[Final Fantasy IV] Flight
Sep. 28th, 2026 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taicharaTitle: Flight
Fandom: Final Fantasy IV
Characters: Kain Highwind
Warnings: CNTW
Summary: Mount Ordeals is not the solution. It was never the solution.
Comments: Even a longer time coming than last years', honestly. Could there be more? Of course. But this is exactly what it needed to be. Because because.
( The corpse hit the stones )
Fandom: Final Fantasy IV
Characters: Kain Highwind
Warnings: CNTW
Summary: Mount Ordeals is not the solution. It was never the solution.
Comments: Even a longer time coming than last years', honestly. Could there be more? Of course. But this is exactly what it needed to be. Because because.
( The corpse hit the stones )
Book Review: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Sep. 27th, 2026 05:48 pmjuushikaTitle: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Brontë
Published: 1847
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 580,705
Text Number: 2197
Read Because: rerereread, after talking about it with a friend; I own the Norton edition but grabbed the Standard Ebooks version because if I can read on my ereader, I will
Review:
A lifelong favorite, although it's been some years since I last read it. This reread doesn't disappoint. I'd forgotten how gossipy it is, the toll of that hand-me-down narration and how moments of revelation that still break through. I'd forgotten, also, how much of the narrative concerns the next generation; it effectively condemns and deromanticizes Heathcliff, even as—
Just, no wonder that I imprinted on this early and never let it go. I don't believe in ghosts or any afterlife, but I do believe in whatever the hell Heathcliff has going with Cathy, particularly after her death: a relationship defined by absences, by gestures towards which are uncommonly consummated, sustained instead by spite. Profoundly toxic, unforgiven, love as generational curse; that's my catnip.
Author: Emily Brontë
Published: 1847
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 580,705
Text Number: 2197
Read Because: rerereread, after talking about it with a friend; I own the Norton edition but grabbed the Standard Ebooks version because if I can read on my ereader, I will
Review:
A lifelong favorite, although it's been some years since I last read it. This reread doesn't disappoint. I'd forgotten how gossipy it is, the toll of that hand-me-down narration and how moments of revelation that still break through. I'd forgotten, also, how much of the narrative concerns the next generation; it effectively condemns and deromanticizes Heathcliff, even as—
Just, no wonder that I imprinted on this early and never let it go. I don't believe in ghosts or any afterlife, but I do believe in whatever the hell Heathcliff has going with Cathy, particularly after her death: a relationship defined by absences, by gestures towards which are uncommonly consummated, sustained instead by spite. Profoundly toxic, unforgiven, love as generational curse; that's my catnip.
Book Reviews: Bounded Choice by Janja Lalich
Sep. 27th, 2026 05:34 pmjuushikaTitle: Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults
Author: Janja Lalich
Published: University of California Press, 2004
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 355
Total Page Count: 580,305
Text Number: 2196
Read Because: more writing research and easily one of the most useful I read, hardback from Timberland Public Library via ILL
Review:
A framework for the behavior of members of cults that posits that their decision-making is rational within the bounded options created by the beliefs and cultural conditioning that exists within their insular environments. I'll be honest, I didn't get as much out of the case studies of Heaven's Gate and the Democratic Worker's Party. These sections are less dense and more repetitive than theoretical framework and lacking the interest that a narrative section wants. But the larger framework is compelling. Humane and thoughtful, it views without judgment the cultic structure and its emergent behaviors, and I buy Lalich's argument. I'd be interested to see this four-part structure (charismatic authority, transcendent belief system, systems of control, and systems of influence) applied to larger groups that lack specific or accessible charismatic leaders.
Author: Janja Lalich
Published: University of California Press, 2004
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 355
Total Page Count: 580,305
Text Number: 2196
Read Because: more writing research and easily one of the most useful I read, hardback from Timberland Public Library via ILL
Review:
A framework for the behavior of members of cults that posits that their decision-making is rational within the bounded options created by the beliefs and cultural conditioning that exists within their insular environments. I'll be honest, I didn't get as much out of the case studies of Heaven's Gate and the Democratic Worker's Party. These sections are less dense and more repetitive than theoretical framework and lacking the interest that a narrative section wants. But the larger framework is compelling. Humane and thoughtful, it views without judgment the cultic structure and its emergent behaviors, and I buy Lalich's argument. I'd be interested to see this four-part structure (charismatic authority, transcendent belief system, systems of control, and systems of influence) applied to larger groups that lack specific or accessible charismatic leaders.
Small Web September 2026: Check-in 4!
Sep. 27th, 2026 11:25 pmenchantedsleeper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
smallwebWelcome to the fourth and final check-in point for Small Web September! Yes, somehow we’re already at Week 4 (I know I’ve expressed disbelief at the passage of time in almost every check-in, but seriously, how) and so that means the final stretch of SWS is upon us.
In the past two years of the event I’ve made this week 4 check-in a ‘late’ check-in and posted it on the last day of the event, the 30th. However, aside from wanting to stick to the Sunday rhythm of the check-ins, I also think it’s nice to still have a few more days to work on stuff after our last checkpoint!
The theme of this week’s check-in is Graphics, Design and Themes. I’ve been looking forward to this one! :D
Visual decorations for your site, from individual graphics like buttons or banners to the overall look and design, can be really fun to play around with. Do you like to collect stamps? Do you make blinkies or gifs or dividers for small web projects? Share your favourite resources, show off your collections, and talk about how you approach decorating your small web projects!
Also, how did you alight on the theme or design for your project? Did you create it yourself, or base it on a guide or template? Do you like your theme or want to change it? Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of fonts, layouts, colour schemes, and all aspects of how a site is presented visually. Share some examples of sites you really love the look of!
I also designated this as the ‘wrap-up’ post in the event schedule, so feel free to take the opportunity to look back on what you’ve been working on throughout the month and how it’s gone. Where would you like to take your project(s) next?
However, the party is also not over yet, so feel free to make the most of these last few days – and if you want to sneak in a bit of extra work on your goals past the 30th, well, I’m not going to tell 😉
As a reminder, this is the fourth of four ‘check-in’/comment points that will be published during the event. Our next post will go live on Sunday 4th October (at least, that’s the plan xD) and will be a feedback/retrospective post with some questions about how you found the event and jumping-off points for suggestions. All comments will be greatly welcomed!
Go here for the previous check-in: Small Web September 2026: Check-in 3! and remember that there’s no time cut-off for these check-ins – feel free to complete them at any time!
In the past two years of the event I’ve made this week 4 check-in a ‘late’ check-in and posted it on the last day of the event, the 30th. However, aside from wanting to stick to the Sunday rhythm of the check-ins, I also think it’s nice to still have a few more days to work on stuff after our last checkpoint!
The theme of this week’s check-in is Graphics, Design and Themes. I’ve been looking forward to this one! :D
Visual decorations for your site, from individual graphics like buttons or banners to the overall look and design, can be really fun to play around with. Do you like to collect stamps? Do you make blinkies or gifs or dividers for small web projects? Share your favourite resources, show off your collections, and talk about how you approach decorating your small web projects!
Also, how did you alight on the theme or design for your project? Did you create it yourself, or base it on a guide or template? Do you like your theme or want to change it? Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of fonts, layouts, colour schemes, and all aspects of how a site is presented visually. Share some examples of sites you really love the look of!
I also designated this as the ‘wrap-up’ post in the event schedule, so feel free to take the opportunity to look back on what you’ve been working on throughout the month and how it’s gone. Where would you like to take your project(s) next?
However, the party is also not over yet, so feel free to make the most of these last few days – and if you want to sneak in a bit of extra work on your goals past the 30th, well, I’m not going to tell 😉
As a reminder, this is the fourth of four ‘check-in’/comment points that will be published during the event. Our next post will go live on Sunday 4th October (at least, that’s the plan xD) and will be a feedback/retrospective post with some questions about how you found the event and jumping-off points for suggestions. All comments will be greatly welcomed!
Go here for the previous check-in: Small Web September 2026: Check-in 3! and remember that there’s no time cut-off for these check-ins – feel free to complete them at any time!
More religion
Sep. 27th, 2026 07:35 pmrosa_heartlilyA year ago I was enjoying a regular Saturday with added JWs and extra church service, playing FFXII, and watching Ruth & Boaz.
Today started slowly as Sundays should. Our former Rector was presiding today. During the prayer time we made origami hearts. I wanted to make some at home - but I have Washi sheets not origami sheets. Today's reading was another one with vineyards and people feeling entitled.
In the garden, I did some weeding and cleaned out the bird bath. Then we had a video call with the kidlings. Granddaughter had had some 24 hour thing yesterday that she most likely picked up at nursery - apparently a few of the kids came down with something similar last week. She was full of her usual mischief, though, so I think she's on the mend :) Younger Grandson showed us his red Hulk and said he wanted to bring his green 'jelly' Hulk next time he comes here.
This afternoon I made progress with Chained Echoes. I keep forgetting I have a map. The skill-learning thing reminds me of COE33.
We had pork for tea, which didn't go down as well as I hoped.
I'm finishing the day with the end of Murder in a Small Town. Lots of threads coming together.
Today started slowly as Sundays should. Our former Rector was presiding today. During the prayer time we made origami hearts. I wanted to make some at home - but I have Washi sheets not origami sheets. Today's reading was another one with vineyards and people feeling entitled.
In the garden, I did some weeding and cleaned out the bird bath. Then we had a video call with the kidlings. Granddaughter had had some 24 hour thing yesterday that she most likely picked up at nursery - apparently a few of the kids came down with something similar last week. She was full of her usual mischief, though, so I think she's on the mend :) Younger Grandson showed us his red Hulk and said he wanted to bring his green 'jelly' Hulk next time he comes here.
This afternoon I made progress with Chained Echoes. I keep forgetting I have a map. The skill-learning thing reminds me of COE33.
We had pork for tea, which didn't go down as well as I hoped.
I'm finishing the day with the end of Murder in a Small Town. Lots of threads coming together.
Manga Check-in: "Akuyaku Reijou desu ga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa!" volume 5-6
Sep. 27th, 2026 02:07 pmbluapapilio
"Akuyaku Reijou desu ga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa! /
Though I May Be a Villainess, I'll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness!"
Previous: Volumes 3-4
Various, 2020-2021
MangaUpdates MyAnimeListSummary: Broken engagements, karma, condemnation events, doting, royalty, reincarnated heroines, banishment endings... it's fully loaded with all the charms of villainesses!! The comic adaption of 5 popular villainess stories that were published on syosetu! An anthology of oneshots with happy endings!!
My comments:
Volume 5
The Turmoil Caused by the Misunderstanding of the Prince and My Engagement Being Called off: The characters on the cover. The Prince calls off the engagement because he thinks she would rather be a scholar than a Queen but she was studying so hard in the first place for him/to be a good Queen. 0.5/5 stars
It Would Seem You've Broken off Your Engagement in Order to Marry Me, but I Have No Intention of Marrying You: Ehhh I wanted the girls to be together not that rando 'you should be...with my brother!' crap. 😾 3/5 stars
The Melancholic Noble Girl Clad in a Jet-Black Dress: The King breaks off the engagement this time and the Prince has a new squeeze but it was all in order to teach him how to be open about his feelings for his lady. Surely there was a better way?? Poor girl. I like how she gets her bit of revenge though. 0.5/5 stars
Now That My Engagement Is Broken, I Can Have My Fill of My Beloved Sweets: Accusations, engagement annulment, third party swoops in and scoops her up. I think this one has definitely been done before. Relatable sweets addiction though she must have amazing metabolism. 2/5 stars
Shall We Lay Waste to the Flowery Path of Evil?: This part deals with taking down a child sex trafficking ring, good as always. 4.5/5 stars
Volume 6
I'm a Survival Gamer Reincarnated Into an Otome Game Villainess With Godly Aim: Quick one where a shooting game girly gets transmigrated into an otome game and saves the prince a couple of times and is accused of trying to kill him once. 3/5 stars
The Greedy Villainess: Right up until you think the engagement break-off is going to happen but it turns out the prince was just teasing the 'villainess' and they're both yandere for each other. Didn't understand where the real personality of the villainess, she may as well not have existed (her mind was transported). 0/5 stars
The Supporting Villainess Blooms After Her Engagement Was Broken: After he breaks off the engagement, she let's herself be who she really is and gets revenge with the help and love of her childhood friend. 2/5 stars
I Was Abandoned for My Younger Sister, but She's a Ticking Time-Bomb: Breaking of the engagement happens but her family is in on it and they save their house in the end. Good revenge plan and taking out the trash though I kinda wanted to see more of that part before it jumped to the happy ending. 3.5/5 stars
The Villainess Got Dumped, Doesn't Care, and Lives Happily Ever After With Her Super Masochistic Childhood Friend: Low IQ FL x masochist ML lolol. I kinda liked that it was just a misunderstanding and they were friends once it ended. I like the interesting matchup of the couple. 3/5 stars
Let's Burn the Flowery Path of Evil: The two have a baby now. A play comes out about her and her stepson in a doomed romance but she turns it into an opportunity for herself, of course. 3/5 stars
Recent Reading: The Bright Sword
Sep. 27th, 2026 10:26 amrocky41_7I had originally wanted to listen to this one on audio, but there’s a length at which it just seems more practical to read the paper version, and 23 hours is about there. This chunker of a book clocks in at around 670 pages and it’s an entry in the Arthurian Legends. It’s The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman.
Any book that long has to justify itself as far as I’m concerned. I might read a mediocre 300-page novel, but I’m not going through almost 700 pages unless it’s good. Happy to report this one is!
I have some familiarity with the Arthurian Legends—in that I’ve read The Once and Future King—but I haven’t gotten around to Le Mort d’Arthur or other more original elements yet, so just some perspective to keep in mind if you are someone more read in this area.
Grossman’s take involves a young wannabe knight, Collum of the Out Isles, who steals armor from his liege lord and runs away to mainland Britain in hopes of the chance to try out for the Knights of the Round Table. He hasn’t even set his goal as becoming one of them really, just the chance to try. Unfortunately, by the time he arrives at Camelot, King Arthur is 2 weeks dead and most of the Round Table is gone too, leaving behind only the less illustrious knights.
I thought it was very bold to center the story on Grossman’s original character, but I think it works. Collum is likeable and interesting and watching him interact with characters we know from the legends is fun.
The Bright Sword obviously comes from a place of love for Arthuriana. This is not a “genre-busting” book, but one that comes from deep attachment to the stories that spawned it. It balances the weight of epic legend well with humor—I laughed out loud a couple of times. It also does a very good job I thought of making the story appeal to a modern audience without copy/pasting 21st century morals onto a book set well in the past. For instance, there are queer knights at the Table (And really, how could there not be? If you were a gay man of moderate athletic ability in Arthur’s Britan, and you heard about the Table, would you not be trying to get in there?), but they don’t use modern terminology to describe themselves, and their attitudes towards themselves and others feel appropriate for the setting.
( Read more... )
September Manga TBR 10
Sep. 27th, 2026 11:17 ambluapapilioUsed my manga TBR boardgame.
I read 14/14 on my last challenge.
Avatar:
Luffy
Skill: Even roll = forward one, Odd = back one once
Roll #1:
A 2, prompt: contemporary - Shugo Chara!.
Roll #2:
A 6. TBR tile. 43x15 is Love Me, Doctor!.
Roll #3:
A 6 and Double Prompts:mystery historical geikomi + favorite genre - Midnight Rescue.
Roll #4:
A 5 and the trip tile~ 14, so went back 5 tiles to Double Prompts again: supernatural romance + action adventure - Mosspaca Advertising Department.
Roll #5:
A 1, prompt: reincarnated in a game world - Akuyaku Reijou desuga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa!.
Roll #6:
A 5, prompt: mutual unrequited love - Love on Hold.
Roll #7:
A 2, prompt: finding love again - Love Tractor.
Roll #8:
A 5, prompt: action supernatural - One Punch Man.
Roll #9:
A 1 and using skill, rolled Even so going forward one onto the trap tile. Prompt: bisexual character - Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.
Roll #10:
Went back, rolled a 3. Prompt: gender bender - Lady Crystal is a Man.
Roll #11:
A 1 and the TBR tile. 17x50 is Eto Irokoi Zoushi.
Roll #12:
A 4 and the CR tile, 1x5 is Blue Exorcist.
Roll #13:
A 4 and the trap tile again, prompt: comedy drama - Silver Diamond.
Roll #14:
Went back and rolled a 2 and it's the Trip tile, oh boy. ...Holy shit I got a 38 which is the very last tile. I'm kinda sad about that but oh well. Prompt: historical action. Of course it's historical. May as well do Golden Kamuy.
Roll #14:
Lol a 1. Reward is GACHIAKUTA.
~Manga TBR List~
[Magical Girl] Shugo Chara! ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love Me, Doctor! ✔️
[Geikomi] Midnight Rescue ✔️
[Various/Comedy] Mosspaca Advertising Department ✔️
[Villainess] Akuyaku Reijou desuga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa! ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love on Hold ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love Tractor ✔️
[Superhero] One Punch Man ✔️
[Fantasy/School Life] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun ✔️
[Fantasy/Romance] Lady Crystal Is a Man ✔️
[BL/Romance] Eto Irokoi Zoushi
[Fantasy/School Life] Blue Exorcist
[Fantasy] Silver Diamond
[Action/Historical] Golden Kamuy
[Action/Fantasy] GACHIAKUTA
x4 shoujo/josei, x5 shounen/seinen, x5 BL, x1 geikomi, x1 other
I read 14/14 on my last challenge.
Avatar:
Luffy
Skill: Even roll = forward one, Odd = back one once
Roll #1:
A 2, prompt: contemporary - Shugo Chara!.
Roll #2:
A 6. TBR tile. 43x15 is Love Me, Doctor!.
Roll #3:
A 6 and Double Prompts:
Roll #4:
A 5 and the trip tile~ 14, so went back 5 tiles to Double Prompts again: supernatural romance + action adventure - Mosspaca Advertising Department.
Roll #5:
A 1, prompt: reincarnated in a game world - Akuyaku Reijou desuga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa!.
Roll #6:
A 5, prompt: mutual unrequited love - Love on Hold.
Roll #7:
A 2, prompt: finding love again - Love Tractor.
Roll #8:
A 5, prompt: action supernatural - One Punch Man.
Roll #9:
A 1 and using skill, rolled Even so going forward one onto the trap tile. Prompt: bisexual character - Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.
Roll #10:
Went back, rolled a 3. Prompt: gender bender - Lady Crystal is a Man.
Roll #11:
A 1 and the TBR tile. 17x50 is Eto Irokoi Zoushi.
Roll #12:
A 4 and the CR tile, 1x5 is Blue Exorcist.
Roll #13:
A 4 and the trap tile again, prompt: comedy drama - Silver Diamond.
Roll #14:
Went back and rolled a 2 and it's the Trip tile, oh boy. ...Holy shit I got a 38 which is the very last tile. I'm kinda sad about that but oh well. Prompt: historical action. Of course it's historical. May as well do Golden Kamuy.
Roll #14:
Lol a 1. Reward is GACHIAKUTA.
~Manga TBR List~
[Magical Girl] Shugo Chara! ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love Me, Doctor! ✔️
[Geikomi] Midnight Rescue ✔️
[Various/Comedy] Mosspaca Advertising Department ✔️
[Villainess] Akuyaku Reijou desuga, Shiawase ni Nattemesemasu wa! ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love on Hold ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love Tractor ✔️
[Superhero] One Punch Man ✔️
[Fantasy/School Life] Mairimashita! Iruma-kun ✔️
[Fantasy/Romance] Lady Crystal Is a Man ✔️
[BL/Romance] Eto Irokoi Zoushi
[Fantasy/School Life] Blue Exorcist
[Fantasy] Silver Diamond
[Action/Historical] Golden Kamuy
[Action/Fantasy] GACHIAKUTA
x4 shoujo/josei, x5 shounen/seinen, x5 BL, x1 geikomi, x1 other
September Manga Wrap-Up 9
Sep. 27th, 2026 11:13 ambluapapilio
I read Ryuuko Ai Utsu and rated it 6.5/10. 
Read ch. 6 of Ogus's Laws. Read ch. 38 of Love on Hold. Read ch. 31 of Silver Diamond. Read ch. 20 of BASARA. Read ch. 58 of The Villainess Flips the Script. Read ch. 1100-1102 of Detective Conan. Read ch. 6.3 of B-EYES! Read ch. 35 of Shugo Chara!. Read ch. 216 of Mairimashita! Iruma-kun. Read Uemura-kun wa Majime na Ii Ko., rated it 7.5/10. Read ch. 22 of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun. Read ch 17 of Marriage of Convenience. Read ch. 54 of GACHIAKUTA.
Mid-Autumn Weekend
Sep. 27th, 2026 07:42 pmhalfcactusWent to Komiket yesterday morning, mostly so I could pasabuy a very cute Hikaru no Go fanmerch that Daisy was interested in (.......turns out the artist hadn't actually produced them yet? So I bought the sticker that was in their folder hahahaha), but also because I'm trying to distract my anxiety brain by giving myself sidequests now and then.
...I'd like to take a moment to complain about how exhausting it is to spend the better part of the decade trying to improve oneself without ever feeling the satisfaction of achieving something. If anything, I feel even more dissatisfied and disillusioned!? I'm just a hamster running on a wheeeeeeel. Insert quote from the latest Song Exploder episode (Olivia Rodrigo - The Cure):
Anyway, I got Wounded Little Gods by Eliza Victoria, a fantasy novel; a sticker release book; a full-color wlw comic called The Intercession. And some fanmerch of MDZS, Go For It Nakamura, and Hikaru no Go that I plan to pass along.
Can't go to a comics market without picking up a comic/book...
Dakilang Diwata, whom I bought The Intercession from, also happened to be selling MDZS stickers. They were 4 for P100 (<2 USD), which resolved my decision paralysis so I could just get one of each lol. I think there were also TGCF stickers? But I found the MDZS ones more eye-catching. Her art is so good!!!
Fanmerch from Fran aka Mak. The Go For It Nakamura pin is matte. It feels nice!
And a fish sticker book by Wronglyke, who appears to be a fish artist? Haha
And then today we played the Mid-autumn dice game, something that we don't do every year. Also something that's not very fun when we just play for money (everyone only wants to play for money) and your brothers are in a hurry to leave so they change stuff up to shorten the game (the point of allowing the game to play out longer is so people have the chance to roll the Ultimate winning combination). I have terrible luck too (and fewer dice rolls, compared to everyone else who was with a spouse) so I just lose money. 😅 I lost less money than the last time, at least!
Btw speaking of brothers with spouses, my younger brother got married a few weeks back. It was a tiny ceremony so there were ten of us total, including the bride and groom. Plus a cat that sauntered down the aisle. :D For lunch we had festive Chinese food, which I haven't had in ages—seafood spinach soup, Peking duck two ways (my parents privately complained that it wasn't very good, but I always find Peking duck pancake very fun to eat so I have no complaints), cereal prawn (that I loved), steamed fish (my dad felt it necessary to ask why the fish wasn't served sweet-and-sour/red)... good hakaw and beancurd rolls that I'm still thinking about even now... and a bunch of other food that I didn't have the stomach space to try (one thing of beef, a dish with mushrooms and perfunctory vegetables, one noodle dish, and one rice dish)...
...I'd like to take a moment to complain about how exhausting it is to spend the better part of the decade trying to improve oneself without ever feeling the satisfaction of achieving something. If anything, I feel even more dissatisfied and disillusioned!? I'm just a hamster running on a wheeeeeeel. Insert quote from the latest Song Exploder episode (Olivia Rodrigo - The Cure):
Like, I don't know. I think that this has been something that I've been learning in my adult life. Like all these things that I thought like, oh, once I like hit this milestone, then I'll feel okay.
I'll feel calm and I'll feel good about myself. I think getting older is realizing that like no outside forces can ever make you feel totally happy and content. It's like totally an inside job.
Anyway, I got Wounded Little Gods by Eliza Victoria, a fantasy novel; a sticker release book; a full-color wlw comic called The Intercession. And some fanmerch of MDZS, Go For It Nakamura, and Hikaru no Go that I plan to pass along.
Photos here
Can't go to a comics market without picking up a comic/book...
Dakilang Diwata, whom I bought The Intercession from, also happened to be selling MDZS stickers. They were 4 for P100 (<2 USD), which resolved my decision paralysis so I could just get one of each lol. I think there were also TGCF stickers? But I found the MDZS ones more eye-catching. Her art is so good!!!
Fanmerch from Fran aka Mak. The Go For It Nakamura pin is matte. It feels nice!
And a fish sticker book by Wronglyke, who appears to be a fish artist? Haha
And then today we played the Mid-autumn dice game, something that we don't do every year. Also something that's not very fun when we just play for money (everyone only wants to play for money) and your brothers are in a hurry to leave so they change stuff up to shorten the game (the point of allowing the game to play out longer is so people have the chance to roll the Ultimate winning combination). I have terrible luck too (and fewer dice rolls, compared to everyone else who was with a spouse) so I just lose money. 😅 I lost less money than the last time, at least!
Btw speaking of brothers with spouses, my younger brother got married a few weeks back. It was a tiny ceremony so there were ten of us total, including the bride and groom. Plus a cat that sauntered down the aisle. :D For lunch we had festive Chinese food, which I haven't had in ages—seafood spinach soup, Peking duck two ways (my parents privately complained that it wasn't very good, but I always find Peking duck pancake very fun to eat so I have no complaints), cereal prawn (that I loved), steamed fish (my dad felt it necessary to ask why the fish wasn't served sweet-and-sour/red)... good hakaw and beancurd rolls that I'm still thinking about even now... and a bunch of other food that I didn't have the stomach space to try (one thing of beef, a dish with mushrooms and perfunctory vegetables, one noodle dish, and one rice dish)...
Proof of Life and Whatnots
Sep. 27th, 2026 09:19 amkallowayI'm here, and I'm reading when I can. Still pushing along with things. I ended up withdrawing from iddyiddybangbang because I just... I had a few days where I was very deep in the hole. Casting off a deadline was the first thing I could think of to do. I'm feeling a bit better now.
I've got a busy October already and I have a short but dense list of things I want to get done during it. Mostly sorting out accounts and whatnot, and figuring out what I want to do with-
Figuring out what I want.
I still can't figure out where I want to live from day to day. This is a question that only I can answer, but right now it feels too big. (I can also change my mind, depending. I suspect I'll find a way to be more fluid about residences but it's going to take a little more time.)
Anyway, next is paying an absolutely ungodly amount of money to get the roofs replaced. The house needs done and the barn needs done and my parents had intended to get it done this year but now the homeowners insurance is down my back about it. And since the garage roof is nearly as old as the house, I might as well just get them all done at once so they're all done and I don't have to do mental calculus to remember how old each is.
After that, sort out the warehouse club memberships. Then on to the cellphones... (And then, and then...) I have achieved propane/heat, at least.
Also going to meet up with my funeral director and pick out a nice box ("urn") for Dad for burial. Simple, but nice. And I think that'll be enough for one week?
Eventually I'll manage a Media Roundup post or something.
iddyiddybangbang because I just... I had a few days where I was very deep in the hole. Casting off a deadline was the first thing I could think of to do. I'm feeling a bit better now. I've got a busy October already and I have a short but dense list of things I want to get done during it. Mostly sorting out accounts and whatnot, and figuring out what I want to do with-
Figuring out what I want.
I still can't figure out where I want to live from day to day. This is a question that only I can answer, but right now it feels too big. (I can also change my mind, depending. I suspect I'll find a way to be more fluid about residences but it's going to take a little more time.)
Anyway, next is paying an absolutely ungodly amount of money to get the roofs replaced. The house needs done and the barn needs done and my parents had intended to get it done this year but now the homeowners insurance is down my back about it. And since the garage roof is nearly as old as the house, I might as well just get them all done at once so they're all done and I don't have to do mental calculus to remember how old each is.
After that, sort out the warehouse club memberships. Then on to the cellphones... (And then, and then...) I have achieved propane/heat, at least.
Also going to meet up with my funeral director and pick out a nice box ("urn") for Dad for burial. Simple, but nice. And I think that'll be enough for one week?
Eventually I'll manage a Media Roundup post or something.
Still Alive!
Sep. 27th, 2026 08:57 amseleneheartI haven't posted since the beginning of August, but here's what's been going on:
So that's me.
Anyway, I'm hosting the discussion of This Is How You Lost the Time War at the end of September atbookclub_dw, so pop on over and give us your thoughts!
- House guests.
- Several family birthdays.
- I started playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and that's what I've been doing with all my (limited) free time.
- More houseguests.
- Went to an author meet-and-greet, and found out she wrote fanfic in her younger days. The book she is plugging is Our Strange Duet, a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, the musical. It's been so long since I read the original Phantom story, that I don't recall the details to be able to say if the book is true to the original novel. I wonder what I did with my CD of the soundtrack?
- Took a road trip with some girlfriends to check out some wineries. Tasted a lot of wine and came back with a wine glass and a shirt.
- Decided that I would finish one of my work-in-progress fanfic by the end of the year, inspired by the above author. I sorted through my WIP folder to find something. I've been trying to work on the one that I can remember what I was planning to do with it.
So that's me.
Anyway, I'm hosting the discussion of This Is How You Lost the Time War at the end of September at
bookclub_dw, so pop on over and give us your thoughts!Image Hosting Sites
Sep. 27th, 2026 01:14 pmcraftyhobbit posting in smallwebI know that in general, people use image hosting sites to save space on their hosting account, or need them for their blogs, making posts in forums and other places around the web, but my experience over the years with them hasn't been that great. From image hosting services disappearing with no warning over night (I'm looking at you, image cave and nicpic host!) photobucket putting watermarks to advertise their services on to images and now imgur blocking people from outside of the US from viewing them (quite a lot of neocities websites and code groups here on dreamwidth like dreamcodes and fandom icons have a lot of their content unviewable to me). It's not a great visitor experience when you come across a site that has 'content not viewable in your region' all across the page, and an headache for website creators when they find that they've lost all their images, or have ugly watermarks all over their images that they've not put there. People are better off hosting images with their website host, blog host, etc. I don't know what the solution is for forum users.
September 2026 Happiness
Sep. 27th, 2026 08:09 amrynlingI’ve been a mess of anxiety this month, but let me share a video game soundtrack, an anime series, and three books that have helped me make it through.
Hohokum OST (on Bandcamp here)
( Read more... )
City the Animation (on Amazon here)
( Read more... )
Plant Lady by Kang Minyoung (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
Hohokum OST (on Bandcamp here)
( Read more... )
City the Animation (on Amazon here)
( Read more... )
Plant Lady by Kang Minyoung (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young (publisher page here)
( Read more... )
Ghost in the Cell (d. Joko Anwar, 2026)
Sep. 27th, 2026 07:55 pmcaramarieA rather silly horror film set in an Indonesian prison.
A journalist has just come back from investigating illegal mining – and some mysterious deaths – in Borneo, when his boss is brutally murdered. He ends up in prison, where we meet our film’s real hero Anggoro and his band of plucky misfits. After the journalist arrives, a series of gorey Hannibal-esque deaths begin. (Partway through I wondered if there was something wrong with me that this sort of thing doesn’t even shock me anymore.)
The deaths seem to occur to those who are the most angry – and who have red auras, according to one of our supernaturally inclined prisoners. The way to stop your aura becoming red? Religion or art. The prayer room films up quickly, and Anggoro and friends have to turn to the dance classes in the next room over.
Eventually the ghost’s motives are deduced, and the inmates set about enabling its mission (and using the aura-thing to their advantage). We get various critiques of Indonesian society, and of corruption in particular, along the way.
( Read more... )
This was on at the film festival, but I held off because I thought it would be more appropriate to see it with L and H! Which I would say was the right choice.
A journalist has just come back from investigating illegal mining – and some mysterious deaths – in Borneo, when his boss is brutally murdered. He ends up in prison, where we meet our film’s real hero Anggoro and his band of plucky misfits. After the journalist arrives, a series of gorey Hannibal-esque deaths begin. (Partway through I wondered if there was something wrong with me that this sort of thing doesn’t even shock me anymore.)
The deaths seem to occur to those who are the most angry – and who have red auras, according to one of our supernaturally inclined prisoners. The way to stop your aura becoming red? Religion or art. The prayer room films up quickly, and Anggoro and friends have to turn to the dance classes in the next room over.
Eventually the ghost’s motives are deduced, and the inmates set about enabling its mission (and using the aura-thing to their advantage). We get various critiques of Indonesian society, and of corruption in particular, along the way.
( Read more... )
This was on at the film festival, but I held off because I thought it would be more appropriate to see it with L and H! Which I would say was the right choice.
but papa i wish to brood
Sep. 26th, 2026 07:54 pmproustbotBig Walk (2026, PC) -- Successfully synchronized watches with L., and we have now played two one-hour sessions of Big Walk together. We have unlocked the second zone and located one (1) gourd there.
Valheim (2021/2026, PC) -- My brothers have replaced the wooden palisades around our compound with high stone walls. Meanwhile, I successfully raided one (1) tomb in the Black Forest by myself.
Never Fear (aka Young Lovers) (1950) -- Watched for the Ida Lupino factor. This film embraces a mode of acting that is so extremely out-of-fashion that I kept being reminded of after-school specials and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; lead actress Sally Forrest is particularly campy whenever her head swivels toward the camera so that she can yell something like, "AND I'LL NEVER DANCE AGAIN." Which is a shame, because the occasional glimpses we get of the other polio survivors at the Kabat-Kaiser Institute in 1950, five years before Jonas Salk's vaccine, are often light and charming without being smarmy.
I also ended the movie thinking that the heroine should have stayed broken up with her saintly, self-sacrificing, self-absorbed boyfriend, but possibly Ida Lupino agrees with me and the "happy" ending of this movie is supposed to be pretty dark. (The mid-movie scene where the doctor forces Carol, who cannot walk unassisted, to go on a car-ride to a lonely location with her upset ex-boyfriend is grim stuff.)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954) -- The first half of this movie, as filtered in turns through the viewpoints of a bitchy Hollywood director and a bitchy publicist, felt mean and snappy and fun. Then the second half arrived with high melodrama and dramatic twists and various people acting like aliens experiencing their first day on planet Earth, and I was considerably less charmed. Mankiewicz!
Valheim (2021/2026, PC) -- My brothers have replaced the wooden palisades around our compound with high stone walls. Meanwhile, I successfully raided one (1) tomb in the Black Forest by myself.
Never Fear (aka Young Lovers) (1950) -- Watched for the Ida Lupino factor. This film embraces a mode of acting that is so extremely out-of-fashion that I kept being reminded of after-school specials and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; lead actress Sally Forrest is particularly campy whenever her head swivels toward the camera so that she can yell something like, "AND I'LL NEVER DANCE AGAIN." Which is a shame, because the occasional glimpses we get of the other polio survivors at the Kabat-Kaiser Institute in 1950, five years before Jonas Salk's vaccine, are often light and charming without being smarmy.
I also ended the movie thinking that the heroine should have stayed broken up with her saintly, self-sacrificing, self-absorbed boyfriend, but possibly Ida Lupino agrees with me and the "happy" ending of this movie is supposed to be pretty dark. (The mid-movie scene where the doctor forces Carol, who cannot walk unassisted, to go on a car-ride to a lonely location with her upset ex-boyfriend is grim stuff.)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954) -- The first half of this movie, as filtered in turns through the viewpoints of a bitchy Hollywood director and a bitchy publicist, felt mean and snappy and fun. Then the second half arrived with high melodrama and dramatic twists and various people acting like aliens experiencing their first day on planet Earth, and I was considerably less charmed. Mankiewicz!