Seven Deadly Sins of Reading
Oct. 26th, 2025 08:36 pmLust, books I want to read for their cover:
- Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atmosphere (OK I have read it but I would have picked it up just for the cover, UK edn)
- Andrew Porter, The Imagined Life
- Benjamin Wood, Seascraper
Pride, challenging books I've finished:
- Uwe Johnson, Anniversaries
- Laszlo Krasnahorkai, War and War
- JRR Tolkien, Hobbitinn (The Hobbit in Icelandic)
Gluttony, books I've read more than once:
- Alaistair Reynolds, Redemption Ark
- Sergei and Marina Dyachenko, Vita Nostra
- Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air (I like reading this on airplanes, God help me)
Sloth, books on my to-read list the longest:
- David Bentley Hart, The Beauty of the Infinite
- Milorad Pavić, Dictionary of the Khazars
- Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
Greed, books I own multiple editions of:
- Mary Renault, Return to Night
- (...plus various books in multiple languages but I think that's the only one with multiple editions in English)
Wrath, books I despised:
- RF Huang, Babel
- Don DeLillo, Underworld (I want so much to like this but I don't)
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Envy, books I want to live in:
- My own
Database maintenance
Oct. 25th, 2025 08:42 amGood morning, afternoon, and evening!
We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)
I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.
Ta for now!
Looking for creative writing partners that I hope to inspire in return. <3
Oct. 25th, 2025 07:31 amAge: 41
Location: Northeast coast of the U.S.
About Me: Well, there's a LOT I could say about myself, but I'll just briefly describe my current life as is! I have been going through a lot over the past two years. I have been going through some really trying times. I have my own complex and personal spiritual connection with God but I am not heavily religious. He knows that I haven't been entirely happy in life lately, and I sometimes still have my moments in which I feel heartache and frustration over uncertainties, and doing all I can to steer clear from despairing... Thankfully, I have this really creative side to myself that gives me escape whenever reality feels too painful and unforgiving. Whenever I need to vent or express my inner emotional storms, or thoughts that just won't go away entirely.
Music and creativity is a healing and coping tool for my very sensitive heart and soul.
About My Journal: Lately I've been using this blog of mine over Google Docs to write out music style prompts and song lyrics, without having to worry about taking up too much space for my Google Drive. I keep a bunch of my songs stored on it, and I often listen to them from my phone. I share my songs with friends that way. And I often share them with my friends online as well.
What I Write: Sometimes I vent when I need to about whatever it is in my life that weighs me down or stresses me too much. Other times I write out songs that either help spread awareness to others about real-world issues that should be addressed, or just me expressing my thoughts about things I strongly think are so crazy-backwards and self-destructive things. (AKA, Liberty-Minded Tunes. I haven't been writing anything new in that area, but I have been remastering some of my favorites at times. My latest remaster is of and old song, a satirical as well as a critical stab at a very collectivist, socialist and communistic organization. It's a lengthy commercial jingle of a song. UNESCO rhymes with the old snack company, Nabisco. That's why the song is styled like that, lol)
I also have been writing a lot of songs centered around fictional characters. I recently used my Suno persona of this eldritch goddess of insanity, Xel'lotath, to make a new song that would be very in-character to her very, very awful and horrifying schemes. (This old and revived/renewed muse is the one who ENABLED me to get into the Suno personas.) Have a listen! Suno did a great job in making sure that her secondary, more chilling whispery voice is included. Xelly here is the one in charge of a 4-member Cosmic Horror/Psychological Horror music group that I decided to call "Team Insanity". I have a playlist that is meant to be ongoing for them. I already finished my epic and awesome Xel'lotath Album. (I'm a diehard fan of this old 2000's video game known as Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. That album is my own custom soundtrack of Xelly, her creatures, her emissary, and other game lore. Even a funny song about the 4th wall breaks that occur, whenever a playable protagonist's sanity meter is very low.)
I have others, two others that are apart from Team Insanity; a Kirby and an really gentle and enigmatic ancient spirit of an original character, named Necrosan. I'll get back to them when I feel very inspired to. My own interpretation of that cute pink Nintendo character is a very cutesy and silly friend who is looking forward to his own "music career". The Necrosan songs are like chapters in a story about him, from his own narrative. Very interesting!
What I Don't Write: Pointless drivel, or content that lacks substance or doesn't carry any meaning for me. And, sexually explicit stuff is also not an interest of mine.
What I Have Been Reading: Most currently, I have been reading this manga series known as The Promised Neverland! It's a mix of cute and fantasy thriller/suspense. These kids have escaped from a place that appeared to be an orphanage on the surface level when in truth, they discovered the horrible secret that Grace Field House has been a place to raise and nurture children to be shipped off as food for demons. The oldest among them are really smart.
I have felt most drawn to the character Norman. He's a bit like me; being a sharp, smart strategist and very caring soul. But I'm not very good at math the way he is though, lol. (I might have a Norman Suno persona in the near future! Oh gosh that would be so cool.)
I would love to connect with kindred spirits! I yearn to write creatively with others, with these characters of mine. (Story writing or RP writing, or just coming up with song lyrics together--that'd be fun.) I have been riding on this creative momentum that's been uplifting and exciting for me. Let's have a grand time. Let's brainstorm! Let's experiment! My own ideas tend to be very big and crazy at times.
Just Create - Cat Tree Edition
Oct. 24th, 2025 09:04 pmWednesday Reading Meme for Oct 22 2025
Oct. 22nd, 2025 08:36 pmThe Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club – Dorothy Sayers – I have been liberated from the library waitlist on the Wimsey audiobooks! (Thank you, kind person who may remain anonymous at their own discretion!)
Really enjoyed this one – several plots interacting with each other until mistakes get made. As I mentioned last week, the inciting incident is an elderly man found dead (!) of seemingly natural causes (?!) at his gentleman’s club. The time of his death has specific import because his wealthy sister has also died today. If he died after her, her will passes her money to him, and thru him, to his two sons; if the old man died before his sister, then her money passes nearly totally to her companion, a Miss Ann Dorland.
Sayers does such fantastic character work that the real pleasure of the novel is visiting with all of the people impacted in the death and investigation: one of his sons is impoverished by his PTSD and ashamed that his wife is earning their keep, so he’s an absolute ass to everyone around him. The older son is an unmarried old soldier who is utterly unflappable but deeply hurt that he can’t help his family more, and so driven to foolish ideas.
The book saves Miss Dorland’s interview with Wimsey for the end - simply a wonderful and sensitive examination of how trapped a feeling but strong willed woman could be in this era. In keeping her character and her intentions a blank until nearly the end of the book, Sayers keeps tension in the story in a way that I really enjoyed. It allowed Miss Dorland to feel real and wounded - I really enjoyed meeting the character like this. Loved the revelation of the mystery, honestly kind of loved the ending? It’s not unlike Clouds of Witness or Strong Poison, in that Sayers loves a woman being liberated from a horrible and immoral man, but it feels like its own thing.
Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin – Last week, I thought this would be a bit slow for me, and it’s not a speedy book. But it grew on me – Ged goes from a callow youth to a brave and cautious man. Le Guin throws enough ideas at this book to make a whole series, if she chose to focus on any one of them. Again, her strongest suite here is the capacity to think of both individuals and their communities as characters – Ged’s movement thru different islands and their different social levels and cultures take us on a journey with him, and provided subtle ways for him to grow as a person. Also, I do love that the best way to fight a dark spirit is to hunt it down and make it face you on your own terms.
The Five Red Herrings (Dramatized) by Dorothy Sayers – I cannot say I followed this with an exacting focus. The performances by the voice cast were all quite good (to my un-Scottish ear) and I felt like a fair shake was made at really explaining a complicated murder plot. That said, it did feel so far the most like a whodunit, and I was less intrigued by the characters than I have been by Sayers novels. I enjoyed myself but I will put an asterisk by this book and read it properly later before I render a judgment on it. Someone who knows more about trains, art, or Scottish culture of the 1920s might be a better judge than me, in any case. Fun tho, and it kept me company on a rough cleaning day.
What I’m Reading
The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs by Marc David Baer – about 79% as of time of writing. Baer’s thesis is that the Ottoman Empire is part of European history and neglecting it leaves the story of European development incomplete. I was largely on his side already, and man, he’s really done a good job of convincing me on the particulars!
Baer's book is brisk and covering a lot of topics and figures– I feel like I’m getting a detailed thematic sketch of each major historical figure rather than full biography, as the focus is much more on how the Ottoman politics developed over the course of the empire's six centuries, rather than a biography. It’s broad strokes about internal groups – Baer tends to do a quick summary of the historical context around a group (including deviant dervishes, apocalyptic Sufi movements, Shia factions that opposed the Osman family, warrior castes, tax farmers) and then gets into the specifics of the chronological conflicts and how they impacted the Empire and its connection to European Christian powers and other Muslim countries. It’s fascinating just how weird the Ottoman Empire was and how quickly it became a military power.
Baer also has done a good job anchoring the details of this history to people and topics that I already knew about. For example, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses or “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” was published in 1517 because the Catholic Church was selling indulgences – specifically, to raise money to fund wars against the Ottomans! This kind of makes the Ottomans fairly crucial to the creation of Protestantism, one might argue! That seems important! Baer points out several other things Luther wrote about the Turks as a divine judgment on the sins of the Catholic Church.
Sidebar: For context, I had a standard-to-good US public school history education, so I got a nice chunk of European history. Thematically, it focused on the nations with the most connection to US history -- so the UK, France, and Spain, the Dutch as an economic force, and the rise of Protestantism in the German states. I learned more about the Ottomans in passing when I studied in Vienna, and a bit more when I married an ex-Yugoslav, and honestly, through Dracula. So, I had a sense I wish missing a lot - this fills in a lot of the gaps nicely, and may suggest some more avenues for investigation.
This book probably doesn’t have enough detail for a real history buff, but if you’re looking for a broad overview on a brisk pace, you might well enjoy this.
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers narrated by Ian Carmichaels – 40% ish – Started this and then realized I would have to push on the Ottoman audiobook to get it done before the library recalls it, so I am putting Sayers gently on hold for now. (A minor note for some language that is pretty racist, in brief passing, even for the 1920s).
I supposed I am technically reading The Artist's Way? It feels a bit more like a user guide than a reviewable book, but I am doing it, and finding some of it useful. It came up online as a tool for ADHDers attempting to get in touch with their own artistic selves. Which, not quite what I am doing, but I am trying to be more attentive to my own metacognition, so here we are.
What I’ll Read Next
Witness for the Dead Katherine Addison - xing book club
The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed -xing book club
Of Monsters and Mainframes -Barbara Truelove - necromancy book club
Spooky Season!
Oct. 22nd, 2025 10:58 amWander through The Neighborhood if you haven't. There might be some new-to-you stops offering delightful goodies!
If you're handing out goodies, please try to do so before the end of next weekend. If life has intervened, don't sweat it.
If you're up to your hips in ghosts and gremlins and need to turn off your light, please either comment to any of my posts or send me a PM.
Fradrian Week 2025
Oct. 21st, 2025 05:09 pmFradrian Week 2025
Fradrian Week is a fan-led event celebrating the femslash ship of Franziska von Karma x Adrian Andrews from Ace Attorney! This prompt event runs from December 8 - December 14, 2025. We're so excited to see what everyone will create 🩵💛
Prompts and How to Submit
Main Prompts (SFW)
Day 1: Work / Relaxation
Day 2: Wounds / Healing
Day 3: First Dates / Mishaps
Day 4: Facade / Showbusiness
Day 5: Trust / Reliance
Day 6: Future / Celebrations
Day 7: AU / Free Day
—
NSFW Prompts (18+)
Day 1: Lingerie / Clothing Kink
Day 2: Whip / Glasses
Dat 3: First Time / New Discoveries
Day 4: Roleplay / Fantasy
Day 5: Submission / Bondage
Day 6: Semi-Public Sex / Long Distance Sex
Day 7: AU / Free Day
To submit your work, post to the #fradrianweek2025 (for SFW creations) or #fradrianweek2025nsfw (for NSFW creations) on tumblr or bsky and/or submit to our AO3 Collection. We will be sharing creations throughout the week!
Late submissions will be accepted up to 1 week after the event.
General Guidelines
You can submit fanfiction, drabbles, podfic, poetry, sketches, a mixtape—whatever medium you feel passionate about! There is no minimum word count.
This event is meant to be for fun—don't feel like you have to create something perfectly polished in order to participate (although if you want to, you can!)
We encourage you to cheerlead others' work by commenting and sharing. A kind comment or tag can go a long way!
The main (SFW) prompts are open to all ages, but you must be 18+ to create NSFW works.
SFW works can be up to T-rated. They can contain swearing, light substance use (alcohol, smoking), mild suggestive language, "fade-to-black" or implied sex, but can't contain explicit sex or graphic violence.
NSFW works can be M- or E-rated, and must be properly tagged with kinks and relevant content warnings. Please take care to warn for topics like suicidal ideation and suicide, especially if you are exploring them more graphically than they are shown in the text of the game.
We do not allow the use of generative AI for this event.
FAQs
Can I combine days or prompts? Yes, you can do that if you wish. You can also combine SFW and NSFW prompts.
Can I include other pairings? Yes, OT3s and polycules are fine, as long as there is a focus on the Fran/Adrian dynamic.
Can I interpret the prompts broadly/loosely? The prompts are meant as inspiration, and you're welcome to interpret them how you want to! We've tried to make them open ended to give creators the option to make them their own.
Can I combine the Fradrian Week prompts with prompts from other fan events (like AA bingo)? As long as it's okay with the organizers of the other event(s), we're fine with that!
Have fun, and happy creating!
(no subject)
Oct. 20th, 2025 02:38 pmnot sure if i'm like. that unpopular of an artist in terms of drawing themes or if i'm so far removed from discourse centrals i don't even notice people vagueblogging / snarking about me XD
( probably a mix of both! i get the feeling Quite a lot of people block me on both tumblr/bsky to avoid getting jumpscared by the occasional dead dove, but i honestly like that, no judgement there. a little barrier/friction is a very, very good thing, if there's anything that the web 2.0 has shown. )
anyway having a decent few days after being in a funk for a bit, working outside and re-finding some great industrial/synthpop hits thanks to this article. ^_^ been procrastinating on some hobby art projects, but drawing some new schmoopsy shit with the Muse (versus endlessly tweaking old complex artwork) put some fire back into me.
AWS outage
Oct. 20th, 2025 10:11 amEdit: all services are running as of 16:12 CDT, but there is definitely still a backlog of notifications to get through.
Edit 2: and at 18:20 CDT everything's been running normally for about the last hour.
dead ringers (1988)
Oct. 20th, 2025 11:17 am