An epilogue of sorts
29 Sep 2025 16:57![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veetvoojagig posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sid_guardianCongratulations!! (829 words) by VeetVoojagig
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Lin Jing (Guardian), Zhu Hong (Guardian), Wang Zheng (Guardian), Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian)
Additional Tags: self indulgent nonsense, (the best kind), someone brought cake, Protective Chu Shuzhi, oblivious guo changcheng, someone lost the office pool and might have been a little salty
Series: Part 2 of Chu-ge is done with this bullshit
Summary:
Sooooo I had this idea and it wouldn't let me go...
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Lin Jing (Guardian), Zhu Hong (Guardian), Wang Zheng (Guardian), Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian)
Additional Tags: self indulgent nonsense, (the best kind), someone brought cake, Protective Chu Shuzhi, oblivious guo changcheng, someone lost the office pool and might have been a little salty
Series: Part 2 of Chu-ge is done with this bullshit
Summary:
He prowled over like a tiger on the hunt, lithe and deadly. Not that any particular skill was needed to see the cake set on the top of the desk.
Sooooo I had this idea and it wouldn't let me go...
One week till Guardian Wishlist reveals!!
29 Sep 2025 23:35trobadora posting in sid_guardian
guardian_wishlist reveals are on 6 October, no earlier than 7am UTC. That's just one week away!Help make sure everyone gets a gift!
If you're working on something, the sooner you post, the better idea we'll have where things stand, but gifting will continue right up to reveals.
Go forth and make stuff!
If you're willing to help out, please spread the word! You can reblog our Tumblr post, or use the promo graphics, text, and link to our Carrd we've assembled for your convenience - including a new reminder graphic with text, or feel free to write/make your own. Help us get the word out!
The spreadsheet tracks gift numbers, and all wishlists are tagged for fandoms and media.
Wishlist comments are screened. Gifts must fit the requests, but prompts are optional. There are no minimums. Gifts must be unique to the recipient. Mods aren't reviewing gifts, so please check before you post that you haven't included any DNWs.
For posting guidelines, links to the AO3 collection, and more information about the fest, please check the Rules/FAQ post
A reminder: We've noticed there are a few gifts in the collection that don't have corresponding comments on their recipient's Wishlist yet, or are missing a recipient on AO3. Please can you double-check that you've 1) commented for all your gifts - just commenting with the AO3 URL is okay, if you don't want to say more - and 2) added the recipient's AO3 name in your work on AO3? Many thanks! <3
Chat corner: Free-for-all
29 Sep 2025 21:41annathecrow posting in dreamwarsHi!
This is a free-for-all chat corner. Anything SW-related is fair game.
Have fun!
Post-Swaps PHs #2, 4, 8, 13, 18, 20-26
29 Sep 2025 20:05modzilla posting in fffxThanks for your swaps requests!
The following pinch hits are due at 11:59pm EST on Saturday January 24th 2026, and pinch hitters are also asked to check in in November 2025. To claim, please reply with your AO3 name, and let me know which recipient/PH number you want. You're also welcome to claim by emailing mod.modzilla@gmail.com. You can swap from your current assignment to a pinch hit; if so, please say that's what you're doing - otherwise I'll assume you're picking up an assignment on top of any current assignments.
Minimum requirements: An art gift must be a completed comic at least 10 pages or 40 panels long; a fic gift must be a story at least 10,000 words long. You can also fulfil a pinch hit by giving two complete half-length works, if your recipient has opted into that for the fandom(s) you are creating in. Any work must be for a fandom your recipient has requested and one character/relationship/worldbuilding tag requested in that fandom, and must avoid their DNWs.
( Pinch hit #2 - fic - Fright Night (2011), Our Flag Means Death (TV), Riptide (TV), Star Trek: The Price of the Phoenix - Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, Strange Angel (TV), Evil (TV 2019) )
( Pinch hit #4 - art, fic [varies by request] - 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, Thor (Movies), Hannibal (TV) )
( Pinch hit #8 - fic - Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Big Country (1958), Home Before Dark (1958) )
Canon promo post: Dial M for Murder
( Pinch hit #13 - art, fic - World Wrestling Entertainment, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- (Video Game), はたらく細胞 | Hataraku Saibou | Cells at Work! (Anime), Original Work )
( Pinch hit #18 - fic - Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling, Crossover Fandom x2 [Grimm TV/Guardian TV, Grimm TV/Christabel - Coleridge], 长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series), 绅探 | Detective L (TV) )
( Pinch hit #20 - fic - Tales of Berseria, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You (Video Games), Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Bleach (Anime & Manga) )
( Pinch hit #21 - art, fic [varies by request] - Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), 黄金の太陽 | Golden Sun Series, BCV: Battle Construction Vehicles (Video Game), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga) )
( Pinch hit #22 - art, fic - 大梦归离 | Fangs of Fortune (TV), The Pitt (TV), The Bear (TV), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, KPop Demon Hunters (2025) )
( Pinch hit #23 - art, fic [varies by request] - Shadow of the Leviathan - Robert Jackson Bennett, LitenVerse - Nino Cipri, Stellar Harvest series - Eleanor Arnason, Original Work, Crossover Fandom [Queen's Gambit TV/Man Who Fell To Earth 1976], The Breakfast Club (1985) )
( Pinch hit #24 - fic - Angel: the Series, Black Widow (Movie 2021), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Crossover Fandom [various] x2, DCU (Comics), Gothika (2003), The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir, Original Work, Thunderbolts (Movie 2025) )
( Pinch hit #25 - art, fic [varies by request] - Original Work x2, Tenet (2020), Crossover Fandom [various], Murderbot (TV) x2 )
( Pinch hit #26 - art, fic [varies by request] - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games), Watch Dogs (Video Games) )
Canon promo post: Watch Dogs
Thanks for your interest! Please also let me know if I've missed any canon promo posts.
The following pinch hits are due at 11:59pm EST on Saturday January 24th 2026, and pinch hitters are also asked to check in in November 2025. To claim, please reply with your AO3 name, and let me know which recipient/PH number you want. You're also welcome to claim by emailing mod.modzilla@gmail.com. You can swap from your current assignment to a pinch hit; if so, please say that's what you're doing - otherwise I'll assume you're picking up an assignment on top of any current assignments.
Minimum requirements: An art gift must be a completed comic at least 10 pages or 40 panels long; a fic gift must be a story at least 10,000 words long. You can also fulfil a pinch hit by giving two complete half-length works, if your recipient has opted into that for the fandom(s) you are creating in. Any work must be for a fandom your recipient has requested and one character/relationship/worldbuilding tag requested in that fandom, and must avoid their DNWs.
( Pinch hit #2 - fic - Fright Night (2011), Our Flag Means Death (TV), Riptide (TV), Star Trek: The Price of the Phoenix - Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, Strange Angel (TV), Evil (TV 2019) )
( Pinch hit #4 - art, fic [varies by request] - 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, Thor (Movies), Hannibal (TV) )
( Pinch hit #8 - fic - Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Big Country (1958), Home Before Dark (1958) )
Canon promo post: Dial M for Murder
( Pinch hit #13 - art, fic - World Wrestling Entertainment, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- (Video Game), はたらく細胞 | Hataraku Saibou | Cells at Work! (Anime), Original Work )
( Pinch hit #18 - fic - Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling, Crossover Fandom x2 [Grimm TV/Guardian TV, Grimm TV/Christabel - Coleridge], 长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series), 绅探 | Detective L (TV) )
( Pinch hit #20 - fic - Tales of Berseria, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You (Video Games), Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Bleach (Anime & Manga) )
( Pinch hit #21 - art, fic [varies by request] - Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), 黄金の太陽 | Golden Sun Series, BCV: Battle Construction Vehicles (Video Game), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga) )
( Pinch hit #22 - art, fic - 大梦归离 | Fangs of Fortune (TV), The Pitt (TV), The Bear (TV), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, KPop Demon Hunters (2025) )
( Pinch hit #23 - art, fic [varies by request] - Shadow of the Leviathan - Robert Jackson Bennett, LitenVerse - Nino Cipri, Stellar Harvest series - Eleanor Arnason, Original Work, Crossover Fandom [Queen's Gambit TV/Man Who Fell To Earth 1976], The Breakfast Club (1985) )
( Pinch hit #24 - fic - Angel: the Series, Black Widow (Movie 2021), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Crossover Fandom [various] x2, DCU (Comics), Gothika (2003), The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir, Original Work, Thunderbolts (Movie 2025) )
( Pinch hit #25 - art, fic [varies by request] - Original Work x2, Tenet (2020), Crossover Fandom [various], Murderbot (TV) x2 )
( Pinch hit #26 - art, fic [varies by request] - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games), Watch Dogs (Video Games) )
Canon promo post: Watch Dogs
Thanks for your interest! Please also let me know if I've missed any canon promo posts.
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Nominations Queries Post 1
28 Sep 2025 19:38yuletidemods posting in yuletide_adminWe are 24 hours into tag approving! We began with 6078 individual fandom nominations to sort (where if two people submitted the same fandom, that would count twice towards the total). We have 3687 fandom nominations still to sort. Please review the questions below to help us sort them quickly and correctly!
Aliens (1986) - These characters are also nominated under the broader fandom Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), so we would like to merge your nominations in with the rest of the original movies.
Bibi Blocksberg (2002) - Nominator, do you specifically only want the first movie, or may we approve this as the canonical Bibi Blocksberg (Movies 2002 2004)? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Book of Night - Holly Black - We also have evidence for this fandom as the Charlatan Duology, and another participant has nominated it under that name. We’d like to combine your nominations, but please get us in touch if there’s a reason that won’t work. Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Clocktaur War Series - T. Kingfisher, Swordheart - T. Kingfisher, Temple of the White Rat Universe - T. Kingfisher, The Saint of Steel - T. Kingfisher - We have some overlap in these nominations. The fandom as a whole is eligible, so we could combine them under Temple of the White Rat Universe, or the Temple of the White Rat Universe nominator could have their characters split into the other fandoms if you are willing to do that. Please comment with a link to your nominations to help us sort this out!
Cousin Bette - Honoré de Balzac - Nominator, you may see some oddities as we get this set up separately from La Comédie Humaine. Pardon our dust, and hopefully you’re used to it by now! Let us know if anything looks wrong when the final tagset is released.
Designing Women - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Dragonfly - Ursula K. Le Guin, Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan - Ursula K. Le Guin - Our understanding is that these are all in the same continuity. We are planning to combine Earthsea and Tombs of Atuan, especially as there is character overlap in those nominations. Dragonfly nominator, do you have concerns with folding that nomination into Earthsea as well? If so, we would appreciate help understanding exactly what you’re looking for and how to differentiate the larger Earthsea universe.
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede - We won’t approve the character nomination Morwen's Cats (Enchanted Forest) as they are all individually named. Nominators, could you please each choose a cat? (Scorn has already been nominated.) Please link your nominations page when you reply.
MAIJO Otaro - Works - We don’t approve fandoms consisting of all of a creator’s works, and the nominated characters appear to come from at least 2 novels. Nominator, could you pick one of Maijō’s works to nominate, along with the associated characters? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
夢中さ きみに。| Muchuu sa Kimi ni (Manga) - We also have a nomination for the Anime; the nominator of that fandom says they have not read the manga but believes these could be combined if needed. Does the Manga nominator have a preference? Please link your nominations page when you reply. ETA: sorry, we have 3 manga nominators and have heard from 2, so it would be great to hear from the third!
Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Nescafe Advertisment - While this is a canonical fandom on AO3, it’s under review to be renamed, so we’ll approve this as Nescafe "Arctica" | "Polar Explorers" Advertisments (Russia) which is the likely new name. However, we’d like more information on the characters. We’re not sure which of the men is “First Polar” and which is “Second Polar”; some works in the fandom use Ivanov and Petrov. Also, we haven’t seen a polar bear in the 3 ads we’ve found - can you link us to the one that has the polar bear, please?
老洞 | The Old Miao Myth (TV) - Nominator, for the character Jin Bong, are you looking for Chin Pong? We’ve checked several sources and want to confirm whether this is a romanization issue or something else.
Outcast (Video Game series) - this has been nominated with character 'Any' and no other characters. If you mean you are interested in any characters, we will approve this without characters, but we wanted to check just in case there is a character actually named Any. Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Prophet - Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald - could we please get more information about 'Prophet' as a character (aside from being the title)?
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer)
Tennis RPF - We have separate nominations for 2020's Men's Tennis RPF (characters: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Terence Atmane) and 2025 Grand Slam Season (Tennis) RPF (characters: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner) - may we combine these under the former fandom name? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Schedule, Rules, & Collection | Contact Mods | Tag Set | Community DW | Community LJ | Discord | Pinch hits on Dreamwidth
Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
Please link your nominations page if telling us what to do about your nomination - thank you! Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
If we've processed any of your nominations and something doesn't look right, please comment (with your nominations page) to tell us about the problem and how you think it should be corrected. Questions are welcome.
Aliens (1986) - These characters are also nominated under the broader fandom Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), so we would like to merge your nominations in with the rest of the original movies.
Bibi Blocksberg (2002) - Nominator, do you specifically only want the first movie, or may we approve this as the canonical Bibi Blocksberg (Movies 2002 2004)? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Book of Night - Holly Black - We also have evidence for this fandom as the Charlatan Duology, and another participant has nominated it under that name. We’d like to combine your nominations, but please get us in touch if there’s a reason that won’t work. Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Clocktaur War Series - T. Kingfisher, Swordheart - T. Kingfisher, Temple of the White Rat Universe - T. Kingfisher, The Saint of Steel - T. Kingfisher - We have some overlap in these nominations. The fandom as a whole is eligible, so we could combine them under Temple of the White Rat Universe, or the Temple of the White Rat Universe nominator could have their characters split into the other fandoms if you are willing to do that. Please comment with a link to your nominations to help us sort this out!
Cousin Bette - Honoré de Balzac - Nominator, you may see some oddities as we get this set up separately from La Comédie Humaine. Pardon our dust, and hopefully you’re used to it by now! Let us know if anything looks wrong when the final tagset is released.
Designing Women - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Dragonfly - Ursula K. Le Guin, Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan - Ursula K. Le Guin - Our understanding is that these are all in the same continuity. We are planning to combine Earthsea and Tombs of Atuan, especially as there is character overlap in those nominations. Dragonfly nominator, do you have concerns with folding that nomination into Earthsea as well? If so, we would appreciate help understanding exactly what you’re looking for and how to differentiate the larger Earthsea universe.
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede - We won’t approve the character nomination Morwen's Cats (Enchanted Forest) as they are all individually named. Nominators, could you please each choose a cat? (Scorn has already been nominated.) Please link your nominations page when you reply.
MAIJO Otaro - Works - We don’t approve fandoms consisting of all of a creator’s works, and the nominated characters appear to come from at least 2 novels. Nominator, could you pick one of Maijō’s works to nominate, along with the associated characters? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
夢中さ きみに。| Muchuu sa Kimi ni (Manga) - We also have a nomination for the Anime; the nominator of that fandom says they have not read the manga but believes these could be combined if needed. Does the Manga nominator have a preference? Please link your nominations page when you reply. ETA: sorry, we have 3 manga nominators and have heard from 2, so it would be great to hear from the third!
Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Nescafe Advertisment - While this is a canonical fandom on AO3, it’s under review to be renamed, so we’ll approve this as Nescafe "Arctica" | "Polar Explorers" Advertisments (Russia) which is the likely new name. However, we’d like more information on the characters. We’re not sure which of the men is “First Polar” and which is “Second Polar”; some works in the fandom use Ivanov and Petrov. Also, we haven’t seen a polar bear in the 3 ads we’ve found - can you link us to the one that has the polar bear, please?
老洞 | The Old Miao Myth (TV) - Nominator, for the character Jin Bong, are you looking for Chin Pong? We’ve checked several sources and want to confirm whether this is a romanization issue or something else.
Outcast (Video Game series) - this has been nominated with character 'Any' and no other characters. If you mean you are interested in any characters, we will approve this without characters, but we wanted to check just in case there is a character actually named Any. Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer).
Prophet - Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald - could we please get more information about 'Prophet' as a character (aside from being the title)?
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) - Nominator, please email us (see contact information in the footer)
Tennis RPF - We have separate nominations for 2020's Men's Tennis RPF (characters: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Terence Atmane) and 2025 Grand Slam Season (Tennis) RPF (characters: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner) - may we combine these under the former fandom name? Please link your nominations page when you reply.
Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 2, part 2
28 Sep 2025 23:09trobadora posting in sid_guardian
Hi, welcome to this week's instalment of the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Watch half an episode a week, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!
Here is last week's half-episode. On to the second half!
Episode 2, from 22:11
Summary: Zhao Yunlan puts some puzzle pieces together and confronts Li Qian, accusing her of killing her grandma. She doesn't deny it. Gao Tianyu intercepts Zhao Yunlan's car, drags Li Qian out of it and attacks her. Li Qian's grandma's spirit comes out of the Sundial to protect her (and to scold her for admitting to what she didn't do). The Envoy takes Gao Tianyu away. Zhao Yunlan and Professor Shen have a moment at Li Yufen's grave. At the SID, Zhao Yunlan summons the Envoy, and they talk about the Sundial. Chu Shuzhi meets up with the Envoy and draws some parallels between him and Zhao Yunlan. Meanwhile Zhu Jiu plans his next move.
Quote:
Li Qian: When someone you cherish is dying in front of your eyes, what would be the main thought in your mind?"
Shen Wei: "I'm willing to exchange my life for his."
(Yes, I know this is iconic and maybe doesn't need quoting again, but it gets me every time!)
Detail:
One of my favourite details that I only noticed during the last rewatch: Shen Wei interfering with Gao Tianyu's attack on Li Qian from inside the car! There's a moment when it cuts to Shen Wei very conspicuously and intently narrowing his eyes - and then suddenly there's a brief blue shield effect flash, Gao Tianyu's hold on Li Qian breaks, and he's thrown back.
Questions:
What's your favourite moment in this half-episode? How much are you feeling for Li Qian? Do you think Zhao Yunlan had sufficient reason to accuse her of murder? Any thoughts about how this compares to the novel? Which of the many things Li Qian says on the rooftop resonates the most with Shen Wei? What does Zhao Yunlan think about the Envoy at this time?
(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)
And here is our schedule - please do sign up to host a post if you can!
15 icons of shows I watched over the Summer for monthlyinspo
28 Sep 2025 22:05tinnyThis month's theme at monthlyinspo was very easy: describe what you did this Summer! I've mixed things I watched with non-fannish things I did. Here goes:
Teasers:
( icons - more or less Wu Lei related )
I'm happy to receive all kind of comments, including concrit! All icons shareable. Credit for brushes and textures I use can be found here in my resource post.
Previous icon posts:
monthlyinspo was very easy: describe what you did this Summer! I've mixed things I watched with non-fannish things I did. Here goes:Teasers:
( icons - more or less Wu Lei related )
I'm happy to receive all kind of comments, including concrit! All icons shareable. Credit for brushes and textures I use can be found here in my resource post.
(no subject)
28 Sep 2025 08:25skygiantsVOYAGER CATCH UP. I said I wanted to post about the first half of S6 before we were actually done with s6 and have not .... quite achieved that, technically, but TODAY we start the seventh and final season so I feel like if I post today it more or less counts, spiritually, emotionally, etc.
( Voyager Season 6, episodes 1-13 )
Overall early S6 not a high point in our Voyager experience, with some exceptions; it feels like we're on a little bit of a downward arc after the highs of S4/S5, but we will see what the future holds!
( Voyager Season 6, episodes 1-13 )
Overall early S6 not a high point in our Voyager experience, with some exceptions; it feels like we're on a little bit of a downward arc after the highs of S4/S5, but we will see what the future holds!
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else by Ursula K. Le Guin (1976)
28 Sep 2025 09:45pauraqueThis young adult novella (also appearing under the title A Very Long Way From Anywhere Else) is one of Le Guin's few published pieces of non-speculative fiction. Set in the Pacific Northwest, it follows a friendship between two gifted high school students. Owen wants to study at MIT and go into science, but he feels pressured by his parents to be a "normal" guy who likes cars and girls and goes to State; Natalie is a musical prodigy, but feels constrained in her options due to her conservative father and the lack of opportunities for female composers.
The book is very short but densely packed with close observations about the pressure to conform, not only the overt pressure to conform to positive expectations, but also the covert pressure to conform to negative stereotypes and sexist narratives about how guys and girls interact. It's incisive in its portrayal of being very smart but very young and knowing basically nothing about the world outside your home town, and taking a first shaky step towards a broader perspective.
Owen and Natalie reflect a specific kind of gifted experience that wasn't the same as mine. They're aware that they're different from others, but able to play the part of a kid who's kind of an overachiever but basically normal, well enough that they can hide in plain sight. Not that that makes things easy—it's hard to choose to be yourself when the safety of conformity is a real option.
Many synopses of this book say that Owen and Natalie develop romantic feelings for each other, but that is emphatically not what happens in the book. What the book actually says is this: "I had decided that I was in love with Natalie. I hadn't fallen in love with her, please notice that I didn't say that; I had decided that I was in love with her." Owen is very clear that he tries to force himself to be in love with her and to be sexually attracted to her because he thinks it's what other people expect of him. You don't have to read Owen as aroace, but that is a possible reading and I see a lot of my aroace experiences in him.
But even if you don't read it that way, the point of the book is that their connection is about who they are as specific people, and when Owen tries to make it conform to a generic "he was a boy, she was a girl" heteronormative narrative, that connection is almost destroyed. Some of the ideas Owen has already absorbed about hetero relationships at 17 are a little scary, I think intentionally so. He's at a crossroads where he can go down the path of seeing Natalie and other girls as people, or as objects of male conquest. I think it's a good example of using a male POV to demonstrate why all of us need feminism.
The book is really good and I'm not sure why Le Guin didn't write any more like it. Maybe in between other projects she didn't have the time. But this book makes it easy to imagine an alternate timeline where this was the genre where she found success, and came to be best remembered as one of the standout contemporary YA writers of the 1970s alongside Judy Blume.
The book is very short but densely packed with close observations about the pressure to conform, not only the overt pressure to conform to positive expectations, but also the covert pressure to conform to negative stereotypes and sexist narratives about how guys and girls interact. It's incisive in its portrayal of being very smart but very young and knowing basically nothing about the world outside your home town, and taking a first shaky step towards a broader perspective.
Owen and Natalie reflect a specific kind of gifted experience that wasn't the same as mine. They're aware that they're different from others, but able to play the part of a kid who's kind of an overachiever but basically normal, well enough that they can hide in plain sight. Not that that makes things easy—it's hard to choose to be yourself when the safety of conformity is a real option.
Many synopses of this book say that Owen and Natalie develop romantic feelings for each other, but that is emphatically not what happens in the book. What the book actually says is this: "I had decided that I was in love with Natalie. I hadn't fallen in love with her, please notice that I didn't say that; I had decided that I was in love with her." Owen is very clear that he tries to force himself to be in love with her and to be sexually attracted to her because he thinks it's what other people expect of him. You don't have to read Owen as aroace, but that is a possible reading and I see a lot of my aroace experiences in him.
But even if you don't read it that way, the point of the book is that their connection is about who they are as specific people, and when Owen tries to make it conform to a generic "he was a boy, she was a girl" heteronormative narrative, that connection is almost destroyed. Some of the ideas Owen has already absorbed about hetero relationships at 17 are a little scary, I think intentionally so. He's at a crossroads where he can go down the path of seeing Natalie and other girls as people, or as objects of male conquest. I think it's a good example of using a male POV to demonstrate why all of us need feminism.
The book is really good and I'm not sure why Le Guin didn't write any more like it. Maybe in between other projects she didn't have the time. But this book makes it easy to imagine an alternate timeline where this was the genre where she found success, and came to be best remembered as one of the standout contemporary YA writers of the 1970s alongside Judy Blume.
"The Mill House Murders" by Yukito Ayatsuji
27 Sep 2025 20:09atamascolilyHoly shit, Yukito Ayatsuji pulls it off again; no one is out there doing tricks with narration and POV like him. I figured out half the twist early on, but I missed other things and it was fun to see the whole thing come together.
This series is spoiling me so much and I read the whole book in one sitting. It sucks that I have to wait another year for the next one to be translated, but at least it's getting translated at all - I feel like so much of what gets translated right now are cutesy magical realist slice of life stories about chance encounters changing your life for the better and this is... definitely not that.
I nominated this series for Yuletide this year on the off chance that someone wants to write an in-universe look at Seiji Nakamura's architecture because I think it would be so fucking funny.
This series is spoiling me so much and I read the whole book in one sitting. It sucks that I have to wait another year for the next one to be translated, but at least it's getting translated at all - I feel like so much of what gets translated right now are cutesy magical realist slice of life stories about chance encounters changing your life for the better and this is... definitely not that.
I nominated this series for Yuletide this year on the off chance that someone wants to write an in-universe look at Seiji Nakamura's architecture because I think it would be so fucking funny.
Me-and-media update
28 Sep 2025 11:23china_shopPrevious poll review
In the Muppets poll, 40.7% of respondents chose Kermit, followed by 37.0% for Animal, and 29.6% for Gonzo. Hugs won the ticky-boxes, followed by paper tigers. Thank you for your votes!
Reading
I'm loving Black Water Sister -- the interactions between adherents of different religions are especially delightful. I'm making my way through it pretty slowly because I haven't had much listening time, but it's great!
Slowed down even more on Inventing the Renaissance. And the entirety of my non-audio reading has been the Guardian subs in Korean (skipping over some bits I don't know, but still looking up way too many words).
Kdramas (so many Kdramas)
( Cut for length. )
Other TV
We've started The Newsreader (Australian, stars Anna Torv) set in a TV newsroom in 1986. It's great so far -- Torv's character has a lot of emotional range, and the other lead is also interestingly complex. (TW: depression, anxiety.)
Also, one episode of Skeleton Crew, which is just as The Goonies-ish as I've heard. We'll give it another episode and see. Prehistoric Planet, which is really good. Just lovely animation and creature work. Bluey -- how is this so consistently excellent?? We're ploughing through season 3, and then there'll be none left. Oh no!
Guardian/Fandom
I am behind on EVERYTHING! Including this post. /o\ Also, I've been going through my browser windows and randomly closing tabs, now and then, so apologies if I left you hanging in a comment exchange. Firefox was just getting too hard to navigate.
Writing/making things
The Wishlist clock is ticking. I keep bumbling around like a bee doing things that are not writing fic, and then after a while saying to myself out loud, "This is not Writing Fic!" My brain gears don't seem to be working properly, and there's this one treat I'm stuck on... gah! Trying to remind myself that deadlines are just games we play with ourselves.
Life/health/mental state things
I have new glasses! They're really great. Except for biking home after picking them up, I've been wearing them non-stop with very few issues. Good for driving, okay for biking, great for TV. The fact that I have a world map and an artwork at the top and bottom of my stairs, respectively, turns out to be very helpful for distracting me from the out-of-focus stairs themselves. My keyboard is wobbly when I look at it, and sometimes the kitchen bench ("counter" for Americans) swims when I turn my head, but that's fine. I have yet to a) get the knack of gracefully attaching my clip-on sunglasses, and b) break my habit of looking under my glasses or taking them off for close work. But I'll get there. Generally I'm super happy, no notes! (My optician was right.)
Next test: we're seeing Avatar: The Way of Water in HFR 3D next week. I'll take my old glasses as backup, just in case.
Korean
Zoom call yesterday, and omg, I fumbled so much. I seriously need to practice speaking before next time. I yearn to rattle things off without having to think about it.
Link dump
Darebee home workouts (via Tumblr) | NHS's Couch to 5k page | AO3 has added Collection Tags | this shot-for-shot remake from Phineas and Ferb of "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow (viapetra, I know exactly nothing about the canon, I've watched it twice, can't get over how good it is, I think I have... a platypus ship??) | Timothy Olyphant on Conan, taking it all very seriously (TW: toe bruises).
Good things
Jaffa Cakes, tv-watching friend dates, new glasses, writing, betas (♥!), Dreamwidth, a glorious wealth of Kdramas, wikipedia, fandom, Guardian, Guardian, Guardian.
In the Muppets poll, 40.7% of respondents chose Kermit, followed by 37.0% for Animal, and 29.6% for Gonzo. Hugs won the ticky-boxes, followed by paper tigers. Thank you for your votes!
Reading
I'm loving Black Water Sister -- the interactions between adherents of different religions are especially delightful. I'm making my way through it pretty slowly because I haven't had much listening time, but it's great!
Slowed down even more on Inventing the Renaissance. And the entirety of my non-audio reading has been the Guardian subs in Korean (skipping over some bits I don't know, but still looking up way too many words).
Kdramas (so many Kdramas)
( Cut for length. )
Other TV
We've started The Newsreader (Australian, stars Anna Torv) set in a TV newsroom in 1986. It's great so far -- Torv's character has a lot of emotional range, and the other lead is also interestingly complex. (TW: depression, anxiety.)
Also, one episode of Skeleton Crew, which is just as The Goonies-ish as I've heard. We'll give it another episode and see. Prehistoric Planet, which is really good. Just lovely animation and creature work. Bluey -- how is this so consistently excellent?? We're ploughing through season 3, and then there'll be none left. Oh no!
Guardian/Fandom
I am behind on EVERYTHING! Including this post. /o\ Also, I've been going through my browser windows and randomly closing tabs, now and then, so apologies if I left you hanging in a comment exchange. Firefox was just getting too hard to navigate.
Writing/making things
The Wishlist clock is ticking. I keep bumbling around like a bee doing things that are not writing fic, and then after a while saying to myself out loud, "This is not Writing Fic!" My brain gears don't seem to be working properly, and there's this one treat I'm stuck on... gah! Trying to remind myself that deadlines are just games we play with ourselves.
Life/health/mental state things
I have new glasses! They're really great. Except for biking home after picking them up, I've been wearing them non-stop with very few issues. Good for driving, okay for biking, great for TV. The fact that I have a world map and an artwork at the top and bottom of my stairs, respectively, turns out to be very helpful for distracting me from the out-of-focus stairs themselves. My keyboard is wobbly when I look at it, and sometimes the kitchen bench ("counter" for Americans) swims when I turn my head, but that's fine. I have yet to a) get the knack of gracefully attaching my clip-on sunglasses, and b) break my habit of looking under my glasses or taking them off for close work. But I'll get there. Generally I'm super happy, no notes! (My optician was right.)
Next test: we're seeing Avatar: The Way of Water in HFR 3D next week. I'll take my old glasses as backup, just in case.
Korean
Zoom call yesterday, and omg, I fumbled so much. I seriously need to practice speaking before next time. I yearn to rattle things off without having to think about it.
Link dump
Darebee home workouts (via Tumblr) | NHS's Couch to 5k page | AO3 has added Collection Tags | this shot-for-shot remake from Phineas and Ferb of "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow (via
petra, I know exactly nothing about the canon, I've watched it twice, can't get over how good it is, I think I have... a platypus ship??) | Timothy Olyphant on Conan, taking it all very seriously (TW: toe bruises).Good things
Jaffa Cakes, tv-watching friend dates, new glasses, writing, betas (♥!), Dreamwidth, a glorious wealth of Kdramas, wikipedia, fandom, Guardian, Guardian, Guardian.
Poll #33664 Fire burn and caldron bubble
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44
Choose a potion
View Answers
sleep
22 (50.0%)
love
2 (4.5%)
immortality
9 (20.5%)
transformation
18 (40.9%)
grow-a-tail
6 (13.6%)
other
7 (15.9%)
ticky-box full of acoustic toothbrushes
8 (18.2%)
ticky-box of but now I can see all the dust and cobwebs
12 (27.3%)
ticky-box full of moose having a picnic buffet and running out of salad
16 (36.4%)
ticky-box full of a top-up prescription for writing mojo
23 (52.3%)
ticky-box full of hugs
32 (72.7%)
What would the smell of a subtropical monsoon climate zone be like?
28 Sep 2025 00:08huberthubert posting in little_detailsHello everyone!
I am writing a oneshot essentially set in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. My character is so surprised and overwhelmed by what he is seeing that I am introducing his senses one by one, but I couldnt quite imagine what it would smell like being in his position.
I know its quite humid, so thats probably the bulk of the experience, but are there any other, more subtle undertones I could include to make the scene feel more alive?
Even if you havent been to the exact location, any experience in a subtropical, humid climate would already be quite helpful.
Thank you!
I am writing a oneshot essentially set in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. My character is so surprised and overwhelmed by what he is seeing that I am introducing his senses one by one, but I couldnt quite imagine what it would smell like being in his position.
I know its quite humid, so thats probably the bulk of the experience, but are there any other, more subtle undertones I could include to make the scene feel more alive?
Even if you havent been to the exact location, any experience in a subtropical, humid climate would already be quite helpful.
Thank you!
September - Theme - Comic
27 Sep 2025 16:32colls posting in swbookclubThis month was a themed month. The idea is to read any Star Wars book you'd like that can be applied to the theme.
1. What did you read or what comic is one of your favorites?
2. Were there any scenes that struck you as memorable?
3. What other story or character focus would you like to see published as a comic?
COMING UP NEXT
October: Children of the Jedi (The Callista Trilogy #1) by Barbara Hambly
November: THEME: Published in the 10's
1. What did you read or what comic is one of your favorites?
2. Were there any scenes that struck you as memorable?
3. What other story or character focus would you like to see published as a comic?
COMING UP NEXT
October: Children of the Jedi (The Callista Trilogy #1) by Barbara Hambly
November: THEME: Published in the 10's
Letting Her Hair Down
27 Sep 2025 21:26douqiI saw a post about the TV adaptation of Jin Yong's The Young Flying Fox (飞狐外传), sequel to the more famous Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (雪山飞狐), which reminded me that it's the only historical c-novel I've ever come across that does a credible instance of the 'girl disguised as boy lets down her hair, everyone realises instantly that she's a girl' trope.
Normally that trope does not make obvious sense in Chinese historical settings because everyone had long hair, for Confucian reasons (I've come across doubtfully-sourced social media posts claiming there are visible differences in hair length for women vs men; please point me to any that you know of to be reliable). However, The Young Flying Fox is set in the Qing Dynasty, when Han Chinese men were required to wear their hair in a queue — shaving the front of their scalp and putting the hair at the back into a plait. So when Cheng Lingsu, who's been roaming the jianghu in boys' clothes, plucks off her cap and unties her hair, revealing the absence of shaved forehead/scalp, onlookers realise instantly that she's a girl.
Normally that trope does not make obvious sense in Chinese historical settings because everyone had long hair, for Confucian reasons (I've come across doubtfully-sourced social media posts claiming there are visible differences in hair length for women vs men; please point me to any that you know of to be reliable). However, The Young Flying Fox is set in the Qing Dynasty, when Han Chinese men were required to wear their hair in a queue — shaving the front of their scalp and putting the hair at the back into a plait. So when Cheng Lingsu, who's been roaming the jianghu in boys' clothes, plucks off her cap and unties her hair, revealing the absence of shaved forehead/scalp, onlookers realise instantly that she's a girl.