Reading

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Detective Comics #621

Writer: Alan Grant

Pencils: Norm Breyfogle

Inks: Steve Mitchell

This issue is told via flashback as Batman tells Tim what happened to his parents.

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Current Mood: busy

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followfriday

Follow Friday 5-23-25

Got any Follow Friday-related posts to share this week? Comment here with the link(s).

Here's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".

Current Mood: hot

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My first time reading about Hannibal of Carthage! Ernle Bradford's Hannibal is a decent intro and well-written, though after reading stuff by Mary Beard and others, it makes the lack of visible scholarship within Bradford's book stand out a bit. He does occasionally mention when Livy and Polybius' takes of Hannibal contradict each other, and does do some speculation on which route Hannibal and his brother may have taken into Italy, but otherwise it mostly presents things to be fact, right down to quotes that Hannibal was reported to have said. (By whom!) Which makes it good for an intro reader like me, but doesn't get into the nitty gritty or discuss other causes and effects of Hannibal's campaign except the overarching consequence that in the aftermath, Rome's influence in the Mediterranean increased and grew out into an empire.

Something like 90% of the book's content covers Hannibal's decade-and-half campaign in Italy, with particular focus on battle tactics. It's generalizing to say that male historians enjoy focusing a great deal on the minutiae of battle tactics in the biographies they write, yet that is a pattern I'm seeing. I would like to know more about the Hannibal's world and the political machinations of Rome in resisting and eventually repelling him. Because Bradford does present the opinion that Hannibal's wartime strategy in Italy was sound for invasion but not for consolidation, and it's the strength of Rome's political institutions that allowed them to resist Hannibal for over a decade of warfare without capitulation or destruction, but those processes are what I would liked to know more about. I would also love to know more about how fear of Hannibal impacted Roman society! But that's a minor thing, and not necessary for an intro read of the topic.

On a very basic note, the times being what they are, whenever Hannibal's father gets mentioned I have to forcibly read Hamilcar as a name instead of a Pixar AU of Hamilton.

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Recent ficlets from Tumblr

1. Biggles - Biggles/EvS flirting/pre-ship + a long-suffering Algy

Prompt: EvS flirts with a mark to distract him, and Biggles has Feelings about it?

Originally posted here

( 500 words of flirting and Algy making faces about it )

2. Biggles - Erich + Biggles enemy-era h/c

Prompt: Biggles is giving his standard "You're too good for this, reconsider your nefarious ways" speech to EvS but wholly unexpectedly/uncharacteristically EvS just starts crying in response (feverish delirium? drugged? exhausted? drunk?) and now a flummoxed Biggles has to contend with a sobbing nemesis and (horror) Emotions

Originally posted here

( 1000 words of awkward crying )

3. Babylon 5 - Susan & Delenn post-series

Prompt: Susan / Delenn after the show ends. You might have to wait to finish the whole thing for full context. Anything. They just deserve to be happy.

(The resulting fic is basically gen, but could be pre-ship.)

Originally posted here

( 500 words of gentle post-canon bonding )

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links,
science

(no subject)

This 17-Year-Old Scientist Is Making an Acetaminophen Alternative That Is Less Damaging to the Liver

Lee’s project began with a deep dive into research. “I noticed that current solutions against acetaminophen toxicity are limited,” she explains. “Antidotal therapy, a clinical approach against toxicity, is widely inaccessible and also unreliable, and current approaches to chemically modifying acetaminophen, what my research seeks to do, are impractical since they sacrifice acetaminophen’s pain-relieving properties.”

Can't really remember what I was doing at 17, but it was definitely nothing like this.

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Detective Comics 2025 Annual #1 - "Batman, Do Not Solve My Murder"

I had a really good time kind of finding my level with Batman. I think the notes I got back for the first draft was that my Batman was a little too chummy and a little too quirky and a little too friendly. He needs to be a little bit spikier. And I was like, "Yeah, I get that." -- Al Ewing

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The Great Ace Attorney: Homumiko Week 2025

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community: thursday recs

Thursday Recs

Another Thursday, another recs post!

Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!

Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!

Current Music: Matt Berninger, "Bonnet of Pins"

It's a cup trick shell game, it's a puff of smoke

I seem to have spent much of this day driving in a nor'easter, when all the potholes overflowed and every other driver in between the streaming gutters drove like a hydroplaning yak. I got to see

rushthatspeaks and secured a new inhaler and an appointment with a pulmonologist. Foods of the hour look like pastrami, scones, and a Zagnut.

Last night's shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum is still going around in my head, even if I didn't have people in the Jewish professional community of D.C. I don't want to entertain a referendum on the politics of the victims any more than I want to hear it about detained students or deportees, but it feels too cheap for irony that the shooter targeted an event with a focus on humanitarian aid in Gaza: all that mattered was that it aggregated Jews. The word antisemitism should be like hot iron in the mouth of the man in the White House. What he has to offer, none of us need.

In stark contrast to the mishegos with FB, when Criterion's website refused to honor a gift certificate I had received from them in the last month, I was able to get a real live person on their customer support staff who solved the problem for me so that I could ship a DVD of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) to a relative who really needed it. Maybe I should try to bribe them for editions of my favorite films.

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Unsent Letter author reveals, plus little gifts everywhere

unsent_letters_exchange author reveals are out, and my shockingly unsurprising entry is Eloquent (Biggles/EvS, 2100 words).

In other recent exchange developments, I joined in the Mismatched Tropes flash exchange and got two lovely small gifts: A Safe Landing (Biggles wingfic) and Cuddly Circumstances (B5, Londo & Vir, literal cuddle pollen).

There is also this thoroughly satisfying snippet written by

philomytha for a prompt I left her: Any Biggles characters, revolutions.

Current Mood: thoughtful

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icons

Stock Icon Update - May, 25

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star custom icon

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Star Wars Fic and Meta - From All The Spaces Between Times - Chapter 45

Title: From All The Spaces Between Times
Chapter: Chapter 45 - Together We Sail To the Source of Madness
Author:

elrhiarhodan /

elrhiarhodan
Fandom: Star Wars, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars — Obi Wan Kenobi (TV), Star Wars — Jedi Apprentice Books
Characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Watto, Quinlan Vos, Padmé Amidala, Sabé, Darth Maul, Yoda, Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, Quinlan Vos, Professor Huyang, The Force, Plo Koon, Vokara Che, Siri Tachi, Aayla Secura, Bant Eerin, Bruck Chun, Xanatos du Crion, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Hego Damask II | Darth Plagueis, Komari Vosa, Bail Prestor Organa, Bail Antilles Prestor, Rael Averross, Nim Piana, Original Characters, Other Characters To Be Added
Pairings: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Shmi Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, eventual Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon Jinn (but not for a long while)
Word Count: ~ 5000 this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi has never known it, but he has always been the Force’s Champion, destined to suffer infinite sadness in defense of the Light. On his last turn on the wheel, responsibility for The Chosen One, the false child of prophecy, had been thrust upon him with no warning, and Darkness held the upper hand.

But this time, the Force has marshaled its power and will protect its Champion until the time is right, no matter how long Obi-Wan has to wait and how much he has to suffer.

Or,

Obi-Wan is reborn as a twelve-year old.

He wakes up on a slavers’ ship, with all of his prior life’s memories intact, and he’s bound for Tatooine with a Force-inhibitor collar around his neck, a bomb implanted in his spine, and no way of knowing what state of the Galaxy is in.

Just another day in the life of the Force’s Champion.

Chapter Summary: There are shadows within shadows, and Obi-Wan is too worried about Bail to let things slide, even if Palpatine has disappeared. The Sith Master is still out there and he might be looking at a scion of a powerful Elder House to bring his agenda of death and destruction to fruition.

So it’s time to leave the security of the Temple and done a mask of sorts, to rescue a friend if the friend needs rescuing. But first, a whole lot of mission prep. So nothing goes wrong.

Yeah, right?

From All The Spaces Between Times — Chapter 45 - Together We Sail To the Source of Madnesss (On AO3)

( Meta — Chapter 45 - Together We Sail To the Source of Madness )

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Amazing Spider-Man #4

( Scans under the cut... )

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meme,
recs:fic

recs meme

I'm still on hiatus from monthly recs, but I did a handful over on Tumblr in response to an ask game. Check them out!

If anyone here would like to play, here's the list:

1 - Recommend a fic that lives in your brain rent free.
2 - Recommend a fic that is not posted on AO3.
3 - Recommend fic that is less than 5,000 words.
4 - Recommend a fic that is over 50,000 words.
5 - Recommend a gen fic (no pairings).
6 - Recommend a fic that does something cool with format or structure (epistolary, social media, 5 things, non-linear, etc.)
7 - Recommend a fic that uses a trope you love.
8 - Recommend a fic with an interesting premise/concept.
9 - Recommend a fic from a book fandom.
10 - Recommend a fic that is more than 10 years old.
11 - Recommend a fic you think is a hidden gem/deserves more reads.
12 - Recommend a fic that formed or changed your opinion on something (characterization, backstory, relationship, etc.)
13 - Recommend a fic you've re-read multiple times.
14 - Recommend your favorite fic.
15 - Recommend any fic of your choice.

I've technically already done 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 13, but I'm happy to take repeats. Fandom requests are also welcome, if it's one I share.

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BATMAN/SUPERMAN: World's Finest #39

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Four Or More 2025 Bingo

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The Friday Five for 23 May 2025

These questions were suggested by

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

Mission: 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

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The Demon #3

Writer: Jack Kirby

Pencils: Jack Kirby

Inks: Mike Royer

If you lived a former life, then you may become a victim of... the Reincarnators!

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