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book log: reading wednesday

Reading Wednesday

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Today's prompt is: ajar

• You have 2 days time to submit an icon for this prompt (in other words, until prompt 2499 gets posted)!
• Prompt 2495 have been closed.
• If you have any questions regarding the prompt, feel free to ask in a comment.
• To submit an icon you simply reply to this post with the following information:
Icon:
Claim: (only necessary if it's a specific claim)
Status: (e.g. #1/10 - number of icon completed/table size)

Pre-formatted

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type: meme

RIP (Read In Progress) Wednesday

What are you reading?

Weds is the time, is the place, is the motion,
Weds is the day we are reading....

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murderbot on tv

David Dastmalchian interview

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/david-dastmalchian-murderbot-dexter-resurrection-interview/

"Now I feel much more comfortable advocating for [what I need]. To give you an example, on the set of Murderbot, going to my directors and writers, the showrunners, Chris and Paul [Weitz], and saying, ‘I'm really sorry, but on Wednesday at 2pm - I know I'm on the schedule that day, but is there any way I could be in my trailer for 45 minutes to have a therapy session?' and them being so supportive and loving and saying, ‘Of course, we will get you a Wi-Fi booster,’ because we were out in the middle of nowhere.

Freeform Indication

There seems to be a little confusion about what we're asking for when we say to indicate the freeform.

An example signup is made up of

Name - hurtcomfortmod

Fandom - Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)

Relationship(s) - Asseylum Vers Allusia/Slaine Troyard (hurt Slaine)

Work Medium - Fanfiction

Freeforms - A's adventuring party all killed; A must find their way back to safety while badly injured and alone
A's Been Hurting B to Keep B Safe; Finally A Gives in to Impulses (It Ends With Sex)
A's seriously injured on mission; B's ordered to leave A and proceed with the mission but disobeys

Those last three are the freeforms. They may also be called Optional Tags. If you go to AO3 Automagic App you can see the Freeforms/Optional Tags clearly for the signups.

In this exchange you must create for a requested fandom, a requested relationship within that fandom, a requested work medium, and a requested freeform/optional tag. None of these are optional.

The freeform can be tagged in the work you submit, or put in an author note. These can be removed before the exchange goes live, but must be present to count as a submitted assignment.

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Spider-Boy #19

( Scans under the cut... )

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Blood Over Bright Haven, by M. L. Wang

Sciona, the first woman ever admitted to the University of Magic, takes on Thomil, a janitor from a discriminated-against culture, as her lab assistant, and they both learn dark secrets about their world.

Thomil is introduced when his clan makes a desperate run across deadly ground to get to the safety of a city surrounded by a magical shield. The shield protects against bitter cold and the deadly Blight, which randomly zaps and dissolves people, but the area around the city is particularly Blight-infested. Only Thomil and his baby niece survive. When they arrive, they find that the city natives hate their race and has consigned them all as a permanent underclass.

Ten years later, Sciona, a well-to-do young woman in the city, is preparing for her magic exam to try to get into the sexist magic university, which no woman has ever passed. Though she does pass, all the male mages but her mentor hate her and hassle her. The only other person who's even remotely nice to her is Thomil, the janitor, who is assigned as her lab assistant as a cruel joke. But though Sciona is racist and classist, and Thomil is mildly sexist in an oblivious way, they find that they kind of get along...

Wang has an engaging, easy-read style for the most part, the intros to the two main characters are quite compelling, and despite the heavy-handed axes of privilege themes, Thomil and Sciona have a nice dynamic.

I said "for the most part." The exception is the magic system, which I think is basically computer programming via magic typewriters (spellographs). The wizards program a spell to access a specific area of the magical Otherrealm (which they can't see or sense in any way, so they're just plotting points on a grid) to grab magical energy or matter from it. But we get MUCH more detailed and lengthy descriptions of it, from long explanations to actual spells:

CONDITION 1: DEVICE is 15 Vendric feet higher than its position at the time of activation.

ACTION 1: FIRE will siphon from POWER an amount of energy no lower than 4.35 and no higher than 4.55 on the Leonic scale.

ACTION 2: FIRE will siphon within the distance of DEVICE no higher than 3 Vendric inches.

If and only if CONDITION 1 is met, ACTION 1 and ACTION 2 will go into effect.

The first half is Sciona and Thomil working on various spells, interspersed with very heavy-handed commentary on colonialism, sexism, and how Sciona totally gets feminism when it applies to her personally but is oblivious to all other isms. Sciona is an awful, self-centered person and Thomil is mostly perfect. Almost exactly halfway through, there is a shocking reveal. At least, it shocked many readers. It did not shock me.

( Read more... )

Despite what the plot description sounds like, Sciona and Thomil do not have a romance beyond occasional sexy feelings. It's a magical dystopia/dark academia, I think similar to Babel (which I could not get very far into) but less anvillicious in that it does not have literal footnotes saying stuff like "This is a racist comment and racism is bad." (In the bookshop, I have Blood Over Bright Haven tagged "If you like Babel you will like this.") Sadly for M. L. Wang, this comparative subtlety got them some reviews on Goodreads accusing them of condoning Sciona being a bad person and endorsing her beliefs.

I did not care for this book but I can see how it would work for many readers, especially if they're shocked by the twist at the halfway mark.

Current Mood: pensive

Signal boost: Claims of Hidden AI Bots on Discord: An Explanation

thebiballerina wrote up a really nice explanation of what is going on with the hidden AI bots on Discord, with links and citations, explaining what the bots can and cannot do.

The image editing tools being discussed here are user applications. These particular applications are more visible due to being promoted by Discord, but they operate the same as other third-party user applications. The individual user has to choose to enable these applications, and choose which images they use them on, entirely at their discretion. It is functionally equivalent to saving the image to one's computer and uploading it on another website.

A user application cannot read content in a server of its own accord, and thus cannot "scrape" a server for AI training data.

Link: Claims of Hidden AI Bots on Discord: An Explanation

I've seen people in Discord servers share User IDs (a string of numbers) to ban them, and then more people showing up with even more IDs to ban. I don't know if in the backend, the server owner can see the "name" of the user being banned this way (and then confirm that it's an AI bot name), but for me that reminded me a bit too much of when Twitter users had to share blocklists for bots and those lists then had legitimate users added to them in order to silence them. Either way, as per the article, the banning does nothing as the app can still be added AND the bots only see the data that a user specifically shares with them (like a photo a user explicitly uses with the app).

I also appreciated the pointers to Discord's terms around using data for AI training, which I wasn't aware of. Very informative post.

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Cozy Mystery sale

https://fairfieldpublishing.com/cozy-mystery-sale-may-2025/

For 99 cents, a selection of Cozy mysteries, and some series. As far as I can tell, the sale ends Saturday at midnight, USA mountain time, Greenwich -7. (There's a countdown clock on my page. I have no idea if that's adjusted for different time-zones, or the same for everyone.) Happy reading.

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akicidw

AKICIDW: What does editing cost?

I got an email yesterday from one of my professors who I've been using as a reference. She said she had a student who was in the process of applying to grad school and was looking to hire an editor to help him improve one of his papers for inclusion with his applications. She remembered that I had experience in editing and wanted to know if I'd be okay with her passing on my contact information to him. I was up front with her about my editing experience (I've done lots of copyediting, style editing, and fact-checking, but no real heavy-duty developmental editing other than on my own writing), and said if she still felt comfortable recommending me to him I was interested. After reading this, she said was comfortable recommending me and would be passing my information on to him.

Now we finally get to the question part of this post: I've never hired an editor. I've never worked as a free-lance editor of this sort. But I know a lot of you have editing experience and/or ties to universities, so I'm hoping you can give me some guidance here: How much do editors usually charge for something like this? Should I be charging by the hour or by word count or what? At this point I have absolutely nothing to go on other than my instinctive valuation of money, which I already know is seriously fucked up from years of being broke.

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Blue Beetle #7

Writer: Len Wein

Pencils: Paris Cullins

Inks: Dell Barras

It feels so weird to see Ted Kord depicted as a competent crime-fighter.

( Read more... )

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WWW Wednesday

1. What are you currently reading?

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: I started! I read the prologue. That's. literally all I've managed.
Moriarty the Patriot vol. 6 by Ryosuke Takeuchi: okay the handling of Irene Adler is growing on me... I guess... (I'm enjoying this vol. more than basically all the others, so I def won't be giving up the series yet...)
*天官赐福 manhua vol. 3 by 墨香铜臭: I DID manage to start a second Chinese manhua still within May! I probably won't finish it this month but still, 3 vols in 2 months would still be more than one vol a month. I'll take it.

2. What have you recently finished reading?

so much manga. I haven't been able to brain much else. anyway...

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish vol. 4 by Xue Shan Fei Hu: finished the book, and thus the series! It was fine. Vol. 4 continued to be less kid-oriented that vol 3, but overall if I'd known how kid-focused the whole series would be I doubt I would ever have read it.
My Beautiful Man vol. 3 by Yuu Nagira
Yona of the Dawn vol. 12 by Mizuho Kusanagi
Rooming with My Two Lovers by Anji Seina: poly BL. unremarkable as yaoi, but it was nice to get some poly.
Spy x Family vol. 10 by Tatsuya Endo: it was nice to get some of Loid's backstory. I was hoping we would, based on the cover.
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! vol. 12 by Yuu Toyota
Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba vol. 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
Moriarty the Patriot vol. 5 by Ryosuke Takeuchi
Chainsaw Man vol. 10 by Tatsuki Fujimoto: I'm done reading this one. There's only one more vol in this arc, but all the characters I liked but one are dead, and next arc is apparently about all new characters, and I can't imagine why I'd give a single shit when I emotionally invested in the backstory and goals and aims of all the first arc characters only for them all to die without accomplishing any of those things. That's just not interesting to me.
Platinum Blood by Mor Ichigaya: unmemorable priest x vampire yaoi. It was fine.
Ogi's Summer Break vol. 1 by Koikawa: very odd and often uncomfortable book (modern BL, gender non-conforming lead, blind ml). Reserving full judgement until I've read the second half.
Touch Within the Abyss by Moyori Mori: another BL with a blind ml, idk how that happened twice in a row. Assassin x blind shut-in. This was surprisingly good.
Be My Love, My Lord by Adumi Nagano: modern yaoi in a world where people with animal features are enslaved; owner x enslaved dog guy. IMO did a decent job on the awkwardness of the premise and the consent issues.
Cheri, My Destiny! by Okoge Mochino: modern BL. Never really figured out the chemistry between the main characters. Meh.
My Dear Agent vol. 1 by Ebino Bisque: cute modern BL about two body guards. Didn't quite come together, and the ML was obnoxiously pushy, never really figured out why the MC grew to like him. It's only two vols tho so I'm reserving full judgement for the second (which I have like 4 week wait for, sigh.)

3. What will you read next?

I only have like 6 manga borrowed on Libby and none are due imminently, so nothing urgent there... since I think I might finally be getting a little invested in Moriarty the Patriot, probably that? Those volumes are from the physical local library so I'd like to read um and return um sooner rather than later. And Solo Leveling vol. 1 by Chugong, now that I got my hands on it (after I read vol. 2 to 8 lol).

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fandom: forever knight

FKFicFest: A Forever Knight Ficathon (now releasing)

FK Fic Fest 2025

fkficfest | FKFicFest A03 Collection

fkficfest '25 is releasing!

We have 12 all-new Forever Knight fanfic stories this year. We're releasing one per day as long as they last. So far, 3 are live!

Follow the reveals as they happen on our '25 AO3 sub-collection or DW community.

Do you remember FK on CBS's "Crimetime After Primetime?" In local syndication? On the USA cable network or the original Sci-Fi Channel? DVDs? Streaming on Crackle, AppleTV, or Amazon? We still love our favorite vampire homicide cop and all his friends, enemies, lovers, coworkers, and car. Come play with us!

New subscribers and subscriptions

Name: Mr. Fox
Age Group: N/A
Country: Ukraine

Subscription/Access Policy:
Feel free to read, comment, and share your thoughts. I'm always open to dialogue.

Before adding me:
I’m an open person without any specific agenda. I’m Ukrainian — and perhaps it’s worth mentioning these days, just to avoid misunderstandings.
Welcome aboard. Think of this journal as a collection of messages in a bottle.

I mostly post about:
Stories from my life — thoughts, feelings, and moments during this time of war in Ukraine. I try to write honestly, capturing emotions: memories of peace, reflections on the present, and fragments from my life as a mariner and traveler.
This journal is still young — I’ve recently returned to writing after a long break. Most entries are bilingual (English and my native language), and I often include my own photographs — chosen to match my thoughts or mood.

Main Fandoms:
I’m not active in any specific fandom, but I enjoy stories that resonate. Some shows I like include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and others.

Fannish Interests:
Photography (almost professionally), lomography (capturing daily glimpses), music (especially acoustic, alternative, and instrumental covers), psychology, and classical literature.
I love discovering new things — ideas, places, stories, and people.

I'm looking to meet people who:
…feel connected to what I write — kindred spirits or simply those who find meaning in my words. I’m open to everyone (with one exception: I don’t welcome those who support or excuse the war). My posts are open and honest. I’d love to find new interesting people to read and connect with.

Favourite Movies:
Disney classics, Pearl Harbor, Greyhound, Loneliness on the Net, Sweet November, and others that reflect emotion and transformation.

Favourite Books:
Loneliness on the Net, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Art of Loving, To Have or to Be?, and other books about meaning and depth.

Music:
Acoustic and instrumental covers, alternative and classic rock, hip-hop, and popular tracks — I don’t limit myself to a single genre

binnacle

binnacle (BIN-uh-kuhl) - n., a case that supports and protects a ship's compass.

Also, by extension, the cluster of instruments and switches mounted in a circular casing on or near the steering column of a car, though honestly I've never heard that usage. The binnacle is traditionally a small stand placed by the helm so the steersman can consult it, and made of wood or a non-magnetic metal to avoid interfering with the magnetic needle. Often it included a lamp so bearings can be read at night, and later refinements included iron masses to adjust the needle to point closer to true north. Attested from around 1620, alteration of earlier earlier bittacle, from either French habitacle, obsolete Spanish bitácula (modern spelling bitácora), or Portuguese bitácula, all three from Late Latin habitāculum, little dwelling place.

---L.