Harvest Celebrations
Oct. 10th, 2025 04:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipThis week was the Moon Festival, mid-autumn in the northern hemisphere, a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture and among its aficionados for about 3000 years. Due to the use of the lunisolar calendar, the event can be anywhere from mid-September to early October when a full moon is present. Last year it was around the former, this year the latter. The weather permitting, it is often held outside with friends and family, which is meant to coincide with the harvest gathering. Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival; last year I made some, a fairly complex process, this year I received some from the Consulate, which I took to Anthony and Robin's where, joined with Matthew, we had a little festival of our own and imbibed several glasses of Maotai; at 53% that stuff is like rocket fuel, but doesn't have bad effects the following day. The following evening, I had a second Moon Festival with Kate, where we engaged in the dice game of Bo Bing, one of the many games of celebration held at such festivities.
There are several additional parts of the tradition that I find particularly charming. One is the reflection on distant friends who, although not present, will be gazing at the same moon at the same time as you are. Another is the opportunity for especially close friends to express their fondest desires and greatest dreams to each other, although one imagines that sometimes that can result in a bitter harvest, so to speak. But perhaps my favourite is reciting one of the variations of the story of the goddess Chang'e, whom the festival is named after. The version I tell recites how she drank an elixir of immortality and flew to the moon, becoming the moon goddess. Her heroic but still mortal partner, the archer Hou Yi, made mooncakes to show how much he missed her; talk about shooting for the moon. Chang'e would later be joined by a rabbit who had been exiled by the Jade Emperor for surrendering the elixir of immortality to the Queen of the West.
I did take the opportunity this year to reflect on distant and absent friends and on the new harvest from the last celebration. Despite some significant disappointments, I am more than satisfied with how this year has progressed so far. I also have my eye on an even more involved and interesting twelve months in the future, which involves a fairly significant life change. It is not something that I am prepared to discuss publicly, but those whom I have told know of its importance. I have already observed some sadness among you with the realisation of what this change will entail, but remember that no matter where we are this time next year, we will be gazing at the same moon and in celebration.
There are several additional parts of the tradition that I find particularly charming. One is the reflection on distant friends who, although not present, will be gazing at the same moon at the same time as you are. Another is the opportunity for especially close friends to express their fondest desires and greatest dreams to each other, although one imagines that sometimes that can result in a bitter harvest, so to speak. But perhaps my favourite is reciting one of the variations of the story of the goddess Chang'e, whom the festival is named after. The version I tell recites how she drank an elixir of immortality and flew to the moon, becoming the moon goddess. Her heroic but still mortal partner, the archer Hou Yi, made mooncakes to show how much he missed her; talk about shooting for the moon. Chang'e would later be joined by a rabbit who had been exiled by the Jade Emperor for surrendering the elixir of immortality to the Queen of the West.
I did take the opportunity this year to reflect on distant and absent friends and on the new harvest from the last celebration. Despite some significant disappointments, I am more than satisfied with how this year has progressed so far. I also have my eye on an even more involved and interesting twelve months in the future, which involves a fairly significant life change. It is not something that I am prepared to discuss publicly, but those whom I have told know of its importance. I have already observed some sadness among you with the realisation of what this change will entail, but remember that no matter where we are this time next year, we will be gazing at the same moon and in celebration.
juushikaTitle: Spooky, Scary Skeletons
Author: Andrew Gold
Illustrator: Polona Lovšin
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2024
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 544,255
Text Number: 2020
Read Because: more spooky picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: Yes, the meme song; no, no one asked for a picture book adaptation, although I can envision the pitch. And so far as there is narrative, it doesn't translate, and little effort is made to produce a coherent story. But the art is all nostalgic Halloween vibes; not good, but fun to flip though.
Title: The Shadow and the Ghost
Author: Cat Min
Published: Levine Querido, 2024
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 544,305
Text Number: 2021
Read Because: more!, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: A story of the friendship between a ghost who only comes out at night and a shadow that can only be seen during the day. I'm a sucker for watercolor with colored pencil detailing, so vibrant and textured and really shining in the climax, when it's needed most; it's enough to make me overlook the way the ghost is drawn. But the story doesn't have much going on beyond the innate tension of a starcrossed Ladyhawke premise. Fine but forgettable.
Title: In the Dark
Author: Kate Hoefler
Illustrator: Corinna Luyken
Published: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023
Rating: 3.5 of 5
Page Count: 40
Total Page Count: 544,345
Text Number: 2022
Read Because: more! & this has a big display at a local toy store because the artist is local, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: An eminently striking little book, this has an unusual horizontal arrangement, dark but dreamy and vibrant art that's as good as the cover promises, and alternates PoVs between townsfolk and the kinda-sorta-witches of the woods. The differing perspectives are colored by negative assumptions which are then are ameliorated by acceptance and cultural engagement, so it's pretty on the nose. But the two perspectives and the whimsical cultural exchange presented in the brevity of a picture book and the author's poetic style is, frankly, confusing at worst and distant at best; it doesn't cohere. A pity! Because just look at it: beautiful.
Although I'm so tired of outdoor cats in picture books in 2023, y'all.
Author: Andrew Gold
Illustrator: Polona Lovšin
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2024
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 544,255
Text Number: 2020
Read Because: more spooky picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: Yes, the meme song; no, no one asked for a picture book adaptation, although I can envision the pitch. And so far as there is narrative, it doesn't translate, and little effort is made to produce a coherent story. But the art is all nostalgic Halloween vibes; not good, but fun to flip though.
Title: The Shadow and the Ghost
Author: Cat Min
Published: Levine Querido, 2024
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 544,305
Text Number: 2021
Read Because: more!, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: A story of the friendship between a ghost who only comes out at night and a shadow that can only be seen during the day. I'm a sucker for watercolor with colored pencil detailing, so vibrant and textured and really shining in the climax, when it's needed most; it's enough to make me overlook the way the ghost is drawn. But the story doesn't have much going on beyond the innate tension of a starcrossed Ladyhawke premise. Fine but forgettable.
Title: In the Dark
Author: Kate Hoefler
Illustrator: Corinna Luyken
Published: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023
Rating: 3.5 of 5
Page Count: 40
Total Page Count: 544,345
Text Number: 2022
Read Because: more! & this has a big display at a local toy store because the artist is local, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: An eminently striking little book, this has an unusual horizontal arrangement, dark but dreamy and vibrant art that's as good as the cover promises, and alternates PoVs between townsfolk and the kinda-sorta-witches of the woods. The differing perspectives are colored by negative assumptions which are then are ameliorated by acceptance and cultural engagement, so it's pretty on the nose. But the two perspectives and the whimsical cultural exchange presented in the brevity of a picture book and the author's poetic style is, frankly, confusing at worst and distant at best; it doesn't cohere. A pity! Because just look at it: beautiful.
Although I'm so tired of outdoor cats in picture books in 2023, y'all.
Book Review: Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh
Oct. 6th, 2025 04:40 pmjuushikaTitle: Do You Dream of Terra-Two?
Author: Temi Oh
Narrator: Nneko Okoye
Published: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2019
Rating: 3.5 of 5
Page Count: 530
Total Page Count: 544,225
Text Number: 2019
Read Because: honestly no idea how this landed on my TBR, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A group of elite students are chosen to make a colonist effort to the habitable planet of Terra-Two. I wouldn't be surprised to learn the author has a background in fanfiction, not because there's there any serial numbers filed off here but for the focus is on character work above plot. It makes for contemplative science fiction, a little teen drama, a little psychology; I like that the worldbuilding has so many ramifications for the characters, but there's something strained in the messaging, not just how characters narrativize their own experiences, but the judgment from on high: who succeeds, and why. Interesting, but more conceptually than practically, because sometimes feels like a very long book in which nothing much happens.
Author: Temi Oh
Narrator: Nneko Okoye
Published: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2019
Rating: 3.5 of 5
Page Count: 530
Total Page Count: 544,225
Text Number: 2019
Read Because: honestly no idea how this landed on my TBR, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: A group of elite students are chosen to make a colonist effort to the habitable planet of Terra-Two. I wouldn't be surprised to learn the author has a background in fanfiction, not because there's there any serial numbers filed off here but for the focus is on character work above plot. It makes for contemplative science fiction, a little teen drama, a little psychology; I like that the worldbuilding has so many ramifications for the characters, but there's something strained in the messaging, not just how characters narrativize their own experiences, but the judgment from on high: who succeeds, and why. Interesting, but more conceptually than practically, because sometimes feels like a very long book in which nothing much happens.
emotional support spinning
Oct. 6th, 2025 05:58 amyhleeThis fiber colorway is from a monthly subscription (Feral Scene in Texas, so semi-local to me) - usually wool-based blends to push me out of my comfort zone. (I find wool to be the second-most difficult fiber to spin. First is cotton, which is more "normal" for a beginning spinner.)
I think of this as Pumpkin Spice yarn! It'll be going toursula.
The current emotional support spinning WIP is cotton, widely regarded as hard mode for treadle wheel spinning. It only took six months of dedicated practice to skill up...
Shout-out to Mohairandmore [Etsy], which sells superlatively prepared fiber; the combed top for ramie and cotton are exquisite. They're also in Texas, so also semi-local to me, although I think most of their non-mohair fiber (they raise angora goats) is from other suppliers. I've got to budget for some of their merino blends at some point because I bet they're amazing to spin.
I wanted to learn to spin cotton because
(a) It's less wildly expensive than mulberry, eri, muga silk (my faves). You can get 4 oz. cotton fiber for ~$6 USD (not including shipping or tax). Silk fiber (unless it's "sari silk" loom waste) usually costs three times as much if not more.
(b) I'm in the US South. This is about as local as you get for fiber production! There's a little silk fiber production in the USA but not a lot of it, and again, whatever the source of the fiber, it's an inherently spendier fiber.
I went all-in on spinning because
(a) It's weirdly difficult to doomscroll on the internet while spinning. :p It's much better for my mental health; that alone would make it worthwhile.
(b) For my own use, I'm personally most interested in thread for needle lace, embroidery, cross stitch, hand-sewing, weaving. But I don't do any of those things very fast so I don't need very much for myself, and I'm narrowly interested in cotton or ramie or silk. I don't knit or crochet, but I have friends who do, and who can make use of yarns spun from Those Other Fibers! (I have functionally zero use for wool ever.) So anything I spin for my own learning/pleasure can go to a good home.
(c) I have wrecked ankle tendons (medical), and treadling on a spinning wheel is surprisingly good sneak physical therapy.
(d) I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, prognosis unknown. I don't want to wait five or ten years to pursue physical crafts further. My favorite thing is working with my hands (obviously, this isn't especially visible online). I regret I was never able to take a shop class because my high school didn't offer one. I don't know that I'm going to have sufficient use of my hands/feet in five to ten years (assuming the world hasn't imploded, a big assumption). So I might as well get some enjoyment out of hand/physical crafts now.
I think of this as Pumpkin Spice yarn! It'll be going to
ursula.The current emotional support spinning WIP is cotton, widely regarded as hard mode for treadle wheel spinning. It only took six months of dedicated practice to skill up...
Shout-out to Mohairandmore [Etsy], which sells superlatively prepared fiber; the combed top for ramie and cotton are exquisite. They're also in Texas, so also semi-local to me, although I think most of their non-mohair fiber (they raise angora goats) is from other suppliers. I've got to budget for some of their merino blends at some point because I bet they're amazing to spin.
I wanted to learn to spin cotton because
(a) It's less wildly expensive than mulberry, eri, muga silk (my faves). You can get 4 oz. cotton fiber for ~$6 USD (not including shipping or tax). Silk fiber (unless it's "sari silk" loom waste) usually costs three times as much if not more.
(b) I'm in the US South. This is about as local as you get for fiber production! There's a little silk fiber production in the USA but not a lot of it, and again, whatever the source of the fiber, it's an inherently spendier fiber.
I went all-in on spinning because
(a) It's weirdly difficult to doomscroll on the internet while spinning. :p It's much better for my mental health; that alone would make it worthwhile.
(b) For my own use, I'm personally most interested in thread for needle lace, embroidery, cross stitch, hand-sewing, weaving. But I don't do any of those things very fast so I don't need very much for myself, and I'm narrowly interested in cotton or ramie or silk. I don't knit or crochet, but I have friends who do, and who can make use of yarns spun from Those Other Fibers! (I have functionally zero use for wool ever.) So anything I spin for my own learning/pleasure can go to a good home.
(c) I have wrecked ankle tendons (medical), and treadling on a spinning wheel is surprisingly good sneak physical therapy.
(d) I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, prognosis unknown. I don't want to wait five or ten years to pursue physical crafts further. My favorite thing is working with my hands (obviously, this isn't especially visible online). I regret I was never able to take a shop class because my high school didn't offer one. I don't know that I'm going to have sufficient use of my hands/feet in five to ten years (assuming the world hasn't imploded, a big assumption). So I might as well get some enjoyment out of hand/physical crafts now.
This and that and a very tired me.
Oct. 6th, 2025 10:01 amgoodbyebird+ All I've done since making it home is sleep, download some stuff, watch the entire season of Wayward, and play undemanding video games. Man have I slept. Would like to lie down right now and sleep some more, but I'm headed back to work for the day (we abruptly left Thursday instead of Friday as planned, so I left behind a wee bit more chaos that I'm comfortable with).
Surprisingly smooth ride on the ferry though, given the weather.
+ Dear Vidder letters for Festivids are cropping up, and they're such a pleasure to read through. Aww fandom ❤️
+ Hunting down the digital singles for Birds of Prey, bc waiting for the trade to drop in six months is just not on the table. More Big Barda and Tiny Bat NOW. And they cancelled it, so I ain't giving them extra money, no sir :p
Now to figure out how to read them in an enjoyable manner.
Oh! And posted some scans to![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
capshare from the second and third trade.
+ Watched the new Fantastic Four. It was cozy! I'm enjoying this new return to more child-friendly superhero movies. Like, I can see letting my nephew watch both this and the new Superman movie with me. I don't need all this dark stuff for grownups; the world is dark enough as is, gimme escapism!
Surprisingly smooth ride on the ferry though, given the weather.
+ Dear Vidder letters for Festivids are cropping up, and they're such a pleasure to read through. Aww fandom ❤️
+ Hunting down the digital singles for Birds of Prey, bc waiting for the trade to drop in six months is just not on the table. More Big Barda and Tiny Bat NOW. And they cancelled it, so I ain't giving them extra money, no sir :p
Now to figure out how to read them in an enjoyable manner.
Oh! And posted some scans to
capshare from the second and third trade. + Watched the new Fantastic Four. It was cozy! I'm enjoying this new return to more child-friendly superhero movies. Like, I can see letting my nephew watch both this and the new Superman movie with me. I don't need all this dark stuff for grownups; the world is dark enough as is, gimme escapism!
latest spinning
Oct. 5th, 2025 08:24 amyhlee
Two-ply ramie handspun. I still have to BOIL it with soda ash to set the twist, but this will be going to
ilyena_sylph. ♥
Stoic-Daoist Synthesis Presentation and Tattoo
Oct. 4th, 2025 10:46 amtcpipTwo weeks ago, I gave a presentation on "Stoicism, Daoism, and Apathy" at the Melbourne Agnostics Society, which was attended by over fifty people. I have finally managed to compose my notes into something approximating a transcript of the event. At over 5,500 words, the presentation took about an hour to deliver and was followed by a Q&A session that ran for at least another three hours afterwards. Apparently true to their tradition, philosophers like to talk, and frankly, I was mentally quite exhausted at the end of it. Still, I am hardly going to spend this much effort if I didn't care very deeply about the subject and the potential for synthesis of these two great philosophical traditions.
However, it doesn't stop there. I've nailed my colours to the mast, so to speak, and visited the Melbourne Tattoo Company, who also did my Math-Rat-Tat three years ago. I had a couple of design pieces that combined my Stoic and Daoist interests, which were expertly compiled by my dear friend, Lara, and then etched into my skin by a talented young man named Jake. With plentiful etchings, he is a good walking advertisement for his craft. As is always in my taste, the design has many layers of symbolism which require elaboration.
The two-part taiji diagram, commonly known as yinyang ("dark-light"), represents the essential unity and inclusion of apparent opposites that are in dynamic motion. Instead of the seeds, however, I have alternating Stoic flames (a design originally from DT Strain), representing both the arche (basic state) and panta rhei (everything flows) from Heraclitus. When viewed as phase states, rather than fixed "elements" (c.f., Chinese wuxing), "fire" (i.e., plasma) was the first state of the universe. The tips of the flames also represent the Stoic cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance of Stoicism, with the flame bodies themselves the three treasures of Daoism: Compassion, Frugality, and Humility.
Finally, the taiji is surrounded by a Hellenic meander, itself named in the river in contemporary Turkey. Apart from the varied changes in direction that are part of the flow, it also serves as a border from which Okeanus, representing the great river that both encircles the world and separates our time in existence from the period outside it. Memento Mori! If you remember that you will die, you can live with purpose. Do not postpone what matters, avoid the distraction of things that don't matter, and focus on virtue. Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddat meliorem!
However, it doesn't stop there. I've nailed my colours to the mast, so to speak, and visited the Melbourne Tattoo Company, who also did my Math-Rat-Tat three years ago. I had a couple of design pieces that combined my Stoic and Daoist interests, which were expertly compiled by my dear friend, Lara, and then etched into my skin by a talented young man named Jake. With plentiful etchings, he is a good walking advertisement for his craft. As is always in my taste, the design has many layers of symbolism which require elaboration.
The two-part taiji diagram, commonly known as yinyang ("dark-light"), represents the essential unity and inclusion of apparent opposites that are in dynamic motion. Instead of the seeds, however, I have alternating Stoic flames (a design originally from DT Strain), representing both the arche (basic state) and panta rhei (everything flows) from Heraclitus. When viewed as phase states, rather than fixed "elements" (c.f., Chinese wuxing), "fire" (i.e., plasma) was the first state of the universe. The tips of the flames also represent the Stoic cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance of Stoicism, with the flame bodies themselves the three treasures of Daoism: Compassion, Frugality, and Humility.
Finally, the taiji is surrounded by a Hellenic meander, itself named in the river in contemporary Turkey. Apart from the varied changes in direction that are part of the flow, it also serves as a border from which Okeanus, representing the great river that both encircles the world and separates our time in existence from the period outside it. Memento Mori! If you remember that you will die, you can live with purpose. Do not postpone what matters, avoid the distraction of things that don't matter, and focus on virtue. Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddat meliorem!
Book Tour Starting Next Week
Oct. 3rd, 2025 05:00 pmmarthawellsI don't think I posted about this yet: https://us.macmillan.com/tours/martha-wells-queen-demon/
There's more info at that link, but here's a brief list of the tour stops and dates:
- Mon. Oct. 6 at 7:30pm: Brookline Booksmith with Holly Black, offsite at Arts at the Armory (Brookline, MA)
- Tues. Oct. 7 at 7pm: Politics & Prose (Union Market location) moderated by Leigha McReynolds (Washington DC)
- Wed. Oct. 8 at 7pm: The Strand, with Meg Elison (NYC, NY)
- Fri. Oct. 10 at 6pm: Let’s Play Books, with Chuck Wendig, offsite at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
- Tues. Oct. 14 at 7pm, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
- Wed. Oct. 15 at 7pm, Iron Dog Books, with Nalo Hopkinson offsite at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
- Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7pm, Powell's (Cedar Hill location) with Jenn Reese (Beaverton, OR)
- Mon. Oct. 20 at 7pm: Bookpeople, with Ehigbor Okosun (Austin, TX)
- Tue. Oct. 21 at 6:30pm: Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)
- Thurs. Oct. 23 at 6pm: Nowhere Bookshop (San Antonio, TX)
- Saturday Nov. 8-9 Texas Book Festival, Austin TX
- Sat. Nov. 15 at 2pm: Hyperbole Bookstore, offsite at Ringer Library (College Station, TX)
There's more info at that link, but here's a brief list of the tour stops and dates:
- Mon. Oct. 6 at 7:30pm: Brookline Booksmith with Holly Black, offsite at Arts at the Armory (Brookline, MA)
- Tues. Oct. 7 at 7pm: Politics & Prose (Union Market location) moderated by Leigha McReynolds (Washington DC)
- Wed. Oct. 8 at 7pm: The Strand, with Meg Elison (NYC, NY)
- Fri. Oct. 10 at 6pm: Let’s Play Books, with Chuck Wendig, offsite at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
- Tues. Oct. 14 at 7pm, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
- Wed. Oct. 15 at 7pm, Iron Dog Books, with Nalo Hopkinson offsite at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
- Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7pm, Powell's (Cedar Hill location) with Jenn Reese (Beaverton, OR)
- Mon. Oct. 20 at 7pm: Bookpeople, with Ehigbor Okosun (Austin, TX)
- Tue. Oct. 21 at 6:30pm: Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)
- Thurs. Oct. 23 at 6pm: Nowhere Bookshop (San Antonio, TX)
- Saturday Nov. 8-9 Texas Book Festival, Austin TX
- Sat. Nov. 15 at 2pm: Hyperbole Bookstore, offsite at Ringer Library (College Station, TX)
on "book club" scams targeting authors and f*cked incentives
Oct. 3rd, 2025 12:11 pmyhleeGenre Grapevine: Book Club Scams Are a Warning of Emerging AI Super-Scams [Jason Sanford - nota bene, I've been the target of such scams but have not fact-checked Sanford's specific details]
I'm sad that people are stuck in positions so desperate that they fall for this. I hope people get warned about this. I've gotten a couple of these and gotten asked about one that involved a scammer that cited that I was working with them (I was not, lol).
That said, I'm almost positive I've seen accounts of similarly structured scams from a time before modern mass telecommunications, when now you can fake up a bunch of "people" to convince greedy/hopeful/desperate marks that they've stumbled on some Good Thing and the marks can't (easily) verify those "people." You can do this in print with ~testimonials, but not at scale and not in realtime in this manner.
I'm not saying AI isn't a problem; I'm saying that if people weren't forced to desperation (or straight-up greedy), the incentive structure that enables the AI deployment to be profitable (so to speak) with this target ~audience would not be as successful. Which is perhaps splitting hairs and is the point at which I expect to be flamed off my own DW.
Very simplified but: Anytime you create an incentive A, you create a secondary incentive A' for bad actors to exploit the system to access A.
Hilarious terribad example of this: I was contacted for a blurb/etc for what sounded like an extremely unoriginal sexploitation "trans woman" sci-fi book (you know, sexbot cyberpunk sleazy noir but with a trans angle). That's not all that surprising and it's theoretically possible the book exists and was written by some human, or it exists but was written by some LLM, whatever. That's not the incentive. (For that matter, I'm not in a position to criticize a sci-fi book artistically on sleaziness grounds, please! I have published books full of genocide, rape, incest and other objectionable material. I'm a trash panda aesthetically.)
No: what was interesting from a scammer vs. mark arms race evolution perspective was that this author claimed to be (approximately, I'm writing this from memory) a trans woman in ~South Asia who was inspired by having done ~sex work. This is a clever way to appeal both to "woke" crowds and A Certain Sleazy Crowd! For ~privacy/safety reasons she could not accept interview/live call requests. This was accompanied by a SUPER fake-looking (likely AI-generated or badly Photoshopped, take your pick) Hot Asian Chick headshot.
So yes, absolutely as a trans person I know that safety/privacy are hideously important. But once incentive A exists, someone has incentive A' to piggyback on A, which is what looked like was happening here. I just blocked the email address and moved on. At this point, I've set up my email to auto-delete any email that mentions "Goodreads" or "Amazon", unless they're on a SMALL whitelist, among other countermeasures. Life is too short and I have ramie to spin!
I said cynically totelophase that I suspected that the "actual" "author" was some middle-aged white dude scammer sitting in North Dakota or, more tragically and pessimistically, some human trafficking scam farm outside the US.
I assume this is also where the fake-looking-ness is partly to screen out people who are moderately suspicious/vigilant/smart enough to avoid weird, scammy emails and/or ask around for more information, and to screen for people who are sufficiently desperate, greedy, or naive (cf. shitty obvious "tells" in phishing scams). But I'm out of field so I could be wrong.
Regardless: it's not that legislative or technological protections aren't important or necessary or desirable, it's that the underlying human problem of the incentives vs. secondary incentives is inherently intractable. :(
NOTE: I'm screening comments from non-[access] and may be scarce/slow because I'm recovering from a health thing. Thanks.
I'm sad that people are stuck in positions so desperate that they fall for this. I hope people get warned about this. I've gotten a couple of these and gotten asked about one that involved a scammer that cited that I was working with them (I was not, lol).
That said, I'm almost positive I've seen accounts of similarly structured scams from a time before modern mass telecommunications, when now you can fake up a bunch of "people" to convince greedy/hopeful/desperate marks that they've stumbled on some Good Thing and the marks can't (easily) verify those "people." You can do this in print with ~testimonials, but not at scale and not in realtime in this manner.
I'm not saying AI isn't a problem; I'm saying that if people weren't forced to desperation (or straight-up greedy), the incentive structure that enables the AI deployment to be profitable (so to speak) with this target ~audience would not be as successful. Which is perhaps splitting hairs and is the point at which I expect to be flamed off my own DW.
Very simplified but: Anytime you create an incentive A, you create a secondary incentive A' for bad actors to exploit the system to access A.
Hilarious terribad example of this: I was contacted for a blurb/etc for what sounded like an extremely unoriginal sexploitation "trans woman" sci-fi book (you know, sexbot cyberpunk sleazy noir but with a trans angle). That's not all that surprising and it's theoretically possible the book exists and was written by some human, or it exists but was written by some LLM, whatever. That's not the incentive. (For that matter, I'm not in a position to criticize a sci-fi book artistically on sleaziness grounds, please! I have published books full of genocide, rape, incest and other objectionable material. I'm a trash panda aesthetically.)
No: what was interesting from a scammer vs. mark arms race evolution perspective was that this author claimed to be (approximately, I'm writing this from memory) a trans woman in ~South Asia who was inspired by having done ~sex work. This is a clever way to appeal both to "woke" crowds and A Certain Sleazy Crowd! For ~privacy/safety reasons she could not accept interview/live call requests. This was accompanied by a SUPER fake-looking (likely AI-generated or badly Photoshopped, take your pick) Hot Asian Chick headshot.
So yes, absolutely as a trans person I know that safety/privacy are hideously important. But once incentive A exists, someone has incentive A' to piggyback on A, which is what looked like was happening here. I just blocked the email address and moved on. At this point, I've set up my email to auto-delete any email that mentions "Goodreads" or "Amazon", unless they're on a SMALL whitelist, among other countermeasures. Life is too short and I have ramie to spin!
I said cynically to
telophase that I suspected that the "actual" "author" was some middle-aged white dude scammer sitting in North Dakota or, more tragically and pessimistically, some human trafficking scam farm outside the US.I assume this is also where the fake-looking-ness is partly to screen out people who are moderately suspicious/vigilant/smart enough to avoid weird, scammy emails and/or ask around for more information, and to screen for people who are sufficiently desperate, greedy, or naive (cf. shitty obvious "tells" in phishing scams). But I'm out of field so I could be wrong.
Regardless: it's not that legislative or technological protections aren't important or necessary or desirable, it's that the underlying human problem of the incentives vs. secondary incentives is inherently intractable. :(
NOTE: I'm screening comments from non-[access] and may be scarce/slow because I'm recovering from a health thing. Thanks.
Queen Demon Playlist
Oct. 2nd, 2025 08:42 pmmarthawellsI did a playlist for Witch King (https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/627157.html) when it first came out in 2023, and now here's one for Queen Demon:
Seven Devils - Florence + Machine
Burning - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Bando - ANNA with MadMan and Gemitaiz
Bringing Murder to the Land - Anton Newcombe and Dot Allison
Bulletproof vs. Release Me - The Outfit
I Owe You Nothing - Seinabo Sey
W.I.T.C.H. - Devon Cole
Egun (theme from Manhunt) - Danielle Ponder
Warm - SG Lewis
Disease - Lady Gaga
Which Witch (Demo) - Florence + Machine
you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish
Bakunawa - Rudy Ibarra, with June Millington, Han Han, and Ouida.
Seven Devils - Florence + Machine
Burning - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Bando - ANNA with MadMan and Gemitaiz
Bringing Murder to the Land - Anton Newcombe and Dot Allison
Bulletproof vs. Release Me - The Outfit
I Owe You Nothing - Seinabo Sey
W.I.T.C.H. - Devon Cole
Egun (theme from Manhunt) - Danielle Ponder
Warm - SG Lewis
Disease - Lady Gaga
Which Witch (Demo) - Florence + Machine
you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish
Bakunawa - Rudy Ibarra, with June Millington, Han Han, and Ouida.
Acercándonos
Oct. 2nd, 2025 10:53 pmtcpipAlthough the trip to South America and Antarctica for Kate and me is two months away, there have been a few progressive and positive changes as that date nears. The first is a very recent decision from Chile that Australian passport holders no longer require a tourist visa for stays up to 90 days. That is quite beneficial, as there are a couple of visits to said country on the itinerary, including the capital, Santiago, and Punta Arenas in Tierra del Fuego. The second was a visit to the Travel Doctor-TMVC for a few various vaccines and boosters in preparation for the trip, of which the Yellow fever vaccine was most notable. I still had my WHO vaccine card from the last time I visited said clinic over twenty years ago for my first trip to Timor-Leste, and have carried it around with my passport ever since!
A third update is a decision by yours truly to flesh out the itinerary for various cities and towns that we're visiting that's not part of the standard tour. Unsurprisingly, this will include over fifty museums, art galleries, theatres, historic buildings and the like, which this lover of art and beauty cannot ignore, no matter what country I visit. Said locales include Santiago, Lima, Cusco, Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Stanley, and Montevideo, so if any readers have recommendations they are very welcome. What I haven't done yet is work out what to do on the several days on the cruise ship from Buenos Aires to Antarctica and return, which I suspect will be quite boring, and I'll end up spending most of my time either in the theatre, gym, or dining. Fortunately, a deck plan is available.
Finally, with some prior learning and a great deal of recent interest, I have spent a good amount of time building my Spanish language skills in recent months to the point that I feel fairly comfortable with B1 CEFR level communication. Most of this has been through Duolingo, as always. However, being of a certain age, I have also joined and enrolled in the Spanish language and literature classes conducted by the Melbourne city University of the Third Age. I must confess I prefer the current French title (which the concept originated in 1973) as "Union Française des Universités de Tous Ages". Still, each body is independent and makes its own rules, and I rather suspect I'm going to enjoy this environment.
A third update is a decision by yours truly to flesh out the itinerary for various cities and towns that we're visiting that's not part of the standard tour. Unsurprisingly, this will include over fifty museums, art galleries, theatres, historic buildings and the like, which this lover of art and beauty cannot ignore, no matter what country I visit. Said locales include Santiago, Lima, Cusco, Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Stanley, and Montevideo, so if any readers have recommendations they are very welcome. What I haven't done yet is work out what to do on the several days on the cruise ship from Buenos Aires to Antarctica and return, which I suspect will be quite boring, and I'll end up spending most of my time either in the theatre, gym, or dining. Fortunately, a deck plan is available.
Finally, with some prior learning and a great deal of recent interest, I have spent a good amount of time building my Spanish language skills in recent months to the point that I feel fairly comfortable with B1 CEFR level communication. Most of this has been through Duolingo, as always. However, being of a certain age, I have also joined and enrolled in the Spanish language and literature classes conducted by the Melbourne city University of the Third Age. I must confess I prefer the current French title (which the concept originated in 1973) as "Union Française des Universités de Tous Ages". Still, each body is independent and makes its own rules, and I rather suspect I'm going to enjoy this environment.
Ninefox Gambit comic
Oct. 2nd, 2025 03:55 amyhleeThere are parts of this comic theme I find wildly confusing, but after accidentally destroying my WordPress install ~a year ago, Ninefox Gambit comic is back online! Includes both the Cheris reboot prelude/origin story and Candle Arc comics.
(The companion site Candle Arc is more specifically focused on the 2D animated short in preproduction.)
...still buried under orchestration homework, see y'all later?!
(The companion site Candle Arc is more specifically focused on the 2D animated short in preproduction.)
...still buried under orchestration homework, see y'all later?!
(no subject)
Oct. 1st, 2025 07:39 pmgoodbyebird+ My brain is mush. We dock sometime during tonight, so tomorrow will be another hectic day. Thankfully come Friday I shall have freedoooommmm.
+ I want a Big Barda icon but I'm too zapped to make one *sulk*
Maybe after I've had my shower.
+ Not helping: my mom constantly asking me when I can come see her in Oslo, and for plans this Christmas when she'll be visiting and living at my brother's. I do not have capacity for this. Love her to bits but it's tough to convey that SOCIAL BANK EMPTY, PLAN QUEUE FULL.
+ Booked my flu shot for next Thursday. Apparently they're not doing Covid shots at the doctor anymore, boo. And the only information I can find is that it becomes available week 42. Hopefully I manage to get in there early enough that it will mostly be in full effect by the time I go to Thailand.
+ One Battle After Another will be showing at the small local cinema next week. There's been some very positive buzz. I may try to lure some friends to come with.
+ Decided to try and move away from using GoodReads, and so far StoryGraph seems a good fit. I know there's quite a few options out there, but I only made it through two before settling on StoryGraph. (Fable being the second option, but just way too busy for me. Someone looking for a move involved and social experience might vibe with it!)
One of the fun things is you can make your own book lists or challenges. I started putting together a small Queer Comics one. I could only find two other comic/graphic novel challenges by searching, so that's certainly a void in need of fillingthat's what she said.
Anyways, I'm here, in case anybody else is stretching their wings.
Sad eta: Jane Goodall has passed.
+ I want a Big Barda icon but I'm too zapped to make one *sulk*
Maybe after I've had my shower.
+ Not helping: my mom constantly asking me when I can come see her in Oslo, and for plans this Christmas when she'll be visiting and living at my brother's. I do not have capacity for this. Love her to bits but it's tough to convey that SOCIAL BANK EMPTY, PLAN QUEUE FULL.
+ Booked my flu shot for next Thursday. Apparently they're not doing Covid shots at the doctor anymore, boo. And the only information I can find is that it becomes available week 42. Hopefully I manage to get in there early enough that it will mostly be in full effect by the time I go to Thailand.
+ One Battle After Another will be showing at the small local cinema next week. There's been some very positive buzz. I may try to lure some friends to come with.
+ Decided to try and move away from using GoodReads, and so far StoryGraph seems a good fit. I know there's quite a few options out there, but I only made it through two before settling on StoryGraph. (Fable being the second option, but just way too busy for me. Someone looking for a move involved and social experience might vibe with it!)
One of the fun things is you can make your own book lists or challenges. I started putting together a small Queer Comics one. I could only find two other comic/graphic novel challenges by searching, so that's certainly a void in need of filling
Anyways, I'm here, in case anybody else is stretching their wings.
Sad eta: Jane Goodall has passed.
moonvoiceI've reached the point in Hades II where I'm very bad at everything even with Godmode at max (this game is actually not accesible at all, though it Tried, it's both harder than the first Hades, and less forgiving, and the Godmode is like...ehhhh. On the one hand I get that like, it's very cool for people to get very hard achievements when a game is very challenging, and on the other hand, for those of us who have pretty big motor dysfunction etc. who want the game to be accessible, the game is like phenomenally hard even with their 'accessibility' options, and that's frustrating.
I don't want to have to use mods, mostly because they can be finicky and sometimes break saves etc., but I honestly can't see some ways forward through the game without them. Massive props to the people who can play without Godmode in a game that is so much harder. I consider myself lucky that I can beat the vanilla game, but everything else (Chaos challenges, etc.) is like...welp. We'll see. Some are fine, some are not. ( spoilers, and rather more ranting than I expected )
Okay, I'm done.
I don't want to have to use mods, mostly because they can be finicky and sometimes break saves etc., but I honestly can't see some ways forward through the game without them. Massive props to the people who can play without Godmode in a game that is so much harder. I consider myself lucky that I can beat the vanilla game, but everything else (Chaos challenges, etc.) is like...welp. We'll see. Some are fine, some are not. ( spoilers, and rather more ranting than I expected )
Okay, I'm done.
Gnocchi Fest, Fair Verona, and More
Sep. 29th, 2025 10:25 pmtcpipLast Sunday was the 50th anniversary of the "Spaghetti House Siege", and my home was probably the only place in the world that held a "linner" (lunch-dinner) recalling the event. Instead of spaghetti, I delved into my moderate Italian heritage and held a "gnocchi fest", which is certainly my favourite food. During the day myself, Kate, Mel, Terry, Martin, Nitul, and Simon attended and later in the evening Marc joined in as well, with Mayday the rat deciding to keep company (Mayhem waddled home in preference). Prepared for the possibility of a few more attendees and, as is my wont, I over-catered, which is hardly a problem. My big surprise was the dessert gnocchi with pannacotta gelato. Anyway, it was insanely delicious, the company and conversation superb, the French sparkling and Sicilian lemon cordial flowed, and really, I just touched the surface of this amazingly versatile dish.
Also thematically Italian, the previous day Kate and I ventured to the Astor, Melbourne's glorious art deco cinema, for the 30th anniversary screening of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 "Romeo + Juliet" with a live choir. I could have done without the choir, which really detracted, a lot, rather than added to the experience. The film has held up well, taking the Shakespeare classic and putting it into a 1990s American business-gangster setting with several cute hat-tips to the original, but importantly, directly using the script. It's aged pretty well; it captures violence and tragedy, for which the famous romance is a plot device and a cautionary tale. Actually, it's still a bit weird how popular culture to this day thinks Romeo and Juliet is a romance; at least six people die in three days!
In more improvised dramatic arts, Kate experienced her first session of an RPG, namely "Call of Cthulhu", which always works well for single-person introductory play. I have also been working my way through an ElfQuest article in honour of a current campaign I'm running and in recognition of Chaosium's re-release of the classic game. An excellent source on the themes of this long-running comic (since 1978!) has the evocative title by Madeline Ffitch, "How a Comic Book About Feral Elves Got Me Through Middle School". Finally, the weekend also saw me complete yet another essay for my doctoral studies on Climate Change denialism, this time taking to task one of the very few academic climatologists who has contrarian views, through some very interesting selective data choices. Apropos this, I made a little announcement at the gnocchi dinner party, which will be revealed publicly soon; every so often, one must make significant life changes, and the time is now.
Also thematically Italian, the previous day Kate and I ventured to the Astor, Melbourne's glorious art deco cinema, for the 30th anniversary screening of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 "Romeo + Juliet" with a live choir. I could have done without the choir, which really detracted, a lot, rather than added to the experience. The film has held up well, taking the Shakespeare classic and putting it into a 1990s American business-gangster setting with several cute hat-tips to the original, but importantly, directly using the script. It's aged pretty well; it captures violence and tragedy, for which the famous romance is a plot device and a cautionary tale. Actually, it's still a bit weird how popular culture to this day thinks Romeo and Juliet is a romance; at least six people die in three days!
In more improvised dramatic arts, Kate experienced her first session of an RPG, namely "Call of Cthulhu", which always works well for single-person introductory play. I have also been working my way through an ElfQuest article in honour of a current campaign I'm running and in recognition of Chaosium's re-release of the classic game. An excellent source on the themes of this long-running comic (since 1978!) has the evocative title by Madeline Ffitch, "How a Comic Book About Feral Elves Got Me Through Middle School". Finally, the weekend also saw me complete yet another essay for my doctoral studies on Climate Change denialism, this time taking to task one of the very few academic climatologists who has contrarian views, through some very interesting selective data choices. Apropos this, I made a little announcement at the gnocchi dinner party, which will be revealed publicly soon; every so often, one must make significant life changes, and the time is now.
Short Story
Sep. 28th, 2025 07:11 pmmarthawellsThe audio version of “Data Ghost” my short story from the recent Storyteller: the Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology is now online at Pseudopod!
https://pseudopod.org/2025/09/26/pseudopod-995-data-ghost/
Also, Queen Demon, the sequel to Witch King, will be out on October 7, in ebook, hardcover, and audiobook narrated by Eric Mok.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-demon-martha-wells/b7abd63577bd30a5?ean=9781250826916&next=t
https://pseudopod.org/2025/09/26/pseudopod-995-data-ghost/
Also, Queen Demon, the sequel to Witch King, will be out on October 7, in ebook, hardcover, and audiobook narrated by Eric Mok.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-demon-martha-wells/b7abd63577bd30a5?ean=9781250826916&next=t
Look mom! I killed another one!
Sep. 28th, 2025 07:45 pmgoodbyebirdGuess who picked up a super fun comic, tore through three trades, then wanted to find folks talking about it and searched on BluSky... to find it got cancelled the very day she picked it up? AYUP.
Why aren't people buying super fun team comics?? *shakes fist at universe*
(yes it was cancelled due to poor sales)
The comic in question? Birds of Prey, written by Kelly Thompson. It had team! Quips! Competency! Siblings! Big Barda and Tiny Bat!! Muscles and mind-controlled beefcakes!
The last issue comes out in December and I'd prefer to pick up the trade. When I went to check if we'd even get volume 4 - comics! they treat us so well! - there was some good sprinkled in there. Firstly, she's pitching a new book at DC featuring a couple of the characters from BoP. My feral mind is slamming both fists on the table, chanting "Big and tiny! Big and tiny!" Probably not but gimme.
Secondly, Thompson's heading up the new Buffy and Angel run at Dynamite!
Thank god BOOM! lost the license because oof. Outside of the pretty covers and first issue, that was rough to say the least.
But I'm excited for this! We could, dare I say it, get a good Buffy comic.
Why aren't people buying super fun team comics?? *shakes fist at universe*
(yes it was cancelled due to poor sales)
The comic in question? Birds of Prey, written by Kelly Thompson. It had team! Quips! Competency! Siblings! Big Barda and Tiny Bat!! Muscles and mind-controlled beefcakes!
The last issue comes out in December and I'd prefer to pick up the trade. When I went to check if we'd even get volume 4 - comics! they treat us so well! - there was some good sprinkled in there. Firstly, she's pitching a new book at DC featuring a couple of the characters from BoP. My feral mind is slamming both fists on the table, chanting "Big and tiny! Big and tiny!" Probably not but gimme.
Secondly, Thompson's heading up the new Buffy and Angel run at Dynamite!
In my early days trying to figure out how to be a writer and what stories mattered to me and why — no heroine quite broke through for me like Buffy Summers.
She was somehow everything my young geek heart had always wanted but hadn’t known to ask for. Something about that delicate alchemy of horror, fantasy, and comedy paired with a hero so pure of heart and yet flawed and relatable was… impossible to deny. I fell deeply in love with Buffy, and following that, her whole world. Her ex-boyfriend is now a supernatural detective in Los Angeles you say? Inject it directly into my veins! But unlike a lot of other worlds I loved, the world of Buffy and Angel somehow never fell to the wayside. I could always come back to it and find something new, or something I’d missed, or something I needed. And I hope this new story we’re telling can do the same for old and new fans everywhere.
Thank god BOOM! lost the license because oof. Outside of the pretty covers and first issue, that was rough to say the least.
But I'm excited for this! We could, dare I say it, get a good Buffy comic.
Wedding!
Sep. 28th, 2025 11:11 amfred_mouseI had a swathe of things I was hoping to do this morning, but each one I do takes longer than I was anticipating. One of the things I'm abandoning off the list is a well thought out blog post.
In other news,
Middlest is getting married.
At the Zoo.
In about 3 hours
And it is raining (it most likely won't be by then, but now I'm in a tizz about which trousers to wear to go with which jacket because I had not planned for 'dammit, I'll get cold'. I've already hemmed one pair of trousers, going to have to do another. very much appreciating magical hemming tape)
booklists - august and september
Sep. 27th, 2025 04:49 pmfred_mouseI haven't been seeing as many booklists as I sometimes do; maybe it is the quiet part of the year for it, or maybe I've just been skimming past and not registering them. Anyway, what have I found?
from the Otherwise Award site, Celebrating work from 2022-2023: Part I a list of works to consider from the years the awards were on hiatus. I was in a 'no, no more books' mood so was reading for interest but not to put things on the wishlist.
from pangur-and-grim at tumblr, their favourite books from this year. Not normally the kind of list I'd look at, but at first glance it starts with Alien Clay, which I loved, has a couple I think I'd like and a stack I've never heard of. It also has The Last Unicorn. There are six that Greer has read, and three 'up next'. Turned out some of the ones I hadn't read were already on the wishlist; i added all but one of the rest.
at tumblr, suspiciouspopsicle said I need some good fantasy or scifi to read that doesn't involve romance., First set of replies from specialagentartemis. Sadly, their absolute favourites is three I've read and one I don't want to (saw the movie, don't care), and the weird and interesting is a mix of read it, can't find it, that doesn't sound like my thing. Second from girlfailuregawain, where the ones I recognise make me a bit meh on looking up the rest, because very much Not My Taste. There are some more in the comments, but I ran out of steam. One book added to the maybe list.
I also added two to the wishlist after reading bibliofile's notes about them.