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Nov. 13th, 2025 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurumcalendulaI was panicking a bit the other day when I realized by library card has expired, but it turned out there's an online form to renew it for a year! (I was mostly worried about making sure I could keep the same number)
To Embers We Return continues to be really good and I'm really loving Dragon Subjugation Incantation (both translations updated recently)!
My copy of The Beauty's Blade also arrived yesterday! When I'd checked the tracking number a few days ago the ETA was the 17th, so it was a nice surprise. It looks like it's been selling well from various retailers' best seller subgenre charts, so hopefully they'll be publisher interest in licensing more.
I've also started volume 1 of Thrice Married to a Salted Fish. I like it so far, but I feel like QJJ has spoiled me a bit w/r/t female characters in danmei novels.
To Embers We Return continues to be really good and I'm really loving Dragon Subjugation Incantation (both translations updated recently)!
My copy of The Beauty's Blade also arrived yesterday! When I'd checked the tracking number a few days ago the ETA was the 17th, so it was a nice surprise. It looks like it's been selling well from various retailers' best seller subgenre charts, so hopefully they'll be publisher interest in licensing more.
I've also started volume 1 of Thrice Married to a Salted Fish. I like it so far, but I feel like QJJ has spoiled me a bit w/r/t female characters in danmei novels.
you're keeping calm, you're aiming higher
Nov. 13th, 2025 08:20 pmmusesfoolToday at work, they announced that we will be getting a COLA, retro back to July 1! My boss also floated a potential promotion for me (really, the work would mostly stay the same, but the title and money would be better) for after the new CEO is in place. We'll see if that ever happens. It would be cool if it did, but I won't hold my breath.
I thought I had other things to say, but I fell asleep on the couch after I logged off work and now I'm all fuzzy-headed.
*
I thought I had other things to say, but I fell asleep on the couch after I logged off work and now I'm all fuzzy-headed.
*
Saori WX60
Nov. 13th, 2025 10:20 amyhleeThey're not kidding when they say this loom folds up easily (a few seconds) and can be wheeled WITH A PARTIALLY WOVEN WIP STILL ON THE LOOM, ditto unfolding and your project's ready again. (The wheels are extra, but worth it to me.)
Note that this loom is lightweight, my preference (~30 lbs) but that means it will "travel" if you treadle hard. Likewise, by default it's only two harnesses. I unironically love plainweave so this is fine for my use case but if you have more complex weaving in mind, maybe not so much. (You can buy a spendy attachment to convert it to four harnesses, but...)
( Read more... )
I haven't yet tested it, but the design of the "ready-made warp" tabletop system is fiendishly clever. Frankly, warping is potentially so annoying that it was worth the cost. I am considering a Frankenstein's monster modification that MIGHT make warping easier as well but I haven't yet tested it.
Note that this loom is lightweight, my preference (~30 lbs) but that means it will "travel" if you treadle hard. Likewise, by default it's only two harnesses. I unironically love plainweave so this is fine for my use case but if you have more complex weaving in mind, maybe not so much. (You can buy a spendy attachment to convert it to four harnesses, but...)
( Read more... )I haven't yet tested it, but the design of the "ready-made warp" tabletop system is fiendishly clever. Frankly, warping is potentially so annoying that it was worth the cost. I am considering a Frankenstein's monster modification that MIGHT make warping easier as well but I haven't yet tested it.
writers beware: Must Read Magazines (currently: F&SF, Analog, Asimov's)
Nov. 13th, 2025 12:10 amyhleehttps://www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/2025/11/12/a-dream-denied/
Short version: Must Read Magazines offers garbage contracts. I'm not in contracts or law, but I started in sf/f short stories 20+ years ago and IMO Edelman correctly refused to sign.
Based on this account and others, I would not go near Must Read Magazines (or F&SF, Asimov's, Analog under their current ownership) with a 200-foot anaconda, let alone a 20-foot pole.
On August 12, 1971, my 16-year-old self mailed the first story I ever wrote off on its first submission. The publication I hoped would buy that story, my dream market, was The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
[...]
...earlier this week, after what by my count were 23 back and forth emails between me and the new owners of F&SF as I attempted to transform that initial boilerplate contract into something acceptable, I had no choice other than to walk away from my dream.
Let me explain why.
But before I do, I want to preface this by making it clear I have nothing but good things to say about editor Sheree Renée Thomas. Her words of praise as she accepted this story moved me greatly, and her perceptive comments and suggested tweaks ably demonstrated her strengths as an editor. It breaks my heart to disappoint her by pulling a story which was intended to appear in the next issue of F&SF. But, alas, I must.
Short version: Must Read Magazines offers garbage contracts. I'm not in contracts or law, but I started in sf/f short stories 20+ years ago and IMO Edelman correctly refused to sign.
Based on this account and others, I would not go near Must Read Magazines (or F&SF, Asimov's, Analog under their current ownership) with a 200-foot anaconda, let alone a 20-foot pole.
And back we go....
Nov. 12th, 2025 05:23 pmtassosssI want to take a second and say goodbye to this break from the grind. I am very lucky to be able to say that given we have the savings to weather missing three paychecks. This is the longest break I've had from working being a student full time since I was 17. I think 3 weeks in 2012 was the last time. (I was a contractor in 2019 and so worked that shutdown).
I think what this has really hit home is how much I would love to have a sabbatical every few years from work. I'm not sad to be going back, but it's so frenetic, and everything is a crisis, and the day in and day out is so wearing. I know I'll get used to it again, but it would also be nice not to be looking down the road at 27 more years of this. This is where midlife crises come from. I mean, fantasizing about not working full time has been a full time hobby of mine for about 15 years, so my definition of midlife is generous, but the point stands.
So farewell time to work on author stuff and editing. Farewell long hikes in the middle of the day. Farewell not having to cram everything into the weekend and feeling like a bad friend when I have to say no. Farewell kitty playtime and reading a book while doing nothing else. It was nice while it lasted.
I think what this has really hit home is how much I would love to have a sabbatical every few years from work. I'm not sad to be going back, but it's so frenetic, and everything is a crisis, and the day in and day out is so wearing. I know I'll get used to it again, but it would also be nice not to be looking down the road at 27 more years of this. This is where midlife crises come from. I mean, fantasizing about not working full time has been a full time hobby of mine for about 15 years, so my definition of midlife is generous, but the point stands.
So farewell time to work on author stuff and editing. Farewell long hikes in the middle of the day. Farewell not having to cram everything into the weekend and feeling like a bad friend when I have to say no. Farewell kitty playtime and reading a book while doing nothing else. It was nice while it lasted.
Frankenstein (2025) (Film Review)
Nov. 12th, 2025 10:50 amselenakThe short version: visually gorgeous (I expected no less from del Toro), well acted, but alas, it reminds me of nothing as much as a certain type of fanfiction - grovelfic, in lack of a better term - I used to find annoying back in the Highlander days, aka the ones where not only Cassandra is the true villalin but Methos was the fluffiest Horseman of the Apocalypse ever and Duncan profoundly apologizes. I mean, it's not that extreme, because Victor is something of an narcissistic jerk in the novel (though not only), and the Creature, who is my favourite character in it anyway, is very much the product of unearned abuse before he starts dealing out death and horror, but good lord. What Del Torro did in his version is really the type of fanfic that absolves the favored woobie (or do we say blorbo these days?) from any wrongdoing whatsoever, thereby unintentionally taking something crucial from what makes the character away, and shoves it upon the unfavourite. And that's before we get to "hat is the geography of this story anyway?" and "why got spoiler engaged to spoiler in the first place?" Mind you, if I had never ever read the novel, I suspect I might have loved the film, beccause as I said - terrific looks and good acting - but as it is, I have to consider the adaptation aspect, and here I have to say Penny Dreadful remains uncontested champion for best rendition of both the Creature (Caliban, just that there is no misunderstanding) and Victor Frankenstein in both their flaws and virtues and (Mary) Shelleyan themes. Runner up isn't this one, but the Branagh movie, which, yes, Kenneth Branagh in his slightly megalomaniac self indulgent Coppola phase, and he softens Victor's characterisation a bit (though not to the degree Del Toro softens the Creature's), but still, of all the adaptations I've seen, it probably sticks the most to the actual novel. (While Penny Dreadful's versions of the Creature and Frankenstein stick most the the spirit and characterisation.) (James Whale's two Frankenstein movies are their own artistic creations which while founding the pop culture idea of both the scientist and the creature are really their own independent things, sharing little but names and not even those at parts.)
( The spoilery version wonders whether everyone is telelporting at different plot points )
In conclusion: maybe do an original script the next time, del Toro? I really wonder whether the crazy geography and all the other technical issues would have mattered to me if I hadn't been comparing book and film, or whether I would allowed myself being swept away by the spectacle, and the characters as presented in the movie. But I do suspect some of the characterisation questions would still have remained.
( The spoilery version wonders whether everyone is telelporting at different plot points )
In conclusion: maybe do an original script the next time, del Toro? I really wonder whether the crazy geography and all the other technical issues would have mattered to me if I hadn't been comparing book and film, or whether I would allowed myself being swept away by the spectacle, and the characters as presented in the movie. But I do suspect some of the characterisation questions would still have remained.
The Pitt Fic: Thank You For Your Service (Abbot/Robby, NC-17)
Nov. 12th, 2025 12:08 amalethiaThank You For Your Service (4069 words) by Alethia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Pitt (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Abbot/Michael "Robby" Robinavitch
Characters: Jack Abbot (The Pitt), Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, Parker Ellis, Emery Walsh, Trinity Santos, Lena (The Pitt)
Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 01, Established Relationship, Veterans Day, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Mentor/Protégé, robby and ellis make jack feel loved, in their own way
Summary:
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Pitt (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Abbot/Michael "Robby" Robinavitch
Characters: Jack Abbot (The Pitt), Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, Parker Ellis, Emery Walsh, Trinity Santos, Lena (The Pitt)
Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 01, Established Relationship, Veterans Day, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Mentor/Protégé, robby and ellis make jack feel loved, in their own way
Summary:
"It's officially Veterans Day." Parker swiveled in her chair to look at Jack, going mock-solemn as she intoned, "Thank you for your service."
"You're fired," Jack instantly shot back, the damn traitor.
threadbare tapestry unwinding slow
Nov. 11th, 2025 08:56 pmmusesfoolSo I'm back on my HGTV bullshit again, and I just watched an episode where Egypt and Mike designed "the ultimate bachelor pad" for a dude who plans to entertain his friends and family for cards and football games, and who has two enormous dogs, and they put a WHITE COUCH in his living room. Who DOES that?
Otherwise, it was a nice reno - the three-seasons deck especially. But a white couch just seems like a terrible idea for 99% of people, let alone a guy with 2 huge dogs.
*
Otherwise, it was a nice reno - the three-seasons deck especially. But a white couch just seems like a terrible idea for 99% of people, let alone a guy with 2 huge dogs.
*
Tags, I'm It!
Nov. 11th, 2025 09:22 amastrogirlAnother AO3 meme that's been going around. I'm sure I've done this one before, but it was probably quite a long time ago. Not sure it's anywhere near as interesting as some of the other such exercises, or, rather, I doubt my results will be as interesting. But lets' see how it shakes out:
From your AO3 Works page, look at the tags and find the answers to these questions.
Current number of works on AO3: 363
1. Under what rating do you write most?
Ratings break down like this:
General Audiences (165)
Teen And Up Audiences (160)
Mature (23)
Explicit (15)
I'll admit, I often just sort of slap a "teen" on things by default, because there are, or might be, adult themes and situations and swearing and disturbing elements and other things you don't necessarily want to put in front of little kids, even if only in passing. Interesting to see that "general audiences still beats it out, if only just barely.
I'm always kind of surprised when I realize just how little E-rated fic I've written. I guess because it stands out in my mind. But clearly I'm falling down on the smut.
2. What are your top 3 fandoms?
Depends on how you count the two main incarnations of Doctor Who. I tag for whether it's Doctor Who (2005) or Doctor Who (1963), of course, but it's all Doctor Who to me, and it all also gets the blanket Doctor Who tag. So, since Who shows up on this list twice, I'm going to give you top four:
Doctor Who (91)
Good Omens (TV) (76)
Doctor Who (2005) (59)
Farscape (55)
That Good Omens tops the list if you remove the general Doctor Who tag isn't surprising, as the height of my GO obsession coincided with the point where I was doing blackout bingos on![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genprompt_bingo, so I wrote a gazillion ficlets for it.
I am more than a little surprised that Farscape is still hanging in there! I wrote a lot of fic for it back in the day (obviously), but it's been a very long time. The next fandom on the list, though -- Disco Elysium -- doesn't even come close.
3. Which character do you write about most?
Aziraphale with 60 fics. He is one busy little angel! Crowley is right behind him with 58.
4. What are the 3 top pairings you've written?
Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) (55)
Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi (20)
Claire Finn/Isaac (The Orville) (8)
Like I said, Aziraphale is one busy little angel. Although I think a lot of those A/C fics are just sort of... rather gently shippy. Like much of the show.
5. What are the top 3 additional tags?
Angst (38)
Episode Related (37)
Crossover (34)
I feel like I'm not nearly as much of an angst writer these days as I was, say, when I was in Blake's 7 fandom. (Which, let's be honest, was asking for it!) But it seems my angsty legacy is still going strong.
I doubt these tags actually tell you a whole lot, though, because I am admittedly an undertagger. I've been trying to be a bit less minimalist these days, especially in the more recent, younger-skewing fandoms, because people seem to expect more tagging. But I'm never gonna go giant-wall-o'-tags like the Kids These Days. Nor do I want to. Anyway, the point here is that crossovers will always get tagged as crossovers, because I consider that an important and essential tag, and I do try to remember to use the episode-related tag for fics that relate to a specific episode (missing scenes, etc). But there are plenty of things it's probably not even going to occur to me to tag, no matter how many times they come up.
From your AO3 Works page, look at the tags and find the answers to these questions.
Current number of works on AO3: 363
1. Under what rating do you write most?
Ratings break down like this:
General Audiences (165)
Teen And Up Audiences (160)
Mature (23)
Explicit (15)
I'll admit, I often just sort of slap a "teen" on things by default, because there are, or might be, adult themes and situations and swearing and disturbing elements and other things you don't necessarily want to put in front of little kids, even if only in passing. Interesting to see that "general audiences still beats it out, if only just barely.
I'm always kind of surprised when I realize just how little E-rated fic I've written. I guess because it stands out in my mind. But clearly I'm falling down on the smut.
2. What are your top 3 fandoms?
Depends on how you count the two main incarnations of Doctor Who. I tag for whether it's Doctor Who (2005) or Doctor Who (1963), of course, but it's all Doctor Who to me, and it all also gets the blanket Doctor Who tag. So, since Who shows up on this list twice, I'm going to give you top four:
Doctor Who (91)
Good Omens (TV) (76)
Doctor Who (2005) (59)
Farscape (55)
That Good Omens tops the list if you remove the general Doctor Who tag isn't surprising, as the height of my GO obsession coincided with the point where I was doing blackout bingos on
genprompt_bingo, so I wrote a gazillion ficlets for it.I am more than a little surprised that Farscape is still hanging in there! I wrote a lot of fic for it back in the day (obviously), but it's been a very long time. The next fandom on the list, though -- Disco Elysium -- doesn't even come close.
3. Which character do you write about most?
Aziraphale with 60 fics. He is one busy little angel! Crowley is right behind him with 58.
4. What are the 3 top pairings you've written?
Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) (55)
Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi (20)
Claire Finn/Isaac (The Orville) (8)
Like I said, Aziraphale is one busy little angel. Although I think a lot of those A/C fics are just sort of... rather gently shippy. Like much of the show.
5. What are the top 3 additional tags?
Angst (38)
Episode Related (37)
Crossover (34)
I feel like I'm not nearly as much of an angst writer these days as I was, say, when I was in Blake's 7 fandom. (Which, let's be honest, was asking for it!) But it seems my angsty legacy is still going strong.
I doubt these tags actually tell you a whole lot, though, because I am admittedly an undertagger. I've been trying to be a bit less minimalist these days, especially in the more recent, younger-skewing fandoms, because people seem to expect more tagging. But I'm never gonna go giant-wall-o'-tags like the Kids These Days. Nor do I want to. Anyway, the point here is that crossovers will always get tagged as crossovers, because I consider that an important and essential tag, and I do try to remember to use the episode-related tag for fics that relate to a specific episode (missing scenes, etc). But there are plenty of things it's probably not even going to occur to me to tag, no matter how many times they come up.
