devon

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The June Something - 2023 Edition

Day 5: If you could go back in time and help create a foundational work (be it book, show, movie, etc.) what would it be and what would your role be?

I would love to go back and be on the model-making team for an old school special effects movie like Alien or Blade Runner. I love seeing production staff walking around these miniature cities and buildings that they made. Maybe I'd be better making sets than creatures, but who knows? With practice, anything could have been possible. I used to paint D&D lead miniatures, so I know I'm capable of fine dexterity work. I really love how GREAT models look in movies. They absolutely outshine CGI backgrounds.

Minis are also great for explosions! They're cheaper to replace if the explosion goes wrong! Make another mini spaceship, my friend. Set a little fire in Escape from New York! Put Luke's landspeeder on a stick and move it across the screen!

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Wholesome article and video about pet parrots learning to make video calls to each other. With support from their caretakers, it was a very positive experience!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-taught-pet-parrots-to-video-call-each-other-and-the-birds-loved-it-180982041/

I found it from my weekly Feel Good News email - https://feelgoodnews.substack.com/p/why-did-the-parrot-learn-to-video

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ok, my city government is full of fuckers. insane rules about where your water can drain. in the last 5 years, many of these "rain gardens" have started showing up in ppls yards and on the edge bit of yard by the street.

the city made a rule that you can't send a drain to the street. you can't (with new work) send your gutters directly to the driveway bc that goes to the street. only land runoff can go to the driveway. gutters have to go to a drain to another part of your property, and THEN the water can go to the street, I GUESS! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ so contractors are making the underground drain and sending it to a new rain garden where it won't kill the plants that live there.

basically our driveway cost is increased by several thou bc of this law.

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still typing less bc of discomfort.

shoulder not torn. ok, baby surface tear on supraspinatus, but could be wear-tear aging. everything inflamed: tendonitis also tendonosis and calcification. I 200% overdid it. no reason for MRI or surgery.

to do: pills, ice, rest. maybe lidocaine patch. getting toradol shot tomorrow for 1 full day of relief. in 2 weeks start phys ther. ortho said STOP using sling after 10 days. so, whatever.

nobody ever cares about my pain. shoulder has hurt 20+ years and ortho says - don't get too many steroid shots bc they might stop working. I say - can't function without them, may as well cut my fucking arm off, give me shot. so still getting shots every 6-8 months.

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once the January challenges stopped, I mostly forgot to come back here. Closing the tab was a mistake; it has to be left open. not much typing today bc of shoulder injury last week. the sling makes typing into an actual pain in my forearm somehow. ttyl.

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I'm feeling angry because I've read about transwoman Brianna Ghey's murder in 3 separate non-trans-centered places, including Vogue magazine. The gofundme for her family raised over 90k British pounds. (I hope they donate some of it to worthy causes, but that's a different matter.)

I have not heard or seen the name of a single transwoman of color who was murdered since the last Trans Day of Remembrance.

I honestly don't feel like discussing this. I'm just angry.

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Challenge #14

In your own space, do the Fandom Wrap Challenge. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

What were your top fandoms for 2022 based on the amount of time you interacted with them?
1. The Locked Tomb / Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth.
2. Stargate: Atlantis
3. Our Flag Means Death
4. Daredevil (I had never seen it before.)
5. Wednesday (Addams)

What were your top fandom spaces (Discord, Twitter, etc.) you experienced fandom in terms of time spent?
1. tumblr, by far
2. discord, really a lot
3. AO3, less than previous years

What are the top things you did to contribute to fandom?
1. cosplay twice - Gideon the Ninth
2. reblog all the things
3. kudos and comments for fanworks, occasionally grovelling and simpering

What were your top most appreciated fandom contributions? (i.e. in terms of likes, kudos, reblogs, comments, etc.)
1. I reblogged a bit of cut dialog from SGA a couple of years ago on tumblr. Every now and then, someone finds it, and it makes the rounds to gather another 2 dozen likes/reblogs.

Have a Top X List you'd like to share??
Top music associated with fandoms:
1. Death is a Girl by Skip K.D. on bandcamp, filk for The Locked Tomb
https://sealapocalyptic.bandcamp.com/track/death-is-a-girl
2. Dune 2021 movie score
3. Goncharov original score fanworks on tumblr
4. "The Chain" as used in OFMD

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring an image of a coffee cup and saucer on a sheet with a blanket and baby’s breath and a layer of snowflakes. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

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tea, coffee, or soda? tea, by far. hot more than cold.

dogs or cats? dogs always. I don't hate cats anymore, but I'm still allergic to them.

can you play an instrument? I can tap on a piano in a way that's SUPER annoying to actual musicians.

what’s your sun sign? scorpio, which means I'm a secret-obsessed sex freak. might be true.

first song lyrics that pop into your head? "Oooo, I wanna dance with somebody!" and "Iiiiii don't wanna dance with nobody" both simultaneously because of a parody I watched recently. there's always a song in my head. always.

do you have any tattoos? yes, two. 1) Atlantis skyline over water 2) a variation of the tarot card 8 of wands, with 2 crysathemums.

favourite place you’ve travelled? places I was able to go up a mountain. so that means Rocky Mountain National Park (drove) and Mount Rainier (walked).

what’s the last movie you watched? Everything Everywhere All at Once in the theater. I can't remember what I last watched at home, probably streaming TV.

what languages do you speak? American English and a bit of French.

do you have any hobbies? puzzles like sudoku and crossword, a couple of ipad games, fragrance wearing/collecting, sewing, misc crafts at times.

you can hang out with one fictional character for an hour, who do you choose? I feel like saying Rodney McKay, but I actually would prefer someone laid-back. Stede Bonnet seems nice; we could have tea while he tells me a story.

compliment yourself: I'm smart, cute, and weird. I'm good at 3D thinking for things like puzzles, IKEA assembly, and packing cars full of boxes.

(I got this from a tumblr friend and just copied it over here.)

January is traditionally a time when people set goals for themselves for the coming year, and even if New Year’s resolutions aren’t your thing, maybe you have something you want to achieve this year. Maybe that’s to finish a fic that’s been sat in your WIP folder for ages, maybe to learn a new skill, maybe to check out some new shows.

Challenge #12

In your own space, set yourself some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I almost never do New Year goals. However, there are a few things I want do do more of in general.

1) access the public library for books and other media.
So far, I have gotten 2 books and 1 audiobook. I have a graphic novel that arrived for me today!

2) pay more attention to birds.
I have a birdfeeding station in my yard already. I want to maintain it better and possibly add another feeder of a different type. I want to start tracking the birds I see; I got an app for that. I have about 20 birds added that are just common birds I know I've already seen.

3) sew more (or at all).
I started a long, quilted skirt recently. I can finish it! I have alterations I want to make to clothes that don't fit right. I've been part of a motivation sewing group online for years, but that doesn't actually help me.

4) return to dreamwidth.
Here I am, doing challenges! they are helping.

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of three snowmen and two robins with snowflakes. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

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Snowflake Challenge #6

In your own space, post the results of your fandom scavenger hunt. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Search in your current space, whether brick-and-mortar or digital. Post a picture or description of something that is or represents:
( pics below )

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of ice covered tree branches and falling snowflakes on a blue background. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

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The Friday Five (Readers' Digest version)

3. What's a food you enjoy eating both warm and cold?

most foods. I'm a slow eater, and my food always gets cold before I finish it. Eggs must be hot or nearly hot, but I've gotten used to lots of other stuff being cold.

4. Are there any foods you can't get anymore? Why not?

YES! The FUCKING PANDEMIC made my two favorite frozen foods get discontinued! I am furious and frustrated. There are SO MANY frozen foods I can't eat because they're either covered in real cheese or they're too spicy.

-- Amy's used to make Mattar Tofu - a lovely non-dairy adaptation of Mattar Paneer, pretty flavorful and also mild enough for me to enjoy. I can't eat Paneer because it's cheese.

-- Amy's also used to make Quinoa and Black Beans with Butternut Squash. Also dairy-free with enough protein to work for me. Not as delicious on its own, but great with added fake cheeze or salt.

p.s. just to bitch some more.... their tofu Pad Thai is not good. They also have veggie Korma which is so dull it has to be altered a ton to make it nice. I found one brand of frozen pot pie that has meat and is dairy-free, and tastes great. So I'm eating a lot of those lately. They take a lot longer to cook, though.

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So I'm doing a combo of Snowflake Challenge #7 and also More Joy Day, which I only just learned about!

More Joy Day:
https://sdwolfpup.dreamwidth.org/665072.html

"In the interest of spreading more joy, I’m proposing that on January 13, 2023, we each engage in one act, either online or physical space (or both!), which brings joy to another person, in the hopes that that person will spread that joy further, and exponentially onward."

Snowflake Challenge #7:

"In your own space, interact with a community or a fic."

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So runpunkrun did a Q/A for the OTW about running

fancake recently, and she linked to this 2013 hilarious and deeply moving talk/essay about fandom from the guy (Maciej Cegłowski) who created the tagging site Pinboard. He helped fandom migrate there from Delicious when Youtube bought and basically destroyed Delicious. I never used Delicious, but I knew about it and wondered what happened to it. I only got halfway through this talk before I started sobbing from joy. Sometimes that happens to me; I read or see something that makes me feel too much for my dry, shriveled heart. It's like the Grinch at the end of the movie. I have a lot of feels about fandom as a community and how generous and giving everyone is, and this talk just hits it dead on, from an outsider's perspective. Probably none of it will be surprising to anyone here, which is part of what's so remarkable about fandom. I mean *fanfic* fandom specifically (which of course includes other fanworks) vs other media fandoms which have historically been different.

https://idlewords.com/talks/fan_is_a_tool_using_animal.htm

(also, the OTW Q/A here: https://www.transformativeworks.org/otw-guest-post-runpunkrun/ )

putting this here so I can come back to it.
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Snowflake Challenge #6

In your own space, post the results of your fandom scavenger hunt. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Search in your current space, whether brick-and-mortar or digital. Post a picture or description of something that is or represents:

1. A favorite character
2. Something that makes you laugh
3. A bookshelf
4. A game or hobby you enjoy
5. Something you find comforting
6. A TV show or movie you hope more people will watch
7. A piece of clothing you love
8. A thing from an old fandom
9. A thing from a new fandom

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Two more resources I discovered while browsing other people's Snowflake Challenge entries!

4) I just found from

dhamphir - X-Files Transcripts here:
http://www.insidethex.co.uk/

5)

senmut suggests a way to make uBlock (a new, efficient adblocker) scrape off some of fandom.com's distractions, to make it easier to use, here:
https://sharpest-asp.dreamwidth.org/2143834.html

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"In your own space, tell us about 3 creative/fannish resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy."

1) If you use fandom.com for anything, you may have noticed that their interface is clogged with ads, navs, and other links that are not related to your fandom. Some big company bought them and fucked it all up. Try BreezeWiki here:
https://breezewiki.com/
https://bw.vern.cc/ (alt site when main one is down)
It will serve up the fandom.com content in a clean page for you. You can keep the tab open or install a plugin called "redirector" from their page that will always send you there instead of going to fandom.com. The only thing you can't do in the redirect is to edit the wiki.

2) This may or may not be helpful, but reddit.com is not 100% a hive of scum and villainy. There are tons of subreddits/channels where helpful people hang out and chat about their microinterests. If your research on X isn't going the way you want, add "reddit" to your search phrase. Just ... read a few popular posts first to gauge the temperament. Gamers are still pretty salty, but you can find helpful threads anyways.

3) I wish I could say I used resources like fandom wank, but I honestly find out about most wank like 5 years after it happened. (fanlore.org is my best resource.) Except for the one time I was at a con with a known LOTR wank scammer when he was still she. My resource for fandom (I just typed wandom) wank is my lack of fucks. I encourage people to keep recording the wank for posterity and to help others recognize it when it comes around; identifying trouble is vital. However, do your best not to let your fucks get involved. Protect your fucks for something that's more important to you and your personal journey.

4) adding one I just found from

dhamphir who also did this challenge! X-Files Transcripts: http://www.insidethex.co.uk/

Edit to add:
5)

senmut suggests a way to make uBlock (a new, efficient adblocker) scrape off some of fandom.com's worst distractions here:
https://sharpest-asp.dreamwidth.org/2143834.html

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Snowflake Challenge #4

"If you got the opportunity to add one thing to the canon of any of your fandoms, what would that be? Maybe there’s a character who didn’t get much of a backstory/storyline and you’d like to do something with them, maybe a show was axed too soon and you had thoughts on what could happen in a subsequent season, maybe there’s a new episode you’d like to have added."

My spouse says they would add a fuse.

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-rewind/upcycling-and-demilitarization-capsule

this kickstarter just finished, and I'm pretty excited. I signed up for an (expensive) jacket, but I love it 100%. They have a link to "Late Pledge" here, where you can almost certainly contact them to buy something at the pledge price. They only *barely* made their pledge goal, but they had a lot more pledges before the deadline, so some people obviously cancelled their pledges on the last day.

https://rewindupcycling.myshopify.com/collections/demilitarization

"Demilitarization" is a unique collection of items that have gone from enemy weaponry to demilitarization. The creativity of Ukrainian designers and the perseverance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine helped in this.

Our brand was born thanks to the community of skippers. Initially, our plans were not just to create new things. Instead, we wanted to give new life to the sails we spent much time at sea.

The war corrected our plans and suggested new directions - the parachutes of enemy pilots. The material is exciting in the history of this life-saving device's development and its product design. It was decided not just to destroy military things, not to hide them in a barn with the idea that in twenty years, it would turn into an awning in the yard, but to stop their military function completely.

Anyways, I pledged a large amount of cash, but I'll have something completely unique, at least around here. I love fashion in all its forms, and I don't have anything like this in my wardrobe.

for tomorrow:

SnowflakeChallenge #2
"In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom."

My thoughts on why you should read The Locked Tomb, or at least the first book, Gideon the Ninth!
important note: there are lesbians but the books are not romances.

I joined the birdfeeding https://birdfeeding.dreamwidth.org/ community! Here's my intro info from there:

location: SE Michigan

my interests in birds: I come from a family of birders on my Dad's side. My first word was "bird," definitely coached! I know how to use a bird book, and I have my own binoculars. Actually, they're a hand-me-down from my grandmother, some very nice Leitz. I always notice birds, but I can only remember the very common or very unusual ones without looking them up.

my yard: quiet suburb with mostly 1/4 acre yards, lots of feeders around. I have a squirrel "resistant" feeder that doesn't do crap: they hang on it to eat and also just shake it to get seed to the ground. The rabbits eat what the squirrels leave behind. I have 1 suet cage and a nyjer net. neighborhood cats come around rarely because we have a big dog.

general habitat: Midwest/Northeast mixed hardwoods and conifers. Lots of maples and oaks, plus interesting shrubbery. we get snow and cold weather 4-5 months a year, so migrations matter. Canada geese spend their summers on the local golf courses!

some birds I see: cardinals, blue jays, house sparrows, red-headed woodpeckers, nuthatches, mourning doves, misc finches, sometimes goldfinches. in the sky we have great blue herons, turkey vultures (of course), red-wing hawks, and sometimes bald eagles. owls are often heard and rarely seen. I think we have a big one (great-horned?) in the local patch of woods!

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June 2023

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Recent Entries

June Something - Day 5

smart birbs make friends online

home owner fuckery

shoulder injury

(no subject)

they are still killing transwomen all the time

Snowflake Challenge #14 - 2022 Wrap up / Top 5s

about me / tag game

Snowflake Challenge #12 - goals

Snowflake Challenge #6 - scavenger hunt

Friday Five: food I can't get

Snowflake Challenge #7

Maciej Cegłowski on fandom

Snowflake Challenge #6 - scavenger hunt

(no subject)

Snowflake Challenge #5

Snowflake Challenge #4

Ukraine jacket made from discarded Russian parachutes

to be continued

birding intro