Review: Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control
Jul. 7th, 2025 04:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anehanCrossposted to booknook.
Title: Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control
Authors: Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis
Genre: non-fiction
As a consequence of realising that hey, interlibrary loans exist and are actually pretty cheap, I've been reading a book called Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control by Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis.
The book is a survey of the history of censorship of literature mainly in the UK and the US, presented through case studies of individual censored works, though many of the chapters discuss censorship of similar books more broadly. The oldest case is the censorship of the early English translations of the Bible; the newest the censorship of Chicanx literature in Arizona in the 2010s.
The book takes a broad view of censorship. It doesn't just deal with censorship by the state, but also other forms of censorship, such as self-censorship and the chilling effect that censorship exerts on the literary landscape as a whole.
I'm not going to talk about it in any great detail. It's really well-written -- very accessible to a lay reader, without feeling like it's been dumbed-down -- so go read it if the topic interests you.
( Some thoughts on censorship of literature based on this book )
Title: Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control
Authors: Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis
Genre: non-fiction
As a consequence of realising that hey, interlibrary loans exist and are actually pretty cheap, I've been reading a book called Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control by Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis.
The book is a survey of the history of censorship of literature mainly in the UK and the US, presented through case studies of individual censored works, though many of the chapters discuss censorship of similar books more broadly. The oldest case is the censorship of the early English translations of the Bible; the newest the censorship of Chicanx literature in Arizona in the 2010s.
The book takes a broad view of censorship. It doesn't just deal with censorship by the state, but also other forms of censorship, such as self-censorship and the chilling effect that censorship exerts on the literary landscape as a whole.
I'm not going to talk about it in any great detail. It's really well-written -- very accessible to a lay reader, without feeling like it's been dumbed-down -- so go read it if the topic interests you.
( Some thoughts on censorship of literature based on this book )
Currently reading/watching/making
Jul. 6th, 2025 10:35 pmalterkrmnIt’s been a while since the last update, but these past few weeks have been chaotic. I almost broke my brain again, even though last time I promised it wouldn’t happen anymore. But that’s a topic for another post. The thing is, everything going on in my life during those days kept me away from the little things that help me stay at peace: what I do in my free time. It was awful, but I made some decisions, and now I’m back.
Currently making
Currently reading
Finished watching
Dramas:
Anime:
On hold
The only things I didn’t pause watching (even before quitting the side job) were the Sunday shows, The Ex-Morning, and Winter Begonia. I also binged Leap Day right before quitting because I was on the verge of collapse and needed a distraction to avoid disaster.
Since quitting, I’ve been trying new shows. Last night, I watched the first three episodes of The Promise of the Soul… it’s a bit weird, but the soul-transfer plot has me intrigued. There’s also a new Japanese one, 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40. For the first two minutes, it looked so similar to Old Fashioned Cupcake (my favorite) that I almost dropped it, but then some fun details caught my eye, and I decided to give it a chance.
At some point, Citrus Con happened, and I got a taste of Sanrio Danshi, which piqued my curiosity, so I started it. Then, somehow, I stumbled upon Rokuhōdō Yotsuiro Biyori and liked it enough to add it to my list. This weekend, The Summer Hikaru Died premiered, and it looks interesting. I remember seeing a manga recommendation for it on Blorbo last year (iirc), but I never got around to reading it. Now might be the time, since waiting for the next episode might be too much for my anxious brain. I’d love to go into more detail about my experience about the con too, but that might be better saved for another post. It wasn't my first time but I participated a bit more and it was so much fun, even though there were moments I felt very overwhelmed.
I’m not planning to binge all the anime on my list, I just like having options of things to watch when I’m not in the mood for live action, and these recent months anime has been good for my brain.
The only finished show on my list that I still need to wrap up is Break Up Service, but this week I’ve been working on freebies and can’t watch anything subtitled, so it’s been music instead. I could watch something in English or Spanish, but I don’t have the patience to look things up.
Now, about the shows I’ve finished:
Leap Day: I liked it, even though the story wasn’t the tightest. It had a lot of plot holes (like, a lot) but I enjoyed the weekly suspense. I stopped watching for a while because I was busy, anxious, and a mess, but when I was about to break, I needed something cathartic, and this kinda worked. What really stood out was the found-family trope and the finale. It was sad, but for me, it was the only possible resolution. I’d been thinking about it since around episode 6 or 7, but I didn’t expect them to actually go there. Overall, I enjoyed it, though I would’ve loved it more with tighter writing. Still, I wonder if I’m missing some cultural context or something.
Boys in Love: This was such a cute, comforting show. I loved the teenage shenanigans, how their conflicts were portrayed, and the sweetness of it all. The ending was hopeful… though, as a 38-year-old, I know not every relationship that starts at that age lasts forever. The teachers were a highlight, and I’d really like to watch a spin-off about them. Yes, I need more Papang in glasses, please. It was genuinely a show I looked forward to every Sunday, and I’m gonna miss it.
My Stubborn: Oh boy. This one was a ride. It was way more fun than I expected when I started. The high heat was great, but at some point, I got really invested in Sorn and needed to know what was going on in his head. By the end, we got a glimpse of why he acted the way he did, and even though he stayed a walking red flag, at least he figured his shit out enough to resolve his main issue and told Jun about his real feelings. And they gave us spice in the last episode too, so I’m happy. I’m gonna miss this messy show; it made Sundays something to look forward to. So much fun.
Lastly, earlier today I watched Kpop Demon Hunters in a watch party, and it was so much fun. I liked it, but I kinda want to rewatch it because I think there’s a lot going on. The songs were bangers, and now I can’t get “Soda Pop” out of my head now (not that I’m trying really hard lol).
Anyway, I'm still in a weird headspace, but I'm starting to feel like myself again, so that's good. I also need to finish reading SVSSS, but reading always gets harder after my brain goes through that kind of thing... so I'm taking it slow.
Currently making
- Still working on my Yuri on Ice embroidery (very slowly, though).
- The Heart Killers fanmeeting freebies.
Currently reading
- SVSSS Vol. 4 - Chapter 26
Finished watching
- Leap Day (Thai drama) – 12 episodes
- My Stubborn (Thai BL drama) – 12 episodes
- Boys in Love (Thai BL drama) – 12 episodes
- Kpop Demon Hunters – movie
Dramas:
- Winter Begonia (Chinese) – Weekly, weekends – 42/49 episodes
- The Ex-Morning (Thai BL) – Weekly, Thursdays – 7/10 episodes
- Break Up Service (Thai) – Weekly, Mondays – 10/12 episodes
- The Promise of the Soul (Taiwanese BL) – No idea what day it’s airing, lol – 3/12
- 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 (Japanese BL) – Not sure if I’m gonna end up bingeing or if I’m going to watch it weekly - 1/12
Anime:
- Komi Can’t Communicate – No schedule – 4/24
- Sanrio Danshi – No schedule – 2/12
- Rokuhōdō Yotsuiro Biyori – No schedule – 2/12
- The Summer Hikaru Died – Weekly, Fridays – 1/?
On hold
- The Bangkok Boy (Thai BL drama) – Weekly, Saturdays – 2/12 episodes
- Perfect 10 Liners (Thai BL drama) – No schedule – 4/24 episodes
The only things I didn’t pause watching (even before quitting the side job) were the Sunday shows, The Ex-Morning, and Winter Begonia. I also binged Leap Day right before quitting because I was on the verge of collapse and needed a distraction to avoid disaster.
Since quitting, I’ve been trying new shows. Last night, I watched the first three episodes of The Promise of the Soul… it’s a bit weird, but the soul-transfer plot has me intrigued. There’s also a new Japanese one, 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40. For the first two minutes, it looked so similar to Old Fashioned Cupcake (my favorite) that I almost dropped it, but then some fun details caught my eye, and I decided to give it a chance.
At some point, Citrus Con happened, and I got a taste of Sanrio Danshi, which piqued my curiosity, so I started it. Then, somehow, I stumbled upon Rokuhōdō Yotsuiro Biyori and liked it enough to add it to my list. This weekend, The Summer Hikaru Died premiered, and it looks interesting. I remember seeing a manga recommendation for it on Blorbo last year (iirc), but I never got around to reading it. Now might be the time, since waiting for the next episode might be too much for my anxious brain. I’d love to go into more detail about my experience about the con too, but that might be better saved for another post. It wasn't my first time but I participated a bit more and it was so much fun, even though there were moments I felt very overwhelmed.
I’m not planning to binge all the anime on my list, I just like having options of things to watch when I’m not in the mood for live action, and these recent months anime has been good for my brain.
The only finished show on my list that I still need to wrap up is Break Up Service, but this week I’ve been working on freebies and can’t watch anything subtitled, so it’s been music instead. I could watch something in English or Spanish, but I don’t have the patience to look things up.
Now, about the shows I’ve finished:
Leap Day: I liked it, even though the story wasn’t the tightest. It had a lot of plot holes (like, a lot) but I enjoyed the weekly suspense. I stopped watching for a while because I was busy, anxious, and a mess, but when I was about to break, I needed something cathartic, and this kinda worked. What really stood out was the found-family trope and the finale. It was sad, but for me, it was the only possible resolution. I’d been thinking about it since around episode 6 or 7, but I didn’t expect them to actually go there. Overall, I enjoyed it, though I would’ve loved it more with tighter writing. Still, I wonder if I’m missing some cultural context or something.
Boys in Love: This was such a cute, comforting show. I loved the teenage shenanigans, how their conflicts were portrayed, and the sweetness of it all. The ending was hopeful… though, as a 38-year-old, I know not every relationship that starts at that age lasts forever. The teachers were a highlight, and I’d really like to watch a spin-off about them. Yes, I need more Papang in glasses, please. It was genuinely a show I looked forward to every Sunday, and I’m gonna miss it.
My Stubborn: Oh boy. This one was a ride. It was way more fun than I expected when I started. The high heat was great, but at some point, I got really invested in Sorn and needed to know what was going on in his head. By the end, we got a glimpse of why he acted the way he did, and even though he stayed a walking red flag, at least he figured his shit out enough to resolve his main issue and told Jun about his real feelings. And they gave us spice in the last episode too, so I’m happy. I’m gonna miss this messy show; it made Sundays something to look forward to. So much fun.
Lastly, earlier today I watched Kpop Demon Hunters in a watch party, and it was so much fun. I liked it, but I kinda want to rewatch it because I think there’s a lot going on. The songs were bangers, and now I can’t get “Soda Pop” out of my head now (not that I’m trying really hard lol).
Anyway, I'm still in a weird headspace, but I'm starting to feel like myself again, so that's good. I also need to finish reading SVSSS, but reading always gets harder after my brain goes through that kind of thing... so I'm taking it slow.
Rosmei orders and novel impressions
Jul. 6th, 2025 08:29 pmheadstone posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
cnovelsSome interest was expressed in a writeup of the Rosmei titles I've acquired over the last year, so I wrote up some of my impressions of their books, as well as my experience ordering from each of the two main North American distributors. On my personal site: https://durandal.blog/blog/rosmei/
I don't have comments set up on my blog so feel free to ask questions or discuss under this post. Feel free to suggest any relevant tags, as well.
Tags:
- author: mo chen huan,
- author: mu su li,
- author: priest,
- author: tang jiu qing,
- author: xi zi xu,
- author: yi yi yi yi,
- distributor: the beguiling,
- distributor: yiggybean,
- media type: novel,
- post type: discussion,
- post type: review,
- publisher: rosmei,
- title: global examination,
- title: how to survive as a villain,
- title: kaleidoscope of death,
- title: liu yao,
- title: nanchan,
- title: the defectives,
- title: the earth is online,
- type: danmei
Subbed: 哑舍 Ya She (Silent House) full-cast audiobook ep 1
Jul. 6th, 2025 09:49 pmhalfcactus posting in cnovels(If subtitles don't automatically appear, please tap the CC button.)
You can read the translation transcript here and my translation notes here.
ABOUT:
哑舍 Ya She (Silent House) is modern-day fantasy novel by 玄色 Xuanse. It is about a magical antique shop and has a customer-of-the-week format.
A donghua adaptation came out last year, and a radio adaptation is currently airing on Missevan where chapters are broken into 10-minute segments. The audio adaptation has a full-cast format, so it's kind of like an audio drama with narration.
I haven't read the novel, but based on the audiobook version of this chapter, the donghua adaptation seems to diverge from the novel in terms of how it handles the cases. In the donghua, the bronze mirror case is the second case.
-
This was a one-off translation project (mostly to show some donghua-novel differences) and I currently have no plans of continuing, but I'm open to feedback on translation / writing / grammar / subtitle timing etc! I have a tendency of trying to match the onscreen subtitles with what I'm hearing and I'm not sure it's readable that way.
Weekly proof of life: mainly media (shocking everyone)
Jul. 6th, 2025 11:02 amumadoshiscruloose and I did make it to the little farmers' market down the road for its opening day of the season, and even managed to get there earlier than later! (I think it's open from 8 to 1, and we probably were there...a bit after 10?)We made it home with two quarts of strawberries and one of cherries, new potatoes, a dozen eggs, and boneless chicken thighs, plus a bee balm for the garden, which we quickly tucked into a fairly open space in our little garden bed yesterday evening. (What was there before? UNKNOWN. Will I manage to reconstruct it from old posts or something? Also unknown. But hey, a plant!)
Reading: I finished Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072 (M.E. O'Brien and Eman Abdelhadi), which was fantastic. On the fiction front, I followed it up with Tamsyn Muir's novella Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower (not really my thing--I continue to rarely bond with novellas, I guess--but interestingly done), Sacha Lamb's When the Angels Left the Old Country (marvelous), and Sofia Samatar's The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain (again, didn't really bond emotionally, but it executed what it was doing beautifully).
Non-fiction: David Chang and Priya Krishna's Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave), which is, like...primarily actually a David Chang book that Priya Krishna did a ton of heavy-lifting assisting on (which may be very normal for co-written cookbooks, but in this case she was interjecting and clarifying in her own voice as well as doing a fair bit of the actual writing in his voice, and it was all very transparent that it was being done that way, but also a little odd to read). I think I bought this as a sale ebook before hearing that Chang (the Momofuku guy) is something of an asshole, but then when I was reading it, it felt really promising as a book that might be genuinely useful for me (and even by cookbook standards, its ebook is terribly formatted), so I was pleasantly surprised to readily find a used half-price hard copy available on line, which is winging its way to me now. I've also made sure that Krishna's own Indian-Ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family is now on the wishlist where I keep an eye out for ebook sales.
And now I'm reading An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler, which is a cookbook mostly in the form of essays on cooking as a thoughtful/mindful practice.
Watching: One more Murderbot episode to go in this season, and oh, I hope we get a second one. I'm going to miss this little show.
We finished watching the second season of Kingdom (the historical zombies k-drama), which I found very satisfying. The ending very much sets up a subsequent season, and there's a movie out that fills in the backstory of the person/people we glimpse at the end of season 2 who would presumably be extremely central in any further season, but I don't think we feel inspired to watch said backstory movie unless a third season of the show is ever announced and it becomes relevant in that way.
[fansub/translation] 哑舍 Ya She (Silent House) audiobook: "The Bronze Mirror" (part 1)
Jul. 6th, 2025 04:45 pmhalfcactusAbout:
Ya She (Silent House) is a series of books about a magical antique shop with a customer-of-the-week format. A donghua adaptation (free to watch on Youtube) came out last year. A full-cast audiobook came out this year on Missevan and is currently releasing 10-minute episodes of volume 1.
I haven't read the novel (or gotten past the Bronze Mirror episodes in the audiobook), but I saw the donghua some months ago and wasn't too enthused about it—I'm finding the novel/radio adaptation more my speed in terms of emotional resonance and atmosphere. I'm tempted to read the novel now that I'm finding out the writing style seems appropriate for my reading level (low)? But the next chapters might dip into lore, myth, and fantasy more, so idk, we'll see.
( Translation transcript )
( Translation notes )
Ya She (Silent House) is a series of books about a magical antique shop with a customer-of-the-week format. A donghua adaptation (free to watch on Youtube) came out last year. A full-cast audiobook came out this year on Missevan and is currently releasing 10-minute episodes of volume 1.
I haven't read the novel (or gotten past the Bronze Mirror episodes in the audiobook), but I saw the donghua some months ago and wasn't too enthused about it—I'm finding the novel/radio adaptation more my speed in terms of emotional resonance and atmosphere. I'm tempted to read the novel now that I'm finding out the writing style seems appropriate for my reading level (low)? But the next chapters might dip into lore, myth, and fantasy more, so idk, we'll see.
( Translation transcript )
( Translation notes )
Exhibits from the Hong Kong Palace Museum
Jul. 6th, 2025 12:13 pmgrayswandir posting in c_entThis isn't directly C-ent related, but yesterday I visited the Hong Kong Palace Museum (a partner museum of the Beijing Palace Museum in the Forbidden City), and thought I'd post about it here. It just opened in 2022. There are nine galleries, seven of which were filled with displays from Chinese history, mostly things from the imperial palace. The vast majority of the items on display were from the Qing Dynasty, mainly from the time of Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). But there were also some displays from earlier reigns and earlier dynasties, and even one display of pottery dating back as far as 4,000 years.
( To connect this at least slightly to Cnovels/Cdramas... )
Anyway, I thought I'd share some of what's on display. This is nowhere near everything, just a selection; there are hundreds and hundreds of objects in the galleries. (Er, also apologies for the low quality. My phone is old and the museum has very low lighting. :P)
( Museum exterior )
( Entering the Forbidden City )
( Life and Art in the Forbidden City )
( The Art of Armaments: Qing Dynasty Military Collection )
And moving backwards in history:
( Ming Dynasty Ceramic Treasures from the Palace Museum, 1368-1644. )
And the last gallery I visited, ( the Founding Donations gallery, which had some even older items on display. )
( A couple of scenery shots outside. )
(I'm not sure how best to tag this! Let me know. :)
( To connect this at least slightly to Cnovels/Cdramas... )
Anyway, I thought I'd share some of what's on display. This is nowhere near everything, just a selection; there are hundreds and hundreds of objects in the galleries. (Er, also apologies for the low quality. My phone is old and the museum has very low lighting. :P)
( Museum exterior )
( Entering the Forbidden City )
( Life and Art in the Forbidden City )
( The Art of Armaments: Qing Dynasty Military Collection )
And moving backwards in history:
( Ming Dynasty Ceramic Treasures from the Palace Museum, 1368-1644. )
And the last gallery I visited, ( the Founding Donations gallery, which had some even older items on display. )
( A couple of scenery shots outside. )
(I'm not sure how best to tag this! Let me know. :)
"Three Murder Cases Solved (Dee Goong An)" by Robert Hans van Gulik
Jul. 5th, 2025 09:59 pmatamascolilyUnlike van Gulik's other Judge Dee novels, this one is a translation of an eighteenth century manuscript by an anonymous author, which later inspired van Gulik to write his own. It is very different from the standard Western detective tradition, some of which I was prepared for after reading other Judge Dee stories from van Gulik and others, and some of which caught me by surprise. This Judge Dee is a lot harsher, and there is a lot more torture (because Chinese law required criminals to confess their crimes), and I didn't particularly enjoy that, but both van Gulik's explanatory preface and afterword were extremely helpful in interpreting and making sense of the attitudes and expectations behind it. I learned a lot, some of which will probably end up in fic at some point.
Anyway, looking forward to working my way through the rest of van Gulik's catalogue as I've only read The Chinese Bell Murders and there are a lot more.
Anyway, looking forward to working my way through the rest of van Gulik's catalogue as I've only read The Chinese Bell Murders and there are a lot more.
Weekly Chat
Jul. 5th, 2025 01:58 pmdancing_serpent posting in c_entThe weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
Two Guardian fics: Sunshine and Honey (M-rated) and Pages for You (T-rated)
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:20 pmchina_shopI wrote a self-indulgent Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan treat for idproquo and a post-canon Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan domestic-fluff flashfic for the fan_flashworks Amnesty round. Thanks to trobadora for beta on both of them! <3
Title: Sunshine and Honey (4126 words) [Mature]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Outdoor Sex, Feeding, Finger Sucking, Oral Fixation, First Kiss (for one of them), First time (for one of them), Treat
Summary:
Title: Pages for You (1762 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fade to Black, Community: fan_flashworks
Summary:
idproquo and a post-canon Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan domestic-fluff flashfic for the fan_flashworks Amnesty round. Thanks to trobadora for beta on both of them! <3Title: Sunshine and Honey (4126 words) [Mature]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Outdoor Sex, Feeding, Finger Sucking, Oral Fixation, First Kiss (for one of them), First time (for one of them), Treat
Summary:
They were halfway to the Allied Forces’ southern boundary when the sun came out. Shen Wei pulled back his hood and looked around, conscious of the breeze on his bare face. The heavy clouds were finally breaking up.
Meanwhile, Kunlun had dropped his bag and flopped onto his back on the grassy slope. “Let’s rest here a while.”
Title: Pages for You (1762 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fade to Black, Community: fan_flashworks
Summary:
Over the course of the evening, an impulse had taken root, and now Shen Wei submitted to it. He switched on his desk lamp, laid out several large sheets of paper and quietly ground some ink. If Zhao Yunlan wanted to read of their time together through the eyes of a Dixingren soldier, who better than Shen Wei to write an account—to show Zhao Yunlan exactly how much his arrival had meant to the war effort and to Shen Wei himself.
Me-and-media update
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:06 pmchina_shopPrevious poll review
In the Routine poll, 84.2% of respondents voted for tooth-brushing, 50.9% for locking up and switching things off around the house, and 33.3% for tending to pets. Night-time routines taking more than half an hour got 24.6%, and "sometimes it takes me an hour or more" got 7%. *high fives*
In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 75.4%, followed by "how stressful it is to ask tradespeople to change things they've done" with 57.9% and "sitting on a mountain ledge in the moonlight, listening to owls" with 56.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm, who sounds exactly like Emma Thompson. I spent the middle third of this being unsure what the plot was (or if there even was a plot; "is this a cosy magic-school story?" I asked nobody in particular). Things stirred ominously under the surface, but the tension relied on the reader being more worried about them than the mostly oblivious POV character -- which was interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain). A few more chapters. I'm past halfway and it still feels like setup, which I guess is a function of it being the first book of five.
A tiny bit more of Neurotribes. I'm bored with the case studies/anecdotes and ready for some theory.
Two more chapters of Guardian by priest.
My Whimsy binge stalled after bouncing off three different narrators for The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. None of them hit the humour right. I suppose I'm going to have to read in text, but Prydain first (and I still haven't finished my reread of Werecockroach, note to self).
Kdramas
I finished Our Unwritten Seoul and enjoyed it very much. It's about 30yo identical twins, one who works in a corporate office in Seoul, and one who lives in their hometown and does a series of temporary and part-time jobs. The office worker is miserable from being bullied at work, so they decide to swap lives. Contains some pretty good (in my inexpert opinion) disability rep, and
I cancelled my VIKI subscription earlier this week because I wasn't using it, so of course I immediately started watching My Dearest Nemesis, as recced byadore. It has a bit of a "based on a webtoon" feel, but I'm fine with that, and it's a neat twist on the Obnoxious Repressed Chaebol Exec trope. (The leading man is leading a double life: he's a closet fanboy, but his family and position require him to present as a 100% bland, respectable businessman.) I'm obsessed!
Note to self: check out First Night with the Duke next. And maybe renew your VIKI subscription.
Other TV
Poker Face and Murderbot continue to be enjoyable (we're an episode behind on each of them). I found the second half of Andor season 2 a lot more engaging than the first half (and might like the first half more on the rewatch; yet to be determined). Another episode each of Étoile and Krapopolis. The Old Guard 2 on Netflix.
A rewatch of French film Rosalie Blum, which I love.
Guardian/Fandom
The continuing delights of read-alongs and polls.
Audio entertainment
A little bit of Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American (US constitutional-law context for current developments), a little bit of Midnight Burger (audiodrama), most of the first season of Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones (which I'm enjoying despite not being familiar with DWJ's earlier books).
Writing/making things
I wrote a flashfic for thefan_flashworks amnesty round and am poking at a couple of WIPs. My brain seems to be in recovery mode. My only current deadline is the fan_flashworks Science round.
Life/health/mental state things
My thumbs/hands/wrists are not in great shape. My body is working hard to metabolise ambient stress. (*hugs to everyone*) I'm feeling a little under siege by winter and ~the state of things~, but I saw my sister for the first time in weeks (she's had a cold), a friend came over for lunch on Thursday, and last night our tv-watching friend joined us for Rosalie Blum.
Good things
Chocolate. Andrew and Halle. Fandom and all of you. Polls. Kdramas. Books. Podcasts. Eminem. Writing when it happens. AO3 (*clutches*). Love, kindness, and diversity.
In the Routine poll, 84.2% of respondents voted for tooth-brushing, 50.9% for locking up and switching things off around the house, and 33.3% for tending to pets. Night-time routines taking more than half an hour got 24.6%, and "sometimes it takes me an hour or more" got 7%. *high fives*
In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 75.4%, followed by "how stressful it is to ask tradespeople to change things they've done" with 57.9% and "sitting on a mountain ledge in the moonlight, listening to owls" with 56.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm, who sounds exactly like Emma Thompson. I spent the middle third of this being unsure what the plot was (or if there even was a plot; "is this a cosy magic-school story?" I asked nobody in particular). Things stirred ominously under the surface, but the tension relied on the reader being more worried about them than the mostly oblivious POV character -- which was interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain). A few more chapters. I'm past halfway and it still feels like setup, which I guess is a function of it being the first book of five.
A tiny bit more of Neurotribes. I'm bored with the case studies/anecdotes and ready for some theory.
Two more chapters of Guardian by priest.
My Whimsy binge stalled after bouncing off three different narrators for The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. None of them hit the humour right. I suppose I'm going to have to read in text, but Prydain first (and I still haven't finished my reread of Werecockroach, note to self).
Kdramas
I finished Our Unwritten Seoul and enjoyed it very much. It's about 30yo identical twins, one who works in a corporate office in Seoul, and one who lives in their hometown and does a series of temporary and part-time jobs. The office worker is miserable from being bullied at work, so they decide to swap lives. Contains some pretty good (in my inexpert opinion) disability rep, and
I approved of both the morals (spoilers)
1) if you bottle things up and don't let people see your vulnerability, you can't feel their love; and 2) love isn't about winning or losing, or whether you're a burden; it's about being on the same team, staying together, and supporting each other as you win or lose. <3 <3 <3 (I was so happy when Ho-su stopped pushing Mi-ji away, and with the ending when they used sign language sometimes. <3 <3 <3)I cancelled my VIKI subscription earlier this week because I wasn't using it, so of course I immediately started watching My Dearest Nemesis, as recced by
adore. It has a bit of a "based on a webtoon" feel, but I'm fine with that, and it's a neat twist on the Obnoxious Repressed Chaebol Exec trope. (The leading man is leading a double life: he's a closet fanboy, but his family and position require him to present as a 100% bland, respectable businessman.) I'm obsessed! Note to self: check out First Night with the Duke next. And maybe renew your VIKI subscription.
Other TV
Poker Face and Murderbot continue to be enjoyable (we're an episode behind on each of them). I found the second half of Andor season 2 a lot more engaging than the first half (and might like the first half more on the rewatch; yet to be determined). Another episode each of Étoile and Krapopolis. The Old Guard 2 on Netflix.
Tiny spoiler for the very end.
Andrew was disgusted that, at the end, as [redacted] leave the secret archive full of ancient texts, they turn out the light but leave candles burning. "What about the ancient books?!" LOL!A rewatch of French film Rosalie Blum, which I love.
Guardian/Fandom
The continuing delights of read-alongs and polls.
Audio entertainment
A little bit of Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American (US constitutional-law context for current developments), a little bit of Midnight Burger (audiodrama), most of the first season of Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones (which I'm enjoying despite not being familiar with DWJ's earlier books).
Writing/making things
I wrote a flashfic for the
fan_flashworks amnesty round and am poking at a couple of WIPs. My brain seems to be in recovery mode. My only current deadline is the fan_flashworks Science round.Life/health/mental state things
My thumbs/hands/wrists are not in great shape. My body is working hard to metabolise ambient stress. (*hugs to everyone*) I'm feeling a little under siege by winter and ~the state of things~, but I saw my sister for the first time in weeks (she's had a cold), a friend came over for lunch on Thursday, and last night our tv-watching friend joined us for Rosalie Blum.
Good things
Chocolate. Andrew and Halle. Fandom and all of you. Polls. Kdramas. Books. Podcasts. Eminem. Writing when it happens. AO3 (*clutches*). Love, kindness, and diversity.
Poll #33324 Crowd-sourcing randomness
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35
Crowd-sourcing randomness
View Answers
heads
6 (17.1%)
tails
8 (22.9%)
edge
8 (22.9%)
zero-g (the coin never falls)
14 (40.0%)
ticky-box full of grumbly cats in search of treats
23 (65.7%)
ticky-box full of being protective of your blorbos
17 (48.6%)
ticky-box full of surviving AO3 outages
24 (68.6%)
ticky-box full of soft, bright-green moss nestled at the base of a tree, glittering with beads of dew
21 (60.0%)
ticky-box full of hugs
26 (74.3%)
Prompt: Signal flare
Jul. 4th, 2025 06:25 pmranalore posting in chenqing_100Since here in the US, the night will be disrupted with fireworks (I'm an animal lover, and while I like the sparkle of professional fireworks in the sky, I loathe the noisy ones that yearly traumatize millions of animals across the country), I decided to find something good in the situation. So, this week's prompt is: signal flare.
You have until midnight your time on Friday, July 11, to answer this prompt. Please post your fills of the prompt as separate entries to the community (i.e. not replies to this entry), tagged with the prompt tag. You may post multiple standalone drabbles per entry in addition to drabble sequences and series.
As a reminder, this community has no official presence elsewhere. You are encouraged to share the prompt on social media, if you so desire. It may take me a bit to create the AO3 collection, so please be patient.
Also, I'm going to go ahead and drop a link to the prompt suggestions post here. New suggestions are always, always welcome.
You have until midnight your time on Friday, July 11, to answer this prompt. Please post your fills of the prompt as separate entries to the community (i.e. not replies to this entry), tagged with the prompt tag. You may post multiple standalone drabbles per entry in addition to drabble sequences and series.
As a reminder, this community has no official presence elsewhere. You are encouraged to share the prompt on social media, if you so desire. It may take me a bit to create the AO3 collection, so please be patient.
Also, I'm going to go ahead and drop a link to the prompt suggestions post here. New suggestions are always, always welcome.
Idle Friday post that turned out to be half about Pokemon Go
Jul. 4th, 2025 03:54 pmumadoshiAt the start of the month I entertained the fleeting thought of trying to post every day in July, especially with sunshine_revival (in which I have in no way participated) going on, but. Well. *gestures at current date* And as we all know, something-something-only-perfect-results-matter, etc. etc. etc.
But here. It's Friday. The world is terrifying, but at least for this moment the sun is out. I spent most of my workday in a style guide meeting, which was genuinely pretty fun; tonight we're seeing Ginny and Kas because this week it's better for them than our usual Saturday hangout.
Tomorrow the (very) wee farmers' market that's only a few blocks away is getting underway for the season. I have ambitions of actually rolling out of bed and walking over in hopes of strawberries, even though tomorrow and Sunday are also Eevee community day in Pokemon Go, so I'm also hoping to leave the house those afternoons. Leaving the house twice in one day is not exactly a thing that happens often, and as a result, the prospect of it is exhausting. ^^; But here's hoping!
There's been zero doubt for a long time now that my only actual investment in Pokemon Go is the pursuit of shinies, and community days are the best chance to get shinies of a given critter, and Eevee, see, has EIGHT possible evolutions, so if there's any faint hope of ever having a full set of shinies of those, well, it's this weekend.
(I can't remember if I've said here that this is a crystalized perfect demonstration of why it's really, really good that I don't gamble. I'm usually pleased when I catch a new-to-me Pokemon, but it's pretty minor. But rather than setting the game aside, since it mostly hasn't resulted in me actually getting outside and walking much more than I had been, the hope of catching a shiny critter keeps me opening it back up. Nobody get me into slot machines, okay? [That sounds facetious, but I mean it very seriously.])
That's all I've got right now. Stay well, friends.
sunshine_revival (in which I have in no way participated) going on, but. Well. *gestures at current date* And as we all know, something-something-only-perfect-results-matter, etc. etc. etc.But here. It's Friday. The world is terrifying, but at least for this moment the sun is out. I spent most of my workday in a style guide meeting, which was genuinely pretty fun; tonight we're seeing Ginny and Kas because this week it's better for them than our usual Saturday hangout.
Tomorrow the (very) wee farmers' market that's only a few blocks away is getting underway for the season. I have ambitions of actually rolling out of bed and walking over in hopes of strawberries, even though tomorrow and Sunday are also Eevee community day in Pokemon Go, so I'm also hoping to leave the house those afternoons. Leaving the house twice in one day is not exactly a thing that happens often, and as a result, the prospect of it is exhausting. ^^; But here's hoping!
There's been zero doubt for a long time now that my only actual investment in Pokemon Go is the pursuit of shinies, and community days are the best chance to get shinies of a given critter, and Eevee, see, has EIGHT possible evolutions, so if there's any faint hope of ever having a full set of shinies of those, well, it's this weekend.
(I can't remember if I've said here that this is a crystalized perfect demonstration of why it's really, really good that I don't gamble. I'm usually pleased when I catch a new-to-me Pokemon, but it's pretty minor. But rather than setting the game aside, since it mostly hasn't resulted in me actually getting outside and walking much more than I had been, the hope of catching a shiny critter keeps me opening it back up. Nobody get me into slot machines, okay? [That sounds facetious, but I mean it very seriously.])
That's all I've got right now. Stay well, friends.
