characters20in20 Round 19
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Link: Round 19 Sign Ups | Round 19 Themes
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characters20in20 is a 20in20 community dedicated to making icons of characters from movies and tv shows. You have 20 days to make 20 icons about a character of your choice, based on a set of themes for the round.
Schedule: Round 19 sign ups are open NOW. Icons are due October 27, 2025.
Everyone's an oyster with their grain of sand
Oct. 7th, 2025 04:25 amviridian5
It's been a long time since I last posted about loading my photos to my Flickr, even though I've been loading a lot of photos to my Flickr! I have some shots from St. John Cemetery but also a lot of window display photos, from Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, and Louis Vuitton. Some flowers too. +++
Randomly, a Stop & Shop I went to for groceries had some makeup discounted, so I picked up an e.l.f. Camo CC Cream that's usually $15.99 for $3.99. I don't know what the undertones of my face actually are, but the only one of these Stop & Shop had in the sales bin was full-coverage Fair 100W, with warm golden undertones, so that's what I bought. (Someone once told me the color of the veins in your wrist can help you identify, and my veins are dark blue and a light greenish blue.) One of my complaints is having unwanted redness/pinkness in my face, so I try to avoid things that might make me look pinker.
The result was a bit too uncanny valley for me, someone who goes out bare-faced a lot of the time and with a light veil of bareMinerals' "fairly light" foundation the rest of the time. This might look less unnatural as what summer color I get on the edges of my face fades as the autumn and winter come in. Hilariously, "full coverage" didn't do much to my undereye shadows.
I won Guardian Wishlist! We ALL won Guardian Wishlist! :D
Oct. 7th, 2025 07:47 pmchina_shopguardian_wishlist was a fantastic success. *twirls everyone who participated and made gifts* *and also everyone who's enjoying the collection* <3 <3 <3I received four amazing presents, all beautifully tailored to my id, wow! Srsly, I could not be happier!! :D :D :D
- Happy, gloriously soft and indulgent M-rated YOHE art with finger-sucking Weilan (based on one of my fics, eeeeeee!) by
facethestrange
- A little Shen Xi/Zhao Xinci AU, where Shen Xi knooows (eeeeeeee!), and the family resemblance with Zhao Yunlan is outstanding by
- A sumptuous, indulgent, idyllic Shen San/Wei domestic interlude (Guardian novel fic) *smishes them forever* by
- Gorgeous b&w art of Chu Shuzhi & Zhao Yunlan, which manages to be angsty and hurt/comforty without even showing their faces a;ldskfjasdf by
I have a couple of late gifts in progress, and then I'm looking forward so much to diving into the collection!!
Misc stuff
Oct. 6th, 2025 09:39 pmysobel1) finally got around to subscribing to BritBox -- partly because I've been wanting to binge Poirot, partly because they have the old Doctor Who (which I've seen scattered episodes of but not even a quarter), partly because I'm grumpy at Disney/Hulu for raising prices. Britbox should keep me happy for a while though. And when I finish the 26 seasons of Old Who and 13 seasons of Poirot, it'll probably be somewhere around 2050... lol
2) I'm kind of annoyed that not all of Doctor Who is available right now. D+ has the Ncuti Gatwa ones, but nothing else. I own the first few seasons of New Who, which is rewatch for me, but when it was first airing I stopped having access partway through Matt Smith, and I haven't seen Peter Capaldi or Jodie Whittaker at all. Obviously I can watch out of order, but. Grump.
3) My current headcanon for Phantom of the Opera is that Erik is some flavor of asexual. He wants Christine as a bride, but it's a very child-ish "marrying means you're together forever" attitude, and if he knows newlyweds sleep together, he's oblivious to that being anything other than cuddling. He doesn't take advantage of Christine when she's down in his lair. And the sequence of "Either be with me forever or your boyfriend dies" "What if I kiss you?" "... ... ... ok you can leave" fits in, because in my head he's like "??? is this sex? Gross???" This amuses me way too much somehow...
4) I've pretty much decided to quit Duolingo when I hit 4000, which is in a bit over a month. The content is getting more irritating and while I am a little sad to not see how far I go, fuck Duolingo.
5) Am doing a daily drawing challenge (via Marc Brunet on YouTube -- he has a "learn to draw in 30 days" video with prompts. Posting the oh-so-exciting results to my instagram ... if you're desperate to see a bunch of squares and circles and cylinders and stuff, lol.
2) I'm kind of annoyed that not all of Doctor Who is available right now. D+ has the Ncuti Gatwa ones, but nothing else. I own the first few seasons of New Who, which is rewatch for me, but when it was first airing I stopped having access partway through Matt Smith, and I haven't seen Peter Capaldi or Jodie Whittaker at all. Obviously I can watch out of order, but. Grump.
3) My current headcanon for Phantom of the Opera is that Erik is some flavor of asexual. He wants Christine as a bride, but it's a very child-ish "marrying means you're together forever" attitude, and if he knows newlyweds sleep together, he's oblivious to that being anything other than cuddling. He doesn't take advantage of Christine when she's down in his lair. And the sequence of "Either be with me forever or your boyfriend dies" "What if I kiss you?" "... ... ... ok you can leave" fits in, because in my head he's like "??? is this sex? Gross???" This amuses me way too much somehow...
4) I've pretty much decided to quit Duolingo when I hit 4000, which is in a bit over a month. The content is getting more irritating and while I am a little sad to not see how far I go, fuck Duolingo.
5) Am doing a daily drawing challenge (via Marc Brunet on YouTube -- he has a "learn to draw in 30 days" video with prompts. Posting the oh-so-exciting results to my instagram ... if you're desperate to see a bunch of squares and circles and cylinders and stuff, lol.
"A Novel"
Oct. 6th, 2025 11:42 pmviridian5With a book I ordered from the library, The Phoenix Pencil Company, I didn't know it had "a novel" on the cover until I received it. And it has the kind of bs I associate with books that have "a novel" on the cover. This is why I prefer genre fiction. Some of it is in the present, some in the past, chapter by chapter. Some of The Phoenix Pencil Company is first person, while the other is second person, mostly of the "As you know, Meng, since you were there" variety.
Why is the author spending so much time writing to the other person about things they already know!?
The writer of the second person parts has Alzheimer's and is trying to get things down before they disappear, but the way it's written keeps hitting me like "As you know." It's the "you." "You said", "you did." If it weren't second person like this, I think it wouldn't keep slapping the back of my head constantly. I can write down my memories and feelings without this. I can't help feeling that a lot of it is this way because we, the reader, need to be informed, and that things would be set down differently if the reader weren't there. Like in a lot of "a novel" books, I'm too conscious of the form because the writer is thrusting it in my face.
Why is the author spending so much time writing to the other person about things they already know!?
The writer of the second person parts has Alzheimer's and is trying to get things down before they disappear, but the way it's written keeps hitting me like "As you know." It's the "you." "You said", "you did." If it weren't second person like this, I think it wouldn't keep slapping the back of my head constantly. I can write down my memories and feelings without this. I can't help feeling that a lot of it is this way because we, the reader, need to be informed, and that things would be set down differently if the reader weren't there. Like in a lot of "a novel" books, I'm too conscious of the form because the writer is thrusting it in my face.
one video game I finished recently and two I'm in the middle of
Oct. 6th, 2025 11:23 pmaurumcalendulaNight Cascades (2022):
( Read more... )
Road to Empress (2025):
( Read more... )
Sorry, We're Closed (2024):
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Road to Empress (2025):
( Read more... )
Sorry, We're Closed (2024):
( Read more... )
Daily Happiness
Oct. 6th, 2025 07:15 pmtorachan1. I didn't have any meetings or anything today and finished up a good amount of work without interruptions, so I came home a little early. (I do have a bunch of meetings tomorrow, but hopefully they will be productive meetings and we can sort out some of the things that need to get sorted out.)
2. We got our ballots for the special election. There is only one thing on the ballot: the proposition to redraw California districts to be almost entirely blue if Texas tries to gerrymander themselves to be all red. Not a fan of gerrymandering in general and wish it were illegal, but if it is legal, Democrats should use it to their advantage, since Republicans are determined to keep as many people from voting as possible. This measure will only go into effect if Texas does it first.
3. We ordered dinner through Grubhub tonight and there was an item missing, which was disappointing as it was one I was really looking forward to, but it was just a side, not the main meal, and the refund process for missing items is really easy. This was my first time needing to get a refund like that, but I'm glad they let you do it through their site and not have to call the restaurant directly.
4. Chloe loves her box.
2. We got our ballots for the special election. There is only one thing on the ballot: the proposition to redraw California districts to be almost entirely blue if Texas tries to gerrymander themselves to be all red. Not a fan of gerrymandering in general and wish it were illegal, but if it is legal, Democrats should use it to their advantage, since Republicans are determined to keep as many people from voting as possible. This measure will only go into effect if Texas does it first.
3. We ordered dinner through Grubhub tonight and there was an item missing, which was disappointing as it was one I was really looking forward to, but it was just a side, not the main meal, and the refund process for missing items is really easy. This was my first time needing to get a refund like that, but I'm glad they let you do it through their site and not have to call the restaurant directly.
4. Chloe loves her box.
(no subject)
Oct. 6th, 2025 01:38 pmursulaI'm on A Meal of Thorns this week talking about Melissa Scott's Burning Bright: why I love it, what makes it space opera or cyberpunk, and the mystery of the ending.
New baby bushes
Oct. 6th, 2025 03:47 pmcimoreneFor long-time readers following along at home, you will likely remember our year-long struggle with the open septic tanks in the yard and the conclusion a couple weeks ago when the plumbers (and the digger) finally fixed it! Unfortunately, in the process, as well as digging up a bunch of grass and the gravel of our driveway, they had to dig up
So we bought some clover seed to put where the grass used to be (hoping the headstart will help it outcompete the grass - we hate grass) (it won't grow until next spring though) and where the cement square was. We can't hope to repair the steps until spring thaw because it's too cold to be sure of being able to cure concrete already. And we also bought some baby bushes to replace our lost bushes.
One of the bushes is the extremely common native shrub dasiphora fruticosa, or shrubby cinquefoil (Swedish: Ölandstok, Finnish: pensashanhikki), the Creme Brulee cultivar, which is white. The yellow-flowered one is what you see everywhere, so this will be a little different. In the center are two spiraea betulifolias, birchleaf spireas (björkspirea, koivuangervo), a variety whose leaves turn red early in summer after it finishes blooming. And the last one next to the driveway is forsythia x intermedia Courtalyn, or border forsythia Courtalyn (forsythia, I guess? in Swedish, and komeaonnenpensas in Finnish), which will have yellow flowers. However, now we have to get one or more stakes to put around them to protect them from the snowplows. The old bushes were big enough to warn the plows off, but these guys probably not so much. And they're near the corner of the lot and the street corner at a T intersection which is a big danger zone for snow plows because of the way the street widens a bit at the corners there.
- The horizontal cement square at the base of the cement steps to our door connecting them to the cement steps a couple yards in front of them that led up the retaining-wall hill to the higher level of the yard. Why did they build these two steps with a little square of cement between them? Nobody knows. But because it was connected to both sets of steps, and it had to be dug up, the bottom step of each set of steps is now all crumbled and broken with rebar sticking out and the step down to the ground is now too great. I guess we're gonna get some bricks???
- A row of established bushes marking the edge of the yard on the right of the driveway as you turn in. The broken pipe went under it. So we lost all of them. They were kind of straggly and unhappy anyway and we have tried several times to cut them back and fertilize them, to no avail.
- A lot of the roots of the beautiful birch tree on the corner of the lot, planted by the wife of the builder of the house, so probably sometime around 1950. The city workers who dug up and repaved the street 1 year ago unfortunately cut right up to the base of the trunk at the corner, so it lost a bunch of roots then, and this new excavation went almost as close, but from about 120° off. Two different old people in the neighborhood stopped on their walks to tell us "Hey, that tree's gonna die." Which seems plausible based on how much of its roots it must've lost, but it will be really sad and we are at least SLIGHTLY hoping that maybe it won't? Wax wants to wait and see how it feels next spring before we consider calling an arborist. I looked at the city website, but there is no number for the people in charge of trees (it is on city land since they own the margin next to the road) or any contact information about trees, so I suppose there isn't a municipal "Is This Tree a Danger" number.
You can see the tree on the edge there and all the bare earth where the excavation was...
RIP hideous but previously functional bottom steps :(
So we bought some clover seed to put where the grass used to be (hoping the headstart will help it outcompete the grass - we hate grass) (it won't grow until next spring though) and where the cement square was. We can't hope to repair the steps until spring thaw because it's too cold to be sure of being able to cure concrete already. And we also bought some baby bushes to replace our lost bushes.
One of the bushes is the extremely common native shrub dasiphora fruticosa, or shrubby cinquefoil (Swedish: Ölandstok, Finnish: pensashanhikki), the Creme Brulee cultivar, which is white. The yellow-flowered one is what you see everywhere, so this will be a little different. In the center are two spiraea betulifolias, birchleaf spireas (björkspirea, koivuangervo), a variety whose leaves turn red early in summer after it finishes blooming. And the last one next to the driveway is forsythia x intermedia Courtalyn, or border forsythia Courtalyn (forsythia, I guess? in Swedish, and komeaonnenpensas in Finnish), which will have yellow flowers. However, now we have to get one or more stakes to put around them to protect them from the snowplows. The old bushes were big enough to warn the plows off, but these guys probably not so much. And they're near the corner of the lot and the street corner at a T intersection which is a big danger zone for snow plows because of the way the street widens a bit at the corners there.
emotional support spinning
Oct. 6th, 2025 05:58 amyhleeThis fiber colorway is from a monthly subscription (Feral Scene in Texas, so semi-local to me) - usually wool-based blends to push me out of my comfort zone. (I find wool to be the second-most difficult fiber to spin. First is cotton, which is more "normal" for a beginning spinner.)
I think of this as Pumpkin Spice yarn! It'll be going toursula.
The current emotional support spinning WIP is cotton, widely regarded as hard mode for treadle wheel spinning. It only took six months of dedicated practice to skill up...
Shout-out to Mohairandmore [Etsy], which sells superlatively prepared fiber; the combed top for ramie and cotton are exquisite. They're also in Texas, so also semi-local to me, although I think most of their non-mohair fiber (they raise angora goats) is from other suppliers. I've got to budget for some of their merino blends at some point because I bet they're amazing to spin.
I wanted to learn to spin cotton because
(a) It's less wildly expensive than mulberry, eri, muga silk (my faves). You can get 4 oz. cotton fiber for ~$6 USD (not including shipping or tax). Silk fiber (unless it's "sari silk" loom waste) usually costs three times as much if not more.
(b) I'm in the US South. This is about as local as you get for fiber production! There's a little silk fiber production in the USA but not a lot of it, and again, whatever the source of the fiber, it's an inherently spendier fiber.
I went all-in on spinning because
(a) It's weirdly difficult to doomscroll on the internet while spinning. :p It's much better for my mental health; that alone would make it worthwhile.
(b) For my own use, I'm personally most interested in thread for needle lace, embroidery, cross stitch, hand-sewing, weaving. But I don't do any of those things very fast so I don't need very much for myself, and I'm narrowly interested in cotton or ramie or silk. I don't knit or crochet, but I have friends who do, and who can make use of yarns spun from Those Other Fibers! (I have functionally zero use for wool ever.) So anything I spin for my own learning/pleasure can go to a good home.
(c) I have wrecked ankle tendons (medical), and treadling on a spinning wheel is surprisingly good sneak physical therapy.
(d) I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, prognosis unknown. I don't want to wait five or ten years to pursue physical crafts further. My favorite thing is working with my hands (obviously, this isn't especially visible online). I regret I was never able to take a shop class because my high school didn't offer one. I don't know that I'm going to have sufficient use of my hands/feet in five to ten years (assuming the world hasn't imploded, a big assumption). So I might as well get some enjoyment out of hand/physical crafts now.
I think of this as Pumpkin Spice yarn! It'll be going to
ursula.The current emotional support spinning WIP is cotton, widely regarded as hard mode for treadle wheel spinning. It only took six months of dedicated practice to skill up...
Shout-out to Mohairandmore [Etsy], which sells superlatively prepared fiber; the combed top for ramie and cotton are exquisite. They're also in Texas, so also semi-local to me, although I think most of their non-mohair fiber (they raise angora goats) is from other suppliers. I've got to budget for some of their merino blends at some point because I bet they're amazing to spin.
I wanted to learn to spin cotton because
(a) It's less wildly expensive than mulberry, eri, muga silk (my faves). You can get 4 oz. cotton fiber for ~$6 USD (not including shipping or tax). Silk fiber (unless it's "sari silk" loom waste) usually costs three times as much if not more.
(b) I'm in the US South. This is about as local as you get for fiber production! There's a little silk fiber production in the USA but not a lot of it, and again, whatever the source of the fiber, it's an inherently spendier fiber.
I went all-in on spinning because
(a) It's weirdly difficult to doomscroll on the internet while spinning. :p It's much better for my mental health; that alone would make it worthwhile.
(b) For my own use, I'm personally most interested in thread for needle lace, embroidery, cross stitch, hand-sewing, weaving. But I don't do any of those things very fast so I don't need very much for myself, and I'm narrowly interested in cotton or ramie or silk. I don't knit or crochet, but I have friends who do, and who can make use of yarns spun from Those Other Fibers! (I have functionally zero use for wool ever.) So anything I spin for my own learning/pleasure can go to a good home.
(c) I have wrecked ankle tendons (medical), and treadling on a spinning wheel is surprisingly good sneak physical therapy.
(d) I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, prognosis unknown. I don't want to wait five or ten years to pursue physical crafts further. My favorite thing is working with my hands (obviously, this isn't especially visible online). I regret I was never able to take a shop class because my high school didn't offer one. I don't know that I'm going to have sufficient use of my hands/feet in five to ten years (assuming the world hasn't imploded, a big assumption). So I might as well get some enjoyment out of hand/physical crafts now.
Crueltide 2025
Oct. 6th, 2025 10:08 amfor_sorrow posting in yuletide(Thank you everyone who has made these posts in my absence. May you always find something bright and shiny!)
Not every story is pleasant. Not every story has a happy ending, and not all happy endings come without a dark and painful journey. And sometimes, those are the kinds of stories that we really, really want to read.
If you're one of the many people interested in either writing or receiving darkfic or horror, then Crueltide is here to devour your soul for you!
The short version
Read the comments to find people to treat with darkfic.
Tag your yuletide darkfic with 'crueltide'
The long version is beneath the cut
( Read more... )
This and that and a very tired me.
Oct. 6th, 2025 10:01 amgoodbyebird+ All I've done since making it home is sleep, download some stuff, watch the entire season of Wayward, and play undemanding video games. Man have I slept. Would like to lie down right now and sleep some more, but I'm headed back to work for the day (we abruptly left Thursday instead of Friday as planned, so I left behind a wee bit more chaos that I'm comfortable with).
Surprisingly smooth ride on the ferry though, given the weather.
+ Dear Vidder letters for Festivids are cropping up, and they're such a pleasure to read through. Aww fandom ❤️
+ Hunting down the digital singles for Birds of Prey, bc waiting for the trade to drop in six months is just not on the table. More Big Barda and Tiny Bat NOW. And they cancelled it, so I ain't giving them extra money, no sir :p
Now to figure out how to read them in an enjoyable manner.
Oh! And posted some scans tocapshare from the second and third trade.
+ Watched the new Fantastic Four. It was cozy! I'm enjoying this new return to more child-friendly superhero movies. Like, I can see letting my nephew watch both this and the new Superman movie with me. I don't need all this dark stuff for grownups; the world is dark enough as is, gimme escapism!
Surprisingly smooth ride on the ferry though, given the weather.
+ Dear Vidder letters for Festivids are cropping up, and they're such a pleasure to read through. Aww fandom ❤️
+ Hunting down the digital singles for Birds of Prey, bc waiting for the trade to drop in six months is just not on the table. More Big Barda and Tiny Bat NOW. And they cancelled it, so I ain't giving them extra money, no sir :p
Now to figure out how to read them in an enjoyable manner.
Oh! And posted some scans to
capshare from the second and third trade. + Watched the new Fantastic Four. It was cozy! I'm enjoying this new return to more child-friendly superhero movies. Like, I can see letting my nephew watch both this and the new Superman movie with me. I don't need all this dark stuff for grownups; the world is dark enough as is, gimme escapism!
Daily Happiness
Oct. 5th, 2025 10:10 pmtorachan1. We saw Adam Conover live tonight and it was a great show. I wasn't expecting opening acts, but there was one musical act (which was kind of meh) and then three opening comics, all of whom were great. The music was Bandwave, and the opening comics were Sammy Mowrey, River Butcher, and Chris Fleming.
2. Molly is such a sweetie.
2. Molly is such a sweetie.
Weekly Reading
Oct. 5th, 2025 04:25 pmtorachanCurrently Reading
The Manor of Dreams
9%. A former actress dies, unexpectedly leaving her mansion to the family of her old housekeeper, much to her daughters' shock. Suspicious their mother might have been murdered, the daughters stay in the house under the pretense of sorting out her things, determined to get to the bottom of it and keep the house for themselves. But maybe the house is also haunted?
The Caretakers
17%. The MC is a true crime filmmaker who helped get a man out of prison, only for him to kill someone after his release. Meanwhile, her mother dies suddenly and she and her sister are left a derelict old mansion, where she takes refuge to get away from the press. The true crime aspect reminds me a lot of Benjamin Stevenson's Trust Me When I Lie. The old mansion part hasn't really gotten started yet at the point where I am but the cover copy promises mysterious happenings.
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentelwoman
78%.
The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America
No progress.
The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State
34%.
Recently Finished
Death at the Fireside Inn
This was fine, but I won't be continuing the series. There just wasn't really anything that hooked me about it.
The Summer I Wasn't Me
YA novel about a girl who gets sent to a de-gayifying camp and falls for a fellow camper. I really liked this a lot.
Exquisite Corpses vol. 1
Another new Tynion series. This one's about thirteen wealthy families who secretly control the US, and in order to determine which family is in charge, every five years they select champions and have them battle to the death in a random small town. This year, the small town chosen is, of course, the one our MCs live in. It's okay so far, but I'm not as into it as many of his other series. We'll see how it goes.
Escape From St. Hell: My Trans Teen Life Levels Up
Sequel to the autobiographic graphic novel Welcome to St. Hell. I enjoyed this just as much as the first.
Navigating with You
Cute f/f YA graphic novel about two teens, both new girls at school, who bond over a manga series they read years ago but never finished. I really liked this.
Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri vol. 19
The final volume! I felt like this series went downhill with the whole Alice plotline, so I've not been that invested. The ending was fine, though.
The Manor of Dreams
9%. A former actress dies, unexpectedly leaving her mansion to the family of her old housekeeper, much to her daughters' shock. Suspicious their mother might have been murdered, the daughters stay in the house under the pretense of sorting out her things, determined to get to the bottom of it and keep the house for themselves. But maybe the house is also haunted?
The Caretakers
17%. The MC is a true crime filmmaker who helped get a man out of prison, only for him to kill someone after his release. Meanwhile, her mother dies suddenly and she and her sister are left a derelict old mansion, where she takes refuge to get away from the press. The true crime aspect reminds me a lot of Benjamin Stevenson's Trust Me When I Lie. The old mansion part hasn't really gotten started yet at the point where I am but the cover copy promises mysterious happenings.
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentelwoman
78%.
The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America
No progress.
The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State
34%.
Recently Finished
Death at the Fireside Inn
This was fine, but I won't be continuing the series. There just wasn't really anything that hooked me about it.
The Summer I Wasn't Me
YA novel about a girl who gets sent to a de-gayifying camp and falls for a fellow camper. I really liked this a lot.
Exquisite Corpses vol. 1
Another new Tynion series. This one's about thirteen wealthy families who secretly control the US, and in order to determine which family is in charge, every five years they select champions and have them battle to the death in a random small town. This year, the small town chosen is, of course, the one our MCs live in. It's okay so far, but I'm not as into it as many of his other series. We'll see how it goes.
Escape From St. Hell: My Trans Teen Life Levels Up
Sequel to the autobiographic graphic novel Welcome to St. Hell. I enjoyed this just as much as the first.
Navigating with You
Cute f/f YA graphic novel about two teens, both new girls at school, who bond over a manga series they read years ago but never finished. I really liked this.
Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri vol. 19
The final volume! I felt like this series went downhill with the whole Alice plotline, so I've not been that invested. The ending was fine, though.
the game changed on this play
Oct. 5th, 2025 06:33 pmmusesfoolSince I'm going to the office on Tuesday and my whole team is supposed to be in, I am finally going to be able to get some feedback on funfetti cupcakes. So today, I baked both the Sally's Baking Addiction recipe (black and white cupcake papers) and the Smitten Kitchen recipe (yellow and red cupcake papers) (pics), and I think the Sally's recipe is the winner. I particularly like that it uses melted butter instead of having to cream the butter and sugar, so it can be done easily by hand. (For Christmas, I will double the recipe, so I'll use the stand mixer anyway, but overall, I do like a recipe that can be made without one.) My plan is to make the SK frosting attached to that recipe (doubled, and potentially tripled if necessary since I have 72 cupcakes to frost (38 Sally's, 34 Smitten Kitchen - overall they made 40 and 36 mini cupcakes, respectively, but I ate 2 of each). Normally, I would go for cream cheese frosting for funfetti, but both my nephews have said they prefer buttercream, and since this is specifically for them (and to replace the vanilla cupcakes I've been making but have been unhappy with), I figured I'd go with their preference. We'll see how it goes.
In other news, I am so sad HGTV cancelled Bargain Block - I still have the last couple of post-New Orleans episodes to watch, but then it will be all over and I will miss Keith and Evan a lot. I heard they also cancelled Married to Real Estate, which I also enjoy but still have a couple of seasons I haven't seen, and that Unsellable Houses is probably also going to get canned, which is a shame because that is my other favorite HGTV show and I have already watched all that is available. On the plus side, it seems like Home Town will be coming back, and I do enjoy that one, plus the new season of Help! I Wrecked My House (now in Park City, UT) has started (though I haven't watched it yet). And of course, my Elementary rewatch continues.
*
In other news, I am so sad HGTV cancelled Bargain Block - I still have the last couple of post-New Orleans episodes to watch, but then it will be all over and I will miss Keith and Evan a lot. I heard they also cancelled Married to Real Estate, which I also enjoy but still have a couple of seasons I haven't seen, and that Unsellable Houses is probably also going to get canned, which is a shame because that is my other favorite HGTV show and I have already watched all that is available. On the plus side, it seems like Home Town will be coming back, and I do enjoy that one, plus the new season of Help! I Wrecked My House (now in Park City, UT) has started (though I haven't watched it yet). And of course, my Elementary rewatch continues.
*
Two New Vids (BtVS)
Oct. 5th, 2025 12:36 pmtafadhali posting in viddingThe penultimate update on periru3 and my vid album Jagged Little Slayer, a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alanis Morissette. Here are our most recent two:
periru3 and my vid album Jagged Little Slayer, a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alanis Morissette. Here are our most recent two:
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold
Oct. 5th, 2025 11:03 amlightreads3/5. Another novella in this fantasy series about the scholar who has a demon in his head. This one about a misadventure with teens in tow, and how families grow and change, and young people starting to find their way.
Pleasant, but I continue to think that there is a tidiness to these books that keeps me from really liking them. It’s not just the knowledge that everything will work out in the end, which it generally does, but occasionally not. I think it’s that she’s set up this theological system to be a bit . . . I don’t know. Categorical? Hogwarts house-y? Overly interventionist? IDK, these books feel terminally undangerous in the midst of dangerous things happening. Angsty teens figure out their life plans in 30,000 words or less. Everyone has a salutary lesson. Go home. I’m not expressing it well. Whatever it is, I think it emanates from the theology, and it renders these books just a little bit too neat, too easy.
Pleasant, but I continue to think that there is a tidiness to these books that keeps me from really liking them. It’s not just the knowledge that everything will work out in the end, which it generally does, but occasionally not. I think it’s that she’s set up this theological system to be a bit . . . I don’t know. Categorical? Hogwarts house-y? Overly interventionist? IDK, these books feel terminally undangerous in the midst of dangerous things happening. Angsty teens figure out their life plans in 30,000 words or less. Everyone has a salutary lesson. Go home. I’m not expressing it well. Whatever it is, I think it emanates from the theology, and it renders these books just a little bit too neat, too easy.
latest spinning
Oct. 5th, 2025 08:24 amyhlee
Two-ply ramie handspun. I still have to BOIL it with soda ash to set the twist, but this will be going to
ilyena_sylph. ♥September 2025 Newsletter, Volume 204
Oct. 5th, 2025 07:47 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
otw_news_feedI. UPDATES TO AO3 COLLECTIONS
In late September, Accessibility, Design & Technology updated AO3’s collections feature by introducing collections tags—allowing more granular filtering and browsing between collections. This update also generally improved collection performance, introduced the ability to mark collections as “Multifandom”, and added Subcollections to the Collections filtering page.
For more details on recent AO3 releases and code changes, check out the most recent release notes.
II. ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
Besides updates to Collections, AO3 committees also continued work in a variety of areas.
Open Doors finished importing My Mongoose, a The Sentinel ezine archive, and announced two new import projects: Faerie: Tolkien Fanfiction and Forging Ghost, a Spike/Angel archive.
Tag Wrangling continued their work on creating new “No Fandom” canonical tags and announced another batch of tags in mid-September. On the @ao3org Tumblr, Tag Wrangling also announced changes to Critical Role fandom tags in light of the upcoming Campaign 4. They hope these changes will help users in finding and filtering for the works they want to see.
In August, Policy & Abuse received 3,863 tickets, while Support received 4,319 tickets—the current record for the most tickets either committee has received in one month. Tag Wrangling wrangled over 579,000 tags, or over 1,200 tags per wrangling volunteer.
From mid-July to mid-September, User Response Translation helped Support and Policy & Abuse with 38 translation requests.
III. ELSEWHERE AT THE OTW
Fanlore’s Stub September editing challenge was a big success! Thank you to everyone who took part. For October, Fanlore is currently running a book-themed month. Check out the Help page for how to take part and claim a book-themed badge!
TWC’s Transformative Works and Cultures has released issue No. 46, a general issue! It includes the launch of a new special section, New Currents. This section collects articles on new topics or approaches at a smaller scale than a special issue. In this issue, New Currents focuses on how fans and fan studies scholars engage with AI as a tool for transformative engagement with fannish texts.
In September, Legal responded to a number of user queries; they also joined allies in filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in the case of Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment. The case deals with when internet service providers can be held responsible for the actions of their users.
Legal’s brief discussed the importance of internet access as a practical necessity of daily life and argued that holding service providers liable for users’ copyright infringement based only on accusations of infringement, rather than actual proof of infringement, would threaten innovation and creativity by creating an incentive for service providers to deny service to creators without requiring evidence or providing due process. There is no date set yet for when the case will be argued before the Supreme Court.
IV. GOVERNANCE
Elections closed out the 2025 election—congratulations to the OTW’s new Board Directors: Elizabeth Wiltshire and Harlan Lieberman-Berg!
In preparation for October’s membership drive, Development & Membership has been organizing new donation gifts, Finance has been compiling the pre-drive 2025 budget update, and Communications and Translation have prepared the associated news posts.
Board coordinated with Communication’s Con Outreach division to attend EagleCon in Los Angeles, USA, and received the Lemonade award on the OTW’s behalf. Elsewhere, the Board Assistants Team (BAT) continued work on OTW website updates, prepared for the quarterly Board meeting, and completed a report on non-profit training.
Organizational Culture Roadmap, in conjunction with BAT, Board, and Volunteers & Recruiting, continued work on the cross-committee review of the OTW’s Code of Conduct. A survey was sent out to all volunteers soliciting their feedback for potential Code of Conduct updates.
V. OUR VOLUNTEERS
This month, Volunteers & Recruiting conducted recruitment for 3 committees: Fanlore, TWC, and Tag Wrangling.
From August 21 to September 24, Volunteers & Recruiting received 171 new requests and completed 174, leaving them with 46 open requests. As of September 24, 2025, the OTW has 991 volunteers. \o/ Recent personnel movements are listed below.
New BAT Volunteers: Cait B, Deimos Crow, MelMel, MustardPot, and Sullie Tosho (BAT Volunteers)
New Communications Volunteers: 2 Chair Assistants
New Development & Membership Volunteers: Kae Coolen, Maddie64, and Mako (Graphic Designers); Danielle G., jennybug, LizLeaf, and 2 other Development & Membership Volunteers
New Open Doors Volunteers: AuroraT, Kayla G, and vinnawis (Chair Assistants); and Julie Bozza (Senior FSHP Volunteer)
New Strategic Planning Volunteers: Harlan Lieberman-Berg (Cybersecurity Delegate)
New Systems Volunteers: E.V. Moebius (Systems Volunteer)
New TWC Volunteers: 1 Review Editor
Departing Committee Chairs/Leads: 1 Board Assistants Team Chair
Departing AO3 Documentation Volunteers: 1 Editor
Departing BAT Volunteers: Harlan Lieberman-Berg (Cybersecurity Delegate)
Departing Communications News Post Moderation Volunteers: 1 News Post Moderator
Departing Fanlore Volunteers: 1 Policy & Admin Volunteer
Departing Open Doors Volunteers: Julie Bozza (Chair Assistant) and 1 Import Assistant
Departing Strategic Planning Volunteers: 1 Strategic Planning Volunteer
Departing Support Volunteers: SlantedKnitting (Support Volunteer)
Departing Tag Wrangling Volunteers: Mayrin, Yuechiang Luo, and 7 other Tag Wrangling Volunteers
Departing Translation Volunteers: 1 Translation Volunteer Manager and 3 Translators
For more information about our committees and their regular activities, you can refer to the committee pages on our website.
Crime Scene Zero
Oct. 5th, 2025 12:11 pmscaramoucheI'm watching the fourth case of Crime Scene Zero, and is it just me, or is someone in the crew/costuming department a fan of Sweeney Todd? Park Ji-yoon's look is a riff on Mrs. Lovett, right? I would've been more sure but the case has absolutely nothing to do with pies or any other foodstuff of dubious origin.
Daily Happiness
Oct. 4th, 2025 07:32 pmtorachan1. We had a very nice morning at Disneyland. All the foods we ate were big hits, and the weather and crowds were pretty decent. (Though in the afternoon we were both finding ourselves more sapped by the sun than we'd first thought.)
2. I don't post about all the legos I put together because while they are all fun, they're not all super exciting and there are just way too many, but this is one of the best ones I've ever done.
( Sherlock Holmes book nook )
3. Last night I heard a very strange sound outside, like some weird laughter almost, and looked out into the backyard, which was well lit by the porch lights from both the house and garage, since Carla was out in the garage, and there was a possum rooting around for scraps in the lawn (Carla had recently dumped out the end of a bag of corn chips out there for any critters who wanted them, plus there are always bugs and such) and making these noises. I don't think I've ever actually heard possum noises before but they are very weird lol. I love possums but they're hard to spot since they only come out at night and are very shy, so I had fun watching it snurfle up stuff from the lawn. At one point it was also making some soft snorting noises like a pig. So cute!
4. This is Ollie's favorite spot on the sofa and one of his favorite spots in the whole house.
2. I don't post about all the legos I put together because while they are all fun, they're not all super exciting and there are just way too many, but this is one of the best ones I've ever done.
( Sherlock Holmes book nook )
3. Last night I heard a very strange sound outside, like some weird laughter almost, and looked out into the backyard, which was well lit by the porch lights from both the house and garage, since Carla was out in the garage, and there was a possum rooting around for scraps in the lawn (Carla had recently dumped out the end of a bag of corn chips out there for any critters who wanted them, plus there are always bugs and such) and making these noises. I don't think I've ever actually heard possum noises before but they are very weird lol. I love possums but they're hard to spot since they only come out at night and are very shy, so I had fun watching it snurfle up stuff from the lawn. At one point it was also making some soft snorting noises like a pig. So cute!
4. This is Ollie's favorite spot on the sofa and one of his favorite spots in the whole house.
Sad news from April 2025
Oct. 4th, 2025 09:48 pmpetraSomehow, I missed that William Finn passed on April 7, 2025, until I found out from an AO3 comment.
His work regarding death, loss, and grief is extensive; this is my favorite.
And if that made you cry, let this one, sung by the man himself, make you laugh.
May his memory be a blessing.
His work regarding death, loss, and grief is extensive; this is my favorite.
And if that made you cry, let this one, sung by the man himself, make you laugh.
May his memory be a blessing.
2025 Disneyland Trip #65 (10/4/25)
Oct. 4th, 2025 05:05 pmtorachanToday wasn't a super early morning trip, but we did get down there and into the park by around nine, so we did beat some of the worst crowds.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
More Soothing YouTube Videos
Oct. 4th, 2025 02:33 pmjesse_the_kNo embeds this time, just links.
Everyone is calm and competent and cooperative
calamitykim1 is a 20-something woman who loves driving big rigs and fixing machinery and narrates as she goes, but autocraptions. In September 2025, she drives a tractor trailer through small-town Britain, carrying a piece of metal so large it requires a police escort—her typical length is 30 minutes. Moving traffic, but no flashing lights.
Ocean Creatures
exploreoceans features both livestreams and highlight reels. Super soothing is the 2025 Highlights of Pacific Walruses Hauling Out on a Beach—no narration or music, just surf on the beach and moaning walruses for 25 minutes. It’s part of the explore.org network, which I discovered via their delightful Fat Bear Week contest.
Admire Our Planet from Space
I love astronauticast’s 3-5 minute timelapse compilations from the International Space Station. They’re compiled by ISAA, the Italian Space and Astronautics Association. They travel at a steady rate over various parts of our globe, with a handy reference diagram in the upper left corner. Witness hundreds of thunderstorms from the west coast of Mexico all the way to Portugal. Admire auroras and airflows above North America. I shouldn’t have been surprised that deserts are readily visible because so few clouds. No words—pleasant classical-ish music.
Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton
Oct. 4th, 2025 02:18 pmlightreadsLady Hotspur
3/5. What if Henry IV (loosely) but make it epic fantasy and make most of the major players women, and make most of those women queer.
Yes, there is a prequel book that I did not read, because I do what I want. This would probably be richer if you read in publication order, but it’s one of those situations where the prior book is set several generations before, so, you know.
Anyway, yes, the premise sounds great, and large portions of this book are wonderful. This manages to feel Shakespearean, and I don’t mean that it feels tragic (though it has that mode). It’s bawdy and political and deeply concerned with how history turns upon character, and how people stand or fall on their flaws. It also has a tremendous sense of the numinous and, getting somewhat less Shakespearean here but also not in another realm or anything, a wonderful touch with multiple shades of queerness and how that functions or doesn’t in monarchist systems.
However, while I’ve read books that were too long, I can’t remember the last time I read one that was at least a hundred thousand words too long. Phew. That is truly impressive bloat. I would be rating this higher if it were like 40% shorter (which would still make it a damn long book, to be clear). I lost patience with this multiple times. I always came back and found something to enjoy again, but man.
Read if you really like queer lady knights, women running the world, that Shakespeare feeling, and a book that feels as if it is tremendously slow even as many things are happening.
Content notes: Murder, war, references to child abuse, miscarriage, cancer.
3/5. What if Henry IV (loosely) but make it epic fantasy and make most of the major players women, and make most of those women queer.
Yes, there is a prequel book that I did not read, because I do what I want. This would probably be richer if you read in publication order, but it’s one of those situations where the prior book is set several generations before, so, you know.
Anyway, yes, the premise sounds great, and large portions of this book are wonderful. This manages to feel Shakespearean, and I don’t mean that it feels tragic (though it has that mode). It’s bawdy and political and deeply concerned with how history turns upon character, and how people stand or fall on their flaws. It also has a tremendous sense of the numinous and, getting somewhat less Shakespearean here but also not in another realm or anything, a wonderful touch with multiple shades of queerness and how that functions or doesn’t in monarchist systems.
However, while I’ve read books that were too long, I can’t remember the last time I read one that was at least a hundred thousand words too long. Phew. That is truly impressive bloat. I would be rating this higher if it were like 40% shorter (which would still make it a damn long book, to be clear). I lost patience with this multiple times. I always came back and found something to enjoy again, but man.
Read if you really like queer lady knights, women running the world, that Shakespeare feeling, and a book that feels as if it is tremendously slow even as many things are happening.
Content notes: Murder, war, references to child abuse, miscarriage, cancer.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Oct. 4th, 2025 12:58 pmsettiaiSince the universe has made it clear that I have no control whatsoever when it comes to my actual life, I decided to focus on one of my virtual ones instead for a while.
I've never really stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons since it was released in 2020, but the last few years I've mostly been logging on for 10-15 minutes each day to do my "dailies" and talk to my villagers since all of my collections are already at 100%. Since it's October, though, I decided to not only put out all of my (many) fall and Halloween decorations but also change some things up as well.
I'm not done yet, but I definitely spent a few hours last night and this morning curled up on my bed with the cats as I changed up some cliffs and rivers, dug up some flowers, planted new ones, moved some trees, etc. all while putting out enough pumpkin-related decor that every single one of my villagers commented on it.
Does it change much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really. But, you know, if I can't keep my actual life from imploding on me regularly, I can at least control the world of my tiny little digital island.
I've never really stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons since it was released in 2020, but the last few years I've mostly been logging on for 10-15 minutes each day to do my "dailies" and talk to my villagers since all of my collections are already at 100%. Since it's October, though, I decided to not only put out all of my (many) fall and Halloween decorations but also change some things up as well.
I'm not done yet, but I definitely spent a few hours last night and this morning curled up on my bed with the cats as I changed up some cliffs and rivers, dug up some flowers, planted new ones, moved some trees, etc. all while putting out enough pumpkin-related decor that every single one of my villagers commented on it.
Does it change much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really. But, you know, if I can't keep my actual life from imploding on me regularly, I can at least control the world of my tiny little digital island.
Book Log: Genghis Khan
Oct. 4th, 2025 07:22 pmscaramoucheI picked up John Man's Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection so long ago that the bookstore chain I got it from is no longer doing business in this country. So, years ago! And I got it for reasons I no longer remember either, because I think I've been subconsciously avoiding John Man's works the same way I've been avoiding Tom Holland (the historian, not the actor!)'s because they're so everywhere and easy to find.
As a biography it's fine? I'm not familiar with Mongolian history beyond where it briefly touches other areas that are familiar to me, so this was nice as a primer, and Man's prose is solid and has a lot of passion for the topic. That said, there's an undertone that didn't work for me, I hesitate to call it paternalistic but maybe it is, in the way that Man describes certain beliefs and people. Man is very thoughtful and sympathetic to the struggles of modern Mongolia, and of the ways that the memory of Genghis is complicated by Mongolia-China's history as interpreted by modern day, but at the same time... To use specific examples, he describes some Buddhist-influenced ceremonies that honour Genghis as "strange", and he calls certain enemies of Genghis as "arrogant" and despicable without really giving further detail or giving said figures the same grace he gives Genghis, whom he fully acknowledges caused tremendous amounts of death and destruction in his conquests yet also speaks admiringly of. There's a line, I guess, in acknowledging the man's tremendous wartime skill and strategy and adaptability, without being breathlessly excited about the carnage he exacted.
Also, for a book that goes on a lot at times about the tactical moves Genghis made, I don't feel like I got a good grasp of how Genghis was so effective for so long and over such a large area. Yes, horses; yes, ruthlessness; yes, trusted generals -- but the logistics elude me somewhat, especially as for a great deal of it, the main moves made by Genghis's armies were to strike, grab, and then leave, with only some portions of the China side including any sort of effort to hold land and implement taxes, for a culture that valued the nomadic wilderness over the uselessness of farming. I think I need more comparisons of scale to better understand.
Anyway, the book is not just a history of Genghis Khan, but it's also about the cultural impact Genghis had as a figure of influence, memory and national identity. Those parts are absolutely fascinating but they by necessity come hand in hand with the partial memoir sections of Man's exploration of Mongolia in trying to follow Genghis' footsteps, to the place of his supposed birth to the place(s) of his supposed death and/or memorialization, with all of Man's misadventures of hiking in the wilderness, getting lost while climbing a mountain, stumbling upon helpful people in unexpected places, and so on. Makes for good stories, and it does bring the modern Mongolia of 2002 and 2009 to vivid detail, but it's there particularly that Man's idiosyncrasies come out in the telling, and my eyes glaze over.
As a biography it's fine? I'm not familiar with Mongolian history beyond where it briefly touches other areas that are familiar to me, so this was nice as a primer, and Man's prose is solid and has a lot of passion for the topic. That said, there's an undertone that didn't work for me, I hesitate to call it paternalistic but maybe it is, in the way that Man describes certain beliefs and people. Man is very thoughtful and sympathetic to the struggles of modern Mongolia, and of the ways that the memory of Genghis is complicated by Mongolia-China's history as interpreted by modern day, but at the same time... To use specific examples, he describes some Buddhist-influenced ceremonies that honour Genghis as "strange", and he calls certain enemies of Genghis as "arrogant" and despicable without really giving further detail or giving said figures the same grace he gives Genghis, whom he fully acknowledges caused tremendous amounts of death and destruction in his conquests yet also speaks admiringly of. There's a line, I guess, in acknowledging the man's tremendous wartime skill and strategy and adaptability, without being breathlessly excited about the carnage he exacted.
Also, for a book that goes on a lot at times about the tactical moves Genghis made, I don't feel like I got a good grasp of how Genghis was so effective for so long and over such a large area. Yes, horses; yes, ruthlessness; yes, trusted generals -- but the logistics elude me somewhat, especially as for a great deal of it, the main moves made by Genghis's armies were to strike, grab, and then leave, with only some portions of the China side including any sort of effort to hold land and implement taxes, for a culture that valued the nomadic wilderness over the uselessness of farming. I think I need more comparisons of scale to better understand.
Anyway, the book is not just a history of Genghis Khan, but it's also about the cultural impact Genghis had as a figure of influence, memory and national identity. Those parts are absolutely fascinating but they by necessity come hand in hand with the partial memoir sections of Man's exploration of Mongolia in trying to follow Genghis' footsteps, to the place of his supposed birth to the place(s) of his supposed death and/or memorialization, with all of Man's misadventures of hiking in the wilderness, getting lost while climbing a mountain, stumbling upon helpful people in unexpected places, and so on. Makes for good stories, and it does bring the modern Mongolia of 2002 and 2009 to vivid detail, but it's there particularly that Man's idiosyncrasies come out in the telling, and my eyes glaze over.
R. F. .Kuang: Katabasis
Oct. 4th, 2025 11:00 amselenakThis is the third novel of R. F. Kuang I've read (after being impressed by the The Poppy Wars, first volume, but also emotionally so exhausted I didn't read the rest of the trilogy, amused and captivated in an emotionally distant way by Yellowface, and turned so much by Babel that I only read the first twenty pages or so and then gave up), and I think my favourite so far. There is academic satire but also genuine emotion throughout, there is great ambition epically realised (i.e. writing a trip to the underworld in the grand tradition of all the obvious suspects, but specifically one that reflects the present), and the horror parts hit home in a way that feels not derivative but specific for this particular version. (The novel is set in a universe where magic is real, but isn't concerned with how this altered history or not, just what it means you can study it at university.) Our main character, Alice Law, is the kind of messy, complicated and morally ambiguous (and not in a "nice" way) woman the author specializes in, though for me personally preferable because I had the sense of the narrative being on board with what it was saying about Alice's strengths and weaknesses through her initially very skewered perspective. Also she had a genuine learning process through that trip through the Underworld, and... but that would be spoilery.
( Spoilers realize the Underworld is modelled on a British University )
Also improving my week: This trailer for Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein:
( Spoilers realize the Underworld is modelled on a British University )
Also improving my week: This trailer for Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein:
Daily Happiness
Oct. 3rd, 2025 07:34 pmtorachan1. I am definitely over my cold (did not have any stuffiness or sniffles today) and slept a lot better last night. Still woke up a few times, but was able to get back to sleep quickly.
2. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but a house at the end of our street (four doors down) has been semi-abandoned for about thirty years and fully abandoned for at least 10-15. It's a house with attached apartments, and the house has been unoccupied for about thirty, and a few people in the apartments hung on for longer due to the rent being low, even though the landlord was, according to people we knew in one of them who moved out earlier than the stragglers, completely MIA. It's been slowly falling down in that time (a few years ago I noticed some of the stairs outside were missing) and after years of squatters that eventually led to a small fire (thankfully fire department responded quickly and no major damage was done), the windows and doors were boarded up, and a few years after that a chainlink fence was put around it.
Now finally starting last month they are working to remodel it! I assumed at first it would just be completely torn down and something new put up, but after they stripped it down to the bare bones, earlier this week new lumber appeared on the site and they started replacing bad spots and reinforcing things. Apparently it had asbestos inside, as when they first started work on it, it was all hazmatted up and had warning signs around. I'm really curious to see what it will look like when it's all done.
3. This morning I noticed a puzzle piece on the floor under the desk and knew right away it was too large for the puzzle I'm currently working on. Sure enough, it's from the Country Bear Jamboree one we just finished. Which I put out in the little library a couple days ago! D: I always am so careful when putting the puzzles away, especially if it's one I'm going to give away. I'd hate to give away a puzzle with a missing piece. But thankfully when I went out to check, the puzzle had still not been taken, so I was able to add the piece back in. I will be even more careful from now on!
4. Jasper's so handsome.
2. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but a house at the end of our street (four doors down) has been semi-abandoned for about thirty years and fully abandoned for at least 10-15. It's a house with attached apartments, and the house has been unoccupied for about thirty, and a few people in the apartments hung on for longer due to the rent being low, even though the landlord was, according to people we knew in one of them who moved out earlier than the stragglers, completely MIA. It's been slowly falling down in that time (a few years ago I noticed some of the stairs outside were missing) and after years of squatters that eventually led to a small fire (thankfully fire department responded quickly and no major damage was done), the windows and doors were boarded up, and a few years after that a chainlink fence was put around it.
Now finally starting last month they are working to remodel it! I assumed at first it would just be completely torn down and something new put up, but after they stripped it down to the bare bones, earlier this week new lumber appeared on the site and they started replacing bad spots and reinforcing things. Apparently it had asbestos inside, as when they first started work on it, it was all hazmatted up and had warning signs around. I'm really curious to see what it will look like when it's all done.
3. This morning I noticed a puzzle piece on the floor under the desk and knew right away it was too large for the puzzle I'm currently working on. Sure enough, it's from the Country Bear Jamboree one we just finished. Which I put out in the little library a couple days ago! D: I always am so careful when putting the puzzles away, especially if it's one I'm going to give away. I'd hate to give away a puzzle with a missing piece. But thankfully when I went out to check, the puzzle had still not been taken, so I was able to add the piece back in. I will be even more careful from now on!
4. Jasper's so handsome.
Book Tour Starting Next Week
Oct. 3rd, 2025 05:00 pmmarthawellsI don't think I posted about this yet: https://us.macmillan.com/tours/martha-wells-queen-demon/
There's more info at that link, but here's a brief list of the tour stops and dates:
- Mon. Oct. 6 at 7:30pm: Brookline Booksmith with Holly Black, offsite at Arts at the Armory (Brookline, MA)
- Tues. Oct. 7 at 7pm: Politics & Prose (Union Market location) moderated by Leigha McReynolds (Washington DC)
- Wed. Oct. 8 at 7pm: The Strand, with Meg Elison (NYC, NY)
- Fri. Oct. 10 at 6pm: Let’s Play Books, with Chuck Wendig, offsite at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
- Tues. Oct. 14 at 7pm, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
- Wed. Oct. 15 at 7pm, Iron Dog Books, with Nalo Hopkinson offsite at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
- Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7pm, Powell's (Cedar Hill location) with Jenn Reese (Beaverton, OR)
- Mon. Oct. 20 at 7pm: Bookpeople, with Ehigbor Okosun (Austin, TX)
- Tue. Oct. 21 at 6:30pm: Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)
- Thurs. Oct. 23 at 6pm: Nowhere Bookshop (San Antonio, TX)
- Saturday Nov. 8-9 Texas Book Festival, Austin TX
- Sat. Nov. 15 at 2pm: Hyperbole Bookstore, offsite at Ringer Library (College Station, TX)
There's more info at that link, but here's a brief list of the tour stops and dates:
- Mon. Oct. 6 at 7:30pm: Brookline Booksmith with Holly Black, offsite at Arts at the Armory (Brookline, MA)
- Tues. Oct. 7 at 7pm: Politics & Prose (Union Market location) moderated by Leigha McReynolds (Washington DC)
- Wed. Oct. 8 at 7pm: The Strand, with Meg Elison (NYC, NY)
- Fri. Oct. 10 at 6pm: Let’s Play Books, with Chuck Wendig, offsite at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
- Tues. Oct. 14 at 7pm, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
- Wed. Oct. 15 at 7pm, Iron Dog Books, with Nalo Hopkinson offsite at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
- Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7pm, Powell's (Cedar Hill location) with Jenn Reese (Beaverton, OR)
- Mon. Oct. 20 at 7pm: Bookpeople, with Ehigbor Okosun (Austin, TX)
- Tue. Oct. 21 at 6:30pm: Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)
- Thurs. Oct. 23 at 6pm: Nowhere Bookshop (San Antonio, TX)
- Saturday Nov. 8-9 Texas Book Festival, Austin TX
- Sat. Nov. 15 at 2pm: Hyperbole Bookstore, offsite at Ringer Library (College Station, TX)
September Random-ness 2025
Oct. 3rd, 2025 11:04 pmslippery_fishRandom news:
# Court staff cover up Banksy image of judge beating a protester
# Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
Random articles:
# In Tracking Avian Flu, Data Privacy Stymies Researchers
# An Untimely Death at Sycamore Gap
# Inside Uniqlo’s Quest for Global Dominance
# Fourth Months, No Answers: How Rumours Took Over a Missing Children’s Case in Nova Scotia
# Putting ChatGPT on the Couch
Random Vids:
# Dad Challenge Podcast Called Us Out!
# America’s Best New Restaurant is Afro-Caribbean | On The Line | Bon Appétit
# Ncuti Gatwa & Kate McKinnon Take On The British Test | "We won Barbenheimer!"
# God Told These Family Vloggers to Live on a 200-Square-Foot Bus. I Have Questions.
# Brits try REAL Indian Comfort Food! ft. Aziz Ansari!
# Two Brits try the best Poke in Hawaii!
# Watching ZOOTOPIA for the First Time!! *reaction*
# Court staff cover up Banksy image of judge beating a protester
# Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
Random articles:
# In Tracking Avian Flu, Data Privacy Stymies Researchers
# An Untimely Death at Sycamore Gap
# Inside Uniqlo’s Quest for Global Dominance
# Fourth Months, No Answers: How Rumours Took Over a Missing Children’s Case in Nova Scotia
# Putting ChatGPT on the Couch
Random Vids:
# Dad Challenge Podcast Called Us Out!
# America’s Best New Restaurant is Afro-Caribbean | On The Line | Bon Appétit
# Ncuti Gatwa & Kate McKinnon Take On The British Test | "We won Barbenheimer!"
# God Told These Family Vloggers to Live on a 200-Square-Foot Bus. I Have Questions.
# Brits try REAL Indian Comfort Food! ft. Aziz Ansari!
# Two Brits try the best Poke in Hawaii!
# Watching ZOOTOPIA for the First Time!! *reaction*
All nominations approved!
Oct. 3rd, 2025 04:01 pmtwistedchickThere was a delay on some of them; I wasn't sure if the person reviewing had stopped for lunch or if there was a problem.
Dark Winds (tv)
Kate Shugak series (Dana Stabenow) [and yes, Mutt is a character]
The Saint (tv)
The Equalizer (tv, 2021) [this is the one with Queen Latifa]
This Rough Magic (Mary Stewart)
I have some ideas for a couple of them.
I haven't written up my Dear Author letter yet; how could I when I haven't picked out what I want to write? I don't see nominations as being about my writing -- I put in something I'd like to write, yes, but others simply should be in the lists because I know of other people who would like to write them.
And, speaking of writing, I spent the other four afternoons this week in a free 8-hour workshop on publishing from Hay House. It was worth the time, I think, to get a better sense of how that business works and what it does and doesn't do; that has all changed a lot since I wrote my first manuscript decades ago. (You will never see that one; it has been burned, it was that awful.)
Dark Winds (tv)
Kate Shugak series (Dana Stabenow) [and yes, Mutt is a character]
The Saint (tv)
The Equalizer (tv, 2021) [this is the one with Queen Latifa]
This Rough Magic (Mary Stewart)
I have some ideas for a couple of them.
I haven't written up my Dear Author letter yet; how could I when I haven't picked out what I want to write? I don't see nominations as being about my writing -- I put in something I'd like to write, yes, but others simply should be in the lists because I know of other people who would like to write them.
And, speaking of writing, I spent the other four afternoons this week in a free 8-hour workshop on publishing from Hay House. It was worth the time, I think, to get a better sense of how that business works and what it does and doesn't do; that has all changed a lot since I wrote my first manuscript decades ago. (You will never see that one; it has been burned, it was that awful.)
Kinktober 2025: Limericks of Jedi gettin' it on
Oct. 3rd, 2025 01:24 pmpetraHere is my series (in progress) for Kinktober 2025. Every day will be at least one limerick, with some verse cycles when I get too inspired to constrain myself to one at a go.
Thus far, I am leaning in the Obi-Wan/Anakin + Padmé on bass direction. There may be other guest stars. We'll see! Each day is posted separately for tagging purposes.
The prompt list I am using is here. Put in a plug for your favorite and we'll see what I can manage!
Thus far, I am leaning in the Obi-Wan/Anakin + Padmé on bass direction. There may be other guest stars. We'll see! Each day is posted separately for tagging purposes.
The prompt list I am using is here. Put in a plug for your favorite and we'll see what I can manage!
on "book club" scams targeting authors and f*cked incentives
Oct. 3rd, 2025 12:11 pmyhleeGenre Grapevine: Book Club Scams Are a Warning of Emerging AI Super-Scams [Jason Sanford - nota bene, I've been the target of such scams but have not fact-checked Sanford's specific details]
I'm sad that people are stuck in positions so desperate that they fall for this. I hope people get warned about this. I've gotten a couple of these and gotten asked about one that involved a scammer that cited that I was working with them (I was not, lol).
That said, I'm almost positive I've seen accounts of similarly structured scams from a time before modern mass telecommunications, when now you can fake up a bunch of "people" to convince greedy/hopeful/desperate marks that they've stumbled on some Good Thing and the marks can't (easily) verify those "people." You can do this in print with ~testimonials, but not at scale and not in realtime in this manner.
I'm not saying AI isn't a problem; I'm saying that if people weren't forced to desperation (or straight-up greedy), the incentive structure that enables the AI deployment to be profitable (so to speak) with this target ~audience would not be as successful. Which is perhaps splitting hairs and is the point at which I expect to be flamed off my own DW.
Very simplified but: Anytime you create an incentive A, you create a secondary incentive A' for bad actors to exploit the system to access A.
Hilarious terribad example of this: I was contacted for a blurb/etc for what sounded like an extremely unoriginal sexploitation "trans woman" sci-fi book (you know, sexbot cyberpunk sleazy noir but with a trans angle). That's not all that surprising and it's theoretically possible the book exists and was written by some human, or it exists but was written by some LLM, whatever. That's not the incentive. (For that matter, I'm not in a position to criticize a sci-fi book artistically on sleaziness grounds, please! I have published books full of genocide, rape, incest and other objectionable material. I'm a trash panda aesthetically.)
No: what was interesting from a scammer vs. mark arms race evolution perspective was that this author claimed to be (approximately, I'm writing this from memory) a trans woman in ~South Asia who was inspired by having done ~sex work. This is a clever way to appeal both to "woke" crowds and A Certain Sleazy Crowd! For ~privacy/safety reasons she could not accept interview/live call requests. This was accompanied by a SUPER fake-looking (likely AI-generated or badly Photoshopped, take your pick) Hot Asian Chick headshot.
So yes, absolutely as a trans person I know that safety/privacy are hideously important. But once incentive A exists, someone has incentive A' to piggyback on A, which is what looked like was happening here. I just blocked the email address and moved on. At this point, I've set up my email to auto-delete any email that mentions "Goodreads" or "Amazon", unless they're on a SMALL whitelist, among other countermeasures. Life is too short and I have ramie to spin!
I said cynically totelophase that I suspected that the "actual" "author" was some middle-aged white dude scammer sitting in North Dakota or, more tragically and pessimistically, some human trafficking scam farm outside the US.
I assume this is also where the fake-looking-ness is partly to screen out people who are moderately suspicious/vigilant/smart enough to avoid weird, scammy emails and/or ask around for more information, and to screen for people who are sufficiently desperate, greedy, or naive (cf. shitty obvious "tells" in phishing scams). But I'm out of field so I could be wrong.
Regardless: it's not that legislative or technological protections aren't important or necessary or desirable, it's that the underlying human problem of the incentives vs. secondary incentives is inherently intractable. :(
NOTE: I'm screening comments from non-[access] and may be scarce/slow because I'm recovering from a health thing. Thanks.
I'm sad that people are stuck in positions so desperate that they fall for this. I hope people get warned about this. I've gotten a couple of these and gotten asked about one that involved a scammer that cited that I was working with them (I was not, lol).
That said, I'm almost positive I've seen accounts of similarly structured scams from a time before modern mass telecommunications, when now you can fake up a bunch of "people" to convince greedy/hopeful/desperate marks that they've stumbled on some Good Thing and the marks can't (easily) verify those "people." You can do this in print with ~testimonials, but not at scale and not in realtime in this manner.
I'm not saying AI isn't a problem; I'm saying that if people weren't forced to desperation (or straight-up greedy), the incentive structure that enables the AI deployment to be profitable (so to speak) with this target ~audience would not be as successful. Which is perhaps splitting hairs and is the point at which I expect to be flamed off my own DW.
Very simplified but: Anytime you create an incentive A, you create a secondary incentive A' for bad actors to exploit the system to access A.
Hilarious terribad example of this: I was contacted for a blurb/etc for what sounded like an extremely unoriginal sexploitation "trans woman" sci-fi book (you know, sexbot cyberpunk sleazy noir but with a trans angle). That's not all that surprising and it's theoretically possible the book exists and was written by some human, or it exists but was written by some LLM, whatever. That's not the incentive. (For that matter, I'm not in a position to criticize a sci-fi book artistically on sleaziness grounds, please! I have published books full of genocide, rape, incest and other objectionable material. I'm a trash panda aesthetically.)
No: what was interesting from a scammer vs. mark arms race evolution perspective was that this author claimed to be (approximately, I'm writing this from memory) a trans woman in ~South Asia who was inspired by having done ~sex work. This is a clever way to appeal both to "woke" crowds and A Certain Sleazy Crowd! For ~privacy/safety reasons she could not accept interview/live call requests. This was accompanied by a SUPER fake-looking (likely AI-generated or badly Photoshopped, take your pick) Hot Asian Chick headshot.
So yes, absolutely as a trans person I know that safety/privacy are hideously important. But once incentive A exists, someone has incentive A' to piggyback on A, which is what looked like was happening here. I just blocked the email address and moved on. At this point, I've set up my email to auto-delete any email that mentions "Goodreads" or "Amazon", unless they're on a SMALL whitelist, among other countermeasures. Life is too short and I have ramie to spin!
I said cynically to
telophase that I suspected that the "actual" "author" was some middle-aged white dude scammer sitting in North Dakota or, more tragically and pessimistically, some human trafficking scam farm outside the US.I assume this is also where the fake-looking-ness is partly to screen out people who are moderately suspicious/vigilant/smart enough to avoid weird, scammy emails and/or ask around for more information, and to screen for people who are sufficiently desperate, greedy, or naive (cf. shitty obvious "tells" in phishing scams). But I'm out of field so I could be wrong.
Regardless: it's not that legislative or technological protections aren't important or necessary or desirable, it's that the underlying human problem of the incentives vs. secondary incentives is inherently intractable. :(
NOTE: I'm screening comments from non-[access] and may be scarce/slow because I'm recovering from a health thing. Thanks.
