way better than expected
Nov. 6th, 2025 04:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twistedchickThe last time I went to have my teeth cleaned, I had a terrible time. The hygienist wasn't available, so the main dentist in the practice did it and she was uptight and not willing to give me a break when I needed one -- at least not long enough for me to put in earplugs before she cranked up the drill mechanism (with a polisher on it) with that sound that goes through my head like someone shoving a sword into it and wiggling the sword. I drove home afterward with a splitting headache that lasted for hours.
Today, however, was unexpectedly better. I figured that I needed to account for all the terrible things on my chart from last time, so I told the hygienist and the assistant that I am a musician and have very sensitive ears -- and I showed them the enormous industrial-strength earplugs that I acquired when I worked in a factory decades ago. (I've worn them at rock concerts; they work very well.). So I put in the plugs, and things went well. I saw the main dentist's younger sister, also a dentist, who was way more laid back and friendly, who said my gums were "fabulous" (nobody's ever said that before) and told me to keep doing whatever I'm doing.
And afterward, because the assistant and hygienist were still asking if I was OK, I sang the old song "Peace of the river" for them, and now they're all sure I should have been on stage somewhere, even though I just told them that I used to sing for weddings. That's okay. If someone asks me to sing for a wedding these days, I'll go for something in a lower range than Barbra Streisand's 'Evergreen', which was what I sang at the last wedding I did, some years ago.
Anyway, I'm very relieved that I'm past that and it went so well, and now I don't have to go back till next May. Yay!
Today, however, was unexpectedly better. I figured that I needed to account for all the terrible things on my chart from last time, so I told the hygienist and the assistant that I am a musician and have very sensitive ears -- and I showed them the enormous industrial-strength earplugs that I acquired when I worked in a factory decades ago. (I've worn them at rock concerts; they work very well.). So I put in the plugs, and things went well. I saw the main dentist's younger sister, also a dentist, who was way more laid back and friendly, who said my gums were "fabulous" (nobody's ever said that before) and told me to keep doing whatever I'm doing.
And afterward, because the assistant and hygienist were still asking if I was OK, I sang the old song "Peace of the river" for them, and now they're all sure I should have been on stage somewhere, even though I just told them that I used to sing for weddings. That's okay. If someone asks me to sing for a wedding these days, I'll go for something in a lower range than Barbra Streisand's 'Evergreen', which was what I sang at the last wedding I did, some years ago.
Anyway, I'm very relieved that I'm past that and it went so well, and now I don't have to go back till next May. Yay!
Saori WX60 floor loom assembly WIP
Nov. 6th, 2025 05:55 amyhlee
Loom assembly to continue...after...catten removes herself from possibly having screws DROPPED on her... /o\
Special thanks to Jill of Saori Santa Cruz,
merrileemakes, and my husband for helping me figure out which part of assembly I borked yesterday!What I'm Doing Wednesday
Nov. 5th, 2025 07:30 pmsage( books: Osman, Vance, Osman )
yarning yay
I went to yarn group on Sunday and there was such good turnout, even though several people couldn't make it. It was really nice. I learned that one of my kickbunny customers has a puzzle game where her cat pushes a button to request certain toys, and she requests her kickbunny ALL the time! So heartwarming! She also sent a pic of the cat lying with her head on the bunny. Too sweet! I also gave five hats and a scarf to a yarn group member who volunteers at BoysTown/Boysville (a shelter for kids--with residential family situations, not dormitories). The yarning will go straight to the kids, not their thrift shop, so that's doubly wonderful. Also, I found a missing safety eye that I'd searched high and low for. Not high enough, apparently, as it was ON my workbench, not on the floor despite having clearly heard it bounce!
yarning boo
The reversible doll pattern I was using to make niece's xmas gift has a major flaw in the pattern & I'm really pissed off about it. I could wing it and make it work, or else I could just frog it and make something else for her entirely. Undecided.
( yarning Lestat )
healthcrap
still under the weather. More nausea. I quit coffee, because it was a direct nausea trigger, and it is so weird to be caffeine-free; it's torn up my whole morning routine. As far as the insomnia, I was going to sleep around midnight (boo!) and waking for hours in the madrugada (double boo!), only to sleep til ten once I finally drifted off. Then the clock change knocked me back onto schedule, I hope. The morning nausea continues, though. And today I felt so rotten I actually napped for ninety minutes. Weird.
( rl gah )
mercury retrograde
starts thisFriday Sunday in Sagittarius, then moves into Scorpio in about ten days, IIRC. At least this year it ends before the Yuletide deadline instead of being dead on it & crashing the AO3 servers. Fun times. Mars is also in Sagittarius, as of yesterday, so our tendency to behave like the arrow (not the archer, the *arrow*) zooming through spacetime is super heightened. Try to pace yourself & refrain from jumping to conclusions.
I hope all of y'all are doing well! <333
yarning yay
I went to yarn group on Sunday and there was such good turnout, even though several people couldn't make it. It was really nice. I learned that one of my kickbunny customers has a puzzle game where her cat pushes a button to request certain toys, and she requests her kickbunny ALL the time! So heartwarming! She also sent a pic of the cat lying with her head on the bunny. Too sweet! I also gave five hats and a scarf to a yarn group member who volunteers at BoysTown/Boysville (a shelter for kids--with residential family situations, not dormitories). The yarning will go straight to the kids, not their thrift shop, so that's doubly wonderful. Also, I found a missing safety eye that I'd searched high and low for. Not high enough, apparently, as it was ON my workbench, not on the floor despite having clearly heard it bounce!
yarning boo
The reversible doll pattern I was using to make niece's xmas gift has a major flaw in the pattern & I'm really pissed off about it. I could wing it and make it work, or else I could just frog it and make something else for her entirely. Undecided.
( yarning Lestat )
healthcrap
still under the weather. More nausea. I quit coffee, because it was a direct nausea trigger, and it is so weird to be caffeine-free; it's torn up my whole morning routine. As far as the insomnia, I was going to sleep around midnight (boo!) and waking for hours in the madrugada (double boo!), only to sleep til ten once I finally drifted off. Then the clock change knocked me back onto schedule, I hope. The morning nausea continues, though. And today I felt so rotten I actually napped for ninety minutes. Weird.
( rl gah )
mercury retrograde
starts this
I hope all of y'all are doing well! <333
wednesday reads and things
Nov. 5th, 2025 05:52 pmisisWhat I've recently finished reading:
Europe at Dawn by Dave Hutchinson, and thus finishes the Fractured Europe Sequence. I enjoyed it a lot, though sometimes it made me feel as though I just wasn't smart enough for it; there are a lot of chapters which begin so completely in medias res that you just have to soldier on until you hit the background/flashback that explains what is going on. Although the last book ties up some of the loose ends, they are only loosely tied, so to speak, and it feels very open-ended. (To be fair, there was no overarching action plot here, just generally tying up ends and solving mysteries. Also I didn't realize for far too long that some of the POV chapters were actually in the past relative to present action (or rather, took place at the same time that some of the events in other books took place; time has passed.)
What I've recently finished listening to:
The Strange Case of Starship Iris wrapped up its final season a few weeks ago. I liked it overall, though I definitely preferred the political action/adventure parts more than the personal relationships parts, other than the general bonding of the crew as a unit. I also found it rather on the nose with respect to Current Political Events, but hey, it's not Jessica Best's fault that she wrote an SF podcast about freedom-fighting rebels up against a juggernaut of an iron-fisted government just when, you know. waves hand around helplessly
What I've recently finished playing:
Dragon Age: The Veilguard! I enjoyed playing but I was ready for it to be over. I (female Qunari mage) romanced Harding, but the romance content is -->.<-- (Though admittedly there was some nice emotional content relative to the romance near the end.) On the one hand, the fact that most of the decisions about what to do and say don't seem to have much effect on things made it feel less fraught and scary, like - I often look up spoilers for major decisions because I don't replay games and so I want to make sure I don't end up with some horrible ending. On the other hand, it probably contributed to me feeling less involved with the game on an emotional level.
I didn't like that the choice of race and faction didn't have a whole lot to do with anything. I mean, I had extra Shadow Dragons dialogue, but mostly I didn't know anything extra about Minrathous. And I was Qunari - but an adopted war orphan with zero connection to anything remotely Qun, so I felt really dumb talking to Taash (and especially Shathann) about Qunari customs.
I did really love the graphics, and all the very interesting landscapes, the different cities and landscapes (the Ossuary!!!) and especially the Crossroads. The companion banter is super fun and I sort of wanted to set them all up with each other! I especially loved Taash and Lucanis talking about capes, hee. I did everybody's quests, of course, and got everyone to Hero status, and all my factions to three stars.
I did the Regrets of the Dread Wolf questline and met Mythal, and...I really tried to give good answers, but every time I failed, to the point where I figured there was no way of avoiding the fight. So I ended up having to fight her and hoo boy that was tough. And then! I looked at an "endings" walkthrough and it said I had to have resolved the quest peacefully to get the best ending, so I resigned myself to having screwed up, but haha it turns out they recommended that only because that is such a tough fight, yay, I got the best ending.
(I did not look up spoilers for the rest of the endgame, but fortunately I managed to not get my sweetheart killed.)
Anyway, it was fun, but when I finished I didn't want to jump into another epic right away, so I started playing Monument Valley, which several of you had recommended to me - and that was delightful! It's like, what if M. C. Escher had designed a puzzle game? I finished the first game and am now doing the "appendices". I also have the second game, so that's probably next.
B is playing Horizon Forbidden West, and I can't resist looking over his shoulder every once in a while. The Horizon games are still my favorites! (He's still in early days, not yet to the Embassy, just doing stuff in Chainscrape.)
Europe at Dawn by Dave Hutchinson, and thus finishes the Fractured Europe Sequence. I enjoyed it a lot, though sometimes it made me feel as though I just wasn't smart enough for it; there are a lot of chapters which begin so completely in medias res that you just have to soldier on until you hit the background/flashback that explains what is going on. Although the last book ties up some of the loose ends, they are only loosely tied, so to speak, and it feels very open-ended. (To be fair, there was no overarching action plot here, just generally tying up ends and solving mysteries. Also I didn't realize for far too long that some of the POV chapters were actually in the past relative to present action (or rather, took place at the same time that some of the events in other books took place; time has passed.)
What I've recently finished listening to:
The Strange Case of Starship Iris wrapped up its final season a few weeks ago. I liked it overall, though I definitely preferred the political action/adventure parts more than the personal relationships parts, other than the general bonding of the crew as a unit. I also found it rather on the nose with respect to Current Political Events, but hey, it's not Jessica Best's fault that she wrote an SF podcast about freedom-fighting rebels up against a juggernaut of an iron-fisted government just when, you know. waves hand around helplessly
What I've recently finished playing:
Dragon Age: The Veilguard! I enjoyed playing but I was ready for it to be over. I (female Qunari mage) romanced Harding, but the romance content is -->.<-- (Though admittedly there was some nice emotional content relative to the romance near the end.) On the one hand, the fact that most of the decisions about what to do and say don't seem to have much effect on things made it feel less fraught and scary, like - I often look up spoilers for major decisions because I don't replay games and so I want to make sure I don't end up with some horrible ending. On the other hand, it probably contributed to me feeling less involved with the game on an emotional level.
I didn't like that the choice of race and faction didn't have a whole lot to do with anything. I mean, I had extra Shadow Dragons dialogue, but mostly I didn't know anything extra about Minrathous. And I was Qunari - but an adopted war orphan with zero connection to anything remotely Qun, so I felt really dumb talking to Taash (and especially Shathann) about Qunari customs.
I did really love the graphics, and all the very interesting landscapes, the different cities and landscapes (the Ossuary!!!) and especially the Crossroads. The companion banter is super fun and I sort of wanted to set them all up with each other! I especially loved Taash and Lucanis talking about capes, hee. I did everybody's quests, of course, and got everyone to Hero status, and all my factions to three stars.
I did the Regrets of the Dread Wolf questline and met Mythal, and...I really tried to give good answers, but every time I failed, to the point where I figured there was no way of avoiding the fight. So I ended up having to fight her and hoo boy that was tough. And then! I looked at an "endings" walkthrough and it said I had to have resolved the quest peacefully to get the best ending, so I resigned myself to having screwed up, but haha it turns out they recommended that only because that is such a tough fight, yay, I got the best ending.
(I did not look up spoilers for the rest of the endgame, but fortunately I managed to not get my sweetheart killed.)
Anyway, it was fun, but when I finished I didn't want to jump into another epic right away, so I started playing Monument Valley, which several of you had recommended to me - and that was delightful! It's like, what if M. C. Escher had designed a puzzle game? I finished the first game and am now doing the "appendices". I also have the second game, so that's probably next.
B is playing Horizon Forbidden West, and I can't resist looking over his shoulder every once in a while. The Horizon games are still my favorites! (He's still in early days, not yet to the Embassy, just doing stuff in Chainscrape.)
Work That Came Out in 2025
Nov. 5th, 2025 12:19 pmmarthawellsBecause I've been slow to update my web site, here's a list of everything I wrote that got published in 2025.
* January Paperback compilation editions of The Murderbot Diaries novellas from Tordotcom. Vol I: All Systems Red and Artificial Condition, Vol II: Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, and Vol III: System Collapse and Fugitive Telemetry. Reprint.
* May The Emilie Adventures, compilation of author's preferred editions of Emilie and the Hollow World and Emilie and the Sky World, Tordotcom. Reprint.
* May "Data Ghost"
In print and ebook: Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Editor in chief Julie C. Day, coeditors Carina Bissett and Craig Laurance Gidney, and assistant editor Julia DeRidder.
https://essentialdreams.press/books/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology/
In audio and online: Pseudopod #995, Narrator Rae Lundberg, hostAlasdair Stuart, Audio Producer Chelsea Davis
https://pseudopod.org/2025/09/26/pseudopod-995-data-ghost/
* July 10 "Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy"
Reactor Magazine, Art by Jaime Jones, edited by Lee Harris
https://reactormag.com/rapport-martha-wells/
* October 7 Queen Demon, sequel to Witch King, second book in the Rising World series. Tor Books, edited by Lee Harris, art by Cynthia Sheppard, audiobook narrated by Eric Mok
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen-demon-martha-wells/1146167707?ean=9781250826916
* There was also a TV show!
May - July Murderbot on Apple TV, produced, written, and directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, guest directors, Aurora Guerrero, Roseanne Liang, and Toa Fraser, executive producer Andrew Miano. Depth of Field, Phantom Four Films, and Paramount.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30444310/fullcredits/
* January Paperback compilation editions of The Murderbot Diaries novellas from Tordotcom. Vol I: All Systems Red and Artificial Condition, Vol II: Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, and Vol III: System Collapse and Fugitive Telemetry. Reprint.
* May The Emilie Adventures, compilation of author's preferred editions of Emilie and the Hollow World and Emilie and the Sky World, Tordotcom. Reprint.
* May "Data Ghost"
In print and ebook: Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Editor in chief Julie C. Day, coeditors Carina Bissett and Craig Laurance Gidney, and assistant editor Julia DeRidder.
https://essentialdreams.press/books/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology/
In audio and online: Pseudopod #995, Narrator Rae Lundberg, hostAlasdair Stuart, Audio Producer Chelsea Davis
https://pseudopod.org/2025/09/26/pseudopod-995-data-ghost/
* July 10 "Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy"
Reactor Magazine, Art by Jaime Jones, edited by Lee Harris
https://reactormag.com/rapport-martha-wells/
* October 7 Queen Demon, sequel to Witch King, second book in the Rising World series. Tor Books, edited by Lee Harris, art by Cynthia Sheppard, audiobook narrated by Eric Mok
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen-demon-martha-wells/1146167707?ean=9781250826916
* There was also a TV show!
May - July Murderbot on Apple TV, produced, written, and directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, guest directors, Aurora Guerrero, Roseanne Liang, and Toa Fraser, executive producer Andrew Miano. Depth of Field, Phantom Four Films, and Paramount.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30444310/fullcredits/
reading and watching
Nov. 5th, 2025 12:56 pmthe_shoshannaI read thirteen books in October! (And DNFed two.) And three already in November.
Geoff and I are considering going to the Channel Islands on our next trip, so I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for research, like you do. It did a good job of really making me feel the location and community, and although for the most part it hit all the expected beats -- city girl ends up in small tight-knit rural community, you will be shocked to learn that she finds love and meaning there! -- it had some unexpectedly hard-hitting moments as well, and certainly didn't make me any less interested in going to Guernsey! Although I plan to bring my lover with me rather than finding one there, thanks anyway.
My local book group read This Is How You Lose the Time War, which took me a while to get into, because significant aspects of the worldbuilding aren't explained, you're just dropped into them; but I absolutely think that was the right way to write it, and once I found my feet I really liked it.
I DNFed The Summer Is Ended and We Are Not Saved, because I thought I was in the mood for a horror novel but within fifty or so pages something so horrible happened that I was donezo, nope, nope nope nope, close file. It did seem to be well written, though; I expect it's a good book but it was way too much for me. So instead I read something called Fake Dating the Prince, which is exactly what it sounds like plus also gay, and it was delightful. The horror novel I read that was just my speed was Meddling Kids, which starts from the premise of "What if Scooby Doo but also Cthulhu?" and was a romp. But also horror. But also a romp. (The frontispiece is a reproduction of a 1977 local newspaper article about the protagonists' last case as teenagers: "Teen Sleuths Unmask Sleepy Lake Monster," and the town is Blyton Hills and the article is written by Nancy Hardy and the photo is credited to J. March and I'm not sure the author could have name-checked more teen classic lit if he'd tried for a week. I knew I was in good hands from that moment.)
In the category of fan writers gone pro, I really liked Freya Marske's Cinder House and loved Emily Tesh's The Incandescent. In the category of fan genres gone pro, not sure about the writers, I've been reading a bunch of hockey romance; I picked up a couple of Rachel Reid's one-shots and then got tired of waiting for a library copy of her Game Changers books (one of which is soon to be a Crave miniseries!) and bought an omnibus of the first three when it went on sale. I've read the first one and am about to start the second, on which the miniseries will be based. I heard somewhere that Reid commented somewhere that a PG-13 adaptation of the book would have to be, like, twelve minutes long, because there's so much sex in the book? Anyway I look forward to reading it 👀.
As for watching, I watched The Long Walk withdorinda; I remembered being quite moved by the novel decades ago, but I hadn't even realized there was a movie until a couple of weeks ago! It was well made and wrenching and I'm glad I saw it but wow I am not making a general recommendation. Another friend and I watched the movie of What We Do in the Shadows; I enjoyed it and was surprised when I mentioned it to Geoff and he said he thought it was terrible! But my friend wants to go on to watch the TV show together. I'm not sure I'm up for that much casual killing of humans as light entertainment? (Despite the fact that she and I just finished watching Interview with the Vampire together. At least there it's not played for laughs as much.)
And season 10 of Shetland premieres in the UK today! I'm really looking forward to that. Also, looking further ahead, the Call the Midwife Christmas special and new season -- and I was absolutely thrilled to hear that they've announced a prequel series! The main show is getting awkwardly close to modern times, and I would love to see younger versions of the characters before and during the war.
Whee!
ETA: Oh, Rachel Reid. I'm not qualified to reality-check your hockey writing -- and let's be real, it's not like I'm reading you for the hockey -- but when you tell me that Montreal is an hour's drive from Ottawa? I have questions.
Geoff and I are considering going to the Channel Islands on our next trip, so I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for research, like you do. It did a good job of really making me feel the location and community, and although for the most part it hit all the expected beats -- city girl ends up in small tight-knit rural community, you will be shocked to learn that she finds love and meaning there! -- it had some unexpectedly hard-hitting moments as well, and certainly didn't make me any less interested in going to Guernsey! Although I plan to bring my lover with me rather than finding one there, thanks anyway.
My local book group read This Is How You Lose the Time War, which took me a while to get into, because significant aspects of the worldbuilding aren't explained, you're just dropped into them; but I absolutely think that was the right way to write it, and once I found my feet I really liked it.
I DNFed The Summer Is Ended and We Are Not Saved, because I thought I was in the mood for a horror novel but within fifty or so pages something so horrible happened that I was donezo, nope, nope nope nope, close file. It did seem to be well written, though; I expect it's a good book but it was way too much for me. So instead I read something called Fake Dating the Prince, which is exactly what it sounds like plus also gay, and it was delightful. The horror novel I read that was just my speed was Meddling Kids, which starts from the premise of "What if Scooby Doo but also Cthulhu?" and was a romp. But also horror. But also a romp. (The frontispiece is a reproduction of a 1977 local newspaper article about the protagonists' last case as teenagers: "Teen Sleuths Unmask Sleepy Lake Monster," and the town is Blyton Hills and the article is written by Nancy Hardy and the photo is credited to J. March and I'm not sure the author could have name-checked more teen classic lit if he'd tried for a week. I knew I was in good hands from that moment.)
In the category of fan writers gone pro, I really liked Freya Marske's Cinder House and loved Emily Tesh's The Incandescent. In the category of fan genres gone pro, not sure about the writers, I've been reading a bunch of hockey romance; I picked up a couple of Rachel Reid's one-shots and then got tired of waiting for a library copy of her Game Changers books (one of which is soon to be a Crave miniseries!) and bought an omnibus of the first three when it went on sale. I've read the first one and am about to start the second, on which the miniseries will be based. I heard somewhere that Reid commented somewhere that a PG-13 adaptation of the book would have to be, like, twelve minutes long, because there's so much sex in the book? Anyway I look forward to reading it 👀.
As for watching, I watched The Long Walk with
dorinda; I remembered being quite moved by the novel decades ago, but I hadn't even realized there was a movie until a couple of weeks ago! It was well made and wrenching and I'm glad I saw it but wow I am not making a general recommendation. Another friend and I watched the movie of What We Do in the Shadows; I enjoyed it and was surprised when I mentioned it to Geoff and he said he thought it was terrible! But my friend wants to go on to watch the TV show together. I'm not sure I'm up for that much casual killing of humans as light entertainment? (Despite the fact that she and I just finished watching Interview with the Vampire together. At least there it's not played for laughs as much.)And season 10 of Shetland premieres in the UK today! I'm really looking forward to that. Also, looking further ahead, the Call the Midwife Christmas special and new season -- and I was absolutely thrilled to hear that they've announced a prequel series! The main show is getting awkwardly close to modern times, and I would love to see younger versions of the characters before and during the war.
Whee!
ETA: Oh, Rachel Reid. I'm not qualified to reality-check your hockey writing -- and let's be real, it's not like I'm reading you for the hockey -- but when you tell me that Montreal is an hour's drive from Ottawa? I have questions.
When the Wolf Comes Home, by Nat Cassidy
Nov. 5th, 2025 09:26 amrachelmanija
This book is very hard to describe without spoilers, so I'll just cover the setup. Aspiring actress/current waitress Jess is having a bad night that gets much worse when she finds a scared little boy who's run away from his father. Things get extremely strange from there. This book is a wild ride.
I read it in a single sitting, so it's very propulsive. It's also very dark/bleak, despite some absurdist humor arising from the premise. I enjoyed it a lot while I read it, but it's now months later and it hasn't quite stuck with me the way some other books have. Nestlings is still my favorite of his.
Content notes: Child abuse/harm is central to the story. So is an accidental needle-stick with a possibly contaminated needle.
Spoilers! Also contains some light spoilers for Stephen King's Firestarter.
( Read more... )
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty (aka S.A. Chakraborty)
Nov. 5th, 2025 08:53 amrunpunkrunAmina al-Sirafi, who, at a low moment, describes herself as a criminal, a sinner, a foul-mouthed middle-aged woman with a bad knee, is a Muslim pirate in the 12th century, retired. She lives off the grid and takes care of her daughter and their crumbling home, but—isn't it always the way—that one last job pops up that she can't refuse, on account of the extortion.
Her adventures include cons, jailbreaks, battles at sea, an ex(kinda)-husband, superpowered wizards, exotic explosives, even more pirates, giant tentacle monsters, an island filled with bird people, and a ship's cat that's no good at catching mice. But first she has to get the band back together.
I really enjoyed this. It's energetic and funny and tense and full of naturalistic historical detail. It's also quite violent and gory, which I enjoyed less. But the crew is a squabbly family that would do anything for each other, the settings are described with care, and Amina's foul voice and bad knee make her entirely relatable. I felt like her flexible relationship with the principles of her religion was handled well, especially when balanced with her unwavering faith in god, and I appreciated seeing the world through her eyes.
Contains: graphic violence, gore, descriptions of dead bodies; doing things your religion tells you not to; threats of rape; fear of heights; a character questioning their gender (if applicable) that may lead to some feelings of misgendering.
Her adventures include cons, jailbreaks, battles at sea, an ex(kinda)-husband, superpowered wizards, exotic explosives, even more pirates, giant tentacle monsters, an island filled with bird people, and a ship's cat that's no good at catching mice. But first she has to get the band back together.
I really enjoyed this. It's energetic and funny and tense and full of naturalistic historical detail. It's also quite violent and gory, which I enjoyed less. But the crew is a squabbly family that would do anything for each other, the settings are described with care, and Amina's foul voice and bad knee make her entirely relatable. I felt like her flexible relationship with the principles of her religion was handled well, especially when balanced with her unwavering faith in god, and I appreciated seeing the world through her eyes.
Contains: graphic violence, gore, descriptions of dead bodies; doing things your religion tells you not to; threats of rape; fear of heights; a character questioning their gender (if applicable) that may lead to some feelings of misgendering.
Youtube
Nov. 5th, 2025 05:47 pmtrobadoraHas Youtube been driving everyone else batty too with the auto-dubbed videos? At least you can manually switch the audio track to the original - but now it's auto-translating the video descriptions too, and I haven't yet found out how to get back to the original there.
It makes me want to scream. Who thinks that's a good idea?! Not anyone who speaks smore than one language, that's for sure - and even then! AAARGH.
I searched in hopes of finding some way to disable this nonsense, and found no way on Youtube itself, but there's a browser extension that gets you back to original audio and description!
Firefox version | Chrome version
It says it doesn't work on mobile, but I don't watch videos on mobile, so that doesn't matter to me much. And either way, better than nothing. *grumbles some more*
It makes me want to scream. Who thinks that's a good idea?! Not anyone who speaks smore than one language, that's for sure - and even then! AAARGH.
I searched in hopes of finding some way to disable this nonsense, and found no way on Youtube itself, but there's a browser extension that gets you back to original audio and description!
Firefox version | Chrome version
It says it doesn't work on mobile, but I don't watch videos on mobile, so that doesn't matter to me much. And either way, better than nothing. *grumbles some more*
Whumptober Day 15: Live-streamed Torture (Murderbot)
Nov. 4th, 2025 10:28 pmsholioAs mentioned earlier, I have some Whumptobers to catch up on (half finished, or ones I was a little uncertain about posting) so those will continue into November.
No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.”
Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture
1000 wds, Murderbot POV (TV-verse)
Also posted on Tumblr.
( 1000 wds under the cut )
No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.”
Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture
1000 wds, Murderbot POV (TV-verse)
Also posted on Tumblr.
( 1000 wds under the cut )
Fic: Extra Time
Nov. 4th, 2025 05:56 pmbeatrice_otterNow that ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rarepairexchange authors have been revealed, I can tell you what I wrote! A Riker/Ro fic!
And this was not my first fic for this exchange. I got about halfway into a fic that I really liked, set during the Dominion War, just after the destruction of Enterprise. Riker and Ro were both on separate missions for Starfleet and the Maquis, and chanced to meet in a bar on some station somewhere. The problem was, that this is not an exchange that allows for genfics, and while I could have a really interesting conversation between the two, I couldn't figure out how to get them together in a way that I found satisfactory and realistic. I thought I could! but it didn't work out. So I stopped and did this instead. Throughout the process,sixbeforelunch was extremely helpful.
Title: Extra Time
Author: Beatrice_otter
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Characters: Ro Laren/Will Riker
Written for: Eratoschild in Rare Pair Exchange 2025
AN: Thank you tosixbeforelunch for brainstorming help and betaing.
On AO3. On Ad Astra. On Squidgeworld. At Pillowfort. On Tumblr.
"I wish I could give you better news, Will," Captain Picard said over the shuttle's comm system.
Will rubbed his forehead. "It's about what I expected, sir." The business of Enterprise's schedule and the shortage of other Starfleet vessels in the area to handle routine matters was why he and Ro had been dispatched in the shuttle Cousteau to handle this mission in the first place.
The anthropologists studying Lichiri V had wrapped up their mission and been extracted months ago. They'd returned to their university only to find that they had not double-checked their packing lists and had left a few small bits of equipment behind. Nothing big or hard to replace, but Lichiri V was currently in the middle of a (very slow) industrial and technological revolution, and nobody wanted to take the risk that some bright Lichirian would find the damn things and figure out enough about them to do damage. Enterprise was the only ship in the area, and she was busy with some tense diplomatic negotiations, and would be for a while.
Fortunately or not, Lichiri V was just at the edge of reasonable shuttle travel from the two systems Enterprise was currently stuck hovering between. Ro needed supervised piloting hours to get her small craft certification back. And, despite Will trying to find a better answer, he was the officer Enterprise could currently spare with the least disruption. And his own dislike of the ensign was not sufficient reason to disrupt other ship operations more than necessary.
So, Will and Ro had been dispatched to go pick up the equipment in the Cousteau. Four days in a cramped shuttle, a day or two in the Lichiri system to pick up the equipment and restock the shuttle with basics like water, oxygen, and hydrogen, and four days back.
If a freak ion storm hadn't blown up when they were already mid-takeoff, they'd already be on their way out of the system. Instead, the Cousteau had been damaged, they'd had to land again, and they'd be stuck here until Enterprise could swing by and pick them up. Which at the rate negotiations were going could take weeks, if not longer.
( Read more... )
rarepairexchange authors have been revealed, I can tell you what I wrote! A Riker/Ro fic!And this was not my first fic for this exchange. I got about halfway into a fic that I really liked, set during the Dominion War, just after the destruction of Enterprise. Riker and Ro were both on separate missions for Starfleet and the Maquis, and chanced to meet in a bar on some station somewhere. The problem was, that this is not an exchange that allows for genfics, and while I could have a really interesting conversation between the two, I couldn't figure out how to get them together in a way that I found satisfactory and realistic. I thought I could! but it didn't work out. So I stopped and did this instead. Throughout the process,
sixbeforelunch was extremely helpful.Title: Extra Time
Author: Beatrice_otter
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Characters: Ro Laren/Will Riker
Written for: Eratoschild in Rare Pair Exchange 2025
AN: Thank you to
sixbeforelunch for brainstorming help and betaing.On AO3. On Ad Astra. On Squidgeworld. At Pillowfort. On Tumblr.
"I wish I could give you better news, Will," Captain Picard said over the shuttle's comm system.
Will rubbed his forehead. "It's about what I expected, sir." The business of Enterprise's schedule and the shortage of other Starfleet vessels in the area to handle routine matters was why he and Ro had been dispatched in the shuttle Cousteau to handle this mission in the first place.
The anthropologists studying Lichiri V had wrapped up their mission and been extracted months ago. They'd returned to their university only to find that they had not double-checked their packing lists and had left a few small bits of equipment behind. Nothing big or hard to replace, but Lichiri V was currently in the middle of a (very slow) industrial and technological revolution, and nobody wanted to take the risk that some bright Lichirian would find the damn things and figure out enough about them to do damage. Enterprise was the only ship in the area, and she was busy with some tense diplomatic negotiations, and would be for a while.
Fortunately or not, Lichiri V was just at the edge of reasonable shuttle travel from the two systems Enterprise was currently stuck hovering between. Ro needed supervised piloting hours to get her small craft certification back. And, despite Will trying to find a better answer, he was the officer Enterprise could currently spare with the least disruption. And his own dislike of the ensign was not sufficient reason to disrupt other ship operations more than necessary.
So, Will and Ro had been dispatched to go pick up the equipment in the Cousteau. Four days in a cramped shuttle, a day or two in the Lichiri system to pick up the equipment and restock the shuttle with basics like water, oxygen, and hydrogen, and four days back.
If a freak ion storm hadn't blown up when they were already mid-takeoff, they'd already be on their way out of the system. Instead, the Cousteau had been damaged, they'd had to land again, and they'd be stuck here until Enterprise could swing by and pick them up. Which at the rate negotiations were going could take weeks, if not longer.
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Nov. 4th, 2025 08:53 pmtwistedchickAs a result of umpty years spinning yarn, I have a lot of it sitting in bags waiting for a project.
So, I'm looking for an extremely simple bulky-ish sweater that I can knit with whatever is at hand and reduce the stash a lot.
Suggestions, anyone? It's been so long since I knitted anything but socks that I'm not sure if I even have any patterns.
So, I'm looking for an extremely simple bulky-ish sweater that I can knit with whatever is at hand and reduce the stash a lot.
Suggestions, anyone? It's been so long since I knitted anything but socks that I'm not sure if I even have any patterns.
Me-and-media update
Nov. 5th, 2025 12:22 pmchina_shopI haven't done a media update in weeks! Here's what I've been watching and reading.
Reading
( It didn't feel like a lot when I started, but cutting for length anyway. )
Kdramas
( This always felt like a lot. )
Other TV
( There's quite a lot here, too. )
Guardian/Fandom
Wishliiiiiiist! It went so well. Belated hooray for everyone and all the treats! :D
Perusing the Yuletide tagset was an object lesson in "other people's character preferences are not my character preferences, and that's okay." Still, I have a bunch of things to potentially treat if I can get into gear.
Films
Grace: a prayer for peace, a film about Aotearoa / New Zealand artist Robin White. Beautiful and arty, and I had trouble staying awake. (I'm not great at maintaining attention when there's no dialogue.)
Audio stuff
A handful of eps of Tech Won't Save Us, mostly AI-related. Some Guilty Feminist (UK), which is a bit hit-and-miss for me, but at least is tuned in to *gestures at the dumpster fire that is politics in a lot of places* Writing Excuses. Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson.
Writing/making things
I currently have a thing at beta, and I'm gearing myself up to work on my Yuletide assignment fic.
I broke myfan_flashworks streak during Guardian Wishlist. That's okay; I actually find streaks a bit burdensome when they get too long. I'm not in a pushing-myself headspace. Instead of writing anything for the Amnesty round, I posted some of the art I've been trying out via Youtube instructional videos for kids. (I'm so happy with how the eyes came out on the kitten-dragon.) (Youtube art videos for kids are excellent, btw! I've drawn a fox, a llama, an owl, a lemur, another dragon, a unicorn mer-red-panda, and a few other things, and they always turn out pleasingly, despite my zero skill level. I'm thinking of investing in a set of coloured pencils for grown-ups, but for now I'm enjoying the tin of miniature ones cyphomandra sent me before my hysterectomy and a few others left over from when I was five. :-)
Life/health/mental state things
Over the last few months, I've noticed more and more long silver hairs in my house. Hmph.
Good things
The Guardian Slo-Mo Rewatch onsid_guardian. Guardian fandom generally. Yuletide. Podfic and audiobooks and Kdramas and libraries. The forecast for tomorrow is good. Kdramas. We went to an art exhibition opening yesterday evening, and it was great and made me want to make more things. Writers' Hour.
Reading
( It didn't feel like a lot when I started, but cutting for length anyway. )
Kdramas
( This always felt like a lot. )
Other TV
( There's quite a lot here, too. )
Guardian/Fandom
Wishliiiiiiist! It went so well. Belated hooray for everyone and all the treats! :D
Perusing the Yuletide tagset was an object lesson in "other people's character preferences are not my character preferences, and that's okay." Still, I have a bunch of things to potentially treat if I can get into gear.
Films
Grace: a prayer for peace, a film about Aotearoa / New Zealand artist Robin White. Beautiful and arty, and I had trouble staying awake. (I'm not great at maintaining attention when there's no dialogue.)
Audio stuff
A handful of eps of Tech Won't Save Us, mostly AI-related. Some Guilty Feminist (UK), which is a bit hit-and-miss for me, but at least is tuned in to *gestures at the dumpster fire that is politics in a lot of places*
/o\ /o\ /o\
(They have a new series of live shows called "The Road to Gilead", and are particularly loud about Farage's links to US right-wing anti-abortion group ADF.)Writing/making things
I currently have a thing at beta, and I'm gearing myself up to work on my Yuletide assignment fic.
I broke my
fan_flashworks streak during Guardian Wishlist. That's okay; I actually find streaks a bit burdensome when they get too long. I'm not in a pushing-myself headspace. Instead of writing anything for the Amnesty round, I posted some of the art I've been trying out via Youtube instructional videos for kids. (I'm so happy with how the eyes came out on the kitten-dragon.) (Youtube art videos for kids are excellent, btw! I've drawn a fox, a llama, an owl, a lemur, another dragon, a unicorn mer-red-panda, and a few other things, and they always turn out pleasingly, despite my zero skill level. I'm thinking of investing in a set of coloured pencils for grown-ups, but for now I'm enjoying the tin of miniature ones cyphomandra sent me before my hysterectomy and a few others left over from when I was five. :-)Life/health/mental state things
Over the last few months, I've noticed more and more long silver hairs in my house. Hmph.
Good things
The Guardian Slo-Mo Rewatch on
sid_guardian. Guardian fandom generally. Yuletide. Podfic and audiobooks and Kdramas and libraries. The forecast for tomorrow is good. Kdramas. We went to an art exhibition opening yesterday evening, and it was great and made me want to make more things. Writers' Hour. Poll #33799 Time is
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 46
Time is
View Answers
an arrow
7 (15.2%)
a fruit fly
10 (21.7%)
a banana
7 (15.2%)
melting
13 (28.3%)
relentless
22 (47.8%)
elusive
15 (32.6%)
other
6 (13.0%)
ticky-box full of hippity-hoppity frogs
15 (32.6%)
ticky-box full of blue-haired punk red pandas being, on average, purple
24 (52.2%)
ticky-box full of weird clock karma
17 (37.0%)
ticky-box full of colouring in
23 (50.0%)
ticky-box full of hugs
33 (71.7%)
Fancake's Theme for November: Mystery & Suspense
Nov. 4th, 2025 08:51 amrunpunkrun
fancake's theme for November is mystery & suspense. If you have any questions about this theme, or the comm, come talk to me!Fic in brief
Nov. 3rd, 2025 09:15 pmsholioA couple of quick things I wrote for Fandom Giftbasket:
Firefly (Biggles/EvS, G, 1500 wds)
An evanescent moment on the journey home from Sakhalin.
Vaguely inspired by a photo of fireflies in India.
Birds (Alliance-Union, Meg/Dek, 500 wds)
Posted as a commentfic snippet, just a soft little moment for them after a rider ship mission.
Firefly (Biggles/EvS, G, 1500 wds)
An evanescent moment on the journey home from Sakhalin.
Vaguely inspired by a photo of fireflies in India.
Birds (Alliance-Union, Meg/Dek, 500 wds)
Posted as a commentfic snippet, just a soft little moment for them after a rider ship mission.
Posted: "Gerudo Spirit, or Three Last Untold Tales" (TLOZ:TOOK)
Nov. 3rd, 2025 07:59 pmbrightknightieI've posted that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom piece: "Gerudo Spirit, or Three Last Untold Tales (Before Age of Imprisonment Arrives)" (PG, gen, ~2K words). The jossing commences Thursday. ;-)
It's a progression of three ficlets. First, Kotake and Koume (villains) reluctantly participate in a show of fealty to those who had defeated their unprovoked attack. Later, an elderly woman (original character) arms the remaining soldiers of her home village, which has rebelled against the Demon King. Finally, Ardi (hero; the recently revealed canon name of the Sage of Lightning) reacts to the news that her people's last free settlement has fallen.
Alone, the scenes lean into grievance, guilt, and grief. But with the context of the rest of Tears of the Kingdom, I believe that they are necessarily hopeful, too. We know what Rauru, Zelda, Ardi, and the others do; we know that the darkness, though it must be endlessly defeated, does not prevail.
♥
It's a progression of three ficlets. First, Kotake and Koume (villains) reluctantly participate in a show of fealty to those who had defeated their unprovoked attack. Later, an elderly woman (original character) arms the remaining soldiers of her home village, which has rebelled against the Demon King. Finally, Ardi (hero; the recently revealed canon name of the Sage of Lightning) reacts to the news that her people's last free settlement has fallen.
Alone, the scenes lean into grievance, guilt, and grief. But with the context of the rest of Tears of the Kingdom, I believe that they are necessarily hopeful, too. We know what Rauru, Zelda, Ardi, and the others do; we know that the darkness, though it must be endlessly defeated, does not prevail.
♥
monday poem #334: Carol Ann Duffy, "Death and the Moon"
Nov. 3rd, 2025 09:17 pmheresluckThinking of absent friends as the moon turns full and the year turns to winter.
Death and the Moon
(for Catherine Marcangeli)
The moon is nearer than where death took you
at the end of the old year. Cold as cash
in the sky's dark pocket, its hard old face
is gold as a mask tonight. I break the ice
over the fish in my frozen pond, look up
as the ghosts of my wordless breath reach
for the stars. If I stood on the tip of my toes
and stretched, I could touch the edge of the moon.
I stooped at the lip of your open grave
to gather a fistful of earth, hard rain,
tough confetti, and tossed it down. It stuttered
like morse on the wood over your eyes, your tongue,
your soundless ears. Then as I slept my living sleep
the ground gulped you, swallowed you whole,
and though I was there when you died,
in the red cave of your widow's unbearable cry,
and measured the space between last words
and silence, I cannot say where you are. Unreachable
by prayer, even if poems are prayers. Unseeable
in the air, even if souls are stars. I turn
to the house, its windows tender with light, the moon,
surely, only as far again as the roof. The goldfish
are tongues in the water's mouth. The black night
is huge, mute, and you are further forever than that.
— Carol Ann Duffy
from Feminine Gospels
Death and the Moon
(for Catherine Marcangeli)
The moon is nearer than where death took you
at the end of the old year. Cold as cash
in the sky's dark pocket, its hard old face
is gold as a mask tonight. I break the ice
over the fish in my frozen pond, look up
as the ghosts of my wordless breath reach
for the stars. If I stood on the tip of my toes
and stretched, I could touch the edge of the moon.
I stooped at the lip of your open grave
to gather a fistful of earth, hard rain,
tough confetti, and tossed it down. It stuttered
like morse on the wood over your eyes, your tongue,
your soundless ears. Then as I slept my living sleep
the ground gulped you, swallowed you whole,
and though I was there when you died,
in the red cave of your widow's unbearable cry,
and measured the space between last words
and silence, I cannot say where you are. Unreachable
by prayer, even if poems are prayers. Unseeable
in the air, even if souls are stars. I turn
to the house, its windows tender with light, the moon,
surely, only as far again as the roof. The goldfish
are tongues in the water's mouth. The black night
is huge, mute, and you are further forever than that.
— Carol Ann Duffy
from Feminine Gospels
(no subject)
Nov. 3rd, 2025 12:21 pmtwistedchickI'm not sure how I'm feeling this morning.
We are waiting for an arborist and his crew to take down four trees, trim a fifth tree, and manage somehow to cut back some big vines that are hanging from other trees and look ugly. (I've cut the vines at the base; they're not alive, but just hanging there.)
One of the trees, a mimosa that hangs over the fussy neighbor's driveway, definitely has to go. The fussy neighbor is too lazy to get out a ladder and trim back whatever she wants on her side -- I'm saying lazy because she is three decades younger than I am and has a tall and able son and a tall and able husband. Together they should be able to trim back whatever they want... but no. She'd rather bitch at us about it than do it herself. I don't have a problem with that tree, which is split at the base and going in several directions, coming down.
But we're losing two beautiful wild cherry trees and half of the big magnolia tree because the branches lean over the house. The insurance company wants the roof clear of branches that might fall and damage something. The cherries lean over it from the back, the magnolia extends across it from the front. And there's an ash tree in back that is leaning, and has contracted emerald ash borer. It has to come out before it falls and hits our house or the friendly neighbors' house.
I love our trees, and we've lost so many in the last 33 years, especially the two big oaks. Now more are going down.
At least the weather is kind. The sun is out and the air is warmish.
And for the time being I'll stay here and read my Yuletide source and look for a story.
We are waiting for an arborist and his crew to take down four trees, trim a fifth tree, and manage somehow to cut back some big vines that are hanging from other trees and look ugly. (I've cut the vines at the base; they're not alive, but just hanging there.)
One of the trees, a mimosa that hangs over the fussy neighbor's driveway, definitely has to go. The fussy neighbor is too lazy to get out a ladder and trim back whatever she wants on her side -- I'm saying lazy because she is three decades younger than I am and has a tall and able son and a tall and able husband. Together they should be able to trim back whatever they want... but no. She'd rather bitch at us about it than do it herself. I don't have a problem with that tree, which is split at the base and going in several directions, coming down.
But we're losing two beautiful wild cherry trees and half of the big magnolia tree because the branches lean over the house. The insurance company wants the roof clear of branches that might fall and damage something. The cherries lean over it from the back, the magnolia extends across it from the front. And there's an ash tree in back that is leaning, and has contracted emerald ash borer. It has to come out before it falls and hits our house or the friendly neighbors' house.
I love our trees, and we've lost so many in the last 33 years, especially the two big oaks. Now more are going down.
At least the weather is kind. The sun is out and the air is warmish.
And for the time being I'll stay here and read my Yuletide source and look for a story.
Could Rauru be Link?
Nov. 3rd, 2025 07:52 ambrightknightieI have not seen this lore theory anywhere, but it occurred to me within the past week or so, and, and surely -- surely! -- I'm not the first to think of it. Before Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment drops on Thursday, let me ask:
Could Rauru be a Link? That is, in the era of the founding/re-founding, could Rauru be the embodiment of the spirit of Hylia's Chosen Hero?
He's certainly done the work of Hylia's Chosen. He is courageous. He's defeated the monsters, brought peace to the surface peoples, supported (and loved and married) his era's blood descendant of Hylia who carries some fraction of her sacred power... and gave his life to bring down the Demon King in his era, passing on his wisdom and power to a future Link to finish the job in another era.
He sure looks like a Link ... in every way but being a Zonai named Rauru rather than a Hylian named Link, and not bearing Hylia's sword (or any sword; he's a magic-user). But not every Link gets that sword. And, until 2017, every Link could be renamed by the player.
(Or maybe Rauru is a male Zelda and the source of Hylia's blood in the royal line, but that's a very different and less likely lore/timeline theory.)
Could Rauru be a Link? That is, in the era of the founding/re-founding, could Rauru be the embodiment of the spirit of Hylia's Chosen Hero?
He's certainly done the work of Hylia's Chosen. He is courageous. He's defeated the monsters, brought peace to the surface peoples, supported (and loved and married) his era's blood descendant of Hylia who carries some fraction of her sacred power... and gave his life to bring down the Demon King in his era, passing on his wisdom and power to a future Link to finish the job in another era.
He sure looks like a Link ... in every way but being a Zonai named Rauru rather than a Hylian named Link, and not bearing Hylia's sword (or any sword; he's a magic-user). But not every Link gets that sword. And, until 2017, every Link could be renamed by the player.
(Or maybe Rauru is a male Zelda and the source of Hylia's blood in the royal line, but that's a very different and less likely lore/timeline theory.)