(no subject)

Dec. 16th, 2025 04:35 pm
cahn: (Default)
[personal profile] cahn
December! Time for my annual freaking out post.

Music: Two major (church) and two minor (kid) events; one of each is DONE. The major church event was the big stake recital one, with a combined stake choir and orchestra, and went better than I had expected. I actually had to do very little this year (no organization, as other people took that on (which I feel a bit guilty about, but not actually guilty enough to do anything about it), just show up at rehearsals and recital and boss people around when necessary and maybe some support stuff on the edges, which is how I like it) but it still seemed to take more executive function than I felt it should. Probably partially because I was trying hard to get people from my ward to join, with mixed results, and also partially because I was also sorting two children and five musical instruments for the orchestra -- E intensely dislikes playing anything else but viola, but A might have played either violin or viola this year (he ended up on violin), and I also was floating between violin and "viola" (I don't actually play viola or read alto clef, but I borrowed E's old 14" viola and ended up doubling cello an octave up). The other major church event is our ward Christmas program, so rather smaller, but I have to actually learn these piano parts which I have been super slacking on.

Yuletide: please send help, this is getting out of control. But it will all be okay. I am pretty sure. Maybe not quite as ambitiously okay as I want it to be.

Christmas prep: I finally got family presents sorted today, more or less. And D corralled us to go get a tree. More things to do here. We did get the ornaments on the tree and one of the nativity sets is up but the other one is not (yes, it would take about 5 minutes, I just forgot about it until writing this, lol)

(no subject)

Dec. 16th, 2025 07:57 pm
missizzy: (blahblah)
[personal profile] missizzy
This has not been a good week so far. It's been bitterly cold out the past two days, our router broke yesterday morning, and though Verizon sent someone to fix it this morning the wifi's still being a little testy, and apparently my brother-in-law is now sick. Not to mention I spent much of today discovering exactly how cataloging giant OCLC introducing AI into their system is just going to create more work for us catalogers, since we can't rely on the records involving it to be accurate.
It's supposed to warm up starting tomorrow, though. Good thing, too, since for the second week in a row, my D&D group is meeting to try to figure out where we go from here. Last week the number of players officially shrunk down to three, though one of them has now invited a couple of his friends to join us, and the DM decided to abandon the current campaign and start over. I've got to think up another character. Maybe a rogue. I don't know. Last week we also finished the "Death House" short adventure he ran for the three of us, only revealing in the end it's actually the opening adventure for Curse of Strahd. Which he was not now going to run for us without warning, he was quick to say. Though honestly, if I ever do play it, I will likely use the gnome cleric I created for the Death House. She feels like the right kind of character to use for that.
the_exchange_mod: (ace attorney holiday)
[personal profile] the_exchange_mod posting in [community profile] pinchhits
Event: Ace Attorney Holiday Exchange
Event link: [community profile] aceattorneyexchange
Pinch hit link: https://aceattorneyexchange.dreamwidth.org/4714.html
Due date: December 20 (negotiable)

Pinch Hit AA1
Lana Skye, Adrian Andrews, Celeste Inpax, Mia Fey, Ema Skye
Maya Fey
Ema Skye, Lana Skye, Miles Edgeworth
Fanart or Fanfiction

Pinch Hit AA2
Kristoph Gavin, Apollo Justice
Phoenix Wright
Apollo Justice
Fanfiction

Pinch Hit AA3
Tyrell Badd, Miles Edgeworth, Gregory Edgeworth, Raymond Shields | Eddie Fender
Ema Skye/Kay Faraday
Sherlock Holmes | Herlock Sholmes/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke
Fanart or Fanfiction

Pinch Hit AA4
Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright
Blaise Debeste | Excelsius Winner, Sebastian Debeste | Eustace Winner, Miles Edgeworth
Kristoph Gavin, Klavier Gavin, Apollo Justice
Fanfiction / Fanfiction or Fanart (differs by propmt)

Pinch Hit AA5
Miles Edgeworth, Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright
Klavier Gavin, Apollo Justice [or] Athena Cykes, Simon Blackquill [or] Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth
Athena Cykes, Simon Blackquill
Fanart or Fanfiction

as widely requested

Dec. 16th, 2025 04:50 pm
radiantfracture: Beadwork bunny head (Default)
[personal profile] radiantfracture
This was the best of the gingerbread cuneiform. I put the good ones in the freezer to give to pals tomorrow at brunch and will eat the rest, or something. This is one of the maple syrup tables, which were lighter in colour and held the clarity slightly better. (More water, therefore harder texture? Not sure.)

I copied characters from Andrew George's excellent renderings of the tablets, as any photos I looked at were way too unclear. However, I freely skipped tricky characters or sections. Sîn-lēqi-unninni would be pissed.



ETA: Oh, I believe this text is taken from a fragment of the third tablet.

§rf§

Check In: Day 16

Dec. 16th, 2025 06:16 pm
glitteringstars: (writing)
[personal profile] glitteringstars posting in [community profile] writethisfanfic
A goofball missed a day. Whoops!

Anyway, have you written today? If so, how'd it go?
mrkinch: Erik holding fieldglasses in "Russia" (bins)
[personal profile] mrkinch
I got up to the trail about 9, partly overcast but no fog! Winter quiet, as it has been for a while, with only Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a handful of Golden-crowned Sparrows for Winter visitors. The north end of the trail wasn't a complete waste this time; I saw California Quail on the lower trail, and a Red-tailed Hawk stooped on something on the opposite hillside. Dunno if they were successful. The list: )

No feeding flock anywhere. Disappointed, I went to sit on the bench in Tilden Botanic Garden. Not many birds there, either, but some different ones. Best bird was Fox Sparrow! I haven't seen or heard one in Tilden (the Trail is almost Tilden) in more than a month, but one was chipping and I found another scratching under a bush. Another little list: )

It was actually quite nice out, cold but I had many layers and there was sun. I don't expect to be up there for a while now as rain is forecast for about a week.

(no subject)

Dec. 16th, 2025 05:47 pm
green: vector art zombie head (misc: zombie)
[personal profile] green
I was all geared up to talk about The Game Awards, but now I'm mostly meh. I don't have anything new or exciting to say about it. Like with the actual awards? I'm not one of the cynics. I don't think E33 should have won fewer awards. It's just that good.

As for the announcements, I'm most excited about Exodus and the KOTOR follow-up, Fate of the Old Republic. Which I know won't be around for a few more years, since it was more of an announcement for hiring and funding use (and to get us RPG fans fired up wayyy ahead of time). Not at all impressed with the 'big reveal' they saved until last. A live-service hero shooter? THAT'S your biggest announcement? Yeah, fuck that.

I haven't yet played the new 'Thank You' DLC for E33 yet since I um. Started a new game? I can't help myself! Also hoping to play Dispatch soon. And I picked up Control from PS+.

I have about 2k of my epilogue/sequel to my FTH fic and I really hope I can finish it in time for the FTH deadline. If I don't, my recipient has already said it's okay but still. I was HOPING.

The new antidepressant is still working well! The only thing against it is the joint pain. I've got a pretty bad elbow out of it. But I'm used to pain so I'll take that if it means less to no depression.

Advent Day 16

Dec. 16th, 2025 06:24 pm
clavally: (Default)
[personal profile] clavally
Let's do it!

1. Gaming Dice. A half golden sparkle/half swirly teal 10-sided die

2. Diamine Inkvent: A chameleon ink called Ruby Taffeta. It's a deep red with, I think, green sparkles

3. Cult Pens: Plus Glue Tape. Nothing too exciting. Cost: $2.66. Total Cost: $81.09

4. Cacao & Cardamom: A Peppermint Mocha bonbon. It was okay, but you could barely taste any peppermint.

Ah well, I guess 2 out of 4 isn't bad.

[syndicated profile] osxdaily_feed

Posted by Paul Horowitz

Apple has introduced new beta versions of system software for those enrolled in the Apple beta testing program, versioned as iOS 26.3 beta 1, macOS Tahoe 26.3 beta 1, and ipadOS 26.3 beta 1. This is the first set of beta builds that arrive right on the heals of the freshly released iOS 26.2 update, ... Read More

Signup Post: Fannish 50 in 2026

Dec. 16th, 2025 05:10 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Text says New Year Resolutions on notebook (resolutions)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] goals_on_dw
This is the signup post for the Fannish 50 blogging challenge in 2026. (See the 2025 challenge.)

Fannish 50 began in 2023 with a challenge by [personal profile] colls in [community profile] swannee. Since then, it has spread to other blogs and communities.

The parameters are simple: Make fifty posts about topics related to fandom. You may set any theme(s) you wish, or pick random topics for each post. "Questions and Questionnaires for Three Weeks for Dreamwidth" includes a list of questionnaires on fannish topics if you want to use one of those as a framework. Post something like "I signed up for the Fannish 50 challenge at [community profile] goals_on_dw " in your blog, then put a "Fannish 50" tag in your blog to make it easier for other people to find your entries. Adding "Fannish 50" to your Interests will also help identify you as a participant or reader. (It is best to use exactly the phrase "Fannish 50" because DW search tools don't recognize variations as the same topic, and to attach the tag to a post so it sticks.) Another good idea is setting up a masterlist where you can link your posts as you make them, which may or may not be part of your announcement post. Then make a comment below this post with details about your goal. You don't have to sign up to participate, it just helps spread the word and attract more readers.

Primary posting will run January 1 -- December 31, 2026. With 50 posts, it fits neatly into a year with 2 weeks to spare. However, you don't have to do it that way if you don't want to, and there's no hard limit on posting timeframe. You could make them daily posts, or monthly posts, or sporadic posts, whatever works for you and eventually adds up to 50.

Fannish 50 in 2026 challenge banner with book and candle

Read more... )

第四年第三百四十二天

Dec. 17th, 2025 08:29 am
nnozomi: (Default)
[personal profile] nnozomi posting in [community profile] guardian_learning
部首
弓 part 2
弟, younger brother; 张, family name Zhang/to open up/counter word; 弥, to fill pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=57

词汇
别, do not/to leave/separate; 个别, individual pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/

Guardian:
我跟你都一样只有两只眼睛一张嘴巴的普通人, I'm just like you, an ordinary person with just two eyes and one mouth
别动! don't move!

Me:
弟弟比哥哥更聪明。
人都有个别特征。
[syndicated profile] fanlore_tumblr_feed
The background is collage of torn scrapbook paper and stickers. On the right is a an image of Merida sitting with her bow, Rapunzel with her frying pan standing next to Hiccup, and Jack Frost above them crouched on top of his staff.. Text reads 'Featured Article, Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons'ALT

Today’s Featured Article is Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons! This fandom crosses over the animated movies Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled, and How to Train Your Dragon.

After its start in late 2012, the fandom may have grown in popularity due to the films’ parallels. The main crossover cast is often called “The Big Four”, while characters from other animated movies—such as Hotel Transylvania, The Lorax, and Frozen—occasionally join them.

The Big Four have no canonical interactions as a group. Still, that hasn’t hindered the manips and other fanworks that bring them together. They are frequently depicted as Guardians of Childhood and seasonal spirits, taking from Jack Frost’s canonical role as a winter spirit and Guardian of Fun in Rise of the Guardians. Prevalent ships include Jack Frost/Rapunzel, Merida/Hiccup, and more recently, Hiccup/Jack Frost. Although the fandom peaked in popularity around the mid-2010s, it continues to host new activity and fanworks.

Have something to say about Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons? Come share it with us on Fanlore!

—–

We value every contribution to our shared fandom history. If you’re new to editing Fanlore or wikis in general, visit our New Visitor Portal to get started or ask us questions here!

rionaleonhart: revolutionary girl utena: utena has fallen asleep on her schoolwork. (sort of exhausted really)
[personal profile] rionaleonhart
Every so often, I post an analysis of how I chose my recent fic titles! We're nearing the end of the year, which seems an appropriate time for another roundup.

In reverse chronological order, my fic titles since July:


Rambling about why I chose fic titles. )


What's really striking me here isn't actually anything about my titling habits; it's the fact that my last twelve fics in a row have been shipfics! That's very unusual; about half of my fics tend to be gen. I'll have to come up with some gen ideas!
holmesticemods: (Default)
[personal profile] holmesticemods posting in [community profile] holmestice
Title: Keeping Company
Recipient:
EdosianOrchids901
Author: REDACTED
Verse: Granada TV Show
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: None
Summary: Watson slowly made his way towards the stairs but stopped as he passed by Holmes’ closed bedroom door. There were faint noises coming from Holmes’ bedroom, noises of distress. Watson hesitated, unsure of what to do. His instinct was to enter the room and try to help Holmes, but Watson did not know if his help would be welcome, especially as he would have to intrude on Holmes’ personal space to do so.

Read on AO3: Keeping Company

10 of the Most Useful Apps for DIYers

Dec. 16th, 2025 08:33 pm
[syndicated profile] lifehacker_feed

Posted by Jeff Somers

Remodeling your house can be an exciting experience. It can also be an expensive one, which is why a lot of homeowners opt to go the DIY route. But any DIY remodel can also be daunting, even if you’re relatively comfortable with home maintenance and repair tasks.

Whether you’re contemplating a DIY remodel for the cost savings or because it’s a fun challenge, there are a lot of online tools that can make the planning and execution of your project a lot easier. The 10 apps below can help you find inspiration, identify furniture and other items that will support your vision, and even show you how to tackle the entire project, step-by-step.

Best apps for DIY inspiration

Every home remodel starts with a need for change: you're bored with your current look or you feel a sense of dissatisfaction with the flow or functionality of your house. But that feeling that something isn't quite right doesn’t mean you immediately know what you want. These apps can help you get inspired:

  • Houzz. One of the most popular interior design tools out there, and for good reason: With the Houzz app, you can see nearly infinite examples of interior design that you can leverage for inspiration. You can search by paint color, design aesthetic, or other details to see what other folks have done so you can steal their ideas and make them your own.

  • LIKEtoKNOW.it. Instagram can be a treasure trove of design ideas, but folks don’t always think to tag every stick of furniture or lamp in the photo for your shopping convenience. This app takes screenshots of Insta posts or other sources and searches for the product, serving up links to stores where you can buy it.

  • RoomStyler. This website offers a 3D plan creator and a moodboard tool, but it’s best used for inspiration. You can easily browse through designs created by people all over the world, and connect with other people who are also planning remodels so you can trade ideas and tips.

  • Morpholio Board (iOS) / MoodBoard Maker (Android). If you’re the sort who likes to make a mood board when tackling a visual project like a home remodel, these tools are perfect. Collect product images, color swatches, and other visuals from just about any online source with the flick of a finger.

Best apps for DIY planning

Once you have a project in mind, it's time to make it more concrete. These apps can help you plan out your project:

  • CubiCasa. If you want to know whether your dream furniture will fit in a space, or you need to calculate how much flooring or cabinetry you’ll need for a kitchen remodel, CubiCasa makes creating an accurate floor plan of your house a snap. Just scan your rooms with your phone, and in a day or so you’ll get a clean floor plan with dimensions that you can use for planning.

  • Pantone Connect (iOS / Android). It’s not free, but the myPANTONE app leverages the color-matching power of the Pantone folks to help you come up with pleasing, professionally-blessed color schemes for your home. It can even match a color in a photo and deliver a color palette for you.

  • Paint My Room (iOS / Android). If you want to take a bit more of a DIY approach to choosing paint colors, this nifty app lets you apply a color to the walls of your room so you can see what it will look like before committing.

  • HomeByMe. This is an incredibly useful app that lets you create 2D floorplans that you can easily convert into 3D floorplans. Then you can populate those floor plans with real, actual products to see what it will all look like.

  • HomeZada. HomeZada is a platform that makes it easy to manage all aspects of running your home, from maintenance schedules to budgets. But it can be used more narrowly to manage a renovation or remodeling project, tracking materials, costs, and timelines in one handy place. If the sprawl of a remodel intimidates you (or you’re just the type to forget how much tile needs to be ordered the moment you’re standing in the store), this app can help keep everything managed.

The best step-by-step app for DIY projects

Finally, it's time to get the thing done. But how?

  • wikiHow (iOS / Android). If you’re not sure you have the skills and experience needed to tackle your DIY project, this classic online resource can show you how to do just about any task, complete with photos and videos to guide you. Using the app is a lot more streamlined and organized than sifting through 1,000 YouTube videos.

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Posted by Kayleigh Donaldson

Sam Altman can't imagine trying to raise a child without using AI, so he told Jimmy Fallon on a recent edition of The Tonight Show. The episode was yet another instance of Fallon, the Randall Weems of the talk-show world,...

Read more...

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Posted by Naima Karp

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Whether you’re looking for a more immersive sound experience (and clearer dialogue) to elevate movie nights and TV shows, or to upgrade your music listening experience, Samsung is widely known for its highly rated soundbars that combine a sleek aesthetic with a space-saving design that avoids the clutter of a full home theater system. Right now, a new Samsung Q990F soundbar is more than 50% off at $967.99 (originally $1,997.99) on Woot, making this an especially good time to invest. 

PCMag gives this soundbar glowing reviews and an Editors’ Choice Award, calling it the “best-sounding soundbar you can buy.” The Q990F is a premium four-piece surround system with a soundbar, a subwoofer, and a pair of rear satellite speakers. Compared to its predecessor, the HW-Q990D, this model has 23 drivers, seamless compatibility with other Samsung products, and multiple wired and wireless connections. While it’s slightly larger than other soundbars on the market, its performance justifies the extra size.

Its sound, described by PCMag as “deep lows and crisp, detailed highs,” delivers stunning sound, as do the multitude of drivers and frequency range. It delivers the closest performance to a surround-sound home theater system, but is much more convenient, compact, and affordable at this steep discount. 

Along with an HDMI cable and a power cable to connect to each speaker, it also comes with a small, no-frills remote that’s intuitive to use. Bluetooth 5.3 and wifi connectivity allow it to work with Google Cast and Apple AirPlay 2, allowing for multi-room audio, and it also supports direct streaming via Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. The companion app has adjustable EQ controls, and while it only lets you tweak bass and treble, you can fully control the volume level of each channel to further fine-tune. 

If you’re looking for a soundbar-based surround sound system that provides the most immersive listening experience with as few components as possible, the Samsung Q990F soundbar stands in a class of its own and is well worth the splurge at a $1,030 discount. Just note that Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. 

Maybe seeing some connections?

Dec. 16th, 2025 07:49 pm
oursin: Photograph of a statue of Hygeia, goddess of health (Hygeia)
[personal profile] oursin

I will concede that this piece on sperm donation is not about dodgy docs or freelance 'donors' but it still all sounds fairly spooky: Why are sperm donors having hundreds of children? Because while, okay, some criteria seem reasonable:

Rules vary across the world, but in the UK you also have to be relatively young - aged 18-45; be free of infections like HIV and gonorrhoea, and not be a carrier of mutations that can cause genetic conditions like cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy and sickle cell disease.

Errrr: don't I recollect seeing somewhere that the gene that conveys sickle cell, is actually protective against ?malaria so it was/is actually beneficial in certain environments - and it was like haemophilia that you had to get it from both sides for the dangers to show up?
From this small pool of donors, some men's sperm is just more popular than others.
Donors are not chosen at random. It's a similar process to the savage reality of dating apps, when some men get way more matches than others.... "You know if they're called Sven and they've got blonde hair, and they're 6 ft 4 (1.93m) and they're an athlete, and they play the fiddle and speak seven languages - you know that's far more attractive than a donor that looks like me," says male fertility expert Prof Allan Pacey, pictured, who used to run a sperm bank in Sheffield.

And how much of that is down to environment, hmmmmm? Or at least, non-genetic factors.

I am over here muttering 'Morlock Power!'

On men spreading it about, historically speaking: the challenges of illegitimacy when exploring genealogy and how to find that shadowy figure who is not on the birth certificate/in the baptismal register. (With luck he had a bastard sworn upon him when that was a thing, otherwise it's a lot more work and a lot of surmising.)

Let's blame the woman, let's let's let's, she probably did something wrong: Marked: Birthmarks and Historical Myths of Maternal Responsibility - which just mutatates and mutates, no?

A conversation with historian Dagmar Herzog on Fascism’s Body Politics and disability under fascism in her new book, The New Fascist Body

And I think relating to all these sorts of issues: Reproductive norms: stigma and disruptions in family-building:

Our expectations of conception, reproduction, and family-building are imbued with reproductive norms. In our younger years, we may imagine and expect that we will have a certain number of children at specific ages or points in the life-course, and in particular circumstances. We may think that conception will be straightforward, pregnancy will pass without complications, and our children will be healthy and without disabilities or impairments. We may have hazy, dreamy ideas of what our children will be like and perhaps more defined ideas of what we will be like as parents.

[syndicated profile] newpajiba_feed

Posted by Jason Adams

"They don't make 'em like that anymore" is a thing people have been saying since a week after people first started making things. An inevitability as tastes and perspectives and technologies change--nostalgia wraps history in a warm hug, whether said...

Read more...

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Randall Morgan Memorial Archive

The Randall Morgan Memorial Archive, a Queer As Folk (US) fanfiction archive, is being imported to the Archive of Our Own (AO3).

This memorial account was set up with the assistance of Open Doors and Irishcaelan, the maintainer of Randall’s personal website, Randall’s Rambles. Randall also wrote under the pseudonym Brian Hennessey. Randall Morgan was taken from us in 2013, and this site is a permanent place where the fanworks he so loved to create will go on.

Open Doors will be working with Irishcaelan to import Randall Morgan’s works into a separate memorial account on the Archive of Our Own. As part of preserving his works in their entirety, all graphics currently in his works will be hosted on the OTW's servers, and embedded in their own AO3 work pages.

We will begin importing works by Randall Morgan to the AO3 after December. You will find them on the RandallMorgan_memorial account.

We'd also love it if fans could help us preserve the story of Randall Morgan and Randall’s Rambles on Fanlore. If you're new to wiki editing, no worries! Check out the new visitor portal, or ask the Fanlore Gardeners for tips.

We're honored to be able to help preserve the works of Randall Morgan, and while we mourn the loss of Randall, we also realize that we are fortunate that he had a friend who was given permission to collect and preserve his works on the AO3 so that they will not be lost. Thinking about the death of a fandom friend may be difficult, but it can also be an opportunity to consider what will happen to your fanworks and accounts and those of your friends after your deaths. The Archive of Our Own has an option to name a Fannish Next of Kin, someone who would be able to gain access to your accounts in the case of your death or incapacitation. By naming someone who can act on your behalf, you can decide ahead of time how you want your AO3 accounts handled going into the future.

- The Open Doors team and Irishcaelan

Commenting on this post will be disabled in 14 days. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding this import after that date, please contact Open Doors.

y ahora . . . ¡Pillaje de palabras!

Dec. 16th, 2025 11:31 am
swan_tower: (*writing)
[personal profile] swan_tower
I suppose it's fitting that a poem about language should attract some attention from translators after it wins the Hugo Award, but I didn't see it coming.

Cuentos para Algernon has published my work once before, a translation of "Waiting for Beauty" as "Esperando a que Bella . . .". A little while ago, Marcheto came back to ask if she could also translate "A War of Words" -- a query that left me staring in a bit of surprise at my computer screen, because I'd legit never thought anybody would be interested in translating my poetry. The result went live today, as "Pillaje de palabras."

Nor will that be the only one! There's also a Romanian translation in the works!

But this one is a little special, because as you may recall, I spent 2024 bludgeoning myself up to something like reading proficiency in Spanish so I could do broader research for the Sea Beyond. When Marcheto asked to translate "Waiting for Beauty," I could kinda read the result, but mostly because I already knew what it said. This time around, I was actually in a position to collaborate more actively with her: the translation is Marcheto's, but I read a draft and gave feedback, suggesting some slight alterations to bring it more in line with my original intent.

This was a fascinating process. Every translator knows there are always choices to make -- and they're not right or wrong choices, just questions of priority and style. For example: if you were to translate the title for its literal meaning, it would be "Una guerra de palabras," and that's what Marcheto originally went with. She proposed "Pillaje de palabras" as an alternative, though, because I had mentioned at the outset that I wanted to preserve the elements of alliteration within the poem if it could be done naturally in Spanish. It's a less direct translation, but one that emphasizes the poetic quality of the title.

Or take the places where languages can't quite re-create each other's effects. Marcheto originally translated "raid" as "incursión," which is of course completely reasonable. In reading the Spanish draft, though, I became aware of something I'd done entirely on reflex when writing the poem: the text leans heavily toward short, simple, Germanic-derived words, rather than Latinate ones, because the former tend to sound more direct and harsh than the latter. What do you do, though, when the language of the translation is Latinate through and through? I suggested, and Marcheto agreed with, "ataque" instead, which sounds a little sharper (and assonates with "arrebatada" to boot). The same happened with "existe una palabra" becoming "hay una palabra": she said, and I believe her, that "existe" doesn't sound at all high-flown to Spanish speakers, the way that "a word exists" sounds fancier in English than "there's a word" . . . but "hay una" flows off the tongue a little more smoothly, so that's what we went with.

All told, my suggested alterations were few and minor. (There were also a couple she stood her ground on -- which was entirely fair; she's the native speaker!) But it was a really intriguing process, the first time I've been able to meaningfully contribute to the translation of my own work. It makes you think a lot about what you did and why you did it, and if you have to choose between two different priorities, which one matters to you more.

If you read Spanish, I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts on the translation!

LJ Idol Wheel of Chaos: "Portfolio"

Dec. 16th, 2025 11:13 am
halfshellvenus: (Default)
[personal profile] halfshellvenus
Portfolio
Idol Wheel Of Chaos | Week 17, #1

x-x-x-x-x

We're down to just five writers for Idol: Wheel Of Chaos now. This week, we're writing a portfolio that centers on five key components: our favorite story we've written, our favorite story by another author, a letter to an author from earlier this season, and stories for the prompts 6 7 and Banner year.

Choosing favorites is always hard! For my own stories, I wrote a lot of humor this season, but also some drabbles, two poems, a couple of entries with pathos, and a horror story. I considered choosing the acronym fun-fest (Going BATty), the caustic self-help guide (A New Man), the baking witch (Cursecraft), The Three Trolls from last week (Piplet!), or the souful Little Metal Hearts. But I think my best story was unlike all the others. It was a classic, timeless sort of tale with a tinge of bittersweetness. It was hardly read, because I was poisoned that week and it wasn't included in the poll, but it's the one I'm proudest of.

  • My favorite of my stories: Here Be Dragons


  • Weighing other authors' stories was just as hard. There were so many I really liked this season. From week 1, the Quality entries by bleodswean and static_abyss really stood out. [personal profile] rayaso's week 2 War Of The Words (the evils of ChatGPT) was a riot, as was [personal profile] flipflop_diva's Week 11 beleagured aliens story. [personal profile] serpentinejacaranda's Week 6 dreamlike political satire (Affliction In The Form Of A Question) really stuck with me, as did [personal profile] xeena's Blair Witch Idol Meta and [personal profile] l0lita's hard-hitting zombie apocalypse story. But the one I finally picked used a difficult prompt and featured a great child's voice and very real drama disguised as fiction. It was both beautifully written and painfully true.

  • My favorite other-author's story: [profile] inkstainedfingertip's Week 5 Toi, Toi, Toi


  • Next, we were to write a letter to a former contestant from the Wheel of Chaos season. There were so many to choose from: static_abyss (never here as long as I would like), bleodswean (such talent, and such a great Idol supporter), rayaso (so funny, week after week), alycewilson (talent and soulfulness all in one). I couldn't choose inkstainedfingertips because I'd picked him for my favorite other-author entry, plus he's still in the competition. So, I chose one of my overall favorites from this season AND last season (Idol Mini). She was the author whose season this was to lose, I thought, and apparently so did others because she was taken out by a targeted elimination vote after Week 10:

  • My letter to xeena


  • And finally, there were two entries to write for specific prompts:

  • 6 7

  • Banner year


  • I hope you've enjoyed my portfolio, and the range of offerings it provided! If so, please vote for it here.

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    How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or… whatever?

    Five Books About Conversing With Animals
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