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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-08-23 07:55 pm
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Daily Happiness

1. Got a decent farmer's market haul this morning. The lemonade place did not forget their lemonade twice in a row, and they've added some flavors, too, so I got a yellow watermelon lemonade (not sure if it will actually taste any different to the regular red one) and a cucumber lemonade. I did drink the latter already and it was a bit disappointing as it was too chunky for my liking, but the flavor was good.

2. It was hot today but aside from my trip to the farmers market in the morning (I went right when they opened at eight but it was so muggy and gross already) we stayed in the house and kept relatively cool.

3. Ever since we had the pizza pockets with cajun ranch dip at DCA, we've been on the lookout for that kind of sauce in the store and could not find any, but the other day Carla finally did find some (Hidden Valley Kickin Cajun Blackened Ranch) and we got pizza tonight and it was perfect!

4. Look at this little face!

torachan: (cartoon me)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-08-23 06:14 pm
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Weekly Reading

Currently Reading
What Happened to Lucy Vale?
5%. A girl and her mother move into a house where sixteen years ago another girl disappeared and her mother was found hanged in the house. The story will be told in alternating timelines, but I haven't gotten that far yet, so it's just present day. Sounds interesting. I read another book by this author and liked it, though I blank out on what book it was literally seconds after looking it up each time, so I don't think it was that memorable.

Our Hideous Progeny
41%. A sort of Frankenstein fanfic. Victor Frankenstein's grand niece decides to follow in his footsteps and try to create life, but this time since she and her husband are paleontologists, they decide to create a dinosaur rather than a human. That said, while that is the main plot, it's only a small part of the book, which is more about the MC's struggles to be taken seriously as a woman who is interested in science. I'm really liking this so far. I'm listening to the audiobook and the narrator is great.

Suddenly a Murder
9%. A group of friends from a ritzy high school go to a 1920s themed party and there's a murder. I decided to pick this up because the 1920s themed party aspect sounded interesting, but I have quickly (within the first few paragraphs) become annoyed by rich teens being obnoxious (though the MC is a scholarship student and not rich herself). I'll finish it because I dislike not finishing things, but I doubt I'll really like it that much.

The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State
No progress.

Recently Finished
How to Survive a Horror Story
This was an interesting premise but I never felt like it really got good and I didn't think the twist was all that. It was fine, but doesn't make me want to run out and check out more by the author. Also, this didn't really have an impact on my enjoyment of the book, but I could not believe that the author couldn't take two seconds to google to see if a store they are mentioning by name exists in the place they are saying it does. No one in LA is going to the Piggly Wiggly, because it is very famously a southern grocery store chain. She could have just said grocery store, or she could have checked to see what stores exist, but nah. (The same character also lives in his parents' basement, which is not quite as unbelievable as the Piggly Wiggly, because I'm sure there are at least a couple houses here that have basements, but it just added to the general vibe of carelessness.)

Newcomer
I found the format a little tedious at first, but ended up enjoying this.

Shady Hollow
This was definitely a miss for me. Too much focus on describing the animals and their town compared to the rest of the story.

DeadEndia vol. 1-3
I reread the first two books because the third is finally out! Apparently it came out last year, but I just realized it was out a week or so ago. It's been too long since I read the others, so I had to refresh my memory, and I'm glad I did, because I would have been struggling to keep up if I'd just jumped right in to volume three. This was a good conclusion and I really love this series.

Skip to Loafer vol. 12

Hen na E vol. 3
nnozomi: (Default)
nnozomi ([personal profile] nnozomi) wrote in [community profile] guardian_learning2025-08-24 06:47 am

第四年第二百二十七天

谢谢trobadora昨天替我发帖!

部首
口 part 14
告, to tell; 呗, final particle; 员, member of something pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=30

词汇
要是, if; 必要, necessary; 需要, need pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
你让我配合你们一块工作呗, let me work along with you guys
你要是不嫌弃的话,我替他叫你哥哥, if you don't dislike the idea, I'll call you gege in his place

Me:
别告诉我坏消息了。
你要是真的喜欢他的话,就直接表白呗。
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
kaberett ([personal profile] kaberett) wrote2025-08-23 10:54 pm
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facts of the day, courtesy of current book

Koalas have fingerprints; hairy-nose wombats do not.

Skin on fingers and toes wrinkle in water not because cells get saturated but as an autonomic nervous system function, which we have apparently known since at least 1935. An initial 2013 study found that people with wrinkled fingertips could pick up and move more wet marbles in a set time frame than people with dry skin; a 2014 study failed to replicate this, but there's more at the BBC including a 2020 replication. (The 2013 reference at least is buried in the BBC article.)

Holding a hot drink inclines us to view people as "emotionally warmer"; a heavier clipboard inclines us to believe the person whose CV it's displaying takes their work more seriously. Many other related fun facts over here.

(Book of the moment: Touch, David J. Linden.)

iamrman: (Sogeking)
iamrman ([personal profile] iamrman) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-08-23 09:33 pm

Rom: Spaceknight #26

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Pencils: Sal Buscema

Inks: Joe Sinnott


Galactus hungers and he has set his sights on Galador.


Read more... )

olivermoss: (Default)
Oliver Moss ([personal profile] olivermoss) wrote2025-08-23 10:33 am

I failed to catch the reference

Field Day is a reference to the pairing in the book The Pairing by Casey McQuistion, which I haven't read. I was considering trying to read is before Comic Con, but I know that a lot of people into Red, White and Royal Blue were sharply disappointed in her other books. I don't know if the critiques are valid or just people really hoping for another RWRB and reading something very different.

When I was there I was like 'I am not sure I get the store's concept. Was the concept really thought through?' Yeah, I was just not catching the reference. Anyway, it's very cute and earnest and probably not a mafia front, so I hope they do well.
liv: Bookshelf labelled: Caution. Hungry bookworm (bookies)
Liv ([personal profile] liv) wrote2025-08-23 03:24 pm
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Reading not-Wednesday 23/8

One advantage of my unexpected free month was that I started reading books again. Not a lot but 6 complete novels and a longfic in 6 weeks, which is more than I have for years. Let me catch up with some brief reviews:

Since term properly, properly finished on 6 July, I have read:

  • Circe by Madeline Miller 2018, Pub 2018 Bloomsbury, ISBN 9781526612519
  • Coconut Unlimited by Nikesh Shukla (c) Nikesh Shukla 2010, Pub 2010 Quartet, ISBN 978-0-7043-7204-7
  • Will Super Villains be on the final? by Naomi Novik, illustrated by Yishan Li (c) Temeraire LLC 2011, Pub 2011 Del Rey, ISBN 978-0-345-51656-5
  • Some desperate glory by Emily Tesh (c) Emily Tesh 2023, Pub 2023 Orbit, ISBN 978-0-356-51718-6
  • Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (c) Ann Leckie 2015, Pub 2015 Orbit, ISBN 978-0-356-50242-7
  • A free man of color by Barbara Hambly (c) Barbara Hambly 1997, Pub 1998 Bantam, ISBN 0-553-57526-0
  • I transmigrated into Cordelia Naismith! by Lanna Michaels, 2025


Circe )

Coconut Unlimited )

Will Super Villains be on the final? )

Some desperate glory )

Ancillary Mercy )

A Free Man of Color )

I transmigrated into Cordelia Naismith! )
hazevi: (qiaoling hello kitty)
hazevie ([personal profile] hazevi) wrote in [community profile] cnovels2025-08-23 09:12 am

Novel Translation: The Moon Above These Lands (Shan Chuan Yue)《山川月》

 Hi everyone, 

I've started translating the historical/court intrigue baihe webnovel The Moon Above These Lands, or Shan Chuan Yue (山川月) by Su Xian_ (苏弦) on jjwxc! 

One sentence summary: Although Wen Mingchang (unacknowledged daughter of the Liu family) and Luo Qinghe (the famous general) have an ugly spat at first, they recognize each others' talent and ambition and forge a unique bond -- first in camaraderie, then in love --to lift their country into prosperity.
There's more on this novel/translation project on this post in the baihe community. Happy reading!
iamrman: (Buggy)
iamrman ([personal profile] iamrman) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-08-23 05:03 pm

Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #3

Writer: Chuck Dixon

Pencils: Tom Lyle

Inks: Bob Smith


Robin and the Huntress team-up to take on the Russian Mob.


Read more... )

hazevi: (Default)
hazevie ([personal profile] hazevi) wrote in [community profile] baihe_media2025-08-23 08:22 am

New Translation: The Moon Above These Lands (Shan Chuan Yue)《山川月》

Heyo fellow baihe peeps,

I've started translating the historical/court intrigue webnovel The Moon Above These Lands, or Shan Chuan Yue (山川月) by Su Xian_ (苏弦) on jjwxc! For me, it's really hard to find a novel that I resonate with so deeply so I am quite excited about this project.

One sentence summary: Although Wen Mingchang (unacknowledged daughter of the Liu family) and Luo Qinghe (the famous general) have an ugly spat at first, they recognize each others' talent and ambition and forge a unique bond -- first in camaraderie, then in love --to lift their country into prosperity.

Proper summary under cut:  )


For those perhaps familiar with or are fans of the Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜 Langya Bang) series or danmei series The Ballad of Sword and Wine (将进酒 Qiang Jin Jiu), I'd say this will be quite up your alley, except with a lot more focus on female characters in an alternate historical setting where women at least are able to receive an education and become officials at court. 

I think the main strength of this novel is its character development arcs, which although slow, honestly builds the characters up in a very strong way. Unironically, after reading this book, the main character Wen Mingchang is tied for my most favorite character in any media, ever, and I can also name plenty of supporting characters and ships I like in this work. 



Links galore: 

translation page
carrd
tweet
original jjwxc
novelupdates


I will note that this is slow burn and very long. I'm going to take my time and the aim is to finish it before the end of the decade or something (? lol). The plan is to go by volumes and take breaks. 

Final bit is that I edited a 手书/hand drawn MAD with a really popular song from bilibili, 戏文说 (The Opera Tune Goes). The characters are from the book and (I think) align with the lyrics, which hopefully gets clearer as the story progresses. And yes, art is an in progress hobby for me so it's actually pretty bad, but it was a fun effort.  


Thank you to [personal profile] aurumcalendula for already mentioning it since I forgot to post about it previously! I'll see everyone around. ^_^

oursin: Fotherington-Tomas from the Molesworth books saying Hello clouds hello aky (Hello clouds hello sky)
oursin ([personal profile] oursin) wrote2025-08-23 04:16 pm

Rather dubiously following the call of the wiiiiiild

I was very taken with this article (from 2008) about a genre of nature writing, and how, really, it's very dubious to invoke wild and untamed NAYCHUR in our green and pleasant land.

Wild and not-wild is a false distinction, in this ancient, contested country. The contests are far from over. When the wild is protected by management, or re-created by the removal of traces of human history, you have to ask, who are these managers? Why do conservationists favour this species over that? Whose traces are considered worth saving, whose fit only to be bulldozed? If the landscape is apparently empty, was it ever thus?

I mean, we are all about nature, but here I am in London Zone 2 and we have wildflower plots at the edge of the local playing field and an eco-pond, and little copses of woodland and apparently an RSPB sparrow meadow in the local park, rus in urbe, hmmm. In fact London is one of the world's greenest cities, a development which might have surprised dear old Mad William when he was trudging along the chartered streets.

It's also wonderfully codslappy about a certain type of (male) writer going alone into the Wild Places (and not meeting the existential horror that attacked poor Moley in the Wild Wood before he found Badger's house).

It seems to me to resonate with this other thing I came across lately about Rights of Way. Which is of particular interest to me since I am pretty sure that the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949 owed rather a lot to my dear fubsy interwar progressives rambling and occasionally organising mass trespasses because the countryside was for The People and they had a Right to Roam. And was much more about collective enjoyment.

javert: lysandre looking at a spoonful of tiramisu with an unsure/dissastisfied expression (pkmn lysandre tiramisu)
Samifer ([personal profile] javert) wrote2025-08-23 05:08 pm
Entry tags:

miniblog..2 !!!

I'm gonna be real with you chief, I don't have the energy nor the inspiration for a proper blog post today. I overslept... and also it's the week-end... I don't want to use my brain... I'm resting...

I made a list of stuff to do this week on Mastodon and I've actually been crushing it, so that's been nice, at least. I like feeling like I'm Being Productive at least a little. It's good to have objectives and stuff. I'm actually kinda looking forward to seeing how much of my August to-do list I've managed to get done...

Anyway, onto the miniblogging:

  • I haven't been working on my [community profile] ficinabox letter at all... aghhh. I promised it'd be ready by tomorrow, too, so I guess I might crank it up today LOL. Well, I did make a list of my favorite Linda³ animals, at least, I just need to format it. Then it's going to be all about going through what I copied over from last year and fixing stuff if needed.

  • I fixed up the mobile version of my fanlisting, because it wasn't actually super mobile friendly especially now that I was adding more stuff to it. I'm pretty happy with it now though. This is what it looks like:



    The one thing I'm still stuck on rn is the placement of the subtitle... I might try to figure out a better way to handle it. Who knows. It's not a huge issue, just kind of a pain when it comes to responsiveness. (As usual!!)

  • [community profile] fandomgiftbasket sign-ups are open!!! I had most of mine already ready LOL, but I added some last minute stuff and suddenly realized it couldn't fit in one Dreamwidth comment. That had never happened to me before; kind of exciting in a way. Anyway, you should sign up so I can draw Pokémon for you or something.

  • My goal today is to have the barebones of a website set up for Noah, who wants a site to host its fanfic and future novel information, that's easy to use and doesn't require it know anything about coding. (Well, I'll be here to offer HTML & CSS support and fixing no matter what, but you know.) I mostly want to figure out a super simple design and then try using Arrow's fic masterlist + easy AO3 template so all that Noah has to do is just download all of its fic as HTML files and plopping them in. I'll probably have to handle the fic masterlist stuff myself but that's okay. We'll see what Noah thinks about it. (I know you're going to read this BTW. Hi Noah.)

Okay, this is already getting too long, this is supposed to be a miniblog!!! That's about all I have to report on today though I think.

Because I suddenly remembered they existed, I checked the Blaugust themes & prompts for this year, and I might try to do some of the latter ones? A lot of them are really focused on being in the Blaugust Community which is fascinating to me. Maybe next year I'll try to get involved beyond just making posts lol. I feel a little bad because the only people who are also doing it that I've been commenting on have been [personal profile] linky and Scumsuck. Which I guess is better than nothing! My efforts to comment on more posts I see through my Reading page have been paying off though, I think. I'm trying... Being social is difficult!!! I used to live in a cave and not talk to anybody, you know!!!

I'll leave you with a preview of some of the buttons I've been making for the fanlisting. Life is hard when there's almost no canonical material of your OTP even just standing together... Actually, I should make a button of the Café Lysandre scene...

laughing_tree: (Seaworth)
laughing_tree ([personal profile] laughing_tree) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-08-23 08:03 am

The Immortal Thor #24-25 - "The Twilight Kingdom"

image host

Well, "god" is a tricky one because that's just who and what Thor is. What role the gods play and what they mean to mortals might be a bone of contention, but [it] feels like a pretty minor point in the day-to-day life and adventures of an Asgardian. I'd imagine the average Marvel citizen spends at least some time chewing over whether or not Thor is a "real god." I can guarantee Thor spends no time at all on it. -- Al Ewing

Read more... )
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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-23 09:20 am

Books Received, August 15 — August 22 Belated Poll

Poll #33520 Books Received, August 15 — August 22
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 32


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Last Woman on Earth by Bex Benjamin (September 2025)
11 (34.4%)

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (January 2024)
11 (34.4%)

Guilt by Keigo Higashino (April 2026)
6 (18.8%)

Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons (March 2026)
11 (34.4%)

The River She Became by Emily Varga (June 2026)
9 (28.1%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (3.1%)

Cats!
25 (78.1%)

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-23 08:57 am
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Books Received, August 15 — August 22



Five books new to me: three fantasy, one mystery, and one science fiction. Two are series, and the other three may be stand-alone.

Books Received, August 15 — August 22