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healingmirth

What I Just Finished Reading

Therese Sellers, Alpha is for Anthropos: Look, I read a book this week! Okay, so it's a children's alphabet book for Attic Greek, but it's still a book and therefore it counts. Anyway, it's very cute; all the art is done in the style of red-figure pottery, and the accompanying little rhymes scan (more or less) to various children's songs.

What I'm Reading Now

Comics Wednesday!

( Black Panther and the Crew #5, Generations Wolverine And All-New Wolverine #1, Invincible Iron Man #10, Secret Empire: Brave New World #5, Spider-Men II #2, US Avengers #9, Ultimates 2 #100, X-Men Blue #9 )

What I'm Reading Next

Dunno.

Current Mood: annoyed
Crossposts: http://sineala.livejournal.com/2232842.html

jebbypal

Yes, 2017.

Frelling hells. Gorramit.

When I came to the east coast, the difference in palpable racism was amazing. Now, I'm not saying that it didn't exist, but the level compared to growing up in the south was amazing.

And then, against my expectations (but not my support), Obama was elected. People I thought would never vote for him did, including members of my family. It was 8 years of "wow, maybe the world really has grown up".

And then November 2016 happened, and it's been like everything I remember about my childhood, though spoken of mostly quietly then, has come out in 3D, dolby surround sound.

Sunday and Monday's remarks by Not My President (NMP) were bad enough. Then came Tuesday. How any decent person in his administration can remain after that, I don't know. I mean yes, there can be an argument made about how they need to stay to protect the country and the world from him, but at the same time, they are allowing him to function.

And the GOP in Congress. I hope they realize that words and statements are not enough.

On top of this, stray remarks by me keep drawing people in to political discussions. My respect for many of my coworkers as a result has plummeted. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that most of them are white, older men.

Yesterday kind of took the cherry on this. I was complaining to a colleague that my vacation was less than restful due to the news and then a few attempts to explain the whole situation to a few curious Canadians. Somehow, got involved in discussion with older freelancer -- in which I was purposely trying to not really get into politics -- that he basically set it up as a criticism of the media and lectured me on how I had to realize that majority of news sources were biased, and that they had to take NMP's words out of context for their business model to succeed - but don't get him wrong, Fox News was just as bad on the other side, and basically all the political divisions in our country were the fault of journalists.

Just WTF??? Yes, dude, I learned at the age of 12 that everything news based has a biased and there's rarely a medium through which you can get just the facts. But seriously, nothing in the last 4 days requires much of bias to report it.

I would say that I'm done with humanity, but always at the darkest times there are those around us that step up and lead the way. From the counterprotestors protecting each others, the veteran who stood guard at the Chartlosville synagogue, those pulling down statues, and communities pulling together to make sure Heather Heyer's memorial occurs unmolested, the evil messages of the right are being called out.

st_aurafina

Title: Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Fandom: Person of Interest
Rating: Teen
Words: 52k
Characters/Pairings: Root/Sameen Shaw, Harold Finch/John Reese, Harold Finch/Grace Hendricks, John Reese/Mark Snow, Michael Cole, Robert Hersh, Joss Carter, Kara Stanton, The Machine, Bear
Warnings/Content: Sentinel/Guide AU, mind-bonding, show level violence, show level torture, emotional hurt/comfort, canon character death (Michael Cole). Some Mark/John dubcon in chapters 4 and 5. Follows some events from Ep 1.10 Number Crunch, Ep 1.23 Firewall and 2.16 Relevance.
Notes: Written for

wipbigbang 2017.

Thank you to my amazing betas:

lilacsigil and

musyc. You guys were awesome and got me from "I want to write POI Sentinel/Guide fic with soft face touching" to actually getting it posted.

Title is from the Elton John song. ("Subway's no way for a good man to go down.")

Summary: In 2001, Harold advised on a project called Cascade, not knowing he was a Guide himself. Years later, he and John, a Sentinel on the run from Cascade, must help Shaw, who has just lost her own Guide when the Project turned on her. Complicating matters is Root, searching for Harold's Machine and interfering with their rescue of Shaw.

Also at the Archive

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue

Crossposts: http://st-aurafina.livejournal.com/260381.html

poisontaster

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Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Peter Schilling - Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)

dine

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st_aurafina

Title: Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Chapter Two
Rating Teen

( Harold checked in with Project Cascade from time to time )

dine

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dine

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scaramouche

I've migrated away from backpacks to totes, but I'm loving the design of this one that's based on the MCU costume, it's... really tempting.

( A Captain America backpack. )

But what would I use it for? The only backpack I use these days is my laptop carry-on when I travel, and I'm really happy with the one I have right now.

A satchel, now I would definitely use in the day-to-day, but I don't like the design as much.

( A Captain America satchel. )

Current Mood: curious
Current Music: Guardians Inferno

bluemeridian

Given the state of the world and events in the U.S. in particular, an emergency fluff rec list was called for today. There's a lot of soul-destroying images floating around right now and while these words and sentiments aren't new, we're all getting it thrown in our faces and need some good stuff to refuel our souls. So I've tossed together a dozen recs for fic, art, and vids that are sweet, fluffy, uplifting, and otherwise happy making. If anyone feels inspired to do something similar - whether it's a happy making collection of your own work or other folks - then this would be an excellent time to do so.

Fandoms below the cut include Avengers, Hawkeye (Matt Fraction run), Spider-Man, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Harry Potter, Yuri on Ice, Leverage, The Martian, the Tumblr phenomenon of Wacky Human Shenanigans in Space, and an short but adorable original fic.

( Recs! )

Crossposts: http://blue-meridian.livejournal.com/624199.html

dine

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scaramouche

I picked Vanessa Collingridge's Boudica to read next, because I'd just finished Mary Beard's history of ancient Rome, which mentioned Boudica's rebellion in the later chapters, and was in the mood for more of that.

Collingridge isn't a professional historian, so her book isn't like the other historical biographies I've read so far. Instead of a compilation of mostly-chronological info, it's a collection of interviews with historians and collectors, analysis of historical pop culture to modern pop culture, with Collingridge's passion-driven expansion on the story of Boudica set to known Roman history and context.

It's pretty interesting once I adjusted my expectations, for Collingridge is upfront about being a storyteller, plus the fact that there's extremely little that is known about the historical Briton queen, who may not even have been a redhead. The mostly-known facts of Rome's invasion of Britain are the framework, with Boudica's rebellion roughly sketched on top of that with her guesswork, using various archaeological finds such as pottery and the burn layer of the three towns that Boudica sacked.

The earlier part's a little thin because of the necessity of so much guesswork, but I reckon the more interesting part of the book is Collingridge's later analysis of what Boudica means as an icon in British consciousness and patriotism, despite being a barbarian who'd rebelled against imperialism. I was a little skeptical at first with her opening speculation of historical Boudica being one of the building blocks of Elizabeth I's cult of Gloriana but man, Collingridge commits, following through her thesis to the misogyny of James I's rule (when Boudica was portrayed as shameful and/or love-weakened in various plays) to Queen Victoria (when her imagery came back) and the eventual conflation of the chariot-riding warrior queen Boudica with noble world-conquering Brittania (HA). That is not something I'd expect to get out of a historical biography, but it is fascinating, and a great way to cap off the read. Also, I learned quite a bit about Celt medieval history and its evolution to modern Celt identity, which is cool.

Current Mood: nerdy

st_aurafina

I got my 50K fic off to my second beta/ameripicker. I feel weird. I, uh, finished something. It's due to be posted on the 15th. What even?

( Interesting things I didn't realise until I had to edit 50K of my own writing )

I have actually written a lot of things this year!

Tinee Linkspam:
- via

musesfool, OPI summer challenge
Leave prompts! (Please leave some more POI prompts!)
- From Facebook, Clydesdale foal leaves the stable for the first time - tinee leggy baby, big world, what do? How do you even horse?
- Also from Facebook, this terrible curse upon some burglars. CW: creepy doll faces
- From my local paper, big news in this part of the world: Giant puzzle solved. (The puzzle is literally a puzzle.)
- From McSweeney's via

kalloway, I’m a Google Manufacturing Robot and I Believe Humans Are Biologically Unfit to Have Jobs in Tech. (Rolling my eyes right out of my head at that google dude.)
- From My Modern Met, What Happens When a Bird’s Wings Sync Up Perfectly with a Camera’s Frame Rate. (I have dreams where stuff like this happens, like where the laws of physics are apparently broken)
- Free crochet pattern: Stingray purse or pal (I'm not sure why not both? I could be pals with a purse.)

Root/Shaw things from my endless tumblr wanderings while I was writing 50k of fic:
- Silver Lining - a Root/Shaw doujinshi. Pls pls

lilacsigil, read this to me?
- POI OST You Are Being Watched - this is brilliant. Gifs from the final scene over the score for the theme.
- Winter Soldier!Shaw is kinda… Swol - I am all over this idea as an AU.

Crossposts: http://st-aurafina.livejournal.com/260119.html

ratcreature

In the little bit over a year since I last did this the news got of course even worse, and yet I still seem unable to just limit myself to looking at fluffy animal pictures.

Still with ticky boxes for everybody who can't decide what to be most anxious about:

Poll #18679 why ratcreature should only look at pictures of fluffy baby animals, 2017 ed.

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 21

View Respondents

Which inescapable disaster/crisis/calamity do you think is most likely to lead to your demise?

View Answers

nuclear armageddon! started intentionally by horrible politicians
6 (28.6%)

nuclear armageddon! but brought on by pure stupidity, like someone misinterpreting some screen and/or pushing the wrong button
5 (23.8%)

the next high mortality rate pandemic will come for sure, possibly via climate change mosquitoes
3 (14.3%)

no pandemics needed, I'll die of some treatable condition, not able to afford medicine, thanks to the health system crisis/collapse
5 (23.8%)

I'll die in a riot/civil unrest brought on by an ongoing global economic crisis/collapse in general
4 (19.0%)

I'll die in a riot/civil unrest brought on by the economic crisis/collapse following Brexit in particular
1 (4.8%)

I'll die in a riot/civil unrest brought on by some rampaging "alt-right" mob that felt slighted on the internet
4 (19.0%)

the climate change catastrophe will kill me through a grand disaster
4 (19.0%)

climate change will kill me slowly through failing crops and the like
8 (38.1%)

climate change will kill me fast but in a boring way through some horrible heat wave or such
6 (28.6%)

I'll die because thanks to the global water crisis I won't be able to afford clean drinking water
3 (14.3%)

I'll die in some armed conflict brought on by the above (or other) ecological disasters
3 (14.3%)

I won't die from any of the above disasters directly, but while fleeing from it
2 (9.5%)

terrorism! I'll be blown up by some shadowy terrorist organization
1 (4.8%)

terrorism! some deranged mob will lynch me as "terrorist"
0 (0.0%)

terrorism! but it's my government who will dispose of me as "terrorist"
0 (0.0%)

my government's malicious policies will kill me without them bothering to label me as "terrorist"
6 (28.6%)

crime! I'll end up as a victim in a crime statistic
0 (0.0%)

crime! but as a victim of the "tough on crime" policies, like tazered to death or shot by police and the like
0 (0.0%)

a meteorite will kill me in a huge extinction level event, but at least I have the consolation that everyone else will be dead along with me
1 (4.8%)

killer robots will get me
1 (4.8%)

killer robots will get me, but it will be an accident (less Terminator, more self-driving cars gone wrong)
4 (19.0%)

I'll get killed by the zombie apocalypse
0 (0.0%)

I'll get killed by the zombie army I raised to protect myself, falling victim to dramatic irony
1 (4.8%)

and so on and so forth... (civilian nuclear disaster! genetically modified crops! (lack of) bees!...)
7 (33.3%)

dine

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scaramouche

I've been watching the K-drama Unknown Woman on and off for the past few months, and unlike the last few K-dramas I skimmed that had a similar trope of a Woman Done Wrong Who's Out for Justice, this one has fully committed to the Count of Monte Cristo grey morality premise, where the main character, Son Yeo-ri, is focused and unapologetic about righting the wrongs that were done to her (to HER, specifically, instead of her family, though her rage later includes the wrong done to her daughter) instead of deviating to various softer subtropes that aren't that interesting to me even if they make for more sympathetic protagonists.

Now, aside from tickling my id something fierce, last night I noticed something that this show has done, or more accurately, not done, which has upped my appreciation. Basically, the main couple is in full harmony and cooperation, working together for the sake of justice/vengeance, and there's 0% conflict between them. Where the last few similar-premise K-dramas had some drama and misunderstandings between the main pair for romantic purposes, Unknown Woman doesn't care about romantic drama* -- it set up and dealt with the conflict of the main couple ages ago, and since then they've been a united force, trusting each other and TALKING to each other every step of their vengeance plan way, and it is amazing. (BATTLE COUPLE!)

*All the more unusual because the main plot is set-up to easily slip into a triangle/quandrangle, what with Son Yeo-ri's vengeance path taking her against her ex-boyfriend with whom she had her kid, and the new man she's fallen in love with being said ex-boyfriend's young uncle.

It's just such a nice change of pace to have a story where the main female character, when she does cry, only does it over herself and her daughter, and not over a dude she can't have. To be true, we're still something like 20 episodes from the ending so that may change, but I hope not. There's still a great deal that needs to be settled for the final stretch.

Current Mood: impressed
Current Music: Little Mix - Black Magic

dine

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dirty_diana

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Crossposts: http://dirty-diana.livejournal.com/122926.html

dine

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sineala

What I Just Finished Reading

Still nothing! Still writing a lot of fic.

What I'm Reading Now

Comics Wednesday!

( Captain America #25, Defenders #4, Generations - Phoenix and Jean Grey #1, Secret Empire #8 Secret Warriors #5, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23 )

What I'm Reading Next

Dunno.

Current Mood: tired
Crossposts: http://sineala.livejournal.com/2231064.html

what's on tonight

Reading

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Wednesday Reading Meme

checks date

Fic: Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (POI, Root/Shaw, Harold/John, Teen)

(no subject)

like a river flows surely to the sea

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Chapter Two

that's not a thing!

killing is my business... and business is good!

Merch trawling

Happy-Making Fic/Art/Vid Recs b/c They Are Sorely Needed

From beneath you, it devours

Book Log

Sticker sheets of kisses to press

no limits to your catastrophizing choice these days...

Underestimate me. That’ll be fun.

Unknown Woman

a group of wombats is a ‘wisdom’

dear fandom growth exchange creator

for I'm a Thinking Cap!

Wednesday Reading Meme

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