circle of misfits

Once, back in my vkei RPF days, I wrote a story where the principal character suffered from a very similar type of gender dysphoria to me. I didn't explicitly say that I was projecting, but I did call it "vent art" in the notes.

I was so shocked at the positive response of pity and outpouring of support for the narrator. I think someone used the phrasing "no one should have to live like this" or something similar. When I got that comment, I locked myself in the bathroom and cried for an hour. It was so alien to me that my experiences were so awful and miserable that someone, upon spending a bit in my head, would feel nothing but pity for me.

I can't write anything in that AU, or even that fandom anymore. I've learned I can't do RPF without it breaking my brain in a lot of ways that are really unpleasant for both me and everyone around me. I've learned that bleeding myself onto the page in the way that I did in that fic is also really really awful for me and my brain. (Sorry, for like the 2 people who are still following me for X Japan RPF. Maybe, I'll release my unfinished drafts!)

But, I'll always have a special place in my heart for that fic, and that moment in time. I think the commentators gave me exactly what I needed to hear.

Happy Birthday, marta_bee!

Title: From Frederica to You
Universe: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Mahou Sensei Negima!
Prompt: '—where no dreams reach; that last amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of all infinity'
Character(s): Konoe Konoka, Sakurazaki Setsuna, Frederica Bernkastel
Rating: U
Warnings: N/A
Summary: “No one attends to this shrine anymore,” the woman announced, jumping gracefully down from the wall. “The deity here is sleeping.”
Length: 580 words
Author's Notes: Merry Christmas in July! #7. also: external link.



( From Frederica to You )

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i think one of the more tragic casualties of the ai era is just going to be how much easier and more common it will be to scam elderly people out their money when retirement money is more important than ever for medical and survival reasons.

since it's a combination of factors, right --video/audio deepfakes based off of grandkids (elderly folks i find tend to be a lot more trusting of phones/video compared to text, thankfully most scams were fairly limited to text for a while), the lack of a millennial techie/sysadmin/etc in the family as less and less people are deeply tech-savvy beyond clicking things on apps, and a general deterioration of communication between the generations for too many reasons.

like i know it can be annoying to explain things (repeatedly) in a way people internalize, but man it is crucial for basic protection.

having to install teamviewer (with explicit permission) for grandma so she doesn't keep downloading every ""antivirus" system ever, and also being dad's living password manager x.x and then having to explain what grok is. can i strangle elon with my two hands already.

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Vigilantes: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals (8/10)

Vigilantes is a spin-off story set before the events of Boku no Hero Academia which focuses on vigilantes in a world where being a pro hero is a viable career path. It expands the worldbuilding of BnHA beyond pro heroes and gives more historical information about how society developed after the appearance of Quirks. (Someone in YouTube comments said that Vigilantes is actually more academic about hero society history than BnHA which is more "My Hero Military Camp" sometimes. Absolutely wild and yet weirdly accurate.)

We're introduced to a new set of characters—college student Haimawari Kouichi, "freelance idol" Pop☆Step, and eccentric bruiser Knuckleduster—but lots of pro heroes from the main series appear in supporting roles as well.

( Cut for length and spoilers (for the anime and some of the manga). )

Random stuff:

• There's a distinct lack of protecting secret identities in this show. Kouichi spends more than half the time with his face out in the open even if they explicitly say that vigilantes are technically on the wrong side of the law. (Because even if they're doing good, they're not licensed.)
• There's a trio of characters who are assholes to Kouichi and Kazuho in E01. Like, assault and beat up levels of being assholes. And yet there's some weird redemption thing going for them by the end of the season? We don't need this.
• We get a fair share of Tensei AKA Big Iida in this show and I'm eternally grateful for it. We even get a minute of kid!Tenya struggling with his Quirk!! Cutie!!!
• The animation quality's much more consistent compared to the recent seasons of the main show, and also just higher quality in general. Which is interesting because you'd think that the main series would get more love since it's the central canon. Checking on MyAnimeList, studio Bones produces the main series and Bones Film produces Vigilantes. Poking around the Wikipedia page, it looks like Bones Film is a subsidiary of Bones and different studios in Bones Film work on each series (Studio B for Vigilantes and Studio C for the main BnHA).
• My per-episode reactions are in the comments of the corresponding posts over at bnha_fans. Spoilers abound in the comment discussions, so beware if you check them out.
• S02 is targeted for release in 2026!

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I shared a snippet of a crossover between the MCU and Sherlock, from what was arguably a very different era of fandom.

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Fandom 50 #23

Untitled Daisuke and Monty by Julia Stark
Fandom: Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!
Relationship: Daisuke Bucklesby/Monty LaMontgomery
Medium: Art
Length: 1 piece
Rating: SFW
My Bookmark Tags: slice of life, happy ending, established relationship, then and now, clothing, nostalgia

Description:

Two full-colour images of Daisuke and Monty, one in the present and one in flashback to their younger days. The first is fully saturated and features the two walking close together with Monty in the lead. Daisuke's hat is tipped forward over his eyes as he looks down with a faint smile and puts away his flask. Monty is watching him over his shoulder, likewise smiling and seemingly mid-conversation with him. Above them, larger and more faded out, is a memory of them sitting together decades ago, Daisuke speaking while Monty watches him with soft-eyed attention.

( Very Minor Spoilers for Episode 6 )
This piece is just so sweet. The whole "getting the band back together" element of Cloudward, Ho! has been right up my alley, and I like that their separation was more about losing something that was holding them together rather than a big falling-out that created any ill will. It's made for a great story so far about some highly competent older characters reuniting warmly with old friends and working well together because of their shared history.

I love how the artist has captured this. The flashback looms large over the two men, creating a sense of those past conversations fuelling their present ease with each other and shared direction. It spot-on conveys Monty's wonderful attentiveness to people and suggests a lot in imagining the usually laconic Daisuke so engaged in talking to him. As someone who loves the aesthetics of this season, I'm also very much here for the details in their outfits and the little ways they've changed over the years.

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Trip planning is HARD, you know?

I will be leaving on either Sunday or Monday on an approximately 2-week trip. The main point is a gathering of fandom friends in western Alberta, but I have planned my approach so as to have time to do One Thing in Winnipeg (Manitoba) the afternoon of my first travel day, and One Thing in Regina (Saskatchewan) the afternoon of my second travel day. Then the gathering, and on Sunday the 20th I will head to Drumheller to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum.

I THINK I have my itinerary roughed out for the following week.

-Monday 7/21, drive south across the Canada/US border to Glacier National Park, hike an easy trail

-Tuesday 7/22, drive west to Yakima, WA; no stops planned

-Wednesday 7/23, drive to Olympic National Park, hike an easy trail, look for banana slugs, etcetera, then overnight in Forks or Oil City

-Thursday 7/24, drive south on US-101 and stop at some point to get out and dabble my feet in the Pacific Ocean, before heading inland and stopping short of Portland, OR, probably in Beaverton; might also visit Tillamook Creamery if time permits

-Friday 7/25, drive to Boise, ID, possibly stopping at a winery or two along the Columbia River valley (more research needed)

-Saturday 7/26, drive from Boise, ID to Bozeman, MD, skirting the western edge of Yellowstone en route; might stop for photos but more likely will just drive on through

-Sunday 7/27, drive from Bozeman, MD to probably Dickinson, ND, with a stop en route to sightsee in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and hopefully see some bison and/or prairie dogs

-Monday 7/28, head home to the Twin Cities; no stops planned

This feels generally doable to me. None of the driving days are excessively long, none of the activities are excessively strenuous, and I will return home before August. Now I have to research national park admission policies and also start making motel reservations. Argh.

A Drop of Corruption was as good as y'all said. Loved it at least as much as the first book. Love these characters, this world, those mysteries. I hope we get ten more of them!! At least!!!!!!!!!! And the afterword/author's note at the end was kickass, too.

Yay to good books \o/

I'd forgotten how much I love https://theyfightcrime.org.

He's a lonely skateboarding shaman with a winning smile and a way with the ladies. She's a bloodthirsty wisecracking wrestler who hides her beauty behind a pair of thick-framed spectacles. They fight crime!

He's an unconventional soccer-playing grifter in a wheelchair. She's an orphaned foul-mouthed socialite from out of town. They fight crime!

He's an oversexed ninja werewolf fleeing from a secret government programme. She's an enchanted snooty advertising executive with a knack for trouble. They fight crime!

( something-something fic prompts )

Community Thursday challenge: every Thursday, try to make an effort to engage with a community on Dreamwidth, whether that's posting, commenting, promoting, etc.

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I just would like to give another signal boost and pointer toward sunshine_revival, as the comm and event appear very active! You can dip in and out and don't have to start from the beginning, just jump in whenever you like and enjoy, and hopefully make new dreamwidth friends :) I've been enjoying the challenge replies I spot on my reading page!

The sun is just starting to disappear behind the horizon and crickets can almost be heard over the music and the laughter echoing through the carnival night. You can't see any stars yet, but the twinkling lights of an amusement ride are highlighting the graceful curves of a swan boat and the high arching hearts of the entrance. Grab the hand of a sweetheart or a sweet friend and embark on a journey through the…

Challenge #2

Tunnel of Love

Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.

( Read more... )And here's one of my favorite photos. I took it at a county fair in 2011:

 

Yes, I'm a lot less stressed these days. A co-worker even mentioned how I sounded happier the other day.

( But I'm gonna ramble a bit anyway... )

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