Follow Friday 1-23-26
Jan. 23rd, 2026 03:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
followfridayGot any Follow Friday-related posts to share this week? Comment here with the link(s).
Here's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".
Interview With The Vampire community
Jan. 23rd, 2026 10:14 amgoodbyebird posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_community_promo
intw_amc is the community for all things Interview With The Vampire on AMC. Come share your squee, theories, recs, and fanworks!I was reading a story in which a young character gets a new pair of glasses
Jan. 28th, 2026 02:13 amconulyIf you're actually writing for children, especially young children, then I guess you don't want to scare them off - but if you're writing for adolescents or adults you can afford to be honest.
So here's the thing. Every book or story in which a character gets glasses for the first time - or the second if their first pair is painfully out of date - emphasizes how clear everything is and how they can see so much detail that they had no idea they were missing. And yes, that's a thing. None of them point out that it's a thing that can be less "wondrous" and more "disorienting and distracting" until you've gotten used to seeing that much detail.
None of them mention that if your prescription is strong enough - especially if there's astigmatism involved - your perception will be wonky and you'll have a hard time judging how close and far things are for a day or two.
Definitely none of them mention that you will absolutely get eye strain every time you get a new prescription, and possibly headaches or nausea to accompany it. It goes away, again, in a day or two, but until it does you'll feel like you're cross-eyed at all times. (And with children, every year is a new prescription. They grow, which means their eyeballs grow, and just like that growth is unlikely to suddenly give them perfect vision if they already were nearsighted, it's also unlikely to keep them exactly where they were before.)
Absolutely none of them point out that if you've never worn glasses before you'll have to spend the aforementioned day or two learning how to not see the frames. This is also true if your old frames were much bigger than the new ones, but that, at least, is less likely to apply to children - their faces grow along with the rest of them, necessitating larger frames, so even if they choose a smaller overall style with the new pair the fact that it fits properly may even out.
Moving past the realm of accurate fiction writing, children really should have their first optometrist appointment, at the latest, in the summer before first grade (so, aged 5 or 6 years old). Ideally, they'll have it before they start school, at age 2 or 3, but you can't convince people on that point. They should have a new appointment every year until the age of 20 or so, or every two years if every year really is unfeasible, even if you don't think you see the signs of poor vision. They won't complain that they can't see, because they'll just assume that their vision is normal. This is true even if they wear glasses - you never notice how bad your eyes have gotten until you get a new prescription, and then it's like "whoa".
The screening done at school or at the doctor's office is imperfect at best. You really want the optometrist.
*******************
( Read more... )
So here's the thing. Every book or story in which a character gets glasses for the first time - or the second if their first pair is painfully out of date - emphasizes how clear everything is and how they can see so much detail that they had no idea they were missing. And yes, that's a thing. None of them point out that it's a thing that can be less "wondrous" and more "disorienting and distracting" until you've gotten used to seeing that much detail.
None of them mention that if your prescription is strong enough - especially if there's astigmatism involved - your perception will be wonky and you'll have a hard time judging how close and far things are for a day or two.
Definitely none of them mention that you will absolutely get eye strain every time you get a new prescription, and possibly headaches or nausea to accompany it. It goes away, again, in a day or two, but until it does you'll feel like you're cross-eyed at all times. (And with children, every year is a new prescription. They grow, which means their eyeballs grow, and just like that growth is unlikely to suddenly give them perfect vision if they already were nearsighted, it's also unlikely to keep them exactly where they were before.)
Absolutely none of them point out that if you've never worn glasses before you'll have to spend the aforementioned day or two learning how to not see the frames. This is also true if your old frames were much bigger than the new ones, but that, at least, is less likely to apply to children - their faces grow along with the rest of them, necessitating larger frames, so even if they choose a smaller overall style with the new pair the fact that it fits properly may even out.
Moving past the realm of accurate fiction writing, children really should have their first optometrist appointment, at the latest, in the summer before first grade (so, aged 5 or 6 years old). Ideally, they'll have it before they start school, at age 2 or 3, but you can't convince people on that point. They should have a new appointment every year until the age of 20 or so, or every two years if every year really is unfeasible, even if you don't think you see the signs of poor vision. They won't complain that they can't see, because they'll just assume that their vision is normal. This is true even if they wear glasses - you never notice how bad your eyes have gotten until you get a new prescription, and then it's like "whoa".
The screening done at school or at the doctor's office is imperfect at best. You really want the optometrist.
( Read more... )
702. Heated Rivalry with Candy Tan
Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
smartbitches_feed
Candy recapped Heated Rivalry, and is that enough? No, of course not. We had MANY things we wanted to exclaim at each other about, so why not podcast about it?
We’re going to talk about the show, the acting, the adaptation, and the fact that this show could never have been made in the US. Jacob Tierney is a genius, and we have many a rabbit hole of research to explore.
If you’ve been thinking about this show nonstop, come hang out.
Listen to the podcast →Read the transcript →
Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:
You can find Candy Tan @beautifulduckweed on Bluesky and on Tumblr.
We also mentioned:
- Hudson Williams’ short films on YouTube
- Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie read thirst tweets (NSFW like dear God)
If you like the podcast, you can subscribe to our feed, or find us at iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher, and Spotify, too. We also have a cool page for the podcast on iTunes.
More ways to sponsor:
Sponsor us through Patreon! (What is Patreon?)
What did you think of today's episode? Got ideas? Suggestions? You can talk to us on the blog entries for the podcast or talk to us on Facebook if that's where you hang out online. You can email us at sbjpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave us a message at our Google voice number: 201-371-3272. Please don't forget to give us a name and where you're calling from so we can work your message into an upcoming podcast.
Thanks for listening!
Remember to subscribe to our podcast feed, find us on iTunes or on Stitcher.
talking meme month? talking meme month! (and trivia)
Jan. 22nd, 2026 10:32 pmhafniaStealing an idea from a couple of other people, since February is the shortest month, let's do it. Talking meme! Prompt me on p much anything and I will write a post about it.
Topics that are fair game: books, writing (feel free to ask about specific projects), cooking and baking (specific recipes, favorite things to make, bucket list things to cook), tabletop RPGs (both GMing/DMing as well as designing, D&D as well as GMless or other systems), video games, fiber arts, tarot...
I mean honestly pretty much anything is fair game — if there's something you want my opinion on, I will probably give it! If it's private I may Politely Decline, but outside of stuff I really don't expect people to ask about, I think it unlikely? So.
Dates beneath the jump; I'll fill them in as people ask. I don't expect that I'll fill all 28 days, but how cool if we did? :P
Go ahead, ask me anything!
( Dates! )
In other news: tonight was trivia! Our team came in second, so that was fun. Knowing how to calculate the volume of a sphere came in clutch. Max helped us clinch 2nd with his love of dumb word games, and my friend's knowledge of manga helped us too. Very good overall; got a $10 gift certificate to a local coffee place, which we all magnanimously agreed could go to Maximo, because none of the rest of us really do coffee.
(Like — I do sometimes, but am becoming increasingly aware just what caffeine does to my anxiety levels, so I have mostly switched to tea, and everyone is happier. :P )
Other-other news would be, I made the puff pastry pizza and it was REALLY GOOD. Definitely doing it again! Maximo requested pepperoni with pepperoncini next go-round; might do that for him and do mushroom and onion for me. Very good stuff overall, though, 10/10, love King Arthur's recipes. :D
Topics that are fair game: books, writing (feel free to ask about specific projects), cooking and baking (specific recipes, favorite things to make, bucket list things to cook), tabletop RPGs (both GMing/DMing as well as designing, D&D as well as GMless or other systems), video games, fiber arts, tarot...
I mean honestly pretty much anything is fair game — if there's something you want my opinion on, I will probably give it! If it's private I may Politely Decline, but outside of stuff I really don't expect people to ask about, I think it unlikely? So.
Dates beneath the jump; I'll fill them in as people ask. I don't expect that I'll fill all 28 days, but how cool if we did? :P
Go ahead, ask me anything!
( Dates! )
In other news: tonight was trivia! Our team came in second, so that was fun. Knowing how to calculate the volume of a sphere came in clutch. Max helped us clinch 2nd with his love of dumb word games, and my friend's knowledge of manga helped us too. Very good overall; got a $10 gift certificate to a local coffee place, which we all magnanimously agreed could go to Maximo, because none of the rest of us really do coffee.
(Like — I do sometimes, but am becoming increasingly aware just what caffeine does to my anxiety levels, so I have mostly switched to tea, and everyone is happier. :P )
Other-other news would be, I made the puff pastry pizza and it was REALLY GOOD. Definitely doing it again! Maximo requested pepperoni with pepperoncini next go-round; might do that for him and do mushroom and onion for me. Very good stuff overall, though, 10/10, love King Arthur's recipes. :D
(no subject)
Jan. 22nd, 2026 10:12 pmsushiflop posting in addmeName: Senri
Age: 30+
I mostly post about: A smorgasboard of things! Lots of book reviews, discussion and chatter about different fandoms, links to interesting things I've read or looked at on the internet, recipes I've cooked and whether I liked them, writing memes, and I'm trying to get more into posting short life anecdotes.
My hobbies are: I write both original work and fanfic, I'm playing more videogames these days, and I'm easing my way back into doing art and being outdoorsy. I like working out, going for walks, and listening to crickets, moving water, and birdsong. I'm athletic and specifically enjoy swimming, weightlifting, yoga, and spinning. I was into dwrp for a long time and still enjoy doing private storylines with friends. I love trying new things and will do almost anything once!
My fandoms are: Attack on Titan (I do not like the ending or think it was well-written, and because you can find those types in this fandom: I do not think Eren was right), Animorphs, Naruto, TWEWY, Tanith Lee's books esp the Unicorn Triology, Gravity Falls, Eyeshield 21, Blade of the Immortal, Dungeon Meshi, D.Gray-man, Lilo & Stitch. If I liked something once, I will probably have a soft spot for it just about forever.
I'm looking to meet people who: are chill and kind and value being kind to others. Nerdy types who like writing and book talk. Thoughtful people. Shared fandoms are far from necessary; I don't fanpost that much. I enjoy getting a small window into lives different from mine and my goal is to make friendly connections with others and be kind c:
My posting schedule tends to be: sporadic. I check my reading list regularly and do try to comment.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
No:
- Purity wankers/purity police, if this is your choice for how to engage with fandom as a hobby we aren't meant to be friends. My own journal content is quite milquetoast overall and I warn for more extreme content when my writing involves it, so you won't blindly click your way into extreme content you aren't into if you add me, and I generally try to avoid this kind of discourse in my journal other than making my stance on this clear at the outset.
- Conservatives/MAGAs
- I don't want racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ablism etc on my friendslist and will unfollow and block commenting on my journal over it
- I'm not a fan of genAI at all
Before adding me, you should know: I will probably not grant you access for a long time if we follow each other. It's not personal, I just like to know a person well and know that we mesh before I grant access. You won't be missing a whole lot as I don't post under access filters often.
Things
Jan. 23rd, 2026 03:29 pmvassBooks
Nearly finished Evelyn Araluen's 2025 poetry book The Rot. It's very good. I keep thinking of people I know who would appreciate it, and wanting to shove the book at them and say "here, look". (sovay, you're one of them.) Depression, colonialism, girlhood, death, hauntology, Country, survival.
Listened to Margaret Killjoy's narration of Katherine Mansfield's short story 'A Cup of Tea'. Margaret gave a little context about the story afterwards, including that the main character was thought to be based on Mansfield's cousin, also a writer, whom Margaret herself hadn't heard of. I looked her up afterwards: Elizabeth von Arnim, and went WHUT, Elizabeth and her German Garden? I haven't actually read it, and am not sure how I knew about it, just that it was on my radar. Mansfield's story is simultaneously scalpel-sharp and more merciful than it might have been: the story doesn't attempt to puncture the protagonist's saviour fantasy, or allow it to go as wrong as it could have done, but does make clear in every detail how entirely it is a self-serving saviour fantasy, how entirely she's disregarding the needs, safety, boundaries, and basic consent of the woman she's trying to help. (I thought of the scene in chapter 6 of What Katy Did in which Katy and Clover kidnap an Irish child from her parents and lock her in their attic because they want to "adopt" her.)
Went to the library and borrowed the second Asterix book, having not really given Asterix a chance since I was too young to have any historical context (plus the only one we had in the house was missing several pages, possibly by my own actions at a far younger age.)
Comics
Really feeling for Dina in Dumbing of Age right now. The part about her and Becky is sad and believable, but the part that hit me right where I live was "now even my room is not my own. It's been... ransacked. Strangers have touched... everything." Same fucking autism. I would be out of my fucking mind.
Fandom
Working on my claim for Fanoa'ary, the next Lays server event.
Games
Redactle and Squardle withkaberett, cryptic crosswords with shehasathree.
Little puzzle games on my phone: Breakout 71 (breakout with many possible upgrades to unblock, with a lot of flexibility in possible builds) and Tessel, a tile game in which one rotates multicoloured tiles to match the colours, creating enclosed areas of a single colour. I tend to get way too engrossed in this kind of game and spend too long on it, so I like very much that neither of these two are gamified beyond "actually being a game": no ads, no freemium, no nudging to play at a particular time or for a particular length of time. They're very pausible.
Tech
No progress on desktop problems yet: I'm working on paying down some technical debt on my phones before I try more intensive desktop troubleshooting. In the meantime, no Hollow Knight for me.
Crafts
Finished framing/backing a cross-stitched item which I had intended to givebookgirlwa for her birthday in 2025. Now to wrap it up and send it to her.
No weaving progress yet.
Garden
Two ripe tomatoes (pear-shaped, cherry form factor.)
Cats
Suspicious scab on Ash's nose seems to be healing up okay. *touch wood*
Nature
After a week of more moderate summer weather, we're heading into another heat wave. I hate hot weather, and physically don't deal well with it, but my biggest concern here is fire. Some of the fires from the last heatwave are still burning. The politicians are fighting about the CFA's funding (and yeah, they've been underfunded for a long time and have ageing equipment and an ageing volunteer force, and due to the governments' (plural but including ours) inaction on climate change, the fires they're fighting are getting more numerous and more severe) and there's a distinct scent of manufactured grassroots blame for the Labor state government (and. Like. I don't like Jacinta Allan either! Her authoritarian leanings concern me. But that doesn't mean the opposition would be better, or that a lot of her critics aren't misogynistic or conspiracy-theorists in distinctly Sky News flavours.) Which political digression I find easier to think (grumble) about than the fires themselves. The people and animals harmed already, the likelihood of more and worse in the next week. (And also, personally: the stress of managing my own potential evacuation in a situation where the danger zone is all over the state, my brain's in a constant loop of "but other people have it worse" and it's too hot to think.)
Current Events
It's bad. It's all so bad.
Nearly finished Evelyn Araluen's 2025 poetry book The Rot. It's very good. I keep thinking of people I know who would appreciate it, and wanting to shove the book at them and say "here, look". (
sovay, you're one of them.) Depression, colonialism, girlhood, death, hauntology, Country, survival.Listened to Margaret Killjoy's narration of Katherine Mansfield's short story 'A Cup of Tea'. Margaret gave a little context about the story afterwards, including that the main character was thought to be based on Mansfield's cousin, also a writer, whom Margaret herself hadn't heard of. I looked her up afterwards: Elizabeth von Arnim, and went WHUT, Elizabeth and her German Garden? I haven't actually read it, and am not sure how I knew about it, just that it was on my radar. Mansfield's story is simultaneously scalpel-sharp and more merciful than it might have been: the story doesn't attempt to puncture the protagonist's saviour fantasy, or allow it to go as wrong as it could have done, but does make clear in every detail how entirely it is a self-serving saviour fantasy, how entirely she's disregarding the needs, safety, boundaries, and basic consent of the woman she's trying to help. (I thought of the scene in chapter 6 of What Katy Did in which Katy and Clover kidnap an Irish child from her parents and lock her in their attic because they want to "adopt" her.)
Went to the library and borrowed the second Asterix book, having not really given Asterix a chance since I was too young to have any historical context (plus the only one we had in the house was missing several pages, possibly by my own actions at a far younger age.)
Comics
Really feeling for Dina in Dumbing of Age right now. The part about her and Becky is sad and believable, but the part that hit me right where I live was "now even my room is not my own. It's been... ransacked. Strangers have touched... everything." Same fucking autism. I would be out of my fucking mind.
Fandom
Working on my claim for Fanoa'ary, the next Lays server event.
Games
Redactle and Squardle with
kaberett, cryptic crosswords with shehasathree.Little puzzle games on my phone: Breakout 71 (breakout with many possible upgrades to unblock, with a lot of flexibility in possible builds) and Tessel, a tile game in which one rotates multicoloured tiles to match the colours, creating enclosed areas of a single colour. I tend to get way too engrossed in this kind of game and spend too long on it, so I like very much that neither of these two are gamified beyond "actually being a game": no ads, no freemium, no nudging to play at a particular time or for a particular length of time. They're very pausible.
Tech
No progress on desktop problems yet: I'm working on paying down some technical debt on my phones before I try more intensive desktop troubleshooting. In the meantime, no Hollow Knight for me.
Crafts
Finished framing/backing a cross-stitched item which I had intended to give
bookgirlwa for her birthday in 2025. Now to wrap it up and send it to her.No weaving progress yet.
Garden
Two ripe tomatoes (pear-shaped, cherry form factor.)
Cats
Suspicious scab on Ash's nose seems to be healing up okay. *touch wood*
Nature
After a week of more moderate summer weather, we're heading into another heat wave. I hate hot weather, and physically don't deal well with it, but my biggest concern here is fire. Some of the fires from the last heatwave are still burning. The politicians are fighting about the CFA's funding (and yeah, they've been underfunded for a long time and have ageing equipment and an ageing volunteer force, and due to the governments' (plural but including ours) inaction on climate change, the fires they're fighting are getting more numerous and more severe) and there's a distinct scent of manufactured grassroots blame for the Labor state government (and. Like. I don't like Jacinta Allan either! Her authoritarian leanings concern me. But that doesn't mean the opposition would be better, or that a lot of her critics aren't misogynistic or conspiracy-theorists in distinctly Sky News flavours.) Which political digression I find easier to think (grumble) about than the fires themselves. The people and animals harmed already, the likelihood of more and worse in the next week. (And also, personally: the stress of managing my own potential evacuation in a situation where the danger zone is all over the state, my brain's in a constant loop of "but other people have it worse" and it's too hot to think.)
Current Events
It's bad. It's all so bad.
60 Gathering and Clarifying ( part 1 of 2 )
Jan. 22nd, 2026 10:38 pmdialecticdreamerGathering and Clarifying
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1003
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]
:: What can Vic and Aidan do now? Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::
:: Author’s note: Computer problems doubled and redoubled my attempts to fix anything. I hope that this is the last major interference from the universe at large. ::
Aidan’s eyebrows climbed. “You think that I don’t feel exactly the same way? That I don’t have an urge to stamp out a threat to myself and those I consider mine?” he asked, genteel tone and crisp pronunciation filled and softened by compassion.
“I think that your self control is better than mine.” Vic glared at the woman. His eyes snapped toward the top of the stairs. “I’m going to the bedroom. Ed and Mac and the ferret are all in there.” He eased past Aidan, brushing shoulders, but gave the crumpled figure the widest berth that he possibly could.
Vic loped up the stairs, taking them three at a time in smooth strides. “I don’t know what to say to warn you, because I barely believe what I saw with my own eyes.”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1003
[Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 7am]
:: What can Vic and Aidan do now? Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::
:: Author’s note: Computer problems doubled and redoubled my attempts to fix anything. I hope that this is the last major interference from the universe at large. ::
Aidan’s eyebrows climbed. “You think that I don’t feel exactly the same way? That I don’t have an urge to stamp out a threat to myself and those I consider mine?” he asked, genteel tone and crisp pronunciation filled and softened by compassion.
“I think that your self control is better than mine.” Vic glared at the woman. His eyes snapped toward the top of the stairs. “I’m going to the bedroom. Ed and Mac and the ferret are all in there.” He eased past Aidan, brushing shoulders, but gave the crumpled figure the widest berth that he possibly could.
Vic loped up the stairs, taking them three at a time in smooth strides. “I don’t know what to say to warn you, because I barely believe what I saw with my own eyes.”
( Read more... )
Thursday Recs
Jan. 22nd, 2026 09:37 pmsoc_puppet posting in queerly_belovedRolling on track with more Thursday Recs!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
Book review: A Memory Called Empire
Jan. 22nd, 2026 06:03 pmrocky41_7 posting in booknookTitle: A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1)
Author: Arkady Martine
Narrator: Amy Landon
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, fiction
I realized as I was approaching the end of this book that it is the third unfinished series sapphic SFF centering the machinations of an empire that I've read lately (the others being The Locked Tomb and The Masquerade). A Memory Called Empire is the first book in the Teixcalaan series by Arkady Martine (narrated by Amy Landon in the audiobook) and tells the story of Mahit Dzmare, a diplomat from an as-yet-unconquered satellite state of the Teixcalaanli Empire entering her role as ambassador for the first time--after the previous ambassador went radio silent.
For fans of fantasy politics, I highly recommend this one. Mahit enters a political scene on the cusp of boiling over and is thrown not only into navigating a culture and society she's only ever read about, but having to piece together what her predecessor was doing, why he was doing it, and what happened to him. It's a whirlwind of not knowing who to trust, what to lean on, or where to go.
Martine creates such an interesting world here in Teixcalaan and the mindset of a people who pride themselves on being artists above all and yet exist as ruthless conquerors within their corner of space. Furthermore, Mahit herself is in a fascinating position as someone who's been half in love with this empire since childhood, and yet is all too keenly aware of the threat it poses to her and her home. Mahit does well in Teixcalaan--she loves the poetry and literature they so highly prize, she's able to navigate Teixcalaanli society and see the double meanings everywhere, and she's excited to try her hand at these things. And yet--if she plays her cards wrong, it will end with her home being gobbled up by Empire, and as Mahit herself says: Nothing touched by Empire remains unchanged.
I really enjoyed her characters too--3-Seagrass stole the show for me--and they all have believably varied and grounded views and opinions, with the sorts of blind spots and biases you would expect from people in their respective positions. There's character growth and change too, which is always fun to see, and I'm excited to see how that progresses in the next book.
If I had a complaint, and it's a minor one, it's that the prose is sometimes overly repetitive and explanatory, as if Martine doesn't quite trust her audience to remember things from earlier in the book, or understand what's being implied, which occasionally has the effect of making Mahit look less intelligent than her role would demand. However, it didn't happen often enough that I was truly annoyed, and I think the book gets better about it as it goes on.
On the whole, a fun, exciting read (although it takes its time to set up--expect a slow start!) that left me actually looking forward to my commute for a chance to listen to more. Already checking to see if my library has the next book available.
Author: Arkady Martine
Narrator: Amy Landon
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, fiction
I realized as I was approaching the end of this book that it is the third unfinished series sapphic SFF centering the machinations of an empire that I've read lately (the others being The Locked Tomb and The Masquerade). A Memory Called Empire is the first book in the Teixcalaan series by Arkady Martine (narrated by Amy Landon in the audiobook) and tells the story of Mahit Dzmare, a diplomat from an as-yet-unconquered satellite state of the Teixcalaanli Empire entering her role as ambassador for the first time--after the previous ambassador went radio silent.
For fans of fantasy politics, I highly recommend this one. Mahit enters a political scene on the cusp of boiling over and is thrown not only into navigating a culture and society she's only ever read about, but having to piece together what her predecessor was doing, why he was doing it, and what happened to him. It's a whirlwind of not knowing who to trust, what to lean on, or where to go.
Martine creates such an interesting world here in Teixcalaan and the mindset of a people who pride themselves on being artists above all and yet exist as ruthless conquerors within their corner of space. Furthermore, Mahit herself is in a fascinating position as someone who's been half in love with this empire since childhood, and yet is all too keenly aware of the threat it poses to her and her home. Mahit does well in Teixcalaan--she loves the poetry and literature they so highly prize, she's able to navigate Teixcalaanli society and see the double meanings everywhere, and she's excited to try her hand at these things. And yet--if she plays her cards wrong, it will end with her home being gobbled up by Empire, and as Mahit herself says: Nothing touched by Empire remains unchanged.
I really enjoyed her characters too--3-Seagrass stole the show for me--and they all have believably varied and grounded views and opinions, with the sorts of blind spots and biases you would expect from people in their respective positions. There's character growth and change too, which is always fun to see, and I'm excited to see how that progresses in the next book.
If I had a complaint, and it's a minor one, it's that the prose is sometimes overly repetitive and explanatory, as if Martine doesn't quite trust her audience to remember things from earlier in the book, or understand what's being implied, which occasionally has the effect of making Mahit look less intelligent than her role would demand. However, it didn't happen often enough that I was truly annoyed, and I think the book gets better about it as it goes on.
On the whole, a fun, exciting read (although it takes its time to set up--expect a slow start!) that left me actually looking forward to my commute for a chance to listen to more. Already checking to see if my library has the next book available.
Daily Happiness
Jan. 22nd, 2026 05:40 pmtorachan1. Having remembered the new Shake Shack near work, I decided to go there for lunch today to try more of the Korean menu items.
The chicken sandwich was so good. It did make me feel bloated for several hours afterwards, but it was worth it. The fries with kimchi powder were also very tasty, though I didn't love the dipping sauce that came with them. And I almost forgot, but the drink was pomegranate basil lemonade. Not part of the Korean menu, but they always have a variety of seasonal lemonades and they're always good. This one was delicious.
2. There was a tiny bit of rain today but nothing that interfered with my day. As I was getting home from my morning walk there were a few sprinkles, but it was over soon. When I got down to work, the streets were wet, so it had clearly rained a bit more down there, but it wasn't raining when I got there or when I went out for a walk after lunch. It rained a little bit on the drive home, but only barely more than sprinkles, and was done by the time I arrived. I feel like we had enough rain earlier in the month so I'm fine with no more than this amount now lol.
3. I have gotten some really great pics of Tuxie yesterday and today. He looks like he's on a prayer mat here lol.
The chicken sandwich was so good. It did make me feel bloated for several hours afterwards, but it was worth it. The fries with kimchi powder were also very tasty, though I didn't love the dipping sauce that came with them. And I almost forgot, but the drink was pomegranate basil lemonade. Not part of the Korean menu, but they always have a variety of seasonal lemonades and they're always good. This one was delicious.
2. There was a tiny bit of rain today but nothing that interfered with my day. As I was getting home from my morning walk there were a few sprinkles, but it was over soon. When I got down to work, the streets were wet, so it had clearly rained a bit more down there, but it wasn't raining when I got there or when I went out for a walk after lunch. It rained a little bit on the drive home, but only barely more than sprinkles, and was done by the time I arrived. I feel like we had enough rain earlier in the month so I'm fine with no more than this amount now lol.
3. I have gotten some really great pics of Tuxie yesterday and today. He looks like he's on a prayer mat here lol.
(no subject)
Jan. 22nd, 2026 08:09 pmabyss_valkyrie posting in fandom10in30CONGRATS!
Top 3 sets:
First place: Set F by
tinnySecond Place: Set B by
picnicnicThird Place: Set A by
breyzyyin( Everyone's best icons! )
Comic: Freight Train Flirting
Jan. 22nd, 2026 07:26 pmlb_leeWinner of the fan poll this month by a long go! Click the pics to enlarge them!
Happy belated ten year anniversary, Biff and Rogan!
(And today, I learned that the Japanese term for that up-against-the-wall pose is apparently kabedon. I didn't include it in the alt-text because I have no idea how well-known that term is.)
Happy belated ten year anniversary, Biff and Rogan!
(And today, I learned that the Japanese term for that up-against-the-wall pose is apparently kabedon. I didn't include it in the alt-text because I have no idea how well-known that term is.)
Dragonfly Cafe
Jan. 22nd, 2026 04:44 pmolivermoss
Laptops in a coffeeshop... like it's ten years ago or something. This place has been around in Portland forever, but I hadn't actually gone until recently. It really feels like stepping back in time, sometimes. The amount of people with earbuds in having phone conversations sometimes is nutty. At least, I hope it's phone conversations with people and not with AI.
Apocalyptic Mini-Story One: the Heralds of the End
Jan. 22nd, 2026 07:09 pmlb_leeIt was a tight race, but this was one of the two apocalyptic mini-stories that won the fan poll this month! (I planned to post the two together but... sick.) Rogan apparently originally wrote this story on 2020/4/14. This is probably the shortest story we will ever post on this blog.
the Heralds of the End
As the world crumbles, the heralds of the End ride up on their pale horses. They cross the empty streets, calling up to the shuttered windows, “As the End comes upon you, consider: have you conducted yourself well? Have you devoted yourself to what truly matters?”
I open my window and hold out my beefcake.
“Very good,” they say. “Carry on.”
the Heralds of the End
As the world crumbles, the heralds of the End ride up on their pale horses. They cross the empty streets, calling up to the shuttered windows, “As the End comes upon you, consider: have you conducted yourself well? Have you devoted yourself to what truly matters?”
I open my window and hold out my beefcake.
“Very good,” they say. “Carry on.”