yeloson | Reading

I have just realized that one of my longest lived "generic" plunnies would be perfect for a WangXian Modern Day Cultivators AU; like, the platonic ideal for it. But I have no creative urges for MDZS! Only reading!

I've got an SVSSS Modern Day BingYuan fic outline that roughly follows the premise, but not nearly to the degree that Modern Day Cultivators WangXian would. And I want to write the BingYuan one, because there's some delightful shenanigans in there! (Tentative title: "Fake it Til You Make it Gay".) But it's still not quite the same as the fic that I really want.

My current best hope: Write the SVSSS fic, post it, then share the premise for the platonic ideal version on Tumblr, because surely someone will bite. Right? ...Right?

Current Mood: urgh

thistleingrey

I've limped through the third and fourth Thursday Murder Club books and begun the fifth. I've already forgotten what happens in #3, and for #4, there's (for my taste) too much of how Osman hopes the reader may consider ( one of its themes )

soc_puppet

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: anxious

rydra_wong

People need to read Cameron Reed's What We Are Seeking because I need to have a discussion group, okay? Also it's extremely good.

I've just started listening to the Wizards vs. Lesbians ep on it, and am very pleased that they independently ping on Le Guin and Delany as reference points, and also accurately summarize its timeslip quality by saying it's "from the '70s if the '70s were 2026."

Also they clearly love John Maraintha, which is very important.

I tried to describe the book to

vass by saying that it's like picking up a beautiful object -- I'm visualizing some sort of carved stone sculpture or ceramic item -- and finding out that its centre of gravity is wildly different (both in weight and location) from what your hands instinctively anticipated from its appearance.

And it's not a bait-and-switch! The book's initial premise is that it's about a human colony on an alien planet discovering a potentially-sapient species and urgently needing to find out if they are sapient, establish communication (if possible), and manage this First Contact correctly because there are dire consequences if they fuck it up (yes, a retro classic*).

And the book is in fact very much about that, and it drives many of the events that ensue. It is not at any point not about that, and its themes of communication, colonialism, and adaptation to an alien world are, well ... everything the book is about.

It has some casually-spectacular world-building, and a sequence involving a dangerous journey and struggle for survival in an alien landscape which stands up next to any in the canon (including an action sequence which genuinely made me make a noise of startlement and alarm OUT LOUD while reading).

And nonetheless, the scene which I would consider the emotional climax of the book, its great pivot point, is -- well, I refuse to describe it because of spoilers, but it's fair to say that it's not anything you'd ever expect from the above descriptions. It's so bold, in the quietest way.

{*I enjoy the book immediately explaining that alien life on this planet has a weird reproductive cycle, because OBVIOUSLY IT HAS A WEIRD REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE, we've read sf before; that is not being saved to be the Big Reveal.}

ETA: Free sample! Read the first two chapters here!

https://civilianreader.com/2026/03/17/excerpt-what-we-are-seeking-by-cameron-reed-tor-books/

summercomfort

Wow, only 5 more weeks left of school (followed by 1 week of writing evals, etc). o.O

And apparently in that time we're also wrapping up Chinese School and also helping our taiko group move to a new location??? As usual, things keep happening.

I'm finding it hard to find the motivation to keep working on my citizenship comic, but maybe I just need a break from it. I do want to get the rest of it done before the end of June.

Started watching the One Piece live action yesterday, and omg is the actor for Zoro hawtttt. Maybe spent a little too much time watching cast videos, etc, for him, but it's fine -- I still managed to get the major pieces of the summer trip planning done. As well as some casual drawing. I just didn't get to do some of the Chinese School work (send email about character database, double-check reservations, figure out graduation speech), but I can get to that tomorrow or Tuesday.

In other news, spouse and his job had a mutually-agreed-upon parting of ways (as in, he was dissatisfied and thinking of leaving in June, and then they told him that they'd prefer a resignation, and will pay him until end of May.) In the long run, this is good because spouse is honestly pretty disenchanted with his field and this will be a good opportunity for him to consider potential career shifts. And I'm pretty excited for him to spend some time figuring out what he wants to do next (maybe cobble together some artsy incomes? maybe go to school to learn a trade?). This is also a good opportunity for him to help improve our Chinese School webapp. But also, there's some short term things I'll need to set up (such as the webapp development stuff). But overall good. Just... another thing, I suppose.

In the meantime, here's Zoro fighting 100 guys in 12 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDIj2sp5orM ugh such a fun fight :3

soc_puppet

Fandom: Pokémon
Summary: Darkrai's trainer brings them a surprise from a shopping trip
Mirrors: This comment thread (AO3 link will happen in mid-April)
Wordcount:
Ships: Darkrai & Trainer
Notes: For

peasina's prompt in

javert's Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Pokémon Prompt meme: "Any, Any Pokemon with one eye, Wearing glasses"
Fic: ( After a Fashion )

Current Mood: creative

thistleingrey

Last fall I pruned the back yard's shrubs and saplings, slowly, and closed my eyes whenever I had to hack a few times at a thicker branch. This spring, my slow pruning of the additional rain-fueled shoots and yanking of some grass and oxalis have given tiny housemate some exercise on non-walk afternoons. She considers it her duty to catch anything I pull out and toss towards a fence to decay, such that pausing to gather two or three things before tossing is met by loud objections.

From those 3-5 minute snippets of labor, we have no more dog-safe twigs to lop, a first since fall 2021. When I told tiny housemate one day that I hadn't brought a cutting tool outside because we're finished, tiny housemate disagreed and bit off a few small branches within reach. Perhaps they were in the way for investigating cat- and squirrel-crossings.

For things that don't need pruning, I do as little as possible. Last fall, the hydrangeas struggled through dry weeks (non-rain watering occurs via hand-carried can, a hose drip that I move around now and then, or not at all), but they've decided to put forth leaves this spring. The persimmon tree has had the hose-drip treatment only once in 2026 so far, after too much rain last year left its fruit almost tasteless. In the fall I harvested some, which my mother sliced and dehydrated into treats for tiny housemate, and the rest went to the curbside compost service because tiny housemate and local squirrels kept fighting over the ones that dropped.

It's hilarious to try calibrating web advice that's somewhat informed. My physical endurance, the limiting factor, is in the respective target audiences for "Recovery after Covid" at AARP (AARP keeps dropping its age threshold for membership---I haven't joined, but it's now 50 years) and "I have been unable to run because of pneumonia for about two months" at RunnersWorld (I ran short distances with mild bacterial pneumonia 7-8 years ago, apparently, because former primary care dismissed the early stage as just a bad cold).

Neither article is of use to me; somewhere without any past bed rest is where I am. As Susan Paul writes in the second article, "In the right doses exercise can boost our immune system but, conversely, too much training can significantly impair it." And no one says, use nibble-doses of yardwork/housework as a proxy for lifting weights and feeding proprioceptive balance. Why would they, when "Go for walks" is their main goal.

thistleingrey

Legally Blonde (2001): "If you're going to let one stupid prick ruin your life," says the professor at the beauty salon, with the eyebrow lift of a person who has swept past more than one such prick, "you're not the girl I thought you were."

It's not a subtle film---I appreciate the actors for every reaction shot that isn't hammered in---but it didn't and doesn't need to be. First viewing.

Never mind the totally impossible scenes. Twenty-five years on, one of the most anachronistic aspects is the idea of a US metro's local salon as what's currently called a third place, where individuals from disparate demographics may meet without surprise. Also, it took me a moment (I hadn't looked up the film's release year yet) to realize that Emmett's car is supposed to be an old clunker. I remember when that model of car was introduced.

The thing whereby YouTube offers access for "free, with ads" and then doesn't show ads across several days' interrupted sittings isn't bad. I have another 15 minutes to go, some other day (eyestrain), but this seems like enough for a post.

soc_puppet

I've got some colorful dreamsheep icons up over at

dreamsheep in celebration of

3weeks4dreamwidth! I'm also taking color and color combination requests.

I'm aiming to get a Mood Theme in a Hurry calendar done and posted by this evening, but I've also got Surprise Cramps to deal with, so we'll see what wins 😑

Edit: Mood Theme in a Hurry Calendars are now available! They only cover the Minimum and Medium mood tracks, because I am not currently prepared to either stick six or seven moods on a day, or pick and choose which of the remaining 98 moods to include on the calendar. (I'd probably want to go for at least 72 moods total, including the 34 already on the Medium Track calendar, but that's still 38 moods to pick out!)

Current Mood: happy dreamwidthiversary!

rydra_wong

Via https://bsky.app/profile/rahaeli.bsky.social/post/3mkboea2zgs2k

Clinician Guide: Constellation of Chronic Medical Conditions Commonly Seen in Autistic & ADHD Adults

https://allbrainsbelong.org/all-the-things/

In May 2022, we formed a Task Force of clinicians, patients, and community members to discuss what works (and does not work) to manage these medical conditions or symptoms. We also gathered information from more than 100 autistic adults. These individuals gave feedback based on their personal experiences. The content we share on this website combines evidence-based medicine, lived experience, and our clinical experiences treating patients with these conditions.

summercomfort

I survived Quest and Trips, yay!

Quest: Spring break was super productive! I inked 5 whole pages and shaded them, and even wrote historical notes and made it booklet-shaped! Pretty happy with what I managed to get done. Now I "just" need to do the second half -- Thind and Pandit. Quest Day itself went well, and what I have left to do is to (a) chase down the last few Quest videos, and (b) get the advisors to actually rate their students' Quests.

Trips: My trip went really well! No major hiccups, and all of the organizations and speakers worked out!! This is the smoothest it has ever been, and the kids really enjoyed it. Yay! I'd promised myself that I need a year off from running it so that I can go on other trips, but I'm really hoping someone else can take it over and run it for next year. Still todo: (a) return cash, (b) sort and process some of the various docs and stuff I got on the trip, (c) do a trip debrief with myself after I get more survey results (no more bucket hats?)

Something I've been thinking about is how recognition of work ... works. Like, people keep telling me that they enjoyed Quest, and there might be a gift card down the line, but what I really want is two no-homework days on the calendar. Or for advisors to actually rate their students' Quests. Like, I don't need a fist bump, I need structural support and acknowledgement. I need to be part of meetings about how Quest is promoted vs supported. Or trips -- I love running my trip, but also it's so exhausting and this year the chaperones just kept dropping out. And it's like -- I'm not fighting for chaperones, but please give me ones that won't drop out? It feels really bad to be busting my butt for trips but then to hear other people complain about having to do trips because they haven't had to for 3 years is completely demoralizing. To have everything on the school level to be handled last minute is frustrating. To feel like there's no support at home (what were all these purported "school support" people doing? At the very least send the airport release info??) is frustrating. Like, the trip leader compensation is nice, but what I really want is to not have to struggle with all of these other things, and that is really tied to other people caring about Trips.

Anyway, today is my "rest day" -- the child is at school, and the spouse is at work. I'm nominally at work, too, but I guess I should figure out whether I want to drive home and rest-up / do work at home, or linger around work and try to do work that way.

Things I want to get done:
- clean the car
- figure out summer trip plans
- respond to email about character database
- lesson plan for Monday
- wrap up the rest of Quest/Trips stuff
- do some grading
- draw some comic (maybe at least 1 more page?)

rydra_wong

It is currently 50% off on Steam, which I believe is as good as it gets in the post-Elden Ring era.

rydra_wong

I can STRONGLY rec Chants of Sennaar to anyone who enjoys deduction/puzzle games, and in particular the micro-genre of games that have translating a conlang (in this case, multiple conlangs) as their central mechanic.

Watch on YouTube

Looks like Sable, plays like a cross between Return of the Obra Dinn and Heaven's Vault.

(It makes the excellent choice which Sable also made and which more indie games should go for, namely putting all your characters in face-hiding hoods or masks so you can completely avoid uncanny valley bad face animation and spend your resources on other things instead.)

Made my brain ache in a good way and made me feel clever. I did have to draw maps (my spatial orientation is terrible, so others may not need to except for one specific maze-like area), and make assorted paper notes to solve various puzzles.

You have to not only successfully translate each language individually, but, later in the game, interpret conversations between pairs of languages. This requires knowing that the languages have different word order -- in a very simple way -- one language does object-first Yoda-speak, several languages vary in how they form plurals, etc., but you do have to be able to translate in a grammatically correct way, not just word by word.

And to get to the "true ending," the game requires you to go all out and "speak" the languages, by using a given language to correctly describe a picture you are given (with no text).

I admit I did get a tiny bit emotional when I made it to the end.

Has a subsidiary stealth mechanic, which I mostly enjoyed; near the very end of the game, it did briefly hit the point of requiring a somewhat quick response, but was still ultimately within the capacity of my abysmal reflexes. Nonetheless, it's not a zero-coordination-required game.

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yeloson

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Delivering Justice on Heaven's Behalf

Talking deep about geek shit

Reading

The problem is...

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Theme Voting Open at Summer of the 69

Look. LOOK.

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Fic: After a Fashion

garden update

ah, yes

Colorful Dreamsheep Icons

Relevant to the medical needs of at least 70% of my social circles

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Also, in the unlikely event that I've sold anyone on Dark Souls

un-Babels your Tower

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November 2012

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