Finished since the last reading post Riders, which was reasonably entertaining but contained a number of really unpleasant characters behaving badly. That made the whole experience feel like hard work, and with its thickness just holding it up for reading contributed to that.
A Vein of Deceit by Susanna Gregory, which featured an impressive string of deaths and lies related to college finances and something going on in Suffolk.
Crypt, with lots of detail about recent findings about medieval burials, and about what ancient DNA can now tell about how the people lived and died. And also about how DNA has shed a lot more light on the plague and syphilis.
Currently reading Started reading The Hollow Crown by Dan Jones
Reading next I'm waiting for a library reservation and in the meantime I've picked up something from my shelves to read on the train today.
I am spending a TON of time on this round of Cursed Witch editing at the moment, and loving it. It's still hard work, and it was hard work getting to the point when I could do this, but it's all coming together and feeding into each other and that's a great feeling. The worldbuilding is being refined even further, leading to new ideas that magically solve other problems I had on the backburner, so my brain was likely working on it the whole time even without my active input.
It's still all a bit strange. At first, going on yet another round of structural editing after so long felt like ghostwriting someone else's story. Then because the changes started getting smaller, and generating more ideas of their own, it felt like creating fic for it, haha. Now, I don't know, I work on it in the morning and at night and the story and world and characters are constantly living in my head, in a "love you guys" kinda way rather than the "OH MY GOD I AM SO SICK OF THIS STORY" way I had reached last year. I always had a vague idea for 2 potential sequels, a one-line summary ready for each which was interesting but apparently not enough to actually make me really plan to ever write them. Now I'm adding more details to that "Sequels ideas" file once or twice (or thrice!) a day, peppering little hints of foreshadowing, sometimes even bits that work in layers so that (I think) one can think are related to the current story, but should someone care enough to re-read later after knowing what happens in book 2 or 3, then some sentences take on a completely different meaning. And I'm thinking maybe I'd quite like to take a stab at book 2 once I've handled the first parts of the Soul Thief edits? I also had a "fatal flaws" file about a couple of points I thought made the story broken at a fundamental level, but I believe I managed to smooth or fix that to an acceptable degree to me anyway :D
I am so excited. Obviously, working/editing at the current pace would not be sustainable, but I'm just making a big push while all that motivation and excitement are bursting at the seams. And I know this is all flowing relatively well thanks to all the thinking and prep work I did, even if it felt like it was taking forever. I had to summarise my summaries of beta-reader comments because it was still too long to easily reference XD But I think this kind of exercise is what's helping keeping as much as possible in my head.
May this energy last until I finish this round of editing, too...!! Haha. One can hope. Back to it, now.
World War Z by Max Brooks. How the world reacts to the zombie apocalypse. This was very compelling and I liked the structure as various interviews. Not a huge fan of the writing. It's intended to be transcripts from a bunch of different people but the POVs didn't feel very distinct to me and a there were passages where it just felt like descriptive writing, which would be fine except it was supposed to be dialogue, and in my head I was like 'who talks like this'? Although dialogue is not my strong point so maybe that's just me. I watched the Brad Pitt movie after and it was fine but bears almost no resemblance to the the book at all lol.
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch. Magical police of London. I've fallen behind on reading this series but I still enjoy it. For some reason this particular book was incredibly hard to find in print. I remember having it on my Kindle at least twice and forgetting about it as I do with all ebooks.
In TV, I watched Department Q. Fine detective show though I didn't feel a strong spark for it. I appreciated that it's Scottish and that they gave us an interesting and borderline unlikeable female character to go along with the interesting and borderline unlikeable male lead.
I got a job in May, which is why I haven't posted as much on here. It takes up most of my attention and mental energy, which is I think more of a factor in not Doing much lately than it taking up my time.
I have a lot of stuff I want to do--I found that article by linkhopping around the small web, which is something I've been growing a bit of a hyperfixation on the last couple days, imagining hosting options and domain names and tech pipelines for a hypothetical little digital plot of my own. I've been guiltily percolating a newish novel idea since January, guiltily because it hasn't translated into any words on paper (I'm both mortified to talk about it and bursting with the desire to do so). I'm wanting to learn to sew, but that's also been more of a mental hobby of picking out patterns and grabbing little bits from work (a quilt shop) and imagining projects than actually doing anything. It's just a weird holding pattern of having reached what was a goal for so long, and yet nothing else has changed. A bit of the "now what?" has settled in.
We've reached that late summer early fall serotinal period a bit earlier than usual, by my personal demarcation point of the leaves on the local black walnuts starting to turn yellow. They're the first tree around here to turn for the fall. But the Joe-Pye weeds are still in full bloom, little pink cloud banks by the sides of the road, and the blessed interval of cooler weather we've been having has come to an end, so summer isn't really done with us yet.
And the seasons turn also for the bike folk! It's one of the wackier parts of the calendar, in between the Tour and the Vuelta a España. A bustle of activity with Vuelta tuneup races like San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos; the awkward middle child of World Tour one-weekers, Tour de Pologne; the half a metric ton of salmon for winning KOM race; and a sprinkling of random French races like Tour de l'Ain. Folks are gearing up for the (men's; the women's was in May) Vuelta or Worlds, they're announcing their plans for the rest of the 2025 season, they're announcing team transfers for next year.
I'm a fan of buying and selling used and "renewed" i.e. refurb electronics on eBay. My dad has had a Eufy brand RoboVac for a few years now; he bought it and then stopped using it almost right away because, surprise, their house is too cluttered for it not to get stuck, and my stepmom didn't like the noise of it bumping into things. But I had an idea for it; the housekeeper doesn't clean the upstairs because it's only ever used when one of us comes to stay. So I plugged it in upstairs and figured out how to use it, and it worked just fine up there.
I have been holding off buying a vacuuming robot for years, because first, they were super expensive, and later, I didn't like that they all seemed to come with creepy spyware and unnecessary sensors, and have to be on your WiFi network. The Eufy 11S, which was just retired in July of this year, does not, though! It doesn't map your room, it doesn't need WiFi, it just uses a remote control and operates only with its wee brain and its little algorithm.
So when I got home I bought a used one on eBay for $70. It arrived yesterday, it's in perfectly good working order, and you can still get parts for it on the Eufy website, including filters. Once I'm satisfied it works fully, I'll order a package of filters. This one will only ever be used here in the downstairs rec room + office, which is a hard floor. I just haven't been vacuuming it as often as I should. There are several places to vacuum under, and there are spiders, and dust seems to accumulate pretty quickly.
This vacuum has only an algorithm to guide it, which is kind of hilarious to watch and it likes to vacuum certain areas far more thoroughly because it's not very smart. This also uses up the battery more than a smarter one would. When its battery runs out, it puts itself away to charge, and the algorithm has a bit of randomness in its motions, so eventually the entire floor does get vacuumed. I want to tinker with it a little and see if I can make it quieter. One of its wheels has a squeak and the motor could probably use some lubrication too.
[Major Tom, a big grey tabby wearing a purple harness, is laying on his side in the grass, displaying vast tracts of pale belly. His forepaws are curled, mid-knead. A hand reaches down from above, dispensing belly pets. His expression is blissful.]
Once Tom started showing himself in the booth, he didn’t want to stop. He’d come out for just about anyone, demand love, & generally receive it.
[Tom’s rolled the other way, transported in the joy of a good belly rub.]
& if the people wouldn’t come to him, he’d go to them.
… as long as he was still pretty close to the booth.
[Tom’s standing just outside the booth, between two people who are only shown from about the waist down. One of them is leaning down to pet him, bracing themself on their walking stick. His tail is caught midlash, as it often is.]
& so went the war, Tom getting love, Loiosh getting love, me selling things, CJ having a WONDERFUL time at his first event, & so it went until Friday getting on towards evening, when a friend of mine wandered past the booth walking someone else’s dog. “Oh,” she said, “it’s just there’s a bear in Corvus, so we evacuated the children and animals.”
a WHAT, WHERE,
I camped right NEXT to Corvus two years ago. They’re pretty close to the middle of site. That was … not good.
[Tom’s turned to face the camera, though his back is still arched up into the petting fingers from above. He’s aimed perfectly to walk back on the other side of the walking stick, thus wrapping his leash around the bottom of the thing.]
Things escalated quickly from there. I’d shoved the boys into their crate at the first word of bears that close, & quickly pared down everything else to two small bags I could easily toss in with them, but past that, there wasn’t a lot I could do — merchants weren’t supposed to start breaking down until 8PM, & I don’t think it was later than maybe 6.
As someone who 1) had two snack-sized mammals to keep safe, 2) was close to the edge of site — there was the whole equestrian field between the booth & the edge of the woods, but bears are FAST, & 3) had a booth full of VERY interesting-smelling stuff, I had STRONG opinions about being required to wait several more hours to be allowed to pack down my stuff & shove it into the van. Word of the bear, by now several bears, was circulating, as such things do, & while panic will multiply the number of the enemy regardless of species, some of this was coming directly from people I knew well could keep their heads in a crisis.
I’d just given up on finding the merchant coordinator to ask permission, having decided to err on the side of seeking forgiveness, & set out to get a ride to the parking lot (having asked CJ & Lyssa to shove product into boxes in the meantime — bless you both!) when there was a whole lot of shouting & pointing. Up towards the equestrian field. Where there was, just at the edge of the woods, with nothing between it & my boys but a couple hundred yards of grass — & y’all, bears are FAST — a bear. A really, really BIG bear.
Nearly immediately the cry went up — To the King! To the King!
[Tom’s walking off the left side of the shot, blurry, and trailing his leash, which is, indeed, wrapped around the bottom of the walking stick. Only the one time, fortunately, but still: he’s a problem.]
Oh good, somebody in the back of my head said, the King will send his knights to slay the monster, & all will be well.
… look. I’ve read a WHOLE LOT of fantasy fiction in the course of my life.
ANYWAY I grabbed one end of the crate, CJ grabbed the other, & we BOOKED IT. There was a whole big crowd of people already there when we arrived, & we wormed our asses to the MIDDLE of it, because why YES I’m gonna put all those people between the bears & my boys.
The King didn’t send anyone to slay anything. The King, once everyone had gathered, explained that, what with one thing & another, the least bad idea they had (in consultation with the park rangers) was to evacuate site, let the park rangers chase off the bears overnight without having to worry about all the tasty people, & come back no earlier than 8 the next morning to pack stuff up.
Wheeee! Let’s evacuate nearly a thousand people, many of whom are disabled, down a one lane dirt road, starting just around sundown, with most of the cars parked a mile or so away, bears lurking around, & no evacuation plan whatsoever! What could possibly go wrong?
… it went TERRIFYINGLY smoothly. Yeah, a bunch of people bitched about a bunch of things, I heard about one(1) shouting match, traffic was slow, & not everyone COULD leave site, but people helped people pack up what they needed to, gave each other rides to the parking lots, calmed each other down, held each other’s dogs when they got too bouncy, paused to let other cars into traffic, told horrible jokes, changed tires, gave hugs, & helped those who’d drunk too much to leave or didn’t have anywhere to go to the center of camp where they could be kept safe for the night (guarded, so I hear, by the King’s knights, or at least a bunch of squires). One person, not too far from site & in possession of a pretty big fenced-in field, offered space for all the horses & their riders. Another, no more than an hour away, someone who hadn’t even GONE to Battlemoor, housed probably upwards of a dozen people in her small home. & so on. & so on.
Y’all THIS is community. THIS is how it’s SUPPOSED to work. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, it was a little slice if Terramagne right here in this shitpile dimension we’re all stuck in. I’m sitting here crying as I type, because THIS is what ALL of us need to be doing, not just in the SCA but EVERYWHERE, & it was SO good to see it happening.
Anyway, what with one thing & another, we got everything but the tents & booth furniture into the van, got Ivar on the road, got Megan some help with packing up HER booth (& kept Alexx safely in with the boys for a while), & headed out. CJ stayed at the nearby Love’s truck stop (which I hear became basically the postrevel spot); I had to head home, because the van is still more mouse-laden than I wanted to be sleeping in.
I’d planned to head back down the next day to finish packing up, but my legs didn’t want me standing, much less moving. CJ got everything turn down & packed up, then went on to help a bunch of other people with their camps before heading him. I owe both him & Lyssa a LOT; you two rock!
& thus endeth Battlemoor Whichever Number That Was, henceforth to be known as The One With The Bears.
originally posted on Patreon; support me over there to see posts a week early!
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and house finches.
EDIT 8/12/25 -- I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 8/12/25 -- I potted up 12 sweet cherry seeds.
EDIT 8/12/25 -- I did some work around the patio.
EDIT 8/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 8/12/25 -- I watered some plants on the old and new picnic tables that were wilting, then did the telephone pole garden and a few of the savanna seedlings. I'm annoyed that some plants are wilting so soon after copious watering, because I can't haul that hose around every day, or even every few days. >_<
I came across this post on Dreamwidth discussing a rant from John Scalzi. I'd like to say a few things about reading and writing. To establish my credentials for the below remarks:
* I have a degree in Rhetoric, that is, writing.
* I'm a professional writer across multiple fields and types of writing.
* I'm a professional editor.
* I have read many tens of thousands of books over the decades. I have inhaled whole libraries. Our house is lined with books; we counted once, it was well over 10,000 then and that was many years ago.
Outfit with the most votes Romana in Destiny of the Daleks and Martha in Blink, both with 15 votes.
Outfit with the least votes Bill in The Pilot.
Highest Average Votes per outfit (excluding characters with only one outfit in the round) Winner: Romana 2 (12 votes per outfit) Second Place: Martha (11 votes per outfit) Third Place: Yaz (10.6 votes per outfit)
Most Winning Outfits Yaz (2 outfits)
Highest Average number of winning outfits Ryan (1 outfit, 100% success rate) Second Place: Yaz (3 outfits, 66% success rate) Third Place: Nyssa, the Romanas, Martha, Bill (2 outfits, 50% success rate)
Taking a week off since I'm on leave, then I'll start the quarter finals!
I've decided to become a parade / CLOCKUP truther after playing (and now eternally obsessing over) Room No.9 and will now go through as many VNs this company has made as I possibly can. I won't make any extremely lengthy liveblogs of the rest of the VNs because it is a pain in the ass, and also I'm taking them far more seriously which leads to me being very quiet compared to my flippant attitude when I first played Room No.9 LOL. I was soooooooOoOoo blind, I really had NO IDEA how much it would break me after it was all over. (I'm gonna cry if I think about it too hard UWEHhh Seiji my waifuudljghl) BUT! I just... I just gotta put this here:
Hiroyuki??????? YOUR FJKDGHD< FSHIRTI!????? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT SAYS??? ldjGHLlsUTY~!!LJHFLSUH!! Yeah, I'm going for him first. Stupid slut is asking for it.
Current Mood:giggly
Current Music:Gallery Piece (Long Version) · of Montreal
Rogan: got my money from itch.io, which is a weight off my mind! Whew.
There’s been a big pushback against payment processors for this. We ourself are gearing up to send angry letters. If you want to know more about how/who to call, scripts to follow, and ways to badger payment processors of extralegally deciding what you can buy/sell on the Internet, check out https://yellat.money/ and https://stop-paypros.neocities.org/
These links have stuff for non-Americans too! I imagine you guys are EVEN MADDER about a few American companies saying what you can or can’t buy in your own country! Let’s give ‘em merry hell! It worked for the Australian Biblebangers, let’s see if it works for us!
The heatwave is Hitting and I don't feel like doing anything... That I'm even able to sit at my computer is already a miracle ngl. Although in fairness the main reason why I don't just stay in bed all day is because we only have one fan and we only put it in the bedroom at night lmao.
Even my social energy is sapped... Sorry if I take a while to get back to you/reply to comments, I promise I have them saved so I remember to do it once I'm less desiccated. Wplace has been struggling so I don't even get emotional support from drawing my little pixels onto the world 😔 I started copying the big intro pixel art of Eusine from HGSS and I can't even finish it... Tragic...
That's as far as I've gotten right now... Someone else drew the heart when the servers were back up earlier today..!!
To appease my pixel desires, I ended up drawing some pixel art fanart for one of Japanese mutuals I just found on Bluesky again a few days ago!! His username is ZXX and he has gijinka OCs based on car manufacturers... Of course, predictably, my favorites are the French brands lmao. I had a really big phase back in 2017 when I drew a lot of fanart (including a comic!!) and shipped Peugeot/Citroën (NO RIBA!!!) really hard. I'm speaking in the past tense but honestly I still ship them LOL. They have that smug & rat-like top x stern & tsundere bottom dynamic... You know...
I made the art extra big to ensure Bluesky wouldn't absolutely destroy it, but I can post it at the "normal" size here (which is already sized up):
From left to right: Citroën (my meow meow... my car blorbo...) Peugeot & Renault!! Fun fact: every car logo I can recognize rn I owe to car brand yaoi. This is the only reason I've ever been able to memorize that shit.
I actually own two of ZXX's doujins and a couple of prints, that I purchased back then... I'd love to get more at some point. Owning zines & comics made by people I know is so fun. I should talk about zine stuff at some point this month... I don't really have the juice to plan posts right now @_@ but hopefully soon..!
Ah, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that signups for pokepodproject are open! If you like Pokémon and you'd be up to write or podfic at least one ficlet, you should definitely sign up! We have a limited number of participants this year and we've already gotten a lot of applications. Though even if you miss it, I'm sure there'll be leftover pokémons or pinch-hits to adopt at some point.
In webdev news, I think I'm more than half-way done setting up my fanlisting stuff at this point... I don't know if I'll be done this week LOL but maybe. I Want To Believe. 🤞
i know my dad's telling me these things because he can't really talk to anyone else about them, but i hate this. I'm so tired of feeling like i'm in a bear trap. And every time i think I'm finally getting it prised open, it just snaps shut again.
I saw people say that hearing anything about the film will spoil it and it's best to go in cold, so I decided to actually see a movie in a theater. Also, if i am going to go to a theater, a hundred degree day is a good choice.
I've been spending some time on the digital audio player subreddit (and now have a Snowsky Echo Mini and matching Linsoul 7HZx Zero:2s* and probably shouldn't be looking there anymore, but the old Sony stick-style mp3 players are strangely appealing), and there are a decent amount of young new users out there who have... never owned a music library, like at all, they just have had Spotify or whatever their entire lives and have never bought music. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it just seems insane to me. I'm not exactly a full scale digital hoarder but like, if you like something, get a copy, and save it locally. You never know when it's going to disappear.
*I've had the Echo Mini for a while but I just got the IEMs a couple days ago and I am hearing sounds I have never heard before in old songs and they're way more comfortable than my porta pros. I do recommend, if you're into that sort of thing.
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queen_ypolita
