Shibu Onsen in Yamanochi, Japan

Nov. 30th, 2025 10:00 am
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

Kanaguya Ryokan.

Bathing culture and onsen, or "natural hot springs," are quintessential to Japanese life and are often highlighted in depictions of the country. As a result, many famous onsen towns exist, each with its own special springs. Shibu Onsen is no exception, with nine healing baths said to bring good fortune and grant one's wishes if all are visited.

With a history stretching back more than 1,300 years, Shibu Onsen is a small town in the Japanese Alps best known as the only place where snow monkeys bathe. Nationally, it is better known for its hot springs, which are dotted around the town's old center.

Unlike most places, they are not run as individual businesses but are managed centrally by a committee, and are only open to residents or guests staying in one of the many ryokan, or "traditional guest houses," some over 400 years old. Guests then receive a key and a special towel to enjoy the springs.

Tradition dictates that visitors stamp the towel at each of the nine springs, after which they can get a tenth stamp at the local Shibutaka Yakushi Temple, allowing them to receive a blessing or make a wish.

While Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki has never officially confirmed it, the town's Kanaguya Ryokan is widely regarded as an inspiration for the bathhouse in Spirited Away.

schneefink: River walking among trees, from "Safe" (Default)
[personal profile] schneefink
I'm sick (uuugh), but it's November 30th and I don't want to fail my monthly rec challenge now. So you get four Hermitcraft recs without a larger theme. 1 art & 3 fic (1 space AU & 2 admin power games, one of them a Life series crossover.)
I don't think canon knowledge is required for any of them: definitely not the first two, and I think the important parts of the other two become clear very quickly.

in too deep by [archiveofourown.org profile] modest_starr
digital art, Geminitay
Summary: additional tags: Imminent Character Death, she is literally drowning, Hallucinations, Eye strain, highly saturated colors, Hermitcraft Season 10, Anthropologist Geminitay, Sea Monsters
Why I like it: The tags say "hallucinations" but I also really like the idea of scientist Gem looking too deep. Very cool colors.

Why is everyone sucking Farlands' dick over their new ship??? by [archiveofourown.org profile] Kaesa
6k, SF AU, implied Scar/Grian, social media outsider PoV with in-universe RPF
Summary: Hey, uh, what's with everyone losing their minds over Farlands' Good Times? I thought we all agreed Farlands was evil incarnate? Last big colony mission they launched, even half the people at Brave Voyages were like "wow so sick of Farlands' bullshit, hope Farlands explodes," but this thing has been around for less than a year and people HERE are like, writing romantic poetry about it? Can someone explain? Obviously I too am fascinated by whether they're using tuned mass dampers or something else to keep the gravity steady, and the reflex rewiring they have to do to the pilots to get something that big through hyperspace is wild, but uh. This is not that.
A forum thread from the future.
Why I love it: Reccing part 2 here so I have a good reason to rec the series when it's done; I also recommend part 1 but I like this one even better. Scar is a Pilot, which means he controls a spaceship with his brain, and Grian is his doctor. Very cool worldbuilding and very funny.

feeling a gold hand unfolding on me by [archiveofourown.org profile] springbeetle
3.3k, Grian & Xisuma, non-sexual kink (body modification, admin powers)
Summary: It was daylight, not that you could tell from the enclosed room Xisuma had teleported Grian into. A bright, fantastic Hermitcraft day, his friends bustling about the server engaged in activities, cheerfully oblivious to what Xisuma and Grian were about to do in this room together. To what Xisuma was about to do to Grian.
Most Hermits weren’t big on tradition, when you got down to it. They’d been around too long, seen enough of the universe to have set preferences about their bodies, or they had their own plans for each season. Scar and Cub had recently finished with their predatory ConVex business, for instance, and Cleo kept her zombieness– zombitude? Zombiehood?-- firmly under her own control, and the less said about Joe’s usual brand of shenanigans, the better.
So it had been unusual, having a new player such as Grian bring the concept up in the roundabout fashion he had, side-eyeing Xisuma like he wasn’t sure whether Xisuma would just snatch him up one day, like he was checking off a box on some haphazard to-do list-- like he’d smacked himself on the helmet and gone oh, silly me, that’s right! I forgot to modify Grian to my personal preferences last month!
Why I like it: Wonderful take on admin Xisuma taking care of his player even with an unusual request. I like how Xisuma needs the encouragement and reassurances to keep going but he does enjoy getting into his evil role when he feels comfortable and he is good at it, too. And Grian is very good at prodding him just enough and having to admit he doesn't not want this, delicious.

a weave that can be unpicked by [archiveofourown.org profile] strifetxt
3.4k, Scar&/Grian, Third Life
Summary: Grian's eyes widen. “Wait, did you think I’d made a plug-in to force players into turning hostile?”
Scar blinks. “Didn’t you?”
“Wh— No, of course not!”
“Oh.” Scar deflates, but then, just as quickly, perks back up. “Could you though?”

Or: Scar has some ideas to make Third Life more fun. Grian has some concerns.
Why I like it: Excellent recursive fic of the above, and another case of a player prodding an admin into using their powers on them. I love the intimacy of the admin power used on a willing subject.

update

Nov. 30th, 2025 09:36 am
asakiyume: created by the ninja girl (Default)
[personal profile] asakiyume
I don't like to go longer than a week without posting, but I just did! So this is me waving hello. The reason for the absence is family stuff: my dad is finally moving somewhat closer to me (and very close to my younger brother), plus the Tall One has also been moving. Stressful and time consuming.

Thanksgiving included a clogged main pipe out of my dad's (soon to be former) house, where we'd gathered for the day. This necessitated an emergency plumber! Plus there were some shenanigans with the turkey roaster that delayed the turkey. "It's our toilet-less, turkey-less Thanksgiving," joked Little Springtime. But in the end the emergency plumber fixed the clog and the turkey finished cooking, and people's spirits remained relatively high, so it can be categorized as a Fun Tale of Obstacles Overcome rather than A Horrible Time. (It became that once we knew a plumber was coming. Hero of the story: the plumber.)

Wakanomori brought an Edo-period board game that he'd put together from images available online, and we played it. It's Genji Monogatari-themed: you march around the board and land on different chapters from the Tale of Genji, and each square comes with a poem--not from the Tale of Genji but from the makers of the game. Plus gorgeous ink paintings. Very aesthetic and allowed for a good review of the happenings of the story--or introduction to them, for several people present. (Not sure if anyone's read it from beginning to end. Maybe Wakanomori has.)
pensnest: Text: Don't touch my chocolate! (My chocolate! Don't touch!)
[personal profile] pensnest
It was Long-Tailed Tits day today! There were about eight of them—they are very hard to count—at the feeders today. Very sociable diners, all clustering together. So cute!

*

Have been trying to help our Boy prep for a job interview again. He has many good examples of where he has been an Excellent and Useful employee, but he is not at all fluent at expressing them.

*fingers crossed*

*

Concert last night at one of the localmost churches, which is a very pleasant place in which to sing. We sounded good. It was nice.

a gift year at Dreamwidth

Nov. 30th, 2025 08:54 am
mellowtigger: from Jason Lloyd artwork at https://www.teepublic.com/poster-and-art/16346461-wwdd?store_id=113309 (WWDD)
[personal profile] mellowtigger

If any regular readers here (whether you currently even have a Dreamwidth account or not) would like a regular Paid account for a year, then send me a private message from your Dreamwidth account through the Inbox.

This post from Dreamwidth admins reminded me of their tradition of encouraging gift subscriptions at Dreamwidth. This FAQ page explains the benefits of Paid versus Free accounts. I don't really understand the point system, so I'm sticking with the Paid offer for this year.

[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

International Puppets!

The puppetry arts institute in Independence has everything someone could want in a puppetry museum.  Strange looking and creepy puppets, puppets from around the world, a stage for creating puppet shows and of course the opportunity to make a puppet. Staff members allow guests to choose from a wide selection of puppet heads that can be painted in any form.

There is a room at the museum dedicated to Hazelle Hedges Rollins and her Kansas City puppet factory.  Hazelle started her puppet making business in 1935 and they became really popular.  Her puppets ended up being sold in more than 1800 different stores across the country.  In 1972 Princess Grace of Monaco ordered some of Hazelle's puppets to establish a puppet theater in Monaco.  At its peak Hazelle's business annual sales totaled around 250,000 all while employing only 50 workers. The museum features many of Hazelle's marionettes.  

A Cloud After the Rain

Nov. 30th, 2025 07:58 am
frith: Yellow pony with yellow mane, stunned look. (FIM Applejack stunned)
[personal profile] frith posting in [community profile] ponyville_trot
a_cloud_after_the_rain_by_rvsd
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/rvsd/art/A-cloud-after-the-rain-1145491262

Another RSVD work. Is it digital acrylic or oil? Regardless, this RVSD painted portrait is different from most of their variations on a snapshot theme. It's interesting, nice despite the Hello Kitty ears which are a wee bit too close together.

(no subject)

Nov. 30th, 2025 12:54 pm
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)
[personal profile] oursin
Happy birthday, [personal profile] smw!

check in day 30

Nov. 30th, 2025 12:32 pm
lilly_c: Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran wearing all black against a purple lights background and mine! in purple text (Default)
[personal profile] lilly_c posting in [community profile] writethisfanfic
How is the writing going?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 0


Today I

View Answers

wrote
0 (0.0%)

edited
0 (0.0%)

posted
0 (0.0%)

sent to beta
0 (0.0%)

researched
0 (0.0%)

planned
0 (0.0%)

had a cheeky break
0 (0.0%)

dealt with life
0 (0.0%)



Discussion: what are you working on this week?

Volunteers for December

Nov. 30th, 2025 12:25 pm
lilly_c: Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran wearing all black against a purple lights background and mine! in purple text (Default)
[personal profile] lilly_c posting in [community profile] writethisfanfic
This takes us into the first weekend of January just to make things a wee bit easier on my end until I know what my shifts are like at work.

Week 1: 7th to 13th
Week 2: 14th to 20th
Week 3: 21st to 27th
Week 4: 28th to 3th

December sign up

Nov. 30th, 2025 12:25 pm
lilly_c: Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran wearing all black against a purple lights background and mine! in purple text (Default)
[personal profile] lilly_c posting in [community profile] writethisfanfic
It's time to sign up for the December WIP challenge! Some people join the challenge mid month, or comment on check-in posts without signing up, which is fine -- I'm glad there's a way for the challenge to be useful in a variety of ways. For those of you who find the commitment of signing up useful, please leave a comment with the below information.

Sign-ups will be open until the end of December.


    Level of challenge: 1 chapter, 1000 words, 1 fic finished, whatever you like
    Fandom(s) involved: if you know at this point
    What you're looking for from the challenge: this could be as vague or specific as you like: someone to be accountable to, someone to remind you to write, someone to bounce ideas off, etc.
    What you could offer other participants yourself: ditto!
    How people should contact you: DW message, e-mail, IM etc.
    Time zone: useful for seeing who might be up for a writing session at a time convenient to you


Copypaste below:



The post for hosting the daily check-in is here and thanks to everyone who helps out with this. If you're interested in helping out and there are still slots available the post remains open until the last week of the month and we generally run our week Sunday to Saturday, I'm happy to chat via PM on DW for anyone who might need it.

If you have ever completed a fic through this challenge we have a collection on AO3 and on SquidgeWorld both collections are open and unmoderated. Should there be an issue with adding a work, let me know and I'll see if there's a fix for it.

Unseen

Nov. 30th, 2025 12:50 pm
extrapenguin: Northern lights in blue and purple above black horizon. (Default)
[personal profile] extrapenguin
I've been feeling melancholy for – well. The calendar says it's almost December, the Christmas lights are up here, etc, but the weather says it's the start of October. And also, as it is still my first year in Paris, I have been basically sick nonstop. Last weekend I got the influenza or something.

Last year, I read a book that changed my life (or, at least, how I approach other people). The book's analysis of appreciation and how it is and isn't given thus lurks at the back of my mind; less "living rent-free" and more like a structural element.

My job is ... well. Theoretically, it's interesting. In practice, it feels like nothing I do matters – no-one admits to being in charge, the person I thought was my boss is too busy doing project administration paperwork to supervise me and has informed me that she's actually not my boss at all, I do not know who my boss is, and the piece of equipment I was promised would arrive in September has been delayed to February at best. I do not know who my boss is.

(Also this is not a job for a postdoc IMO? I really think they should've hired a PhD student instead, and only got a postdoc because they only have two years of funding...)

In short, the management is shit. I've tried giving feedback, but the problems with this group run deep, apparently, and also I'm not officially a part of the group. (The least wrong answer to "Where do you work?" is "It's complicated.") Like. It's one thing to be self-directed, but frankly, I feel self-employed, except with none of the good parts.

(Also Paris fucking sucks, y'all? Pollution so bad you can taste it, the sheer noise of the masses, all the grocery stores have more restrictive opening times than the fucking alcohol monopoly in Finland, and the locals are all "omg you live in the bad part of town???" my dude your entire fucking city is sketchy af! All of Paris is "the bad part of town"!)

Oh yeah and I've been suffering with bedbugs. I hired the pros the moment I found them, buuuuut I think they've been coming through the vents. I recently covered them with fabric (and duct tape), but ofc there's the residual population. I sleep with no skin uncovered so they cannot feed and multiply. I do a final sweep of visible surfaces before bed and exterminate all I can find. There are bloodstains on my ceiling and a hatred in my soul.
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
I did not go downtown today. I had planned ahead and did my usual ‘Saturday shopping’ yesterday. We weren’t supposed to get that much snow, but I thought, just in case. Good thing I did. I had already decided to stay home, but Pip called after he got to work to tell me the roads were a hot mess and that I shouldn’t go out. I didn’t tell him that I answered the phone from back in bed. *g*

I shoveled the sidewalk, did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, finished clearing off/dusting in the dining room, AND THEN GOT OUT my Christmas decorations!! (I can’t believe I have it done earlier than the week before Christmas, lol!), went for a walk with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I visited mom and stopped at Stewart’s (for gas and milk) on the way home. We had various leftovers for supper. I read fanfic and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and some HGTV programs. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 28.6(F) and reached 39.9. (By the time I got home from mom’s ~3pm it was already down to 31.1! And the sun was still shining some. I really hate this time of the year.)

We got over 6" of snow (TWC app says 8"), because there was quite a bit more on the sidewalk when I shoveled again this morning. By the time I went down to see mom (after lunch) the roads were clear of snow and just wet, where any remaining snow had melted. And the sun was shining nice and bright, as is often the case after a snowstorm!


Mom Update:

Mom was doing well when I saw her. more back here )

November Group Read Check-In Final

Nov. 30th, 2025 07:04 am
kalloway: Xmas lights with relectors (Xmas Lights 32 Reflectors)
[personal profile] kalloway posting in [community profile] readingtogether
And we're to the end of November! How did your month go?


(and a reminder that [community profile] readingtogether is open to all sorts of read-alongs hosted by anyone. I'll probably be doing my sometimes-annual Lingering challenge between Xmas and New Year's.)

Final Fantasy VII, AKA DAMN SEPHIROTH

Nov. 30th, 2025 11:14 am
doreyg: ([Final Fantasy])
[personal profile] doreyg
Here, at last, is a far too long post containing my thoughts about Final Fantasy VII!

I’ve always wanted to experience Final Fantasy, but the thing is… I am really not very good at games. Pokemon is about my comfort level tbh, most other kinds of combat end up with me panicking wildly and simply not having a fun time. I refuse to even do the caves in Stardew Valley, the bugs just come at me too fast.

BUT these days there are LPs for basically everything on Youtube. :D And as I’m trying to ease back into watching more narrative content in my free time, as opposed to just binging mindless youtube videos and feeling vaguely bad about it, I thought that this’d be the perfect way to start bridging that gap. Which it was! …Kinda.

So, without any further ado, here are my thoughts on my watchthrough of Final Fantasy VII. I hope you enjoy!

Read more... )

So, what’s next for me gaming wise? Well, tbh… I have been hankering after doing another semi-Nuzlocke (using the Nuzlocke catching rules, but not letting my poor babies die) in Pokemon. I played gen 5 last, so let’s see what awaits us in gen 6! :D

Also, I am watching Danganronpa: Despair Time, a Danganronpa fangame! I am still fairly early on, but I am enjoying it. :D

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