Heinrich's Death, as described by his niece
Jun. 2nd, 2026 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenak posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rheinsbergReport on Heinrich’s death by his niece, Ferdinand's daughter Luise von Preußen (Princess Radziwill).
From her memoirs, "Fünfundvierzig Jahre aus meinem Leben (1770 - 1815); the excerpt about Heinrich's death and the aftermath is reprinted in Nieman, Karin: "Der Bruder. Prinz Heinrich von Preußen", a booklet currently on sale in Rheinsberg. Ziebura's Heinrich biography quotes from this description, but I had not read it in its entirety before, and I bet nor has anyone else, so here it is. (As detailed as FW3's description of Fritz' death earlier.)
Reminder: „Louis“ = usually referred to by historians as Louis Ferdinand, Ferdinand’s son, Heinrich’s favourite nephew. Is destined to become the sole Hohenzollern to die in battle against Napoleon after Heinrich’s death.
August: Ferdinand’s other, surviving son and heir.
The King: FW III, i.e. Heinrich’s grand nephew. Would go on to be defeated by Napoleon.
Monsieur de la Roche-Aymon – Heinrich’s last boyfriend, aka „the last beam of the setting sun“, so use Fontane’s phrase
Bellevue: Where Ferdinand and his family resided in Berlin. Today seat of the President of Germany.
( Heinrich: The Final Days )
From her memoirs, "Fünfundvierzig Jahre aus meinem Leben (1770 - 1815); the excerpt about Heinrich's death and the aftermath is reprinted in Nieman, Karin: "Der Bruder. Prinz Heinrich von Preußen", a booklet currently on sale in Rheinsberg. Ziebura's Heinrich biography quotes from this description, but I had not read it in its entirety before, and I bet nor has anyone else, so here it is. (As detailed as FW3's description of Fritz' death earlier.)
Reminder: „Louis“ = usually referred to by historians as Louis Ferdinand, Ferdinand’s son, Heinrich’s favourite nephew. Is destined to become the sole Hohenzollern to die in battle against Napoleon after Heinrich’s death.
August: Ferdinand’s other, surviving son and heir.
The King: FW III, i.e. Heinrich’s grand nephew. Would go on to be defeated by Napoleon.
Monsieur de la Roche-Aymon – Heinrich’s last boyfriend, aka „the last beam of the setting sun“, so use Fontane’s phrase
Bellevue: Where Ferdinand and his family resided in Berlin. Today seat of the President of Germany.
( Heinrich: The Final Days )
Legacy media
Jun. 2nd, 2026 03:35 pmchina_shopPoll #34680 Legacy media
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 43
I have
View Answers
a pile/jumble or one or more boxes of audio cassettes
13 (30.2%)
a carefully curated selection of audio cassettes I don't want to part with yet (even if some of them have stretched)
11 (25.6%)
access to a tape deck
17 (39.5%)
a pile/jumble or one or more boxes of VHS tapes
9 (20.9%)
a carefully curated selection of VHS tapes I don't want to part with yet
17 (39.5%)
access to a VCR
19 (44.2%)
a lot of DVDs
34 (79.1%)
access to a DVD or Blu-ray player
36 (83.7%)
Super8, MiniDV, etc. tapes
2 (4.7%)
access to a camera or other way of playing them
0 (0.0%)
vinyl
14 (32.6%)
access to a record player
10 (23.3%)
a ridiculous number of CD-ROMs
23 (53.5%)
other
3 (7.0%)
a storage system I'm satisfied with
6 (14.0%)
at this point, it's just a lot of old stuff, help!
13 (30.2%)
ticky-box
21 (48.8%)
Let's Get Literate! Platform Decay by Martha Wells
Jun. 1st, 2026 07:42 pmrenay posting in ladybusinessIt's hard to write about an advanced reader copy of one of the most coveted science fiction releases of the quarter. I tried, multiple times, to collect some thoughts about Platform Decay, the latest release in The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I failed, every time, because my love for this series is immense, but also hard to quantify. Finding the words to describe sincere emotions? Ugh. Therefore, Platform Decay is already out, and you can read it now via your library or favorite indie bookstore!
Platform Decay is the eighth entry in The Murderbot Diaries, following our hero as it stages a high stakes rescue on Corporate Ringworld. It's working apart from its usual allies, it must infiltrate and escape the station with several squishy humans, and oh right, a former enemy asks for its help, complicating the extraction. Nothing can go wrong!
(Things immediately go wrong.)
To make matters worse, it's also dealing with an emotional health module. What's more stressful than a hostage situation in corporate territory? Mobile therapy. Murderbot must protect its humans (no pressure), avoid corporate forces that would love to slurp its kidnapped humans into corporate slavery (assholes), and navigate across a hostile station where one mistake could cost it everything (business as usual!). ( Read more... )
Platform Decay is the eighth entry in The Murderbot Diaries, following our hero as it stages a high stakes rescue on Corporate Ringworld. It's working apart from its usual allies, it must infiltrate and escape the station with several squishy humans, and oh right, a former enemy asks for its help, complicating the extraction. Nothing can go wrong!
(Things immediately go wrong.)
To make matters worse, it's also dealing with an emotional health module. What's more stressful than a hostage situation in corporate territory? Mobile therapy. Murderbot must protect its humans (no pressure), avoid corporate forces that would love to slurp its kidnapped humans into corporate slavery (assholes), and navigate across a hostile station where one mistake could cost it everything (business as usual!). ( Read more... )
On the train . . .
Jun. 1st, 2026 05:13 pmsartoriasAfter a month of overwhelming Stuff, I'm escaping east, on my way to Montreal for Scintillation, though working on Worldcon stuff along the way, as well as other projects. But these are my projects, and I get to look out the window and see beautiful scenery! I am so grateful for the breathing space.
One thing: I'd like to point out the publication of a skiffy book I read in draft and LOVED: Emmet O'Brien's Both Your Houses, criminally cheap at 2.99
Really, all the nifty aspects of SF: a terrific heroine, lots of action, lots of ideas, big far flung governments, aliens . . . wit and verve.
One thing: I'd like to point out the publication of a skiffy book I read in draft and LOVED: Emmet O'Brien's Both Your Houses, criminally cheap at 2.99
Really, all the nifty aspects of SF: a terrific heroine, lots of action, lots of ideas, big far flung governments, aliens . . . wit and verve.
Hugo short stories
Jun. 1st, 2026 12:59 pmcahnlook at me gooooooo (I have more, but I will probably not continue to be this fast, we'll see)
- 10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63) - I mean, I thought this was nice and I don't regret reading it, but I think I like a little more plot to my stories? It's... basically what the title says.
- "In My Country" by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223) - Hm. I thought this story, set in a fictional and somewhat allegorical-sounding country, was trying to do something interesting with the ambiguity of stories, but I think it would have benefitted from... being less allegorical and more ambiguous, perhaps? Like, I think part of the power of the ambiguity of stories comes from the part where people are real and also ambiguous, and that didn't quite come through so much for me here. But I thought it was interesting, anyway.
- Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything”] by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025) - One-note amusing disabled-superhero story with a Point. It was fun!
- “Missing Helen”( by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226) - This one I really liked. It asks interesting questions about clones from the human standpoint: what would it be like to know you had a clone out there, what would it be like for the clone, what would it be like for someone who knew the original you? How does that play into human relationships?
- “Six People to Revise You”( by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62) - okay, so, the conceit of the story -- you can be "revised," which I guess overhauls your whole personality, and the data for doing this comes from asking people around you -- is rather interesting. The story itself didn't engage with the things I wanted it to. Why do you have to ask other people how they would revise you? What does it mean to overhaul your personality, is what makes you you still there? And what does it mean to feel about yourself that you would want to be revised? (Would I want to be revised? The devil is in the details, of course. I could imagine details where I'd jump at the chance, and other details where I'd definitely not want to.) So, yeah, very interesting concept and I wish it had played more with the ambiguities inherent in it; the story clearly feels a certain unambiguous way about it which made it not very interesting to me. As a paired read with "Missing Helen," I thought "Helen" did a much better job of engaging with the humanity in its premise.
- “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229) - This is the only one of the six I read before nominations, and I didn't like it enough to read it again sooooo these thoughts are a few months old and my memory is terrible. But my recollection is that it was sort of an interesting comment on AI (I must confess that LLMs have gotten to the point as of now, June 2026, where I do have to constantly remind myself it's an algorithm even though I know very well it is... I wonder what it will be like for the people who are kids right now, growing up with AI that sound like people) with an ending that had a bit too much shock value to it.
Helen >> Wire Mother > Revise > Country > Visions > Laser, I guess? idek. Everything under Wire Mother I'm sort of ambivalent about.
- 10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63) - I mean, I thought this was nice and I don't regret reading it, but I think I like a little more plot to my stories? It's... basically what the title says.
- "In My Country" by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223) - Hm. I thought this story, set in a fictional and somewhat allegorical-sounding country, was trying to do something interesting with the ambiguity of stories, but I think it would have benefitted from... being less allegorical and more ambiguous, perhaps? Like, I think part of the power of the ambiguity of stories comes from the part where people are real and also ambiguous, and that didn't quite come through so much for me here. But I thought it was interesting, anyway.
- Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything”] by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025) - One-note amusing disabled-superhero story with a Point. It was fun!
- “Missing Helen”( by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226) - This one I really liked. It asks interesting questions about clones from the human standpoint: what would it be like to know you had a clone out there, what would it be like for the clone, what would it be like for someone who knew the original you? How does that play into human relationships?
- “Six People to Revise You”( by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62) - okay, so, the conceit of the story -- you can be "revised," which I guess overhauls your whole personality, and the data for doing this comes from asking people around you -- is rather interesting. The story itself didn't engage with the things I wanted it to. Why do you have to ask other people how they would revise you? What does it mean to overhaul your personality, is what makes you you still there? And what does it mean to feel about yourself that you would want to be revised? (Would I want to be revised? The devil is in the details, of course. I could imagine details where I'd jump at the chance, and other details where I'd definitely not want to.) So, yeah, very interesting concept and I wish it had played more with the ambiguities inherent in it; the story clearly feels a certain unambiguous way about it which made it not very interesting to me. As a paired read with "Missing Helen," I thought "Helen" did a much better job of engaging with the humanity in its premise.
- “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229) - This is the only one of the six I read before nominations, and I didn't like it enough to read it again sooooo these thoughts are a few months old and my memory is terrible. But my recollection is that it was sort of an interesting comment on AI (I must confess that LLMs have gotten to the point as of now, June 2026, where I do have to constantly remind myself it's an algorithm even though I know very well it is... I wonder what it will be like for the people who are kids right now, growing up with AI that sound like people) with an ending that had a bit too much shock value to it.
Helen >> Wire Mother > Revise > Country > Visions > Laser, I guess? idek. Everything under Wire Mother I'm sort of ambivalent about.
What are the best mobile-friendly styles?
Jun. 1st, 2026 12:56 pmnumb3r_5ev3n posting in dreamwidthlayoutsI did check the tags before posting this, but I didn't see anything. There are a lot of styles that look great on a computer, but condense the text/entry area to a narrow vertical column when read on a mobile device. Mobility seems to be the best one for mobile (obviously) but I kind of hate the way it looks on a computer. Does anyone know a decent theme which allows for some customization (like custom backgrounds) but looks decent and reads decently on a mobile device? Or is there something I can throw into the custom CSS section of the customize theme page to fix this? I'd love to use the 5 AM theme, but it kind of looks like crap on my phone. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I have switched back to Practicality. Thanks for your feedback, everyone.
EDIT: I have switched back to Practicality. Thanks for your feedback, everyone.
Question thread #151
Jun. 1st, 2026 07:44 pmpauamma posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_devIt's time for another question thread!
The rules:
- You may ask any dev-related question you have in a comment. (It doesn't even need to be about Dreamwidth, although if it involves a language/library/framework/database Dreamwidth doesn't use, you will probably get answers pointing that out and suggesting a better place to ask.)
- You may also answer any question, using the guidelines given in To Answer, Or Not To Answer and in this comment thread.
The rules:
- You may ask any dev-related question you have in a comment. (It doesn't even need to be about Dreamwidth, although if it involves a language/library/framework/database Dreamwidth doesn't use, you will probably get answers pointing that out and suggesting a better place to ask.)
- You may also answer any question, using the guidelines given in To Answer, Or Not To Answer and in this comment thread.
The Undaunted by Alan L. Hart (1936)
Jun. 1st, 2026 12:38 pmpauraqueHappy Pride Month! In June I'll be reviewing media by trans and nonbinary creators.
Alan L. Hart (1890-1962) was one of the first trans men in the US to have gender-affirming surgery. He was a doctor himself and had an illustrious career in which he made major breakthroughs in our understanding of tuberculosis, and particularly the use of X-rays to diagnose it. He was also a successful fiction writer, publishing several short stories and four novels that drew on his experiences as a physician, which were well-received for their insights into the daily struggles and petty egos of the medical world.
His second novel, 1936's The Undaunted, follows Dr. Richard Cameron, who returns to civilian medical practice after serving in the Great War. He becomes fascinated by pernicious anemia, a condition that at the time has no known cause and no cure. He discovers an effective treatment, but to get his findings published and recognized he has to deal with lack of research funding, uncooperative patients, jealous rival doctors, egomaniacal laboratory heads, and greedy pharmaceutical companies. (Are we sure this was written 90 years ago?) Intertwined with his career are two important relationships: his love interest Judith, a university librarian whom he struggles to connect with because he's been hurt before, and his friend Dr. Sandy Farquhar, a radiologist who lives in fear of being outed as gay.
( cut for length )
Hart's books were out of print for decades, but his first two novels, Doctor Mallory and The Undaunted, were recently brought back into print by Propeller Books and are available through Bookshop.org. Funnily enough, Propeller's interest is not in early trans authors, but rather in Pacific Northwest authors—Hart practiced medicine in Oregon for some time, and both books are at least partly set there. Whatever works!
Alan L. Hart (1890-1962) was one of the first trans men in the US to have gender-affirming surgery. He was a doctor himself and had an illustrious career in which he made major breakthroughs in our understanding of tuberculosis, and particularly the use of X-rays to diagnose it. He was also a successful fiction writer, publishing several short stories and four novels that drew on his experiences as a physician, which were well-received for their insights into the daily struggles and petty egos of the medical world.
His second novel, 1936's The Undaunted, follows Dr. Richard Cameron, who returns to civilian medical practice after serving in the Great War. He becomes fascinated by pernicious anemia, a condition that at the time has no known cause and no cure. He discovers an effective treatment, but to get his findings published and recognized he has to deal with lack of research funding, uncooperative patients, jealous rival doctors, egomaniacal laboratory heads, and greedy pharmaceutical companies. (Are we sure this was written 90 years ago?) Intertwined with his career are two important relationships: his love interest Judith, a university librarian whom he struggles to connect with because he's been hurt before, and his friend Dr. Sandy Farquhar, a radiologist who lives in fear of being outed as gay.
( cut for length )
Hart's books were out of print for decades, but his first two novels, Doctor Mallory and The Undaunted, were recently brought back into print by Propeller Books and are available through Bookshop.org. Funnily enough, Propeller's interest is not in early trans authors, but rather in Pacific Northwest authors—Hart practiced medicine in Oregon for some time, and both books are at least partly set there. Whatever works!
Fitness Fellowship 2026: Check-in 22
Jun. 1st, 2026 11:28 amsylvanwitchGreetings from my last week of teaching duties before summer break! Despite the work being exhausting and sometimes disheartening, there is something to be said for the reward of precious time. I have so many plans for just living a healthier life during my break, hopefully inculcating some new(ish) habits to make me healthier during the work year.
I hope whatever your week has been like, you'll feel comfortable sharing your ups and downs with us here. I look forward to touching base with you each week.
( My Week in Review )
May the week ahead be full of time for you to spend on yourself. :-)
I hope whatever your week has been like, you'll feel comfortable sharing your ups and downs with us here. I look forward to touching base with you each week.
( My Week in Review )
May the week ahead be full of time for you to spend on yourself. :-)
Safe Harbor
Jun. 2nd, 2026 01:44 ammificBlack Swan Hudson and Connie From Accounts, at the end of the party.
Couldn't resist using one of my favourite pics of them as a reference. Hard to figure out the fandom, though. I initially called it Actor RPF but it's not fiction, in that it's not invented, or a written work. So I've just called the fandom "Hudson Williams & Connor Storrie". The "Connie from Accounts" reference is from a tumblr bit because it's honestly what Connor looks like in that outfit, if Connie from Accounts bench pressed 150 lb on the regular, anyway!
On AO3 here.
Couldn't resist using one of my favourite pics of them as a reference. Hard to figure out the fandom, though. I initially called it Actor RPF but it's not fiction, in that it's not invented, or a written work. So I've just called the fandom "Hudson Williams & Connor Storrie". The "Connie from Accounts" reference is from a tumblr bit because it's honestly what Connor looks like in that outfit, if Connie from Accounts bench pressed 150 lb on the regular, anyway!
On AO3 here.
I have zero focus (biking and looking at art)
Jun. 1st, 2026 04:31 pmchina_shopHaaaai! I am just kind of floating through my day doing random stuff. To-do list? What's that? La la la.
I just spent an hour or more on Duolingo, which was a wrist-centric mistake after two hours' biking yesterday, so I've ordered a stylus in the hopes that'll make all the character-tracing easier. (Also, maybe faster for the timed sprint challenges?)
On Saturday we went to the NZ Art Show, which was uh, mostly crowded. It's hard to appreciate individual pieces in a very busy environment, with everything all crammed in together. The bright/garish pieces stand out, but anything quieter disappears. As always, my favourites were very children's-book-illustration-esque. We went round the whole place at a fair clip and were out in an hour.
And yesterday (Sunday), we biked Te Ara Tupua, the new separated cycleway/pedestrian-way to Pito-one (formerly, there was just the shoulder of the motorway). We continued along the foreshore and up the side of the river into Lower Hutt, had lunch at the Dowse Art Museum and a look around there, and came home again. The whole ride was about 43km. I bought some storage cubes (flat packed) which fit fine in our panniers and some cube packs. Still not really sure how to organise my stuff, but I have options.
Te Ara Tupua, which only opened a couple of weeks ago, was teeming with pedestrians and cyclists -- adults, kids, groups, etc. It felt like the city had been set free. I don't think I've seen so many smiles in my ten years of biking as an adult! It felt like a mix of seasoned cyclists, families with kids, and people who'd decided to take their bikes out of the garage, dust them off and give it a go. Really great. It took half an hour from Wellington railway station to Pito-one, and slightly longer back just because of the busyness of the path. :-)
I just spent an hour or more on Duolingo, which was a wrist-centric mistake after two hours' biking yesterday, so I've ordered a stylus in the hopes that'll make all the character-tracing easier. (Also, maybe faster for the timed sprint challenges?)
On Saturday we went to the NZ Art Show, which was uh, mostly crowded. It's hard to appreciate individual pieces in a very busy environment, with everything all crammed in together. The bright/garish pieces stand out, but anything quieter disappears. As always, my favourites were very children's-book-illustration-esque. We went round the whole place at a fair clip and were out in an hour.
And yesterday (Sunday), we biked Te Ara Tupua, the new separated cycleway/pedestrian-way to Pito-one (formerly, there was just the shoulder of the motorway). We continued along the foreshore and up the side of the river into Lower Hutt, had lunch at the Dowse Art Museum and a look around there, and came home again. The whole ride was about 43km. I bought some storage cubes (flat packed) which fit fine in our panniers and some cube packs. Still not really sure how to organise my stuff, but I have options.
Te Ara Tupua, which only opened a couple of weeks ago, was teeming with pedestrians and cyclists -- adults, kids, groups, etc. It felt like the city had been set free. I don't think I've seen so many smiles in my ten years of biking as an adult! It felt like a mix of seasoned cyclists, families with kids, and people who'd decided to take their bikes out of the garage, dust them off and give it a go. Really great. It took half an hour from Wellington railway station to Pito-one, and slightly longer back just because of the busyness of the path. :-)
Mermay round up
Jun. 1st, 2026 02:57 pmmificI had fun with Mermay this year - mostly HR pics, and one original pic drawn by leecetgeartist. All done in Procreate.
In Any Universe - Heated Rivalry, Shane/Ilya, lineart & colour, both mer
Coils - Heated Rivalry, Shane/Ilya, b&w drawing, both mer
Mating Spiral - Heated Rivalry, mer!Shane/Tentacle monster!Ilya, lineart & colour
Eel Guy has a snack - Original work, lineart byleecetheartist who made us a colouring page over at Drawesome and did a mer drawing for every day of May! I coloured this one.
leecetgeartist. All done in Procreate. In Any Universe - Heated Rivalry, Shane/Ilya, lineart & colour, both mer
Coils - Heated Rivalry, Shane/Ilya, b&w drawing, both mer
Mating Spiral - Heated Rivalry, mer!Shane/Tentacle monster!Ilya, lineart & colour
Eel Guy has a snack - Original work, lineart by
leecetheartist who made us a colouring page over at Drawesome and did a mer drawing for every day of May! I coloured this one. Hugo novelettes
May. 31st, 2026 07:26 pmcahnHey, I am reading Hugos stuff! I am behind on posting, though. Have the novelettes!
I must confess I was not particularly taken by any of these, but it may also be that I read them mostly while traveling and probably at least slightly grumpy :)
- “Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62) - this was the one that took me longest to read. I think... this could have been a lot fewer words. Basically, this is satire-esque AU Cold War with kaijus. It was fun, when I finally got through it, if a bit in-your-face.
- “Never Eaten Vegetables”( by tH.H. Pak (Clarkesworld, Issue 220) - Story about a ship carrying embryos that abruptly finds it has to parent a number of them. I think somehow I was the wrong audience for this story and I don't quite feel like I can articulate why? [ETA 6-1: oh wow. See discussion below. This story clearly hit me in a very particular way that I couldn't handle, and I'm retroactively feeling like it's a much stronger story than I could consciously give it credit for when I read it.] I felt like it was very "corporations are bad! They are the bad guys! Have we mentioned this??" and also was trying to get me to feel things via parenting, but I never really did because the parenting didn't feel real to me, and I was not very surprised to find the author is not themself a parent. idk. I think for some reason, that may not really have been the writer's fault, I never quite gelled with the characters enough, even though sentient ships and things like that are usually my jam.
- “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor, July 10, 2025) - Martha Wells, like several other authors on this list, is very hit or miss for me, and this one was a miss. I was vaguely aware that this takes place as sort of a Murderbot-adjacent story, but it turns out that Murderbot itself is the draw for me; I couldn't really make myself care that much about the people or the ship, for some reason -- perhaps because I didn't remember enough about Murderbot, I didn't really get why I should care.
- “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For”( by Cameron Reed (Reactor, April 2, 2025) - This story just kind of confused me. It started out life as a Cyteen-esque story about genetics and environment and its intersection with a corporate sort of mentality (which was fine, although I think I'd rather just go read Cyteen again) and then veered somewhat sharply into. I felt like the sharp change made the story a bit incoherent to me? I guess it's trying to say something about different bodies, but I never quite caught up to the plot shift to get to the point where I was engaging thematically, I guess?
- "The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 67) -- so I feel like Pinsker can be very "is this story meant for you or not" but this story about two girls in a traveling show together, one of whom is a mentalist and the other of whom is an illusionist, was very much meant for me. It's not a story that has well-defined answers, but that's kind of the point (and perhaps now I know to expect that from a Pinsker story so I don't get blindsided by it any more), and I really enjoyed the relationship between the two girls and all the unspoken depths of it (which although complex is not written as explicitly romantic, which I highly approve of and I want more stories with complex friendship that isn't explicitly romantic yes please thanks!).
- “When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 65) - I always sort of brace myself when I see Valente's name, but for this piece about a vampire/succubus in rural America (which apparently is a Dolly Parton songfic?), she actually toned down her trademark over-the-top-ness enough that I actually liked it?? I did feel like it didn't quite draw the characters vividly enough that the end scene really felt earned -- and what's wrong with people who make the best of their circumstances anyway?? The way the story kind of denigrated that didn't sit well with me, as someone who tends to want to complain about my circumstances rather than make the best of them (and who very much admires people who do the latter).
Gosh, I don't know how I'd vote on this?? Probably something like this:
Millay > Kaiju > When He Calls > My Mother Is Leaving > Vegetables > Rapport > No Award, I guess?
6-1: I think I'm moving Vegetables up. Millay > Kaiju > Vegetables, I think? I feel like I should move the Millay down but I still like it better than the others...
I must confess I was not particularly taken by any of these, but it may also be that I read them mostly while traveling and probably at least slightly grumpy :)
- “Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62) - this was the one that took me longest to read. I think... this could have been a lot fewer words. Basically, this is satire-esque AU Cold War with kaijus. It was fun, when I finally got through it, if a bit in-your-face.
- “Never Eaten Vegetables”( by tH.H. Pak (Clarkesworld, Issue 220) - Story about a ship carrying embryos that abruptly finds it has to parent a number of them. I think somehow I was the wrong audience for this story and I don't quite feel like I can articulate why? [ETA 6-1: oh wow. See discussion below. This story clearly hit me in a very particular way that I couldn't handle, and I'm retroactively feeling like it's a much stronger story than I could consciously give it credit for when I read it.] I felt like it was very "corporations are bad! They are the bad guys! Have we mentioned this??" and also was trying to get me to feel things via parenting, but I never really did because the parenting didn't feel real to me, and I was not very surprised to find the author is not themself a parent. idk. I think for some reason, that may not really have been the writer's fault, I never quite gelled with the characters enough, even though sentient ships and things like that are usually my jam.
- “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor, July 10, 2025) - Martha Wells, like several other authors on this list, is very hit or miss for me, and this one was a miss. I was vaguely aware that this takes place as sort of a Murderbot-adjacent story, but it turns out that Murderbot itself is the draw for me; I couldn't really make myself care that much about the people or the ship, for some reason -- perhaps because I didn't remember enough about Murderbot, I didn't really get why I should care.
- “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For”( by Cameron Reed (Reactor, April 2, 2025) - This story just kind of confused me. It started out life as a Cyteen-esque story about genetics and environment and its intersection with a corporate sort of mentality (which was fine, although I think I'd rather just go read Cyteen again) and then veered somewhat sharply into
I guess this is a spoiler
a desperate flight narrative where they have to run for their lives from a rival corporation who has demolished the one they were working for- "The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 67) -- so I feel like Pinsker can be very "is this story meant for you or not" but this story about two girls in a traveling show together, one of whom is a mentalist and the other of whom is an illusionist, was very much meant for me. It's not a story that has well-defined answers, but that's kind of the point (and perhaps now I know to expect that from a Pinsker story so I don't get blindsided by it any more), and I really enjoyed the relationship between the two girls and all the unspoken depths of it (which although complex is not written as explicitly romantic, which I highly approve of and I want more stories with complex friendship that isn't explicitly romantic yes please thanks!).
- “When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 65) - I always sort of brace myself when I see Valente's name, but for this piece about a vampire/succubus in rural America (which apparently is a Dolly Parton songfic?), she actually toned down her trademark over-the-top-ness enough that I actually liked it?? I did feel like it didn't quite draw the characters vividly enough that the end scene really felt earned -- and what's wrong with people who make the best of their circumstances anyway?? The way the story kind of denigrated that didn't sit well with me, as someone who tends to want to complain about my circumstances rather than make the best of them (and who very much admires people who do the latter).
Gosh, I don't know how I'd vote on this?? Probably something like this:
Millay > Kaiju > When He Calls > My Mother Is Leaving > Vegetables > Rapport > No Award, I guess?
6-1: I think I'm moving Vegetables up. Millay > Kaiju > Vegetables, I think? I feel like I should move the Millay down but I still like it better than the others...
dam burst: Steve/Nat fic rec
May. 31st, 2026 04:38 pmimpala_evolvedBEHOLD the fic adastreia wrote for me for Marvel Trumps Hate! I wanted something gritty and a little fucked up exploring how Steve and Nat might have helped each other get through the blip, and I love love the result ♥ Steve is the king at compartmentalizing but good thing Nat sees right through him. There's no onscreen non-con but there is past bad-guys-made-them-do-it that is discussed a bit [Please do mind the tags & feel free to ask me if you aren't sure about some of the tags].
adastreia wrote for me for Marvel Trumps Hate! I wanted something gritty and a little fucked up exploring how Steve and Nat might have helped each other get through the blip, and I love love the result ♥ Steve is the king at compartmentalizing but good thing Nat sees right through him. There's no onscreen non-con but there is past bad-guys-made-them-do-it that is discussed a bit [Please do mind the tags & feel free to ask me if you aren't sure about some of the tags].
dam burst (7647 words) by adastreia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Characters: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel)
Additional Tags: The Blip | The Five Years Between Thanos's Snap and Hulk's Snap, Survivor Guilt, Awkward Conversations, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Fingers in Mouth, underwear in mouth, Spanking, Slapping, Gun Kink, Object Insertion, Not Romantic but Not Totally Platonic Either?, We-Only-Have-Each-Other Vibes, Hints of Past Steve/Tony, Past Sexual Assault, Past Bad-Guys-Made-Them-Do-It, Under-negotiated Kink, Dom/sub, Switching, Honor Bondage, Handcuffs
Summary:Steve had spent a lot of the last ten years mourning the life that he'd lost. Mourning that he'd been dead—or as close to it as possible without actually dying—while everybody else had moved forward, settled down, and passed on. Now that he was the one left behind, he spent most of his time wishing that he, too, had disappeared into nothingness.
Meetings at the VA helped a bit. Picking up his sketchbook and settling in at the park to people watch had been nice during the summer, but the activity didn't hold the same appeal in the fall wind. Still, as he peered through the glass at the passersby, he couldn't help but wish he had something other than a mostly-finished bagel to occupy his hands. Without the distraction, it was all too easy for his mind to steer him in the direction of what exactly he'd been dreaming about when he'd been abruptly awoken that morning.
Maybe it was time to pay Nat a visit.
Sherlockian news
May. 31st, 2026 09:04 pmtrobadoraVia tv_talk, two interesting new Sherlock Holmes-related shows in the making:
No matter how many there are, I can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes adaptations! I've read and watched a lot of them, and there are so many more I still want to try, but every time I see something new announced I'm still all, YAY! *g*
(No, seriously, I love the sheer variety of different things inspired by ACD's Holmes, no matter how close or how tenuously connected. Inspiration! Fannishness! It's all brilliant. :D)
tv_talk, two interesting new Sherlock Holmes-related shows in the making:- Moriarty: "When a rival criminal begins an assault on his underground empire, Moriarty will have only one choice: to join the police as a consultant, using the law as a weapon to dismantle his foe while keeping his true identity hidden from the police." (source)
- The Death of Sherlock Holmes: "a six-part series starring Rafe Spall as an amnesiac Holmes forced to deduce his own identity high in the Swiss Alps" (source)
No matter how many there are, I can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes adaptations! I've read and watched a lot of them, and there are so many more I still want to try, but every time I see something new announced I'm still all, YAY! *g*
(No, seriously, I love the sheer variety of different things inspired by ACD's Holmes, no matter how close or how tenuously connected. Inspiration! Fannishness! It's all brilliant. :D)