![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurumcalendulaJanuary 18 - 'if you could assemble a crew out of every Star Trek there is, who would you choose and why?' for goodbyebird
( Read more... )
(there are still slots open for the January Talking Meme here)
goodbyebird( Read more... )
(there are still slots open for the January Talking Meme here)
Snowflake Challenge: day 8
Jan. 18th, 2026 10:29 pmshewhostaples
Talk about your creative process.
Five years ago I'd have talked about volcanic islands rising out of the sea, and building causeways between them. A good premise or prompt would spark a snappy exchange between two characters, or a vivid little snapshot of background, or a moment of insight. I'd write them down as soon as I could.
Then I'd build on them, adding the line that followed on naturally, the reply that the other character would have to make, setting up the scene so that this moment could happen. And then I'd work out how they all related to each other, what order they came in. I'd consider what needed to have happened by the end of the story in order to make it satisfying, and I'd add a bit here and a bit there until my lonely archipelago had a fully functional infrastructure.
I am still trying to do this, but it's not working as well as it used to. A toddler who just doesn't go to sleep, a commute (once my best writing time) that's down to one day a week, and a dying laptop have all made writing hard, and frankly I'm just too tired a lot of the time.
But I am exploring other creative realms, and the one that's currently interesting me most - knitting - is about as different as you can get. You have to do that in the right order.
At the moment I'm trying to design my first pattern: a slipover. It's going to have to be a slipover because I only have five balls of this yarn. I bought it in a charity shop and the Internet has nothing to say about it. I am having to plan: to measure, to practise, to calculate. I can't just make it up as I go along. It is an alien process to me, but, rather to my surprise, I'm enjoying it. The secret is, I think, being just good enough to be able to do things that make all that interesting rather than tedious. By which I mean, cables. I really like cables. I'm even enjoying the tension square.
Sunday morning
Jan. 18th, 2026 12:43 pmcosmolinguistI had really intense, involved dreams last night; the kind where you feel like you spent days or weeks in your dream world and wake up disoriented as hell.
There have been lots about pets or small children in my care -- this time, a clever adorable toddler I was joining on vacation with her family, looking after the kid at some kind of kid-focused theme park. I had a great time, and woke up with no idea where I was or what day it was.
Luckily, D snuggled up to me as the big spoon, wrapped his legs around mine, and promptly fell back asleep, snoring gently in my ear. It is very grounding. (Sunday is the one day I don't have to get up early and I love it when I can spend Sunday morning like this.)
Occasionally he woke up enough to give me a few little kisses on the back of my shoulder, and his soft beard gently tickled my skin, and it's the best thing ever.
årsmöte
Jan. 18th, 2026 09:18 pmkareina e slept at Keldor’s dad’s after yesterday’s game night. I woke early, caught up my log for yesterday, and went right back to sleep, sleeping in another at least a half an hour after Keldor got up and went to have a cup of tea with his dad.
Once I was up and dressed we went into town, and joined the rest of the Shire for the annual meeting of Reengarda, Skellefteå’s Medieval Society. I agreed to keep the office of treasurer another year, Þórólfr took over as Seneschal, Keldor agreed to be one of the extra “styrelsen” (the steering group). After the meeting we enjoyed “Semmelkladdkaka” (I have no idea if this was the recipe that Åsa used, but it is an English version, and I think most of my readers would rather read an English version) and cheese and crackers. The Semmelkladdkaka was really good. A much sweeter snack than I normally go for, but almond and cardamon plus whipped cream are my friend (note: Åsa’s version had real whipped cream with no sugar, and so was much better than the suggestion in the linked recipe) and we chatted about upcoming SCA events and demos, and came up with what I think is a brilliant recruiting idea:
At our Medieval Days event this summer, during the fighting demo ask the crowd who wants to try, and choose two of them at random to put on armour already that day, by going through the crowd with paper to everyone who raised their hands saying they want to try, get their name and contact details on a paper, drop the paper in a hat, and, with drum-roll, draw the lucky two to try it, and help them into loaner armour while the fighting demo continues. After the event we email or sms all of them with invites to our fighter practice.
On the way home from the meeting we did some grocery shopping, and I got home with enough energy to put everything away and make the salad right away, so my lunch to take to work tomorrow is already packed and ready to go.
After we had eaten and the kitchen was clean we went up stairs, gathered the various tools that are still there from our project in progress to Create an attic bedroom and took them downstairs so that when the contractor comes on Wednesday to start the Create extra bathrooms project there will be no confusion as to whose tools are whose, as there will only be theirs up there. After clearing away the tools, we also cleaned away the last of the things that were being stored in and near where the bathroom will go, so the space is completely ready for work.
I am so looking forward to this!
game night
Jan. 18th, 2026 09:13 pmkareina It was a sister’s zoom call weekend, and I woke enough before the alarm that I could do a 20 minutes Pilates before hand. Of course, then I took time to feed the cats and brush my hair before opening the computer, so I was a little late. But I am usually the first one there, so I guess it was my turn.
By then it was well after midnight, so we went over to his dad’s, did 20 minutes of yoga (on the yin setting. Gee, when holding a pose for 2 or three minutes, one gets deeper), and then went to sleep.
Told them of the 12th Night 2026-01-09 Drachenwald Coronation late night plumbing adventure and that I am looking forward ro Wednesday, when the contractor arrives to start work on the upstairs half-bath.
Amber’s Seattle condo is now on the market, Kirsty did her usual New Year’s getaway with friends she has had since high school, but this time two other families joined, and they had kids and dogs, so it wasn’t the relaxing time it usually is. Beth reports that her youngest, Lucia, got into the Sorority she was interested in.
After the call I went back to sleep and slept till he woke an hour to two later. We played Qwirkle over breakfast (he won) Then we cooked a “Gryta” together, which wound up more on the pasta sauce end of the spectrum than the stew end, but was quite good eaten on its own. After we had added everything to the gryta I started some Bread and Keldor did som laundry.
We played another game of Qwirkle (he won) as we waited for the dough to rise, then I shaped some knot-rolls and buttered them. As they rose we packed a few things to take with us, then I baked them, and ate three right away (he had at least four). They were light and fluffy.
While I packed some food for tomorrow Keldor tried offering Skaði some of the soft tube treats she is so fond of, but when he approached her she ran and hid behind the couch. She recognised the small scale packing to go spend a night at Keldor’s dad, and thought she would be the next thing packed. Poor thing. So he gave up and squeezed the tube onto the remaining soft food in the bowl. Perhaps they will eat it later.
By the time we started packing I was feeling out of sorts and antisocial, but we had planned to head to Þórólfr’s for game night then sleep at Keldor’s dad’s (two blocks away) to make for a shorter drive to Reengarda’s annual meeting on Sunday. I figured that going out would improve my mood, so I did.
I was right. It was fun. I made good progress on sewing Keldor copper trim tunic. I won Catan, and was second in Svea Rike, earning 11 points for the Ätten (noble family) Eka, thanks to good farming.
By then it was well after midnight, so we went over to his dad’s, did 20 minutes of yoga (on the yin setting. Gee, when holding a pose for 2 or three minutes, one gets deeper), and then went to sleep.
a full day, despite short sleep
Jan. 16th, 2026 11:02 pmkareina Having not made it to bed till 04:00 last night, I didn’t manage to get up when the 05:00 alarm went off and keep Keldor company as he drove to work. Instead I slept till 09:00, and managed to make it to the computer by 10:00, but then I put in a full 8 hours of work (of the 7.95 I am supposed to work).
Keldor got home around the time I was finishing up, and we played one of the densest games of Qwirkle we havd ever played, with lots of Qwirkles. Sadly (for me) he won by 30 points (he rather enjoyed that).
Then he soaked in the tub while I payed for Crown Tournament this coming spring, and updated my records on our finances. Now it is nearly 23:00, and I am super tired. I think Keldor is already asleep beside me.
Given the News...
Jan. 18th, 2026 11:46 amlydamorehouse
A sled in the shape of a jug of windshield de-icer with ICE out of MN on it with a laser loon! (photo credit, Naomi Kritzer).
...I should probably try to remember to post more often, least you all think that something dire has happened to me.
I think when I last checked in MONARCA was still up in operation and I was responding as a legal/constitutional observer. Well, as you may have gathered from the news things have gotten more chaotic here and so MONARCA was overwhelmed and is no longer functioning as a coordinated way to send people to active abductions by ICE.
Thus, since none of the calls I responded to were anything more than ten minutes too late or false alarms, I have switched to mutual aid work. (Activists are being careful not to sully the waters if you will since ICE is also keeping tabs on the watchers. So we don't want anyone who has been actively protesting or observing to be delivering groceries to people sheltering in place/hiding out from the gestapo, lest we lead the bad guys right to their doors.) I've found a local organization that was already in the business of giving out free food, a group that I lovingly called the Food Communists, who have pivoted their efforts towards feeding people who are sheltering in place/hiding from the gestapo.
They basically have open doors for folks to drop by and help when and how they can and that's been really good for me because it means that if I start to feel anxious about the police state at any point during the day I can wander down the street and see if there something I can do to aid the resistance. So far, it's been organizing doubled-up grocery bags and breaking down cardboard, but I think that all of us in this fight (and there are a lot of us) feel like all effort is good effort if it's helping our comrades and neighbors.
I have also been showing up to the various protests around the city.
There is a group of Midway neighbors who have organized a daily protection/protest gathering in front of our local Somali mosque so that we can defend people while they are vulnerable and in prayer. I joined them the other day while the temperatures plummeted and the wind whipped around our faces. But, it was so warming to the soul when the imam came out and thanked us all for being there and we waved to everyone heading out from safely prayers.
I'm in a Signal group for people who are gathering every day on a different street corner to sing songs of love, resistance, and hope. I've only been able to make one of their gatherings, but it was lovely to sing and be in community.
Mason and I joined the student walk out at the Saint Paul capitol a few days ago and it was nice to see all the youths being just as fierce as their more grown-up counterparts.
And then yesterday, I met
naomikritzer at Powderhorn Park and we watched a bunch of folks crash their art sleds. 
Image: Naomi (left) and me (right) out at the art sled rally. Very bundled up. There was a high of 12 F/-11 C yesterday.
Because Minnesota is like that.
And if there is one thing that I could impart to my out of state and international friends it's that, yes, everything you see on the news is 100% happening, and also? We are sledding.
Mostly, what you see on the news makes it look like the streets are full of tear gas and, yes, it's true, ICE agents are deploying tear gas, rubber bullets, real bullets, flash grenades, and smoke bombs, but people are also still going to work and walking their dogs and singing. A lot of us are doing anything we can. People are carrying whistles and charging our phones every night to get all the film possible of the atrocities we are facing at the hands of masked, domestic terrorists who are abducting people without due process. We are standing guard over daycares and mosques and restaurants and sex shops and toy stores. (Because our sex shops have become food distribution centers and our Toy Shops have been giving away free whistles.) We are showing up and baking cookies for people on patrol. We are sweeping up after the people packing bags for people too afraid to leave their houses. We are taking to the streets with signs, sometimes all alone, but we are showing our neighbors, our immigrant and refugee families, that we want them, we love them, and we will not let them be taken without a fight.
This is what resistance looks like and it is awful, but it also hopeful and kind and loving, and, yes, even sometimes we make time for fun.
Two shows
Jan. 18th, 2026 12:07 pmaurumcalendulaThe Imperial Coroner Season 2 episodes 1 though 3:
( Read more... )
ClaireBell: After the Final Scene clip 1:
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
ClaireBell: After the Final Scene clip 1:
( Read more... )
Booklog 9/2026: Sebastien de Castell: Tales of the Greatcoats - Audiobook
Jan. 18th, 2026 02:06 pmjacey
AudiobookNarrated by Joe Jameson, Kristin Atherton and Chris Humphries
Eight short stories set in the world of De Castell's Greatcoats, mostly set after the events in the first four Greatcoats novels, witrh one interesting exception. Falcio - the main character in the novels - only appears in two of these stories, but he's mentioned a lot. We're introduced to Estevar Boros, whom we meet again in another (later) book, Crucible of Chaos. Kest (one of Falcio's companions from the novels) also appears, this time in an advisory capacity rather than as a duellist/magistrate. There's plenty of swash and buckle and some deep introspection. Plus there's an interesting epilogue containing the author's notes on the stories and his rationale behind them. All the readers are excellent, especially Joe Jameson.
Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
Jan. 18th, 2026 08:58 amjames_davis_nicoll
A deranged President sets his eyes on Canada and Scandinavia, forcing one senator to consider the prospect of contemplating the preliminaries to action.
Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
Yatta! for 2026 01 16-17
Jan. 17th, 2026 11:01 pmladythmprFriday
Woke way early again after not getting to bed until 2330. Very annoying, and tiring. rested until the puppy got us out of bed, which was earlier than usual
Both kids home sick again today. :S I think we'll be looking at immunology testing, because they have been sick far too often these last 5 months.
Washed and dressed
Fired up ACNH; spent some time playing with some of the new features.
Went for an SDW with GB and the puppy, and a game of fetch after
Got F meds and tea and other stuff
Breakfasted
Listened to a friend defend his dissertation via video; it went very well, and I found out later that his PhD was granted!
Played spades Seas 3s tourney and made it to the finals
Played more ACNH
Played spades Blood tourney
Attended acupuncture, which was good
ACNL
Watched Bridgerton with F
Dinner of leftovers (in my case, pizza)
Went down a rabbit hole of finding videos on sewing machine repair for my vintage Singer Genie, because I think that the feed dogs might be worn out, but maybe, they just need realigning.
Watched a couple of episodes of Starfleet Academy, which feels a lot like a teen show, but it has enough of the adult instructors in there, that I think it will be watchable for us older folk, too.
Sliced the bread and put it into the freezer
Went to bed far too late.
Headache much of the day, probably barometric changes. Hot flashes late in the evening. Again more tired than my usual.
JotD: none
Saturday
Woke up rather early, GB let the dog out, and we snuggled for a bit more
Washed and dressed
ACNH
Breakfasted and internetted
Kids still sick; we left them to sleep
got out kids' meds; noticed that one of F's was missing
GB dropped me off at the Farmers Market, where I shopped and he left to pick up meds
Sliced onions and put them in the slow cooker to start cooking
Watched the S2 finale for Bridgerton with F
Grabbed some leftovers for lunch and watched S1E2 of Korra
Watered the upstairs plants
Attended stitch-in, where I wound 6 large skeins of yarn for washing (and failed to get a photo)
Chopped chard and tossed it into the slow cooker, along with cooked rice and cooked chicken and cheese
"Watched" F playing BG3, and finally finished the darn on a sock
Ate dinner, while watching Charlotte (and more episodes into the evening_)
Played ACNH
Hot flash late in the evening again. :/ and Too Tired!
JotD: A beaded necklace of dark-toned beads with pops of green yellow and red; two large millefore beads and a brass butterfly bead act as center focals.
Woke way early again after not getting to bed until 2330. Very annoying, and tiring. rested until the puppy got us out of bed, which was earlier than usual
Both kids home sick again today. :S I think we'll be looking at immunology testing, because they have been sick far too often these last 5 months.
Washed and dressed
Fired up ACNH; spent some time playing with some of the new features.
Went for an SDW with GB and the puppy, and a game of fetch after
Got F meds and tea and other stuff
Breakfasted
Listened to a friend defend his dissertation via video; it went very well, and I found out later that his PhD was granted!
Played spades Seas 3s tourney and made it to the finals
Played more ACNH
Played spades Blood tourney
Attended acupuncture, which was good
ACNL
Watched Bridgerton with F
Dinner of leftovers (in my case, pizza)
Went down a rabbit hole of finding videos on sewing machine repair for my vintage Singer Genie, because I think that the feed dogs might be worn out, but maybe, they just need realigning.
Watched a couple of episodes of Starfleet Academy, which feels a lot like a teen show, but it has enough of the adult instructors in there, that I think it will be watchable for us older folk, too.
Sliced the bread and put it into the freezer
Went to bed far too late.
Headache much of the day, probably barometric changes. Hot flashes late in the evening. Again more tired than my usual.
JotD: none
Saturday
Woke up rather early, GB let the dog out, and we snuggled for a bit more
Washed and dressed
ACNH
Breakfasted and internetted
Kids still sick; we left them to sleep
got out kids' meds; noticed that one of F's was missing
GB dropped me off at the Farmers Market, where I shopped and he left to pick up meds
Sliced onions and put them in the slow cooker to start cooking
Watched the S2 finale for Bridgerton with F
Grabbed some leftovers for lunch and watched S1E2 of Korra
Watered the upstairs plants
Attended stitch-in, where I wound 6 large skeins of yarn for washing (and failed to get a photo)
Chopped chard and tossed it into the slow cooker, along with cooked rice and cooked chicken and cheese
"Watched" F playing BG3, and finally finished the darn on a sock
Ate dinner, while watching Charlotte (and more episodes into the evening_)
Played ACNH
Hot flash late in the evening again. :/ and Too Tired!
JotD: A beaded necklace of dark-toned beads with pops of green yellow and red; two large millefore beads and a brass butterfly bead act as center focals.
In which, once again, I *AM* the fandom for this ship...
Jan. 17th, 2026 08:52 pmbrithistorianA. and I have been watching High Potential and enjoying it very much. Today I decided I wanted to try writing a High Potential fanfic. So I went to AO3 to see what the big ships are, what the major tropes are, and so forth, so as not to jump into the fandom totally blind.
Of course the big ship is Morgan/Karadec, because they're partners on the show and we're supposed to interpret their differences as "opposites attract" and to want them to get together. But I just don't see it.
The second big ship is Morgan/Soto, which I find somewhat more plausible than Morgan/Karadec, except for the fact that Morgan appears to be so incorrigibly heterosexual as to render it impossible.
A few people shipped the canon ship Morgan/Tom, which I suppose could work, but I didn't find them to be a very interesting couple, and also he left town just as they were starting to get together. I suppose someone could do a fix-it fic to get them back together, but really I thought they were such a borin couple that I wouldn't even bother putting in the effort.
Which brings us to my favorite ship of the show: Morgan/Oz is a ship that's never going to happen in canon, but I think they'd make a good couple, and it'd be a more interesting ship than any of the above. Which is why at the time I started writing this post, there were 271 High Potential fics on AO3, of which exactly one was tagged Morgan/Oz: mine, in which Morgan and Oz are talking in bed, discussing how if their life were a TV show, the fanfic writers would ship Morgan and Karadec and they'd be totally wrong to do so. 😂
Booklog 8/2026: Tony Robinson: The House of Wolf - House of Wolf #1 -Audiobook
Jan. 18th, 2026 02:08 amjacey
Audiobook narrated by Tony Robinson
After an autobiography and several history books aimed at kids, this seems to be Tony Robinson’s first attempt at adult historical fiction, but he’s such a good narrator of other people’s books, his own seems to have landed without teething troubles. It covers the historical period of Alfred, later known as Alfred the Great, ruler of Wessex, and eventually King of the Anglo-Saxons until his death in the year 899. He was the youngest son of King Ethelwolf and three of his older brothers ruled before him. But this is not all from Alfred’s point of view. Chief amongst the viewpoint characters is Asser, idealistic monk (and eventually a bishop) who is credited with writing Alfred’s biography. The story concentrates of the rule of High Ethel Wolf, Alfred’s father and his children and heirs and also covers religious politics in Rome, with Asser and Cardinal Balotelli hoping for a better world, and to see an end to the predations of the Norlanders. For much of the story Alfred in in Rome, having been exiled by his father, while his older brothers jockey for position as the next High Ethel. The story moves from Anglo-Saxon Wessex to Rome and back again (several times) weaving a tapestry of historical fiction around real events. Expect Viking raids, down-to-earth rulers (good and bad), religious politicking, and some excellent characters. It’s a good listen.
Tags:
Amusing Encounter
Jan. 17th, 2026 08:21 pmhrjSo today's adventure was going uptown to meet friends at the Cloisters and see the special exhibit (on sexuality in the Middle Ages) with them. I took the subway up then walked the last bit through the park with snow softly falling. As I'm walking along the path, a couple coming the other way stop to compliment my coat. (This is the long green redingote with the shoulder capes.) I thanked them and told them about how I loved to make historically-inspired clothing and we chatted briefly then went on our way.
So I saw the exhibit and the rest of the museum. Went to an early dinner with my friends. Then caught the subway back toward downtown, but because it's a weekend I had to overshoot my destination and double back from Columbus Circle. So I'm standing on the platform at Columbus and I hear this voice, "I'd recognize that coat anywhere!" It's the same couple (at the opposite end of town). We chatted some more while waiting for our trains and it turns out they both went to Berkeley for college. What a small world.
So I saw the exhibit and the rest of the museum. Went to an early dinner with my friends. Then caught the subway back toward downtown, but because it's a weekend I had to overshoot my destination and double back from Columbus Circle. So I'm standing on the platform at Columbus and I hear this voice, "I'd recognize that coat anywhere!" It's the same couple (at the opposite end of town). We chatted some more while waiting for our trains and it turns out they both went to Berkeley for college. What a small world.
aurumcalendulaJanuary 17 - 'If you could wave a magic wand and get a new season of a show or new book (or movie) in a series, what would it be? And why would you pick it? (i.e. did it end on a cliffhanger, or you always wanted more, etc)' for donutsweeper
( Read more... )
(there are still slots open for the January Talking Meme here)
donutsweeper( Read more... )
(there are still slots open for the January Talking Meme here)
Snowflake Challenge: day 7
Jan. 17th, 2026 10:04 pmshewhostaplesTrying to get back on the bus with this one...
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
1. I am - not always, but often - capable of finding ordinary things utterly delightful. Like the Wendy Cope poem about the orange. I am not in that state at the moment, but it is lovely when it happens.
2. On the small scale, I think I am slightly luckier than average. For example: my hair went grey in my early thirties, but that happened to be the couple of years in which many people my age were dyeing their hair grey. We moved house the week before the first Covid lockdown, when it could have been the week after. I win raffles, and the occasional twenty-five quid on the Premium Bonds. (Or maybe I'm no luckier than anyone else, but - see point one - appreciate my luck more?)
3. I really like making things. I like that about myself.
4. Fashion aside, I do like the way my hair looks.
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
1. I am - not always, but often - capable of finding ordinary things utterly delightful. Like the Wendy Cope poem about the orange. I am not in that state at the moment, but it is lovely when it happens.
2. On the small scale, I think I am slightly luckier than average. For example: my hair went grey in my early thirties, but that happened to be the couple of years in which many people my age were dyeing their hair grey. We moved house the week before the first Covid lockdown, when it could have been the week after. I win raffles, and the occasional twenty-five quid on the Premium Bonds. (Or maybe I'm no luckier than anyone else, but - see point one - appreciate my luck more?)
3. I really like making things. I like that about myself.
4. Fashion aside, I do like the way my hair looks.
Media Roundup: Sequential Art
Jan. 17th, 2026 10:27 amforestofgloryHere’s another Media Roundup after not months and months! Hopefully I’ll be reading and watching things other than fic a bit more often and thus post these media roundups more often than I was.
I seem to have gotten into the habit of reading a lot of graphic novels in December and January. I currently have a big pile out from the library – and I’ve read a few of them, and hopefully will get around to even more of the pile.
Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology by Angela Hsieh— A very charming graphic novel about two girls on an adventure. Featuring charming art and very cute geo fauna! (As a Mandarin learner I did find the almost but not quite hanzi characters a little bit frustrating)
The Pale Queenby Ethan M. Aldridge—Another YA graphic novel, this one featuring an f/f romance. I really liked the fae in this book – they were a good mix of beautiful and scary. The art is also lovely!
Crush of Music— I’m still watching this very slowly, the subtitles have mostly been better for the last few episodes –so that’s nice. I’m enjoying seeing Liu Yuning and Zhou Shen interact in this – at one point they played the kazoo together!
Various Batman ect comic—So I mentioned in my 2025 media review post that I accidentally acquired a new fandom, that fandom is batfam. This is embarrassing for me because for years I've been prone to what R calls “the Batman rant” where I complain that punching people in the face is a dumb way to reduce crime rates. Plus I just feel like superhero comics are a space that's pretty hostile to me and my values. But apparently if you give me fic about a family of 3-8 adopted siblings finding each other/bonding and don't make me think too hard about the moral foundations of the universe then I'm willing to suspend my moral disbelief.
Anyways I got sucked in enough to be curious about the source material and have been reading stuff on hoopla. I'm fairly impressed with their comic reading interface too, it has a nice flow. (It doesn’t play well with my RSI issues but then neither does turning pages) The actual stories vary in quality, but some of them are surprisingly good. Even the not very good ones are surprisingly more-ish. I’m bringing a lot of emotional investment in these characters from my fic reading which also helps make the comics more engaging.
The Cross-Dressed Union—I thought that if my media theme at the moment is comfort that I should really start a new crossdressing girl drama since that's a big comfort trope of mine, So I asked around for recs and started this drama about an arranged marriage between a crossdressing woman and crossdressing man. It sounded fun but so far I’m pretty meh about it. I think my biggest problem is that the ML is the main character, and for these kinds of stories I prefer more focus on the FL. Also it's not doing enough with gender
I seem to have gotten into the habit of reading a lot of graphic novels in December and January. I currently have a big pile out from the library – and I’ve read a few of them, and hopefully will get around to even more of the pile.
Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology by Angela Hsieh— A very charming graphic novel about two girls on an adventure. Featuring charming art and very cute geo fauna! (As a Mandarin learner I did find the almost but not quite hanzi characters a little bit frustrating)
The Pale Queenby Ethan M. Aldridge—Another YA graphic novel, this one featuring an f/f romance. I really liked the fae in this book – they were a good mix of beautiful and scary. The art is also lovely!
Crush of Music— I’m still watching this very slowly, the subtitles have mostly been better for the last few episodes –so that’s nice. I’m enjoying seeing Liu Yuning and Zhou Shen interact in this – at one point they played the kazoo together!
Various Batman ect comic—So I mentioned in my 2025 media review post that I accidentally acquired a new fandom, that fandom is batfam. This is embarrassing for me because for years I've been prone to what R calls “the Batman rant” where I complain that punching people in the face is a dumb way to reduce crime rates. Plus I just feel like superhero comics are a space that's pretty hostile to me and my values. But apparently if you give me fic about a family of 3-8 adopted siblings finding each other/bonding and don't make me think too hard about the moral foundations of the universe then I'm willing to suspend my moral disbelief.
Anyways I got sucked in enough to be curious about the source material and have been reading stuff on hoopla. I'm fairly impressed with their comic reading interface too, it has a nice flow. (It doesn’t play well with my RSI issues but then neither does turning pages) The actual stories vary in quality, but some of them are surprisingly good. Even the not very good ones are surprisingly more-ish. I’m bringing a lot of emotional investment in these characters from my fic reading which also helps make the comics more engaging.
The Cross-Dressed Union—I thought that if my media theme at the moment is comfort that I should really start a new crossdressing girl drama since that's a big comfort trope of mine, So I asked around for recs and started this drama about an arranged marriage between a crossdressing woman and crossdressing man. It sounded fun but so far I’m pretty meh about it. I think my biggest problem is that the ML is the main character, and for these kinds of stories I prefer more focus on the FL. Also it's not doing enough with gender
QOTD: On limitations in art
Jan. 17th, 2026 11:24 ambrithistorianI am reminded of a statement by the former mayor of Bogotá, Antanas Mockus, a politician who employed artistic strategies in his office: "When an artist goes to prison, they take a piece of chalk and draw a line some centimetres from the wall to define their space, so they can have a bit more restrictions (sic). But by making those restrictions they in fact liberate themselves." A line can be a border and simultaneously an assertion of freedom. Being able to decide on your own limits, your strengths and weaknesses, is always empowering, offering a certain degree of sovereignty even in the direst situation.
Joanna Warsza, "Open Mic: Joanna Warsza on the Art of Open Group," *Artforum," October 2025, p. 110.
I've been thinking about this since I read it an hour or so ago. I think the quote from Mockus helped Warsza to set up for presenting her idea, but I don't think Mockus (at least as presented in this quote or — as I think is likely — in this translation of his quote) appears to quite understand what was going on in those prison cells. I don't think the artists wanted to "have a bit more restrictions (sic)," but instead, as Warsza put it, to "decide on [their] own limits."
When I was younger and studying poetry in school[^1], I never really understood why someone would choose to write poetry once prose had been invented, which seemed to me to be a superior method for conveying ideas. It's only later, as I learned more and started producing art of my own, that I learned the potential value of working within a set of restrictions, whether self-imposed or those of a traditional form. And looking back, I wonder if this value of restriction is something that my teachers could have explained to me, or if it's something that I had to figure out on my own in order to understand it.
[^1] Confession: I never really liked or (apparently) understood poetry.