The Friday Five for 23 May 2025
May. 22nd, 2025 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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thefridayfiveThese questions were suggested by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thegreymouser.
1. What was the best gift you received?
2. What was the worst gift you received?
3. What gift did you wish for, but never got?
4. What was the best present you gave?
5. What was the worst present you gave?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
thegreymouser.1. What was the best gift you received?
2. What was the worst gift you received?
3. What gift did you wish for, but never got?
4. What was the best present you gave?
5. What was the worst present you gave?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
May. 22nd, 2025 06:28 pmprofiterole_readsMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning was a lot of fun! But a bit long, they could have cut a few scenes at the beginning of the movie.
I loved the butch in the submarine. Now that I'm back home, I've looked her up. She's called Kodiak and she's played by Katy O'Brian, who is a lesbian. <3
I loved the butch in the submarine. Now that I'm back home, I've looked her up. She's called Kodiak and she's played by Katy O'Brian, who is a lesbian. <3
The Demon #3
May. 22nd, 2025 05:16 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Jack Kirby
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Mike Royer
If you lived a former life, then you may become a victim of... the Reincarnators!
( Read more... )
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (1945)
May. 22nd, 2025 12:14 pmpauraqueI picked up this book because I saw it mentioned as an example of the concept that "Hell is locked from the inside." That is, if God is the source of all good, then by separating yourself from God, your existence can have nothing good in it, and that's Hell. You can escape anytime by reconnecting with God.
Lewis explores this idea by imagining himself being taken on a journey from Hell (envisioned as a dreary, lonely, mostly-empty town in perpetual twilight) to the outskirts of Heaven. Here the "ghosts" of those in Hell are met by people they knew in life, who try to persuade them to enter Heaven instead of turning back. This is very much inspired by Dante, and like Dante, Lewis gets a guide: the Scottish fantasy author George MacDonald, who I'd never heard of, but apparently he was a great influence on Lewis. (Has anyone read his stuff?)
So, why would the dead turn back? Well, because it turns out the hard part of getting into Heaven is letting go of all the damaging patterns that made you miserable in life: Abusively controlling people and calling it love. Feeling big by making others feel small. Manipulating loved ones because you're scared they'll leave you. None of this has any place in Heaven, but most of the ghosts Lewis meets are so entrenched in it, blustering in pride or cowering in terror behind their emotional walls, that they'd rather go back to Hell than admit there's a better way.
Lewis keenly observes the lies people tell themselves to justify their own self-destructive behavior, and it's startling how little has changed in 80 years! Some of the ways these characters talk are chillingly familiar. Though I don't share the religious side of Lewis's worldview, we're certainly in close agreement in our understanding of how people lock themselves in their own personal hell on Earth.
The book is short but impactful. Lewis had a gift for viscerally expressing what his faith felt like to him, which is something I find valuable as someone who has never experienced religious faith. Part of why I read is to better understand what it's like in other people's heads, and this book did that for me.
(Oh, and I'm not being snarky by tagging this as fantasy. He calls it fantasy in the introduction! He makes it clear that he's writing imaginatively and not presuming to describe what the afterlife is actually like, because he can't know that. Well, I mean, I guess he knows now...)
Lewis explores this idea by imagining himself being taken on a journey from Hell (envisioned as a dreary, lonely, mostly-empty town in perpetual twilight) to the outskirts of Heaven. Here the "ghosts" of those in Hell are met by people they knew in life, who try to persuade them to enter Heaven instead of turning back. This is very much inspired by Dante, and like Dante, Lewis gets a guide: the Scottish fantasy author George MacDonald, who I'd never heard of, but apparently he was a great influence on Lewis. (Has anyone read his stuff?)
So, why would the dead turn back? Well, because it turns out the hard part of getting into Heaven is letting go of all the damaging patterns that made you miserable in life: Abusively controlling people and calling it love. Feeling big by making others feel small. Manipulating loved ones because you're scared they'll leave you. None of this has any place in Heaven, but most of the ghosts Lewis meets are so entrenched in it, blustering in pride or cowering in terror behind their emotional walls, that they'd rather go back to Hell than admit there's a better way.
Lewis keenly observes the lies people tell themselves to justify their own self-destructive behavior, and it's startling how little has changed in 80 years! Some of the ways these characters talk are chillingly familiar. Though I don't share the religious side of Lewis's worldview, we're certainly in close agreement in our understanding of how people lock themselves in their own personal hell on Earth.
The book is short but impactful. Lewis had a gift for viscerally expressing what his faith felt like to him, which is something I find valuable as someone who has never experienced religious faith. Part of why I read is to better understand what it's like in other people's heads, and this book did that for me.
(Oh, and I'm not being snarky by tagging this as fantasy. He calls it fantasy in the introduction! He makes it clear that he's writing imaginatively and not presuming to describe what the afterlife is actually like, because he can't know that. Well, I mean, I guess he knows now...)
Community Recs Post!
May. 22nd, 2025 10:09 amglitteryv posting in recthethingEvery Thursday, we have a community post, just like this one, where you can drop a rec or five in the comments.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fics/fancrafts/fanvids/fanart/podfics/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fics/fancrafts/fanvids/fanart/podfics/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
Blue Beetle #6
May. 22nd, 2025 02:42 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Len Wein
Pencils: Paris Cullins
Inks: Bruce Patterson
These issues have got me interested in checking out the Question's book. Look out for that soon.
( Read more... )
Black Panther #1
May. 22nd, 2025 12:31 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWords and pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Mike Royer
People seemed to like my posts about Jack Kirby's Fourth World, so I thought I would start posting his run on Black Panther.
( Read more... )
Batman: Sword of Azrael #4
May. 22nd, 2025 10:31 amiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Dennis O’Neil
Pencils: Joe Quesada
Inks: Kevin Nowlan
Azrael in final battle with his nemesis LeHah.
( Read more... )
Episode 2625: I Fought the Chaos and the Chaos Won
May. 22nd, 2025 09:11 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
darths_and_droids_feed
The dramatic introduction (or re-introduction) is a cool way to bring in a new character. The formula is pretty simple. Have them do something startling or unexpected in front of the heroes, perhaps saving them from apparent doom, or otherwise intervening in a bad situation. They have no idea who this person is first, or if they can trust them.
It's a classic in movies. "Come with me if you want to live!"
The really fun part in a game is that the heroes don't have to follow any script. They might just shoot the guy! And then you can lead into all of the ensuing shenanigans and complications.
aurilee writes:
Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)
I see the GM is mixing together rule books again. That's a regular arrow by the looks of it, and while the eye spots would be a little bit weaker than the rest of the armor, that's still more effective than I'd expect. Did it have a micro-explosive in the tip or something?
And there's the big counterpoint to having realistic plans in TTRPGs, courtesy of Ben. At that point, you might as well switch game systems and start playing Paranoia to have fun with it. Or have some other way of generating characters. Pete's pretty handy at programming things; I bet he could come up with a random character creator relatively easily. Even just making some pre-gen templates that can be stuck together à la Rogue Legacy could speed things up significantly.
Anyway, it's a bit odd that there's a trooper here already. More accurately, there's a Single trooper here already. Haven't they always been in pairs if there isn't a battle going on before to prevent just this sort of situation? So where's the other one? Already taken down off-screen, and we'll see Lando standing near their remains perhaps?
Transcript
The Premiere of Sabretooth: Iron Fist #14
May. 21st, 2025 08:30 pmmastermahan posting in scans_daily
Inspired by the recent Sabretooth postings, I thought it would be interesting to go back and see what he was like in his first appearance. Was he always the dangerous monster x-fans now know, or a blowhard who can't win even with the deck stacked his favor?
( Read more... )
What I'm Reading: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025)
May. 21st, 2025 01:58 pmdelphi✓ kingstoken's 2025 Book Bingo: Over 300 Pages
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams is a 2025 tell-all about the author's time as Facebook's Director of Global Public Policy in the 2010s. The book focuses on the ill-preparedness of Facebook executives to navigate the geopolitical situations they inserted themselves into in their obsession with perpetual expansion, including their role in the Rohingya genocide, as well as the general bizarre work environment and the sexual harassment that the author experienced.
Wynn-Williams comes off as a deeply careless person herself, albeit one buoyed along on a slightly different type of inflated self-importance than her former colleagues. There's a lot of what feels like completely unreflected-upon self-incrimination in the book that lends credibility to her stories. The seams show clearly enough where she's edited her interactions with others (usually to give herself the winning last word in conversations that clearly would have continued) that I'm inclined to believe the bulk of what's there, even if I don't buy the characterization of her responses or her assessment of her own moral fibre.
When this book first came out, I wondered if reading it was going to feel redundant alongside all the media coverage it was surely going to get. But the gag order Facebook imposed on the author banning her from promoting the book—combined with the avalanche of other news in early 2025 about tech billionaires dismantling democracy—seemed to result in fewer articles about the content crossing my path than I would have expected. For that reason, I'm glad I took the time to read it.
Also, it's worth noting that in my searching, I found many results on other search engines that didn't turn up on Google, even when they involved sources that Google usually indexes.
( An Excerpt )
kingstoken's 2025 Book Bingo: Over 300 PagesCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams is a 2025 tell-all about the author's time as Facebook's Director of Global Public Policy in the 2010s. The book focuses on the ill-preparedness of Facebook executives to navigate the geopolitical situations they inserted themselves into in their obsession with perpetual expansion, including their role in the Rohingya genocide, as well as the general bizarre work environment and the sexual harassment that the author experienced.
Wynn-Williams comes off as a deeply careless person herself, albeit one buoyed along on a slightly different type of inflated self-importance than her former colleagues. There's a lot of what feels like completely unreflected-upon self-incrimination in the book that lends credibility to her stories. The seams show clearly enough where she's edited her interactions with others (usually to give herself the winning last word in conversations that clearly would have continued) that I'm inclined to believe the bulk of what's there, even if I don't buy the characterization of her responses or her assessment of her own moral fibre.
When this book first came out, I wondered if reading it was going to feel redundant alongside all the media coverage it was surely going to get. But the gag order Facebook imposed on the author banning her from promoting the book—combined with the avalanche of other news in early 2025 about tech billionaires dismantling democracy—seemed to result in fewer articles about the content crossing my path than I would have expected. For that reason, I'm glad I took the time to read it.
Also, it's worth noting that in my searching, I found many results on other search engines that didn't turn up on Google, even when they involved sources that Google usually indexes.
( An Excerpt )
I was wrestling with a coat hanger, can you guess who won?
May. 21st, 2025 11:11 pmsovayDespite spending rather more of the afternoon at the doctor's than planned, I do not consider the day a total loss because it contained an unexpectedly successful nebulizer treatment, the acquisition of bagels and chopped liver, a cinnamon cake donut, and ashlyme introducing me to Idris the Dragon. I have now seen what a gas station looks like when the fire suppression system has been deployed. Fell over in the evening and went down a rabbit hole of Boston vintage radio. Read some film criticism by Graham Greene. Am still not really watching movies myself. My brain could come back online any time.
ashlyme introducing me to Idris the Dragon. I have now seen what a gas station looks like when the fire suppression system has been deployed. Fell over in the evening and went down a rabbit hole of Boston vintage radio. Read some film criticism by Graham Greene. Am still not really watching movies myself. My brain could come back online any time.Rec Lists for SNK, XMFC, The Untamed
May. 22nd, 2025 12:36 pmunrelaxing posting in recthethingOver time I've made a few rec lists for friends and never thought to share them with the wider fandom, so I thought it would be nice to do that and post it here!
An SNK (specifically Levi/Eren) rec list from Aug. 13 2022 with 40 recs, split into CANON, CANON DIVERGENCE, REINCARNATION and ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.
Example recs:
Grown To Be Wild by graves | T, 4k | Hanahaki. Eren wakes hours before dawn with his hands tearing at his throat.
Pinecones by ShamelesslyPoetic | G, 5k | While Eren is wandering in the forest, he meets a short, dark, handsome soldier and immediately falls in love.
10 X-Men: First Class (Charles/Erik) fics under 1000 kudos, posted on Apr. 30, 2022 (some of these stories have since gotten 1k kudos).
Example recs:
Kiss and Tell by pearl_o | T, 2k | It's been a long time since Charles and Raven were able to sit down and really talk to each other, but the awkwardness of the occasion is lessened by a lot of red wine and comparing notes on something they have in common - namely, what Erik was like in bed.
Kintsugi by xtinethepirate | E, 49k | When Charles had told Hank there would be a time when they would all be together again, he hadn't meant immediately. In Charles’s mind, that indeterminate time was something more along the lines of “in a few months or a year, once Erik realized what a colossal ass he had been and Charles had stopped wanting to punch him again.”
An MDZS Fic Sampler with 16 fics, with a subsection of fics specifically where the Wen Remnants survive, posted on Apr. 22, 2020.
Example recs:
Seldom All They Seem by fahye | 24k, E | He bows to Wei Wuxian, sword in hand, sleeves falling properly. Wei Wuxian bows in return, and the sect leaders begin the opening courtesies, and for all of ten minutes Lan Wangji is under the impression that he is betrothed to a boy who is perfectly normal and acceptable apart from an unfortunate tendency to fidget with his clothes. That impression does not last.
Operation Old Men by chiharu | 17k | An ill-fated parent teacher conference reunites Jin Ling's wayward uncle with Sizhui's father. AKA: A matchmaking disaster as told by Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi.
An SNK (specifically Levi/Eren) rec list from Aug. 13 2022 with 40 recs, split into CANON, CANON DIVERGENCE, REINCARNATION and ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.
Example recs:
Grown To Be Wild by graves | T, 4k | Hanahaki. Eren wakes hours before dawn with his hands tearing at his throat.
Pinecones by ShamelesslyPoetic | G, 5k | While Eren is wandering in the forest, he meets a short, dark, handsome soldier and immediately falls in love.
10 X-Men: First Class (Charles/Erik) fics under 1000 kudos, posted on Apr. 30, 2022 (some of these stories have since gotten 1k kudos).
Example recs:
Kiss and Tell by pearl_o | T, 2k | It's been a long time since Charles and Raven were able to sit down and really talk to each other, but the awkwardness of the occasion is lessened by a lot of red wine and comparing notes on something they have in common - namely, what Erik was like in bed.
Kintsugi by xtinethepirate | E, 49k | When Charles had told Hank there would be a time when they would all be together again, he hadn't meant immediately. In Charles’s mind, that indeterminate time was something more along the lines of “in a few months or a year, once Erik realized what a colossal ass he had been and Charles had stopped wanting to punch him again.”
An MDZS Fic Sampler with 16 fics, with a subsection of fics specifically where the Wen Remnants survive, posted on Apr. 22, 2020.
Example recs:
Seldom All They Seem by fahye | 24k, E | He bows to Wei Wuxian, sword in hand, sleeves falling properly. Wei Wuxian bows in return, and the sect leaders begin the opening courtesies, and for all of ten minutes Lan Wangji is under the impression that he is betrothed to a boy who is perfectly normal and acceptable apart from an unfortunate tendency to fidget with his clothes. That impression does not last.
Operation Old Men by chiharu | 17k | An ill-fated parent teacher conference reunites Jin Ling's wayward uncle with Sizhui's father. AKA: A matchmaking disaster as told by Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi.
Jaws ficlet
May. 21st, 2025 07:14 pmsnickficI was swamped the entire writing and treating period for this round of seasonsofdrabbles, and only barely managed the one fic I did write. Glad I finished something, though.
respects a triple drabble for Jaws. Brody/Hooper, post-canon, featuring a ghost.
Now to finally get back to my H/C Ex fic...
seasonsofdrabbles, and only barely managed the one fic I did write. Glad I finished something, though. respects a triple drabble for Jaws. Brody/Hooper, post-canon, featuring a ghost.
Now to finally get back to my H/C Ex fic...
Free Comic Book Day 2025: The Amazing Spider-Man/Ultimate Universe #1
May. 21st, 2025 07:12 pmlaughing_tree posting in scans_daily
I wrote all of the Venom captions, and then Joe wrote all of the Spider-Man captions and Charles wrote Eddie's captions. And then we all collaborated a little bit on the OTHER CAPTIONS. -- Al Ewing
( Read more... )
Wednesday Reading Meme - May 21 2025
May. 21st, 2025 08:08 pmkitewithfishTV: I have started watching Murderbot! I am intrigued by it! Skarsgard is doing really good at displaying Murderbot's discomfort and the team gets nicely fleshed out. I am cautiously optimistic. The fight scenes are less horrifying than I was imagining.
Real Life:
In other, sadder news, over the last week, a very dear friend of mine has been dealing with the sudden illness and death of a dear friend of theirs (not someone I knew directly). Since we are each other's emergency phone call buddies for a lot of stuff, that means, while I was in no way attached directly to the person who just passed away, I have been doing a lot of emotional support over the phone and I am feeling the general sadness of human fragility and loss rather than missing a particular person. But he was about my age, and he got sick and died and there's just a whole lot of grief swirly around me even if it's not mine.
Work has been incredibly intense due to hosting events on site, so I have had a lot of traveling to the site, sleeping in a strange place, and doing pointless customer service to support a branch of my org's team that needs people to help manage the events. The whole thing seems wildly pointless.
What I've Read
Oh I have read nothing. Slightly behind on the year to date goals
What I'm Reading
He Who Drowned the World – Book club re-read
The Ministry of Time by Kailane Bradley – 25% ish, it’s kind of The Terror fanfiction
Hunting Toward Heartstill by Blackkat -about 45%
My Favorite Thing is Monsters -Emil Ferris – over 60% - okay this is turning out great.
The Antarctica Conspiracy Derin Edala – slightly on hold.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In – John Wiswell – 15%
What I'll Read Next
Hugo Nominees are out!
Track Changes
The Deep Dark
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2
The Tainted Cup
Alien Clay
Service Model
The Ministry of Time
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way
Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed
Navigational Entanglements
The Butcher of the Forest
The Hunger and the Dusk: Vol. 1
The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain
Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right
The Brides of High Hill
We Called Them Giants
The Tusks of Extinction
“Charting the Cliff: An Investigation into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics”
“Signs of Life”
“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars”
“The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”
“Loneliness Universe”
“The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion”
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”
“Lake of Souls”
Real Life:
In other, sadder news, over the last week, a very dear friend of mine has been dealing with the sudden illness and death of a dear friend of theirs (not someone I knew directly). Since we are each other's emergency phone call buddies for a lot of stuff, that means, while I was in no way attached directly to the person who just passed away, I have been doing a lot of emotional support over the phone and I am feeling the general sadness of human fragility and loss rather than missing a particular person. But he was about my age, and he got sick and died and there's just a whole lot of grief swirly around me even if it's not mine.
Work has been incredibly intense due to hosting events on site, so I have had a lot of traveling to the site, sleeping in a strange place, and doing pointless customer service to support a branch of my org's team that needs people to help manage the events. The whole thing seems wildly pointless.
What I've Read
Oh I have read nothing. Slightly behind on the year to date goals
What I'm Reading
He Who Drowned the World – Book club re-read
The Ministry of Time by Kailane Bradley – 25% ish, it’s kind of The Terror fanfiction
Hunting Toward Heartstill by Blackkat -about 45%
My Favorite Thing is Monsters -Emil Ferris – over 60% - okay this is turning out great.
The Antarctica Conspiracy Derin Edala – slightly on hold.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In – John Wiswell – 15%
What I'll Read Next
Hugo Nominees are out!
Track Changes
The Deep Dark
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2
The Tainted Cup
Alien Clay
Service Model
The Ministry of Time
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way
Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed
Navigational Entanglements
The Butcher of the Forest
The Hunger and the Dusk: Vol. 1
The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain
Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right
The Brides of High Hill
We Called Them Giants
The Tusks of Extinction
“Charting the Cliff: An Investigation into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics”
“Signs of Life”
“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars”
“The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”
“Loneliness Universe”
“The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion”
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”
“Lake of Souls”
Wednesday Reading Meme
May. 21st, 2025 05:31 pmsinealaWhat I Just Finished Reading
Nothing. My ability to finish reading books has declined a lot, I guess.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Fantastic Four #32, Iron Man #8, Superior Avengers #2, Thunderbolts Doomstrike #5, Ultimates #12, Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1 )
What I'm Reading Next
Still very slowly reading a book about the World Series.
Nothing. My ability to finish reading books has declined a lot, I guess.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Fantastic Four #32, Iron Man #8, Superior Avengers #2, Thunderbolts Doomstrike #5, Ultimates #12, Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1 )
What I'm Reading Next
Still very slowly reading a book about the World Series.
Pride (2014) + moving to music
May. 21st, 2025 09:32 pmschneefinkL and I are both out of practice when it comes to, uh, sailing the high seas, so when we wanted to watch Pride we walked over to the local library and borrowed the DVD. (The library has two entire #BookTok shelves btw.) Which turned out to be a great choice because we really enjoyed the DVD extra about the actual history. Finding out that there were actual LGSM members walking in the march at the end made it even better.
Such a good movie. Even before I watched it, a gif set of the ending (which of course I can't find again rn) was one of the few things on Tumblr to reliably get me teary-eyed. (The other one being the story of the RMS Carpathia.) Learning about the characters that were based on real people, and their fates, and then of course of the waves resulting from their actions, was a very good finish. (I was slightly embarrassed that I didn't remember where I knew Gethin's actor from until I read Andrew Scott in the end credits.)
I agreed to house&pet-sit a couple of times for friends that are leaving for a three week vacation next week, so on Monday I got the introduction to the house. I expected that I would most look forward to spending time in the garden and/or pool, and also take advantage of the fancy kitchen, maybe the Xbox Gamepass or Switch, but that's before I got the introduction to the VR glasses. Now I suspect I will spend a significant amount of time playing Beat Saber. You have lightsabers! And move to the music! Idk maybe the shine will wear off quick but I'm really looking forward to playing.
Such a good movie. Even before I watched it, a gif set of the ending (which of course I can't find again rn) was one of the few things on Tumblr to reliably get me teary-eyed. (The other one being the story of the RMS Carpathia.) Learning about the characters that were based on real people, and their fates, and then of course of the waves resulting from their actions, was a very good finish. (I was slightly embarrassed that I didn't remember where I knew Gethin's actor from until I read Andrew Scott in the end credits.)
I agreed to house&pet-sit a couple of times for friends that are leaving for a three week vacation next week, so on Monday I got the introduction to the house. I expected that I would most look forward to spending time in the garden and/or pool, and also take advantage of the fancy kitchen, maybe the Xbox Gamepass or Switch, but that's before I got the introduction to the VR glasses. Now I suspect I will spend a significant amount of time playing Beat Saber. You have lightsabers! And move to the music! Idk maybe the shine will wear off quick but I'm really looking forward to playing.
FFA DW Post #2295 - Placeholder
May. 21st, 2025 09:01 pmsunnymodffa posting in fail_fandomanonPlaceholder
All the
fail_fandomanon Rules and Information (and Ban Requests): https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/1076.html. The short version: no embeds, don't out people's real names, don't be that much of an asshole, body fluids are off topic, Mods reserve the right to freeze, screen, and delete the fuck out of stuff. FFA discussion covers a wide variety of topics and has a very flexible view of 'fandom' that includes politics, current events, and cooking techniques. FFA is a Choose NOT to Warn experience. Meme away.Other posts on meme:
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as supplies run low
May. 21st, 2025 11:58 amsolarbirdI’ve been checking hardware stores the last couple of weeks, mostly because there are things I need, but a little because I’m watching their stocks fall.
Smaller hardware stores are having a harder time covering the stock gap than larger ones. That makes obvious sense; they have less to begin with, so the duplications and outright gaps are more clearly visible. Hand tools in particular are getting pretty thin on the ground at this point; screwdriver bit replacements – well, lots of particular varieties are no longer available. Stuff like that. It’s been a multi-week process, not all-at-once – though it will probably look that way in retrospect.
Today, though, I had a somewhat more pointed experience.
Yesterday, Home Depot had 34 of a particular China-made mini circular saw available. It’s inexpensive because it’s corded; it’s from WEN, who make very basic but generally adequate enough kit for people on a budget. A chonkier Ryobi, perhaps. And last night, they had 34 of these saws available for store pickup or delivery.
This morning, when I woke up, they had 17.
An hour later, they had 15.
I was going to buy this with credit union rewards points, but it seems that was going to take too long. So I shelled out the cash, buying it immediately instead. It’s not a big deal for me, we’re still within our current tight budget this month.
So now they have 14.
Maybe that big drop was a one-off, a fluke – an organic surge, rather than someone grabbing a set for their employees while they could. Maybe Home Depot’s remaining 14 are enough that they’ll still have 10 in another month.
Or maybe it was scalpers. I don’t know how quickly these things sell, as a rule.
But that… that was a surprise.
Most people won’t notice stock thinning, I don’t think. Not quickly. I don’t have a reason for that other than recent experience shows that most people don’t notice a single goddamn thing until it punches them, personally, in the face. They to go get a thing, and it won’t be there, and then they notice.
A lot more people are probably pretty close to that moment of noticing.
They’ll notice it even more when their Medicare gets its $350 billion dollar cut.
It’ll be a moment of awareness, a moment of panic. It won’t last long – the fascist noise machine will do everything it can to patch it over – but it’ll be there.
Are you ready to take advantage of that? Particularly with your Trumpy relatives?
Maybe you should be.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Detective Comics #654
May. 21st, 2025 06:02 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Michael Netzer
Inks: Scott Hanna
Knightfall prelude.
Batman must deal with a punk kid and his gang shooting up Gotham City.
( Read more... )
Amazing Spider-Man #95
May. 21st, 2025 02:41 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Romita, Sr.
Inks: Sal Buscema
Gwen has gone to London to live with her uncle (and no other reason.) Peter follows, only to get pulled in to a terrorist plot.
( Read more... )
Uncanny X-Men #213
May. 21st, 2025 12:35 pmiamrman posting in scans_dailyWriter: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Alan Davis
Inks: Mark Farmer
Welcome to the X-Men, Elizabeth Braddock. We hope you survive the experience.
( Read more... )
Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 28-32 of 2025
May. 21st, 2025 07:18 amspikedluvWhat I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Brandy & Bullets (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) by Donald Bain, And Justice There is None (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie, All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells, Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells and The Dragon Tamer by Megan Derr.
What I am Currently Reading: A Fountain Filled with Blood (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.
What I Plan to Read Next: Another library book or more Murderbot.
Book 28 of 2025: Brandy & Bullets (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) (Donald Bain)
I enjoyed this book more than the others. Perhaps because it took place in Cabot Cove? ( spoilers )
This book is the best of the bunch so far, but I'm not sure if that's because the author is becoming more comfortable writing them or because it took place in Cabot Cove, as I mentioned. I'm giving it four hearts.
♥♥♥♥
Book 29 of 2025: And Justice There is None (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)
I really enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )
I think this series is getting better and better; I'm giving this book five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 30 of 2025: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I wanted to re-read this prior to starting the tv series. It was so good! ( spoilers )
I look forward to the further adventures of Murderbot! I'm giving this novella five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 31 of 2025: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I didn't have to read this book to start the tv series, but I couldn't resist seeing what Murderbot would do next. I liked it a lot. ( spoilers )
I look forward to seeing what Murderbot does next. I'm giving this novella five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 32 of 2025: The Dragon Tamer (Megan Derr)
This was a cute little novella. ( spoilers )
I enjoyed this and recommend it if you’re looking for something to do for about a half hour. (I also checked out some of her other books and they look good.) I’m giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
What I am Currently Reading: A Fountain Filled with Blood (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.
What I Plan to Read Next: Another library book or more Murderbot.
Book 28 of 2025: Brandy & Bullets (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) (Donald Bain)
I enjoyed this book more than the others. Perhaps because it took place in Cabot Cove? ( spoilers )
This book is the best of the bunch so far, but I'm not sure if that's because the author is becoming more comfortable writing them or because it took place in Cabot Cove, as I mentioned. I'm giving it four hearts.
♥♥♥♥
Book 29 of 2025: And Justice There is None (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)
I really enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )
I think this series is getting better and better; I'm giving this book five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 30 of 2025: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I wanted to re-read this prior to starting the tv series. It was so good! ( spoilers )
I look forward to the further adventures of Murderbot! I'm giving this novella five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 31 of 2025: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I didn't have to read this book to start the tv series, but I couldn't resist seeing what Murderbot would do next. I liked it a lot. ( spoilers )
I look forward to seeing what Murderbot does next. I'm giving this novella five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 32 of 2025: The Dragon Tamer (Megan Derr)
This was a cute little novella. ( spoilers )
I enjoyed this and recommend it if you’re looking for something to do for about a half hour. (I also checked out some of her other books and they look good.) I’m giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
GIANT STRAWBERRY CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
May. 21st, 2025 04:55 amnverland posting in recipecommunity
GIANT STRAWBERRY CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
Yield: 8-10 SERVINGS total time: 3 HOURS OR SO
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH:
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm non-fat milk (heated to about 120 degrees, about 45-60 seconds in the microwave)
1/3 cup + 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Paddle attachment & dough hook for your mixer
FOR THE FILLING:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries (about 3/4 pound)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
FOR THE FROSTING
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 ounces cream cheese, very soft
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or milk
( Read more... )
Absolute Martian Manhunter #2
May. 21st, 2025 01:33 amlaughing_tree posting in scans_daily
That was part of my pitch, that maybe the DC Universe J'onn felt a little bit in between alien and human, in a way that wasn't a positive for the character, that wasn't a positive for readers. Where he is a little too alien to be relatable to, and maybe a little too human to really be awed by the alienness of him. And so that's part of why I separated the two characters and made John Jones a human being that we can relate to, and make the Martian this really strange alien consciousness that that has strange ideas that maybe that are not so relatable to us, and that's okay, because they're not really relatable to John either, and John's our way in and through John, hopefully we'll come to see whether those ideas are palatable or not. -- Deniz Camp
( Read more... )
Music Tuesday
May. 20th, 2025 09:17 pmmuccamukkThe CBC keeps playing this at me for some reason, and it's really pretty.
BUT ALSO: what is that piano intro reminding me of? I'm thinking late'90s with a female singer, but it might just have been... something I listened to a lot in the '90s.
(no subject)
May. 20th, 2025 09:04 pmolivermoss* I just got caught up in my D&D homework and refreshed myself on how to multiclass with wizards. Both my characters are multi-classed, but one is way more complicated then the other. The irony is that at the end of the chapter Leyfarers is switching from the original 5th edition rules to the 2024 redo of fifth edition, so I am going to need to redo everything and relearn everything.
I am going to need to figure out soon if I am re-speccing either of them, because the rules changeover will be a one-time chance to change classes and other stuff. And right now I really don't know.
* I really need to do glamour shots of my dice and also stop buying dice.
I am going to need to figure out soon if I am re-speccing either of them, because the rules changeover will be a one-time chance to change classes and other stuff. And right now I really don't know.
* I really need to do glamour shots of my dice and also stop buying dice.
Books
May. 20th, 2025 08:51 pmolivermoss* The Left Handed Booksellers of London - I wasn't familiar with the author, Garth Nix, when I picked this up. He does a lot of books aimed at younger readers. I feel like the start of this book was more serious, and then devolved into whimsy and random exposition. 1980s London, gender fluid character, booksellers who monitor the occult, and a plot that hooked me. I really wanted to like this and should have DNF'd it sooner.
Trying to avoid making a powerpoint presentation on the complexities of YA as a marketing term and how it makes my life harder. I don't want to double check everything to see if it's considered YA and discount it based on that, because a lot of stuff that isn't gets categorized that way. Sarah J Maas' ACOTAR being a prime example.
* Hell Bent - The sequel to Ninth House and the middle book of what will be a trilogy. It sounds like we should heard about the final book soon? Very excited. On one hand, I love the writing and am already looking forward to rereading both books in prep for the final one. On the other hand, the occult elements didn't feel as solid as in the first book. I loved it, but it's not to the bar of the first book. Middle books of trilogies are like that sometimes.
Of course try to look up anything about Ninth House and every website gets even more convinced that I want to see Gideon the Ninth stuff. On Amazon it's listed as The Ninth House Series. I think 'Alex Stern' is used as a alternate name to deal with disambiguation, but that only helps so much. The lesbian necromancers in space are inescapable!
* Blood Trail - I liked it more than expected. I am determined to read this series, but how often I was told to start with the later books was worrying. It drags a bit in places, but also it's an early urban fantasy book so I don't mind.
It is an amazing time capsule of that time in the 90s when technology became more part of our lives, but no google or cell phones yet. People needing to stay in for phone calls, discourse about whether screening calls with an answering machine is anti-social, etc. Also, cities being very gritty and dangerous. Obviously it wasn't intentional, but it's a very dense capsule.
Reading it so soon after a Di Tregarde book was funny because in the Tregarde books, Di is a romance novelist partially to deal with her odd schedule as Guardian, but in Blood Trail the vampire is a romance novelist to deal with his odd schedule. They are both writing similar sounding books involving sea captains. Also, both in cold cities and dealing with the cold winds, etc. There's a lot of notes in common, which may be them both riffing on the same thing or being plugged into the same trends. To be clear, the similar notes are interesting and amusing, not anything else.
Trying to avoid making a powerpoint presentation on the complexities of YA as a marketing term and how it makes my life harder. I don't want to double check everything to see if it's considered YA and discount it based on that, because a lot of stuff that isn't gets categorized that way. Sarah J Maas' ACOTAR being a prime example.
* Hell Bent - The sequel to Ninth House and the middle book of what will be a trilogy. It sounds like we should heard about the final book soon? Very excited. On one hand, I love the writing and am already looking forward to rereading both books in prep for the final one. On the other hand, the occult elements didn't feel as solid as in the first book. I loved it, but it's not to the bar of the first book. Middle books of trilogies are like that sometimes.
Of course try to look up anything about Ninth House and every website gets even more convinced that I want to see Gideon the Ninth stuff. On Amazon it's listed as The Ninth House Series. I think 'Alex Stern' is used as a alternate name to deal with disambiguation, but that only helps so much. The lesbian necromancers in space are inescapable!
* Blood Trail - I liked it more than expected. I am determined to read this series, but how often I was told to start with the later books was worrying. It drags a bit in places, but also it's an early urban fantasy book so I don't mind.
It is an amazing time capsule of that time in the 90s when technology became more part of our lives, but no google or cell phones yet. People needing to stay in for phone calls, discourse about whether screening calls with an answering machine is anti-social, etc. Also, cities being very gritty and dangerous. Obviously it wasn't intentional, but it's a very dense capsule.
Reading it so soon after a Di Tregarde book was funny because in the Tregarde books, Di is a romance novelist partially to deal with her odd schedule as Guardian, but in Blood Trail the vampire is a romance novelist to deal with his odd schedule. They are both writing similar sounding books involving sea captains. Also, both in cold cities and dealing with the cold winds, etc. There's a lot of notes in common, which may be them both riffing on the same thing or being plugged into the same trends. To be clear, the similar notes are interesting and amusing, not anything else.
Movies: Doctor Mordrid, The Passenger, Bring Her Back
May. 20th, 2025 08:48 pmsnickficDoctor Mordrid (1992). A researcher for the NYPD discovers her neighbor (Jeffrey Combs) is a sorcerer whose nemesis has just arrived to destroy the Earth. The credits say this is "Based on an idea by Charles Band" which is a very funny way of saying "This was supposed to be a Doctor Strange adaptation but the rights expired during pre-production" (lol).
This is very short, a tight 74 minutes, and extremely cheesy. Nobody gets much development or depth. I saw someone describe this as feeling like the pilot to a 90s procedural, and yeah, that feels about right. The main appeal is of course Jeffrey Combs, who honestly feels fairly awkward in the role of hero main character. To be fair, none of the direction or anything else is doing him any favors.
All that said, this DOES have a stopmotion battle between a T-rex skeleton and a triceratops skeleton, and that's pretty great, honestly. I'd say that probably was worth the price of admission all by itself.
The villain looked vaguely familiar, and I looked him up and found the actor went on to play Luke in the Buffy pilot and then the Judge in S2. Neat.
--
The Passenger (2023). A shy, awkward fast food worker in his early 20s (Johnny Berchtold) gets kidnapped by his cowoker (Kyle Gallner), who vacillates between gunning people down with a shotgun and providing his own fucked-up version of therapy in hopes of teaching our main guy to stand up for himself.
I somehow had osmosed a very different premise for this movie; I was maybe conflating it with He Went That Way, or some other carjacking movie? Some kind of "violent sadist terrorizes innocent person" story, which is extremely not my jam. This, however, is weirder and more complicated than that, and overall I enjoyed it a lot, especially considering it clearly didn't cost much to make. The dynamic between the two guys is interesting (I can totally see why there's a few hundred fics on AO3), and there are some genuinely very nice shots. I especially liked the opening sequence of driving through town just before dawn, and how the movie comes to a climax at nightfall. I also appreciate the movie's commitment to an extremely late 80s aesthetic for its fast food joint. Overall, a pleasant watch.
I do find it funny that I've seen Kyle Gallner in exactly two things (not counting his SPN appearance as a kid), both recently, both opening with him trying to kill people with a shotgun. He does have a real stereotypical redneck look about him, especially with the mustache.
--
Bring Her Back (2025). Directed by the Philippou brothers, who made Talk to Me, this is about a teenage kid and his younger, visually impaired stepsister who, after their dad dies, go to stay with a foster mother (Sally Hawkins, ie Elisa from The Shape of Water) and her extremely creepy other foster child.
This is in fact not out yet, but I got to see it at the Monday Mystery Movie showing last night. It also is not the sequel to Talk to Me (even though I swear the title is a line that appears in Talk to Me). There is a sequel to that movie greenlit, it's just not this movie. Just to clear all that up!
Anyway, I liked it a lot. The two main kids are great, and especially the kid playing the older brother puts in a great performance supported by some pretty nuanced writing as he tries to navigate this escalating situation that is so much worse and weirder than he realizes. Sally Hawkins is fantastic, and what's going on with her character is satisfyingly horrible, I feel, with some glints of pretty fun black humor. I also appreciated that the story arcs here don't map directly onto real life issues the way the demons in Talk to Me were basically a one-for-one swap with drug use. This story is too weird to allow that kind of straightforward interpretation.
The star of the show here has got to be the creepy other foster kid, Ollie, who starts out mute, staring, and occasionally banging on things, and then gets a lot weirder from there. The entire concept of his character is executed really well, just very effective and fresh with images that will stick with you. I love the angle this story takes on the trope.
FYI the foster mom's cat experiences some harm (although not super obviously, I missed it and someone had to tell me after), but as far as we know it survives the movie.
This is very short, a tight 74 minutes, and extremely cheesy. Nobody gets much development or depth. I saw someone describe this as feeling like the pilot to a 90s procedural, and yeah, that feels about right. The main appeal is of course Jeffrey Combs, who honestly feels fairly awkward in the role of hero main character. To be fair, none of the direction or anything else is doing him any favors.
All that said, this DOES have a stopmotion battle between a T-rex skeleton and a triceratops skeleton, and that's pretty great, honestly. I'd say that probably was worth the price of admission all by itself.
The villain looked vaguely familiar, and I looked him up and found the actor went on to play Luke in the Buffy pilot and then the Judge in S2. Neat.
--
The Passenger (2023). A shy, awkward fast food worker in his early 20s (Johnny Berchtold) gets kidnapped by his cowoker (Kyle Gallner), who vacillates between gunning people down with a shotgun and providing his own fucked-up version of therapy in hopes of teaching our main guy to stand up for himself.
I somehow had osmosed a very different premise for this movie; I was maybe conflating it with He Went That Way, or some other carjacking movie? Some kind of "violent sadist terrorizes innocent person" story, which is extremely not my jam. This, however, is weirder and more complicated than that, and overall I enjoyed it a lot, especially considering it clearly didn't cost much to make. The dynamic between the two guys is interesting (I can totally see why there's a few hundred fics on AO3), and there are some genuinely very nice shots. I especially liked the opening sequence of driving through town just before dawn, and how the movie comes to a climax at nightfall. I also appreciate the movie's commitment to an extremely late 80s aesthetic for its fast food joint. Overall, a pleasant watch.
I do find it funny that I've seen Kyle Gallner in exactly two things (not counting his SPN appearance as a kid), both recently, both opening with him trying to kill people with a shotgun. He does have a real stereotypical redneck look about him, especially with the mustache.
--
Bring Her Back (2025). Directed by the Philippou brothers, who made Talk to Me, this is about a teenage kid and his younger, visually impaired stepsister who, after their dad dies, go to stay with a foster mother (Sally Hawkins, ie Elisa from The Shape of Water) and her extremely creepy other foster child.
This is in fact not out yet, but I got to see it at the Monday Mystery Movie showing last night. It also is not the sequel to Talk to Me (even though I swear the title is a line that appears in Talk to Me). There is a sequel to that movie greenlit, it's just not this movie. Just to clear all that up!
Anyway, I liked it a lot. The two main kids are great, and especially the kid playing the older brother puts in a great performance supported by some pretty nuanced writing as he tries to navigate this escalating situation that is so much worse and weirder than he realizes. Sally Hawkins is fantastic, and what's going on with her character is satisfyingly horrible, I feel, with some glints of pretty fun black humor. I also appreciated that the story arcs here don't map directly onto real life issues the way the demons in Talk to Me were basically a one-for-one swap with drug use. This story is too weird to allow that kind of straightforward interpretation.
The star of the show here has got to be the creepy other foster kid, Ollie, who starts out mute, staring, and occasionally banging on things, and then gets a lot weirder from there. The entire concept of his character is executed really well, just very effective and fresh with images that will stick with you. I love the angle this story takes on the trope.
FYI the foster mom's cat experiences some harm (although not super obviously, I missed it and someone had to tell me after), but as far as we know it survives the movie.