An author friend of mine, Clara Ward, is one of the guests at WisCon this coming Memorial Day weekend. It's a feminist science fiction & fantasy convention, held entirely online this year. I've just got registered and have started looking at the panels, think I must attend the one on MurderBot!

Standard registration is $25 but they are a 'pay what you can' con, so reduced reg is only $5. If you've feeling like a fannish fix this weekend, join in! https://wiscon.net/

I'm still on hiatus from monthly recs, but I did a handful over on Tumblr in response to an ask game. Check them out!

If anyone here would like to play, here's the list:

1 - Recommend a fic that lives in your brain rent free.
2 - Recommend a fic that is not posted on AO3.
3 - Recommend fic that is less than 5,000 words.
4 - Recommend a fic that is over 50,000 words.
5 - Recommend a gen fic (no pairings).
6 - Recommend a fic that does something cool with format or structure (epistolary, social media, 5 things, non-linear, etc.)
7 - Recommend a fic that uses a trope you love.
8 - Recommend a fic with an interesting premise/concept.
9 - Recommend a fic from a book fandom.
10 - Recommend a fic that is more than 10 years old.
11 - Recommend a fic you think is a hidden gem/deserves more reads.
12 - Recommend a fic that formed or changed your opinion on something (characterization, backstory, relationship, etc.)
13 - Recommend a fic you've re-read multiple times.
14 - Recommend your favorite fic.
15 - Recommend any fic of your choice.

I've technically already done 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 13, but I'm happy to take repeats. Fandom requests are also welcome, if it's one I share.

I'm mostly just tired. And the bed is doing my back in. Soft beds do this a lot with me. They need to be just soft enough that I can lie on them, but firm and flat - no dips in the mattress.

I want my cats. And my house. And my bed. And my space. I want to work from my office desk instead of commuting. (Okay, the commuting might be required going forward.)

I have met some excellent people while on this work trip, but also I am tired and I want to be in spaces which are mine.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston:
I was intrigued by the concept of this book - young woman inherits apartment from aunt and discovers it sometimes sends her seven years into the past, where she meets the man who was living there then, but only sees him intermittently.
And the execution was largely well done. I often find I struggle with books that are set in the real world with a fantastical twist, especially if the characters don't respond to the weirdness in the way you'd expect. But here, the stage was set well but the protagonist properly freaked out the first time it happened. And the way the story was woven together mostly worked.
This is a 'proper' romance book, though, where there's no story left if you take the romance aspect out of it - and I'm coming to conclusion that I generally want more from a book than that. It did start to feel repetitive and as if it was being unnecessarily dragged out by the halfway point - and I have to admit I did listen to most of the second half on double speed, just to find out what happened.
I wasn't overly keen on some aspects when the timelines started overlapping. And the death knell for being on board with the relationship was when, after the first time they had sex, the male love interest leaned down and whispered, "Good girl" in the protagonist's ear...
I also felt like the grief aspect of the story didn't have a proper throughline, which meant it lost some of its impact along the way. And, not wanting to spoil anything - I would recommend checking the content warnings.
Still, I slowed the audiobook back down to normal speed again for the very end, which I felt worked pretty well and almost got me in the feels.
So, a bit tricky to rate, as I can't say I was fully invested, but I did want to see it through and was glad I did.


Almost A Crime by Penny Vincenzi:
I've read seven other Penny Vincenzi books in the last ten months and really enjoyed all but two of them. I was hoping this would be on the positive side - and it was! I know what to expect from these books now - hundreds and hundreds of pages of rich, privileged, often despicable people, doing largely terrible things to each other, but in a wildly compelling and highly entertaining way - occasionally with a bit of real emotion thrown in to keep me fully engaged.
And that is absolutely what I got from this book. It's got adultery, betrayal, complex family dynamics, problematic relationships, breakdowns, political shenanigans - you name it!
There's also a lot to do with trauma and motherhood, which is a common theme for this author - and I would definitely check the content warnings before diving in.
It dipped a bit around halfway, when everything I'd expected to happen had already occurred and I was worried the second half would be really dragged out - but then it went in multiple really surprising directions and I was very satisfied with how everything turned out in the end.
One thing I found interesting was that the main 'reveal' was really obvious to me right from the start - but then I realised it wasn't meant to be a mystery for the reader. It was more a case of the tension building around anticipating how the characters would react when they found out the truth - and that was done very effectively.


The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson:
The first page of this book is an extended in-joke about the opening line of Anna Karenina, so the author sets out her stall early...
It's about a very pretentious, very dysfunctional family, made up of largely unlikeable characters - which can go either way for me.
The central figure, Ray Hanrahan, is absolutely appalling and most of the other characters spend all their time bending over backwards to placate and appease him, which I found quite difficult to read. I was initially keen to carry on, to find out whether any of them managed to escape him by the end. But the desperation and unnecessary self-sacrifice got too much - weirdly managing to be both painfully realistic and also ridiculously unrealistic at the same time.
I struggled to reach my prescribed 50 pages (to give a book time to hook me in) and then gave up.

Quote:

"If you require love, try to realize that the only way to get love is by giving it, that the more you give the more you will get, and the only way you can give it is to fill yourself up with it, until you become a magnet."

"All power that anyone can possibly use is within, waiting to be made visible, first by recognizing it, then affirming it as ours."

~ Charles F. Haanel


Facts: (Unique Town/City Names)

Nevada :

Lovelock - Known as the "Banana Belt" (@.@) Named after George Lovelock, who provided 85 acres to the settlement. (I was hoping for something more romantic.)

Yerington - Named after the Yerington Paiute Tribe. (:/ It's a city in the middle of the desert. What can I say?)

EVENT CARDS GET!!!!!!!!!!! With more than 24 hours to go!!!!!!! :D


featuring my first ever Esu 5*!!! to be fair this is only his third, but the first two were gacha ones and I haven't been lucky enough to snag either yet ^^;;


and another green Subaru, but 1) his attribute has better synergy with my other green Trickstar cards and 2) he's got pretty damn good stats cuz he's a tour card~
Honestly, the set list of this tour has been really good! Tours can be such a grind if I don't vibe with the set list, so I'm really glad I like this one...since I am a little burnt out on jp events already ;w; I just don't wanna miss getting all the cards from this new chunk of Main Story, especially since I snagged all the 4piece ones last year.

I do have some mixed feelings on how they've structured some of the rewards for this tour. In the past, any backgrounds from an event have come from points rewards (usually around the 800k-1mil points mark, which is about where I end up if I'm not going for the 5*), with the option to purchase them later for a single memorial coin each if you missed them. Which is nice, because there are some really pretty backgrounds from past events that I've picked up because the price is right.

HOWEVER. In the current jp event, both 5* and one of the 4* have backgrounds that you unlock on the card (one background per card), which is something that usually only happens with cards from the gacha. There are also backgrounds from points rewards, so??? idk????? This means you'd have to spend 10-30 memorial coins per background, depending on the card you're snagging, which is kinda fuckin excessive. Like, okay, yes, you're getting a whole card and not just a background, but you're unable to even see a preview of the background if it's from a card.

Like many things with the big changes enstars has made this year, I'm on "wait and see" to, you know, see how I feel. It's just...a small thing but still one that makes me fussy. I know I'm actively playing in jp and keeping on top of events, but being able to snag older event backgrounds for a relatively cheap price has been really nice- in both jp and eng!


but I do like the fancy promenade in the mega sphere - courtesy of Esu's card ♥ - and I just had to put Kohaku and Madara there~ also pleased to have the SCR room outfit of demon Mama- everyone plz give me good luck at eventually getting the last two copies for the MV version!!!!
idk I'm not sure if I'm actually super upset or just fussy because I overdid myself doing a shit ton of dishes and other house cleaning related stuff today :T Also bleeding.

..........and maybe also because I've only gotten a couple hours of sleep the past few nights because I'm still trying to fix my sleep schedule D: Life is hard when you're nocturnal and/or depressed or something.


also it's my precious stupid bird son's birthday today!!!!!! featuring his 2024 birthday pasha card, because it's running in China this year ♪
okay that's enough I'm gonna grind the tour more (or maybe get back to making icons again...maybe)

It's not covid or flu. The bad news is it's viral so here are some heavy cough suppressants, bye bye. I got a lot worse around 5 this morning so I went to the urgent care and then on to the hotel.

She was like you want to wait a half hour for the verdict on covid/flu? Yes because you want to give me tamiflu/whatever that drug is for covid if it is. I'm going downtown Pittsburgh which is a nightmare (even though it's like 10 miles away it takes a halfhour to get there because you have 4 lanes of traffic going thru a 2 lane tunnel that spits you out on a 4 lane bridge with less than 500 yards to make your choice and god help you if you don't know where your exit is because Pittsburgh is on a triangle of land and you WILL have to go around for the next 20 minutes trying to get to the damn place you missed.

While I was in the urgent care a huge storm popped up, worse than I thought. even though I'm parked like 10 yards away I'm DRENCHED by the time I get to the car to the point my jeans look fresh from the washer wet. I go for an early dinner at my favorite chinese place while CVS fills my script.

Get to CVS it's a mad house. The storm knocked out the system and my stuff isn't ready.

By the time I get to Pittsburgh the flooding has started. I can't find my keys in my purse to give to the valet (he gave up and had me leave them in the car) and I scored the BEST room. I'm on the top floor with a view of the Point which is a Pittsburgh highlight.

I said I wasn't going to the mixer but I wanted my stuff for the convention tonight so I can plan for tomorrow (I think I'll be skipping some just so I can be fresh for MY presentation and I know it'll be a lot for me) I had to go into the mixer to get it and two gins and tonic jumped down my throat. Don't know how that happened.

At least my throat is less sore but my cough is making my hernia hurt.

Scroll to the end for pictures but first books!

What I Just Finished Reading:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

We Can Never Leave - H.E. Edgmon

the flipside, a graphic novel


What I am Currently Reading:
Of Manners and Murder - historical mystery

Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman which is the final book in the series...that I never read but didn't know that when I requested it on Netgalley so far so good set in a speakeasy


What I Plan to Read Next:
Under This Red Rock - need to finish this

Have the view from 24 floors up

the point

Da liberty bridge (that I was talking about)

When the sun came out just at sundown

I'm on VACATION, which feels like a good motive to post. I have been at my job for twenty years full-time so I get a whole lot of vacation hours (the only perk left, besides the pension) and last year we were so short-handed that I barely touched them so: it's May and I'm using last year's vacation time!!

I have gotten very into The Pitt. I waited to watch it until it was completely over and I have now written three fics and I want everyone to kiss in various configurations. Doctor Robby is so hot and so sad and so suffering a mental health crisis, and Doctor Langdon is so Needs Rehab and such an asshole and also so hot. SHAWN HATOSY from The Faculty, oh my fucking God I nearly cried laughing when I realized Doctor Hotness With One Foot was STAN. Amazing. And I love Samira and Dana and Mel and Collins and - well, everyone. Everyone!!!!!!!!!!! Now kiss.

Tomorrow is Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning!!!!!!!

Webtoon's Dr. Kim of London is about a modern-day Korean surgeon being reincarnated in 19th century England and having to deal with lack of sanitation and public amputations and other such barbaries. This puts it in the same third-time's-the-genre as the manga Jin (modern day Japanese surgeon in 19th century Japan) and the K-drama Faith The Great Doctor (modern day Korean surgeon in 14th century Korea).

I love me a good "let's science the shit out of this" story and both it and its medical-historical subgenre need names. Any ideas?

It's been almost two months since I've posted here?!

1. That can't be right. But it is??


2. I mean, I have been in a complete slump for nearly three months now, and today is the first day in ages that I don't feel like a zombie, but still. How did that happen?!


3. It didn't and doesn't feel like I was away from here for that long at all!


4. But I guess that's because I've actually been commenting a lot - I've been on DW! I've been reading my flist, and replying to posts and comments! And I've been part of the 60-billion-comment club over at sid_guardian, aka the excellent Guardian discussions happening in the comments of the novel readalong posts, and china_shop's delightful drama polls, where we can't shut up about our fandom. *g*


5. What I haven't done in all that time is any real writing, other than the one exchange fic that went live last night. Just a bunch of alibi sentences and false starts. Pretty sure that made the zombie issue worse; I always feel worse when I'm not writing. But in addition to the slump, time and energy have both been at a low ebb.


6. So, uh, yeah. Two months! For reasons, but I'm glad to finally be breaking that streak.

In conclusion, hi, everyone! I hope to actually post more again now, and not fall into a slump again right away. (Fingers crossed!)

Coming soon (I HOPE): Guardian 520 Day Reverse Exchange reveals (preview: I wrote a fic! I got fantastic artwork for one of my fics! There's a delightful bounty of stuff in the collection that I need to sit down to properly enjoy and comment on!) and also other updates.

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Brandy & Bullets (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) by Donald Bain, And Justice There is None (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie, All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells, Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells and The Dragon Tamer by Megan Derr.


What I am Currently Reading: A Fountain Filled with Blood (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming.


What I Plan to Read Next: Another library book or more Murderbot.

---

Book 28 of 2025: Brandy & Bullets (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) (Donald Bain)

I enjoyed this book more than the others. Perhaps because it took place in Cabot Cove? ( spoilers )

This book is the best of the bunch so far, but I'm not sure if that's because the author is becoming more comfortable writing them or because it took place in Cabot Cove, as I mentioned. I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

---

Book 29 of 2025: And Justice There is None (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)

I really enjoyed this book. ( spoilers )

I think this series is getting better and better; I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

---

Book 30 of 2025: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)

I wanted to re-read this prior to starting the tv series. It was so good! ( spoilers )

I look forward to the further adventures of Murderbot! I'm giving this novella five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

---

Book 31 of 2025: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)

I didn't have to read this book to start the tv series, but I couldn't resist seeing what Murderbot would do next. I liked it a lot. ( spoilers )

I look forward to seeing what Murderbot does next. I'm giving this novella five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

---

Book 32 of 2025: The Dragon Tamer (Megan Derr)

This was a cute little novella. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this and recommend it if you’re looking for something to do for about a half hour. (I also checked out some of her other books and they look good.) I’m giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Title: solitude, and me remembering again
Fandom: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Freddie Iven/Hans Winter.
Author's Note [1]: Also here @ AO3. I've been wanting to do a fic set from Hans' POV during his time hiding out in Pop and looking for Freddie since I read the book. I have a lot of Hans Winter thoughts! The title comes from the poem Freddie recites to Faland in Chapter 21. Obvious disclaimer that I don't own these characters; they belong to Katherine Arden. Word Count - 3,185

(Hans had died with Iven and been resurrected with Iven. Whoever he had been before – however well he had buried this part of himself – it had come into the light with Iven.)

P.S. I can't believe that I, too, have now fallen for a story about WWI soldiers and keep writing fic about them that requires I do WWI research. This is just so...embarrassing. Like, if you're in fandom long enough, you will end up in the circus you never thought you'd join.

Quote:

"As soon as anyone starts telling you to be "realistic," cross that person off your invitation list."

"History shows us that the people who end up changing the world - the great political, social, scientific, technological, artistic, even sports revolutionaries - are always nuts, until they are right, and then they are geniuses."

~ John Eliot


Facts: (Unique Town/City Names)

Nebraska :

Superior - Victorian Capital of Nebraska named after the quality of its land. (Took some searching for the reason.)

Weeping Water - There is a stream running through the city called 'Nigahoe', which translates into "rustling water" which was wrongly recorded as the French word 'Nihoage' which translates to "water weeping." (It's amazing how one changed letter can change everything.)

Another day spent playing FFVII all day.......I can't help it!!!!! I feel like it's easy to forget how gripping older games can be- even for me, a person who loves retro games. But damn if the PS1 version isn't still so fucking fun. I spent a solid hour grinding for gil because I was gonna buy the lifetime pass for the Golden Saucer only to not end up doing that lmao and it felt...I mean, not like no time at all, but like the time flew by.


real talk the most embarrassing part is that I wanted to quit but I got peer pressured by Liz and Pat into getting MORE than 30k gil (you know, to have an extra buffer lmao)

( don't worry I have even more gameplay pix from the past couple days )

So that's my entry about my day XD

jk jk I have a little more~

I'm trying to fix my sleep schedule, since I've been staying up until 4am (or even later) every day/night/whatever you wanna call it. So I woke up when Liz did (around 8 am) and...damn I'm wiped XD

HOWEVER.

Pat's brother is coming down tomorrow because he's traveling to a bachelor party further south, and it's far enough away that it would really help if he stayed at our place for a nice. Which is totally fine! But he was really unclear about when he was actually coming; we thought it was Thursday or Friday. BUT NOPE. We found out today that it's tomorrow. So we've been doing a lot of SUDDEN CLEANING to make sure he has somewhere to stay.

Liz is currently kicking ass cleaning out the living room couch...I love them....

took forever to get going and it looks like there's another damn mouse in the kitchen. Fantastic because I'll be gone for weeks if not months. Sigh. I am still trying to get sick, feeling quite tired. So much so I didn't really unpack the car. I'll get it tomorrow. Just dragged in the stuff I emptied out of my fridge.

Since that's all boring let me jump right into the fannish 50 with the 'you'll never get agreement' topic of fan service. This topic is brought to you thanks to Blue Exorcist.

Look I'm fine with some fan service. I expect it. I even enjoy it. That said I prefer it mild and that it makes sense with their character. I get that I am not, and never have been, who most shonan anime/manga is aimed at but I am a little leery of what people think is okay for young teenaged boys and what it teaches them (because whether or not we want to admit it, they DO tell us some things are okay)

I expect most fan service to be for the teenaged male gaze, that's fine, like I said if it makes sense. There's a character in My Hero Academia for example who's superpower creates things from her body so it makes sense she's in low cut bodices. Momo Yaoyorozu

At least most of the other girls aren't as scantily clad and they leaned into why she is (however lame it is)


On the other hand with Blue Exorcist we have

This: the typical Japanese school girl look for the students and then a black and white uniform for the adult exorcists. Here's Shiemi

Yes she has large breasts for fan service (and yes they bobble when she runs) but at least she has clothes.


And then we have a character I've disliked since the beginning which is a shame because she has the potential to be an interesting character. Instead we get this spoiling all the backstory and special powers etc she has because this is how they chose to depict her.

While not trying to slut shame here, can you honestly see her fighting demons like this and showing up to teach teenagers in that outfit (You can't see it but she's in booty shorts and fishnets as well). She hides a sword inside her body so sure give her the low bodice or a belly shirt that's fine. How exactly does that outfit continue to cover her nipples as she fights? I seriously want to know.

I guess like I said, I prefer a more subtle fanservice like we got in Fullmetal Alchemist

Certainly Winry is there for the male gaze

But she works in a near-desert hot-butt town so we can forgive her, her mini skirts and belly shirts I guess.

And FMA did give the female gaze a little something too

I mean, come on, Roy having to sear closed his own wound is just so we can get this shot (and we're grateful)

Speaking of the female gaze one t-shirt I would have bought from the artist was medusa's head and the words the female gaze but she didn't have any plus sizes left (and this is only 2 hours into a two day con, and I see this a lot. It's like have you never been to a con before? The plus sized folk usually outnumber the not-plusses.

Weekly Score: 70.5%

Goal 1: Lose weight by trip to Phoenix: Exercise Component. 83% (35/42)

Review: The week started out really well! I ended up canceling one of my walks due to graduation (my youngest is done with High school, gah!). While at Graduation, I fell and injured my foot, so I didn't get any walking in or exercises on Saturday. (the foot is pretty and purple, but the swelling is down compared to Friday, and it's getting easier to walk on. We have a cane from when my daughter needed one, so I'm using that to try to keep most of the weight off my foot.)

Goal 2: Lose weight by trip to Phoenix: Eating component. 60% (32/53)

Review: The week started well here, too, and deteriorated when I fell. Including following my menu, and recording food. I'm still going to try to record it on my phone, like Aaron suggested. I'm not sure where I'll do it, but I'll figure it out. Also, it's not going fast, but my weight is dropping, and I'm really happy.

Goal 3: Work on Ultimate US Road Trip.

Review: I meant to get more of the schedule into the computer, but it's been a mess this week and I didn't get it going. I don't have a score because I already technically reached my goal.

Intentions for the future: G1 - I'm going to look at maybe doing the chair yoga I stopped, but most of the rest of the exercises I'm not going to do, just because I'm going to wait until my foot recovers completely. No walking with my friend, most of the PT exercises are out, too. G2 - I'm going to try to do better with my menu, specifically, and decide where on my phone I want to record what I've eaten. Something that doesn't require internet. I'll figure it out.

I wrote two drabble treats for the Season of Drabbles Spring Round, both FFVII. I am working on at least three FFVII longer pieces and spinning my wheels a bit so it was helpful to actually finish something, omg - and I don't normally write this short! Also fun picking characters I haven't written before.

Gravity and Waggery (100 words) by Cyphomandra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth (Video Games 2020-2024), Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)/Original Character(s)
Characters: Reno (Compilation of FFVII), Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Original Cat Character(s)
Additional Tags: Treat, Cats, cat hair is my favourite accessory
Summary:

Reno gets Rude a present.

Never Again (100 words) by Cyphomandra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth (Video Games 2020-2024)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jenova & Tifa Lockhart
Characters: Tifa Lockhart, Jenova (Compilation of FFVII), Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Girl Power, Drabble, Treat
Summary:

What if Tifa's attack in the Nibelheim reactor ended differently?

Status : Terminée
Titre : Face contre terre
Fandom : 9-1-1 (TV)
Nombre de mots : 1117
Type : OS
Rating : General Audiences
Avertissements : Major Character Death
Relation : Evan "Buck" Buckley & Tommy Kinard
Tags additionnels : Grief/Mourning, Post-Episode: s08e15 Lab Rats (9-1-1 TV), Tommy Tries His Best, POV Tommy Kinard, Hurt Evan "Buck" Buckley, Emotional Hurt, Post-Break Up
Résumé : Tommy n'était pas étranger à la mort, mais voir Buck s'effondrer était peut-être plus qu'il ne pouvait supporter.
Notes : Petite ficlet écrite pour le défi Emoji-panique du Petit Salon de l'écriture, à partir de ces trois emojis : 🪦😭❤️‍🩹.
Remplit aussi le prompt Fall de mon 100 Fandoms Challenge et le prompt Cloud de mon 100 Ships Challenge.
Lien AO3 : Face contre terre

( Read more... )

Resident Alien is back for season 4! I was afraid that it had been quietly cancelled because I heard nothing about it, but apparently it was merely moved to USA, but then they decided to air it on both SyFy and USA? It's coming Friday, June 6, 11pm EST. (Not sure why 11pm. o_O) Click the link for more info and to check out the trailer.

Resident Alien Season 4: The Mantid Turns Patience Upside Down in New Trailer — Plus, Get Premiere Date (tvline.com)