Weekly summary: Dec. 17 - Dec. 23, 2023

[alchemicink]

This past week flew by so fast! I was pretty busy scrambling to get work done before my deadlines. But I made it through, and now it's time for Christmas celebrations 🎄😊

But let's get through the weekly summary first:

I mostly spent my free time reading more fic because my brain was too tired for much else. But I think I have a nice assortment of recs this time.

I enjoyed this royai fic (FMAB) because of the outsider POV (Havoc, in this fic).

This one is a YYH Hiei & Kurama fic. I really liked how it showed the progression of their relationship beginning before canon all the way until after the series ended.

For YGO, I've never read Honda/Jou before, but this fic is really cute!!

And, I have two lovely G-witch recs too. This one featuring Miorine and Prospera mostly, and then this one featuring a lot of really interesting AUs mixed in between a post-canon story.

Yesterday, I also had a chance to work on a few of my Christmas fics. I've got two done, two in-progress, and two I haven't started yet. I have no idea when I'll actually post them though 😅 I may wait until after Christmas...

***

A little bit of music this week after a largely quiet December.

Here is another concert performance from hsj. Tonally, I think the song is a weird mishmash. But I somehow like it anyway. (That sums up my whole experience as a hsj fan tbh 😂)

I shared the Band Maid music video for "Shambles" a while back, but here they are performing it on NHK World. (Fun performance but the camera work is awful)

In sadder music news, I saw this week that Marina, the drummer from Aldious, is leaving the band in a few months. She's been dealing with illness, so it's understandable she decided to withdraw. But I feel bad for her and the rest of the band. They still don't have a permanent vocalist and now they'll have to find a new drummer too.

***

I saw that a few Lupin III specials will be on YouTube for a limited time (until Jan 4). A list of what's available is here. (Not sure if it's USA only or international as well). I might get a chance to check them out if I feel like watching something. But I'm always sort of hit or miss about liking Lupin stuff.

***

I don't share specific podcast episodes often, but this episode of Trek Ranks was a fun listen. It's all about one of the best characters, Miles O'Brien!

***

In offline life, I've been busy getting ready for Christmas. My coworkers and I had a nice lunch out together to celebrate, and my coworker's kids gave me a little present as a thank you for some old board games I gave them a while back. My gift was a cute little amaryllis bulb (wearing a Christmas sweater 😂). I don't usually have much luck with indoor plants, but hopefully this one will at least live long enough to bloom 😊

My Christmas is going to be nice and quiet this year, as it was last year too. (I prefer it that way.) Just spending time with my parents and my brother, and hopefully eating a lot of good food. I even baked cookies this morning!

And then, the best part is that I have the WHOLE WEEK off work! That never happens! I'm gonna write and read so much 🥰

Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead! And a joyful Christmas if you celebrate 🎄🥳