solarbird | Reading

My Outgunned game is a spy thriller of sorts. I thought it would be fun to skip the usual "characters start together, get briefed, plot their mission together" and so on, I'd start with three of the five breaking into an apartment. They are 14-year-old Diane Dean (the driver), 18-year-old Concordia Butterstein (unsanctioned intrusion and asset acquisition expert) and 70-year-old Jethro Winthrop (the smooth talking fellow who hired the other two because they offered the best value for price)

( Read more... )

cathrowan

I got fitted with my first pair of hearing aids a month ago. Some of my friends complain about theirs. I'm having an excellent experience and am so glad this technology exists. I had no idea how bad my high-frequency hearing loss was until it was compensated for. Our dishwasher makes a soft chime when you press a button! Who knew? (Not me.)

Current Mood: pleased

canyonwalker

2025 was the Year of AI. Content generated by AI started popping up everywhere. I even used it a bit myself. But just a bit, because one thing that was blindingly obvious in the Year of AI— obvious to anyone really paying attention, anyway— is that AI can produce some laughably silly results.

For example, some of my colleagues went big into using AI image generation to illustrate slide presentations a few months ago. I couldn't help but point out, publicly, when a person (in the picture) who was the subject of the story had, say, 3 arms, or when they had a laptop showing our product on its screen while the screen was bent around the wrong way. Maybe that makes me a bad person. But I've always been the one dumbass who, when the emperor strides onto the stage stark-fucking-naked, nudges people next to me and says out loud, "Look, the emperor's wearing no clothes!" And more to the point here, if we don't object to AI slop right now, its' going to become normalized and we're going to be completely inundated with it in 2026.

Anyway, this journal entry isn't supposed to be a screed against AI. I'm writing to share some in-the-know humor about some of the funny results AI image gen gives us.

A few months ago I used Google's Gemini image gen to illustrate panels for a story I wrote on my blog. It's the one I only finally finished yesterday: The Mystery of the Church Up the Hill. One of the images I created was of my father painting the inside of the church he attended decades ago. I wrote a prompt like

A man is painting the walls in a Catholic church. He is in his 30s and is dressed in clothes fashionable in the early 1970s.

And the first result was....

Disco Jesus paints his church. Funny AI rendering fail from Google Gemini. (Oct 2025)

Disco Jesus! 🤣

I literally gave this prompt next:

The man is not Jesus.

To its credit, the image generator came back with a new image that did not have the son of god painting his own church after rising from the dead inside a vintage clothing shop. 🤣

Ultimately there were more things wrong with the pic than just "My dad doesn't look like Jesus", so I prompted the AI to start over. On my second try I used a few more terms to describe the aspects of the scene I thought were most salient. I got the image I used in the story I shared yesterday.

AI rendering of a man painting a church (Google Gemini, Oct 2025)

AI rendering of a man painting a church (Google Gemini, Oct 2025)

Was the final image I went with at all like the church my dad painted? No. But it conveyed the parts of the story I thought were appropriate. Including a few key elements of my dad's appearance: age, body shape, hair color, and glasses. One thing I couldn't get right in a handful of prompts was managing to dress my dad like a dork from the early 70s. Gemini kept taking the "early 1970s" prompt as making my dad look like a dork who dressed up to go disco dancing. Though I can see now that Dad would've looked pretty sharp— for a dork— in Chelsea boots and a leather vest!

seraphikiss posting in

addme_fandom

Name: fleur or mike
Age group: 21 - 29
Country: USA
Subscription/Access Policy: only given to those i know are 100% anti-censorship and adults. i do not tolerate politics or discourse

Main Fandoms: identity v
Other Fandoms: star trek (TOS), fire emblem three houses, fire emblem awakening, vocaloid, elder scrolls, star wars (OT)
Fannish Interests: writing, creating AUs, worldbuilding, headcanons
OTPs and Ships: joseph/alva, joseph/aesop, norton/orpheus

Favourite Movies: star wars OT
TV Shows: murder, she wrote
Books: epic poems
Music: okamep
Games: identity v, skyrim
Comics/Anime/Misc: angel beats

rionaleonhart

I've just returned from seeing Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre, because I have reached full-on 'buying theatre tickets' levels of unwell about the Goes Wrong Show and its associated productions.

I caught a candid glimpse of Dennis's actor Jonathan Sayer just after I entered the theatre, as I headed towards the loos, and it felt deeply surreal.

A note I made before heading out to see the play: There's always the chance I'll get an understudy, of course, but, if he's present, I'm not sure how I'll cope with being in the same room as Robert's actor Henry Lewis, who is so hot it makes me genuinely nervous.

He was, in fact, there! As tall and loud and handsome as I could desire; I had a good view of him from my place at the side of the stalls. Although I do have a bone to pick with whoever decided to trap Robert in an enormous present box for most of the second act (quite possibly Lewis himself), which was very funny but did unfortunately obscure his excellent face.

Come to think of it, the 'if he's present' in my initial note accidentally ended up being an incredible pun.

Dennis, Jonathan, Trevor and Robert (♥) were played by their actors from the Goes Wrong Show; Chris, Annie, Sandra and Max were not. Everyone did a great job, but I have to give special mention to Daniel Fraser, who was absolutely perfect in the role of Chris. It's not easy to play a character when your entire audience is used to seeing another actor in that role! But I thought Fraser was magnificent.

Assorted notes beneath the cut!

( Notes on the stage production of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. )

The curtain that fell at the interval was an enormous replica of Robert Grove's CV (page 1 of 148). He lists 'Dog Ownership' as one of his skills, and his roles include 'audience member' for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi', the role of Robert Grove in 'Anecdote', directed by Robert Grove (venue: restaurant), every character in The Wind in the Willows (venue: 'shouted in street'), and Dracula in Immersive Dracula (venue: 'Audience Member's House (forced entry)'). In a production of Romeo and Juliet, he played both Romeo and Juliet. I'll be honest: I would watch the hell out of that.

He's perfect. If I were directing a play, I would cast him in every role, and I think he'd agree that this would be the correct decision.

kitewithfish

What I’ve Read
Novel Length fanfic!
Super/Bat - The Long Hangover by CoffioCake – a comics-focused Super/Bat fanfic with a very delightful level of identity porn! “Clark knows he should take a break: His powers are on the fritz, he feels like shit, and Batman’s treating him like a liability. But Gotham's villains seem to have it in for Metropolis' Big Blue Boy Scout and Clark won't just wait around for answers. Batman might be the world’s greatest detective, but Clark Kent is one of the Daily Planet’s most tenacious reporters. This is definitely a job for Superman.” https://archiveofourown.org/works/5912137

Hannibal/Will Graham - Falls the Shadow by littlesystems - https://archiveofourown.org/works/23577121 Hannibal/Will Graham fanfic. “AKA an AU where Bedelia is Will’s psychiatrist instead of Hannibal, Will makes a series of increasingly questionable life choices, and no one should ever take Bedelia’s advice. Ever.” - A very indulgent fic where Hannibal and Will get a chance to meet under more romantic circumstances.

Sidebar: So I write this on Tuesday, a day after I applied a latte to my aging human body after 2pm and screwed up my sleep pretty drastically last night. So drastically, in fact, that I left comments on fic I was reading at every thirty minutes from midnight to 2am. Since caring is sharing, in no particular order, here’s some of the fic I read Monday night/Tuesday morning!

Fandom: Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy II The Golden Army
I got into a headspace about old Guillermo del Toro movies and ended up re-watching it. (Fun!) One thing I enjoy with del Toro is that he often carries character-types and themes from film to film, so that Nuada from Hellboy II and Nomak from Blade II and Quinlan from The Strain and The Creature from Frankenstein are all characters that shade into each other. It feels very fannish to me – wanting to play with similar characters in different scenarios.

I found some fic focusing on Prince Nuada Silverlance, the villainous and thinly veiled survivor of colonialism becomes genocidal threat dude from the second movie, pairing him with the fandom bicycle of John Meyers, Agent Rookie Who Needs Exposition from the first Hellboy movie. (They never meet in canon.) Not going to lie, some similarities to Thorin Oakenshield here – the quest to save a kingdom in the face of certain ruin, a quest that kills him? Not the same but not different! (Sidebar: I was hoping to see more fic of Abe Sapien/Nuada from the Hellboy II fans. In the film, Abe’s paired with the other twin, Nuala, and the twins have a psychic bond type thing that means they suffer each other’s wounds. It just seems like a trio pairing would make sense here!)

-To Swallow My Desire And Choke On It by Skelettoine – and sequel Bury me to the sound of your name - https://archiveofourown.org/series/4520452

-it’s all going To End in Spears by psychomachia https://archiveofourown.org/works/76350796

-One of these things by obscureshipyard - https://archiveofourown.org/works/31634057

Fic from other fandoms, in which people make very poor choices about their sexual partners for extremely human reasons:

Mo Dao Zu Shi fic - so low i can't see the high road (on my knees) by Anonymous (Restricted) - https://archiveofourown.org/works/33068710 – Very niche and fucked up pairing in Mo Dao Zu Shi modern au. What do you do when your best friend and foster brother from childhood, your first love and the one who you thought you’d spend your whole life with, shows up with a boyfriend? Jiang Cheng decides the answer is: Fuck his dad.

Batfamily - (you kept me like a secret) i kept you like an oath by gatheringwool - https://archiveofourown.org/works/43038276 A well written fucked up Bat Family fic -In Jason Todd’s POV - about the night where it is revealed that he and Bruce have been having sex since Jason was twelve. It goes as well as could be expected. Mind the warnings.

What I’m Reading Now
Sunrise in the East by wroth_and_ruin – aka “that Hobbit/Pushing Daisies Sentinel/Guide AU crossover that nobody asked for and nobody wanted but you're getting anyway.” I read this at the recommendation of a friend years ago and it is charming and holds up to multiple re-reads. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1319923 This fic is fantastic if you like horny slow burns and cultural differences and Lee Pace.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – The second Hunger Games book. - Paused, bc hearing about fictional police crackdowns in Panem was… not doing it for me this week.

One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters – Book two of the Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries. 75% ish

What I’ll Read Next
I want to read some physical books I have around

james_davis_nicoll

A vast megadungeon from Expeditious Retreat Press for D&D, AD&D, and other tabletop fantasy roleplaying games.

Bundle of Holding: Halls of Arden Vul (from 2022)

dialecticdreamer

Coworkers Cooperating
By DIalecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1588
[Late August 2016]

:: A tough day at work drains Evelyn’s patience. She and Candy discuss a helpful coworker, and make plans accordingly. Prompts by

fuzzyred and

siliconshaman combined to create this, so my thanks to both of them. Written for the January of 2026 Magpie Monday and posted with sponsorship, and more of my thanks. ::

Evelyn listened to the salesman through the wireless earbud she wore on the left. A skeptical sigh beat against her ribs, trying to escape. “If you do not stop trying to pitch a monitoring app on private phones as ‘helpful’ for soup children, I will call the National Hate Crimes Office and name you, specifically, in a complaint. Don’t worry,” she added with vicious cheer, “I’ve already notified them about your company and the program in general, including every bullet point you’ve been hammering.”

“You what?” the salesman squeaked.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

sistawendy

All of a sudden over the last week I've been sleeping seven or eight hours a night, all in one stretch with an occasional short break. What changed?

Nothing on purpose, but this accidentally: this past Friday, when it was time to inject my beloved girl 'roids, I was using up the last of a vial*. Wayell, I didn't quite have a full dose left in the vial; I was about 7% short of what I've been using in recent months**. I didn't feel like opening another vial just for that.

Why might a reduction in dosage help me sleep? Estradiol does make you retain water; my longer sleep interruptions did tend to start out as bathroom breaks.

Given that a) my breasts are just about as big as I want them to be, depending on the bra, and b) Dr. Funnyname has warned me about the consequences of long-term hormone use, maybe I'll just back off.

*The FDA at least used to say that you're not supposed to use more than two doses out of a 5 ml vial. That's bullpucky, and in my opinion a possible scam to make more money from a cheap drug. Trans folks have been using up their vials since decades before I started doing it in 2010.
**Which is about 40% more than I was actually prescribed several years ago. Ahem.

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House
Current Music: Frank Zappa, "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary"

malurette

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

james_davis_nicoll

...Wait, we're supposed to believe that it's the rebels who are wrong?

Side-Eyeing Science Fiction’s Love of Empire

neonvincent

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: worried
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: Tinderly Twitch stream

james_davis_nicoll

A teen subject to intermittent time-loops sets out to prevent the murder of his unlikable grandfather. This will be much harder than he expects.

The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa

sistawendy

The Wendling concurs that it's a hit.

2 parts each of:

oregano, dried

thyme, dried

basil, dried

garlic powder

and one part each of:

onion powder
salt
MSG

Oddly, my son had never heard of MSG.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House

canyonwalker

Three months ago I started telling the story of the church up the hill. Except for most of my life it was the mystery of the church up the hill.

An AI rendering of the church up the hill (Google Gemini, Oct 2025)

An AI rendering of the church up the hill (Google Gemini, Oct 2025)

I grew up in a Catholic family, and we lived in a neighborhood where there was a Catholic church right up the hill from us. It was easy walking distance, about 3 blocks. But we almost never attended that church, at least not that I remember. Instead we were regular parishioners at the Catholic church in the next town over— a church a 20 minute car trip away, in a town we never lived in.

It always seemed strange to me, "Why don't we attend the church almost literally in our back yard—" the strip of land immediately behind our back yard was literally owned by the church— "Instead of driving to another city?" I asked my parents many times. The answers they gave never made sense. It wasn't until I was in my 40s, and my father was on his deathbed, that I pieced together the truth to unravel this mystery.

Follow me through the jump for the rest of the story.

( Read the rest of the story... )

dialecticdreamer

Job Prospects
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 2192

:: Sequel to

ysabetwordsmith’s poem, “Under the Sea,” wherein Jules decides to take a job stocking Cans for Kraken as soon as his year-long educational adventure ends. This is written for everyone who participated in the Magpie Monday event and got my butt in the desk chair long enough to fill a hole in Halley and Shiv’s story arc that’s been gnawing at me for years. Thank you all! ::

[Day 0: Tuesday , September 26, 2017]

Jules inserted the copy of his graduation certificate in the newly purchased accordion file only an inch thick, and now used instead of a three ring binder in his backpack. The gesture, and the weight of the new safety deposit box key on his key ring, made him feel more adult in ways that blowing out birthday candles simply had not. He scanned the printed email, checked his lodgings for any forgotten items, folded the thin plastic laundry bag that the hostel had provided, and tucked it into the small side pocket on his backpack opposite the mesh one where his water bottle already sat, full and ready for use.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: artistic

cosmolinguist

My counselor always starts with asking me how my week has been, since we last talked.

On every level, it has been A Lot.

But it was actually really good to talk about it all: on the macro level of course Minneapolis, my friends there and seeing fascism happen in places familiar to me, and then on the micro level angelofthenorth moving out, and just seeing her thriving after six months in our goofy lovely home.

I can't fix everything but I'm so glad to have the personal security needed to donate to mutual aid, to drag someone else out of a situation so similar to the one I needed saving from five years ago.

brithistorian

Today I finally had sufficient time around lunchtime to try Cincinnati chili. I fixed it according to the article on "How to Eat Cincinnati Chili Like a Local" and then sat down to eat it. I didn't like the first bite. So I ate some more, hoping it would get better with further exposure. By the time I had eaten half of the serving, I gave up and decided I just didn't like it. So I disposed of it, brushed my teeth, then brushed my teeth again because I could still taste it in my mouth. I wish I liked it, because the concept sounded interesting, but I don't.

I think I might try eating "regular" chili on spaghetti, because it wasn't the "on spaghetti" part that I disliked, but in the meantime I'm over here eating peppermints one after another to try to clear the taste in my mouth. (I'm really not trying to be overly dramatic here. It's just very rare that I try something and don't like it, so I'm having trouble coping with it.)

malurette

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

cathrowan

If I send a "save the date" message and say I am finalizing the details, more info later, and I don't include the venue, why would you write to ask me what the venue is? Can you not figure out that I don't have that info yet?

Current Mood: annoyed

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solarbird

I'm on Mastodon!

January 2026

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Page Summary

james_davis_nicoll - Outgunned 1
cathrowan - Bionic ears
canyonwalker - Funny AI Rendering Fails
seraphikiss in addme_fandom - (no subject)
rionaleonhart - I'm Better Than This.
kitewithfish - Wednesday Reading Meme for Jan 14 2026
james_davis_nicoll - Bundle of Holding: Halls of Arden Vul (from 2022)
dialecticdreamer - Coworkers Cooperating (part 1 of 1, complete)
sistawendy - from the Dept. of Amateur Medical Research
malurette - [meme] snowflake_challenge - days 6&7
james_davis_nicoll - Side-Eyeing Science Fiction’s Love of Empire
neonvincent - The answer is probably not
james_davis_nicoll - The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa
sistawendy - Salad success!
canyonwalker - The Mystery of the Church Up the Hill: Solved!
dialecticdreamer - Job Prospects (part 1 of 1, complete)
cosmolinguist - Taking stock
brithistorian - Update: Cincinnati chili
malurette - [BD] Toubab
cathrowan - Argh

収束ゾーンでのライフ: Life in the Convergence Zone

cheers, love - the cavalry's queer!

Reading

Outgunned 1

Bionic ears

Funny AI Rendering Fails

(no subject)

I'm Better Than This.

Wednesday Reading Meme for Jan 14 2026

Bundle of Holding: Halls of Arden Vul (from 2022)

Coworkers Cooperating (part 1 of 1, complete)

from the Dept. of Amateur Medical Research

[meme] snowflake_challenge - days 6&7

Side-Eyeing Science Fiction’s Love of Empire

The answer is probably not

The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa

Salad success!

The Mystery of the Church Up the Hill: Solved!

Job Prospects (part 1 of 1, complete)

Taking stock

Update: Cincinnati chili

[BD] Toubab

Argh

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January 2026

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