randomling | Reading

retrogrrrl posting in

Yo, gamers!

Check it, I'm not an RPG player by any means. Most I played in terms of RPG is The Legend of Dragoon & Persona 4. Very briefly I tried my hand with Final Fantasy 8, however I feel like the only one that sunk its fang proper was Legend of Dragoon, and Persona 4's social aspect was far more compelling to me than the actual combat -- even though I had my fun with it.

So, I'm looking to experience more RPG titles and see which one sticks to me. My preferred type of games should be anything below the PS2 era. If it's a classic, even better. Something that is beginner friendly, to get me started in the funky fantastical but foreign world of RPGs.

Feel free to comment any suggestions, I'll look into 'em.

Current Mood: bouncy

rocky41_7 posting in

books

Today I wrapped up Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, a horror/sci-fi novel with fantastical (?) elements about a biologist exploring a very unsettling landscape.

There are no names given in this book—the narrator and protagonist is simply "the Biologist," and she refers to her other three teammates by their job titles as well. Locations outside of the place they're exploring—Area X—are not given either, but the world is implied to be much the same as our own, with Area X a troubling and relatively recent anomaly. A private company hires the Biologist and her colleagues to venture into this strange place and take notes. They are the 12^th such expedition.

I appreciate that much of the horror in Annihilation isn't in-your-face: it's the slow build of things that are just off. This quiet and subtle approach means that when something extreme happens, it feels extreme. The Biologist and her colleagues know that Area X is dangerous before they venture in, but even so, they are unprepared for how and to what degree. VanderMeer's portrayal of how trust frays among relative strangers under these conditions felt realistic.

( Read more... )

kaberett

Today I have got Somewhat Caught Up on last event's lost property Situation. My GREAT TRIUMPH was, partway through the paperwork, going "... I'm sure that brooch in particular is... Oddly... Familiar..."

-- and indeed upon going back through my records it transpires that I HAD RETURNED IT TO ITS PERSON AT THE FIRST EVENT THIS YEAR.

So my spreadsheet is duly updated and they can have it back again at the last event of the year :)

(Some other victories: cut-price overripe strawberries. More of my mother's birthday cake. Rye and caraway and poppyseed bread. the elderly niter kibbeh in the fridge still being Definitely Food and substantially enlivening dinner. Shitposting in the PD crew Discord. Starting Solutions and Other Problems with A, and the cake, and the strawberries.)

azurelunatic

Suspension of disbelief = I will not start verbally poking holes in the physics of this action movie until we are out of the movie theater

Suspension in disbelief = a frozen state of constant WTF

james_davis_nicoll

The Sidewise Award for Alternate History is looking for new judges to join the award committee.

This is the first time in the 30 year history of the award that they've made an open call for awards judges.

Apply here.

naraht

( Mostly criticism, you stand warned )

beatrice_otter posting in

fancake

Fandom: Silmarillion
Pairings/Characters: Luthien/Maedhros
Rating: teen
Length: 66k
Creator Links:

SpaceWall
Theme: marriage of convenience, old fandoms, small fandoms, book fandoms, rare pairings, AU (fork in the road), pretend couple

Summary: Centuries after the arrival of the Noldor and the Teleri in Beleriand, a celebration of Morgoth’s defeat brings the Crown Princess of Doriath and the Crown Prince of the Noldor together. To save this newborn peace from their respective fathers, they’ll do whatever it takes. Including... getting married?

Meanwhile, Lord Fingon of Himring faces the monumental task of healing Morgoth’s ills.

--

They regarded each other with quiet understanding, all the vast majesty of their respective lineages rendered unimportant by the connection between them. Music wound through the trees; harp and flute, surely joyous in context, sounded lonely in their solitude.

Reccer's Notes: Fëanor is a very complex character in the Silmarillion, who both has reasons for what he does and also does some terrible things. Fanon tends to sympathize with him, and also make him a good father to compensate for his other issues. SpaceWall takes the opposite track, leaning into his selfishness, his arrogance, and his suspiciousness. And then asks, if he had survived on Beleriand, what would have happened? If Fëanor, brilliant and terrible, were in command of the Noldor? Some things are better, some things are worse, (and Thingol is still Thingol), and so at a crucial juncture Maedhros and Luthien step forward to try and prevent disaster and war between the Noldor and Sindarin. And, in the process, they both learn a great deal.

Fanwork Links: By Other Means

coffeepaws posting in

getting_started

I can't figure out where / how I can select a mood theme. Could somebody help me? Thank you :)

prisca posting in

fic_promptly

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

beatrice_otter posting in

fancake

Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairings/Characters: Kitty Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Rating: 106k
Length: teen
Creator Links:

Shem
Theme: marriage of conveneince, rare pairings, old fandoms, book fandoms, epic works, novel-length, AU, happy endings,

Summary: The day after the Netherfield Ball, a simple walk through the countryside has wide reaching consequences for Mr Darcy and a certain young lady from Longbourn.

Reccer's Notes: This is such an engaging look at a very different pairing and what might have been. It's long, plotty, with lots of good character work and a great slow burn.

Fanwork Links: To Bear is to Conquer Our Fate

badly_knitted posting in

get_knitted

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.

This Week's Question: Share your favourite crafting tip, if you have one.

If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

oursin

People on bluesky have been sending up the claim that GPT-5 boosts ChatGPT can provide PhD-level expertise.

After all, if you ask me for Mi Xpertise, you are likely to get 'it's complic8ed' and your ear bent with perhaps TMI on the subject, and what the areas of uncertainty are.

Do we not think that it would be more like having an overconfident mansplainer in one's pocket?

This led me to the teasing memory of a quotation, which I have tracked down and found has been researched in considerable depth here: Quote Origin: I Wish I Was As Sure of Any One Thing As He is of Everything.

It's fairly reliably attrib. to Lord Melbourne about the historian Thomas Macaulay (not, we fear, a member of the discipline given to declaring IAMC, sigh). Though it's been ascribed to various about various (funnily enough, all blokes) over the years.

james_davis_nicoll

Not every gamer finds joy in wildly complicated, esoteric, hard-to-learn rules...

Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games

sasheneskywalker posting in

fancake

Fandom: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Pairings/Characters: Beth Harmon/Benny Watts
Rating: Explicit
Length: 138,010 words
Creator Links:

paperclipbitch
Theme: marriage of convenience, future fic, slow burn, mutual pining, exes to friends to spouses to lovers, chess

Summary: “Don’t think of it as marriage,” Benny tells her. “Think of it as castling.”

Beth raises an eyebrow. “Am I the king or the rook in this analogy?”

Reccer's Notes: An amazing post-canon fic where Beth, frustrated by the period-typical sexism she keeps facing, marries Benny for convenience and now they’re stuck in a fake relationship full of unresolved tension, mutual pining, and all their messy issues (addiction, gambling, competitiveness). It’s smart, emotional, and so compelling. I loved every moment <3

Fanwork Links: you wait and you wonder who'll take on your odds

james_davis_nicoll

Watch on YouTube

Hosted by Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Liz May Anderson.

Sunday August 10 at 5 PM: Livestream broadcast of the 2025 Aurora Awards, Canada’s annual English-language Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards.

james_davis_nicoll

Righteous characters pursue great justice in this wuxia TTRPG.

Hearts of Wulin by Joyce Ch'ng & Lowell Francis

linaewen posting in

writethisfanfic

Hello on Friday! Looking back at the day today -- or yesterday, if today hasn't gotten going yet -- how did it go?

- I thought about my fic once or twice
- I wrote
- I did some planning and/or research
- I edited
- I've sent my fic off to my beta
- I posted today!
- I'm taking a break
- I did something else that I'll talk about in a comment

Looking forward, how are you planning to spend your weekend?

- I'm going to make up for not writing all week by having a writing marathon
- I'm going to keep writing at my current rate and see how it goes
- I have other plans, but I might have time to get some writing in
- I'm going to take a break from writing

oursin

Happy birthday,

chickenfeet!

dark_kana posting in

3_good_things_a_day

1) Going shopping for lots of birthday/housewarming presents this afternoon

2) Hubby's BFF is coming over this evening

3) Delicious tea and a hot chocolate for this evening *grins*

nanila posting in

awesomeers

It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

Profile

Lee

January 2024

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Page Summary

retrogrrrl in gaming - What RPG would you recommend to a newbie?
rocky41_7 in books - Recent Reading: Annihilation
kaberett - victory of the day
azurelunatic - Disbelief, suspension thereof / therein
james_davis_nicoll - Sidewise Award Announcement
naraht - Foundation S3 interim thoughts
beatrice_otter in fancake - Silmarillion: By Other Means by SpaceWall
coffeepaws in getting_started - Mood theme
prisca in fic_promptly - Friday, August 9 - Dreams & Wishes
beatrice_otter in fancake - Pride and Prejudice: To Bear is to Conquer Our Fate by Shem
badly_knitted in get_knitted - Check-In Post - Aug 8th 2025
oursin - I really, really would lay odds it does not say 'it's all more complicated'
james_davis_nicoll - Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games
sasheneskywalker in fancake - The Queen's Gambit (TV): you wait and you wonder who'll take on your odds
james_davis_nicoll - Aurora Award Livestream
james_davis_nicoll - Hearts of Wulin by Joyce Ch'ng & Lowell Francis
linaewen in writethisfanfic - WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 8 -- Friday
oursin - (no subject)
dark_kana in 3_good_things_a_day - Friday 08/08/2025
nanila in awesomeers - Just One Thing (08 August 2025)

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the menagerie

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Reading

What RPG would you recommend to a newbie?

Recent Reading: Annihilation

victory of the day

Disbelief, suspension thereof / therein

Sidewise Award Announcement

Foundation S3 interim thoughts

Silmarillion: By Other Means by SpaceWall

Mood theme

Friday, August 9 - Dreams & Wishes

Pride and Prejudice: To Bear is to Conquer Our Fate by Shem

Check-In Post - Aug 8th 2025

I really, really would lay odds it does not say 'it's all more complicated'

Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games

The Queen's Gambit (TV): you wait and you wonder who'll take on your odds

Aurora Award Livestream

Hearts of Wulin by Joyce Ch'ng & Lowell Francis

WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 8 -- Friday

(no subject)

Friday 08/08/2025

Just One Thing (08 August 2025)

Profile

January 2024

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