arethinn | Network

Israeli settlers beat U.S. citizen to death in West Bank

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank beat a U.S. citizen to death, according to local officials, during a Friday confrontation between a group of Israelis and Palestinians.

A municipal official and a relative of 21-year-old Sayfollah Musallet confirmed his death to NPR. Musallet was born in Florida and was in the village of Sinjil this week visiting family.

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Current Mood: busy

so did not want to get too into meta-game aspects , but inevitably get really into meta-game aspects , bwahahaha . record every little scrap of information possible in obsidian vault , and fill out some of slightly more obtuse conditions to get new ends and new rewards . so to recap some of highlights from daughters ...

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there is lots of fun stuff which not even touch yet , and that is what honestly love . still need 2 more daughters to fill in with humpty , still need some daughters who can show caelia cool things , still actually need to take several people to gala - copper woman , doomed lady , violet coral girl ... think there is something about gala mission with thief , too ? that one seem like so much fun . and that is to say nothing of actual long-term lore and mysteries of world .

really want to go for teacher's pet though , need creepy girl for that - mushy apple would be so useful , so many of these girls completely illiterate . different endings give player different items for garden , and these garden items hold influence over traits daughter will grow with - mushy apple give bookworm ( literacy ) and little pet worm ( cuteness ) .

this is also why consistently end up with multiple of same daughter types - without knowledge of how to meta-game garden , will probably end up with random grab bag of traits and stats , so without any changes can produce same ones over and over .

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: thee fungal rite ~ hideous gomphidius

On Bluesky, Wenella reports that "Dongjj Rescue, starring Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni, and Leo Wu, will be released in the US on Aug 22, 2025. The film will be released in mainland China on Aug 8." Time to start haunting the Cineplex site in hopes of Canadian showtimes!

I took today off in hopes of getting a bit more sleep (done, although not an impressive amount) and actually starting in on my next manga rewrite. I have just over a couple of hours before I need to venture out, so...we'll see how the latter goes in practice.

I can't remember if I've mentioned here that almost two months ago, I concluded that I'm going to sell my poor basically-unused etrike. ( In case I haven't, here's the gist )

Anyway, this comes to mind because for once I have a little venture that would, in fact, be perfect for taking the trike if I were at all in the habit of/comfortable with using it. Ah, well.

In related news, at least we're not under a heat warning anymore, unlike the last few days. (It's still currently 22°C and humid as hell, resulting in a 30°C humidex, and it's supposed to be a couple degrees warmer later this afternoon. But it's still an improvement.)

Current Mood: melancholy

I read a couple of articles recently, one about the recent Magic: The Gathering/Final Fantasy crossover and another a review of the most recent D&D book. The common thread in both of these articles was the way that the economics of being owned/produced by Hasbro (a multi-billion-dollar corporation) was affecting the content of the games. This got me to thinking that perhaps some games would be better off as lifestyle businesses. I don't think this is practical for all games — major corporate intellectual properties are more likely to deal with a major corporate game company than a lifestyle game company, regardless of the quality of the game — and I think at this point a lot of small game companies are just small companies that haven't scaled up ("yet," in the owners' hopeful thoughts) — but I'd like to deal with a game company that's run more for the good of the designers and the game than for the benefits of a huge faceless corporation.

ETA: It occurred to the just after posting this that a lot of the "companies" I dealt with when I was active in historical miniatures gaming were lifestyle businesses, simply because there's not really much room to scale historical miniatures. While this occasionally meant delays in orders because of issues in the owner's life (e.g. "I'm having my gallbladder out, so orders for the next couple of weeks will be delayed") or because of the realities of dealing with a small business (e.g. "I don't have any of Napoleonic Spanish irregulars on hand, so there will a slight delay while I cast some more"), it was generally a pleasant experience, even given the realities of transatlantic shipping in the late 1990s. It wouldn't really be compatible with today's "Amazon overnight delivery" mindset, though.

I am not old or fat. (Well, I am, but the doctor doesn't care LOL).

Instead I have ankylosing spondylitis and am starting a different anti-inflammatory med than the one I've been taking. If that doesn't work, then I'm switching to a self-injectable biologic. I got the impression that the doc would really rather just start with the biologic, but insurance has to be shown that the cheaper anti-inflammatories are not effective.

I am so relieved. I'm really sick. It's not in my head. I'm not lazy or making it up. A doctor believed me and found out what is wrong. I am being given treatment.

I am so grateful.

I've been so depressed because I thought I was never going to get help, and I haven't been taking care of myself. Doing so didn't feel like it really mattered if that makes sense. I'm going to take this as an opportunity to make some changes that I know will help with my mental and physical wellness because it feels like it matters now.

Thank you all for your support on this journey.

1. UK voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election: (tags:voting UK )
2. Netflix uses AI effects for first time to cut costs: (tags:ai cgi netflix )
3. The world's most contagious falsehoods: (tags:myths beliefs misconceptions )
4. The fascinating world of avant-garde perfumes: (tags:smell art )

TRANSFORM Your Garden To A FIREFLY Habitat!

* Avoid pesticides and other agrochemicals.

* Protect from light pollution.

* Plant native species.

* Leave some tall grass.

* Provide moisture.

* Leaf litter and woodpiles also offer cover.

Current Mood: busy

They Say Growing Fruit Trees From Seed is a "Bad Idea." They're Wrong! Here's why.

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Current Mood: busy

We crossed 25 watermelon varieties and got this!

These are landrace watermelons grown in a food forest permaculture. David the Good is one of the few people other than myself who seems to grow what I would consider laissez-faire permaculture, which turns the yard into a messy but productive jungle. :D

Remember that when you're growing landraces or even open-pollinated crops that you save, your plants will adapt to what you do. If you don't want to weed or water, then select for plants that can beat the competition. I throw garlic chives and other alliums all over the place. Comfrey can take care of itself. The vegetables are still in pots to minimize weeds, but I'm hoping to get a sunflower landrace going eventually because I am having crap luck with commercial ones. I get a few that bloom but not many. I'm getting a few volunteers, though, so I'm encouraging that.

Current Mood: busy

The Deadly Cascade Volcanoes Are Waking Up! Is A Mega Eruption Coming?

The Cascade Range, stretching from Northern California to British Columbia, is home to some of the most dangerous volcanoes in North America. Towering over cities like Seattle and Portland, these volcanoes sit silently now—but silence, in geology, is never a guarantee of safety. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with the force of hundreds of atomic bombs, flattening forests, choking skies, and shocking a nation. That was just one volcano. There are over a dozen more. And recently, subtle signs—swarms of earthquakes, shifting ground, whispers of gas from hidden vents—have begun to stir beneath their surface. Could this be a sign of what is to come? Are the Cascade volcanoes waking up? Let’s find out!

Well, that's alarming -- especially in context of the Cascadian Subduction Zone with its ability to cause earthquakes and tsunamis.

Current Mood: busy

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

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

Current Mood: busy

Today's theme is Homestuck.

100quadrantedships -- Because We Don't Have Enough Of Quadrants
Quadrants, homestuck, shipping.
[Somewhat active with last post in May.]

addme_fandom -- addme fandom
Find friends who share your fannish obsessions.
[Active with one post in July.]

unconventionalcourtship -- Unconventional Courtship
Brooding Strangers! Secret Pregnancies! Enigmatic Rakes! All those tropes (or conventions, if you will) you love to hate (until you discover their secret, tragic backstory and fall head over heels for them) are here, ready to be used for humour and awesomeness in a new fic about your favourite star-crossed lovers. 'Unconventional Courtship' is a panfandom challenge that aims to produce fics longer than 1,000 words based on a Mills & Boon/Harlequin novel summary.
[Active with multiple posts in July.]

Current Mood: busy

Sunshine Challenge 5: Carnival Barker

Journaling prompt: Be a carnival barker for your favorite movie, book, or show (or any other of your choice - game, comic, anything else)! Write a post that showcases the best your chosen title has to offer and entices passersby to check it out.

Creative prompt: Write a fic or original story about a character reluctantly doing something they are hesitant about.

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

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Current Mood: busy

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Makeup art is a hobby that spans branches such as facepainting, bodypainting, cosplay, special effects, theatrical makeup, drag, kink, otherkin, gyaru, boudoir, glamour, and more. It all depends on what you want to make up yourself or a playmate as.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like

daily_gyaru,

edgoreyanfashion,

justcreate,

sw_costumes, and

thefreaksclub.

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Current Mood: busy

Targeting the Wrong Person
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1470
[Saturday, 5 August, 2017, 7 a.m.]

:: Alphonse Durante is a lot of things, but his favorite is that he is a relentless reporter of facts. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

Targeting the Wrong Person
by Alfonso Durante

Yesterday evening, a Surrey driver was targeted by persons unknown, but with very clear intent. Their temporary housing for quake refugees was vandalized so severely that the city inspectors expressed concern that the units in the same row would also need to be evacuated until the damage is repaired. A few questions led to more information about the words scrawled on the walls, which tied to the Surrey which had been stolen in the same incident.
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Current Mood: anxious

but I feel like you could've found this one yourself.

This book too.

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funny situation this is - originally post here on dreamwidth under access list last week , just now crosspost to tumblr , and now port back over to dreamwidth because this version is slightly different from original with hopefully better clarity .

think about how to try and word something , which is ... just hate agab as this cornerstone of identities and definitions . might work out fine for some people with really clear agab , but not everyone do . frankly , even those who do have binary classification might still have traits which break these expectations , which can massively complicate relationship with internal gender .

can not say one perfect answer to what trans definition should be , literally just some guys online here , but would much prefer to see focus on subversion of what others expect gender to be . that would mean everyday social factors , presentation , and more - agab and legal identification only one slice of that , and ideally would not be near as much of factor in future , if at all .

consider : two boys can grow up to be men with very different ideas of what manhood feel like , despite genders that apparently start out identical . so too is true of girls who become women , let alone boys who become women , girls who become men , and literally any other permutation out there , binary or not . seem weird to define transness by agab with considerations like this .

would that in effect widen what trans means ? maybe so . but would that really be so bad ? think , like plurality , transness is very much framework that everyone should get to personally define relationship with - certain experiences obviously major hallmarks , but that should only be start of considerations , not end .

not really big believer in idea of " normalise " when prefer for ideas of normal to not exist in first place . so maybe kossai just have faerie bias , but would like to have world where these kind of definitions become much less impactful on everyday life . not big deal to come out , not big deal to change , not difficult to gain access to chosen hormones and surgeries - freedom to do anything , and be anything , just simple facts of life .

( hm . maybe should get little graphic of intersex flag with faerie wings . )

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: dawn dance ~ david arkenstone

The Thunder of Bison Finally Returns to the Osage Prairie

60 million American bison, commonly known as buffalo, once thundered across the prairies of North America — until 1889, when they were almost driven to extinction.

These mighty giants terraformed the land, diversified prairie ecosystems, and sustained many native tribes across the continent. Now, tribes and conservationists join forces to bring the species back from the brink, finally returning the American bison to their native grasslands.

The Osage Nation in Oklahoma, with help from allies at the Nature Conservancy and the Bronx Zoo, are reviving their cultural and spiritual connection to buffalo by rebuilding a herd that once shared their land. By reigniting traditional land management practices like prescribed fire, the Osage support the herd as it continues to grow, which in turn, restores natural balance that helps the entire prairie ecosystem thrive.

As a keystone species, buffalo restore prairie habitat to health. They also help restore the tribal nations who depended upon them.

Current Mood: busy

Cognitive collapse and the nuclear codes: When leaders lose control

A shocking study reveals that many leaders of nuclear-armed nations—including US presidents and Israeli prime ministers—were afflicted by serious health problems while in office, sometimes with their conditions hidden from the public. From dementia and depression to addiction and chronic diseases, these impairments may have affected their decision-making during pivotal global crises.

Hardly a surprise. Sanity isn't often a requirement of leadership. Venereal transmission only requires falling out of the right vagina; election only requires being popular.

Have you ever wondered how you'd handle the gold-madness of Thror? Consider that in this context. And then compare the effects of a dragon to those of a bomb.

Current Mood: busy

These dogs are trained to sniff out an invasive insect—and they're shockingly good at it

Virginia Tech researchers discovered that everyday dogs can be trained to effectively sniff out destructive agricultural pests.

Dogs trained by everyday pet owners are proving to be surprisingly powerful allies in the fight against the invasive spotted lanternfly. In a groundbreaking study, citizen scientists taught their dogs to sniff out the pests’ hard-to-spot egg masses with impressive accuracy. The initiative not only taps into the huge community of recreational scent-detection dog enthusiasts, but also opens a promising new front in protecting agriculture. And it doesn’t stop there—these canine teams are now sniffing out vineyard diseases too, hinting at a whole new future of four-legged fieldwork.

If you feel helpless against environmental threats, here's one thing you can do about it, if you're a dog lover. Dogs excel at finding things -- pretty much anything with a scent can be made interesting to a dog if you attach a reward to it.

Also, when it comes to invasive species? Never underestimate humanity's ability to destroy things.

Current Mood: busy

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 4 by Kanehito Yamada

Spoilers for the earlier books.

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Today is mostly sunny, humid, and hot. It rained copiously yesterday.

The internet serviceman came out today and installed some new equipment, which will hopefully fix the problems we've been having. We went outside to look at that. The antenna is now atop the bathroom roof, much higher and pointing south instead of east, so we have a better signal already.

My partner Doug had already started bushwhacking a path to the east edge of the yard, where the old antenna pointed. We still want to finish that for the sake of edge access. It didn't get mowed last year. We expected it to be full of weeds. We did not expect it to be full of 10-12' high hackberry and walnut saplings that obviously show multiple years of growth. :/ I strongly suspect that they waded into that position. I told them very firmly to move it or lose it, because we are serious about restoring that path.

I have not yet fed the birds. I have seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove at the feeders. A cardinal was trying to get through the living room window, so I had to shut my office door to block the false flyway between the south living room window and the north office window.

I fed the birds.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/17/25 -- I planted 2 wild senna, one under the contorta willow and one under the apricot tree. The ones in the wildflower garden are blooming. :D I sowed seeds of apricot, white peach, and cherry plum. The latter look like beach plums to me -- they're smaller than apricots -- and we got a whole carton of them. It will be interesting to see if they sprout.

I've been hearing thunder.

EDIT 7/17/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.

EDIT 7/17/25 -- I refilled the birdfeeders.

EDIT 7/17/25 -- I potted up 3 apples fallen from the birdgift tree.

I've heard a red-winged blackbird and a house wren, but didn't see them.

Cicadas are singing. Fireflies are coming out.

.

Current Mood: busy

Since some people persist in denying the existence of the Anthropocene, I've been keeping an eye out for hard evidence, especially geologic evidence.

A Mysterious New Rock Is Forming on Earth

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Current Mood: busy

oin us for the next Digital Defenders this Tuesday, July 22 at 8PM ET!

We’re diving into the wild side of the web where feminism meets fan culture, from stan wars to shitposts, fanfic to fandom memes. Let’s talk about how fan spaces and meme culture are part of feminist movement building!

📅 Tuesday, July 22
⏰ 8PM ET/5PM PT
🔗 RSVP at https://ow.ly/N9m850WqUjp

I guess today's coin flip has landed on "pivot to popcorn". If the world is burning we may as well get some use out of it, right? Popcorn all around!

Watch on YouTube

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I write RPF and due to sheer stupidity thought a guy (L) was Australian but he's from New Zealand 🤦‍♀️ Is there anyone who could translate these Australianisms (which I really love and got from Home & Away and Neighbours) into New Zealandisms? I don't watch any NZ soaps.

Also, do New Zealanders play keepy uppy? When you bounce a football on your knee and see how many times you can do that without dropping it. A well known British game but maybe it's called something different in New Zealand?

~~~

“G’day mate,” said the Australian. “Sorry, we're playing keepy uppy and the ball got away from us.” He was smirking as he picked up the football.

“Don't be such a flaming galah.” L threw the ball at N.

“Strewth mate, that’s 50 already.”

“Here we are,” said L. “Enjoy, you pair of hoons.”

Current Mood: embarrassed

Blech.

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Today!

You can attend a virtual rally:
https://www.mobilize.us/john-lewis-actions/event/803723/

Good Trouble Lives On: Virtual Rally happening today at 6pm Eastern/5pm Central/4pm Mountain/3pm Pacific and you can join us here: https://www.youtube.com/@WeArePeoplePowerUnited/streams No worries if you are late or can't make it, we will share the video as well.

Wait...The Worst Possible US Disaster Just Got EVEN WORSE?!? (Cascadia Megaquake)

Every once in a while, I see a more realistic extrapolation of the dangers in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, compared to the usual drastic underestimations. This video looks at some chain-reaction problems such as wildfires and chemical spills that can cause secondary waves of casualties.

You can read my thread about the Big One, but bear in mind that Terramagne-America has much better disaster preparedness than here, and local-America's scenario would be much worse.

Current Mood: busy

The Hardest Problem Evolution Ever Solved

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Current Mood: busy

These are the setting and content notes for "Beautiful, Damn Hard, Increasingly Useful."

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Current Mood: busy

These are the notes for "Beautiful, Damn Hard, Increasingly Useful."

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Current Mood: busy

This poem came out of the July 15, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by

bairnsidhe and

siliconshaman. It also fills the "Cool Water" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "But an Empty Shell" ($280) -- which, oops, hasn't been sponsored and posted yet.

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Current Mood: busy

How Dinosaur Extinction Gave Us Fruit

I found this video entertaining for its discussion of r-strategy vs. k-strategy reproduction in plants. Interestingly, during the time of large sauropods, they broke up the forests so much that most plants preferred to make many small seeds rather than fewer large seeds. They had to capitalize on the disturbances to find a place and sprout. In other words, most or all of the plants in those forest behaved like weeds, which are designed to cover disturbed ground as fast as possible.

Later on, after the sauropods died out, the forest canopy became closed rather than open, the forest floor darker. The animals were much smaller, and well suited to distributing seeds. So plants began making larger fruit to bribe the animals to carry their seeds around.

An interesting fork appears before us now, as humans have wiped out almost all large animals. Normally this would lead to dense dark forests, and thus, more and larger fruits. But humans are more disruptive than even the sauropods. We are creating conditions that favor the weed strategy again. Except for the bit where we really love large, sweet fruits and will go farther than any other species to propagate plants that we like. That makes it rather a toss-up how plants will respond.

Current Mood: busy

( More pics! )

Poll #33369 Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11

View Respondents

Your favourite Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing moment

View Answers

At the flat, speculating about Shen Wei before the break-in (ep 6)
1 (9.1%)

Breaking into Shen Wei's flat (ep 6)
4 (36.4%)

Da Qing teasingly pretending to call for Hei Pao Shi (ep 6)
4 (36.4%)

Kunlun fastening Da Qing's bells around his neck (ep 36)
5 (45.5%)

Da Qing shifting into cat form so Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei can meet cute (ep 1)
4 (36.4%)

Hanging out at the hospital during the blindness arc, with snacks (ep 21)
6 (54.5%)

Da Qing explaining his Shen Wei suspicions in the Dixing bedroom (ep 23)
0 (0.0%)

Going jogging (ep 5)
0 (0.0%)

Da Qing waking Zhao Yunlan by miaowing (and Zhao Yunlan knocking him onto the floor) (ep 12)
4 (36.4%)

Other
2 (18.2%)

Does Da Qing take showers?

View Answers

Only under duress
3 (27.3%)

He shifts and licks himself
4 (36.4%)

Shifting cleans him
4 (36.4%)

Cats are naturally clean
2 (18.2%)

He hogs the bathroom indulging in long bubble baths, to Zhao Yunlan's endless annoyance (cats only don't like water when it makes their fur wet)
5 (45.5%)

Other
1 (9.1%)

Smashing Ripples
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1363
[Friday, 4 August, 2017, 7 p.m.]

:: LaQuinta’s day gets exponentially worse, but part of the problem is uncovered with the help of an angry, frustrated reporter. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

:: Author’s note: EARNED HAPPY ENDING. This looks bad. This IS difficult for LaQuinta, but it is also a huge mistake made by one of the unseen bad guys. ::

At seven o’clock in the evening, it was still bright outside, and the August heat radiated up from the sidewalk as LaQuinta stepped outside the old-fashioned laundromat to walk to the temporary accommodations at the end of the block. The mound of linens in her cheap round plastic basket poked out at the two spots where slats had snapped, but the pieces also poked out, scraping against her tee shirt on one side but the other was trying to catch every edge she sidled past.
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Current Mood: tired

Keeping up with our Hobbies and Crafts monthly theme. How are things going? Are you managing to find things to work on that in some way relates to the theme or are you tackling your own thing this month?

What have you found to be doing?

While out running errands today, we stopped at Smoothie King. My partner Doug got the Island Impact as is: Pineapples, Mangoes, Papaya Juice Blend, Apple Pineapple Juice Blend, Protein Blend. I added vanilla frozen yogurt to mine. These things cost as much as we usually spend at a sit-down restaurant. But. You get what you pay for. It is indeed a meal's worth of healthy produce plus protein. It's also the best smoothie I have ever put in my mouth.

20 minutes later: Why am I suddenly wide awake and fizzing with energy? Is this what coffee feels like to normal people?

... oh right, also a big cup of life energy from all that fresh fruit.

I really do want to try their Gut Boost probiotic add-in some time, and hopefully that won't overload me on life energy. Maybe take a closer look at some of their other options too. There are a lot of options you can add once you find a base combination that you like, although some things (like the protein powder) that are usually add-ins are in the original combos.

Current Mood: busy

Next month, Guardian Wishlist 2025 will open for business at

guardian_wishlist!

This gifting fest runs along the lines of

fandomtrees and its ilk, but is specifically for Guardian (show, novel, and RPF) and related fandoms (main actors' other roles). It works like this:

People sign up with a wishlist of prompts and things they'd like to receive. Requests can include any media, including transformative works like fic, art, icons, vids, podfic, and also picspams and meta, translation advice, related music links, ~~lollipops, dried fish snacks, powerful ancient artefacts~~ anything.
Anyone can write, draw, record, or otherwise create gifts for any sign-up. Gifts can be posted directly in comments (which are screened until reveals) or to an AO3 collection. Gift posting continues right up until reveals. There are no minimums for gifts.

It’s been really fantastic the last four years, and we're looking forward to another round to celebrate this year's Reunion Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) - so start thinking about what kinds of things you want to ask for. (Don't hold back! Your wishlist could prompt someone to finally make the thing they've been meaning to make for ages - or something they hadn't realised they were dying to put together!)

The Mid-Autumn Festival is late this year, so our schedule starts at the end of August. We'll be back closer to the date with updated rules and guidelines (all announcements and such are crossposted here on

sid_guardian), but we wanted to let you know the schedule now:

28 August: sign-ups open
5 September: first wishlists posted
15 September: sign-ups close
16 September: final wishlists posted
6 October (Reunion Festival): gifts revealed

Poll #33367 Guardian fandom gifting fest

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

View Respondents

Guardian Wishlist 2025

View Answers

Yay!
6 (46.2%)

I will definitely sign up with a wishlist!
5 (38.5%)

I might sign up with a wishlist
6 (46.2%)

I'll definitely write/draw/record/make some fills!
5 (38.5%)

I might write/draw/record/make some fills
5 (38.5%)

I wish I could make fills, but I probably won't have time
2 (15.4%)

I can post a promo to Tumblr/Twitter/Discord/elsewhere, to spread the word (we'll PM you a reminder)
3 (23.1%)

If you have any questions, suggestions or other feedback, please comment here or PM

trobadora or

china_shop.

Current Mood: excited

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 3 by Kanehito Yamada

Spoilers for the earlier books ahead.

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What I’ve Read
Nothing to completion! I am reading a lot of different books at the same time tho.

What I’m Reading
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell – Last week I called this “a weird and gooey monster book” – This week, it’s a devastating romance with the two main characters that have layers upon layers of mommy issues. It’s great, would recommend. Hugos Shortlist.

Style: Toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph Williams – 1981 book on writing clearly. I think it does a lot of really careful explanation of the problems people encounter with getting their ideas into words. I’m only about 10% in.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym – 1952, set immediately post-War in England. Our main character is a spinster with a fascinating set of social circles. “Excellent women” in this case seem to be all the women who do the grunt work of making things work in society. Recommended by a friend who never reads anything more recent than the 1970s.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison – re-reading for book club. Yup, this is amazing. Easily the fourth time I have re-read.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – Did not finish, am abandoning – I realized that the annoying side character was actually going to be a romantic interest and I was like, I need out.

What I’ll Read Next

The Deep Dark
Track Changes
Alien Clay
Service Model
Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed
Navigational Entanglements
The Butcher of the Forest
The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain
Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right
The Brides of High Hill
The Tusks of Extinction
“Charting the Cliff: An Investigation into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics”
“Signs of Life”
“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars”
“The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”
“Loneliness Universe”
“The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion”
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”
“Lake of Souls”

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

1. I have been attending a conference this week that starts at 4:30 in the morning because it's based in the UK. Sunday night, I didn't get any sleep because I knew I was going to have to get up at 3:30 to make that first day welcome, and I did that whole stupid day-before-school thing where you can't sleep in anticipation. Then Monday night, I went to bed at 8:00 and slept like a baby until 4:00. It was wonderful. Last night, though, I woke up at 2:00 with the worst burning pain in my thigh. I've had neuropathy before that feels like burning, but it's always been mild and brief. Y'all, this was excruciating; it literally felt like my leg was blistering up in a horrible burn. Fortunately it quit after a bit, but my leg still feels weird and like it might start doing it again at any moment. :(

2. My appointment is tomorrow with the rheumatologist, and I am so worried I'm not going to get any help. Especially if I'm going to start feeling like I'm burning. I have an incredibly high pain tolerance; I can deal with join and muscle pain. I cannot deal with this burning shit. It hurts so bad in a way I can't handle. :(

3. I gave my paper today and it was well received. The chair of my panel, Andrew King, is one of the foremost Ouida scholars, and he introduced me as a serious Ouida scholars in a worldwide context, and I have a hard time knowing if he really means that or if he is just being his delightful, gracious self (the imposter syndrome is real, y'all), but it was a really nice thing to hear even if it's not exactly true.

4. Weird thing: so one of the online conference attendees had her son with her watching the presentations, which is totally fine; he was attentive, and he asked a couple of questions at two panels and was respectful and observed conference etiquette (even if his questions were not good; he's 11; whatever). But then, she was on my panel, and she involved her son in her presentation. It was on Catherine Wells and her rather fraught marriage to H. G. and how he was kind of a dick, and she had her son read several quotes at different points during the presentation. He had a very tiny Oliver Twist more-gruel-please voice and was wearing a newsboy cap. I can't decide if this was cute and precocious or really inappropriate. It certainly was weird and out of the ordinary. LOL Dylan thinks I'm being judgmental. But like, my academic peeps, this is totally weird right?

Today is mostly cloudy, humid, and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I'm hearing thunder and dark clouds are overhead.

EDIT 7/16/25 -- Aaaaand now it's raining.

Current Mood: busy

so ... manage to become lucid during dream again . lucid control is weird , which talk about once before ... do not seem to have direct control over dream and dream events , in essence . today prove that again .

when kossai realise this dream was dream , decide that really want to look behind particular door . but hey , lucid , would do this in fucking style ! so reach hand out , and try to command doorknob with telekinesis .
nothing happen .
try harder .
nothing happen .
strain really , really hard .
nothing happen .

so inevitably give up and just open door regularly in sad , bitter defeat .

would say only ever have 2 real lucid successes - one in which summon character to make out sloppy style , and one in which teleport into new scene . wish could study and figure out why these would work but not simple telekinesis >.>

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: oberon's lament ~ patricia spero

We went for a walk on the other side of town for a change. One side of us is hill country and the other side is moorland- the Shropshire Plain. The nearest moorland to us is known as the Weald Moors.

We walked out via Apley and its very fine pool.

The blackberries are starting to fruit even since last week when they were still in flower:

( More pics! )

Current Mood: photographical
Current Location: 'ere

Holy shit our Alterhuman Art tumblr just reached 1,000 posts!?

1,000 artworks are on the blog?? WE WROTE HOW MANY IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS??

View the tumblr blog here!

We always knew the community made a lot of work, but that number is big and there’s still so many pieces we haven’t added – we have 300 more artworks in our queue/save drafts alone! And we know there’s a lot more we haven’t added to those lists yet either.

We started this blog to be only an archive of artwork, but it’s really taking off. That’s been the wildest thing: other people care about it too and want to see artwork from other community members. Alterhuman Art easily surpassed all of our other blogs in follower count in only 9 months.

It’s changed from an archive of work a handful of people look at once and a while to a showcase of artwork multiple people check every day.

But we do still have archival on the fore-front of our mind. Every 250-ish posts we export a copy of the blog. Now that we’ve reached 1,000, we’re exporting a draft to Wordpress where it’ll live unpublished unless tumblr finally meets its inevitable end.

Here’s a few screenshots of what we settled on for now after messing around with WP themes:

Screenshot of an artwork of Rani on a minimalist WP website.

Screenshot showing off the tag section for an artwork by Nova of the Centaurus Festival mascot

Current Music: Flickering Light in the Dark by Purrple Cat

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