Daily Check-In
Nov. 20th, 2025 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mecurtin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_checkinHow are you doing?
I am OK
11 (57.9%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
8 (42.1%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
8 (42.1%)
One other person
7 (36.8%)
More than one other person
4 (21.1%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Recent music-adjacent news that I've found interesting
Nov. 20th, 2025 05:19 pmbrithistorianMusic adjacent to economics
On BBC Newshour yesterday, I heard a story (which I can't find online at the moment) about Kraftwerk's instruments and equipment going up for auction. Besides the historical value because of their association with Kraftwerk, many of these items were inherently valuable because they're rare examples of early electronic musical instruments. The vocoder used on "The Robots" sold for about $200,000. The expert they talked to said that there were only about 20-30 surviving examples of this model of vocoder. I hope that these instrument went to musicians who will put them to use and not to tech bros who'll put them on a shelf.
Music adjacent to politics
Due to rising tensions between China and Japan (which I am forced to admit that I was unaware of), one of the cultural disputes going on between the countries is a petition in Japan asking Aespa member Ningning (who is Chinese) not to come to Japan. At the same time, Japanese performers who have built a portion of their career in China have been going out of their way to express pro-China feelings. I'm going to have read more about this situation. If any of you have a link to an article that explains what's going on, I'd appreciate it.
Music adjacent to fandom and statistics
In an article related to Blackpink members' performance at the Grammys, Rolling Stone referred to Blackpink as "(without a doubt) the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years." So of course ARMY (BTS's fandom) turning out in force, coming for Rolling Stone and bringing sales records, number of awards won, and chart performamce. the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years.) Within six hours, Rolling Stone had revised their article to refer to Blackpink as “the biggest K-pop girl group.” (A characterization that ONCE really ought to have something to say about.)
Music adjacent to bad machine translation
Weki Meki's Kim Doyeon won a Blue Dragon award (which seems to be the Korean equivalent of the Oscars), and her appearance on the red carpet caused quite a stir. The headline on one website uniquely expressed it by saying "Kim Do-yeon, Audrey Hepburn Reincarnation... a person who causes a single disease". I knew this was some sort of translation error, and asking the question on Threads led someone to clear it up for me. Apparently what they were trying (and failing) to say is that she is triggering an obsession for short bob haircuts.
Fandom Trees!
Nov. 20th, 2025 09:19 pmtrobadorafandomtrees posts have been going up, and mine was in the most recent batch, yay! This is one of my favourite events of the season (next to Yuletide) - I loved ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif){kind=small}
fandom_stocking back in the day, and this is still just as much fun. Here's my tree, and this is what I'm requesting this year:
- Grimm
- 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
- Grimm/Guardian crossover
- 镇魂 | Guardian RPF
- Legend of the Seeker
- Sherlock (BBC)
- 绅探 | Detective L
- 山河令 | Word of Honor, 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers
- Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
- Chinese fic recs
- food or cooking icons
ETA: Sign-ups here!
What I'm Doing, uh, Thursday?
Nov. 20th, 2025 11:41 amsagebooks
Cinder House by Freya Marske. This book was all over the place, like it didn't know what it wanted to be, and that undermined a really interesting take on Cinderella.
The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4) by Richard Osman. Really satisfying.
yarning
It's Secret Santa season, so I've been extremely busy shipping orders, doing commissions (carrots!), and making more kickbunnies and such for my shop. I also figured out how to offer Made to Order items, so I started with the calico cat stitch scarf. No takers yet, but it's good to be clear on the process. I went to yarn group Sunday and we had record-breaking turnout, yay! I've also made progress on Rockstar Lestat, though I've also had several setbacks, drat it all, including the yarn I picked for the gold pants not being at all gold enough. I did find a no-id skein that will work instead, but I wish I had a clue what brand it is, much less the colorway. And I decided on an axolotl for niece's xmas, which I've just now finished. Also, after an embarrassingly long search, I found my ziploc of embroidery floss specific to doll making. And the scarf on the left in the icon sold yesterday, yay!
( healthcrap )
I hope you're all having a lovely week! I may take a small nap. <333
Daily Check-in
Nov. 19th, 2025 05:59 pmstarwatcher posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Wednesday, November 19, to midnight on Thursday, November 20. (8pm Eastern Time).
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
How are you doing?
I am OK.
13 (56.5%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
10 (43.5%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
9 (39.1%)
One other person.
9 (39.1%)
More than one other person.
5 (21.7%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Well that was weird
Nov. 19th, 2025 09:33 pmdavidgillon4AM-ish I wasn't asleep, and heard something which I couldn't work out if it was an aircraft or thunder.
So I popped open the bedroom window to see if it was any clearer that way, just caught the very end of it, and still couldn't tell.
I stood listening for a while, as it's rarely that quiet, and I could hear a freight train going past in the cutting down the hill - you can only really hear the trains at that time of night as otherwise they're drowned out by the traffic noise.
And then, for about 10 seconds, I heard the distinctive clip-clop, clip-clop of horse's hooves. WTF?
If you hear hoofbeats, suspect auditory illusions?
I have no idea what it actually was, but it sounded like hoofbeats. At 4AM.
I've picked out a new hill on which to die
Nov. 17th, 2025 01:52 amconulyThis may be true, I guess, but funnily enough it's never true when people say it. At least half the time, the quoted text isn't even archaic or nonstandard!
That said, I do like reading (most of the) comments in that subreddit. There's always something! ( Cut for appropriateness )
( Read more... )
New Stargate?!
Nov. 19th, 2025 10:23 pmtrobadoraI was never into SG-1, and I still resent Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi for the way they ditched SGA in favour of SGU, dumped on SGA's female fans, and then were offended when SGA fans weren't interested in SGU. But I really loved Stargate Atlantis. It was my main fandom for many years, and I have so many fond memories both of the show and the fandom. I haven't rewatched it in a while, but it's one of the things on my list that I definitely want to go back to when I have some time and no energy for new stuff.
My main ship was McShep, but even more than that, Sheppard was my favourite character, and I loved reading Sheppard gen. My secondary ship - a tiny pool noodle of a rarepair - was Teyla/Bates, and I still wish it had been more popular. (Maybe if I'd written fic myself? Unlikely, but ... *g*)
Still, even though I was very active in SGA - I co-ran
sga_newsletter, co-modded mcshep_match and mensa_au and teyla_bates, among other things - I never wrote any fic for it. Part of it is that I got into SGA during my three-year writers' block (which Doctor Who eventually broke), but even afterwards, despite my brain being constantly full of scenarios, they never crossed that line into writing. Possibly in part because the fandom was big and kept me busy! But surely that can't explain it entirely, and I'm honestly not sure what other reasons there might be. (Why do some fandoms never make me write? A mystery for the ages! *g*) Anyway, it'll be interesing to see, when I eventually rewatch again, whether that'll change ...And it's very unlikely the same magic will happen twice, but when/if a new Stargate show does happen, unless the premise is itself unappealing, I'm absolutely giving it a chance.
Only a little bit behind - Early November 02025
Nov. 18th, 2025 10:48 pmsilveradeptEarly hominids appear to have not only used tools, but passed that knowledge down through the generations. Which will evolve the understanding of the earliest ancestors of the human species, as science is wont to do.
If you haven't received a flu vaccine for this year, it might be a good idea to do so, even if the protection might not be ideal because of a new mutation showing up after the formulation had been decided.
The complete history of the nation must be preserved, and that means a lot of places are trying to keep and digitize the collections of Black newspapers and broadsheets they have in their collections.
Also, Dick Cheney is no longer able to create a more terrible world, having died at 84 years of age. If his name is invoked from here on out, it should be as a warning not to do what he did.
( There's more inside, about people who have made cruelty the point and disclaim any responsibility of care for what they've created. )
Last out for tonight, an eyesore with a bad caricature and Randian-libertarian messaging is now providing a better message, since the land and the billboard were bought by the local Native nation.
And research now suggests that humans do instinctively work to help each other, rather than passively watch others be hurt, especially in emergency situations.
(Materials via
adrian_turtle, azurelunatic, boxofdelights, cmcmck, conuly, cosmolinguist, elf, finch, firecat, jadelennox, jenett, jjhunter, kaberett, lilysea, oursin, rydra_wong, snowynight, sonia, the_future_modernes, thewayne, umadoshi, vass, the meta_warehouse community, little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)
Fox
Nov. 18th, 2025 06:38 pmranunculusDown at the horses the 3 boys went out on pasture, Firefly got to graze on some green grass while I cleaned and filled the evening hay barrels. When I was done cleaning Firefly came in and had her morning barrel of hay.
Daily Check-in
Nov. 18th, 2025 06:03 pmstarwatcher posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday, November 18, to midnight on Wednesday, November 19. (8pm Eastern Time).
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 24
How are you doing?
I am OK.
17 (70.8%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
7 (29.2%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
9 (37.5%)
One other person.
12 (50.0%)
More than one other person.
3 (12.5%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.