All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
Dec. 1st, 2025 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lightreadsAll That We See or Seem
3/5. Marketed as scifi, but it’s actually a near future AI tech thriller about the loner hacker who gets tangled up in the search for a missing woman whose job is weaving AI-enhanced mass dream experiences.
Meh. A lot of the AI speculation here is really interesting. It’s all extremely plausible – the internet mostly just bots shouting at each other, everyone with means having a personal AI assistant who is trained to think specifically like them, what new kinds of art really draw people in as authentic, etc. – but speculates about these things while touching lightly on how they are bad and how they are good. Letting it be complicated with AI, can you imagine? Is that even allowed? In the era where I have been told that I’m a “traitor to humanity” for occasionally finding a particular AI powered accessibility tool to be extremely helpful in ways no prior tool has ever come remotely close to? Oh but surely we can’t have nuance in these conversations, oh no.
Unfortunately, everything else about this book is meh. The villain POV (please stop), the weirdly flat delivery of events that are supposed to be tense or upsetting, the main character and the shallow thriller treatment of her trauma, the “twist” in the epilogue.
This makes me not want to read his fantasy, actually. Does it have the same problems, or is he trying too hard to write like a thriller guy?
Content notes: Violence, slavery.
3/5. Marketed as scifi, but it’s actually a near future AI tech thriller about the loner hacker who gets tangled up in the search for a missing woman whose job is weaving AI-enhanced mass dream experiences.
Meh. A lot of the AI speculation here is really interesting. It’s all extremely plausible – the internet mostly just bots shouting at each other, everyone with means having a personal AI assistant who is trained to think specifically like them, what new kinds of art really draw people in as authentic, etc. – but speculates about these things while touching lightly on how they are bad and how they are good. Letting it be complicated with AI, can you imagine? Is that even allowed? In the era where I have been told that I’m a “traitor to humanity” for occasionally finding a particular AI powered accessibility tool to be extremely helpful in ways no prior tool has ever come remotely close to? Oh but surely we can’t have nuance in these conversations, oh no.
Unfortunately, everything else about this book is meh. The villain POV (please stop), the weirdly flat delivery of events that are supposed to be tense or upsetting, the main character and the shallow thriller treatment of her trauma, the “twist” in the epilogue.
This makes me not want to read his fantasy, actually. Does it have the same problems, or is he trying too hard to write like a thriller guy?
Content notes: Violence, slavery.
Peasina's Wishes
Dec. 1st, 2025 01:35 pmpeasina posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
holiday_wishesHello friends,
I’m pea, a 30-something podficcer, Pokémon-fan, and craft-lover from the UK 👋 This is my eighth time participating in Holiday Wishes, and I look forward to the kind, wholesome interactions this event encourages all year. Thank you so much to anyone who grants any of my below wishes. You’re amazing!
1. DW Points – This was my first year having a paid DW account, and I love having access to extra icons, polls, and the search function! Any number of points you’d be kind enough to gift me would be extremely appreciated.
2. Female YouTuber recs – It’s always lovely to find a new YouTuber to binge, and I’d love to support more women making videos about topics I enjoy such as crafts, hobbies, LGBTQ+ themes, video games, and Pokémon. Some of my current favourites are: brattyxbre (zines), Emma Thorne (religion, LGBTQ+ rights, conspiracy theories), Karen Puzzles (jigsaw puzzles), Kyra/Strawberry Pokémon (Pokémon TCG collecting), Memoria (video games), Royalty Soaps (soap and candle making), and Shiny Catherine (Pokémon shiny hunting).
3. Paid Discord things – If you have any of those free trials of Discord Nitro to give out, I’d love to be the lucky recipient of one, especially from 22 Dec onward (when I’m taking part in a Discord-based fan event that’s always easier with Nitro.) My Discord username is ‘alittlesunshine’ – feel free to friend me. I also have a wishlist associated with my account with two cute profile add-ons I’d love to have, if you’re feeling extra generous.
4. Comments on any works in the PokePodProject collections — I co-modpokepodproject, an event that aims to create a fic and podfic for every Pokémon, and I would be delighted if the participants got more attention on their works. I’d appreciate it so, so, so much if you showed them (fic and/or podfic) some love. All are under 1k/10 mins. Here are some links to help you navigate:
Gen one: AO3 Collection | Spreadsheet of Works | Audiobook Anthology Downloads
Gen two: AO3 Collection | Spreadsheet of Works | Audiobook Anthology Downloads
5. Something to open for Christmas – I don’t really get gifts at Christmas, and not to sound shallow, but I do really enjoy having something to open. If you’d like to send me a little surprise, I’d be so grateful and will probably cry happy tears. Here’s a few things I like, if it helps: purple, pink, wax melts (citrus, coffee, sugary scents), stickers, sweets/candy, beads, handmade items (I LOVE crafts!! anything you made will excite me), Pokémon (especially steel and fairy types and any gen one Pokemon), and fruit-themed items. Please DM me for my address 💖
Thank you for looking at my wish list, and thank you again in advance for your kindness if you grant any of my wishes. Happy Holidays!
I’m pea, a 30-something podficcer, Pokémon-fan, and craft-lover from the UK 👋 This is my eighth time participating in Holiday Wishes, and I look forward to the kind, wholesome interactions this event encourages all year. Thank you so much to anyone who grants any of my below wishes. You’re amazing!
1. DW Points – This was my first year having a paid DW account, and I love having access to extra icons, polls, and the search function! Any number of points you’d be kind enough to gift me would be extremely appreciated.
2. Female YouTuber recs – It’s always lovely to find a new YouTuber to binge, and I’d love to support more women making videos about topics I enjoy such as crafts, hobbies, LGBTQ+ themes, video games, and Pokémon. Some of my current favourites are: brattyxbre (zines), Emma Thorne (religion, LGBTQ+ rights, conspiracy theories), Karen Puzzles (jigsaw puzzles), Kyra/Strawberry Pokémon (Pokémon TCG collecting), Memoria (video games), Royalty Soaps (soap and candle making), and Shiny Catherine (Pokémon shiny hunting).
3. Paid Discord things – If you have any of those free trials of Discord Nitro to give out, I’d love to be the lucky recipient of one, especially from 22 Dec onward (when I’m taking part in a Discord-based fan event that’s always easier with Nitro.) My Discord username is ‘alittlesunshine’ – feel free to friend me. I also have a wishlist associated with my account with two cute profile add-ons I’d love to have, if you’re feeling extra generous.
4. Comments on any works in the PokePodProject collections — I co-mod
pokepodproject, an event that aims to create a fic and podfic for every Pokémon, and I would be delighted if the participants got more attention on their works. I’d appreciate it so, so, so much if you showed them (fic and/or podfic) some love. All are under 1k/10 mins. Here are some links to help you navigate:Gen one: AO3 Collection | Spreadsheet of Works | Audiobook Anthology Downloads
Gen two: AO3 Collection | Spreadsheet of Works | Audiobook Anthology Downloads
5. Something to open for Christmas – I don’t really get gifts at Christmas, and not to sound shallow, but I do really enjoy having something to open. If you’d like to send me a little surprise, I’d be so grateful and will probably cry happy tears. Here’s a few things I like, if it helps: purple, pink, wax melts (citrus, coffee, sugary scents), stickers, sweets/candy, beads, handmade items (I LOVE crafts!! anything you made will excite me), Pokémon (especially steel and fairy types and any gen one Pokemon), and fruit-themed items. Please DM me for my address 💖
Thank you for looking at my wish list, and thank you again in advance for your kindness if you grant any of my wishes. Happy Holidays!
season's greasons
Dec. 1st, 2025 09:01 amyarnofariadne posting in holiday_wishesHello and happy holidays! May whatever your celebrations are be joyous, restorative, and blessed if they are religious.
1. Craft supplies donations for schools. Of course check with your local schools to see if this is something they really need, but I was until recently a TA in a special school and we were absolutely desperate for craft supplies that no one was donating. Fabric, even just in scraps, is especially valuable this time of year. Anything you have in your stash that you're not using, please see if you have a local school (particularly a special school) that could make use of it!
2. High quality, durable cat toys. My little guy is joyously destroying every toy he gets, and I simply don't have enough money to be replacing them at the speed he goes through them. I'd happily take recommendations (not Kong), or if you want to send me physical items, I'll have contact info at the bottom of this post.
3. Stickers. I'm long distance with one of my partners and we write lots of physical letters. I like to decorate the envelopes with stickers but my stash is running low and I'm having trouble finding cool stickers I like - most shops I find on Ko-fi and such are based in the US, and getting anything sent from the US is a very hit-or-miss prospect these days. I will again take recs - UK-based shops preferred, since I know most of the EU (understandably) won't ship to us either - or if you have spares you'd like to get rid of, contact info is at the bottom of this post. Themes I like: cats, mythology, folklore and folk art, vintage florals, spooky/witchy/Halloween things, hearts.
4. Washi tape. Same note as with the stickers - I keep finding local artists listing washi tape on their website and it must be going out of stock within minutes! No one seems to be able to keep it in stock, unless there is some vast washi tape-making supply shortage of which I'm unaware. If you have recs or any physical items you'd like to get rid of, I'm happy to take either.
5. Dreamwidth points. Always appreciated!
6. One more player for Vampire Heist. I'm running a homebrew D&D mini campaign on StartPlayingGames and we're one player short of starting. If you'd like to (fictionally) force the British Museum to repatriate some stuff, come play with us!
7. Anything off my Giftful wishlist. The wishlist is here and contact info's at the bottom of this post.
8. Commissions. I recently left my job because for a number of reasons it was killing me, and while I'm very happy with having given myself the gift of mental and physical health, I could use some work! I offer both writing and editing commissions, and I especially love editing, so if you've got some writing you'd like eyes on - anything from fic to novels - I'd be happy to help.
9. Eyes on my writing. It's really a struggle out there for writers trying to keep scrapers from stealing their work, and I've had to lower the visibility of my writing past what I would ideally have. All my writing is available for free onyarnofariadne_writes, though you do have to join the community (I'll swiftly approve - I'm just trying to keep out the bots). I'm in the process of cross-posting to my website as well. My books are also available for very low prices, and I'm happy to send out review copies for reviewers.
10. Word of mouth. Following on from the above, if you enjoy what I write, please tell someone! Writing reviews on Goodreads/Storygraph/Pagebound is always a kindness, and even just telling a friend you think would be into what I write would be very much appreciated.
You can DM me here on Dreamwidth, or send me an email at victoriacaroline at tuta dot com.
1. Craft supplies donations for schools. Of course check with your local schools to see if this is something they really need, but I was until recently a TA in a special school and we were absolutely desperate for craft supplies that no one was donating. Fabric, even just in scraps, is especially valuable this time of year. Anything you have in your stash that you're not using, please see if you have a local school (particularly a special school) that could make use of it!
2. High quality, durable cat toys. My little guy is joyously destroying every toy he gets, and I simply don't have enough money to be replacing them at the speed he goes through them. I'd happily take recommendations (not Kong), or if you want to send me physical items, I'll have contact info at the bottom of this post.
3. Stickers. I'm long distance with one of my partners and we write lots of physical letters. I like to decorate the envelopes with stickers but my stash is running low and I'm having trouble finding cool stickers I like - most shops I find on Ko-fi and such are based in the US, and getting anything sent from the US is a very hit-or-miss prospect these days. I will again take recs - UK-based shops preferred, since I know most of the EU (understandably) won't ship to us either - or if you have spares you'd like to get rid of, contact info is at the bottom of this post. Themes I like: cats, mythology, folklore and folk art, vintage florals, spooky/witchy/Halloween things, hearts.
4. Washi tape. Same note as with the stickers - I keep finding local artists listing washi tape on their website and it must be going out of stock within minutes! No one seems to be able to keep it in stock, unless there is some vast washi tape-making supply shortage of which I'm unaware. If you have recs or any physical items you'd like to get rid of, I'm happy to take either.
5. Dreamwidth points. Always appreciated!
6. One more player for Vampire Heist. I'm running a homebrew D&D mini campaign on StartPlayingGames and we're one player short of starting. If you'd like to (fictionally) force the British Museum to repatriate some stuff, come play with us!
7. Anything off my Giftful wishlist. The wishlist is here and contact info's at the bottom of this post.
8. Commissions. I recently left my job because for a number of reasons it was killing me, and while I'm very happy with having given myself the gift of mental and physical health, I could use some work! I offer both writing and editing commissions, and I especially love editing, so if you've got some writing you'd like eyes on - anything from fic to novels - I'd be happy to help.
9. Eyes on my writing. It's really a struggle out there for writers trying to keep scrapers from stealing their work, and I've had to lower the visibility of my writing past what I would ideally have. All my writing is available for free on
yarnofariadne_writes, though you do have to join the community (I'll swiftly approve - I'm just trying to keep out the bots). I'm in the process of cross-posting to my website as well. My books are also available for very low prices, and I'm happy to send out review copies for reviewers.10. Word of mouth. Following on from the above, if you enjoy what I write, please tell someone! Writing reviews on Goodreads/Storygraph/Pagebound is always a kindness, and even just telling a friend you think would be into what I write would be very much appreciated.
You can DM me here on Dreamwidth, or send me an email at victoriacaroline at tuta dot com.
(no subject)
Dec. 1st, 2025 03:52 pmgoodbyebirdEy let's start out with our beloved franchise that's getting a new mooovieeee :DDD
❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Rec-cember Day 1
The Mummy
as wine pervades water by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
betony (2,266 words). Delightful!
The last thing Rick expects to hear, when Evie opens the door at last, is a grim: “Darling, we’ve got to get married.”
Rec-cember Day 1
The Mummy
as wine pervades water by
The last thing Rick expects to hear, when Evie opens the door at last, is a grim: “Darling, we’ve got to get married.”
Choosing Health Insurance: Two Unobvious Marketplace Deadlines [US, healthcare, Patreon]
Dec. 1st, 2025 06:23 amsidereaCanonical link: https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1888828.html
Hey, Americans and people living in the US going through open enrollment on the state ACA marketplaces who haven't yet enrolled in a plan for 2026!
Just about every state in the union and DC (but not Idaho) proudly touts an end date to open enrollment sometime in January. This year for most states it ends January 15th, but in CA, NJ, NY, RI, and DC, it's January 31st, and here in Massachusetts, it's January 23rd. (Idaho's is December 15th.) [Source]
That sure sounds like the deadline is sometime in January.
No, it kinda isn't.
( tl;dr: Just assume if you want insurance to start Jan 1, the deadlines are to enroll by Dec 8 and to pay for the first month by Dec 15. Important deets within. [950 words] )
This post brought to you by the 220 readers who funded my writing it – thank you all so much! You can see who they are at my Patreon page. If you're not one of them, and would be willing to chip in so I can write more things like this, please do so there.
Please leave comments on the Comment Catcher comment, instead of the main body of the post – unless you are commenting to get a copy of the post sent to you in email through the notification system, then go ahead and comment on it directly. Thanks!
Hey, Americans and people living in the US going through open enrollment on the state ACA marketplaces who haven't yet enrolled in a plan for 2026!
Just about every state in the union and DC (but not Idaho) proudly touts an end date to open enrollment sometime in January. This year for most states it ends January 15th, but in CA, NJ, NY, RI, and DC, it's January 31st, and here in Massachusetts, it's January 23rd. (Idaho's is December 15th.) [Source]
That sure sounds like the deadline is sometime in January.
No, it kinda isn't.
( tl;dr: Just assume if you want insurance to start Jan 1, the deadlines are to enroll by Dec 8 and to pay for the first month by Dec 15. Important deets within. [950 words] )
This post brought to you by the 220 readers who funded my writing it – thank you all so much! You can see who they are at my Patreon page. If you're not one of them, and would be willing to chip in so I can write more things like this, please do so there.
Please leave comments on the Comment Catcher comment, instead of the main body of the post – unless you are commenting to get a copy of the post sent to you in email through the notification system, then go ahead and comment on it directly. Thanks!
Kiwiria's November Novels
Dec. 1st, 2025 11:04 amkiwiria posting in christianreaderGoing Overboard - Portia MacIntosh, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~7hrs
Rounded up on goodreads because THERE WAS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!
*ahrem*
Really, really sweet novel. Portia MacIntosh is a bit hit-and-miss, depending on whether or not she remembers that communication is key, and how much second-hand embarassment she subjects the reader to, but as neither issue was a problem here, it ended up being the best book I have read by her so far.
Lots of things to love about the book - from one of my favourite settings (a cruise ship!!! That in itself would have been enough to make me pick it up) through the fake dating trope (one of my favourites when done right) to the ride-or-die friendships (people who actually care about each other!).
I do think that Nikki's hostility lacked an explanation - especially as Jessa herself questioned it, but I loved Brody, and it was so refreshing to see a relationship - even a fake one - where people actually TALKED about things!
Predictable as - but really sweet all the same :-)
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End - Adam Silvera, 3/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
First and foremost - heed the trigger warnings! Neither suicide nor self-harm is a trigger to me, but if it is to you - stay away from this book! It's not just a brief sentence here or there, but a HUGE part of the plot!
Unfortunately the weakest of the lot. I liked "They Both Die at the End" and loved "The First to Die at the End", so had high hopes for this one - but it just couldn't deliver.
It's a hard book to review without small spoilers, so fair warning. I'll try to be as vague as possible.
Getting my complaints out of the way first ...
First of all - the book was too long. Not so much that I got bored listening to it, but there was a lot of repetition that could easily have been cut down.
Secondly, the vilification of Paz didn't make sense. The kid was 9 at the time of the shooting - how could people take it as anything other than the desperate acts of a desperate child? The fact that it was still ruining his life 10 years later seemed contrived to me.
Thirdly, there was a tad too much insta-love. I know this was the case in the other two books as well, but there it made SENSE, as they were working on a deadline. That wasn't the case here. Also, the relationship was unhealthy as. The very definition of a codependent relationship.
Finally, the end - a completely cop-out! Extremely annoying foreshadowing that made me subtract a star all by itself.
Right! That aside ...
I really liked the friendship between Paz and Alano. I liked that they spent time getting to know each other, and that they actually managed to communicate and understand each others' blind spots.
Paz' disorder seemed well described as well. Both the way his thoughts would spiral, and how he tried to stop himself, once he became aware of what was happening.
So all in all a book that could have been awesome, but which fell flat because of the end. A shame.
Alchemised - SenLinYu, 4/5, 1030 pages
This is a retelling of a Harry Potter fanfic - turning it into original fiction. I have read the fanfic as well, and while I do think the fanfic is better, SenLinYu did an amazing job of turning it into a piece of original fiction.
Getting the main issue out of the way first - the fanfic is better, because the backstory is more complete. It could hardly be any different, when one is based on a long series with character development and worldbuilding and the other has to stand on its own. In "Alchemised" we have to take the authors word for the friendship between Helena and Luc, and the animosity between Helena and Ferron ... in "Manacled", those things are implicitly understood, because we know Hermino, Harry and Draco. Having read "Manacled" I could extrapolate the relationships - I'm not sure how it would work, coming into it blind.
That said, I still found "Alchemised" incredibly well written, and was impressed by how SenLinYu twisted the magic around to turn it into original fiction. It's very dark fantasy, and any reader would do well to take the trigger warnings seriously.
I couldn't put it down, and read it at any chance I got, finishing 1030 pages in less than two weeks.
Lykkeriddere - Claus Holm & Simone Lindquist, 4.5/5, 398 pages
I've always been a fan of Claus Holm's books, and this is not only one of the best I've read by him, it could easily become one of the best books I read this year!
It's a wonderful mix of "Treasure Island" meets "Our Flag Means Death", and I could easily have read it in one sitting, if work and sleep hadn't gotten in the way.
Eight Cousins - L.M. Alcott*, 4/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Rose In Bloom - L.M. Alcott*, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
The Rose series still makes for an adorable story. It doesn't suffer from the same moral anecdotes as "Jack and Jill" and deserves to be quite as well known as "Little Women" because IMHO it's just as charming. It clearly describes the love and friendship between Rose, her seven cousins and her many aunts and uncles. One of those wonderfully old-fashioned "feel good" novels.
Books Read: 84
Rounded up on goodreads because THERE WAS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!
*ahrem*
Really, really sweet novel. Portia MacIntosh is a bit hit-and-miss, depending on whether or not she remembers that communication is key, and how much second-hand embarassment she subjects the reader to, but as neither issue was a problem here, it ended up being the best book I have read by her so far.
Lots of things to love about the book - from one of my favourite settings (a cruise ship!!! That in itself would have been enough to make me pick it up) through the fake dating trope (one of my favourites when done right) to the ride-or-die friendships (people who actually care about each other!).
I do think that Nikki's hostility lacked an explanation - especially as Jessa herself questioned it, but I loved Brody, and it was so refreshing to see a relationship - even a fake one - where people actually TALKED about things!
Predictable as - but really sweet all the same :-)
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End - Adam Silvera, 3/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
First and foremost - heed the trigger warnings! Neither suicide nor self-harm is a trigger to me, but if it is to you - stay away from this book! It's not just a brief sentence here or there, but a HUGE part of the plot!
Unfortunately the weakest of the lot. I liked "They Both Die at the End" and loved "The First to Die at the End", so had high hopes for this one - but it just couldn't deliver.
It's a hard book to review without small spoilers, so fair warning. I'll try to be as vague as possible.
Getting my complaints out of the way first ...
First of all - the book was too long. Not so much that I got bored listening to it, but there was a lot of repetition that could easily have been cut down.
Secondly, the vilification of Paz didn't make sense. The kid was 9 at the time of the shooting - how could people take it as anything other than the desperate acts of a desperate child? The fact that it was still ruining his life 10 years later seemed contrived to me.
Thirdly, there was a tad too much insta-love. I know this was the case in the other two books as well, but there it made SENSE, as they were working on a deadline. That wasn't the case here. Also, the relationship was unhealthy as. The very definition of a codependent relationship.
Finally, the end - a completely cop-out! Extremely annoying foreshadowing that made me subtract a star all by itself.
Right! That aside ...
I really liked the friendship between Paz and Alano. I liked that they spent time getting to know each other, and that they actually managed to communicate and understand each others' blind spots.
Paz' disorder seemed well described as well. Both the way his thoughts would spiral, and how he tried to stop himself, once he became aware of what was happening.
So all in all a book that could have been awesome, but which fell flat because of the end. A shame.
Alchemised - SenLinYu, 4/5, 1030 pages
This is a retelling of a Harry Potter fanfic - turning it into original fiction. I have read the fanfic as well, and while I do think the fanfic is better, SenLinYu did an amazing job of turning it into a piece of original fiction.
Getting the main issue out of the way first - the fanfic is better, because the backstory is more complete. It could hardly be any different, when one is based on a long series with character development and worldbuilding and the other has to stand on its own. In "Alchemised" we have to take the authors word for the friendship between Helena and Luc, and the animosity between Helena and Ferron ... in "Manacled", those things are implicitly understood, because we know Hermino, Harry and Draco. Having read "Manacled" I could extrapolate the relationships - I'm not sure how it would work, coming into it blind.
That said, I still found "Alchemised" incredibly well written, and was impressed by how SenLinYu twisted the magic around to turn it into original fiction. It's very dark fantasy, and any reader would do well to take the trigger warnings seriously.
I couldn't put it down, and read it at any chance I got, finishing 1030 pages in less than two weeks.
Lykkeriddere - Claus Holm & Simone Lindquist, 4.5/5, 398 pages
I've always been a fan of Claus Holm's books, and this is not only one of the best I've read by him, it could easily become one of the best books I read this year!
It's a wonderful mix of "Treasure Island" meets "Our Flag Means Death", and I could easily have read it in one sitting, if work and sleep hadn't gotten in the way.
Eight Cousins - L.M. Alcott*, 4/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Rose In Bloom - L.M. Alcott*, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
The Rose series still makes for an adorable story. It doesn't suffer from the same moral anecdotes as "Jack and Jill" and deserves to be quite as well known as "Little Women" because IMHO it's just as charming. It clearly describes the love and friendship between Rose, her seven cousins and her many aunts and uncles. One of those wonderfully old-fashioned "feel good" novels.
Books Read: 84
We’ve made a change that we believe has resolved the issues. We are slowly catching up on the&
Nov. 30th, 2025 08:52 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
ao3_tumblr_feedWorks Slow to Appear in Listings
We are aware of issues with works taking a long time to appearing in listings (such as when looking at a tag or searching). We are investigating!
Refer to our status page for more information.
Posted: 18:17 UTC 30 November, 2025
We’ve made a change that we believe has resolved the issues. We are slowly catching up on the backlog, but it will be some time before all works and bookmarks appear in listings. Thank you for your patience!
Refer to our status page for more information.
Posted: 20:51 UTC 30 November, 2025
pictures for November
Nov. 30th, 2025 03:14 pmpauraqueLast month I finally got off my ass and put up bird feeders in the yard. Moving is a process, okay?
Black-capped Chickadee. Despite being our most common backyard bird, they are kind of my favorite. (Don't tell the others.) I love the color palette of their plumage. They can't open seeds with their beaks, so they will often take one and fly away to bang it open on a tree branch. Sometimes they are clever/lazy and bang them open on the feeder perches.
( more birds [8 photos] )
( not birds [4 photos] )
Black-capped Chickadee. Despite being our most common backyard bird, they are kind of my favorite. (Don't tell the others.) I love the color palette of their plumage. They can't open seeds with their beaks, so they will often take one and fly away to bang it open on a tree branch. Sometimes they are clever/lazy and bang them open on the feeder perches.
( more birds [8 photos] )
( not birds [4 photos] )
[ SECRET POST #6904 ]
Nov. 30th, 2025 02:42 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6904 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 30 secrets from Secret Submission Post #986.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Works Slow to Appear in Listings
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Posted: 18:17 UTC 30 November, 2025
fuckin white people
Nov. 30th, 2025 11:17 amsabotabby The City of Toronto decided to, at the request of Black Lives Matter six years ago, rename a bunch of places that were named after Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811). Many important landmarks here, including a major street and two subway stations, are named after this guy (as well as a small town and many other streets around Ontario).
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), was a wealthy British white man who was in favour of the "gradual abolition" of slavery, which is to say that over half a million Africans who might have otherwise been freed were instead trafficked during the delay.
Many, many people are suddenly amateur historians defending the life and beliefs of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), the beauteous sound of the syllables upon the tongue, the importance of remembering history (textbooks no longer exist, you see, and Wikipedia was never invented) and the cost to the city of the renaming. These same people have never, to my knowledge, issued a single complaint about Gichi Kiiwenging being renamed to York and later to Toronto, constituting a massive act of disrespecting and forgetting history and culture and a financial cost still borne by today's Anishinaabowen. They probably even call the Skydome the Rogers Centre now!
Is this act symbolic and pointless? Kinda. Black Lives Matter also asked, famously, for the police to be defunded, but this year the police budget got a 3.9% raise, ballooning to a princely $1.22 billion, at a time when violent crime continues to fall. I think that's a more important demand! I also think that the new name of the subway station is stupid. However, as a Jewish person, I wouldn't like to be walking down a street named after Hitler, so I do think it's a nice symbolic gesture to call it something else.
All I can say is imagine being so white and having so few problems that you have suddenly started caring about Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811)!
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), was a wealthy British white man who was in favour of the "gradual abolition" of slavery, which is to say that over half a million Africans who might have otherwise been freed were instead trafficked during the delay.
Many, many people are suddenly amateur historians defending the life and beliefs of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), the beauteous sound of the syllables upon the tongue, the importance of remembering history (textbooks no longer exist, you see, and Wikipedia was never invented) and the cost to the city of the renaming. These same people have never, to my knowledge, issued a single complaint about Gichi Kiiwenging being renamed to York and later to Toronto, constituting a massive act of disrespecting and forgetting history and culture and a financial cost still borne by today's Anishinaabowen. They probably even call the Skydome the Rogers Centre now!
Is this act symbolic and pointless? Kinda. Black Lives Matter also asked, famously, for the police to be defunded, but this year the police budget got a 3.9% raise, ballooning to a princely $1.22 billion, at a time when violent crime continues to fall. I think that's a more important demand! I also think that the new name of the subway station is stupid. However, as a Jewish person, I wouldn't like to be walking down a street named after Hitler, so I do think it's a nice symbolic gesture to call it something else.
All I can say is imagine being so white and having so few problems that you have suddenly started caring about Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811)!
Week 49 - final month almost here!
Nov. 30th, 2025 12:41 pmruricDecember looms which means I have 3.5 weeks to get my flat in order so I don't spend the time I have off work stressing about going into the new year totally disorganised. Challenge accepted!
#ORJENISE100 I've started on these but not finished any yet.
HOME: have maintained tidy kitchen, bathroom, hall, landing, stairs which is a win. I'm chipping away at the bedroom but plan to push on with this a couple of nights next week. Aiming to have it at least tidy by close of play 7 December.
HEALTH: pretty good!
LIFE ADMIN: a little financial jiggery pokery.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: got email down to 11,500 then it went back up to 12,000 but currently back to 11,700. Need to set aside 30 mins a day to deal with archived folders. No progress on phone images recently. May just need to leave this to Xmas hols!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: just have the three living room windows boxes to do. Still not made it into the back garden Lots of tidying to do in the tiny back gardenmnor taken the compost to the allotment, also have to sort out houseplants. More tasks for Xmas hols.
COOKING/EATING: last week was still about eating down deli items and living on sandwich lunches. Onn the plus side my fridge is almost empty for my next Oddbox which arrives on Friday and I am currently defrosting some stuff from the freezer to see me through next week and I plan to make a giant curry tomorrow.
READING/LISTENING: nope.
WATCHING: still watching Pluribus and Robin Hood. I like how they've pitched this iteration with Henry II gallivanting in France, we get Eleanor of Aquitaine scheming, plus Sean Bean is a pretty decent Sherrif caught between a rock and a hard place. Since I subscribed to Acorn TV I've had detective shows on in the background. Have just hammered through Hinterland which would lead you to believe Aberystwyth is the murder capital of Wales - it led me to check 34 homicides in the whole of Wales in 2021/22. It was a good show with a compelling storyline through all 3 seasons but was grim viewing. I'm ready for an overload of saccharine Hallmark Xmas movies now.
CREATING/LEARNING: I've been to one Monday and a couple of Friday crochet sessions. I think I'm going to pass or only do 1 Monday a month and focus on the Friday lunchtime ones. I've almost finished my freestyle beanie hat and the Xmas garland is coming along. We did granny square Xmas trees on Friday which are cute and simple - finished one in class and made 5 more at home. Also made some simple stars at home. Focusing at the moment on fast makes that can be completed in 15-30 mins and have been raiding Pinterest and YouTube for free patterns. I also bought a giant load of wool (thank you Black Friday sale) from Wool Warehouse so I can make a start on the totally mad granny square blanket next year. I seem to also have acquired lots of wool over the last year - obviously bought for specific projects but I did not label them at the time (yet another task for the Xmas hols).
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still can't get back into allottment Insta but did chase up the other things I needed to do. Will miss next committee meeting tomorrow as it's the AGM for the 23 sites at work tomorrow night.
SOCIALISING: online catch up with friends last Thursday which was good.
WORK: did 3 late night's last week with a colleague as we're both inundated. Productive but long days and it did mean last week was all about work and nothing else! No work-life balance at all. Which I will remedy in December and in to 2026!
#ORJENISE100 I've started on these but not finished any yet.
HOME: have maintained tidy kitchen, bathroom, hall, landing, stairs which is a win. I'm chipping away at the bedroom but plan to push on with this a couple of nights next week. Aiming to have it at least tidy by close of play 7 December.
HEALTH: pretty good!
LIFE ADMIN: a little financial jiggery pokery.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: got email down to 11,500 then it went back up to 12,000 but currently back to 11,700. Need to set aside 30 mins a day to deal with archived folders. No progress on phone images recently. May just need to leave this to Xmas hols!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: just have the three living room windows boxes to do. Still not made it into the back garden Lots of tidying to do in the tiny back gardenmnor taken the compost to the allotment, also have to sort out houseplants. More tasks for Xmas hols.
COOKING/EATING: last week was still about eating down deli items and living on sandwich lunches. Onn the plus side my fridge is almost empty for my next Oddbox which arrives on Friday and I am currently defrosting some stuff from the freezer to see me through next week and I plan to make a giant curry tomorrow.
READING/LISTENING: nope.
WATCHING: still watching Pluribus and Robin Hood. I like how they've pitched this iteration with Henry II gallivanting in France, we get Eleanor of Aquitaine scheming, plus Sean Bean is a pretty decent Sherrif caught between a rock and a hard place. Since I subscribed to Acorn TV I've had detective shows on in the background. Have just hammered through Hinterland which would lead you to believe Aberystwyth is the murder capital of Wales - it led me to check 34 homicides in the whole of Wales in 2021/22. It was a good show with a compelling storyline through all 3 seasons but was grim viewing. I'm ready for an overload of saccharine Hallmark Xmas movies now.
CREATING/LEARNING: I've been to one Monday and a couple of Friday crochet sessions. I think I'm going to pass or only do 1 Monday a month and focus on the Friday lunchtime ones. I've almost finished my freestyle beanie hat and the Xmas garland is coming along. We did granny square Xmas trees on Friday which are cute and simple - finished one in class and made 5 more at home. Also made some simple stars at home. Focusing at the moment on fast makes that can be completed in 15-30 mins and have been raiding Pinterest and YouTube for free patterns. I also bought a giant load of wool (thank you Black Friday sale) from Wool Warehouse so I can make a start on the totally mad granny square blanket next year. I seem to also have acquired lots of wool over the last year - obviously bought for specific projects but I did not label them at the time (yet another task for the Xmas hols).
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still can't get back into allottment Insta but did chase up the other things I needed to do. Will miss next committee meeting tomorrow as it's the AGM for the 23 sites at work tomorrow night.
SOCIALISING: online catch up with friends last Thursday which was good.
WORK: did 3 late night's last week with a colleague as we're both inundated. Productive but long days and it did mean last week was all about work and nothing else! No work-life balance at all. Which I will remedy in December and in to 2026!