Dear Festividder

Sep. 26th, 2025 10:13 pm
extrapenguin: Northern lights in blue and purple above black horizon. (Default)
[personal profile] extrapenguin
Hi! This is my first [community profile] festivids and I am very excited! WIP letter alert!

Music-wise, I like things with female vocalists that have both a melody and a (danceable) beat, especially
  • dance pop (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Britney Spears...)
  • symphonic metal (Oryad, Pythia, Xandria...)
  • power metal (Unleash the Archers, Battle Beast, Rexoria...)
  • whatever Madder Mortem and Charlotte Wessels are doing currently (no idea how to subgenre categorize either of them)
  • instrumentals in general

Music in languages other than English is welcome! I like knowing what they're singing about, so unless it's in English or Finnish, I'd like translated subtitles.

I generally don't vibe with folk, ballads, or rap.

In vids, I like women, women doing things, motion and motion matching, "thematic" vids/vids focusing on a theme, lyric matches, "danceability", humor/comedy, and weird/odd stuff. In general, if you're thinking "is this too bonkers for ExtraPenguin?" the answer is no.

I'm not too keen on diegetic audio, especially if it's on top of the lyrics.


Short films directed by 流云蕊 | Liu Yun Rui [UMBRELLA] [SAFETY]
Intro post by douqi, list of asian wlw short films (Ctrl+F for 流云蕊).

云泽传 | Legend of Yunze (TV) [SAFETY]
Carrd with links. Here I really love Jiang Zhaoyun and A-Ze's relationship! Also how Zhaoyun is a demon who's being good, even when everyone thinks demons are bound to be evil, and just that conflict/contrast going on.

双镜 | Couple of Mirrors (TV)
10×45 min, assassin lady trying to be a regular photographer × author lady in an abusive marriage. Yan Wei is my absolute blorbo and I'd love anything with her, whether her relationship with Xu Youyi or something thematic about how she's tried to escape her past but oops she still needs to pull out a gun, or her dealings with the justice system.

Oh and at some point I hallucinated a Yan Wei & Detective Jiang vid that had a song going "she's the one that got away / but maybe that's okay" and recontextualized it into a detective & criminal cat and mouse thing, so if that floats your boat, that as well!

华山论剑:东邪西毒 | Duel On Mount Hua: Eastern Heretic and Western Venom (TV 2025)
8×45 min. An adaptation of a standalone part of Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. I really like the action/fight scenes and would greatly enjoy just rolling around in them for the length of a vid. I really like Feng Heng, and also I think Ouyang Feng would make for a good comedy vid, with how he keeps getting into situations.

飞狐外传 | Side Story of Fox Volant (TV 2022)
40×45 min. An adaptation of Legend of the Flying Fox, one of Jin Yong's lesser known novels. Again, I really like how the action/fight scenes are choreographed! I would love something featuring/showcasing them. While the men's hairstyles are dire (Qing dynasty), the officials' hats are peak, so some sort of hat spotlight vid? Or something foregrounding the ever-present corruption. Or, like, a horse POV vid, since there are lots of horses present!

My blorbo here is Yuan Ziyi! I love how devoutly Buddhist she is. I also like Miao Renfeng.

Weather | A cookbook on sale

Sep. 26th, 2025 03:09 pm
umadoshi: (autumn leaves 3 (oraclegreen))
[personal profile] umadoshi
Woke up to a very classic autumnal bluster that made me just as glad to not have to venture outside, given the humidity. (One local on Bluesky: "It's a rainy day, and VERY warm. Expect individual ecosystems to form in your rain jacket this morning. Un-zipping the armpit holes for ventilation is a MUST this AM" Another local's response: "This is the sort of weather report I want. Not “plan for this temp or that precipitation”. I want “don’t straighten your hair, and make sure you have good armpit ventilation.”")

And our friendly local meteorologist measured 20.5mm of rain overnight--hardly drought-ending, but still very appreciated.

I don't know how widespread this sale is, but at least on Kobo Canada, the ebook of Margaret Eby's You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible is currently $2.99.

I've bought this book twice, when after reading it in ebook I really wanted a hard copy. Have I actually cooked from it? No. (No one is shocked.) But for a second rec, [personal profile] runpunkrun reviewed it in a more informative way last month. (In comments there, [personal profile] jesse_the_k noted that this subset of cookbooks--which includes other excellent books such as The Sad Bastard Cookbook--is called "struggle cooking".)
chacusha: (christmas)
[personal profile] chacusha posting in [community profile] fandomcalendar
An assortment of presents on a light green background with the text "Late Treat Bonanza."

Link: [community profile] latetreatbonanza | AO3 Collection

Description: Do you have a late gift that you started a long time ago and need a little push to finish up? Post it for Late Treat Bonanza! Late Treat Bonanza is an event designed to motivate people to finish up old gifts for a deadline. You can add your late gifts to our collection, which will keep it hidden until everything gets revealed all at once on December 25th! We also provide a 1-week anonymous period to make it a Secret Santa-like gifting occasion. If you've been having trouble finishing up a late treat, maybe this event will provide you the motivation you need!

Even if you aren't planning on making anything, if you've signed up for exchanges and other gift-giving events in the past, you may want to sign up to indicate your interest in receiving late gifts. People already working on treats or looking for some old requests for inspiration might be motivated to create something for you!

* Note that Late Treat Bonanza is now running once a year during this Christmas time period, so get your late treats in now while you can!

Schedule:
Sign-ups end/works due: 24 December 23:59 PST (UTC-8)
Creator reveals/collection closed: 31 December 23:59 PST (UTC-8)

First Line Friday

Sep. 26th, 2025 09:21 am
snowynight: A drawing of a whale (Whale)
[personal profile] snowynight

It was on a Monday, April second—I was cruising in the vicinity of Betelgeuse—when a meteor no larger than a lima bean pierced the hull, shattered the drive regulator and part of the rudder, as a result of which the rocket lost all maneuverability.

From the Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem

October, here we come!

Sep. 24th, 2025 11:12 pm
rogueslayer452: (Summer Glau. Squee!)
[personal profile] rogueslayer452
++ The trailer for Critical Role's 4th campaign was revealed, with the premiere date of October 2nd. That's very soon, much sooner than I had thought. Not that I'm complaining, of course. After my complicated feelings regarding the third campaign, I'm ready for this refreshing switch-up. I've already seen the character art, and listening to Brennan's monologue in the trailer it certainly has piqued my curiosity on what the campaign is going to be about.

++ The newest addition to the V/H/S franchise, V/H/S/Halloween, has also released a trailer and will be premiering October 3rd. I had no idea that there was another one already, but I'm not entirely shocked either. This features two of my favorite things: the V/H/S franchise and Halloween. I'm all in.
starandrea: (Default)
[personal profile] starandrea
In times like these it feels important to be visible when spoons and safety allow, so I just wanted to say: you are loved, and we're here for you. You're in this world to be exactly who you are.

In the immortal words of a fellow teacher explaining the plan for getting three different field trip groups along multiple walking routes to the same destination at the same time (cartoon maps and faux football play diagrams were involved), when responding to the following question:

"What do we do if it rains?"
"...If it rains, we go out and we fight. We fight and we fight and we win."

Relatedly, in the way that all things are, I'm enjoying [community profile] communal_creators right now. I joined, as with [community profile] battleshipex, because Marci did. And as with [community profile] battleshipex, it has done great things for my creative output and self-expression. (Along with drabble community [community profile] chenqing_100, a serene place that inspires me to contemplate the drabble-esque qualities of classical Chinese.)

Autumn arrives as well, and with it, the soft opening of my indoor light garden. Every single one of my high intensity lights from Gardeners' Supply is going strong, but none of my low-intensity lights from Amazon has lasted more than two seasons. On a quest, then, to find new gentle lights for my less sun-hungry plants, I tried the Gardeners' Supply light guide (illustrated) and laughed at the following multiple choice question:

"What kind of gardener are you?"
1) Tabletop: "I just want to keep my African violets happy."
2) Floor Plant Fanatic: "I've got a few monster-sized Monsteras and fiddle-leaf figs to tend to."
3) Plant Parenting Pro: "I'm growing light-loving houseplants of all sizes, including an orchid, several succulents, and a sago palm."

Option 3 may not quite cover it, but that's as high as the scale goes and I embrace it.

Read-in-Progress Wednesday

Sep. 25th, 2025 10:13 am
geraineon: (Default)
[personal profile] geraineon posting in [community profile] cnovels
This is your weekly read-in-progress post for you to talk about what you're currently reading and reactions and feelings (if any)!

For spoilers:

<details><summary>insert summary</summary>Your spoilers goes here</details>

<b>Highlight for spoilers!*</b><span style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #FFFFFF">Your spoilers goes here.</span>*

(no subject)

Sep. 24th, 2025 08:42 pm
skygiants: Audrey Hepburn peering around a corner disguised in giant sunglasses, from Charade (sneaky like hepburnninja)
[personal profile] skygiants
I have now finished reading the duology that began with Max in the House of Spies, in which a Kindertransport refugee with a dybbuk and a kobold on each shoulder wrangles his way into being sent back to Germany as a British spy.

The first book featured a lot of Ewen Montagu RPF, which was extremely fun and funny for me. The second book, Max in the Land of Lies, features a lot of Nazi and Nazi-adjacent RPF, which is obviously less fun and funny, though I still did have several moments where a character would appear on-page and I would exchange a sage nod with Adam Gidwitz: yes, I too have read all of Ben Macintyre's books about WWII espionage, and I do recognize Those Abwehr Guys Who Are Obsessed With British Culture, we both enjoy our little inside joke.

Our little inside jokes aside, I ended up feeling a sort of conflicted and contradictory way about both the book and the duology as a whole. It's very didactic -- it is shouting at you about its project at every turn -- but the project it's shouting about is 'the narrative is more nuanced and complex than you think!' On the one hand, people in Germany (many of them Based on Real People) who are involved in The Nazi Situation in various messy ways are constantly explaining the various messy ways that they are involved in The Nazi Situation to Max, a totally non-suspicious definitely not Jewish surprise twelve-year-old who's just appeared on the scene, at the absolute drop of a hat. It is somewhat hard to believe that Max is achieving these really spectacular espionage results when the only stat he ever rolls is 'knowledge: radio!' although his 'knowledge: radio!' number is really high.

ON the other hand, it is so easy and in vogue to come down in a place of 'Nazis: bad!' and so much more difficult and important to sit with the fact that believing in a monstrous ideology, participating in monstrous acts, does not prevent a person from being likeable, interesting or intelligent, and vice versa; that the line between Nazi Germany and, for example, colonial Great Britain is not so thick as one would like to believe; that people are never comfortably reducible to Monsters and Not Monsters. At root this is clearly Gidwitz's project and I have a lot of respect for it: this didactic book for children is more nuanced, complex and interesting than many books for adults I've read.

And then there's the dybbuk and the kobold. Throughout the second book they continue to function primarily as a stressed-out Statler and Waldorf, which I think is a bit of a waste of a dybbuk and a kobold. Also, at one point one of them says nostalgically "there were no Nazis in the fifteenth century" and while this IS technically true I DO think that there were other things going on in fifteenth century Germany that they probably also did not enjoy and at this point I WAS about to come down on "Adam Gidwitz probably should just not have included these guys in his children's spy story." But Then he did something very spoilery that I actually found profoundly interesting )

Miscellaneous things this September

Sep. 24th, 2025 11:33 pm
schneefink: River walking among trees, from "Safe" (Default)
[personal profile] schneefink
- I did a thing at work today that I was scared of. I was hoping it would be the kind of thing that is only scary in my head, and that was only partially the case, but it's mostly done now (I hope) and that means I'm mostly done with the most important things I need to do before the end of September deadlines, which means I'll finally have more time to study for my exam in early October, fingers crossed. I'll be so relieved when that's over, and I'll finally have more time again for other people and hobbies. It's so mean that I have so little time for Silksong rn and I won't be able to play Hades 2 1.0 when it comes out, boo.

- Last week we went on a company outing to play "topgolf," which is basically golf played from a balcony with a different scoring system etc. I'd never played golf before, I don't particularly feel the need to do it again but it was fun to try out. I did have a sore arm the day after which, I know I have noodle arms but somehow I'm still sometimes surprised when I get reminded of it.

- Years ago I got a voucher for a spa as a birthday present and then never used it because I couldn't decide what for, and then recently I decided to treat myself and try something out so I got a pedicure for the first time. It was nice! And now I have glittery teal toenails and that makes me happy when I see them.

Poll: The Sundial and the Box (drama)

Sep. 25th, 2025 07:45 am
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian




Poll #33654 Episodes 1 & 2
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 12


What is the deal with the little metal box in Li Qian's grandmother's couch cushions?

View Answers

the Shadow Man was hiding in it??
4 (33.3%)

it's a portal to Dixing
0 (0.0%)

the Shadow Man just happened to be lurking at Li Qian's house, looking for the Sundial, and sprang out the moment Changcheng opened the box
0 (0.0%)

Li Yufen used to keep the Sundial in the box, and it still smells of Hallow
7 (58.3%)

the Shadow Man recognised it as Hallow-adjacent, and that's why he pounced
4 (33.3%)

it smells of weed, and that's why the Shadow Man pounced
1 (8.3%)

it's an ancient artefact made of leftover meteorite
2 (16.7%)

it's just an ordinary cute little box, and the Shadow Man collects them
1 (8.3%)

other
0 (0.0%)

Where did Li Qian’s grandmother get the Longevity Dial?

View Answers

she had an affair with a Yashouren who took her to the Yashou Market, where she picked it up at a charms & jewelry stall (she has an interesting past)
3 (25.0%)

she had an affair with a Dixingren who gave it to her as a token of their star-crossed love (she has a tragic past)
1 (8.3%)

she found it while burying a body in her garden (she has a dark past)
1 (8.3%)

she found it while hiking in the mountains, near where the Mountain-River Awl was found (she has an outdoorsy past)
6 (50.0%)

other
4 (33.3%)

When the SID sees Li Qian wearing the Longevity Dial, Lin Jing brings up a 3D model of the Dial on his computer. Where did the computer model come from?

View Answers

free with Windows 10
1 (8.3%)

bundled with a particular flavour of Linux
4 (33.3%)

the Hallows don't want to be forgotten, so they send periodic reminders across space and time – like Netflix!
5 (41.7%)

a mysterious source (Shen Wei) provided detailed schematics on paper, and Lin Jing digitised them
5 (41.7%)

a mysterious source (Zhang Shi) created the computer models from memory
5 (41.7%)

other
0 (0.0%)

How do you solve a problem like Zhao Yunlan?

View Answers

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
3 (27.3%)

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
4 (36.4%)

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
6 (54.5%)

other
5 (45.5%)

Did You Make a Thing?

Sep. 24th, 2025 03:44 pm
dancing_serpent: (Actors - Hou Minghao - Wang Ye)
[personal profile] dancing_serpent posting in [community profile] c_ent
This month is almost over, so, let's hear it. *g* How did it go with your fannish creativity?

Did you manage to make a thing?

Created fanart or made vids? Wrote fic or meta? How about picspams, link collections, character mood boards, themed playlists, promo posts, or whatever else you create for fannish enjoyment?

Here's the place to share it with us! Leave a link in the comments, or elaborate on it as much as you want.
anehan: Tezuka drinking tea (Tenipuri: Tezuka and tea)
[personal profile] anehan
Well, it's been a hot minute since I last did a reading roundup, the reason being that for about a month I read nothing but Red, White and Royal Blue fic. There's a lot more of it now than when I last checked. The movie effect in action, perhaps? Anyway, Henry/Alex ftw, even though I cringe every time Henry is called the Prince of Wales. Or a monarch. Or when he's said to abdicate.

Anyway. Books.

Recently read

  • Grace Burrowes, A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times (The Lord Julian Mysteries #1). Historical sleuthing, with an MC who used to be an intelligence officer in Wellington's army, only to fuck up in a spectacular way. So, on top of having PTSD crowned with some more PTSD, he has to deal with being treated as a traitor by almost everyone who knows anything about him.

    The novel has a really high rating on Goodreads, and IMO it lives up to it. A low-stakes mystery in the sense that there's no murder, but high-stakes in the sense of the effect on the characters and their lives. Highly recommend.


  • Siiri Enoranta, Keuhkopuiden uni, which I read for a queer fantasy book club I recently joined. The cover copy describes this as a "mysterious and intelligent novel, decadent fantasy at its best". I beg to differ. It's a disjointed, confused mess that reads like an early draft. Not without interesting bits, but those don't make up for the utter boredom of slogging through it. It relies heavily on its dreamy, lyrical prose, but I think that if you write a book where stylistic choices are so central, you really need to make sure those choices work. (See my comment about it reading like an early draft.)

    The baffling thing is that it's got very good reviews from critics. It almost seems like it's one of those novels that you have to like because to not like it means you are too plebeian to understand it.


  • Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold, Death by Silver (Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey #1). I really liked Scott's Astreiant series, so obviously I wanted to read her mystery novels. And besides, historical queer mystery novels are right up my alley. This is a solid one, though somehow a bit clumsy at times. Still, I'll definitely read the second book in the series.


Currently reading

Uh, too many WIPs. Should probably pick them up again. It's just that I last read them over a month ago, on account of the fall down the FirstPrince rabbit hole.

Up next

No fucking idea. Finished Death by Silver last night, and now I'm at sea.

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ehyde

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