Dept. of Listsickles
Jun. 11th, 2026 08:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaffy_rThings I Have Done and Seen
As the hed* suggests, I haven't been standing still since my last post.
Walks: I've gone on a few walks, although not nearly at the once daily pace I'd prefer - it's so easy to find a reason not to go outside. Especially when the temperature is bouncing between the mid-80s, which I can deal with, and the low 90s, which is a tad less healthy. Tonight, it's thundering and we're still under a tornado watch. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler, but still rather humid. That's good enough for me; it might be time for a really early walk.
Norman: On one of those walks, I met a ginger cat named Norman. I worried about him being out in front of the Yellow Chicken House, because I didn't know if he belonged there or somewhere else. He was extremely friendly and he had the purple tag that allowed me to learn his name. And then a guy coming out of his house and putting things in his car looked over and said, "Hi, Norman!" and came over to pick up a very happy Norman. We chatted; I learned that Norman did indeed belong to the Yellow Chicken House and was let out because he never leaves the area bounded by the house's fences. The guy put down Norman just as a woman came by, walking her dog. "You know what else Norman is?" the guy asked with a grin. "He's not afraid of dogs. The woman walking the dog called out "Hi, Norman!" then turned to me and said "He's right!" I kind of stumbled when I said that I'd lost two cats to traffic so I didn't let my current cat out - it seemed kind of rude and beside the point for me to say this, when Norman was obviously healthy and he really didn't go beyond the sidewalk boundaries of his home. He really is the epitome of a neighborhood cat, in a most definite neighborhood.
( Getting wordy. Rest is under here. )
* That's what us Ancients of Newsroom Days called headlines and that's how it's spelled. WHAT??!?
As the hed* suggests, I haven't been standing still since my last post.
Walks: I've gone on a few walks, although not nearly at the once daily pace I'd prefer - it's so easy to find a reason not to go outside. Especially when the temperature is bouncing between the mid-80s, which I can deal with, and the low 90s, which is a tad less healthy. Tonight, it's thundering and we're still under a tornado watch. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler, but still rather humid. That's good enough for me; it might be time for a really early walk.
Norman: On one of those walks, I met a ginger cat named Norman. I worried about him being out in front of the Yellow Chicken House, because I didn't know if he belonged there or somewhere else. He was extremely friendly and he had the purple tag that allowed me to learn his name. And then a guy coming out of his house and putting things in his car looked over and said, "Hi, Norman!" and came over to pick up a very happy Norman. We chatted; I learned that Norman did indeed belong to the Yellow Chicken House and was let out because he never leaves the area bounded by the house's fences. The guy put down Norman just as a woman came by, walking her dog. "You know what else Norman is?" the guy asked with a grin. "He's not afraid of dogs. The woman walking the dog called out "Hi, Norman!" then turned to me and said "He's right!" I kind of stumbled when I said that I'd lost two cats to traffic so I didn't let my current cat out - it seemed kind of rude and beside the point for me to say this, when Norman was obviously healthy and he really didn't go beyond the sidewalk boundaries of his home. He really is the epitome of a neighborhood cat, in a most definite neighborhood.
( Getting wordy. Rest is under here. )
* That's what us Ancients of Newsroom Days called headlines and that's how it's spelled. WHAT??!?
Huh
Jun. 10th, 2026 01:10 pmelisiBBC cancels Doctor Who Christmas special and Russell T Davies announces exit
Hey, maybe the new showrunner won't be white and male!!!
Once we've had another few wilderness years, I guess.
Hey, maybe the new showrunner won't be white and male!!!
Once we've had another few wilderness years, I guess.
Five things make a post
Jun. 8th, 2026 09:28 pmaurumcalendulaArchery went pretty well despite having to end early because of potential thunderstorms.
I had fun virtually attending VidUKon, despite my internet connection being a bit uncooperative (I'm planning to catch up on some of the vidshows I missed because of timezone stuff later this week). I particularly enjoyed the What Hands Were Made For femslash vidshow (also, I was delighted to be described as 'like the patron saint of the vidshow' since I tend to make a bunch of femslash fanvids with a focus on hands).
Now that Cage of Shadows has finished airing for subscribers, I'm in the early stages of brainstorming vidsongs for it.
I'm now caught up on making subtitles for the vids I've finished this year so far! (I'm planning to eventually make more for my pre-2021 fanvids)
I haven't managed to get a photo of either, but I saw hummingbirds this weekend and a fawn this afternoon.
I had fun virtually attending VidUKon, despite my internet connection being a bit uncooperative (I'm planning to catch up on some of the vidshows I missed because of timezone stuff later this week). I particularly enjoyed the What Hands Were Made For femslash vidshow (also, I was delighted to be described as 'like the patron saint of the vidshow' since I tend to make a bunch of femslash fanvids with a focus on hands).
Now that Cage of Shadows has finished airing for subscribers, I'm in the early stages of brainstorming vidsongs for it.
I'm now caught up on making subtitles for the vids I've finished this year so far! (I'm planning to eventually make more for my pre-2021 fanvids)
I haven't managed to get a photo of either, but I saw hummingbirds this weekend and a fawn this afternoon.
CLIPPING TINY DESK CONCERT
Jun. 8th, 2026 08:54 pmrydra_wongFeaturing some of the most batshit possible Heath Robinson arrangements for making a tiny quasi-acoustic version of their industrial noise. MIDI-triggered mug pinging!
Daveed Diggs: "Thank y'all for this opportunity to do needlessly complicated shit."
ETA: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jte7_yZuZVk -- short on some of the aforementioned batshit Heath Robinson arrangements.
Two cases where fiction makes more sense than reality
Jun. 8th, 2026 11:28 amselenakNaomi Novik: The Summer War: very charming novella, delivering on a variety of good-for-me-tropes. Dysfunctional siblings argueing, then working together and realising they care? Check! Neat twists on fairy tale motifs while still delivering a fairy tale? Check! Father who has his own story and is neither excused for his actions nor reduced to a one dimensional cliché? Check! It's not the easiest time for me right now for Darth Real Life reasons, and that's leaving aside the general mess the world is in, so I really enjoy delving into well written fiction where most of the characters aren't irresponsible toddler-like megalomaniacs and the plot makes sense.
Daredevil Born Again: Season 2 : Speaking of plots which work: s2 didn't have the problem of essentially being two shows grafted together, and so not only did they have a well executed overall seasonal arc, but the "new" characters were fleshed out, so didn't feel paper thin compared to the "old" ones. Back when I wrote about s1 I mentioned that all these "supervillain elected to high office despite electorate knowing about their past" plots - which comics came up with decades ago, both in DC with Lex Luthor and in Marvel with Kingpin - never felt as believable as now, it's more that "eventually, enough people see through these guys to rise against them" feels unduly optimistic. But within the show, I bought it. And really appreciated the episode where ( spoilery stuff happens )The thematic importance of this also came to bear in the season's last two episodes where ( spoilery stuff occurs ) Oh, and of course it was good to see (albeit only a few times in the last three eps or so - Jessica Jones again!
Daredevil Born Again: Season 2 : Speaking of plots which work: s2 didn't have the problem of essentially being two shows grafted together, and so not only did they have a well executed overall seasonal arc, but the "new" characters were fleshed out, so didn't feel paper thin compared to the "old" ones. Back when I wrote about s1 I mentioned that all these "supervillain elected to high office despite electorate knowing about their past" plots - which comics came up with decades ago, both in DC with Lex Luthor and in Marvel with Kingpin - never felt as believable as now, it's more that "eventually, enough people see through these guys to rise against them" feels unduly optimistic. But within the show, I bought it. And really appreciated the episode where ( spoilery stuff happens )The thematic importance of this also came to bear in the season's last two episodes where ( spoilery stuff occurs ) Oh, and of course it was good to see (albeit only a few times in the last three eps or so - Jessica Jones again!
Series Rec: Cage of Shadows (2026)
Jun. 7th, 2026 01:29 pmaurumcalendula
(23 Ă ~15 minute episodes)
Nan Yanzhi infiltrates the mysterious Lingya Tower to find an antidote, navigating its deadly challenges with assistance from her mentor Zhuang Wujiu and allies she makes along the way.
( Read more... )
fic: slung on the lantern, a mast [m/m, Shetland]
Jun. 7th, 2026 05:30 pmravenIâve been feeling some kind of a way about this story! Iâm reluctant to say I Am Writing Again, because this felt like a huge struggle and wouldâve been impossible without the week on Shetland. But here it is, and Iâm glad Iâve written it.
Also, if youâre not familiar, I really think you could read this one as an original m/m short story, no canon required. The tiny bit of backstory goes like this( goes like this )
No spoilers for the show here.
slung from the mast, a lantern (6075 words) by raven
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Relationships: Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez, Alison McIntosh & Jimmy Perez
Characters: Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter, Sandy Wilson, Alison McIntosh, Cassie Perez (Shetland)
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, why is "co-parents to lovers" not a canonical tag
Also, if youâre not familiar, I really think you could read this one as an original m/m short story, no canon required. The tiny bit of backstory goes like this( goes like this )
No spoilers for the show here.
slung from the mast, a lantern (6075 words) by raven
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Relationships: Duncan Hunter/Jimmy Perez, Alison McIntosh & Jimmy Perez
Characters: Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter, Sandy Wilson, Alison McIntosh, Cassie Perez (Shetland)
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, why is "co-parents to lovers" not a canonical tag
Every few minutes Jimmyâs feet leave the ground, and itâs only Duncanâs weight that keeps him down. Itâs terrifying, every time it happens. All of this, suddenly, is terrifying.
(OrââJimmy grieves, Duncan loves him, things work out okay in the end)
Star City 1.03
Jun. 7th, 2026 05:26 pmselenakThe Soviet Union based spin-off continues apace. This episode puts the spotlight on some different characters than the first two, while providing one of the answers to the set up questions already.
( Clearly, someone in the scriptwriting team likes The Lives of Others a lot, and I approve )
In conclusion: Another suspenseful episode of the John Le Carré meets Space Exploration show!
( Clearly, someone in the scriptwriting team likes The Lives of Others a lot, and I approve )
In conclusion: Another suspenseful episode of the John Le Carré meets Space Exploration show!
Dept. of Family
Jun. 6th, 2026 06:12 pmkaffy_rBig Sky Country
Andy called this morning while on the road. They were, at the time, heading for Billings, Montana. Based on the things he didn't say, the drive hasn't been as smooth they hoped for, but that didn't surprise me. This was never going to be nearly the easy journey I know they hoped for. But they haven't been in a crash, and they haven't defenestrated each other out of a moving car.
And there were positive things. They spent an hour at Glacier National Park, and Andy took pictures of the sky as they traveled east. "It really is big sky country," he said, and I could hear just a bit of wonder in his voice as he said that. I predict that this time next year, when most of the boxes have been opened and their home looks and feels like a home, he and Emily will remember the wonder of Montana's sky, and consider the rest of first 36 hours worthy of being in anecdotes rather than giving them headaches.
I'm looking forward to more calls - at least two, before they hit Illinois. We'll see if my estimate is correct in a while.
I don't believe I've shared recent pictures of Harlan and Julian. Since Andy put this one up on Facebook recently, I'm happy to put it up here. Andy is a really good photographer of children, and it shows in this image.
Andy called this morning while on the road. They were, at the time, heading for Billings, Montana. Based on the things he didn't say, the drive hasn't been as smooth they hoped for, but that didn't surprise me. This was never going to be nearly the easy journey I know they hoped for. But they haven't been in a crash, and they haven't defenestrated each other out of a moving car.
And there were positive things. They spent an hour at Glacier National Park, and Andy took pictures of the sky as they traveled east. "It really is big sky country," he said, and I could hear just a bit of wonder in his voice as he said that. I predict that this time next year, when most of the boxes have been opened and their home looks and feels like a home, he and Emily will remember the wonder of Montana's sky, and consider the rest of first 36 hours worthy of being in anecdotes rather than giving them headaches.
I'm looking forward to more calls - at least two, before they hit Illinois. We'll see if my estimate is correct in a while.
I don't believe I've shared recent pictures of Harlan and Julian. Since Andy put this one up on Facebook recently, I'm happy to put it up here. Andy is a really good photographer of children, and it shows in this image.
New Vid: The Analyst | The Imperial Coroner
Jun. 6th, 2026 06:00 pmaurumcalendula posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
viddingI have made a tactical mistake
Jun. 6th, 2026 04:20 pmrydra_wongRecced Norman Maclean's Young Men and Fire to a couple of people lately, picked up my copy again to refresh my memory of something, and now it has its teeth in me and won't let go until I reread the whole thing and I've already had to go to YouTube and listen to the Cry Cry Cry cover of "Cold Missouri Waters."
And then I found an amazing quote from the songwriter, James Keelaghan, which is one of the best descriptions of the book I've read:
https://nathans-roncast.castos.com/episodes/how-james-keelaghan-wrote-cold-missouri-waters-part-1
Anyway Dodge just ordered them to drop the heavy tools so I have to get back to the book now.
And then I found an amazing quote from the songwriter, James Keelaghan, which is one of the best descriptions of the book I've read:
https://nathans-roncast.castos.com/episodes/how-james-keelaghan-wrote-cold-missouri-waters-part-1
And so just the story itself is compelling. But for Norman Maclean's writing of it, like, I don't know if you know the book, but Norman McLean was sort of, the fire was an area of specialty for him, for, you know, it was one of his little private obsessions. And he always meant to write a book about it. And he started to write the book, but he died before it was finished. And the book was then sort of completed by his editors and also by his son.
So you not only get the story of the fire and incredible amount of detail about how the smoke jumpers fit into the National Forest Service, how they were created as a unit, but also stuff about the mathematics of how fire spreads in various circumstances. But you also get this sense of MacLean being a writer who is running out of time to tell the story that he really wants to tell because he knows he's dying. He's in a great deal of pain, I think, when he's writing the book. And all that comes through this, this impatient, irascible old man, this voice actually comes through in the book. And then I felt like, yeah, you know, I really need to write a song about this.
Anyway Dodge just ordered them to drop the heavy tools so I have to get back to the book now.
The Dying of another Light
Jun. 6th, 2026 11:28 amselenakLike many, Anthony Stewart Head - ASH, as we often referred to him in our reviews at the time - first came to my fannish attention as Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer . There were two more roles that immediately come to my mind when thinking of him - not that I haven't seen him in more, but these are the ones that are staying with me - the villain, Mr. Finch, in the Doctor Who episode School Reunion, and Uther Pendragon in the BBC series Merlin. You could call Uther the anti-Giles in some ways: the father and mentor figure who while loving his children (and being willing to die for them) messes them up in a very Philip Larkin way, absolutely unwilling (most of the time) to accept responsibility for his own deeds and looking for scapegoats instead . And yet charismatic enough to evoke loyalty in many people, and vulnerable enough that one usually pitied Uther even when despising him. Merlin was a show primarily aimed at a young audience, but ASH never gave anything but a three dimensional, complicated performance.
As for Giles. He once said, joking or otherwise, that he originally started out with the persona Hugh Grant embodied in 1990s rom-coms as a basis, and you can see that especially in the early episodes, but it quickly became so much more. Not least because having this particular actor to write for meant that Giles got fleshed out in terms of backstory ("Ripper", and of course ASH's trained voice as a singer was used in later seasons) and participation in the overall narrative beyond delivering exposition. He had both expert comic timing (see also the episodes in which Giles gets to be his teenage self, or ends up transformed into a demon), and a wonderful ability for character drama even without using his voice - I'm m thinking of Giles' expression when it turns out Buffy kept the fact Angel is among the (un)living again from him. Or, to put it as unspoilery as possible, his final scene with Ben in season 6. His mentor scenes with Buffy (and on occasion some of the other Scoobies) could be incredibly tender - the s2 scene in Innocence in which Giles comforts Buffy in the car is one of the most memorable among many memorable Buffy and Giles scenes - and the wry, deadpan wit the writers gave him starting a few episodes in was more than a match for Scooby quippiness. For all this, he was never presented as perfect; in the big s3 episode which will end up with Giles choosing Buffy over the Council, he first starts out by following instructions that include drugging and manipulating a girl who trusts him. Speaking of s3, he could have done more for Faith before her fall, to put it mildly, and I'm with Joyce in her cold fury once she figures out Giles' role in her daughter's life and the fact he not just supported but encouraged Buffy keeping the whole Slayer saga from her. Giles being so very human meant that he didn't always get it right any more than the other characters. But he still was the mentor all of them wanted to have. And most of fandom, too, I dare say.
72 years isn't "young" anymore but in this day and age, it's no longer old, and too soon to die. But any time would have been too soon for this actor who gave me so much fannish joy for many years. Thank you, ASH. Thank you so much!
As for Giles. He once said, joking or otherwise, that he originally started out with the persona Hugh Grant embodied in 1990s rom-coms as a basis, and you can see that especially in the early episodes, but it quickly became so much more. Not least because having this particular actor to write for meant that Giles got fleshed out in terms of backstory ("Ripper", and of course ASH's trained voice as a singer was used in later seasons) and participation in the overall narrative beyond delivering exposition. He had both expert comic timing (see also the episodes in which Giles gets to be his teenage self, or ends up transformed into a demon), and a wonderful ability for character drama even without using his voice - I'm m thinking of Giles' expression when it turns out Buffy kept the fact Angel is among the (un)living again from him. Or, to put it as unspoilery as possible, his final scene with Ben in season 6. His mentor scenes with Buffy (and on occasion some of the other Scoobies) could be incredibly tender - the s2 scene in Innocence in which Giles comforts Buffy in the car is one of the most memorable among many memorable Buffy and Giles scenes - and the wry, deadpan wit the writers gave him starting a few episodes in was more than a match for Scooby quippiness. For all this, he was never presented as perfect; in the big s3 episode which will end up with Giles choosing Buffy over the Council, he first starts out by following instructions that include drugging and manipulating a girl who trusts him. Speaking of s3, he could have done more for Faith before her fall, to put it mildly, and I'm with Joyce in her cold fury once she figures out Giles' role in her daughter's life and the fact he not just supported but encouraged Buffy keeping the whole Slayer saga from her. Giles being so very human meant that he didn't always get it right any more than the other characters. But he still was the mentor all of them wanted to have. And most of fandom, too, I dare say.
72 years isn't "young" anymore but in this day and age, it's no longer old, and too soon to die. But any time would have been too soon for this actor who gave me so much fannish joy for many years. Thank you, ASH. Thank you so much!
(no subject)
Jun. 5th, 2026 09:57 pmskygiantsIn addition to all the Perns, I have also been reading some non-Pern McCaffreys! At this point this includes:
The Ship Who Sang, in which a young woman gains beyond-human powers through being indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, loses the thing she cares about most in the world, and desperately seeks a life partner, eventually finding one in her manipulative boss
Crystal Singer, in which a young woman loses everything she cares about in the world, gains beyond-human powers through being indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, and, despite not seeking a life partner, nonetheless enters into a romance with her manipulative boss
The Rowan, in which a young woman with beyond-human powers loses everything she cares about in the world, gets indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, and desperately seeks a life partner, eventually finding one in the guy who at the end of the book succeeds to the position held by her manipulative boss
Obviously all of these books have their own unique points of distinction:
The Ship Who Sang kicked off generations of what-if-a-girl-was-a-ship stories and also generations of disability-in-SF conversations; it is also IMO one of the most interesting of McCaffrey's structural experiments, being composed of short stories that do generally work well as short stories, while creating a coherent and connected character arc for Helva across the whole set. Also: women! Helva gets to partner with women! Does she want to partner with women? Absolutely not. She wants a hot guy, or, failing that, a weird little manipulative boss who's obsessed with her. But nonetheless while waiting for her inevitable manipulative bossmance she has some interesting women thrust upon her, which I appreciate even if she does not.
The Rowan is the latest, structurally the weakest, and I think perhaps generally the worst of these books ... Killashandra has a bad personality and it's charming, but the Rowan's bad personality mostly comes out in the context of being a bad boss within her devil's-bargain corporation, which is less charming. Also there's sort of a halfhearted attempt at an evil aliens are attacking plot but the evil aliens take up approximately ten (10) whole pages of the book because McCaffrey finds them much less interesting than the Rowan's boyfriend, who is of course destined for her because he's the only hot guy telepath who's more powerful than she is. Anyway, the funniest part about this book is the fact that the Rowan gets a telepathic cat in the first section, and because everyone loves a telepathic cat the telepathic cat is on the front cover of the book, but then Anne McCaffrey is like 'yeah but she left the telepathic cat on the spaceship the first time she left home, they weren't actually that tight' and the telepathic cat is never mentioned again.
Crystal Singer is notable for the fact that Killashandra -- in addition to being a failed opera singer who has to pivot to harvesting addictive crystal with the power of her voice -- is the meanest and most self-interested McCaffrey heroine and also the one who has the most casual sex. A real delight to go from Avril Bitra in Dragonsdawn to Killashandra, who has all of Avril Bitra's traits except she's protagonist-shaped so instead of performing sexy torturemurder and getting fired into the sun, she reluctantly saves the life of a guy who hates her, complaining about it all the way. God bless! Has the most opportunities not to enter into a devil's bargain with a corporation to become a protagonist, and also has arguably the worst devil's bargain of the lot (crystal singing rots your brain! creepy!) and so I think is in many ways central to the Corporate Devil's Bargain thesis of it all: the subtext of The Ship Who Sang and The Rowan is that yes, the devil's bargain Is worth it, but Crystal Singer holds it up defiantly and makes it text. Yes, you were probably manipulated into it, and yes, it's going to end in tragedy, but look how cool you are now!
This all also sort of makes me look a certain way at Lessa, the OG bad personality heroine herself, and her arc in Dragonflight. It's more obviously a devil's bargain when it's a Big Corporation and not a cool dragon that loves you unconditionally -- but what are all these sexy manipulative bosses, except proof that Big Corporation actually loves you unconditionally? And yes, you were manipulated into it. No, you can't leave now that you've done it. Yes, the institution takes away your agency, by design, but broadly speaking, it's a benevolent institution -- or at least, society can't do without it. Anyway, now that you're part of this institution, you are now the coolest person in the world; everyone needs you, admires you, loves you, and you're happier than you've ever been. Of course it was worth it!
The Ship Who Sang, in which a young woman gains beyond-human powers through being indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, loses the thing she cares about most in the world, and desperately seeks a life partner, eventually finding one in her manipulative boss
Crystal Singer, in which a young woman loses everything she cares about in the world, gains beyond-human powers through being indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, and, despite not seeking a life partner, nonetheless enters into a romance with her manipulative boss
The Rowan, in which a young woman with beyond-human powers loses everything she cares about in the world, gets indentured to a corporation which provides her with wealth and status while simultaneously keeping her locked in endless responsibility and debt, and desperately seeks a life partner, eventually finding one in the guy who at the end of the book succeeds to the position held by her manipulative boss
Obviously all of these books have their own unique points of distinction:
The Ship Who Sang kicked off generations of what-if-a-girl-was-a-ship stories and also generations of disability-in-SF conversations; it is also IMO one of the most interesting of McCaffrey's structural experiments, being composed of short stories that do generally work well as short stories, while creating a coherent and connected character arc for Helva across the whole set. Also: women! Helva gets to partner with women! Does she want to partner with women? Absolutely not. She wants a hot guy, or, failing that, a weird little manipulative boss who's obsessed with her. But nonetheless while waiting for her inevitable manipulative bossmance she has some interesting women thrust upon her, which I appreciate even if she does not.
The Rowan is the latest, structurally the weakest, and I think perhaps generally the worst of these books ... Killashandra has a bad personality and it's charming, but the Rowan's bad personality mostly comes out in the context of being a bad boss within her devil's-bargain corporation, which is less charming. Also there's sort of a halfhearted attempt at an evil aliens are attacking plot but the evil aliens take up approximately ten (10) whole pages of the book because McCaffrey finds them much less interesting than the Rowan's boyfriend, who is of course destined for her because he's the only hot guy telepath who's more powerful than she is. Anyway, the funniest part about this book is the fact that the Rowan gets a telepathic cat in the first section, and because everyone loves a telepathic cat the telepathic cat is on the front cover of the book, but then Anne McCaffrey is like 'yeah but she left the telepathic cat on the spaceship the first time she left home, they weren't actually that tight' and the telepathic cat is never mentioned again.
Crystal Singer is notable for the fact that Killashandra -- in addition to being a failed opera singer who has to pivot to harvesting addictive crystal with the power of her voice -- is the meanest and most self-interested McCaffrey heroine and also the one who has the most casual sex. A real delight to go from Avril Bitra in Dragonsdawn to Killashandra, who has all of Avril Bitra's traits except she's protagonist-shaped so instead of performing sexy torturemurder and getting fired into the sun, she reluctantly saves the life of a guy who hates her, complaining about it all the way. God bless! Has the most opportunities not to enter into a devil's bargain with a corporation to become a protagonist, and also has arguably the worst devil's bargain of the lot (crystal singing rots your brain! creepy!) and so I think is in many ways central to the Corporate Devil's Bargain thesis of it all: the subtext of The Ship Who Sang and The Rowan is that yes, the devil's bargain Is worth it, but Crystal Singer holds it up defiantly and makes it text. Yes, you were probably manipulated into it, and yes, it's going to end in tragedy, but look how cool you are now!
This all also sort of makes me look a certain way at Lessa, the OG bad personality heroine herself, and her arc in Dragonflight. It's more obviously a devil's bargain when it's a Big Corporation and not a cool dragon that loves you unconditionally -- but what are all these sexy manipulative bosses, except proof that Big Corporation actually loves you unconditionally? And yes, you were manipulated into it. No, you can't leave now that you've done it. Yes, the institution takes away your agency, by design, but broadly speaking, it's a benevolent institution -- or at least, society can't do without it. Anyway, now that you're part of this institution, you are now the coolest person in the world; everyone needs you, admires you, loves you, and you're happier than you've ever been. Of course it was worth it!
Anthony Head has passsed away
Jun. 5th, 2026 05:14 pmelisiBBC: Buffy and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head dies at 72
Thank you sir for your talent and the joy you brought to so many. And for being a trans ally when so many aren't.
ETA: A heartwarming story about Buffyâs Anthony Stewart Head going out of his way for a young trans fan
ETA2: Sarah Michelle Gellar pens emotional tribute to Anthony Head after his death aged 72: âIâm not okâ
Thank you sir for your talent and the joy you brought to so many. And for being a trans ally when so many aren't.
ETA: A heartwarming story about Buffyâs Anthony Stewart Head going out of his way for a young trans fan
ETA2: Sarah Michelle Gellar pens emotional tribute to Anthony Head after his death aged 72: âIâm not okâ
Dept. of Music Memes
Jun. 5th, 2026 09:54 amkaffy_rMusic Meme, Day 30
A song that you want to share:
Now we come to the end of this meme - I find myself a little sad that this exercise is over, but all things come to an end. I've shared 29 days' worth of music with all of you and, in the process, I've had a chance to share music that was new to me as well. It also offered me the chance to re-listen to music I'd already discovered and liked or loved. It was a true joy to do this.
Some songs were beautiful or memorable all on their own. Others, in this age of the art of the music video ... well, their beauty or impact was enhanced by the imagery that framed them. No matter which, I will undoubtedly return again and again to the music I've posted, thanks to this meme.
Over the last few days, I've wondered what song I could present that was, perhaps, one that unexpectedly affected me, in fact left me enraptured. And a couple of days ago, the choice became easy.
If you've heard of Tuvan throat singing, you may also know some modern musicians in Siberia, Mongolia and other far eastern regions of what was once the USSR. One of these is The HU, described by Wikipedia as a folk metal band from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I find that they beautifully meld the traditions of their forebears with the music they make themselves. Here's an explanation of throat singing by folks who practice it.
The singer featured in this song is LP, whose voice provides a glorious kind of descant in this song and, in my not so humble opinion, is exactly the right person to work with The HU. Here's a link to a song LP wrote and performed, and this version of it left me breathless.
Putting all these musicians together, in a music video that features gorgeous scenes of this world entranced me when I first heard it. You may be affected by it the same way. So here is the HU singing Mother Nature, featuring LP
Thanks to all of you who followed me on this particular aural journey. I had a wonderful time, and I hope you did too (at least occasionally, if nothing else.)
Here's a link to my last music meme post, so you can travel back in time, should you desire to hear or rehear the music I posted.
A song that you want to share:
Now we come to the end of this meme - I find myself a little sad that this exercise is over, but all things come to an end. I've shared 29 days' worth of music with all of you and, in the process, I've had a chance to share music that was new to me as well. It also offered me the chance to re-listen to music I'd already discovered and liked or loved. It was a true joy to do this.
Some songs were beautiful or memorable all on their own. Others, in this age of the art of the music video ... well, their beauty or impact was enhanced by the imagery that framed them. No matter which, I will undoubtedly return again and again to the music I've posted, thanks to this meme.
Over the last few days, I've wondered what song I could present that was, perhaps, one that unexpectedly affected me, in fact left me enraptured. And a couple of days ago, the choice became easy.
If you've heard of Tuvan throat singing, you may also know some modern musicians in Siberia, Mongolia and other far eastern regions of what was once the USSR. One of these is The HU, described by Wikipedia as a folk metal band from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I find that they beautifully meld the traditions of their forebears with the music they make themselves. Here's an explanation of throat singing by folks who practice it.
The singer featured in this song is LP, whose voice provides a glorious kind of descant in this song and, in my not so humble opinion, is exactly the right person to work with The HU. Here's a link to a song LP wrote and performed, and this version of it left me breathless.
Putting all these musicians together, in a music video that features gorgeous scenes of this world entranced me when I first heard it. You may be affected by it the same way. So here is the HU singing Mother Nature, featuring LP
Thanks to all of you who followed me on this particular aural journey. I had a wonderful time, and I hope you did too (at least occasionally, if nothing else.)
Here's a link to my last music meme post, so you can travel back in time, should you desire to hear or rehear the music I posted.
Books and comics read in February-May 2026
Jun. 4th, 2026 08:53 pmusuallyhatsTo Ride a Rising Storm - Moniquill Blackgoose
The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe - Matthew Gabriele, David M Perry
Counterweight - Djuna trans Anton Hur
The Coral Bones - EJ Swift
The Wolf and His King - Finn Longman
Mythica - Emily Hauser
Notes from a Regicide - Isaac Fellman
The End of This Day's Business - Una McCormack
Helm - Sarah Hall
Step Aside, Pops - Kate Beaton
Scarlet Morning - ND Stevenson
Harmattan Season - Tochi Onyebuchi
Rare Birds - LB Hazelthorn
Peri Peri Paprika - Leanne Su
The Impossible Fortune - Richard Osman
The Sheltering Flame - Ruthanna Emrys
Walking a Wounded Land - Andrew Knighton
When There Are Wolves Again - EJ Swift
The Works of Vermin - Hiron Ennes
Digital Social Reading: Sharing Fiction in the Twenty-First Century - Federico Pianzola
Slow Gods - Claire North
The Original - Nell Stephens
The Two Doctors GĂłrski - Isaac Fellman
Emilie and the Hollow World - Martha Wells
The Siege of Burning Grass - Premee Mohamed
The Iron Garden Sutra - AD Sui
She is Here - Nicola Griffith
We Will Rise Again - ed Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz and Malka Older
Thief of Night - Holly Black
Tomb of Brass - Tansy Rayner Roberts
Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein Part Two
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale - CM Waggoner
The Kingdom of Almonds - Ariel Kaplan
What We Are Seeking - Cameron Reed
The Subtle Art of Folding Space - John Chu
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar - Indra Das
Space Crone - Ursula K Le Guin
City of Others - Jared Poon
The Desert Talon - Karin Lowachee
The Power Fantasy: The Superpowers
Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction - Paul Kincaid
Automatic Noodle - Annalee Newitz
They Bloom At Night - Trang Thanh Tran
Seasons of Glass and Iron - Amal El Mohtar
In the Serpent's Wake - Rachel Hartman
The Summer War - Naomi Novik
Luminous - Silvia Park
Among Ghosts - Rachel Hartman
I opened up my draft of this post and discovered there wasn't anything there since February, oh DEAR. So this is mostly just a list of things I have read! I really loved these ones in particular: Notes from a Regicide, When There Are Wolves Again, The Works of Vermin and Slow Gods. I also really liked What We Are Seeking and Luminous. Also yes, I am counting Una McCormack's latest Garak book of Garak in this list, even though it was published on AO3, because I do what I want, Thor.
(Will I manage to post this before the end of June (it's the 27th May right now) or will there be another paragraph of /o\ below this?) (update, SUCCESS)
Basically nothing happens in this book until right at the end, it's all worldbuilding explanations and people having conversations about society, politics and their interpersonal relationships. Luckily I do find the world very interesting, and Blackgoose's prose style is very engaging, so I still had a good time, though I could have done with slightly less chemistry-with-AU-element-names.
The Wolf and His King
Retelling of Bisclavret that started strong for me but gradually fell apart as it went on, for a few reasons:
I did mostly enjoy reading this book, and really liked what it did with points of view, but overall it didn't work for me like I wanted to. (I do want to read the lai when I am reunited with my copy, though.)
Didn't finish:
First casualty of my attempts to read the Hugo shortlist! This is a very solid YA novel, but it's the first in the trilogy of which the third is the one actually nominated, and I realised I just wasn't quite invested enough to keep going. Once again I was like "maybe THIS YA will work for me", and once again, through no fault of the book itself... not quite.
The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe - Matthew Gabriele, David M Perry
Counterweight - Djuna trans Anton Hur
The Coral Bones - EJ Swift
The Wolf and His King - Finn Longman
Mythica - Emily Hauser
Notes from a Regicide - Isaac Fellman
The End of This Day's Business - Una McCormack
Helm - Sarah Hall
Step Aside, Pops - Kate Beaton
Scarlet Morning - ND Stevenson
Harmattan Season - Tochi Onyebuchi
Rare Birds - LB Hazelthorn
Peri Peri Paprika - Leanne Su
The Impossible Fortune - Richard Osman
The Sheltering Flame - Ruthanna Emrys
Walking a Wounded Land - Andrew Knighton
When There Are Wolves Again - EJ Swift
The Works of Vermin - Hiron Ennes
Digital Social Reading: Sharing Fiction in the Twenty-First Century - Federico Pianzola
Slow Gods - Claire North
The Original - Nell Stephens
The Two Doctors GĂłrski - Isaac Fellman
Emilie and the Hollow World - Martha Wells
The Siege of Burning Grass - Premee Mohamed
The Iron Garden Sutra - AD Sui
She is Here - Nicola Griffith
We Will Rise Again - ed Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz and Malka Older
Thief of Night - Holly Black
Tomb of Brass - Tansy Rayner Roberts
Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein Part Two
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale - CM Waggoner
The Kingdom of Almonds - Ariel Kaplan
What We Are Seeking - Cameron Reed
The Subtle Art of Folding Space - John Chu
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar - Indra Das
Space Crone - Ursula K Le Guin
City of Others - Jared Poon
The Desert Talon - Karin Lowachee
The Power Fantasy: The Superpowers
Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction - Paul Kincaid
Automatic Noodle - Annalee Newitz
They Bloom At Night - Trang Thanh Tran
Seasons of Glass and Iron - Amal El Mohtar
In the Serpent's Wake - Rachel Hartman
The Summer War - Naomi Novik
Luminous - Silvia Park
Among Ghosts - Rachel Hartman
I opened up my draft of this post and discovered there wasn't anything there since February, oh DEAR. So this is mostly just a list of things I have read! I really loved these ones in particular: Notes from a Regicide, When There Are Wolves Again, The Works of Vermin and Slow Gods. I also really liked What We Are Seeking and Luminous. Also yes, I am counting Una McCormack's latest Garak book of Garak in this list, even though it was published on AO3, because I do what I want, Thor.
(Will I manage to post this before the end of June (it's the 27th May right now) or will there be another paragraph of /o\ below this?) (update, SUCCESS)
To Ride a Rising Storm - Moniquill Blackgoose (four stars), The Wolf and His King - Finn Longman (three stars)
To Ride a Rising StormBasically nothing happens in this book until right at the end, it's all worldbuilding explanations and people having conversations about society, politics and their interpersonal relationships. Luckily I do find the world very interesting, and Blackgoose's prose style is very engaging, so I still had a good time, though I could have done with slightly less chemistry-with-AU-element-names.
The Wolf and His King
Retelling of Bisclavret that started strong for me but gradually fell apart as it went on, for a few reasons:
- The king's immediate instinctive connection with and yearning for Bisclavret worked really well, but it never really went anywhere? They have a few interactions before Bisclavret disappears, but there wasn't enough feeling on Bisclavret's side for me to really feel the connection that they apparently have, not to mention
spoilers
we don't even get the payoff of the king realising that the wolf is Bisclavret, he has to be told. - The setting and the characters felt a bit neither fish nor fowl: there are moments of specificity that take them out of the purely archetypal, but not enough for them to really come alive. The latter half of the book sees the king working at diplomacy and trying to avoid becoming entangled in war, but there isn't enough detail for any of it to feel real.
- The handling of Bisclavret's treacherous wife gestured at the possibility that she had a motivation beyond just being A Baddie, but never really went anywhere with it, or really addressed the fact that actually, no, it's not OK that Bisclavret married her without telling her he intermittently turns into a wolf! It's the one area where the werewolfism-as-disability metaphor, which mostly worked really well, fell down for me: it is in fact ok to object to your husband turning into a wolf that might want to kill you, and to try to get out of that situation.
I did mostly enjoy reading this book, and really liked what it did with points of view, but overall it didn't work for me like I wanted to. (I do want to read the lai when I am reunited with my copy, though.)
Didn't finish:
Little Thieves - Margaret Owen
Little Thieves - Margaret OwenFirst casualty of my attempts to read the Hugo shortlist! This is a very solid YA novel, but it's the first in the trilogy of which the third is the one actually nominated, and I realised I just wasn't quite invested enough to keep going. Once again I was like "maybe THIS YA will work for me", and once again, through no fault of the book itself... not quite.
Dept. of Journies
Jun. 4th, 2026 08:44 amkaffy_rThe Trek Begins
Andy and Emily, Harlan and Julian, and their good friend Dave are only hours away from the beginning of their trip east from Seattle to Chicago. They may even have started, if they wanted to get a very early start.
I called Andy last night and BB was beside me; when he answered the whole gang was in the car, probably going for one last meal in the city Andy and Em have called home for eight years (at least I think it's eight years. My memory can't decide between late 2018 and early 2020). We told them we loved them - and when Dave, who is a perfectly Dad kind of guy started making jokes, we told him we liked him, too - and reminded them to drive safely, a mantra we hew to in this house.
I will, of course, worry about them the whole time they're on the road. Spare a thought or a good wish for their passage.
Andy and Emily, Harlan and Julian, and their good friend Dave are only hours away from the beginning of their trip east from Seattle to Chicago. They may even have started, if they wanted to get a very early start.
I called Andy last night and BB was beside me; when he answered the whole gang was in the car, probably going for one last meal in the city Andy and Em have called home for eight years (at least I think it's eight years. My memory can't decide between late 2018 and early 2020). We told them we loved them - and when Dave, who is a perfectly Dad kind of guy started making jokes, we told him we liked him, too - and reminded them to drive safely, a mantra we hew to in this house.
I will, of course, worry about them the whole time they're on the road. Spare a thought or a good wish for their passage.