Reading

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GenPrompt Bingo: A Moment of Understanding / Clarity

Soon Only He Would Remain (100 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Characters: Sheev Palpatine | Emperor Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Darth Vader
Additional Tags: Drabble
Summary:

Palpatine is so certain of the outcome

Soon Only He Would Remain

The Force was his slave, and it was flowing so strongly. All of his life, he had waited for this moment, when he would truly be the last master of it. There was no need to replace his underling, and the boy would be dead before that machinery ceased to function. He was the only one who would —

WHAT?!

NO!

It wasn't possible! He shrieked and lost control of the Force Lightning, but knew it was striking his puppet.

That traitor!

After all he'd done for him?!

His scream echoed in his own ears, all the way to the core.

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Escaped Chasm

Escaped Chasm
https://tuyoki.itch.io/escaped-chasm

Escaped Chasm is a 25-minute dark fantasy narrative adventure game created in RPG Maker with a mix of retro Game Boy graphics and anime-style cutscenes. Originally released in 2019, it’s the first stand-alone project of Temmie Chang, a longtime friend and collaborator of Toby Fox who contributed character designs and graphics to Undertale and Deltarune.

You play as a young teenage “Lonely Girl” who doesn’t leave the house and lives vicariously through her dreams and art. Her parents appear to have gone missing, and she doesn’t know what to do. To make matters worse, she’s tired all the time, and a strange man has started appearing in her house.

( Read more... )

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PODFIC!

Apparently a Podfic thing went live today, and OH I got so lucky!

( 4 podfics )

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books,
reviews

Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

[Goodreads | Storygraph]

3.75 / 5 stars

( More under the cut )

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real life: politics

(no subject)

Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge
A funding pause at the University of Michigan illustrates the uncertainty around new language in NIH grant awards.

Sadly, another way in which the current administrative shenanigans are rippling out and affecting everything.

I post things like this because I think the devil is in the details, and changes to the Notice of Award is definitely a "detail" with far-ranging consequences. It's easy to read a headline these days and know something is bad and stop there. But I think everyone deserves to know where the actual levers of power are and how they are flipped. So, here is one: slipping changes into legal wording that make institutions afraid of crossing the government lest they get sued into oblivion.

Entry tags:

real life: politics

(no subject)

The ABA Declares War
Trump tried to first “kill all the lawyers.” Now the lawyers have hit back.

This is absolutely an issue to watch. Though there's real questions about the impartiality of the Supreme Court right now, the judiciary has been the last bulwark against the executive branch lately. Until the legislative branch manages to find its bearings (or we find them for them via midterm elections) and start exercising its OWN oversight powers, the judicial branch HAS to remain functional. And lawyers being afraid to bring suits absolutely will break the judicial branch. They can only rule on what people are willing to sue for.

Also, to be clear: this is not only about the lawyers. Even if you don't like lawyers for whatever reason, they represent real, live people being real, live hurt by things that are happening. And those real, live people whose rights have been violated need to be able to find a lawyer to help them defend those rights, or they can't push back, and they might as well not have those rights at all. Make no mistake: lawyers as a profession don't just work for the rich and powerful - they work for everyday folks, too. And given the rich and powerful in power right now, it's everyday folks who will be hurt the most if lawyers are afraid to go up against the government.

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rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	3,418	6,649	yes
Monthly	13,032	164,994	4 days

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Package!

foxmoth, first box arrived, thank you!

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Things Coming Out Next

Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology

Out in ebook and paperback on July 1. My story is "Data Ghost"

https://bookshop.org/p/books/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology/a74b320486117220?ean=9798992595406&next=t

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology?sId=e0bafab6-32a8-4ffb-9436-2dcda473349c

Edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney. Stories by Martha Wells, Andy Duncan, C.S.E. Cooney, Nisi Shawl, Mike Allen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, CL Hellisen, Maya Deane, Rocío Rincón Fernández, Theodora Goss, Getty Hesse, Starlene Justice, Amelia Mangan, Michael Yuya Montroy, Marisca Pichette, KT Wagner.

Sixteen new stories from some of today's most renowned authors. All inspired by the master storyteller Tanith Lee.

Drowning cities and unicorns. Burning deserts and forgotten gods. Golems, elf warriors, and inner-Earthers. Alien lifeforms and museum workers. Ancient plagues and the future of humanity. The familiar and the fantastical. Each story in this anthology is both unique and compelling: from fairy-tale retellings to romance-tinged high fantasy, from nihilistic horror to gripping science fiction. Immersive, wide-ranging, and sublime, Storyteller features worlds and characters that are sure to travel with you long after the last page has been read.

***

Short Story: "Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy" by Martha Wells

will be available on Reactor Magazine on July 10

Illustrated by Jaime Jones
Edited by Lee Harris

Perihelion and its crew embark on a dangerous new mission at a corporate-controlled station in the throes of a hostile takeover...

***

Summer of Science Fiction & Fantasy: Martha Wells in conversation with Kate Elliott

https://www.clarionwest.org/event/summer-of-science-fiction-fantasy-martha-wells-in-conversation-with-kate-elliott/

July 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm PDT

The Clarion West Summer Reading Series will be held virtually and streamed live over Zoom during the Six-Week Workshop.

Join us for our final event, a conversation between Martha Wells and Kate Elliott!

This event will begin with a conversation between Martha and Kate. There will be time to take questions from the audience. Participants will be able to submit questions in the webinar.

***

The New Yorker announced "Platform Decay" will be the next Murderbot novella. No word on publication date yet.

***

Grimoire: A Grim Oak Press Anthology For Seattle Worldcon 2025

https://grimoakpress.com/products/grimoire-a-grim-oak-press-anthology-for-seattle-worldcon-2025

My story is a fantasy called "Birthright" which is reprint that's not currently available anywhere else.

***

Queen Demon, the sequel to Witch King, second book of the Rising World, is up for preorder and will be released in ebook, audiobook, and hardcover on October 7.

From the breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes the remarkable sequel to the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling novel, Witch King. A fantasy of epic scope, Queen Demon is a story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.

Dahin believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.

Can Kai stop the rise of a new Hierarch?

And can he trust his companions to do what's right?

Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-demon-martha-wells/21751501?ean=9781250826916

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen-demon-martha-wells/1146167707?ean=9781250826916

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/queen-demon

Audiobook Libro.fm https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250291981-queen-demon

Bakka-Phoenix (indie bookstore in Canada): https://bakkaphoenixbooks.com/item/3Czr8TaWU9-_fwJ25ytSCw

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Bless His Heart (affectionate)

I'm really enjoying the two newest chapters of Deltarune. There are bits and pieces of the game that remind me of Homestuck, and so I wondered what Andrew Hussie is up to these days. I think I found him on Instagram, and I am simultaneously amazed and 100% unsurprised.

( Read more... )

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Another Murderbot interview

In ‘Murderbot,’ an anxious scientist and an autonomous robot develop a workplace-trauma bond

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-06-13/murderbot-episode-6-alexander-skarsgard-noma-dumezweni

Leading a TV series is a first for Dumezweni, who has previously been cast in smaller roles. She wasn’t convinced by the initial pitch at first because sci-fi hasn’t traditionally had a lot of major roles for actors of color.

“Usually I’d come in and play the receptionist,” she says. “I love to watch sci-fi. But I wondered: Who am I going to be in this sci-fi world?”

However, once she learned more about the world and the character, the actor changed her mind.

“It was an absolute joy to discover that there was nothing that Chris and Paul had to change to make it representational,” Dumezweni says. “It’s lovely not to have to fight for people’s positions in the world based on their skin color.”

ETA: Wanted to add this one real quick from BlueSky:

Vestal Magazine: Noma Dumezweni -- Off Canvas

https://www.vestalmag.com/noma-dumezweni

Set in a near future where the line between machine and human is increasingly blurred, Murderbot explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it truly means to be alive through the eyes of a self-aware security android. Adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved The Murderbot Diaries novels, the series blends gripping sci-fi action with sharp, witty humor. At the heart of the story is Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Dr. Ayda Mensah, the thoughtful leader of a pacifist civilization struggling to uphold her community’s ideals amid a universe dominated by corporate greed and political tensions. Noma brings to the role a grounded strength, embodying the delicate balance between idealism and pragmatism as her character wrestles with the burdens of leadership and moral compromise. The parallels between Noma and Ayda run deep: both choose to lead with heart, courage, and conviction. “Your head will try to talk you out of that feeling of expansion. It will tell you, ‘You can’t do this,’” Noma says. “Trust your body, trust your instinct. Your body knows the truth.” That instinct and bravery have guided her career, from becoming the first Black actress to portray Hermione Granger on stage, a landmark moment for representation in theater, to winning two Laurence Olivier Awards and becoming a beacon of inspiration for a new generation of actors. Like Ayda, Noma has forged a path not only of leadership, but of quiet, transformative power.

Lovely photos in this!

Current Music: "Hysteria" - Def Leppard

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	1,914	10,470	yes
Monthly	9,614	157,872	3 days

Current Music: "Nightshift" - The Commodores

Entry tags:

recs

Various Links 6/9 - 6/15

Oh look, I found things! 14 of them!

( I swear I did my work this week... )

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Into A Bar: The Golden Girls/Designing Women

Title: The PFLAG Conference
Author:

senmut
Prompt: Dorothy Zbornak goes into a bar and meets... Julia Sugarbaker (Designing Women)!
Fandoms: The Golden Girls / Designing Women
Word count: 587
Rating: General Audiences
Contents: The situation for support for Southern queers has not changed since the era of these shows and that is referenced here.

The PFLAG Conference

As far as conferences and political rallies went, Dorothy was glad this one seemed to be staying at a civil discourse. Not, she amended in her own thoughts, that she wasn't ready to blaze truth across narrow-minds in a hope of seeing people live better, stronger lives in the open. She had to stand up for all of her principles, and was glad that joining PFLAG had given her a new outlet to do so.

Still, it had been a long day, and while she wasn't given to drinking much, a nightcap would settle her muscles down, giving her a better chance for sleep in the hotel's luxurious bed. She slipped into more casual, but still classy, attire, picked up her clutch, and headed down to the bar. It might even give her a chance to mingle with others of like minds.

If she found some of different minds, she had a piece or two of her own she'd be able to give out.

Julia Sugarbaker had been brewing on a storm since early that morning. It was bad enough that Georgia didn't have a proper organization to help the young men and women suffering from vitriol and hate, but she'd run into one too many damned Yankees tossing around their patronizing looks about even attempting to get one set up!

She straightened out her blouse, adjusted the sleeve at the wrists, and then snatched up her purse rather than stay in this ridiculously ill-decorated hotel room. She'd seen a bar downstairs. A nice little cocktail hour would help bring her down from her anger, and leave her more likely to find the right words on where to tell the next New York organizer where they could stick their disbelief in gay rights for the South!

Dorothy had seen the brunette going into one of the conference rooms earlier in the day. The decided emphasis on how the woman sat at the bar next to her spoke of difficulties.

"You're here with the PFLAG conference, yes?" Dorothy asked after the woman had a mint julep in front of her, while playing with the straw in her Long Island Iced Tea.

"I am here attempting to convince them to invest in my geographical region instead of writing us all off under the heels of those — " The woman cut herself off completely, took a deep breath. "Yes," she answered instead. "Julia Sugarbaker."

Dorothy raised an eyebrow. "The Julie Sugarbaker who was thanked in Representative Sugarbaker's speech last week?"

Julia softened her stance. "You pay attention to Washington, I take it, ma'am?"

"Dorothy Zbornak. Trying to put more effort into my ideals these days.

"And yes. Helping keep my chapter informed of events, since I have more free time."

"Were you instrumental in organization, or did you step in later? And either way, would you be willing to share any tips? The idiot I spoke to today doesn't feel there is any room in Georgia for them."

Dorothy sighed. "There are so many places in Florida that need outreach, and we run into that there. Or upstate New York, because no, the entire state does not follow the city's lead," she agreed, sympathizing. "I would be glad to work with you, and talk about how to get the support you need."

Julia smiled broadly. "Then Ms. Zbornak, I am looking forward to getting to know you."

"Likewise. Someone willing to stand up when the deck is stacked that way is the kind of woman I'd like to know," Dorothy agreed.

Entry tags:

On a centennial

Mary Dell (Tanner) (Allen) Shipp June 15, 1925 to August 28, 2015 (aged 90).
( Miss you Grammy )

Current Music: "Clocks" - Coldplay

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	520	12,000	yes
Monthly	7,700	146,446	2 days

Entry tags:

books,
reviews

Book Review: Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

[Goodreads | Storygraph]

3.75 / 5 stars

( More under the cut )

Entry tags:

writing log

2025 Writing Log, Part 23

( Read more... )

Despite the ongoing horrors this week, the potted plants in my backyard have begun to bloom. Behold my lilies, boy! Look at them:

( Read more... )

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Fandom50: #16

1990, [redacted a lot of depressing anecdata]. Let's just roll the credits, hmm? Nine movies because I was choosy... and honestly don't have much to say about movies of this year.

~ Tremors - AWW YEAH a hella good creature feature. To be honest? This was like catching old 50s B movies on TBS, because those creature features were my kind of camp horror comedy.
~ The Hunt for Red October - I can't remember much of this film, but there were some pretty people in it.
~ Ghost - +sighs+ Patrick and Whoopi, I loved. I am still on a fence about Demi's acting, but she's pretty.
~ Quigley Down Under - the movie that reinforced lessons I had begun studying due to "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil. It's also the movie that put Alan Rickman on my radar properly. I love his villainy here.
~ The Rescuers Down Under - Hmm, two Aussie based movies for me this year? MARAHUTE! Not quite mixing the adventure and scary like the first, but a DAMN GOOD FILM.
~ Predator 2 - So I enjoy the first. So much. BUT THIS?! This movie started solidifying actual lore for me (BLESS DARK HORSE COMICS) and the yautja in this one is BADASS.
~ Mermaids - A really sweet film, and the cast? +faints+ Hoskins, Cher, Ryder, Ricci? Excellent. A little angst and harm to children warning.
~ Hamlet - So I rather hate putting this on the list. And I know it is seriously panned. But honestly? Seeing this in the theater, watching EVERY ACTOR CHEW THE SCENERY? Made me delighted at an above the top performance. Just wish the fucker in the lead role wasn't... himself.
~ Kindergarten Cop - Sweet. Funny. Dramatic at parts. "It's naht a too-mah" Was surprised when I went back to find that his partner that was supposed to do the teaching and got sick was Iza from Clan of the Cave Bear.

Fave? Toss up between Predator 2 and Kindergarten Cop.

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PRIDE 7: Dick Grayson

Dragged to Fabulous (200 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU [Comics]
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Dick Grayson, Original Human Character(s)
Additional Tags: Pride Parades, Double Drabble
Summary:

Dick gets there in time for Ms. Syl to make him over.

Dragged to Fabulous

"Oh honey, you cannot be seen next to me looking that… plain," the drag queen said when Dick walked in to get ready for the beginning of the parade. "Girlfriend, I know good and well you have something more fabulous in your closet — wish it was me, honestly, but — because I have seen what you wear on your dates!"

Dick smiled, holding up the duffel bag. "Knowing I'd be riding with you, Miss Syl, I figured I'd better bring a few things and let you pick."

Miss Syl put both hands over his heart and made a dramatic sound. "You know just how to flatter a girl." He held his hand out for the bag, dead set on making certain Gotham's younger prince was ready to sparkle at the parade.

"If I promise to keep it toned down and mostly straight, may I do your makeup?" Miss Syl asked as he settled on which outfit would work best.

"Total package," Dick agreed, laughing some.

"Oh I wish. I could show you things those débutantes have never heard of," Miss Syl answered, before setting to the crafting of perfect look for one of their wealthiest allies in all of the city.

The ABA Declares WarTrump tried to first “kill all the lawyers.” Now the lawyers have hit back.

The ABA Declares War
Trump tried to first “kill all the lawyers.” Now the lawyers have hit back.