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Secret Society of Super-villains #5

Aug. 9th, 2025 10:41 am
iamrman: (Jeff)
[personal profile] iamrman posting in [community profile] scans_daily

Writer: Rob Rozakis

Pencils: Rich Buckler

Inks: Vince Colletta


Can a trio of villains who can’t even beat a man that runs good stop the God of Evil?


Read more... )

Poltergary

Aug. 8th, 2025 12:16 pm
[personal profile] cosmolinguist

When V was making breakfast and I was wandering around the kitchen checking what groceries we needed, they told me "Well, the spirit of Gary is causing mischief." They pointed out that the sheepskin they use on their dining room chair was on the floor.

They initially bought themselves one but the first time Gary encountered it he claimed it, and they couldn't bear to take it back so just bought another one.

He ended up with three over time.

We got rid of (most of) his along with his other things, but V does still have theirs of course, on that chair.

It probably fell on the floor when I was putting the chairs back after they'd been on top of the table so the dining room could be cleaned yesterday. But regardless, Gary is such a big presence still.

I miss him so much. I think about him every day.

Weekend ahoy!

Aug. 9th, 2025 06:38 am
ruric: (Casa chaotica - clean all the things)
[personal profile] ruric
Work was busy Wednesday through Friday so not a huge amount of progress on #project65days.

It's now the weekend and day 12 of #project65days.

I'd planned to do half days on the allotment and half days cleaning the flat but due to weird sleep patterns (or lack of sleep) I'm going to do a full day on the flat today and tidy the tiny front garden. Then I plan to have an early night so I can do a full-ish day on the allotment tomorrow.

I've got a tip run around 9:30am today and at 10:30am tomorrow so I can get 2 hours of decluttering and sorting done before this morning's run.

Plan of action for Saturday:

* continue decluttering and load car
* tip run and garden centre
* pot up/sort out houseplants in bathroom
* wash and store empty plastic plant pots for use next year
* quick surface clean everywhere
* tidy & weed front garden
* prune roses
* empty and clean pots in front garden
* empty and clean pots on porch roof
* start tackling the chaos that is my bedroom (there's a whole 30 point bullet list for this)!

That will do for today. Onwards!

Book review: Annihilation

Aug. 8th, 2025 06:39 pm
rocky41_7: (Default)
[personal profile] rocky41_7 posting in [community profile] booknook

Today I wrapped up Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, a horror/sci-fi novel with fantastical (?) elements about a biologist exploring a very unsettling landscape.

There are no names given in this book—the narrator and protagonist is simply "the Biologist," and she refers to her other three teammates by their job titles as well. Locations outside of the place they're exploring—Area X—are not given either, but the world is implied to be much the same as our own, with Area X a troubling and relatively recent anomaly. A private company hires the Biologist and her colleagues to venture into this strange place and take notes. They are the 12th such expedition.

I appreciate that much of the horror in Annihilation isn't in-your-face: it's the slow build of things that are just off. This quiet and subtle approach means that when something extreme happens, it feels extreme. The Biologist and her colleagues know that Area X is dangerous before they venture in, but even so, they are unprepared for how and to what degree. VanderMeer's portrayal of how trust frays among relative strangers under these conditions felt realistic.

Read more... )

Daily Check In.

Aug. 8th, 2025 06:58 pm
adafrog: (Default)
[personal profile] adafrog posting in [community profile] fandom_checkin
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).


Poll #33474 Daily poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 19

How are you doing?

I am okay
11 (57.9%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
8 (42.1%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
6 (31.6%)

One other person
8 (42.1%)

More than one other person
5 (26.3%)




Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
[syndicated profile] aam_feed

Posted by Ask a Manager

Grendel

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand.

Here are the rules for the weekend posts.

Book recommendation of the week: Carnegie Hill, by Jonathan Vatner. A newlywed struggling with her marriage watches other relationships in various states of disarray in her her New York co-op building. It’s about people with money, people with less money, marriage, fidelity, and secrets. (Amazon, Bookshop)

* I earn a commission if you use those links.

The post weekend open thread – August 9-10, 2025 appeared first on Ask a Manager.

victory of the day

Aug. 8th, 2025 11:58 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett

Today I have got Somewhat Caught Up on last event's lost property Situation. My GREAT TRIUMPH was, partway through the paperwork, going "... I'm sure that brooch in particular is... Oddly... Familiar..."

-- and indeed upon going back through my records it transpires that I HAD RETURNED IT TO ITS PERSON AT THE FIRST EVENT THIS YEAR.

So my spreadsheet is duly updated and they can have it back again at the last event of the year :)

(Some other victories: cut-price overripe strawberries. More of my mother's birthday cake. Rye and caraway and poppyseed bread. the elderly niter kibbeh in the fridge still being Definitely Food and substantially enlivening dinner. Shitposting in the PD crew Discord. Starting Solutions and Other Problems with A, and the cake, and the strawberries.)

azurelunatic: Vivid pink Alaskan wild rose. (Default)
[personal profile] azurelunatic
Suspension of disbelief = I will not start verbally poking holes in the physics of this action movie until we are out of the movie theater

Suspension in disbelief = a frozen state of constant WTF

Sidewise Award Announcement

Aug. 8th, 2025 06:21 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
The Sidewise Award for Alternate History is looking for new judges to join the award committee.

This is the first time in the 30 year history of the award that they've made an open call for awards judges.

Apply here.

[ SECRET POST #6790 ]

Aug. 8th, 2025 05:18 pm
case: (Default)
[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6790 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.


More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #971.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
beatrice_otter: Elrond and a line of Elves, ready for battle (Elven warriors)
[personal profile] beatrice_otter posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Silmarillion
Pairings/Characters: Luthien/Maedhros
Rating: teen
Length: 66k
Creator Links: [archiveofourown.org profile] SpaceWall 
Theme: marriage of convenience, old fandoms, small fandoms, book fandoms, rare pairings, AU (fork in the road), pretend couple

Summary: Centuries after the arrival of the Noldor and the Teleri in Beleriand, a celebration of Morgoth’s defeat brings the Crown Princess of Doriath and the Crown Prince of the Noldor together. To save this newborn peace from their respective fathers, they’ll do whatever it takes. Including... getting married?

Meanwhile, Lord Fingon of Himring faces the monumental task of healing Morgoth’s ills.

--

They regarded each other with quiet understanding, all the vast majesty of their respective lineages rendered unimportant by the connection between them. Music wound through the trees; harp and flute, surely joyous in context, sounded lonely in their solitude.

Reccer's Notes: Fëanor is a very complex character in the Silmarillion, who both has reasons for what he does and also does some terrible things. Fanon tends to sympathize with him, and also make him a good father to compensate for his other issues. SpaceWall takes the opposite track, leaning into his selfishness, his arrogance, and his suspiciousness. And then asks, if he had survived on Beleriand, what would have happened? If Fëanor, brilliant and terrible, were in command of the Noldor? Some things are better, some things are worse, (and Thingol is still Thingol), and so at a crucial juncture Maedhros and Luthien step forward to try and prevent disaster and war between the Noldor and Sindarin. And, in the process, they both learn a great deal.

Fanwork Links: By Other Means

Mood theme

Aug. 8th, 2025 10:21 pm
coffeepaws: Furry style side portrait of a wolf wearing headphones and a green hoodie (Default)
[personal profile] coffeepaws posting in [community profile] getting_started
I can't figure out where / how I can select a mood theme. Could somebody help me? Thank you :)

Friday Five: Food

Aug. 8th, 2025 12:49 pm
kyrielle: painterly drawing of a white woman with large dark-blue-framed glasses, hazel eyes, brown hair, and a suspicious lack of blemishes (Default)
[personal profile] kyrielle
https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/141995.html

1. What is one food (or meal) you used to hate but now love?

Brussel sprouts! Things I did not expect to learn to like...but prepared crisp in the oven, I quite enjoy them.

2. If you had to give up one of your favorite foods (or meals) for good, what would it be, and why?

Cheese. I'm already a good part of the way there thanks to significant lactose intolerance plus a tetchy gut, and much as I hate to give it up entirely, it would probably be good for me to do so, between that and the saturated fat content.

3. Which food seems like it should be healthy and isn't, and do you eat it? Why?

Most muffins. The amount of salt, sugar, and fat in some of them is such that I might as well eat a candy bar - although muffins are better for fiber, and fruits/veg if you pick the right one. I still eat them, but sparingly. If I make my own - which requires me to be less lazy - then I can do better for salt/fat, and sugar is less of a problem for me anyway. But sometimes I just have store-bought.

4. If you were an item of food, personified, what would you be and why?

A human being, same as I am now. One who hopes, despite being edible, that no one is put in the position of the Donner party ever again.

5. You've seen tomatoes and pies used for this purpose ... now think of a more inventive item of food one could throw at someone. What is it and why would throwing it at someone be hilarious?

If you're being good-spirited, showering someone with popcorn and leaving them with it all in their hair and clothes would be funny.

If you're upset but still want the funny end of upset, a raw egg would be messy and funny, but also really annoying to the target.

I'm in Montreal

Aug. 8th, 2025 03:36 pm
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird
I'm visiting [personal profile] rysmiel for a few days. The trip up was borin, which is good: anything exciting would probably be bad news, or at least make you late for dinner.

It is going to be hot over the weekend, so we went out for a relatively early brunch today, so we could sit almost-outdoors at Juliette et Chocolat and eat crepes. We then walked around Jean Talon market, where I bought plums, blackberries, and a cucumber.

I have np real plans for the next few days, which is fine.

What I'm looking for in art.

Aug. 8th, 2025 08:15 pm
andrewducker: (No Time Travel)
[personal profile] andrewducker
I remember seeing a game which looked amazing. The whole world was destructible, there were thousands of different combinations of things to find in it, and they'd put a ton of effort in to making it a fun experience.

I played it for a couple of hours, and got bored of it, because it turns out that that isn't enough for me. Because what they'd made was also a Rogue-Like. Which is to say that it completely resets back to the start when you die, and that start randomly creates the world that you play through.

And I don't want to play through a whole different world each time, where everything is different to the last time I played. What I want for a solo game is for someone to lovingly craft a world, and then for me to learn that world inside out as I try to beat the various challenges in it*.

A few months ago [personal profile] danieldwilliam sent me this link to a Neal Stephenson essay. And while I didn't agree with him about everything, the idea of "microdecisions" has stuck with me. That what makes art art isn't the idea (although good ideas are important) it's all of the ways that that idea was reified into the finished work.

A key quote:
Since the entire point of art is to allow an audience to experience densely packed human-made microdecisions—which is, at root, a way of connecting humans to other humans—the kinds of “art”-making AI systems we are seeing today are confined to the lowest tier of the grid and can never produce anything more interesting than, at best, a slab of marble pulled out of the quarry. You can stare at the patterns in the marble all you want. They are undoubtedly complicated. You might even find them beautiful. But you’ll never see anything human there, unless it’s your own reflection in the machine-polished surface.

And if that works for you - if staring at the swirling polished surfaces is what makes you happy, then I'm delighted for you. I've certainly been very entertained by generated patterns myself in the past. And I can totally be distracted by it for short periods of time. But when I'm looking for something actually *engaging* then right now it doesn't work for me. I need something human** in there.

Another example of this - movies. The more that special effects became good enough that movies could show me *anything* the more I wanted things with *character* in them. Things where you could tell that someone (or some group of someones) had really wanted to get something out of their brains so that other people could see the world the way they see it. I was discussing with [personal profile] swampers the other day that we really appreciated the movies that A24 are putting out, because even when they're a bit of a mess they're a really interesting mess that someone had obviously cared about. The trailer for Eternity looks like it would absolutely annoy me in parts, but it would do so because I'd be experiencing someone's thoughts about the world, and I might learn something about them, and maybe also about me for engaging with it.

*Multiplayer games are different. When I played a ton of Minecraft with Julie I was happy for her to set the direction of what to make, and then I'd treat that as my challenge. But sandboxes with no set challenge don't interest me. And I have played a chunk of games like Slay The Spire or Balatro or Dead Cells . But even then I'd play for enough to get the hang of it and then stop, usually without actually beating it, because "Go back to the beginning and beat that for the 500th time so that you can spend 10 seconds losing the end before starting again" isn't much fun for me. Even with Hades, which does a great job of giving you a meta-story around each run that grows as you replay, I got all the way to fight Hades, lost near-instantly, and the thought of replaying the entire game for 20 minutes just to lose to him again filled me with exhaustion and I haven't been back since. If Noita had a "save" function and a set of specifically designed levels that were fun and were definitely beatable *and* a random world generator you could use once you'd played those levels then I'd probably have invested a lot of time in it.

**I am not against the idea that eventually AIs will achieve consciousness and attempt to impart something to us through the medium of art. And that would interest me. I just don't think that the generators we're currently investing in are that.

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azurelunatic: Vivid pink Alaskan wild rose. (Default)
Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺

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