I watched Heated Rivalry
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conulyand then read the books, and I gotta say, I think the author and I fundamentally disagree on a key principle of storywriting.
I believe, strongly, that if you have two viewpoint characters, or two love interests, or two viewpoint characters who are also love interests, then they need to have balanced problems - and, ideally, the interaction of those two characters should affect those problems in some way - by making them realize that they have problems, by making them realize that those problems aren't so bad, by solving or exacerbating those problems - who knows? But they need to start off with the same level of problems, and then by the end of the plot those problems need to have been changed in some way.
And pretty much that never happens in these books. Just look at the two that make up the TV show. We have two couples.
( Read more... )
This opinion on problems was brought to you by: The Overnight Shift! I have so much time on my hands, guys!
I believe, strongly, that if you have two viewpoint characters, or two love interests, or two viewpoint characters who are also love interests, then they need to have balanced problems - and, ideally, the interaction of those two characters should affect those problems in some way - by making them realize that they have problems, by making them realize that those problems aren't so bad, by solving or exacerbating those problems - who knows? But they need to start off with the same level of problems, and then by the end of the plot those problems need to have been changed in some way.
And pretty much that never happens in these books. Just look at the two that make up the TV show. We have two couples.
( Read more... )
This opinion on problems was brought to you by: The Overnight Shift! I have so much time on my hands, guys!
Critic by Leonard Bacon
Feb. 15th, 2026 10:48 amconulyWhy am I better than all other men?
I do not have to prove it. I admit it.
Here is the nail, and I am here to hit it.
A blow that glances somewhat now and then.
With pure intention I take up the pen
That writes the truth, if any ever writ it.
Venom is vulgar. I decline to spit it.
Still if I must—Well, nine times out of ten
I do. I am tired. That book must be a bore.
Jones wrote it. He was rude to me at lunch,
And nobody quite likes him in our bunch.
Smith said he liked my novel. In my bones
I feel that I like Smith. But more and more
My conscience tells me to eviscerate Jones.
********************
Link
I do not have to prove it. I admit it.
Here is the nail, and I am here to hit it.
A blow that glances somewhat now and then.
With pure intention I take up the pen
That writes the truth, if any ever writ it.
Venom is vulgar. I decline to spit it.
Still if I must—Well, nine times out of ten
I do. I am tired. That book must be a bore.
Jones wrote it. He was rude to me at lunch,
And nobody quite likes him in our bunch.
Smith said he liked my novel. In my bones
I feel that I like Smith. But more and more
My conscience tells me to eviscerate Jones.
Link
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1.07
Feb. 19th, 2026 11:34 amselenakIn which we get what is clearly supposed to be the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy equivalent of the TNG episode Family - but is it?
( Spoilers want to watch meteor showers as well… )
( Spoilers want to watch meteor showers as well… )
Links List (Lots of Digital Smear Campaign Stuff)
Feb. 18th, 2026 10:03 ammuccamukkI'm putting together a presentation for school on the misogyny slop ecosystem, and how PR companies astroturf a hate campaign to defame and discredit (usually female) people their employer doesn't like. Here's some links I might include in that, some of which I've posted here before. Taken together, they're chilling.
Posted in roughly the order they came across my line of sight, which is largely chronological.
✨: Probably going to include in the project. (A lot of the later links are just recent stuff I haven't included yet, which may be of interest to those following the case.)
( Eight Links with quote decks. Includes references to Epstein, but no details. )
I'm still looking for something short that clearly lays out the way information is fed to influencers. It's a common misconception that whoever's running the smear will pay the influencers, and sometimes that's the case, but it's not usually how shilling works. The influencers take the exclusive information, publish it, potentially get their post boosted by the PR company's bots, and then the payment shows up in the ad revenue. (It's explained in "Who Trolled Amber?", but that's too long.)
Posted in roughly the order they came across my line of sight, which is largely chronological.
✨: Probably going to include in the project. (A lot of the later links are just recent stuff I haven't included yet, which may be of interest to those following the case.)
( Eight Links with quote decks. Includes references to Epstein, but no details. )
I'm still looking for something short that clearly lays out the way information is fed to influencers. It's a common misconception that whoever's running the smear will pay the influencers, and sometimes that's the case, but it's not usually how shilling works. The influencers take the exclusive information, publish it, potentially get their post boosted by the PR company's bots, and then the payment shows up in the ad revenue. (It's explained in "Who Trolled Amber?", but that's too long.)
(no subject)
Feb. 18th, 2026 07:13 pmthawrecka新年快乐！
I meant to post yesterday but I've been feeling a bit tired and rundown this past week. Hopefully better by the weekend - I have lunar new year celebrations and a friend's birthday to get to. Not to mention my book club tomorrow night!
Things watched recently:
• Seven episodes of Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, an isekai BL anime about an accountant accidentally ending up in a fantasy world, reforming the royal accounts department, getting hooked on magical energy drinks it turns out he's allergic to... and being saved from an overdose by a handsome young knight in the world's silliest fuck-or-die scenario. And then continuing to make political waves with his accounting!!! power, which is just so satisfying to watch. DAMN THAT MAN LOVES TO ACCOUNTS. The subtitle of the show is correct, the other world's book do indeed depend on the bean counter, and not everyone is happy about him tracking their spending... I'm having so much fun with this! It's funny, but also in a strange way an office worker power fantasy, but also there's political fallout for everything and that feels right, too. Once the season's over I'll have to track down the books.
• All of season one of Lord of Mysteries, first in Chinese, and now I'm watching the English dub. I really will have to track down the novels, the first of which is already out in translation here (apparently the second is out elsewhere in the world but doesn't arrive in Australia until next month?? sigh). I'm hoping to track down that book tomorrow night, if the book store that claims to have a copy really does.
This is also a transmigration story, but it's a steampunk-y horror transmigration fantasy. The main character ends up in a world where people take potions to cultivate into eldritch monsters, basically. He spends the first episode bewildered (and so did I hahaha) but pretending he has any clue what's going on, and I think one of my favourite things is how both his Chinese voice actor and English voice actor give him the kind of voice that can trick you into thinking he's almost a totally normal guy... and then you step back and look at the facts and you're just like, wtf, Klein! He's a great character, but I also like a lot of the supporting cast; my favourite character is actually Leonard, a guy who once fell down a flight of stairs because he was distracted reading a book (relatable). Leonard regularly tries to act cool and mysterious at Klein, who keeps calling Leonard a weirdo instead of being impressed, and I'm very entertained.
I do have... extremely mixed feelings... about the evil secret sect of people who take potions that make them women which gives them more powers to do more evil things, and by mixed feelings I think that has very unfortunate implications but they are all unfortunately also so sexy.
• I watched the remaining episodes of Betrothed to my Sister's Ex, a really charming cinderella story type anime I started last year. Which is actually really good. I appreciate that it doesn't just have the charming romance of Marie coming to be loved by rich handsome dweeb Kyros and everyone else in the castle, as well as slowly learning to love herself, it also deals with how she and her younger sister were abused by their family in different ways, and the ending is a happy escape for both of them. I really liked it!
• I also finished This Monster Wants to Eat Me, a subtly yuri-flavoured anime about the main character's suicidal depression, and the monsters that would prefer her not to die, actually. And like, it really is very good, but it is also so heavy so it makes sense it took a while for me to finally get to the final episodes.
• Cosmic Princess Kaguya (2026), truly the superior of the animated lesbian space princess movies I've watched so far this year. It does zip through plot very fast, so it's not without flaw, but I loved this lesbian sci fi take on the tale of the bamboo cutter, and the scissoring handshake is just an A+ detail. Great songs, a lot of fun.
• Which means Lesbian Space Princess (2025) is the lesser animated lesbian space princess movie I've seen this year. The songs are okay. I was stunned to learn after the fact that the homophobic blokey spaceship was voiced by Richard Roxburgh. It is sometimes funny. The best joke was the Maliens and the thespian. I don't regret watching it, but like... eh.
• Scarlet (2025): Wow, it's amazing how IMAX can make a bad film worse. I didn't realise before going to see it that this was an AU version of Hamlet where Hamlet is a girl who meets a handsome Japanese man from the present day in the afterlife, so that was... strange. It's uh not good. Some of the emotional stuff would have worked better if those scenes had not been dragged out, and a lot of the animation is TV quality limited animation. Morally incoherent, which is a feat because it's so thin and slight. The bit with the imagined Shibuya dance sequence is uh... I don't even know. That sure was a film I watched.
I meant to post yesterday but I've been feeling a bit tired and rundown this past week. Hopefully better by the weekend - I have lunar new year celebrations and a friend's birthday to get to. Not to mention my book club tomorrow night!
Things watched recently:
• Seven episodes of Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, an isekai BL anime about an accountant accidentally ending up in a fantasy world, reforming the royal accounts department, getting hooked on magical energy drinks it turns out he's allergic to... and being saved from an overdose by a handsome young knight in the world's silliest fuck-or-die scenario. And then continuing to make political waves with his accounting!!! power, which is just so satisfying to watch. DAMN THAT MAN LOVES TO ACCOUNTS. The subtitle of the show is correct, the other world's book do indeed depend on the bean counter, and not everyone is happy about him tracking their spending... I'm having so much fun with this! It's funny, but also in a strange way an office worker power fantasy, but also there's political fallout for everything and that feels right, too. Once the season's over I'll have to track down the books.
• All of season one of Lord of Mysteries, first in Chinese, and now I'm watching the English dub. I really will have to track down the novels, the first of which is already out in translation here (apparently the second is out elsewhere in the world but doesn't arrive in Australia until next month?? sigh). I'm hoping to track down that book tomorrow night, if the book store that claims to have a copy really does.
This is also a transmigration story, but it's a steampunk-y horror transmigration fantasy. The main character ends up in a world where people take potions to cultivate into eldritch monsters, basically. He spends the first episode bewildered (and so did I hahaha) but pretending he has any clue what's going on, and I think one of my favourite things is how both his Chinese voice actor and English voice actor give him the kind of voice that can trick you into thinking he's almost a totally normal guy... and then you step back and look at the facts and you're just like, wtf, Klein! He's a great character, but I also like a lot of the supporting cast; my favourite character is actually Leonard, a guy who once fell down a flight of stairs because he was distracted reading a book (relatable). Leonard regularly tries to act cool and mysterious at Klein, who keeps calling Leonard a weirdo instead of being impressed, and I'm very entertained.
I do have... extremely mixed feelings... about the evil secret sect of people who take potions that make them women which gives them more powers to do more evil things, and by mixed feelings I think that has very unfortunate implications but they are all unfortunately also so sexy.
• I watched the remaining episodes of Betrothed to my Sister's Ex, a really charming cinderella story type anime I started last year. Which is actually really good. I appreciate that it doesn't just have the charming romance of Marie coming to be loved by rich handsome dweeb Kyros and everyone else in the castle, as well as slowly learning to love herself, it also deals with how she and her younger sister were abused by their family in different ways, and the ending is a happy escape for both of them. I really liked it!
• I also finished This Monster Wants to Eat Me, a subtly yuri-flavoured anime about the main character's suicidal depression, and the monsters that would prefer her not to die, actually. And like, it really is very good, but it is also so heavy so it makes sense it took a while for me to finally get to the final episodes.
• Cosmic Princess Kaguya (2026), truly the superior of the animated lesbian space princess movies I've watched so far this year. It does zip through plot very fast, so it's not without flaw, but I loved this lesbian sci fi take on the tale of the bamboo cutter, and the scissoring handshake is just an A+ detail. Great songs, a lot of fun.
• Which means Lesbian Space Princess (2025) is the lesser animated lesbian space princess movie I've seen this year. The songs are okay. I was stunned to learn after the fact that the homophobic blokey spaceship was voiced by Richard Roxburgh. It is sometimes funny. The best joke was the Maliens and the thespian. I don't regret watching it, but like... eh.
• Scarlet (2025): Wow, it's amazing how IMAX can make a bad film worse. I didn't realise before going to see it that this was an AU version of Hamlet where Hamlet is a girl who meets a handsome Japanese man from the present day in the afterlife, so that was... strange. It's uh not good. Some of the emotional stuff would have worked better if those scenes had not been dragged out, and a lot of the animation is TV quality limited animation. Morally incoherent, which is a feat because it's so thin and slight. The bit with the imagined Shibuya dance sequence is uh... I don't even know. That sure was a film I watched.
Batman: the 1980s TV show
Feb. 17th, 2026 01:31 pmmelannenI had a dream for the third time this week about watching the 1980s live-action Batman show with my sister so I figured it was worth a DW post :P
If you don't know the 1980s live-action Batman that I apparently watch in my dreams here's a quick overview:
- It was a weekly one-hour show that ran for about three seasons. It predates the age of season-long arcs but it had more than the usual number of 2- and 3- part episodes and some character growth even.
- It's clearly intentionally following up on the legacy of the 1960s show because it revels in the fundamental absurdity and plays for comedy, but it was also determined to not get pigeonholed as a kids' show - it has non-cartoon violence and solid emotional arcs.
- For example instead of all the silly Bat-Gadgets, they had Wayne Enterprises (TM) machines. There's a running bit where Tim always makes sure he has access to a Wayne Enterprises (TM) Automatic Soup Dispenser (TM) and nobody can tell if he's just really into soup or if he's modding it to dispense other things.
- Oh yeah, despite being called Batman, it's actually mostly about Tim and Dick. Bruce shows up in every episode for at least a few minutes but is rarely the focus. (Yes, I know the 1980s is early for comics!Tim - I assume the comics character was based on the show character? - and there's no Jay in this continuity, which lets it be a little more lighthearted about their relationships with Bruce.)
- Tim became Robin after Dick "retired" and Bruce finally noticed how neglected the neighbor boy actually was. In the show he's mostly traveling around playing poor little rich boy and Robinning with a rotating guest cast of Teen Titans (nearly every episode is in a different city - they must have had a huge travel/sets budget.)
- Dick is 100% a civilian these days he swears. He's technically in college but never appears to attend. He's always showing up to "hang out" with his little bro, or following Kory to a show, and then having to secretly superhero it up without a costume or name. The show is constantly teasing that this is the episode he'll finally become Nightwing and never follows up.
- When Bruce shows up it's usually not as Bruce, or even Batman, but as his even more useless cousin "Kenneth Wayne", who only shows up in the tabloids when he's done something so ridiculous Bruce has to send Alfred to bail him out, and therefor has an excuse to be places Bruce can't possibly be. He has absolutely 0 natural authority over the boys, who treat him as an embarrassingly untrustworthy uncle, and enjoys the hell out of this.
- Dick is dating Koriand'r, but they insist they're not girlfriend and boyfriend because "Tamaraneans don't have boys and girls, she's just my Kory and I'm her Dick". This is never explored beyond that at all. (Also Kory looks a lot less human and more like Ron Perlman's Beast* (except as a hot not-girl, of course.)
- Tim spends every episode excited and/or worried about the main plot interfering with or facilitating a possible or planned date with a girl. The girls are never named or shown onscreen. Dick teases him about this.
The episode we watched last night involved Tim and Dick renting out an old mansion/party house in Philadelphia that was haunted by a very lazy demon shaped like a yellow cartoon rabbit, a very large monitor lizard who was wanted by the Mob, a bunch of people having to shelter overnight in a Victorian-themed cafe in the zoo, and every single character having to dress up as Matches Malone in the same bad wig at the same time. Also the Three Stooges guest-starred. I hope I get to watch more later, I don't think there's an official DVD release.
*did I only have this dream because I did that "name all the animals" game right before bed and was thinking about Golden Lion Tamarins??
Vid: The Chance (Shetland, Ruth Calder/Alison McIntosh)
Feb. 16th, 2026 06:41 pmaurumcalendula posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
girlgayOut of balance.
Feb. 15th, 2026 10:46 pma_bit_of_wit_2I genuinely don't understand how you introverts out there enjoy life without human contact. I'm sitting here going on week 3 of my spouse's latest round in Buffalo/Canada, I've had virtually no human contact (certainly no physical contact) and I'm going absolutely mad, losing sleep, and resorting to edibles to get my brain to shut the fuck up because it's gone into a meltdown over how alone and lonely I feel. Then again, I suppose if you're an introvert, you probably wonder the same thing about us extroverts, and how the hell we could possibly enjoy constantly being social because eww humans.
And while I'm in a mood, I'm so fucking sick of always being the friend who reaches out, checks in, says hi, and is the first to initiate plans. There's almost no one in my life who does the same for me. I'd love to be on the receiving end for once for someone to reach out and say they miss MY face and wants to plan some time with ME for a change, rather than it always being the other way around.
And while I'm in a mood, I'm so fucking sick of always being the friend who reaches out, checks in, says hi, and is the first to initiate plans. There's almost no one in my life who does the same for me. I'd love to be on the receiving end for once for someone to reach out and say they miss MY face and wants to plan some time with ME for a change, rather than it always being the other way around.
For UK trans/nb/gender-diverse people (or anyone who might want to signal-boost)
Feb. 15th, 2026 08:13 pmrydra_wonghttps://www.scenemag.co.uk/lancaster-university-launches-national-consultation-to-shape-future-of-adult-gender-healthcare/
https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/transadultspsp/
The focus is identifying priorities for future research, specifically related to "non-surgical, transition-related healthcare for people aged 18 and over", and they're starting with a survey.
Funded by Gendered Intelligence, led by a steering group which is half people with lived experience (in fact more than half, as some of the healthcare professional members also ID as trans), one of the two co-leads is a trans woman, and they're partnered with TransActual and GIRES, so this looks like real genuine co-production.
https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/transadultspsp/
The focus is identifying priorities for future research, specifically related to "non-surgical, transition-related healthcare for people aged 18 and over", and they're starting with a survey.
Funded by Gendered Intelligence, led by a steering group which is half people with lived experience (in fact more than half, as some of the healthcare professional members also ID as trans), one of the two co-leads is a trans woman, and they're partnered with TransActual and GIRES, so this looks like real genuine co-production.
Well, this certainly is a way to phrase it
Feb. 14th, 2026 06:18 pmconulyThe 1916 (Olympic) games were cancelled due to an international dispute occurring during that year
A dispute that left millions dead, sure. Not how I'd describe WWI, but okay.
***********************
( Read more... )
A dispute that left millions dead, sure. Not how I'd describe WWI, but okay.
( Read more... )
Saying "weekly proof of life" feels...unsettling?...given my post yesterday, but. :(
Feb. 15th, 2026 03:02 pmumadoshiMovie update: turns out we are getting Z1L's new movie next week, which is awesome, but I'm not at all sure we're actually going to make it, given its showtimes and the fact that we aren't entertaining the notion of evening screenings. Alas. (That said, while I would very much like to see it, it doesn't actually look at all like a movie I would see if it weren't for Z1L, so I'm a bit sad, but not crushed.)
Reading: A few more volumes each of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and Hikaru no Go (I'm six volumes in on both), and I've started reading Stephanie Burgis' Wooing the Witch Queen.
Most of my reading time this week went to Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time (Craig Lehoullier), which I liked so much after reading the bought-on-sale ebook that I've ordered a hard copy. My intermittent low-key obsession with (the idea of) growing tomatoes continues to be mostly just weird, but as far as I can tell this book is a treasure. All other growing-tomatoes books can sit down.
Watching: As of this afternoon, we're caught up on The Pitt and still an ep. or two behind on Frieren.
We have two episodes of Midnight Mass to go, and may finish that tonight. It is pulling absolutely zero punches and is very upsetting (although no animal harm/death that I can think of since I mentioned the amount in the first couple of episodes?) and very well done. Wow. It is a LOT.
Working: Some potential (probable) impending stress about Dayjob is not doing wonders for my focus or mental health in general. (Nothing to do with Manager or coworders.) Good thoughts very welcome.
Tomorrow is a stat holiday, and then we have a week until the seasonal crunch begins. Whee! I have almost three weeks before my next freelance deadline, but it would sure be nice to get a draft on this rewrite before the crunch. I think I'm about a quarter of the way there.
Reading: A few more volumes each of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and Hikaru no Go (I'm six volumes in on both), and I've started reading Stephanie Burgis' Wooing the Witch Queen.
Most of my reading time this week went to Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time (Craig Lehoullier), which I liked so much after reading the bought-on-sale ebook that I've ordered a hard copy. My intermittent low-key obsession with (the idea of) growing tomatoes continues to be mostly just weird, but as far as I can tell this book is a treasure. All other growing-tomatoes books can sit down.
Watching: As of this afternoon, we're caught up on The Pitt and still an ep. or two behind on Frieren.
We have two episodes of Midnight Mass to go, and may finish that tonight. It is pulling absolutely zero punches and is very upsetting (although no animal harm/death that I can think of since I mentioned the amount in the first couple of episodes?) and very well done. Wow. It is a LOT.
Working: Some potential (probable) impending stress about Dayjob is not doing wonders for my focus or mental health in general. (Nothing to do with Manager or coworders.) Good thoughts very welcome.
Tomorrow is a stat holiday, and then we have a week until the seasonal crunch begins. Whee! I have almost three weeks before my next freelance deadline, but it would sure be nice to get a draft on this rewrite before the crunch. I think I'm about a quarter of the way there.
for this was on seynt Valentynes day
Feb. 14th, 2026 01:41 pmmuccamukkNenya's summary of an early account of St Valentine's Day as a romantic festival: "So it was RPF written during lockdown, which contained endless jousting sprinkled with #relatable? Whomst among us?"
Wild tonal shift to follow:
It's also the day that Frederick Douglass chose as his birthday, which is very sweetly illustrated here: What, to a Country, Is a Child’s Birthday? | Talk & Draw with Liza Donnelly & Heather Cox Richardson (video: 3 minutes).
Yesterday, we went to a No More Stolen Sisters march, which was very touching, especially given how many women were their with pictures of missing and murdered relatives. A lot of red cloaks and traditional woven cedar hats.
It was organised by the student union, and I appreciated how much care they put into cultural safety and looking out for family members.
We listened to the DNTO podcast "The Story She Carries: Lorelei Williams and her fight for justice" for class, and my professor said she'd gone to residential school with Williams' mother. It's all very close here.
Wild tonal shift to follow:
It's also the day that Frederick Douglass chose as his birthday, which is very sweetly illustrated here: What, to a Country, Is a Child’s Birthday? | Talk & Draw with Liza Donnelly & Heather Cox Richardson (video: 3 minutes).
Yesterday, we went to a No More Stolen Sisters march, which was very touching, especially given how many women were their with pictures of missing and murdered relatives. A lot of red cloaks and traditional woven cedar hats.
It was organised by the student union, and I appreciated how much care they put into cultural safety and looking out for family members.
We listened to the DNTO podcast "The Story She Carries: Lorelei Williams and her fight for justice" for class, and my professor said she'd gone to residential school with Williams' mother. It's all very close here.
Come to Dark Souls
Feb. 14th, 2026 09:33 pmrydra_wongWe have terrible platforming, shortcut porn, hostile shrubbery, BOXRATS!!!, extremely smashable vases, “amazing chest ahead” (male), “amazing chest ahead” (female), “amazing chest ahead” (mimic), weirdly sexualized moaning (male only), repeatedly falling down inside a giant hollow tree to your death, Moss Lady, a magic medieval snakeskin-covered gramophone, hidden areas hidden behind other hidden areas hidden behind illusory walls, combat skirts (unisex), giant snakes with horse teeth, pretending to be an egg, quite a lot of jank, a very angry elderly cat who scolds you in bad faux-Shakespearian and is also a faction leader, the secret lake underneath the bottom of the world, “jolly co-operation,” chibi mindflayers, clams full of skulls, a trident that lets you do a silly little dance, ridiculous ragdoll corpse physics, a really cool double helix staircase probably based on the Château de Chambord, ball/crab things that turn up unexpectedly in your game and try to magic missile you because somebody in another game lost some stuff, getting punched to death by mushrooms, and Gender.
This is such a weird game (complimentary).
This is such a weird game (complimentary).
Not a good kind of PSA, I'm afraid
Feb. 14th, 2026 02:43 pmumadoshiIn the comments of spikedluv's final post, which she made on Feb. 2, there's info saying that she died unexpectedly later that day, with a link to her obituary. :( No cause of death given.
Thank you,shipperslist, for the heads-up.
ETA:lunabee34 confirms in comments. ;_;
(Note: I'm taking the info in good faith as posted; I don't know the person who shared it, and while spikedluv and I were mutuals for a long time, I never knew her wallet name. But the obit info matches what I did know and she was an extremely regular poster, so even a day or two of silence was worrying.)
spikedluv's final post, which she made on Feb. 2, there's info saying that she died unexpectedly later that day, with a link to her obituary. :( No cause of death given.Thank you,
shipperslist, for the heads-up.ETA:
lunabee34 confirms in comments. ;_;spikedluv and I were mutuals for a long time, I never knew her wallet name. But the obit info matches what I did know and she was an extremely regular poster, so even a day or two of silence was worrying.)
Any Updates on the LJ Situation?
Feb. 13th, 2026 10:20 ammuccamukk(I've basically peaced out on answering comments, apologies. I'll try to catch up on at least the fandom ones. I appreciate you all!)
![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png)
denise posted the thread about LJ going Russia-locked (ETA: see comments for corrections) and/or selling off six weeks ago now, which feels like twenty years in Internet time, but is probably not that long in business time. Has anyone heard updates on what's happening with LJ since then? Is this like the x-number of times ff.net was definitely going offline?
Relatedly, is anyone in touch with the mods of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
camp_toccoa, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
skyearth85 and/or skew_whiff? Sky used to be active on Discord, but I haven't seen her in ages. Has there been any talk of moving that comm to Dreamwidth?
I remember it was a bit of a voyage through broken links and broken dreams last time I looked at it, but there's still a bunch of fic that never moved to either AO3 or DW.
denise posted the thread about LJ going Russia-locked (ETA: see comments for corrections) and/or selling off six weeks ago now, which feels like twenty years in Internet time, but is probably not that long in business time. Has anyone heard updates on what's happening with LJ since then? Is this like the x-number of times ff.net was definitely going offline?Relatedly, is anyone in touch with the mods of
camp_toccoa, skyearth85 and/or skew_whiff? Sky used to be active on Discord, but I haven't seen her in ages. Has there been any talk of moving that comm to Dreamwidth?I remember it was a bit of a voyage through broken links and broken dreams last time I looked at it, but there's still a bunch of fic that never moved to either AO3 or DW.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1.01. - 1.06
Feb. 12th, 2026 05:10 pmselenakBecause there was good word of mouth from various friends and trusty reviewers, I decided to give the latest Star Trek show a go, have now marathoned the six episodes released so far, and can report that word of mouth was correct: this latest installment, which is set in the 31rd century last seen in Star Trek: Discovery, shows none of the weaknesses of the third season of ST: SNW and is actually really good. Mind you, watching the first three episodes I thought, okay, they're good, not not groundbreaking, and some of the reactions made me expect more, but then came episodes 3 - 6 . building on the previous ones and fleshing out more characters, and I went "wow!" myself. And also "awwwww" at certain points. More beneath the spoiler cut.
The reason why I wasn't wowed by the first three in the way I was by the later three is that they included some clichés I never much cared for, such as a Marine, err, Starfleet instructor yelling "give me 100 pushups" . And the only school/school prank war I enjoyed fictionally was Das fliegende Klassenzimmer by Erich Kästner, plus I thought, really, do we need more mean Vulcans. These nitpicks aside (and the prank war did have its plusses as well), the first three episodes do a solid job in introducing the premise, the setting, and some of the main characters. They also showed versatality in format: the pilot episode has more action while the second episode is a classic ST ethical dilemma with lots of debate type of episode (and not the last one of the first six), and the third episode while having some serious character stuff mainly goes for broad comedy. Which is all fine, and confidence-building, but with episode 4, the show simply becomes more than that as we get our first hardcore (previously supporting) character episode which simultanously is an ethical dilemma episode and adds to the overall Star Trek lore because it tells us how the Klingons fared post Burn, something Disco did not. Now after a quiet spotlight on supporting character episode I expected the next to revert back to ensemble or main character format, but no! We got another " (different) supporting character in the spotlight" episode - which also doubled as an unabashed love declaration to one Benjamin Sisko in particular and DS9 in general. Which was great, because while other more recent ST shows did include some nods to DS9, it never got as much love as TOS and TNG did from the new kids on the block. Until now. And it was especially lovely to see because it did nostalgia right instead of going ST: Picard season 3, sigh, or follow ST:STNW's increasing tendency to become ST: TOS in its cast. Instead, it did a Star Trek: Prodigy. By which I mean: The love for the "old" characters as strong and great - but it was used in service of character fleshing out and growth of the new characters of the new show. Complimenting them, instead of replacing them. Homage, instead of a rerun. It was great. And then episode 6 went for a taut space thriller while also using what we learned so far about the characters and sharpening the profile of who seems to be the season's main villain. (And it took me until this episode to finally recall where I had heard the voice before. It was John Adams, I mean Paul Giametti!)
One more general observation: As a Discovery fan, I was delighted to see Admiral Vance again in most of the episodes, being his calm and responsible self, ditto for Jett Reno snarkng and being dead-pan as ever, and a bit surprised that Mary Wiseman has yet to make an appearance because I thought she was supposed to be a regular. Speaking of Discovery, its last two seasons feature a supporting guest star, Laira Rillak, who has both Bajoran and Cardassian heritage, and I thought that was great and that by the 31st Centuy, there ought to be a lot more "hybrids" of spacefaring nations with centuries of interaction . Starfleet Academy thought so, too, and we got indeed not just another hybrid in the regular cast but also several others popping up. And I really like the sheer number of middle-aged women we get in addition to the kids. Oh, and evidently the return to Discovery territory also meant the return to featured queer relationships. Excellent.
( Now onto more spoilery territory with comments on the individiual characters and their development so far. )
In conclusion: it's a really good first season so far! May it continue to be!
The reason why I wasn't wowed by the first three in the way I was by the later three is that they included some clichés I never much cared for, such as a Marine, err, Starfleet instructor yelling "give me 100 pushups" . And the only school/school prank war I enjoyed fictionally was Das fliegende Klassenzimmer by Erich Kästner, plus I thought, really, do we need more mean Vulcans. These nitpicks aside (and the prank war did have its plusses as well), the first three episodes do a solid job in introducing the premise, the setting, and some of the main characters. They also showed versatality in format: the pilot episode has more action while the second episode is a classic ST ethical dilemma with lots of debate type of episode (and not the last one of the first six), and the third episode while having some serious character stuff mainly goes for broad comedy. Which is all fine, and confidence-building, but with episode 4, the show simply becomes more than that as we get our first hardcore (previously supporting) character episode which simultanously is an ethical dilemma episode and adds to the overall Star Trek lore because it tells us how the Klingons fared post Burn, something Disco did not. Now after a quiet spotlight on supporting character episode I expected the next to revert back to ensemble or main character format, but no! We got another " (different) supporting character in the spotlight" episode - which also doubled as an unabashed love declaration to one Benjamin Sisko in particular and DS9 in general. Which was great, because while other more recent ST shows did include some nods to DS9, it never got as much love as TOS and TNG did from the new kids on the block. Until now. And it was especially lovely to see because it did nostalgia right instead of going ST: Picard season 3, sigh, or follow ST:STNW's increasing tendency to become ST: TOS in its cast. Instead, it did a Star Trek: Prodigy. By which I mean: The love for the "old" characters as strong and great - but it was used in service of character fleshing out and growth of the new characters of the new show. Complimenting them, instead of replacing them. Homage, instead of a rerun. It was great. And then episode 6 went for a taut space thriller while also using what we learned so far about the characters and sharpening the profile of who seems to be the season's main villain. (And it took me until this episode to finally recall where I had heard the voice before. It was John Adams, I mean Paul Giametti!)
One more general observation: As a Discovery fan, I was delighted to see Admiral Vance again in most of the episodes, being his calm and responsible self, ditto for Jett Reno snarkng and being dead-pan as ever, and a bit surprised that Mary Wiseman has yet to make an appearance because I thought she was supposed to be a regular. Speaking of Discovery, its last two seasons feature a supporting guest star, Laira Rillak, who has both Bajoran and Cardassian heritage, and I thought that was great and that by the 31st Centuy, there ought to be a lot more "hybrids" of spacefaring nations with centuries of interaction . Starfleet Academy thought so, too, and we got indeed not just another hybrid in the regular cast but also several others popping up. And I really like the sheer number of middle-aged women we get in addition to the kids. Oh, and evidently the return to Discovery territory also meant the return to featured queer relationships. Excellent.
( Now onto more spoilery territory with comments on the individiual characters and their development so far. )
In conclusion: it's a really good first season so far! May it continue to be!
