typo du jour
Jul. 3rd, 2025 11:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fred_mouse..look at the underlying code or moth...
- me, describing someone else's approach to understanding large language models.
fred_mouse
Sunshine 1
Jul. 2nd, 2025 09:59 pmcornerofmadnessBefore I get into it, just wanted to say I made it back to Pittsburgh for the rest of the summer (in theory)
Challenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
For July I have two open calls I want to write stories for. And I have two![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
wipbigbang stories I must finish and I do need to work on my fandomtrumpshate story. In the meantime I'm working on some story that bit me yesterday. In fact on the 4 hour trip today five stories were trying to take dominance in my brain as I drove.
My other goals are to see some of the sites I've been trying to get to for years. It doesn't look good. Sigh. No one cares what my work goals are (including me if I'm honest)
I DO have something I'm proud of. Two somethings that I spent most of June working on. Both are from the Hazbin Hotel fandom (so mind the tags, this is the most violent musical animated comedy ever I swear)
Dandelions This is myunconventionalcourtship story. I am very proud of how this one turned out and have gotten some nice comments about.
The Power Play series is something I created for thegetyourwordsout Yahtzee challenge. I am a little disappointed at how much this is flying under the radar. That said, I think it's a very good one that I enjoyed doing.
I'm going to break the book report into two days because I'm hot, tired and cranky. (and that story wants me to get back to it)
What I Just Finished Reading:
Dark Entry - a short suspense/horror novel I got last year, not bad but predictable
Verses for the Dead - a pendergast novel from Preston & Childe. enjoyed it but the ending was too hollywood
Chasing Evil - this is written by an FBI agent (ex) and his professional relationship with psychic John Edward (wish there had been chapters by John too)
What I am Currently Reading:
Kill You Twice - a pretty graphic (i don't mind) police procedural but it's a tad soap opera for me
I Need You To Read This - an arc of an advice columnist trying to solve the murder of the woman she's replacing. It has a neat cover, sleek red with the title as keyboard keys but they're tactile.
War Child - a Deep Space Nine Novel
Pantomine - an LGBT (intersexed main character) fantasy
What I Plan to Read Next: something for popsugar
Challenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
For July I have two open calls I want to write stories for. And I have two
wipbigbang stories I must finish and I do need to work on my fandomtrumpshate story. In the meantime I'm working on some story that bit me yesterday. In fact on the 4 hour trip today five stories were trying to take dominance in my brain as I drove.My other goals are to see some of the sites I've been trying to get to for years. It doesn't look good. Sigh. No one cares what my work goals are (including me if I'm honest)
I DO have something I'm proud of. Two somethings that I spent most of June working on. Both are from the Hazbin Hotel fandom (so mind the tags, this is the most violent musical animated comedy ever I swear)
Dandelions This is my
unconventionalcourtship story. I am very proud of how this one turned out and have gotten some nice comments about.The Power Play series is something I created for the
getyourwordsout Yahtzee challenge. I am a little disappointed at how much this is flying under the radar. That said, I think it's a very good one that I enjoyed doing.I'm going to break the book report into two days because I'm hot, tired and cranky. (and that story wants me to get back to it)
What I Just Finished Reading:
Dark Entry - a short suspense/horror novel I got last year, not bad but predictable
Verses for the Dead - a pendergast novel from Preston & Childe. enjoyed it but the ending was too hollywood
Chasing Evil - this is written by an FBI agent (ex) and his professional relationship with psychic John Edward (wish there had been chapters by John too)
What I am Currently Reading:
Kill You Twice - a pretty graphic (i don't mind) police procedural but it's a tad soap opera for me
I Need You To Read This - an arc of an advice columnist trying to solve the murder of the woman she's replacing. It has a neat cover, sleek red with the title as keyboard keys but they're tactile.
War Child - a Deep Space Nine Novel
Pantomine - an LGBT (intersexed main character) fantasy
What I Plan to Read Next: something for popsugar
Reading Wednesday
Jul. 2nd, 2025 08:25 amsabotabby Just finished: Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Yeah, I think this is my Hugo best novel pick. It was really good, really timely, fucking gross, and gave me nightmares. It's very much a confluence all of Tchaikovsky's quirks—rather darkly funny narrator, alien minds, and the particular type of resolution he goes for. All of those things happen to work for me quite a bit. This one reminded me quite a bit of Jeff Vandermeer but less nihilistic and I liked the characters more.
Currently reading: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. This was the only novel on the Hugo list where I'd never heard of the author or the book. I'm loving it so far though. It's a murder mystery set in a city where only engineered seawalls stop the things from Attack on Titan from demolishing the place every wet season. A noble is murdered in a mansion (not his mansion) via a tree growing through his body. The person charged with investigating the murder is an old autistic woman who doesn't leave her house so she gets a young man to be her eyes and ears. The murder mystery structure makes it rather different from not just this batch of nominees but the other award lists in general, which is also intriguing.
Currently reading: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. This was the only novel on the Hugo list where I'd never heard of the author or the book. I'm loving it so far though. It's a murder mystery set in a city where only engineered seawalls stop the things from Attack on Titan from demolishing the place every wet season. A noble is murdered in a mansion (not his mansion) via a tree growing through his body. The person charged with investigating the murder is an old autistic woman who doesn't leave her house so she gets a young man to be her eyes and ears. The murder mystery structure makes it rather different from not just this batch of nominees but the other award lists in general, which is also intriguing.
The trigeminal neuralgia is back
Jul. 1st, 2025 11:04 pmcornerofmadnessThat's fun. Woke up this morning to find no pillows on the bed. That was how this day was going to go. I didn't clean nearly anything again but it is what it is.
I got into the two mouse drawers. I still don't know what the hell they were in there for. I'm glad I got new organizers because it was a wash in there (and now I realize that all the pantry drawers on the bottom need to be cleaned out too but that's a problem for future Dana. (and given how exhausted current Dana is, she had better have another hemoglobin test)
I threw out most everything but the stainless steel utensils. they went into bleach water and I'm taking it to the parentals after this because they have a hot water tank that gives more than luke warm water and a dishwasher and I promise you if the autoclave wasn't acting hinky at the end of the semester I'd have taken the spoons and forks with me and autoclaved their ass.
Got another story rejections. Ah well.
I forgot to mention yesterday I went into the Shoe Dept on a whim. I keep forgetting this Chillicothe store and they had the perfect sketchers (which shockingly worked for me. I just hope they're good for standing in long term. So far I've not been too impressed with Sketchers) Anyhow they were 50% off and it was also the last day of my birthday discount. Got them for under 30 so can't complain.
What I did do today: write like a maniac (like 10 pages worth) on a story I have no business working on now but it ain't gonna let me go so trying to get it all out of me. My biggest question, why do I always write nothing but oral sex for these two. I mean really?
And for the Sherlock fans on my listkingstoken is running a Watson Birthday prompt fest. You can find it here. if you'd like to take part
Hey fannish 50 time and I'm taking a week's break from the ladies of fandom but before I even get into that, did anyone watch Peacemaker? I really only knew about it from one of fan artist faves art and a vague idea from Suicide Squad (I was never much of a DC girl) . Anyhow, it's now running on AMC so I recorded S1E1 and as much as I like John Cena (don't even get me started on my 80s era wrestling fetish) this was...the most mean spirited thing I've seen in forever. Does it get better? Couldn't even really enjoy Cena in his tightie whities thanks to the crap they had him spewing.
Okay so what AM I going to do with fannish 50? Music analysis. It's not surprise I love music. I. love. music. I have countless movie soundtracks (probably more of them than I have actual movies). I was in band since 4th grade. Choir until it was obvious I can't sing. Was in multiple bands in college (even played for Bush the first's inaugural festivities)
That said I think the first time I ever really thought about really analyzing music and its use in fandoms was with the Buffy episode The Body where there was NO music and you could see a) how used we are to having musical cues b) how creepy it was without it.
Back in Prodigal Son's hey day one of my Pson friends was a music/film teacher and she did deep dives on each episodes which you can see here. Angie's dissection of the music (and more) was great (and often funny with the memes).
Now I've ben sharing fan musicians efforts for a lot but nothing more. I am not huge into reaction videos (I don't get why they're so popular) unless they have a different slant, such as the psychologist who is going into the psychology of the characters and now, musical analysis by music professionals. There are a few out there but I found myself drawn to Peter Barber, an opera tenor (I oddly have three friends who are former opera singers)
He does a good job with Hazbin Hotel (and I hope he branches out) Strangely enough he didn't watch the show at first but went back and is now hooked on it so he has context. If you like this thing, check him out (also he's not wrong about Keith David's voice. Husk's voice is pure sex, damn, love those bass voices)
And Peter covered Loser Baby. Him I like, his partner for this a little less so.
I got into the two mouse drawers. I still don't know what the hell they were in there for. I'm glad I got new organizers because it was a wash in there (and now I realize that all the pantry drawers on the bottom need to be cleaned out too but that's a problem for future Dana. (and given how exhausted current Dana is, she had better have another hemoglobin test)
I threw out most everything but the stainless steel utensils. they went into bleach water and I'm taking it to the parentals after this because they have a hot water tank that gives more than luke warm water and a dishwasher and I promise you if the autoclave wasn't acting hinky at the end of the semester I'd have taken the spoons and forks with me and autoclaved their ass.
Got another story rejections. Ah well.
I forgot to mention yesterday I went into the Shoe Dept on a whim. I keep forgetting this Chillicothe store and they had the perfect sketchers (which shockingly worked for me. I just hope they're good for standing in long term. So far I've not been too impressed with Sketchers) Anyhow they were 50% off and it was also the last day of my birthday discount. Got them for under 30 so can't complain.
What I did do today: write like a maniac (like 10 pages worth) on a story I have no business working on now but it ain't gonna let me go so trying to get it all out of me. My biggest question, why do I always write nothing but oral sex for these two. I mean really?
And for the Sherlock fans on my list
kingstoken is running a Watson Birthday prompt fest. You can find it here. if you'd like to take part Hey fannish 50 time and I'm taking a week's break from the ladies of fandom but before I even get into that, did anyone watch Peacemaker? I really only knew about it from one of fan artist faves art and a vague idea from Suicide Squad (I was never much of a DC girl) . Anyhow, it's now running on AMC so I recorded S1E1 and as much as I like John Cena (don't even get me started on my 80s era wrestling fetish) this was...the most mean spirited thing I've seen in forever. Does it get better? Couldn't even really enjoy Cena in his tightie whities thanks to the crap they had him spewing.
Okay so what AM I going to do with fannish 50? Music analysis. It's not surprise I love music. I. love. music. I have countless movie soundtracks (probably more of them than I have actual movies). I was in band since 4th grade. Choir until it was obvious I can't sing. Was in multiple bands in college (even played for Bush the first's inaugural festivities)
That said I think the first time I ever really thought about really analyzing music and its use in fandoms was with the Buffy episode The Body where there was NO music and you could see a) how used we are to having musical cues b) how creepy it was without it.
Back in Prodigal Son's hey day one of my Pson friends was a music/film teacher and she did deep dives on each episodes which you can see here. Angie's dissection of the music (and more) was great (and often funny with the memes).
Now I've ben sharing fan musicians efforts for a lot but nothing more. I am not huge into reaction videos (I don't get why they're so popular) unless they have a different slant, such as the psychologist who is going into the psychology of the characters and now, musical analysis by music professionals. There are a few out there but I found myself drawn to Peter Barber, an opera tenor (I oddly have three friends who are former opera singers)
He does a good job with Hazbin Hotel (and I hope he branches out) Strangely enough he didn't watch the show at first but went back and is now hooked on it so he has context. If you like this thing, check him out (also he's not wrong about Keith David's voice. Husk's voice is pure sex, damn, love those bass voices)
And Peter covered Loser Baby. Him I like, his partner for this a little less so.
Write Every Day - Final Tally
Jul. 1st, 2025 12:35 amcornerofmadness
Oh Dorothy
How is this month over already? Here’s the final tally and now we move to
nafs’s blog for WED.I got bunnied by someone’s draw it in your style challenge and they’re allowing stories. 1575 out of the gate
Let me know what day you’re reporting in for. If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.
Day Thirty
cornerofmadness, nafs, cmk418, the_siobhan, sylvanwitch, badly_knitted, trobadora, ysilme, goddess47, carenejeans, chanter1944, brithistorian, shadaras, the_siobhan, china_shop, yasaman( other days )
no more camping
Jun. 30th, 2025 10:28 pmlow_deltaOur basement is full. We need to clean it out and eliminate a lot of crap we don't need. So yesterday Cindy said "let's go work in the basement." It might have been me who suggested attacking the shelves that hold our camping gear. I used to go camping all the time, being in Boy Scouts. And then I started going camping for fun, and accumulated more/better gear. I had a lot of gear for different activities, like my big frame pack for backpacking. And cast iron for cooking. And tent pegs, ropes and poles. Stoves, lanterns, fuel.
To make any headway on the stuff, the question needed to be asked. "Will we ever go camping again?" We haven't gone in a good fifteen years, despite my thinking about it every year. So the answer was no.
So that was depressing.
And then, of course, going through the stuff and convincing myself that we needed to get rid of it was also difficult.
But how do we get rid of it? We did nearly fill up the trash can in the garage. But there's a lot of good stuff. Selling it is not worth it, so I guess giving it to Goodwill or whatever is the best route. Listing it for free on Craigslist seems like too much work, but at least someone might take it away. I need to check if anything is worth money. I have some vintage Coleman gear, but I doubt if it's old enough, or in good shape. The cast iron might be worth money, unless everyone else is trying to unload theirs too. I guess I should start by asking friends on Fb if they want anything.
And I need to make time to sort through the remainder of the stuff, checking for anything useful.
To make any headway on the stuff, the question needed to be asked. "Will we ever go camping again?" We haven't gone in a good fifteen years, despite my thinking about it every year. So the answer was no.
So that was depressing.
And then, of course, going through the stuff and convincing myself that we needed to get rid of it was also difficult.
But how do we get rid of it? We did nearly fill up the trash can in the garage. But there's a lot of good stuff. Selling it is not worth it, so I guess giving it to Goodwill or whatever is the best route. Listing it for free on Craigslist seems like too much work, but at least someone might take it away. I need to check if anything is worth money. I have some vintage Coleman gear, but I doubt if it's old enough, or in good shape. The cast iron might be worth money, unless everyone else is trying to unload theirs too. I guess I should start by asking friends on Fb if they want anything.
And I need to make time to sort through the remainder of the stuff, checking for anything useful.
Not what I expected to hear
Jun. 30th, 2025 10:47 pmcornerofmadnessSo I went through the early fog and rain to see the surgeon (at an hour when I usually am waking up so that was a fun drive). He had me up on the table and as I'm getting there, I said I know I'm supposed to be here for the hernia but I have thyroid tumors and here's the report. Do you do that kind of surgery too or do I need ENT? He does it.
He examines me. The actual hernia is actually very small and not in need of surgery (yay) but the real problem is that collagen disorder of mine (the is it Ehlers Danlos or is it something related debate). The aponeurosis that holds the right and left abdominal muscles together (the linea Alba) has pulled apart, a diastasis. They don't operate on that because it's not a hole. That said if I lie back and tense those muscles you can see my stomach like the xenomorph baby is about to pop out. Guess that's something to get used to.
On the other hand, he was STUNNED at how piss poor the ultrasound was from my local hospital. He was rather angry about it. Me too. I said this is why i'm here. He wants another one now but that means staying here all summer (and I have commitments that won't allow for that) because the new ultrasound can't be scheduled for a couple weeks and then if the surgery isn't soon after the insurance goes 'oops you waited too long.'
The surgery is detailed here He doesn't say I need surgery but I know the answer is very likely because I am having obstructive/compressive issues with my esophagus and evil little dog will concur, I'm starting to get a hoarse voice when I talk.
I'm done by 930 in the morning so I go to the coffee house and start a story I said I wasn't going to write last night (I need to be stopped, ha)
I hit TJMaxx which has everything I wanted, two different bamboo utensil organizers (since the mouse pooped on the ones I have and will be tossing), a dish drainer (I need to toss mine) and wood hangers because omg the current flocked ones (which I used to love) are so cheap and breakable I'm over it.
You know I try to avoid politics (for my own sanity more than anything) this article annoys me while on one hand I hope that he does end anyone who votes for this bill but in reality it's a perfect example of the problem with many political systems. At the end of the day most are plutocracies. Most of us remember when Musk was the darling of the democrats only to have him flip and do so. much. fucking. damage. this year. But he's not wrong about this bill. If it does go through I hope every last one who votes for it is never reelected because their base will be hurt by this as much as the democrats. I knew Musk and Trump would flame out, their egos are far too big. It was faster than I thought it would take but longer than I wanted it to take. Sigh.
And of course it's Music Monday. I'm doing the alphabet again concentrating on the last 5 years but you can share whatever you'd like. We're up to the letter M
( M is for Music )
He examines me. The actual hernia is actually very small and not in need of surgery (yay) but the real problem is that collagen disorder of mine (the is it Ehlers Danlos or is it something related debate). The aponeurosis that holds the right and left abdominal muscles together (the linea Alba) has pulled apart, a diastasis. They don't operate on that because it's not a hole. That said if I lie back and tense those muscles you can see my stomach like the xenomorph baby is about to pop out. Guess that's something to get used to.
On the other hand, he was STUNNED at how piss poor the ultrasound was from my local hospital. He was rather angry about it. Me too. I said this is why i'm here. He wants another one now but that means staying here all summer (and I have commitments that won't allow for that) because the new ultrasound can't be scheduled for a couple weeks and then if the surgery isn't soon after the insurance goes 'oops you waited too long.'
The surgery is detailed here He doesn't say I need surgery but I know the answer is very likely because I am having obstructive/compressive issues with my esophagus and evil little dog will concur, I'm starting to get a hoarse voice when I talk.
I'm done by 930 in the morning so I go to the coffee house and start a story I said I wasn't going to write last night (I need to be stopped, ha)
I hit TJMaxx which has everything I wanted, two different bamboo utensil organizers (since the mouse pooped on the ones I have and will be tossing), a dish drainer (I need to toss mine) and wood hangers because omg the current flocked ones (which I used to love) are so cheap and breakable I'm over it.
You know I try to avoid politics (for my own sanity more than anything) this article annoys me while on one hand I hope that he does end anyone who votes for this bill but in reality it's a perfect example of the problem with many political systems. At the end of the day most are plutocracies. Most of us remember when Musk was the darling of the democrats only to have him flip and do so. much. fucking. damage. this year. But he's not wrong about this bill. If it does go through I hope every last one who votes for it is never reelected because their base will be hurt by this as much as the democrats. I knew Musk and Trump would flame out, their egos are far too big. It was faster than I thought it would take but longer than I wanted it to take. Sigh.
And of course it's Music Monday. I'm doing the alphabet again concentrating on the last 5 years but you can share whatever you'd like. We're up to the letter M
( M is for Music )
Goal Checking
Jun. 30th, 2025 08:34 pmzhelanaFinished This Month
Finish reading 3 books with a Jewish protagonist
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Go to fighter practice 12 times in 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write 300k words in 2025
Write weekly 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
Finish reading 3 books with a Jewish protagonist
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Go to fighter practice 12 times in 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write 300k words in 2025
Write weekly 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
July's Bingo
Jun. 30th, 2025 06:04 pmcornerofmadnessIt's the winter in July fest at allbingo. Here's my card
allbingo. Here's my card| Fruit Cake | Oranges | Party | Shopping | Decorating |
| Blankets | Feast | Pie | Peppermint | Panettone |
| Wooden Shoes | Hot Cocoa | FREE SPACE | Bacalao | Hats |
| Yule Log | Pig Roast | Silver & Gold | Midnight Kiss | Snuggling by the Fire |
| Feast of the Seven Fishes | Baking/Cooking | Food Board | Candles | Hiding Gifts |
Rebuilding journal search again
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pmalierak posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceWe're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Readercon 2025 Schedule
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:50 pmoracneMy schedule is finalized! I didn't list participants in case there were changes.
Who will I see at Readercon next month?
The Works of P. Djèlí Clark
Salon I/J Friday, July 18, 2025, 1:00 PM EDT
Our Guest of Honor P. Djèlí Clark rounded out his first decade as a published author with a Nebula and a Locus for his fantasy police procedural novel, The Master of Djinn, and both those awards plus a British Fantasy Award for his monster-hunting novella Ring Shout. His short story "How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub" is short-listed for the Hugo this year. As a History professor at University of Connecticut, he investigates the pathways leading from West African storyteller/poets (griots, a.k.a. djèlí) to the American abolitionist movement. Help us celebrate the works of our honored guest!
The Purposes of Memorable Insults in Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Salon I/J Friday, July 18, 2025, 5:00 PM EDT
Some of the most quotable lines in science fiction and fantasy are zingers. Wit can do a lot to build a character, a world, and a universe, and has the ability to either support or undermine reader expectations. This panel aims to explore and elaborate on the use of wit—and especially takedowns—in literature, exposing how a verbal jab can serve as more than just a punchline.
Moving from Traditional Publishing to Self-Publishing
Salon G/H Friday, July 18, 2025, 7:00 PM EDT
It's becoming increasingly common to hear of authors whose self-published work was so successful that they were picked up by a traditional publisher. But what of the authors who have gone the other way, by turning their backs on traditional publishing and going into self-publishing? Panelists will survey the varying reasons for making this transition, how authors have navigated it, and what this might say about the state of publishing overall.
Kaffeeklatsch: Victoria Janssen
Suite 830 Friday, July 18, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
Meet the Pros(e) party
Salon F Friday, July 18, 2025, 10:15 PM EDT
Program participants are assigned to tables with a roughly equal number of conferencegoers and other participants, and then table placements are scrambled at regular intervals so that everyone gets to meet a new set of people in a small-group setting. Think of it as a low-key sort of speed dating where you need never be the sole focus of anyone's attention, and the goal is just to get to know some cool Readerconnish people. Please note that this event will include a bar and is mask-optional, unlike most other programming.
The Works of Cecilia Tan [I'm moderating this one]
Salon I/J Saturday, July 19, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT
Our Guest of Honor, Cecilia Tan, has a publication history that spans Asimov's, Absolute Magnitude, Ms. Magazine, Penthouse, and Best American Erotica, among others. Writer and editor of science fiction and fantasy, especially as they intersect with erotica and romance, she is also the founder of Circlet Press, an independent publisher that specializes in speculative erotica. Her own writing earned a Lifetime Achievement for Erotica in 2014 from Romantic Times magazine. She also contributes to America's other pastime, baseball, in her role as Publications Director for the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Come hear our panel discuss Cecilia's many talents and accomplishments.
Un-Kafkaesque Bureaucracies
Salon I/J Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7:00 PM EDT
In fiction, bureaucracies are generally depicted as evil in its most banal form, yet many of the actual bureaucracies that shape our lives exist to protect us from corporate greed. How can—and should—we tell other stories about bureaucrats and bureaucracies, particularly as the U.S. stands on the precipice of disastrous deregulation? And might fantasies of bureaucracy (such Addison's The Goblin Emperor and Goddard's The Hands of the Emperor) be the next cozy subgenre?
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction
Create / Collaborate Saturday, July 19, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
In an article of the same name (https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/endless-appetite-fanfiction), Elizabeth Minkel discussed how "2024 was the year [fanfic] truly broke containment—everyone seemed to want a piece of the fanfiction pie, leaving fic authors themselves besieged on all sides." Attempts to steal and monetize fanfic proliferated, as did reviews treating living authors as distant and unreachable. What do these trends say about larger changes in attitudes toward stories and creators? How can fans of all kinds nurture supportive connections to authors?
'Typo' of the day
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:48 pmfred_mouseToday's annoyance with YouTube auto-craption:
"Current university"
Locals, who know what the tiny set of options are, can possibly identify what 'Current' is relatively easily. In my case, given that I was watching this from within Curtin University, it was even easier, once I worked out that that was what is going on.
But oh! it annoys me that people don't review the captions for even that level of obvious mistake (I'm not calling that one egregious. The ones that mess up the name(s) of Country included in an Acknowledgement of Country are egregious. I've never seen the same error for a Welcome to Country, which I assume is because the Indigenous people associated with the production of such know too well how badly it can be messed up).
Write Every Day Day 30
Jun. 30th, 2025 12:21 amcornerofmadness
I believe I started with Stephen King, seems good to end with him too
How is this month over already? I’ll be back tomorrow with the final tally. And on July first we move to
nafs’s blog for WED.It was an editing day Got about 600 words and the penultimate chapter of Dandelions posted.
Let me know what day you’re reporting in for. If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.
Day twenty -nine
cornerofmadness, the_siobhan, sylvanwitch, badly_knitted, trobadora, ysilme, goddess47, carenejeans, chanter1944, ( other days )
Writerly Ways
Jun. 29th, 2025 10:00 pmcornerofmadnessI almost went for links only but I started reading today a revised edition (I think it's moving from self pubbed to traditional) of a novel called Pantomine by L.R. Lam and the main character is intersexed (and apparently the series had been popular)
This seemed like the best thing to end Pride month on. Lam goes on to talk about what the series meant to fans and why it was being revamped and rereleased and they mentioned something I've been talking a lot toevil_little_dog and sysann recently. I've mentioned it here before. There is no ONE right way to be something.
Lam put it as 'no group is a monolith' and my works won't be for everyone. I feel that was most likely added to the author's preface because of the hate you can get on social media (someone eld and I both followed on YT/FB committed suicide in part over the pressures and the hate directed their way last week). I wish fans could understand that. All too often you get people tearing down someone because the experience they read in the book was not their experience and therefore not valid.
It's hard. You know you can't please everyone. You don't want to accidentally hurt a group of people. On the other hand, people do need to realize that their way isn't the only way either. For example (which I used before) several years back pre-Covid my local writers group had four trans members. Not one of them had the same path or level of acceptance from friends and family so when I see someone screaming 'that's not how it is to be trans' I think of this. By this hard stance, you're saying only one of those four people are right.
And it's not limited to that of course. You pretty much name a group or career and someone will be there to screaming that's not how it's done. So how, as an author, can you minimize that?
Do your research. Provide sources in the author's notes if you can. Get sensitivity readers if you can (which isn't always easy or affordable especially if you're a self pubber). Know you can't please everyone. Do your best.
Open Calls
Of Love & Dragons Love stories between dragons and humans (Dragon lords, princesses, etc)
Twisted Dreams Press is open to Horror Novels and Novellas
Horrorsmith Fear Forge Horror Novels
Bullet Points Volume 11 Dark military science fiction
Infested Publishing Is Open To Novels and Novellas from UK Authors
Ongoing Submissions: GRADEside Middle Grade & Young Adult Horror
A Breath of Time Love where time itself is conquered (time travel, time bending, etc)
Diabolical Plots 2025 Window Science fiction, fantasy, horror (everything must have a speculative element, even horror).
25 New Literary Magazines (Seeking Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry)
Flame Tree Publishing they have a couple of open calls
From Around the web
How Writers Can Stay Hopeful in a Tough Publishing Climate
Need a Good Book Editor? Top Up-to-Date Recommendations
The Power of Reddit: Reach Millions Through Ask Me Anything Events (I had never even thought of using Reddit)
The Secret to Avoiding the Sagging Story: What Makes a Good Middle
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: June 2025
4 Unique Writing Habits of Famous Writers
Ten Books in Ten Years: A Conversation with Indie Author Tank Gunner
6 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book.
Marketing Planning For First-Time Authors
From Betty
Six Common Problems in Short Stories
Eleven Signs Your Story Depicts Abuse
Do You Really Have to Use a 3-Act Structure in Fiction?
Reader Friday-That Stinky Mood
The 3 Components that Keep Your Story in Balance
Silence the Inner Critic
Series Words of Wisdom
Help! My Romance Draft Is a Mess (Now What?)
Writing 101: Semi-Colons & Other Tricky Punctuation Marks
Should You Write What You Know or Aim to Experiment?
How to decide if a writer’s retreat is right for you
Not Every Quirk Is a Flaw: How to Identify a True Character Flaw in Storytelling
Three Questions Writers Can Ask When Feeling Overwhelmed or Confused
This seemed like the best thing to end Pride month on. Lam goes on to talk about what the series meant to fans and why it was being revamped and rereleased and they mentioned something I've been talking a lot to
evil_little_dog and sysann recently. I've mentioned it here before. There is no ONE right way to be something.Lam put it as 'no group is a monolith' and my works won't be for everyone. I feel that was most likely added to the author's preface because of the hate you can get on social media (someone eld and I both followed on YT/FB committed suicide in part over the pressures and the hate directed their way last week). I wish fans could understand that. All too often you get people tearing down someone because the experience they read in the book was not their experience and therefore not valid.
It's hard. You know you can't please everyone. You don't want to accidentally hurt a group of people. On the other hand, people do need to realize that their way isn't the only way either. For example (which I used before) several years back pre-Covid my local writers group had four trans members. Not one of them had the same path or level of acceptance from friends and family so when I see someone screaming 'that's not how it is to be trans' I think of this. By this hard stance, you're saying only one of those four people are right.
And it's not limited to that of course. You pretty much name a group or career and someone will be there to screaming that's not how it's done. So how, as an author, can you minimize that?
Do your research. Provide sources in the author's notes if you can. Get sensitivity readers if you can (which isn't always easy or affordable especially if you're a self pubber). Know you can't please everyone. Do your best.
Open Calls
Of Love & Dragons Love stories between dragons and humans (Dragon lords, princesses, etc)
Twisted Dreams Press is open to Horror Novels and Novellas
Horrorsmith Fear Forge Horror Novels
Bullet Points Volume 11 Dark military science fiction
Infested Publishing Is Open To Novels and Novellas from UK Authors
Ongoing Submissions: GRADEside Middle Grade & Young Adult Horror
A Breath of Time Love where time itself is conquered (time travel, time bending, etc)
Diabolical Plots 2025 Window Science fiction, fantasy, horror (everything must have a speculative element, even horror).
25 New Literary Magazines (Seeking Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry)
Flame Tree Publishing they have a couple of open calls
From Around the web
How Writers Can Stay Hopeful in a Tough Publishing Climate
Need a Good Book Editor? Top Up-to-Date Recommendations
The Power of Reddit: Reach Millions Through Ask Me Anything Events (I had never even thought of using Reddit)
The Secret to Avoiding the Sagging Story: What Makes a Good Middle
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: June 2025
4 Unique Writing Habits of Famous Writers
Ten Books in Ten Years: A Conversation with Indie Author Tank Gunner
6 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book.
Marketing Planning For First-Time Authors
From Betty
Six Common Problems in Short Stories
Eleven Signs Your Story Depicts Abuse
Do You Really Have to Use a 3-Act Structure in Fiction?
Reader Friday-That Stinky Mood
The 3 Components that Keep Your Story in Balance
Silence the Inner Critic
Series Words of Wisdom
Help! My Romance Draft Is a Mess (Now What?)
Writing 101: Semi-Colons & Other Tricky Punctuation Marks
Should You Write What You Know or Aim to Experiment?
How to decide if a writer’s retreat is right for you
Not Every Quirk Is a Flaw: How to Identify a True Character Flaw in Storytelling
Three Questions Writers Can Ask When Feeling Overwhelmed or Confused
WED Rec-Your-Work Post 2025
Jun. 29th, 2025 11:09 amcornerofmadnessUsually zwei_hexen does this around half way through and I meant to but this month has been on fire. So why not at the end(ish) Let's see what you've been working on all month if you want to share. The rules of the game are lifted directly from zwei_hexen's usual post.
Do you have a passion project, not-so-guilty pleasure, hot obsession, or slow-burn romance with a fandom? Newest fics you posted? Chapter updates? If so, would you share it with us? Whether it's a 300K WiP or a double drabble, please feel free to leave us a link to it in the comments.
A few simple considerations:
Age restrictions and content warnings: Please keep in mind this journal is public and has no content warning. For your convenience, we've put in an age restriction to this post only, so you can also post headers and summaries to more mature-rated stories. However, please put in warnings if what you share might contain possible triggers and put any mature and/or NSFW content (images, text examples, etc.) behind a text link only, to keep this journal a safe place to visit for everybody.
Comment size, images and headers: As cuts don't work on comments, please crop/downsize images to 600 pix max for the longest side and limit text samples to about 20 lines. If you post an AO3 header with a wall of tags, please limit them to about 4 lines here and indicate that there are more.
For ease of browsing, please name your fandom in the subject line of your comment and consider making different comments for each fandom you’re sharing, if you’d like.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them here or to drop a note tocornerofmadness
We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve been working on! Also, please check out the older rec-your-work posts you can find under the link on the top right of the journal; we try to keep the fandom tags updated on these entries for your convenience.
zwei_hexen does this around half way through and I meant to but this month has been on fire. So why not at the end(ish) Let's see what you've been working on all month if you want to share. The rules of the game are lifted directly from zwei_hexen's usual post.Do you have a passion project, not-so-guilty pleasure, hot obsession, or slow-burn romance with a fandom? Newest fics you posted? Chapter updates? If so, would you share it with us? Whether it's a 300K WiP or a double drabble, please feel free to leave us a link to it in the comments.
A few simple considerations:
Age restrictions and content warnings: Please keep in mind this journal is public and has no content warning. For your convenience, we've put in an age restriction to this post only, so you can also post headers and summaries to more mature-rated stories. However, please put in warnings if what you share might contain possible triggers and put any mature and/or NSFW content (images, text examples, etc.) behind a text link only, to keep this journal a safe place to visit for everybody.
Comment size, images and headers: As cuts don't work on comments, please crop/downsize images to 600 pix max for the longest side and limit text samples to about 20 lines. If you post an AO3 header with a wall of tags, please limit them to about 4 lines here and indicate that there are more.
For ease of browsing, please name your fandom in the subject line of your comment and consider making different comments for each fandom you’re sharing, if you’d like.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them here or to drop a note to
cornerofmadnessWe’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve been working on! Also, please check out the older rec-your-work posts you can find under the link on the top right of the journal; we try to keep the fandom tags updated on these entries for your convenience.
Goal setting question(s)
Jun. 29th, 2025 09:39 pmfred_mouseNow that I've written up the six month summary of how my 2025 New Year's Resolutions have gone, I'm looking at what I want for the next six months. Which might turn out to be a 12 month set of goals; I'm kind of being flexible with whatever works.
But!
One of my intentions is that I have goals for each of the areas of my life that are important to me--there is no rating of how big that area has to be, just that I see it as an important circle. Two of these I did not manage to get a coherent goal for across the last six months. I'm not sure that it is possible to have coherent goals, but that might be me looking from the wrong perspective.
Which is where my question comes in: what suggestions do people have as to goals for 'Family' and 'Social'? I'm okay with drive by commentary from people who aren't familiar with the limitations of my life, because not knowing those details might be an important part of different perspective.
