Yuletide letter
Oct. 16th, 2025 01:16 amLast updated 21 Nov
Previously updated 11 Nov, 5 Nov
This is just more waffle in addition to my signup, and certainly not intended to contradict anything in it.
( Pokemon GO )
( The Hunt for Red October )
( The City of Last Chances )
( John Finnemore's Double Acts )
Phew, I did actually finish this letter! Dear Yule writer, I do hope I've included enough in the actual signup waffle to not have hampered you. I felt compelled to finish the letter, to prove to myself that I could, to clarify some points that I felt needed it after the frantic rush to finish the signup proper before the deadline. (The forever placeholders from Yuletides past are watching me, mockingly.)
For context on me and my ability to finish things: today I just completed a crafting kit that I first got more than 3 (three) years ago. For 3 years the kit sat on my desk, and for the past month I did a bit every week or so. The original glue had dried up and I had to use a substitute, the grouting took out my hands and possibly wrists, and I'm sure I will have learned nothing from this lesson about waiting until the "right moment" to do a thing.
Previously updated 11 Nov, 5 Nov
This is just more waffle in addition to my signup, and certainly not intended to contradict anything in it.
( Pokemon GO )
( The Hunt for Red October )
( The City of Last Chances )
( John Finnemore's Double Acts )
Phew, I did actually finish this letter! Dear Yule writer, I do hope I've included enough in the actual signup waffle to not have hampered you. I felt compelled to finish the letter, to prove to myself that I could, to clarify some points that I felt needed it after the frantic rush to finish the signup proper before the deadline. (The forever placeholders from Yuletides past are watching me, mockingly.)
For context on me and my ability to finish things: today I just completed a crafting kit that I first got more than 3 (three) years ago. For 3 years the kit sat on my desk, and for the past month I did a bit every week or so. The original glue had dried up and I had to use a substitute, the grouting took out my hands and possibly wrists, and I'm sure I will have learned nothing from this lesson about waiting until the "right moment" to do a thing.
Yuletide (former placeholder)
Oct. 21st, 2023 09:49 pmWas: Placeholder of shame and low executive function!
So, way back when in the distant depths of October, I didn't have enough spoons to write a "proper" Yuletide letter, but if I didn't include a link in the signup then there would be no way to include one at all. Enter the placeholder.
But it was also the case that any DNWs would only be enforceable if they were in the signup, so I spent all my energy crafting the signup, and had none whatsoever left for the Dreamwidth letter.
In the end, I think the signup ended up fairly complete, and my autumn ended up consumed by work and some other nonsense (and some fun things, to be fair), and thus was the placeholder left in place, holding it.
The only missing piece was the thing about the treats, and I had no brainspace to check my AO3 settings. Yep, it's been that kind of a year.
But yes, I would love Yuletide treats, my settings are set to be open to treats, if anyone is browsing at this late time in the season.
So, way back when in the distant depths of October, I didn't have enough spoons to write a "proper" Yuletide letter, but if I didn't include a link in the signup then there would be no way to include one at all. Enter the placeholder.
But it was also the case that any DNWs would only be enforceable if they were in the signup, so I spent all my energy crafting the signup, and had none whatsoever left for the Dreamwidth letter.
In the end, I think the signup ended up fairly complete, and my autumn ended up consumed by work and some other nonsense (and some fun things, to be fair), and thus was the placeholder left in place, holding it.
The only missing piece was the thing about the treats, and I had no brainspace to check my AO3 settings. Yep, it's been that kind of a year.
But yes, I would love Yuletide treats, my settings are set to be open to treats, if anyone is browsing at this late time in the season.
Snapshot of the state of the Enigel
Jan. 9th, 2020 08:41 pmDW selects a fitting random icon for once! :D It is Thorsday, and I do feel as upside down and askew as Thor looks.
I have a miserable cold, the third of the winter and the worst by far. I've lost my sense of smell (temporarily, I hope [1]), so food doesn't have much flavour either, which is making me even grumpier. Food-as-comfort only works if I can taste it! Otherwise it's just "vaguely sweet brown goo" instead of chocolate lava cake, "cardboard with distant hints of cheese" instead of a savoury scone with Stilton, and so forth. -_-
I'm hungry, but I can only feel "meh" at the thought of tasteless food.
I still don't think I can achieve the same critical mass of activity on DW as I had on LJ, but I've had this tab open for days so I want to put something in it.
Talking about hobbies in a void isn't much fun, as it turns out. Ever since watching TV series started feeling like a chore instead of a joy, and my ensuing abandonment of all TV series until and after Good Omens, I haven't had much in common with my old way of expressing fannish enthusiasm online.
I shudder to check the date on my last posted fic. I've had years-long writer's blocks before, but never this long and complete.
Pokemon GO is still absorbing a lot of my free time and energy, but I wouldn't say I'm fannish about it, not in the way I understand "fandom" [2]. It's not moving me to "squee!", you know? I occasionally squee when I catch a shiny Pokemon, and then I have Discord to share the joy with local friendly players.
[1] New fear: losing it permanently, after talking to an anosmic person who said that's exactly how she lost her sense of smell. D:
[2] Also, it's still under debate whether this is purely a hobby, or it has devolved into a joyless addiction. >.>
I have a miserable cold, the third of the winter and the worst by far. I've lost my sense of smell (temporarily, I hope [1]), so food doesn't have much flavour either, which is making me even grumpier. Food-as-comfort only works if I can taste it! Otherwise it's just "vaguely sweet brown goo" instead of chocolate lava cake, "cardboard with distant hints of cheese" instead of a savoury scone with Stilton, and so forth. -_-
I'm hungry, but I can only feel "meh" at the thought of tasteless food.
I still don't think I can achieve the same critical mass of activity on DW as I had on LJ, but I've had this tab open for days so I want to put something in it.
Talking about hobbies in a void isn't much fun, as it turns out. Ever since watching TV series started feeling like a chore instead of a joy, and my ensuing abandonment of all TV series until and after Good Omens, I haven't had much in common with my old way of expressing fannish enthusiasm online.
I shudder to check the date on my last posted fic. I've had years-long writer's blocks before, but never this long and complete.
Pokemon GO is still absorbing a lot of my free time and energy, but I wouldn't say I'm fannish about it, not in the way I understand "fandom" [2]. It's not moving me to "squee!", you know? I occasionally squee when I catch a shiny Pokemon, and then I have Discord to share the joy with local friendly players.
[1] New fear: losing it permanently, after talking to an anosmic person who said that's exactly how she lost her sense of smell. D:
[2] Also, it's still under debate whether this is purely a hobby, or it has devolved into a joyless addiction. >.>
Best laid plans
Aug. 31st, 2019 01:19 pmI meant to go sit in a local café, not my favourite café but I owed them money from the last time I didn't have cash, and reply to all the people to whom I wanted to reply "when I had enough brain space".
They don't allow laptops around lunchtime.
Fools! As if I can't faff around for hours on my phone, albeit grumpily, with my digital migrant sausage fingers.
*gets a wiggle on* Challenge accepted!
(There are plenty of empty tables. I'm petty, not a monster.)
They don't allow laptops around lunchtime.
Fools! As if I can't faff around for hours on my phone, albeit grumpily, with my digital migrant sausage fingers.
*gets a wiggle on* Challenge accepted!
(There are plenty of empty tables. I'm petty, not a monster.)
Hey, you, yes, you!
Jun. 19th, 2019 01:41 amDo you remember your last Gratuitous Icon Post?
No, neither do I. (Remember your last GIP, that is.) (Nor mine.)
Well, consider my counter reset, though!
No, neither do I. (Remember your last GIP, that is.) (Nor mine.)
Well, consider my counter reset, though!
(no subject)
Mar. 9th, 2019 04:54 pmAt first I thought the Good Omens film was too little, too late. Then I recognised David Tennant as Crowley and... I'm ready.
It's also amusing (and pleasing) to see a trickle of kudos on my ancient Good Omens fics, too. :D
It's also amusing (and pleasing) to see a trickle of kudos on my ancient Good Omens fics, too. :D
Meanwhile in fandom...
Dec. 31st, 2017 04:13 amI received a delightful Penguin Diplomacy fic, which I'd be remiss not to share with all of you, whether you know the source or not.
Rare Birds of the Southern Atlantic (4272 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: John Finnemore's Double Acts
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: George Bunning/Søndergaard (Double Acts)
Characters: George Bunning, Søndergaard (Double Acts)
Summary:
I watched the Dr Who Christmas special with K. - a Christmas tradition already, since it's the second time we do this :D - and... I did not expect to feel the joy and excitement I felt when the Doctor regenerated. (Because I already knew - the whole world already knew, because the internets already burbled over on the subject, but I managed to avoid most of it, etc.) I want to treasure that moment of joy and emotion. No one piss in my Cheerios please, it's been a long time since I felt something like it.
I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much, just in case they screw up the writing. (Don't lie to me, you know it can happen. Ask![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sarken sometime about it.) So: small, tentative squeee!
Rare Birds of the Southern Atlantic (4272 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: John Finnemore's Double Acts
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: George Bunning/Søndergaard (Double Acts)
Characters: George Bunning, Søndergaard (Double Acts)
Summary:
Puffins are not native to the southern atlantic, and neither are Danish penguin observers or British members of the foreign office. Still, home is what you make of it...
I watched the Dr Who Christmas special with K. - a Christmas tradition already, since it's the second time we do this :D - and... I did not expect to feel the joy and excitement I felt when the Doctor regenerated. (Because I already knew - the whole world already knew, because the internets already burbled over on the subject, but I managed to avoid most of it, etc.) I want to treasure that moment of joy and emotion. No one piss in my Cheerios please, it's been a long time since I felt something like it.
I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much, just in case they screw up the writing. (Don't lie to me, you know it can happen. Ask
sarken sometime about it.) So: small, tentative squeee!the best there ever was
Dec. 12th, 2017 01:28 amGuy-at-the-corner shop who continues to be amused by the fact that I play Pokémon GO and won't. just. let. it. rest: So, did it snow in the Pokémon world?
Me, smugly: Yes, it did.
Him, pantomime-style: It did not!
Me, even smugger: Yes, yes, it actually did.
Sometimes I love this game. You think you're joking and then find out it's real. :D
(I mostly love this game, except when I hate it. ;) See, we are governed by the moral imperative "Gotta catch them all", while under the constraint of "it's physically impossible to catch all of them". It's a hard life.)
Me, smugly: Yes, it did.
Him, pantomime-style: It did not!
Me, even smugger: Yes, yes, it actually did.
Sometimes I love this game. You think you're joking and then find out it's real. :D
(I mostly love this game, except when I hate it. ;) See, we are governed by the moral imperative "Gotta catch them all", while under the constraint of "it's physically impossible to catch all of them". It's a hard life.)
Do Not Want: death, including mention of canonical deaths; non-consensual or abusive relationships of any kind (not just sexual); cruelty or violence to animals, yes, not even that terrible penguin Lauren Bacall.
ETA Sat Oct 14: actual letter!
John Finnemore's Double Acts
George Bunning, Søndergaard
Aaaaaaah! I've had so much pure, old-fashioned squee about this sketch ever since I heard the draft version in a grimy pub in Kilburn. The final, diamond-polish radio version seems like it doesn't need anything more, all loose ends tied up in a perfect Finnemorian bow, and yet - I believe in fanfiction. :D
My preference would be for subtext-made-text, but if you're in it for the friendship only, that is also lovely and heart-warming!
Loose ideas rattling around in the brain, use or ignore as you feel:
Whew, that was a narrow escape! One missed signal and Søndergaard wouldn't have got his island. While I don't like dwelling on any sad alternative endings, I think they've both earned that brandy and some poorly expressed emotional fallout.
Does Søndergaard learn some Morse code, eventually? (Perhaps Bunning's worry that he'll get into some trouble and not know how to radio for help pushes him to insist on some lessons, in his own peculiar British way of showing worry. Or perhaps Søndergaard does get into trouble, and sends a string of Morse Vs that only Bunning can decode.)
What does the "governor's mansion" look like, how do you hide it from view? :O (We hear a door, so it can't be an igloo...)
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme
Snowman, Casterbridge; Scottish Bodyguard, Cheeky Bodyguard
Not all characters are required! You can choose between the B-team detectives[1] (Casterbridge & Snowman) or the brave Bodyguards.
[1] B is for Biscuit isle, of course.
I'd like some more wacky adventures from either of the two comedic duos.
Perhaps the PM - sorry, Pelican, does get attacked. With a pie, Bill Gates style. Who's the brave soul who jumps in front of the flying pastry? What are other codenames for famous and infamous public figures?
Do the store detectives run across a well organised team of pastry pilferers?
As I specified in the signup, you don't have to have all four characters. Far be it from me to stop you if you're feeling inspired to link them together in the same story! But it's not required or expected.
Submachine
Liz, The Player, Einstein the Cat
Of all the figures in the game, it's Liz that I don't quite have a handle on. I know that's not saying much, given how few humans are present in the subnet. :D Still, I'd like to know more about her and about her own journey, research, and discovery into and of the subnet. The game placed her into a somewhat stereotypical female role - the Mother, the Healer - but she's also an individual, more than an archetype.
My favourite games in the series are The Lighthouse, The Temple, The Plan, and The Exit. I like the Basement and The Lab too, though. I guess it would be more true to say that I don't particularly like The Loop and The Edge, but don't let that stop you from including them if the story needs it. I also like the Subnet Extended Exploration non-game, and always wish it would sprout more rooms.
I'm good with fourth wall breaking, sentient cats, crossovers with other SF things. I guess the one thing I'm not comfortable with is having seen Mur and Liz's tombs - I prefer to think they're symbolic. I didn't include Mur in the character list - this doesn't mean I hate him, just that I didn't want the focus to be on him.
Oh, and I love cats. Please don't let anything bad happen to Einstein the Cat. :)
I prefer third person or first person narration, I find second person hard to get into.
The Player character is optional - if you do include them, since The Player is me, I'd prefer if they were female or not gendered.
Food for the mind
Sep. 4th, 2017 12:54 amI'm very proud of myself for making it to a few exhibitions before they closed, especially since I had them bookmarked since... spring, more or less.
Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths was grimly interesting. It reminded me why I fear the current "revolutionary" undercurrent - revolutions eat their children, and the winners often become as cruel and unjust as the oppressors. To me that was the true lesson of The Hunger Games.
Into the Unknown: A Journey through Science Fiction was jam-packed with stuff - posters, books, artefacts, movie props, books, movie clips, costumes etc etc - all very interesting and fascinating. I wish I could have spent more time in it, but the cacophony of movie clips played on a loop, from numerous screens close to each other, made me physically nauseated, and I had to speed through the last room.
Robots at the Science Museum was a little bit disappointing. I don't know what I expected, though - there were a lot of interesting displays and connections made throughout history of humans' invention of automata, and our relationships with them. It still feels like there could have been even more exhibits from around the world, not just the very most famous international, and any UK contributions to big up the UK. :P
Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail was cool, especially for being free. I like seeing all sorts of daily life objects, and it's amazing what will survive under the right conditions. Props to the museum for having portable foldable chairs, too - it was a great help and allowed me to conserve my energy for Pokemon hunting later.
Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths was grimly interesting. It reminded me why I fear the current "revolutionary" undercurrent - revolutions eat their children, and the winners often become as cruel and unjust as the oppressors. To me that was the true lesson of The Hunger Games.
Into the Unknown: A Journey through Science Fiction was jam-packed with stuff - posters, books, artefacts, movie props, books, movie clips, costumes etc etc - all very interesting and fascinating. I wish I could have spent more time in it, but the cacophony of movie clips played on a loop, from numerous screens close to each other, made me physically nauseated, and I had to speed through the last room.
Robots at the Science Museum was a little bit disappointing. I don't know what I expected, though - there were a lot of interesting displays and connections made throughout history of humans' invention of automata, and our relationships with them. It still feels like there could have been even more exhibits from around the world, not just the very most famous international, and any UK contributions to big up the UK. :P
Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail was cool, especially for being free. I like seeing all sorts of daily life objects, and it's amazing what will survive under the right conditions. Props to the museum for having portable foldable chairs, too - it was a great help and allowed me to conserve my energy for Pokemon hunting later.
