02	Spring Bluebird Banner	Finish by spring. (I said this in 2024, too, hah!)
27	2023-02-24	Brown Felted Bag	No hurry.
28	2022-12-01	The Parlor Cat	Finish eventually.
29	2022-10-30	Bat Filet Crochet Example	Finish by Halloween!
30	2022-08-30	Lacy Crochet Kerchief	Done, find and take a pic to mark complete
31	2022-08-03	Simple Crescent Shawl	Finish for Area 51 sometime.
32	2023-02-02	Lovely room doily	Would like to do sometime.
33	2022-04-02	Cable-Stayed Beanie	This is a cool hat I’d like to make sometime
34	2022-03-02	Wavedeck	Want to finish this sometime, for myself.
35	2021-12-22	Country Cottage Headband	Gods will I ever finish this?
36	2021-03-04	Tarragon the Gentle Dragon	Still would like to make this!
37	2021-02-03	Twig Shawl	Finish eventually.
38	2020-10-04	Hazel Handbag	Finish eventually.
39	2020-04-24	Forest Green Hat	Would like to do sometime.
40	2020-01-03	Buckle Your Swash Gauntlets	Would like to do sometime.
41	2019-07-22		Yeah, need to finish.
42	2019-04-15	Dreaming of Spring Doily	Would like to do sometime.
43	2019-04-06	The Little Flower Doily	Maybe? It’s knitted so HARD.
44	2018-11-01	Snowberries A Luxurious Winter Scarf	Finish eventually.
45	2020-06-08	Knitted Dragon	Still love this, might make eventually.
46	2018-12-01	Call Them Cherry Blossoms	Finish eventually.
47	2008-09-27	Ripple Beige Afghan	My oldest WIP, needs to be done already!
48	2015-12-05	Turkish Treasure	Finish eventually.

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I just posted a thread to my Bluesky account about why I think it's extremely urgent for people to back up anything they still have on LiveJournal, however they do it. Thread starts here:

https://bsky.app/profile/rahaeli.bsky.social/post/3mbebi2xfxc25

ru-news LJ post I was relying on:

https://ru-news.livejournal.com/80899.html

Please spread this far and wide so as many people see it as possible, because I really don't see English-language LJ continuing in its present form for much longer, and I know some people may still have things they care about there. It doesn't matter how you get it backed up, but it's absolutely crunch time for getting it backed up.

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Привет and welcome to our new Russian friends from LiveJournal! We are happy to offer you a new home. We will not require identification for you to post or comment. We also do not cooperate with Russian government requests for any information about your account unless they go through a United States court first. (And it hasn't happened in 16 years!)

Importing your journal from ЖЖ may be slow. There are a lot of you, with many posts and comments, and we have to limit how fast we download your information from ЖЖ so they don't block us. Please be patient! We have been watching and fixing errors, and we will go back to doing that after the holiday is over.

I am very sorry that we can't translate the site into Russian or offer support in Russian. We are a much, much smaller company than LiveJournal is, and my high school Russian classes were a very long time ago :) But at least we aren't owned by Sberbank!

С Новым Годом, and welcome home!

EDIT: Большое спасибо всем за помощь друг другу в комментариях! Я ценю каждого, кто предоставляет нашим новым соседям информацию, понятную им без необходимости искать её в Google. :) И спасибо вам за терпение к моему русскому переводу с помощью Google Translate! Прошло уже много-много лет со школьных времен!

Thank you also to everyone who's been giving our new neighbors a warm welcome. I love you all ❤️

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Here's what I finished in December. Click pics to embiggen:

[Image Description: A red mini knitted sweater ornament. It features an applique of a green Christmas tree with yellow star.]

[Image Description: A green mini knitted sweater ornament. It features a crocheted applique of a candy cane.]

[Image Description: A crocheted phone stand in a coral color.]

[Image Description: A crocheted phone stand in a white and sandy gray color.]

A Christmas Stocking crocheted in super bulky yarn.

[Image Description: An emergency Christmas Stocking crocheted in super bulky yarn. It is predominantly white, with marled red and green at the toe, heel turn, and trim, and was crocheted in 2.5 hours.]

Ravelry has a very casual Challenge tab, where you can set a goal for the number of items you want to make in a year. My output has been going down each year from my heyday in 2014-2017. I challenged myself to make 30 items this year; I finished 23.

Seventeen (17) of those FOs were crocheted, with six (6) knitted. I opted to include multiples as one project page, so that is a bit skewed. For instance, I have a page for each color of the knitted sweaters, but I actually made four (4) green ones and three (3) red ones.

Nine (9) items had their complete yarn usage filled out. All nine items were under 150 yards used. I made small things this year.

By far my most used yarn is worsted/aran weight, which I consider mostly interchangeable. Here's the breakdown in usage:

Thread: 2
Sport: 1
Worsted: 7
Aran: 6

So it doesn't sound like I actually did much this year, does it?

According to my spreadsheet, I did 462 crafting sessions. Some were just a few minutes; the longest session was 2 hours 41 minutes.

[Image Description: A pivot table, showing I crafted 104 hours in Crochet and 172 hours in Knitting this year.]

So I actually knit more than I crocheted this year, even if I didn't produce as many knitted items.

Looking at individual projects: I spent 48 hours, 41 minutes on a secret knitted project that I only half finished, almost 32 hours on the knitted legwarmers that I've been wearing, and 41 hours, 18 minutes on a crocheted cardigan (now mostly frogged, alas). Those were the "big" items.

I'll have another post soon, listing my WIPs to finish in 2026. Am I happy with my output in 2025? Well... kind of. I really would have liked to finish a garment for myself, but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe in 2026?

Mood::

accomplished

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So here's the post I made at the beginning of this year. In it, I talked about getting a capture card and what games I would stream if I did/didn't get one. The list:

Non-capture card list
1. Star Ocean: First Departure R
2. Spider-man: Miles Morales
3. Rise of the Tomb Raider
4. World of Final Fantasy

Capture Card List
1. Lost Odyssey (assuming 360 still works)
2. Final Fantasy X-2 (Switch)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
4. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation 2)

The great news is that I **DID** buy a capture card for myself! Did I play any of the games on either of these lists? No!

In mid-year, I unearthed my Xbox 360 and set it up, because I really really wanted to stream Lost Odyssey, but alas, my 360 is refusing to read discs. Woe. So what single-player games did I stream instead?

1. Forspoken
2. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
3. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
4. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (currently playing)

I admit Forspoken is not a GREAT game, but it's a decent one, and I really needed someone like Frey in my life at the time, so I had a really great time with it, probably better than most players. I'm of the opinion that the DLC was unneeded though.

Yonder is charming and sweet and was a nice palette cleanser. And I'm a long-time Kingdom Hearts fan, so it's been fun to revisit those games.

I also streamed FFXIV (of course) and FFXI, getting through 3 of its expansions and on the fourth. I intend to continue playing both games in 2026. I mean, it's pretty much a given right now.

For single-player games in 2026: planning on getting through the entire Kingdom Hearts franchise on stream. That will take a good chunk of the year. Afterwards, I have plans on playing the Tomb Raider series, which I'm really looking forward to.

If there's anything I do differently in 2026 - I'd like to play some more single-player games OFF STREAM. I just feel like I would enjoy, say, FFT:IC more if I didn't have people in stream explaining the game to me. The problem is that I too often default to playing FFXIV, so it will be a challenge to play other games.

The two I'm most aiming for playing in 2026:

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles

Looking at my Steam & Epic libraries, other games that I might play are:

1. Portal (yes, I have never played it!)
2. Mass Effect
3. Cat Quest (on Epic)

Out of those, I'm most interested in 1 and 3. I dutifully bought Mass Effect because it was cheap, but I did own it on 360 and gave it a try then and at least then, it was Not For Me. But that was a long time ago, so maybe my tastes have changed?

I've given a thought lately to acquiring Dragon Age: Origins and finishing a play of that. I had gotten about halfway through the game, romancing Alistair, and then got REALLY FUCKING EMBARRASSED BY IT and had to quit. I do recall mostly enjoying what I had played of the game, so it would be good to someday revisit. But I'd need a new copy, since see above re: 360 not reading discs.

Finally: I played some casual games this year, including:

1. Word Shaker
2. WordScapes
3. Cats Love Boxes
4. Sudocats
5. Lara Croft Go

I would like to continue with these! I don't foresee NOT playing the first two, at least - they are my "grab a device and unwind for a few minutes" games. Word Shaker and WordScapes both are ongoing, never-ending games, but the last three should have completion statuses. Heck, maybe I'll play some Sudocats now.

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My mother died in March. That feels like basically the only thing that happened this year, but of course it's not. Theoretically you stay in full mourning for a parent for a whole year (which hasn't ended yet); I haven't quite managed that, as done properly it's really quite intense, no social gatherings or live music for example, but it has definitely been the major theme in my life. And helping Dad to figure out what his life will be like as a widow.

I continued to be a student rabbi, making it through to the halfway point of my studies. I took on more and more complex rabbinic work, and got to know the incoming first year students. (We're the grownups now, there is actually only one finalist ahead of my cohort.) My much awaited and also somewhat dreaded trip to Israel got cancelled, due to the decision point coinciding with the particularly scary time when Israel was actively at war with Iran. I did some other short travel, even making it to Germany and Sweden.

Significant events:

Mum went from being officially terminally ill but mostly coping at the beginning of the year, to the drugs not working and being in a lot of pain in January-February, to actively dying. March-April was all the immediate aftermath of her death.
I had a few days with jack in Skegness, which I remember basically nothing about because it was in the middle of the final weeks of Mum's life. I think we stayed in a cute tiny house and did a bit of walking in the countryside. I have more memories of our trip to Norfolk in May.
I spent a very intense and overwhelming week in Germany at an Abrahamic faith retreat.
doseybat and verazea got married on a lightship on the Thames, and my partners had a Jewish blessing of their 20-year-old marriage, both on the same weekend.
I did a completely absurd amount of travelling for the High Holy Days, first day Rosh HaShanah in Southampton, second day in the Isle of Wight accompanied by the intrepid cjwatson, Shabbat Shuva in Stoke, Yom Kippur in Cornwall where I had to respond to the first fatal antisemitic attack in this country in my lifetime, Succot back home in Cambridge, a very flying visit to Sweden for the Shabbat during Succot with ghoti_mhic_uait, and back for Simchat Torah and returning to college.

( other wrap-ups )

Previous versions: [2004] [2005] [2006] [2007] [2008] [2009] [2010] [2011] [2012] [2013] [2014] [2017] [2018] [2019] [2020] [2021] [2022] [2023][2024] Amazingly this is my 19th review of the year; I've been going since 2004 but there were a couple of years in the middle I missed out.

Music:: Nine Inch Nails (feat Judeline): Who wants to live forever

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emma

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 7: Three Things I Like About Myself

HOW?!!?!?!

Not the future I'd signed up for

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 6: Top Ten (and then some) Challenge

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 5: Wishlist

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 4: Rec Your Last Page

Fiber Arts

Final Fantasy Fanfic

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 3: A Love Letter to Fandom

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 2: Pets of Fandom

New Year, new friends?

Mudlarking 77 - New Year's Eve

As the Years Go By

signal boosting! BACK UP YOUR LJ!

Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Challenge 1: Introduce Yourself

Things to Work On or Finish in 2026

Get anything you have left on LJ backed up ASAP

Привет! LiveJournal imports may be slow

Crafting Update, December 2025 & year in review

Games Played in 2025, Games to Play in 2026

Year in review 2025

April

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
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3	4	5	6	7	8 1	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30