Mother Otter Takes Her Pup for a Romp
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 09:48 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
daily_otter_feed
Photo by Helen Pinchin via New Forest Wildlife Park
daily_otter_feed
Dune: Part Three, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, California Schemin’, Forbidden Fruits, Disclosure Day
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trailer_spotDune: Part Three HD720p 25MB
First trailer for the third movie, to be in theatres in December, again directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Incendies). It is said to take place 17 years after Part Two. It follows Muad'dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens. Many of the previous cast members return, new additions are Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Isaach De Bankolé.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice HD1080p 27MB
Action-comedy about two gangsters (Vince Vaughn, James Marsden) and the woman (Eiza González) they love trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s one wild ingredient added to the mix: a time machine. Keith David and Stephen Root are also part of the cast.
Apparently quite violent. But reviews from the premiere last week at the SWSX festival are very favourable. Will start streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on March 27th.
California Schemin’ HD1080p 34MB
Hip-Hop biopic based on a true story that follows two aspiring Scottish MCs who devise an audacious scheme to achieve their dream of a record deal, by posing as Californian hip hop artists. As fame beckons and the lies pile up, their friendship is put to the test. Marks the directorial debut of James McAvoy who also plays a record executive.
Forbidden Fruits HD1080p 26MB
Dark horror comedy in which Free Eden employee Apple (Lili Reinhart) secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours - with fellow fruits Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp). But when new hire Pumpkin (Lola Tung) challenges their performative sisterhood, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
Festival reviews are a bit mixed, all of them mention Mean Girls as a reference.
Disclosure Day HD720p 31MB
Another trailer for the latest movie directed by Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, War of the Worlds). The tag line/summary reads: If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? Cast members include Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo and Wyatt Russell.
Please decide for yourself if you want to see more footage beforehand.
First trailer for the third movie, to be in theatres in December, again directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Incendies). It is said to take place 17 years after Part Two. It follows Muad'dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens. Many of the previous cast members return, new additions are Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Isaach De Bankolé.
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice HD1080p 27MB
Action-comedy about two gangsters (Vince Vaughn, James Marsden) and the woman (Eiza González) they love trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s one wild ingredient added to the mix: a time machine. Keith David and Stephen Root are also part of the cast.
Apparently quite violent. But reviews from the premiere last week at the SWSX festival are very favourable. Will start streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on March 27th.
California Schemin’ HD1080p 34MB
Hip-Hop biopic based on a true story that follows two aspiring Scottish MCs who devise an audacious scheme to achieve their dream of a record deal, by posing as Californian hip hop artists. As fame beckons and the lies pile up, their friendship is put to the test. Marks the directorial debut of James McAvoy who also plays a record executive.
Forbidden Fruits HD1080p 26MB
Dark horror comedy in which Free Eden employee Apple (Lili Reinhart) secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours - with fellow fruits Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp). But when new hire Pumpkin (Lola Tung) challenges their performative sisterhood, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
Festival reviews are a bit mixed, all of them mention Mean Girls as a reference.
Disclosure Day HD720p 31MB
Another trailer for the latest movie directed by Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, War of the Worlds). The tag line/summary reads: If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? Cast members include Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo and Wyatt Russell.
Please decide for yourself if you want to see more footage beforehand.
Withnail & I Community Promo
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 09:39 amoceangreyposted on ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_community_promo:
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
withnailandi is a community for everything related to Withnail & I (1987). Fanworks/recommendations, meta/discussions, whatever, all are welcome here! Another related community is withnailandinsfw, for any more explicit fanworks/discussions.Although not entirely new (made in October 2025) both communities are unused as of yet, due to most of the fandom being on other platforms. Feel free to join whether you're a casual fan, or if it's your favourite film of all time, or if you're somewhere in between!
withnailandi is open for anyone to join, and withnailandinsfw is set to administrator-approved due to the community's content.
A handful of random One Piece Live Action thoughts ...
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 01:32 amsholio... resulting from making that vid this past week.
One thing that I was thinking about is the sheer challenge of costuming this show, because most of the costumes are directly patterned after their manga/anime looks. So whereas most of the time in most shows, you can probably source the characters' everyday wear from basic mass-produced clothes or even vintage or secondhand shops, aside from really specific superhero costumes or whatever, this is more like a historical production in that everything has to be made from scratch. (Only, if possible, worse, because unless you're doing an unusual time period, normally you could probably go to the warehouses of Elizabethan or Regency costumes or Roman togas that no doubt exist.)
Here, even the relatively normal clothes are directly echoing something specific, like the patterns on distinctive shirt, or dress.
Anyway, it's just interesting to think about. Even the simplest costumes are more complicated than they seem, because it's not just an unusual shirt that the costume people found at a vintage shop; they're having to explicitly pattern-match or color-match or style-match items from the manga and anime.
( More specific spoilers about characters' fighting skills )
One thing that I was thinking about is the sheer challenge of costuming this show, because most of the costumes are directly patterned after their manga/anime looks. So whereas most of the time in most shows, you can probably source the characters' everyday wear from basic mass-produced clothes or even vintage or secondhand shops, aside from really specific superhero costumes or whatever, this is more like a historical production in that everything has to be made from scratch. (Only, if possible, worse, because unless you're doing an unusual time period, normally you could probably go to the warehouses of Elizabethan or Regency costumes or Roman togas that no doubt exist.)
Here, even the relatively normal clothes are directly echoing something specific, like the patterns on
season 2 character's
Tashigi'sanother season 2 character's
Miss Valentine's lemon-patternedAnyway, it's just interesting to think about. Even the simplest costumes are more complicated than they seem, because it's not just an unusual shirt that the costume people found at a vintage shop; they're having to explicitly pattern-match or color-match or style-match items from the manga and anime.
( More specific spoilers about characters' fighting skills )
I finished writing Dollshops & Deathmages!
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 01:28 pmadoreIn the week leading up to and week of my moontime I mistakenly thought I'd relapsed into depression, because my PMS symptoms were that bad. The day after I finished bleeding, I wrote the rest of Dollshops & Deathmages, in a dramatic restoration of my spirits and creativity. I don't want to be miserable and listless for half a month, even if I'm in a creative flow for the other half. In quite the synchronicity, The Cozy Creative posted a video about how her menstrual cycle affects her creativity.
It made me feel better, knowing that I'm not alone in having to plan my writing work around moontime, but I really wish my symptoms would be limited to the week of moontime because two weeks is a lot of time lost.
Now to wait for the other authors participating in the cozy fantasy anthology to finish their stories. I've also talked to my cover designer about a cover for Dollshops & Deathmages, because after the anthology has run its course the participating authors will release their stories individually as they see fit. I'm hoping to make Dollshops & Deathmages an evergreen prequel novella and occasional reader magnet for the subsequent cozy books I have planned, so it needs its own cover.
Back when I was employed, I saved up and got myself covers for a couple of the cozy books I'm writing (Dragons & Debutantes and Pumpkin Jack Proposes) since covers are the biggest authorial expense. Dollshops & Deathmages wasn't planned for because I didn't know I was going to participate in a cozy anthology until the opportunity came up, and I crafted this story specifically for this anthology. So I have had to commission the cover for this now, not in advance like the others.
My parents are decently supportive about this indie author project and funded the cover for Dollshops & Deathmages, but I'm not decently grateful because I wanted their support long before this and didn't get it. If I'd gotten their support before this I would've had a job and would've been able to pay for my own covers. Their opposition to me taking that job was very gendered, so I don't feel privileged at all. Even though I am.
I'm bitter and prideful whenever I have to ask them for money, and when they sweetly tell me I have only to ask them, I'm overwhelmed by anger because they could have been supportive all along but only chose to be after I was driven into a corner and had no options left.
I think the contrast between them happily giving me handouts vs. their crashout when I wanted to work at the bookstore is probably because they like me being at home and dependent. I mean it makes no sense that they're supportive about this, but weren't supportive about the stable salaried thing.
It made me feel better, knowing that I'm not alone in having to plan my writing work around moontime, but I really wish my symptoms would be limited to the week of moontime because two weeks is a lot of time lost.
Now to wait for the other authors participating in the cozy fantasy anthology to finish their stories. I've also talked to my cover designer about a cover for Dollshops & Deathmages, because after the anthology has run its course the participating authors will release their stories individually as they see fit. I'm hoping to make Dollshops & Deathmages an evergreen prequel novella and occasional reader magnet for the subsequent cozy books I have planned, so it needs its own cover.
Back when I was employed, I saved up and got myself covers for a couple of the cozy books I'm writing (Dragons & Debutantes and Pumpkin Jack Proposes) since covers are the biggest authorial expense. Dollshops & Deathmages wasn't planned for because I didn't know I was going to participate in a cozy anthology until the opportunity came up, and I crafted this story specifically for this anthology. So I have had to commission the cover for this now, not in advance like the others.
My parents are decently supportive about this indie author project and funded the cover for Dollshops & Deathmages, but I'm not decently grateful because I wanted their support long before this and didn't get it. If I'd gotten their support before this I would've had a job and would've been able to pay for my own covers. Their opposition to me taking that job was very gendered, so I don't feel privileged at all. Even though I am.
I'm bitter and prideful whenever I have to ask them for money, and when they sweetly tell me I have only to ask them, I'm overwhelmed by anger because they could have been supportive all along but only chose to be after I was driven into a corner and had no options left.
I think the contrast between them happily giving me handouts vs. their crashout when I wanted to work at the bookstore is probably because they like me being at home and dependent. I mean it makes no sense that they're supportive about this, but weren't supportive about the stable salaried thing.
Babylon 5 fic: Green Growing Things
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 10:38 pmsholioSo this is apparently the latest installment in an accidental series about gardens. This is based off some bits in ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
hauntinghouses's lovely post-canon fixit Out of the Woods (not necessary to read before this one, but you should read if you like Londo & G'Kar stuff; it's lovely, with some neat Narn worldbuilding), which was in turn inspired by one of my older ones. This is not meant to be in direct continuity with either hauntinghouses' fic or the other fic it was inspired by; it's off happily living its best life in its own AU 'verse.
Green Growing Things (Londo & G'Kar, 2800 wds)
It is post-canon, and there are gardens.
( Fic also posted under the cut )
( Bonus extras from Tumblr )
Green Growing Things (Londo & G'Kar, 2800 wds)
It is post-canon, and there are gardens.
( Fic also posted under the cut )
( Bonus extras from Tumblr )
four rides make a post
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 11:29 pmursamajorOne of these days, I will get around to making myself a bike icon or three. I've only been biking for transportation as an adult for 18 years now!
( recent bike rides: coffee ride, bike party, Kidical Mass, and biking to the library to get a Star Trek-themed library card )
Still, I did take this most recent Sunday off from running because of the higher-than-normal activity, and squeezed a quick jog in this morning before the heatwave really set in. It should not be this close to 90F in the Bay Area in March, but at least I still have otter pops in the freezer. Worth noting: I'm finally at a point in my fitness where I can consistently jog 20 minutes in a row. I'm still slow af, but one of my fitness goals this year is to be able to jog a 5k without a significant walk break. I've done races in the past with run-walk intervals, I just want to broaden my toolset. And the cardio is good for breath control, key to singing, so I'm trying to encourage this virtuous feedback loop :)
Despite the heat, I had already defrosted the corned beef for boiled dinner for St. Patrick's Day dinner tonight, and it's one ofhyounpark's faves from our Boston era, so tradition upheld. I also baked soda bread, or at least a slightly nontrad version that called for yogurt instead of the buttermilk we never have on hand. And of course I modded that; we do raisins or currants in ours, not nuts, and for once, I even had caraway seeds on hand thanks to a recent Buy Nothing spice exchange), and that came out so well we've already finished half the loaf. So I got that all on the stove as early as possible to not overheat the house.
In between all the biking and baking, we managed to sneak in brunch on the patio at Oceanview Diner with CJ and Chung and their kids. I ordered the souffle pancake, knowing it was going to show up as dessert, and it was worth the wait (and the looks on everyone's faces 😁 ). Their souffle pancake is really more of a Dutch baby, which their predecessor called a Dutch bunny when I would order it as a kid decades ago, fluffy and just a bit eggy and perfect.
It's too hot to sleep; I think I'll have another otter pop.
( recent bike rides: coffee ride, bike party, Kidical Mass, and biking to the library to get a Star Trek-themed library card )
Still, I did take this most recent Sunday off from running because of the higher-than-normal activity, and squeezed a quick jog in this morning before the heatwave really set in. It should not be this close to 90F in the Bay Area in March, but at least I still have otter pops in the freezer. Worth noting: I'm finally at a point in my fitness where I can consistently jog 20 minutes in a row. I'm still slow af, but one of my fitness goals this year is to be able to jog a 5k without a significant walk break. I've done races in the past with run-walk intervals, I just want to broaden my toolset. And the cardio is good for breath control, key to singing, so I'm trying to encourage this virtuous feedback loop :)
Despite the heat, I had already defrosted the corned beef for boiled dinner for St. Patrick's Day dinner tonight, and it's one of
hyounpark's faves from our Boston era, so tradition upheld. I also baked soda bread, or at least a slightly nontrad version that called for yogurt instead of the buttermilk we never have on hand. And of course I modded that; we do raisins or currants in ours, not nuts, and for once, I even had caraway seeds on hand thanks to a recent Buy Nothing spice exchange), and that came out so well we've already finished half the loaf. So I got that all on the stove as early as possible to not overheat the house.In between all the biking and baking, we managed to sneak in brunch on the patio at Oceanview Diner with CJ and Chung and their kids. I ordered the souffle pancake, knowing it was going to show up as dessert, and it was worth the wait (and the looks on everyone's faces 😁 ). Their souffle pancake is really more of a Dutch baby, which their predecessor called a Dutch bunny when I would order it as a kid decades ago, fluffy and just a bit eggy and perfect.
It's too hot to sleep; I think I'll have another otter pop.
Cuddle Party
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 12:05 amysabetwordsmithEveryone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.
We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
Pride and Prejudice: The Rich Are Always Respectable by Elizabeth (anghraine)
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 09:38 pmbeatrice_otter in fancakeFandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairings/Characters: Darcy/Elizabeth, Georgiana, Jane/Bingley
Rating: Teen
Length: 75k
Creator Links:anghraine
Theme: siblings, old fandoms, book fandoms, novel length, AU, family,
Summary: Without Lady Catherine's interference, a family catastrophe throws Darcy and Elizabeth down wildly different paths.
Reccer's Notes: This series is very much Darcy/Elizabeth, but they spend a lot of it going down separate paths. And on those separate paths, their closest relationships are with their siblings--Darcy and Georgiana, Jane and Elizabeth. I love the care that is taken with all of the different relationships in this story.
Fanwork Links: The Rich Are Always Respectable
Pairings/Characters: Darcy/Elizabeth, Georgiana, Jane/Bingley
Rating: Teen
Length: 75k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, old fandoms, book fandoms, novel length, AU, family,
Summary: Without Lady Catherine's interference, a family catastrophe throws Darcy and Elizabeth down wildly different paths.
Reccer's Notes: This series is very much Darcy/Elizabeth, but they spend a lot of it going down separate paths. And on those separate paths, their closest relationships are with their siblings--Darcy and Georgiana, Jane and Elizabeth. I love the care that is taken with all of the different relationships in this story.
Fanwork Links: The Rich Are Always Respectable
Marvel: Geriatric Road Trip, 2015 by what_alchemy
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 09:25 pmbeatrice_otter in fancakeFandom: Marvel
Pairings/Characters: Steve/Bucky
Rating: Gen
Length: 4k
Creator Links:what_alchemy
Theme: siblings, AU, family
Summary: Bucky was the eldest of four.
Reccer's Notes: Bucky has four younger siblings, and in 2015 they are elderly, crotchety, and determined to go see Steve Rogers. Getting there is an ordeal, and what they find there is a surprise. I love the way the characters are so well-drawn and realistic, and I love the humor.
Fanwork Links: Geriatric Road Trip, 2015
Content notes: racist and homophobic language
Pairings/Characters: Steve/Bucky
Rating: Gen
Length: 4k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, AU, family
Summary: Bucky was the eldest of four.
Reccer's Notes: Bucky has four younger siblings, and in 2015 they are elderly, crotchety, and determined to go see Steve Rogers. Getting there is an ordeal, and what they find there is a surprise. I love the way the characters are so well-drawn and realistic, and I love the humor.
Fanwork Links: Geriatric Road Trip, 2015
Content notes: racist and homophobic language
Vorkosiverse: The Emperor's Brother by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 08:50 pmbeatrice_otter in fancakeFandom: Vorkosigan
Pairings/Characters: Kareen Vorbarra, Alys Vorpatril, Gregor Vorbarra, Ivan Vorpatril
Rating: Gen
Length: 13k
Creator Links:lannamichaels
Theme: siblings, family, secret identity reveal, female characters, old fandoms, book fandoms, AU, female friendship,
Summary: Kareen protects her children.
Reccer's Notes: This is such a fascinating AU about Kareen, Alys, Gregor, Ivan, and what might have happened.
Fanwork Links: The Emperor's Brother
Pairings/Characters: Kareen Vorbarra, Alys Vorpatril, Gregor Vorbarra, Ivan Vorpatril
Rating: Gen
Length: 13k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, family, secret identity reveal, female characters, old fandoms, book fandoms, AU, female friendship,
Summary: Kareen protects her children.
Reccer's Notes: This is such a fascinating AU about Kareen, Alys, Gregor, Ivan, and what might have happened.
Fanwork Links: The Emperor's Brother
Somewhere that's green
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 11:55 pmviridian5I wore green by accident today and didn't remember the day until I went out and saw other folks in green. My grandmother, who's no longer with us, gave this to me years ago.
How they did this is just very pleasing to me somehow. The bit of whimsy is especially appreciated by me in an area that's very paved over, with very little greenery or growing stuff. (My neighborhood has more trees and grass than this one.)
+++
Something small but rattling came to me today. I've been taking photos of the vary large and very thick statue at the Jaquillard & Strunck site in Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery for nearly 20 years. See? It towers over me and I never take close-ups of its face.
While looking at the larger version of one of my recent photos I noticed a long prominent scratch above and to the side of its mouth. ( photo )
I had no idea that was there! When I looked at other photos of it in recent years at that magnification, that mark was there. So I went back to some older and far less high-definition photos and saw what might be an indication of it in 2010 and possibly 2008, but the photos weren't close and are a bit squidgy looking at higher magnifications. This... actually bothers me! I had no idea that was there. I have no idea how or when it occurred. Just... weird.
How they did this is just very pleasing to me somehow. The bit of whimsy is especially appreciated by me in an area that's very paved over, with very little greenery or growing stuff. (My neighborhood has more trees and grass than this one.)
+++
Something small but rattling came to me today. I've been taking photos of the vary large and very thick statue at the Jaquillard & Strunck site in Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery for nearly 20 years. See? It towers over me and I never take close-ups of its face.
While looking at the larger version of one of my recent photos I noticed a long prominent scratch above and to the side of its mouth. ( photo )
I had no idea that was there! When I looked at other photos of it in recent years at that magnification, that mark was there. So I went back to some older and far less high-definition photos and saw what might be an indication of it in 2010 and possibly 2008, but the photos weren't close and are a bit squidgy looking at higher magnifications. This... actually bothers me! I had no idea that was there. I have no idea how or when it occurred. Just... weird.
Vids Resurrected!
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 10:55 pmprzedSince I took my vids site down years ago and then had my vidding machine crash on me, my vids have been spread scattershot in various places. A few on YouTube. A few on the Internet Archive. Most MIA. But I was poking around the basement and finally found the disk backups of a lot of them, so I'm going to start putting them back online and up on AO3.
First two show the fully crazy range of my vidding: wacky hijinks to existential dread.
The wacky hijinks part is on display in the first one:
Pop a Boner
A multifandom vid using every instance of male nudity I could get my grubby little paws on.
The song is from the Zero Patience soundtrack. (Zero Patience is a Canadian musical about the alleged first AIDS patient. It's funny and uplifting and fuelled by furious outrage. You should watch it.)
And for existential dread, have a little Withnail and I:
The Fear
The song is by Pulp, and I used every moment of dread and depression in Withmail & I. (Withnail is a really funny movie with a high angst quotient, and I chose the angst over the humour for this one.)
This is the vid I'm possibly most proud of, and I'd feared it was lost forever, so I was so happy to find it in my disk backups.
First two show the fully crazy range of my vidding: wacky hijinks to existential dread.
The wacky hijinks part is on display in the first one:
Pop a Boner
A multifandom vid using every instance of male nudity I could get my grubby little paws on.
The song is from the Zero Patience soundtrack. (Zero Patience is a Canadian musical about the alleged first AIDS patient. It's funny and uplifting and fuelled by furious outrage. You should watch it.)
And for existential dread, have a little Withnail and I:
The Fear
The song is by Pulp, and I used every moment of dread and depression in Withmail & I. (Withnail is a really funny movie with a high angst quotient, and I chose the angst over the humour for this one.)
This is the vid I'm possibly most proud of, and I'd feared it was lost forever, so I was so happy to find it in my disk backups.
Slay the Spire 2
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 11:04 pmsinealaI have slightly more brain now and maybe enough energy to post more? Let's find out. I'm sure you've missed me posting about random video games.
Anyway, Slay the Spire 2, the sequel to my most favorite roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire came out in Early Access two weeks ago, and is apparently stunningly popular -- it had 500,000 concurrent players its first weekend, beating basically everything else on Steam at the time, which no one was really expecting from, you know, an indie card game.
I haven't played it enough to give a full review, because even in EA there is a lot more content -- there are five characters, two of which are brand new, all of which have new cards, and there are all sorts of new mechanics and events I haven't discovered yet. So far I have now beaten what exists of the game with four of the five characters and I know I haven't seen anywhere near everything yet. I think it's currently balanced harder than the original game, but the subreddit is full of people saying it is way too easy, so I guess we will see what happens when the balance patches start coming out.
But the really cool thing about this game is the multiplayer, which we only found out existed in a trailer that they released, like, two weeks before the actual game. It has co-op with up to four players! I only have one friend who plays this game, as far as I know --gelishan, who actually introduced me to the original game -- and we played a game of it the other night, and I have to say that co-op is absolutely the most fun way to experience the game. It helps to be on voice chat, so you can coordinate things like 'who are we targeting first" or "if you have anything inflicting Vulnerable, please play that first" or "do you need this Strength Potion" or "do you want me to play Piercing Wail this turn so you don't take 35 damage straight to the face" or whatever, but I guess theoretically you could play it in silence and just deal with the fact that everyone is playing their turns simultaneously.
Anyway, that is clearly the way this game has always been meant to be played and I need to do this again at some point. The co-op multiplayer is absolutely amazing! I don't know that I would recommend the game in its current single-player state to people who haven't played the original, just because it is already a hard game and it helps to have some idea of how three of the five characters play, if you're going to play it by yourself. But if you are playing multiplayer, I think you can just go for it and you and your friends can take turns carrying each other through the game.
So, yeah, that's what I've been up to, as I slowly regain some brain. Slaying the Spire anew!
(Also it's really weird to actually talk to someone you have known on the internet for, like, 25 years, but you've never heard their voice before.)
Anyway, Slay the Spire 2, the sequel to my most favorite roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire came out in Early Access two weeks ago, and is apparently stunningly popular -- it had 500,000 concurrent players its first weekend, beating basically everything else on Steam at the time, which no one was really expecting from, you know, an indie card game.
I haven't played it enough to give a full review, because even in EA there is a lot more content -- there are five characters, two of which are brand new, all of which have new cards, and there are all sorts of new mechanics and events I haven't discovered yet. So far I have now beaten what exists of the game with four of the five characters and I know I haven't seen anywhere near everything yet. I think it's currently balanced harder than the original game, but the subreddit is full of people saying it is way too easy, so I guess we will see what happens when the balance patches start coming out.
But the really cool thing about this game is the multiplayer, which we only found out existed in a trailer that they released, like, two weeks before the actual game. It has co-op with up to four players! I only have one friend who plays this game, as far as I know --
gelishan, who actually introduced me to the original game -- and we played a game of it the other night, and I have to say that co-op is absolutely the most fun way to experience the game. It helps to be on voice chat, so you can coordinate things like 'who are we targeting first" or "if you have anything inflicting Vulnerable, please play that first" or "do you need this Strength Potion" or "do you want me to play Piercing Wail this turn so you don't take 35 damage straight to the face" or whatever, but I guess theoretically you could play it in silence and just deal with the fact that everyone is playing their turns simultaneously.Anyway, that is clearly the way this game has always been meant to be played and I need to do this again at some point. The co-op multiplayer is absolutely amazing! I don't know that I would recommend the game in its current single-player state to people who haven't played the original, just because it is already a hard game and it helps to have some idea of how three of the five characters play, if you're going to play it by yourself. But if you are playing multiplayer, I think you can just go for it and you and your friends can take turns carrying each other through the game.
So, yeah, that's what I've been up to, as I slowly regain some brain. Slaying the Spire anew!
(Also it's really weird to actually talk to someone you have known on the internet for, like, 25 years, but you've never heard their voice before.)
quick hello-I'm-alive post
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 10:41 pmasakiyumeIt's been more than a week since I posted! Part of that's just life being busy; part is that osprey_archer is here!
Today we went to Bright Water Bog, swung on a swing, ate some cranberries, and saw ice forming. It was sunny, but a cold wind was blowing, and a few flurries of snow came down.
(We also went to the Smith College Botanical Gardens, but this is a drive-by post! So there's only the one photo.)
osprey_archer is here!Today we went to Bright Water Bog, swung on a swing, ate some cranberries, and saw ice forming. It was sunny, but a cold wind was blowing, and a few flurries of snow came down.
(We also went to the Smith College Botanical Gardens, but this is a drive-by post! So there's only the one photo.)
Weekly reading (etc.)
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 10:09 pmtroisoiseauxRead The Stranger by Albert Camus and spent the entire time thinking about the Ben Affleck smoking meme, or perhaps a little cartoon man smoking a cigarette and muttering bah in a French accent, which is to say I had a deeply unserious reading experience. I found this book to be surprisingly (darkly) funny, because the main character/narrator, Meursault, just floats through life— including his own trial and forthcoming execution for murder— by responding to everyone and everything with abrupt and odd statements about how nothing matters, actually. Promotion at work? It's all the same to him; nothing matters. His girlfriend wants to get married? Sure, if she wants to; it's not like anything matters. The blurb describes this as the "story of an ordinary man who unwittingly gets drawn into a senseless murder on a sundrenched Algerian beach," which led me to expect that Meursault would be an accessory to murder, or perhaps framed for a crime he didn't commit— especially as, early on, a shady acquaintance has him (Meursault) write a threatening letter to his (the acquaintance's) ex— but no?? He literally just shoots a random guy multiple times at close range for no reason?? Because Life Is Absurd And Nothing Matters, Actually????
In a rare (and only very, very loosely book-adjacent) movie update, I saw The Bride! (2026, dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal) last weekend and it was SO much fun. It is not a particularly coherent movie— it does feel like a sort of Frankenstein's monster in itself, cobbled from about three different premises ("what if Bride of Frankenstein was Bonnie & Clyde?"; "Frankenstein 2: Mary's Revenge, A Feminist Retelling", etc.)— but as a fan of campy horror and classic Hollywood I felt incredibly catered to. I also watched National Theatre's Ncuti Gatwa-led The Importance of Being Earnest, which is in fact as absolutely delightful as it looks. (It's available on YouTube through tomorrow, the 18th, and streaming on National Theatre at Home after that.)
In a rare (and only very, very loosely book-adjacent) movie update, I saw The Bride! (2026, dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal) last weekend and it was SO much fun. It is not a particularly coherent movie— it does feel like a sort of Frankenstein's monster in itself, cobbled from about three different premises ("what if Bride of Frankenstein was Bonnie & Clyde?"; "Frankenstein 2: Mary's Revenge, A Feminist Retelling", etc.)— but as a fan of campy horror and classic Hollywood I felt incredibly catered to. I also watched National Theatre's Ncuti Gatwa-led The Importance of Being Earnest, which is in fact as absolutely delightful as it looks. (It's available on YouTube through tomorrow, the 18th, and streaming on National Theatre at Home after that.)
no subject
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 06:59 pmysobelMohs procedure (making sure they remove all the skin cancer) done today. Had to get up hours earlier than normal, before sunrise, in order to get there at 7:45am ... and got back at like 1:50pm. Two hours of that was waiting for pathology.
The procedure was done with local anesthesia but that wore off mid afternoon. Things hurt now. They don't even give good drugs, just suggest alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, both in otc form.
Am very tired right now.
The procedure was done with local anesthesia but that wore off mid afternoon. Things hurt now. They don't even give good drugs, just suggest alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, both in otc form.
Am very tired right now.