Sunshine Revival '25 #2: Sentimental

Jul. 8th, 2025 07:44 am
brightknightie: With Hank and Diana in the lead, the children confront Tiamat. (Other Fandom D&D poster)
[personal profile] brightknightie
[community profile] sunshine_revival '25 Challenge #2: "Write about anything you feel sentimental about...""

One thing I'm perpetually sentimental about is the cartoon Dungeons & Dragons (1983-1985; three seasons, the last one shorter). It was on the air before and after a significant event in my life, making a kind of continuous bridge through that, though of course I didn't know at the time that this was part of it imprinting itself on my imagination, as much as its superior writing (once you get past the first episodes that go out of their way to explain themselves to TPTB), voice acting (Diana's actress won an Emmy for her role, and of course Eric's actor is renowned), storytelling invitation to imagine yourself right into the scenario, and its sneaky continuity and deep lore in the days before continuity was permitted or lore wanted. And these were the days of bargaining with one's siblings over which Saturday morning cartoon would be viewed when on the one TV in the house, negotiating away blocks of the day to ensure you got the one half-hour that mattered.

Of course while the show was a huge success in the ratings, TPTB never stopped being nervous about it, in that age of moral panic about supposed cults and such supposedly using D&D to recruit/hurt kids, which looks like a pretty quaint worry now, but was indeed quite real (that is, not a real threat, just a real moral panic). That affected the show in many ways, most sad, but one incredibly good. TPTB lived in such fear of the Parents Television Council about this specific show that they mandated that our heroes must never use violence or offensive weapons. What a beautiful challenge to put in front of the writers! Surrounded by shows firing assorted colored lasers from guns, our heroes had to use their brains and empathy to solve puzzles and reconcile misunderstandings! And their very personally symbolic totemic enchanted weapons were highly defensive and evasive -- no swords in our heroes' hands! -- with even Hank's energy bow and Bobby's club aimed always at inanimate obstacles, never at people. (That was one of the mistakes the recent revival comics unfortunately made. They ditched that key constraint and gave Hank and Eric swords, showing they did not really understand.)

The recent D&D Honor Among Thieves movie (which was a good movie and deserved more audience attention) made use of widespread nostalgia for this show with a few background cameo tributes, which led some toys to finally come into existence for the show as cross-marketing with the movie, so many decades after we original viewers would have played with them. Though I'm not a collector, I snapped up the action figures and they bring me delight; the Diana figure is standing at the corner of my monitor right now, and the others are on a shelf I cleared for just them, even buying clear acrylic risers to display them better.

You can find the show on DVD (I have the "red box" version from the 25th anniversary). It ran around the clock on Twitch for an event leading up to the movie's premiere. I believe that it's not officially anywhere streaming now, probably because of complex rights issues (Marvel and Sunbeam made the '80s cartoon; Hasbro now owns D&D; Paramount made the D&D movie; Disney now owns Marvel; etc.). Unofficially, it's on YouTube in both English and Portuguese, and many of the scripts are available online, most of them personally posted by the show's most prolific writer.

Not everything is perfect

Jul. 8th, 2025 10:08 am
goljerp: Photo of the moon Callisto (Default)
[personal profile] goljerp
So in addition to the national stuff which I don't need to go into, some personal things that aren't terrific. Not horrible, mind you, but not perfect.
Details, some might be on the edge of TMI )

R.F. Kuang: Yellowface (Book Review)

Jul. 8th, 2025 04:08 pm
selenak: (Damages by Agsmith01)
[personal profile] selenak
Very entertaining satiric novel set in and about the publishing industry. Our first person narrator, June (white), is a writer with a debut novel which didn't make a splash and won't even, so her agent tells her, get a paperback edition, in stark contrast to her college friend Athena Liu's (American Chinese) work: Athena has three novels already published, just secured a Netflix deal and celebrates that and finishing the first draft of her newest work with June when she dies an accidental death by pancake. June doesn't just dial 911. She also makes off with Athena's manuscript, about which only she knows, edits, rewrites and publishes it. Presto, success, at last! ! But wait! There's no lack of sharp-eyed foes waiting, social media is truly a jungle, and June might be her own worst enemy....
Very vague spoilers ensue )

The novel has the right kind of length for this story - which is to say, less than 400 pages - so the various buildings up of suspense - will June get away with it being the big, but not the only one - are not drawn out too long, and there's not a gigantic cast of characters. Said characters reminded me of comedy of manners types - very stylized, often types for certain ways of behaviour - fittng the satire format. The only other thing of R. F. Kuang's I'd read before was Poppy War, a fantasy novel of a very different type, so I'm impressed by her range. Otoh, if Poppy War was so grim that I emerged emotionally exhausted and sure I would go through the experience again (while being glad I had done so in the first place), Yellowface felt like a slick writty automaton which you observe once and marvel at its cleverness but don't feel the need to do it again. But I will certainly continue to keep out an eye for this author.

(no subject)

Jul. 8th, 2025 09:04 am
seekingferret: Two warning signs one above the other. 1) Falling Rocks. 2) Falling Rocs. (Default)
[personal profile] seekingferret
Starter Villain by John Scalzi

This was slight in the way Scalzi's books often are- he has good storytelling instincts but a reluctance to deeply interrogate his premises.

This has a similar premise to Hench, which I panned as 'morally bewildering.' The moral stakes are much clearer here, which made it easier to enjoy. Our hero inherits the family business, which his late uncle explicitly identifies as supervillainy, but the book doesn't expect you to sympathize with the ideology of supervillainy, merely the poor sadsack protagonist who must navigate this murky world and try to figure out where his own lines are drawn and how to make it out alive.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Continuing on the theme. This was pitched as The Office in a supervillain's fortress, and it mostly fits the brief, albeit laden down with a slow burn romance between the villain and his personal assistant that I could have done without.

Here there is no question that we are supposed to understand the villain as a Robin Hood standing up to an oppressive king, but that supposed to is doing a lot of work. Maehrer seems caught between prongs of her scenario- for Evie's defection to the villain to be a source of angst and happening at risk of communal alienation, the king needs to be popular in her village. For her to have the moral clarity and belief in her mission required to be an effective assistant to the villain, the king needs to be transparently a tyrant. Splitting the middle here doesn't quite land. I kept waiting for the substantive reasons for Evie's rejection of the king's law to become clearer, but probably we are just supposed to read it as the evolving consequences of her growing love for the villain rather than any sort of political awakening.

That said, the handling of the evil office politics is a delight and I particularly enjoyed a baffling set of small details about 'the interns' because Maehrer never explains why a secret lair has interns, just has them be there and causing trouble in the background. This book made me laugh and that's worth a lot.

cat wisdom

Jul. 8th, 2025 07:36 am
marcicat: (cookies)
[personal profile] marcicat
I really think the cat has the right idea about today: eat food, take naps, lie on the floor. She's very smart!

(She also keeps taking naps in the absolute hottest corner of the house. I keep trying to tempt her into the room with the AC unit, with mixed results.)
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
[personal profile] spikedluv
My sister A had to be to work by 7am. I didn’t quite make it to mom’s before she left, but I was there just a few minutes after 7. Before I left home I managed to toss a load of laundry into the washer AND dryer, hand-wash some dishes, pack my lunch, and scoop kitty litter.

I left mom’s at 3:30pm (though my sister wasn’t going to arrive until 5:30pm – we’re trying to slowly wean her from having care/company all the time because she’s already said she’s going to miss having us there). I stopped at the library on the way home to pick up a book. After I got home I did dishes, folded a load of laundry, tossed another into the washer AND dryer (that’s an accomplishment!), did a load in the dishwasher, and shaved.

I watched the first two eps of Smoke, read some fanfic and started the next Clare Fergusson book, and went for a walk while at mom’s.

Temps started out at 73.0(F) and reached 93. It was hot.


Mom Update:

Mom wasn’t as tired as I thought she’d be after going to the graduation party yesterday. more back here )

Sex Lizard

Jul. 8th, 2025 11:00 am
[syndicated profile] savagelove_feed

Posted by Nancy Hartunian

A queer woman has a non-binary, AFAB spouse. Her partner can mime the action of cunnilingus with their tongue, flicking and teasing across the dinner table, like a horny lizard. The caller wishes she could do the same, but her tongue just doesn’t work that way. She also gets low marks on her oral technique, … Read More »

The post Sex Lizard appeared first on Dan Savage.

Fear of Fairing

Jul. 8th, 2025 11:00 am
[syndicated profile] savagelove_feed

Posted by Patrick Kearney

I’m a 44-year-old woman with a history of childhood sexual trauma. I enjoy sex if I’m with a partner I feel very connected to emotionally, but I’ve never had an orgasm. Because of this I tend to rely on pleasing my partner during sex rather than my own arousal. It works OK for me at … Read More »

The post Fear of Fairing appeared first on Dan Savage.

(no subject)

Jul. 8th, 2025 06:01 am
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly posting in [community profile] agonyaunt
Dear Good Job,

I work as a speech therapist. At a family gathering, I noticed my cousin’s near 4-year-old could only say a few words and beg and point for items they wanted. They could only say “juice” or “Pad” and would cry if any other relative tried to engage them in conversation. I asked my aunt if this was normal behavior for the child, and she said yes but that she wasn’t concerned. At nearly 4, a child should be using full sentences of at least three or more words. It is a missed milestone and early intervention is key.

I checked the local school district, and they offer free screenings and testing that my cousin’s child would qualify for. I went to my aunt and suggested that, in my professional opinion, her grandchild might benefit from speech therapy or at least testing to make sure it wasn’t some other underlying problem. It was completely free and I sent her the info. I didn’t go directly to my cousin because I know some parents can be thin-skinned and defensive when it comes to advice from licensed professionals. I had parents rage at teachers for suggesting their kids need glasses because they can’t see the board.

Well, for my troubles, my cousin sent me an awful and barely coherent text telling me I was a busybody; because I don’t have kids, my opinion is worthless; and she is a mother, so she knows all, and especially what is best for her child, who is perfect. I left it alone after that. The problem is that two years later, the child started kindergarten and was diagnosed with a severe speech impediment, and the rationed therapy the school gives hasn’t really helped. My cousin had to enroll her child with a private therapist that her insurance doesn’t cover and it is pretty pricey. I know all this through the grapevine.

Then, at a family event, my aunt and cousin went off on my poor mother about how awful and selfish I am for not volunteering and helping in their hour of need. I never told anyone about the text since I didn’t want drama, but I kept it. Frankly, I am furious. I tried to help, and I thought I was respectful enough by just going to my aunt with the free resources that were available to my cousin. I didn’t press, preach, or accuse. But now, at this late date, they think publicly blaming me and dragging my poor mother into it will work? I am ready to go to war and I have the receipts, should I?

—Not Holding My Tongue


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lucy_roman: (cat)
[personal profile] lucy_roman posting in [community profile] fan_flashworks
Title:Torn in Two
Author:[personal profile] lucy_roman
Rating:Mature
Summary:Doyle wants to look after Bodie but Cowley has other ideas
Pairing:Bodie/Doyle
Word Count:893
Torn in Two )
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Just went through the website and applied to everything I meet the minimum qualifications for, for what good it may do.

They could, in theory, save my information from one application to the next. They don't do that. They could also not require me to answer "where did you hear about this?" every time - but the joke's on them. "I went to your website and clicked on every job where I meet the minimum qualifications" is not an option, so I've just been lying and saying "hiring event" because that's the first choice. They will get no useful data from me, no thank you!

********************************


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Dungeon Crawler Carl books 4 & 5

Jul. 7th, 2025 11:19 pm
sholio: sun on winter trees (Default)
[personal profile] sholio
"The Gate of the Feral Gods" and "The Butcher's Masquerade." I'd say this series is pretty solidly scifi now, so I'm tagging it that way.

Random spoilers )

Moving on soon to book 6, "The Eye of the Bedlam Bride"! No future spoilers, please!

Light Entertainment

Jul. 8th, 2025 04:24 pm
mergatrude: girl with headphones reclining on a sofa, text: tell me a story (podfic-story telling)
[personal profile] mergatrude
Finished The Iron Will of Genie Lo and I really enjoyed it. Genie is such an unreliable narrator in a very fun way. The other characters are all charming and I liked the direction the book went in. I also liked how it felt satisfactorily concluded.

Watched KPop Demon Hunters with the dude, who's a bit of a KPop fan. It was a lot of fun and hit all the typical 'slayer' beats. The animation style was cool.

Continuing with the girl power theme, I have Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (author of Vespertine, which I believe some of you have read) and Skipshock by Caroline O'Donoghue to read next.

We have acquired a copy of Flow to watch because it was only in cinemas for a week and we missed it.

And of course I'm still listening to Murderbot on the bus to and from work. If they make a second season of the TV series based on Artificial Condition I really hope they get Kevin R. Free to voice ART. He's so good!
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
is the constant whiplash between panic and popcorn.

Right now I'm hovering over "popcorn" - new political parties? With added drama and infighting? LOL, okay, let's see how that works out for you!

(Look, I need a break from panic now and again, and I will take my fun where it appears.)

******************


Read more... )

so hot. so, so hot.

Jul. 8th, 2025 12:35 am
tsuki_no_bara: (Default)
[personal profile] tsuki_no_bara
oh my flist it is so hot out. *ghasp* if i didn't like my sleep so much i would've gone into work today for the a/c. but sleeeep.

so i've been here a week! and have unpacked more of the kitchen (dishes! mixing bowl! pots! misc utensils!) and the bedroom (jeans! t-shirts! the dress i forgot where i packed it!) and realized yesterday there's one more thing i don't miss about living with someone - i don't have to hear anyone rattling around the kitchen on a morning i want to sleep in. which is very exciting. i do have to unpack some more, tho. and, uh, i think i can hear my downstairs neighbor snoring. O.O i really, really hope he lives alone.

a thing i forgot about the tuesday when it was so hot i had to stay over at my sister's - we had a fire alarm at work. >.< i was on a 10a zoom meeting and suddenly alarms started going off everywhere and a recorded voice said basically GO DIRECTLY TO THE STAIRS AND OUTSIDE DO NOT PASS GO DO NOT COLLECT $200 and when no one else on the zoom had any reaction i just thought oh, so i'm the only one in today. but i went outside and stood in the shade for like ten minutes and then we all went back in. i can't remember what happened but it was something dumb.

anyway. comcast came on thursday so i now have wifi and tv! and have caught up on resident alien. :D i also had to run into harvard square to get my glasses fixed and coincidentally acquire ice cream. orange chocolate chip. DELISH.

for the fourth my sister and i went to a park sort of near her (we went there last year) for fireworks and, uh, ice cream. soft serve. it wasn't crowded when we got there but eventually it filled up and by the time it was dark enough for fireworks there were A LOT of people. fireworks were as usual quite fun and a little kid sitting behind us kept going "wow!" for a couple minutes and then their dad took over and it was INTENSELY cute. i do love a good local fireworks.

saturday i dicked around and went to home sense and home goods and target with my sister for house stuff (got new kitchen towels, did not get a kitchen timer because my stove does not have one, wtf) and then we went out for dinner and saw jurassic park rebirth which overall i think i enjoyed? the story is stupid but let's be honest, you don't watch jurassic movies for the story. you watch for the dinosaurs. and there were some frankly terrifying huge flying ones.

(there were A LOT of previews and most of them were for sequels or remakes except ick (no), bugonia (perhaps), and one battle after another (yes).)

and yesterday because it was hot i zoomed with the mothership, the sister, and cousin pb for iceland and now we are PREPARED. except i need to get a big suitcase because mine broke last year when i went to italy. i even started giving my faculty a heads-up at work and found some admins to look after them in case they need anything. woot.

after that i sat around, met [livejournal.com profile] tamalinn and the tiny dog for ice cream because did i mention it was hot? came home, unpacked some, had dinner, watched andor. it's so good but at the same time i keep expecting people to die.

fifty years ago an exceptionally large time capsule was buried in nebraska. it included letters, photos, art, cassette tapes, and a chevy vega and it was opened on friday. folks traveled even from other states to find the stuff that they or their parents had buried. how cool is that? so cool.

Daily Happiness

Jul. 7th, 2025 08:24 pm
torachan: karkat from homestuck headdesking (karkat headdesk)
[personal profile] torachan
1. I did indeed have a WFH day today and it was pretty chill. Got everything on my to-do list done and had two good web interviews.

2. I'm really enjoying Mario Kart World. And just ten more days until the new Donkey Kong game, which looks like it will be amazing!

3. Molly is demonstrating the proper way to help at the computer.

dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Morning Meeting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 813
[Thursday, 3 August, 2017, 9 a.m.]


:: LaQuinta meets with the Corts again, and is surprised by the nature of their gesture of thanks. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::




LaQuinta set down the half-empty mug of coffee and smiled as the twins “ran” awkwardly, screaming with giggles as a dark-haired man chased slowly after them. His short dark hair gleamed as he roared, but his swaying arms moved slowly. Hunched over, he was taller than the twins, but his knuckles banged against the toes of his scuffed military boots. She muffled a giggle as the boys clambered up Robert’s lap.

Robert shook his head. “Zaur, this is LaQuinta Dixon. LaQuinta, this is Zaur Rybokov.” He laughed. “He’s visiting while his husband is outside, looking for… stray cats.”
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