solarbird | Reading

What a busy day!

I got up for trans gym this morning, which should be normal for a Saturday but I missed it last week thanks to trainfail, and I didn't make it to the gym at all this week and my mental health suffered accordingly. So it was really nice to be back even if everything felt difficult!

Sadly D wasn't feeling well enough to do gym, but he was feeling well enough to give me a lift to and from and do some shopping for treats from the grocery store in between, which was welcome. It also meant we got a tinfoil-wrapped packet of our friend I's homemade pancakes, still warm when he handed them to D, which was really lovely.

Then this afternoon we had a doggy date! Thanks to Borrow My Doggy, a neighbor found us, said she thought she recognized us from the photos I put on the website, and indeed she was right. She and her husband are retired and dealing with various health issues that mean they need help walking their sweet adorable poodle/Irish setter cross, Teddy. He immediately loved V and I (again D was not feeling up to joining us, he needed a nap), demanded pets from us both and fell asleep pressed up against me while we talked with his humans. We all got along and it seems like we cwn help each other which is lovely.

Soon after V and I got home, angelofthenorth's friend came over, who soon said "I feel like I've found my people, even though I've never met you two before!" V was delighted at this of course, and I know it's something they and D have always aspired to.

We had a great conversation until D and I had to leave to go see Beowulf at Park in the Past. It was really fun to get to enjoy Beowulf in something approaching its original setting: In a dirt floored, wood-beamed, wool-thatched hut, listening to a bard perform Beowulf and in between "acts" some talented musicians play a variety of folk music. We drank mead and D got to eat a wild boar burger. We snuggled up to stay warm and to enjoy each other's company. It was a great evening. Great day.

renfys

Title: Warming Up

Rating: G

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Summary: As soon as Castle hears she's unwell, he's on her doorstep at lunch time, with chicken soup and orange juice and ice cream wearing that purple shirt she likes so much.

Notes: Episode fix it for Countdown - what if Josh doesn't interrupt Castle.

A03 link

neonvincent

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: MelissaInDeNile Twitch stream

james_davis_nicoll

Three books new to me. All are fantasies, two are series.

Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025

Poll #33866 Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

View Respondents

Which of these upcoming books look interesting?

View Answers

Mother of Death and Dawn by Carissa Broadbent (March 2026)
3 (8.6%)

Tides of Fortune by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (June 2026)
1 (2.9%)

Everybody’s Perfect by Jo Walton (June 2026)
25 (71.4%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
26 (74.3%)

rionaleonhart

More horrible adventures in the Silent Hill 2 remake! I've just reached Brookhaven Hospital, but this entry contains full Silent Hill 2 spoilers.

( Notes on the Silent Hill 2 remake. )

This is such a good remake! It's clear that a lot of respect and love for Silent Hill 2 went into it. It really feels like the original without being constricted by it; it modifies and expands on details in ways that feel true to the original game. I'm so impressed!

malurette

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

conuly

( Even if I don't give the title, it's spoilers aplenty )

***************

( Read more... )

canyonwalker

Thanksgiving triplog #1
SFO airport · Fri, 12 Nov 2025. 8:30pm.

Tonight we're headed east for Thanksgiving; to Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to visit friends and relatives over the coming week. We're at SFO already, awaiting our 9:25pm departure to BWI. Yes, it's a red-eye... and a red-eye was actually our first choice. Partly that's because when flying west to east it's a matter of losing most of a day traveling or having a rough night getting little sleep on a red-eye. We chose losing a night over losing a day. And partly it's because this flight is on Southwest, where I have the Companion Pass that makes flying together cheaper.

And yes, Southwest flies red-eyes now! They started that in the last year or two. It took decades because they literally had to upgrade all their IT to be able to handle the clocks flipping from 23:59 to 00:00 in the middle of a flight. It's like the Y2K problem but it's the D2 (Day 2) problem. 🤣 Oh, but despite upgrading their IT from the 1980s to maybe the 1990s they've still got...

I'll book this Southwest flight... and it's delayed

I'll book this Southwest flight... and it's delayed

...The problem of delays snowballing across the day because they continue to plan their schedules hopelessly optimistically like the past 20 years of commercial aviation in the US haven't actually happened.

Fortunately it's just a small delay (so far) and we really don't care this trip. We purposefully booked a nonstop, even as a red-eye, to avoid problems with missing a connection due to delays. And with this red-eye we're scheduled to land at 5:30am. If the flight were even 2 hours late we wouldn't care— except for how long we'd be sitting, bored, in the gate area struggling not to fall asleep before the boarding call!

Well, one thing that worked well this evening was a scheduled ride with Uber. I've been leery of using scheduled rides since a colleague of mine booked one for an early morning airport departure and the driver was late then canceled. He barely made it to the airport on time. But this time the driver was actually early and waited patiently outside.

dialecticdreamer

Highway Intersection
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1850
[Spring 2016]

:: Daniela Lawson is on her way to meet family for lunch. Instead, the universe throws a monkey wrench into her plans. Part of the Strange Family series, this story should be at the beginning of their third summer in Red Lake. ::

Daniela Lawson checked her watch, then hefted her backpack. Her shoulder twinged, badly, and shooting pain darted down to the palm of her right hand. It felt like she’d put her full weight onto a rose bush. The searing pain was familiar, but impossible to ignore.

Automatically, she looked for the blood that she expected to see, but the tinted skin was unblemished.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

james_davis_nicoll

I would definitely found an SF magazine.

Most mags struggle with handling submissions but I had a moment of insight: all I need to do is tell writers to send me _good_ stories. Their crap, they can submit elsewhere. Bang! Workload down by 99%.

jenk

1) Laundry has been caught up for weeks. I'm a bit surprised with myself.
2) Adjusting to the Annual 47th Parallel Dark.
3) Read The Frozen People, by Elly Griffiths. It's a mystery focused on very old cold cases... and using time travel.

sistawendy

I have paid the deposit for facial feminization surgery. It was... a lot. I have well and truly pulled the trigger. Date requested: April 28th, 2026.

Um, wow. I'm feeling SRS BSNS right now.

I'm reminded of something Jack Paar said about being a late-night talk show host: "It was like hitting myself in the thumb with a hammer every day. It felt so good when I stopped!" That's how I expect to heal after I'm healed up from the surgery. The Sculptor says that there's a long tail on healing from FFS; it can take up to a year to reach the optimum. But I'm used to waiting.

Current Mood: determined
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House
Current Music: U.S.E., "It Is On!"

rionaleonhart

It is time for me to be disproportionately bothered by a single detail in a videogame! Today, we're watching me get frustrated over the story implications of the Silent Hill 2 remake's Wood Side Apartments coin puzzle.

There are major spoilers for the entire story of Silent Hill 2 below the cut.

( Silent Hill 2 remake: the narrative problem with the coin puzzle. )

Please acknowledge receipt of my suggestion, Bloober Team. I look forward to seeing it patched in.

I'm still enjoying the remake! But this one detail is sticking in my teeth.

cosmolinguist

A while ago, a journalist I know online was asking people in the UK who were still masking if we would like to answer some questions about it. I did, but I never heard back so I don't know if anything came of it and I liked my answers enough to record them for my own benefit.

( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

A young scholar and his diverse companions are dispatched on an intelligence-gathering mission deep into enemy territory.

The Door on the Sea (The Raven and the Eagle, volume 1) by Caskey Russell

neonvincent

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: Star Wars: The Old Republic

malurette

Titre : Fantômette et l'île de la sorcière
Auteur : Georges Chaulet
Langue : français
Type : roman jeunesse
Genre : enquête

1ère parution : 1964
Édition : hachette/bibliothèque rose
Format : poche souple, 120 pages

(racheté exprès en double en braderie - d'après ma liste je l'avais déjà ; il ne manque que 3 tomes à ma collection, mais pas moyen de remettre la main sur une demi douzaine de titres, égarés quelque part dans mes piles à lire ?)

L'oncle de Ficelle l'invite avec ses amies à passer quelques jours dans sa ferme. Coïncidence, depuis quelques temps des bijouteries sont dévalisées dans la région. Pendant que Ficelle est persuadée qu'on va
trouver un trésor et des ennemis sur la petite île au milieu de la rivière, Fantômette mène l'enquête.

Un peu facile comme intrigue ?

ysabetwordsmith posting in

followfriday

Got any Follow Friday-related posts to share this week? Comment here with the link(s).

Here's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Spring Crafts
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1381

:: Nik is surprised when his new tenants return home with bales of straw and a bag full of berry canes. It turns out that they plan to make beehive skeps, with an eye on harvesting honey and wax in the autumn. He finds himself joining in. Part of the Teague Family/Edison’s Mirror story arc, prompted by

readera, with my deepest thanks. (Don’t worry, there will be more information related to the original prompt!) ::

Nik rolled onto the tiny front porch as Aidan, Vic and Ed marched steadily toward the shaded side of the garage. Both Vic and Ed had a bale of straw balanced on one shoulder, while Ed carried two plastic grocery sacks barely holding together around bundles of what looked like berry canes. Nik rolled to the round raised planter. “Hey, guys! Come on over.”

Aidan redirected his feet first, but Ed scampered quickly after. Vic fell back, bringing up the rear. As they reached a comfortable distance for conversation, Nik asked, “What’s with the hay bales?”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: tired

brithistorian

Music adjacent to economics

On BBC Newshour yesterday, I heard a story (which I can't find online at the moment) about Kraftwerk's instruments and equipment going up for auction. Besides the historical value because of their association with Kraftwerk, many of these items were inherently valuable because they're rare examples of early electronic musical instruments. The vocoder used on "The Robots" sold for about $200,000. The expert they talked to said that there were only about 20-30 surviving examples of this model of vocoder. I hope that these instrument went to musicians who will put them to use and not to tech bros who'll put them on a shelf.

Music adjacent to politics

Due to rising tensions between China and Japan (which I am forced to admit that I was unaware of), one of the cultural disputes going on between the countries is a petition in Japan asking Aespa member Ningning (who is Chinese) not to come to Japan. At the same time, Japanese performers who have built a portion of their career in China have been going out of their way to express pro-China feelings. I'm going to have read more about this situation. If any of you have a link to an article that explains what's going on, I'd appreciate it.

Music adjacent to fandom and statistics

In an article related to Blackpink members' performance at the Grammys, Rolling Stone referred to Blackpink as "(without a doubt) the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years." So of course ARMY (BTS's fandom) turning out in force, coming for Rolling Stone and bringing sales records, number of awards won, and chart performamce. the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years.) Within six hours, Rolling Stone had revised their article to refer to Blackpink as “the biggest K-pop girl group.” (A characterization that ONCE really ought to have something to say about.)

Music adjacent to bad machine translation

Weki Meki's Kim Doyeon won a Blue Dragon award (which seems to be the Korean equivalent of the Oscars), and her appearance on the red carpet caused quite a stir. The headline on one website uniquely expressed it by saying "Kim Do-yeon, Audrey Hepburn Reincarnation... a person who causes a single disease". I knew this was some sort of translation error, and asking the question on Threads led someone to clear it up for me. Apparently what they were trying (and failing) to say is that she is triggering an obsession for short bob haircuts.

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solarbird

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November 2025

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Page Summary

cosmolinguist - Between dog and wulf
renfys - Castle fic
neonvincent - Madonna for orchestra
james_davis_nicoll - Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025
rionaleonhart - The Better The Graphics, The Less Scary Pyramid Head Becomes. (He's Still Pretty Scary.)
malurette - [livre] La salamandre ~Ibuse Masuji
conuly - The protagonist of this book forgave his terrible family far too easily
canyonwalker - Headed East for Thanksgiving
dialecticdreamer - Highway Intersection (part 1 of 1, complete
james_davis_nicoll - If I ever found myself in possession of a vast fortune
jenk - Thankful Thursday
sistawendy - FFS is on.
rionaleonhart - There Aren't Kitchen Guns, Are There?
cosmolinguist - Questions about wearing masks
james_davis_nicoll - The Door on the Sea (The Raven and the Eagle, volume 1) by Caskey Russell
neonvincent - NYPD marching band
malurette - [livre] Fantômette et l'île de la sorcière (to5)
ysabetwordsmith in followfriday - Follow Friday 11-21-25
dialecticdreamer - Spring Crafts (part 1 of 1, complete)
brithistorian - Recent music-adjacent news that I've found interesting

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

cheers, love - the cavalry's queer!

Reading

Between dog and wulf

Castle fic

Madonna for orchestra

Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025

The Better The Graphics, The Less Scary Pyramid Head Becomes. (He's Still Pretty Scary.)

[livre] La salamandre ~Ibuse Masuji

The protagonist of this book forgave his terrible family far too easily

Headed East for Thanksgiving

Highway Intersection (part 1 of 1, complete

If I ever found myself in possession of a vast fortune

Thankful Thursday

FFS is on.

There Aren't Kitchen Guns, Are There?

Questions about wearing masks

The Door on the Sea (The Raven and the Eagle, volume 1) by Caskey Russell

NYPD marching band

[livre] Fantômette et l'île de la sorcière (to5)

Follow Friday 11-21-25

Spring Crafts (part 1 of 1, complete)

Recent music-adjacent news that I've found interesting

Music adjacent to economics

Music adjacent to politics

Music adjacent to fandom and statistics

Music adjacent to bad machine translation

Profile

Links

November 2025

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