Traveller: Sword Worlders Amuck! Session one 2025 07 13
Jul. 14th, 2025 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gentlyepigramsCharacters:
Inara, an entertainer and artist, secretly psychic, played by Sarah
Stefon, a retired Imperial Scout, played by Steve
Skuld, a noblewoman, played by Ian
Ingrid, a retired Army Captain and former Sword World Patrol member, played by me.
( My session notes under the cut. )
Inara, an entertainer and artist, secretly psychic, played by Sarah
Stefon, a retired Imperial Scout, played by Steve
Skuld, a noblewoman, played by Ian
Ingrid, a retired Army Captain and former Sword World Patrol member, played by me.
( My session notes under the cut. )
The last 24 hours have been a whole year
Jul. 19th, 2025 09:16 pmelf1. Chaos. Last night, the building across the street caught on fire.
Again.
It's an abandoned/defunct factory; this is the... fifth? time it's caught on fire in the last couple of years. (The owner who acquired it after the previous owner died has been trying to sell it for far more than anyone wants to pay.)
2. Discord. This morning: Skipped my GURPS game (sigh) for round 3 of 4 of the Seattle Worldcon virtual business meeting. 3.75 hours of intense Roberts Rules neepery wrapped around 16 action items. 14 passed, 2 failed. I took notes on (1) everything that happened and (2) How To Bog Down A Worldcon Business Meeting, should I ever be so inclined.
There are a substantial number of people involved for whom Roberts Rules is apparently their main fandom. The Worldcon Business Meeting is their Pennsic. Some of them get annoyed at people who aren't interested in RRONR procedures as much as they want changes to Worldcon rules.
Also I have volunteered to be on two committees; we'll see if I get accepted to either.
3. Confusion. Family birthday party. Eldest daughter came over to cook tacos yay. Much bustling around a small kitchen with people no longer used to having three butts in a one-butt sized space.
Tacos were yummy. Cake and ice cream were yummy. French-press coffee was yummy; I wound up thinking "I should do that more often" and then remembered why I don't - because the cleanup is a hassle, and also, I prefer the coffee hotter than the press makes it. (5 minutes of sitting in a glass cylinder is cooler than I prefer.) But it's nice once in a while.
4. Bureaucracy. 2 hrs of OTW Board public meeting. (The meeting is 1 hr, but I'm involved as a volunteer, so had to be there in advance.) It ran short - instead of the normal "dozen questions emailed in advance + 10-20 questions asked in session," it was "5 questions sent in advance and only 4 more asked in session." All questions answered during the meeting; none left over to get posted on the website later.
5. Aftermath. Kid the Elder has gone home with doggo via Lyft; I am trying to catch up on the several chat channels with all sorts of stuff in them. Also now trying to figure out what writing deadlines I have pressing that have been shoved aside during prep for these two meetings.
( Now what? )
Again.
It's an abandoned/defunct factory; this is the... fifth? time it's caught on fire in the last couple of years. (The owner who acquired it after the previous owner died has been trying to sell it for far more than anyone wants to pay.)
2. Discord. This morning: Skipped my GURPS game (sigh) for round 3 of 4 of the Seattle Worldcon virtual business meeting. 3.75 hours of intense Roberts Rules neepery wrapped around 16 action items. 14 passed, 2 failed. I took notes on (1) everything that happened and (2) How To Bog Down A Worldcon Business Meeting, should I ever be so inclined.
There are a substantial number of people involved for whom Roberts Rules is apparently their main fandom. The Worldcon Business Meeting is their Pennsic. Some of them get annoyed at people who aren't interested in RRONR procedures as much as they want changes to Worldcon rules.
Also I have volunteered to be on two committees; we'll see if I get accepted to either.
3. Confusion. Family birthday party. Eldest daughter came over to cook tacos yay. Much bustling around a small kitchen with people no longer used to having three butts in a one-butt sized space.
Tacos were yummy. Cake and ice cream were yummy. French-press coffee was yummy; I wound up thinking "I should do that more often" and then remembered why I don't - because the cleanup is a hassle, and also, I prefer the coffee hotter than the press makes it. (5 minutes of sitting in a glass cylinder is cooler than I prefer.) But it's nice once in a while.
4. Bureaucracy. 2 hrs of OTW Board public meeting. (The meeting is 1 hr, but I'm involved as a volunteer, so had to be there in advance.) It ran short - instead of the normal "dozen questions emailed in advance + 10-20 questions asked in session," it was "5 questions sent in advance and only 4 more asked in session." All questions answered during the meeting; none left over to get posted on the website later.
5. Aftermath. Kid the Elder has gone home with doggo via Lyft; I am trying to catch up on the several chat channels with all sorts of stuff in them. Also now trying to figure out what writing deadlines I have pressing that have been shoved aside during prep for these two meetings.
( Now what? )
Weekly media report - for the week ending 2025 07 16
Jul. 16th, 2025 11:27 pmgentlyepigramsBooks
Stone and Sky, by Ben Aaronovitch. Most recent of the Rivers of London books, in which the gang goes to Aberdeen to find out what's up with a mysterious sheep eating cat, and ends up involved with merfolk, selkies, North Sea oil, and Scottish independence. I've actually been to Aberdeen once and it felt right to me. I really enjoyed the Abigail/foxes subplot more than usual, and I was fascinated by Beverly and the babies. Also, kudos to Ben for getting around Brexit.
Last Call at the Nightingale and The Last Drop of Hemlock. First two books in a 1920s set mystery series centering on a jazz bar in New York. Our heroine is an Irish orphan who stumbles into two mysteries. The supporting cast is diverse and the mysteries are interesting: the first one involves a body found outside the club and gets into whiskey runners and gangsters; the second involves the demise of our heroine's (Black) best friend's uncle and has some great twists. There are 2 or 3 more in the series and I'm definitely down for the lot of them.
Picks & Shovels by Cory Doctorow. I'm glad he writes from the perspective of a (sometimes really dumb even though he's really smart) man, because the story he's telling in this one would be unbearable if he were trying to write from a woman's POV. Third in the Martin Hench series, this one tells a story about Marty's arrival in San Francisco in the 1980s and his involvement in the quarrel between a religious computer company and the women who left them and tried to take them down. I like these books a lot; I just don't like the protagonist very much even when he's theoretically doing the right thing. Also, the overall ending was strong, even the parts I didn't like.
Death by Misadventure, by Tasha Alexander. Lady Emily and her husband do a locked room mystery in the Bavarian Alps. I correctly predicted the killer but not the reasoning, which was well-done. This series has the annoying past-history interspersions but this time I figured out the significance about halfway through the book and thought it was much more interesting than the previous books: it explained a lot more about the current mystery than the interspersed stories have in the past.
The Lily of Ludgate Hill and The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews. Third and fourth in the four-hander Regency romances in the Belles of London series, in which four horse-riding friends get paired off. Book three involves one of the girls calling in a favor from an old flame. Timewise this is interspersed with events from the previous books in a very clever way. Book four involves the aftermath of those events and ties in with them the same way. This time the clergyman's sister has to forsake her home to get her independence and her man, who's a disabled artist (he can't walk after a bout of scarlet fever). The way the series ties the books together is really clever.
Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Detective, by Sharmini Kumar & Kelly Gardiner. Inspired by the side characters in Pride & Prejudice, this one uses a Regency mystery as a jumping-off point to get into the history of the East India Company and subcontinental Indians in Regency London. By the end of the book we have Caroline set up with an Anglo-Indian lady friend, a possible romance/foil in the Company, friends and allies and enemies, so I expect there to be another one.
A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murders, by Dianne Freeman. This time Frances and her husband are in 1900-ish Paris, at Longchamps and dealing with a mystery in which the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) is a suspect. I like the expansion of the family in the B-plot and the resolutions with Frances' mother and personal friends, and while I did see one of the twists coming, there was one that surprised me, so that was good.
Movies & TV
Murderbot, Episode 10. I've really enjoyed this series even if most of the finale was predictable (they weren't going to destroy the protagonist!) I liked the ending and look forward to S2.
Music
Apple Essentials: Wet Leg and Wet Leg, Moisturizer. None of the other stuff is as droll as Chaise Longue but I do like me a little female fronted rock music. Of the new stuff I think I like CPR (the new single) best.
Stone and Sky, by Ben Aaronovitch. Most recent of the Rivers of London books, in which the gang goes to Aberdeen to find out what's up with a mysterious sheep eating cat, and ends up involved with merfolk, selkies, North Sea oil, and Scottish independence. I've actually been to Aberdeen once and it felt right to me. I really enjoyed the Abigail/foxes subplot more than usual, and I was fascinated by Beverly and the babies. Also, kudos to Ben for getting around Brexit.
Last Call at the Nightingale and The Last Drop of Hemlock. First two books in a 1920s set mystery series centering on a jazz bar in New York. Our heroine is an Irish orphan who stumbles into two mysteries. The supporting cast is diverse and the mysteries are interesting: the first one involves a body found outside the club and gets into whiskey runners and gangsters; the second involves the demise of our heroine's (Black) best friend's uncle and has some great twists. There are 2 or 3 more in the series and I'm definitely down for the lot of them.
Picks & Shovels by Cory Doctorow. I'm glad he writes from the perspective of a (sometimes really dumb even though he's really smart) man, because the story he's telling in this one would be unbearable if he were trying to write from a woman's POV. Third in the Martin Hench series, this one tells a story about Marty's arrival in San Francisco in the 1980s and his involvement in the quarrel between a religious computer company and the women who left them and tried to take them down. I like these books a lot; I just don't like the protagonist very much even when he's theoretically doing the right thing. Also, the overall ending was strong, even the parts I didn't like.
Death by Misadventure, by Tasha Alexander. Lady Emily and her husband do a locked room mystery in the Bavarian Alps. I correctly predicted the killer but not the reasoning, which was well-done. This series has the annoying past-history interspersions but this time I figured out the significance about halfway through the book and thought it was much more interesting than the previous books: it explained a lot more about the current mystery than the interspersed stories have in the past.
The Lily of Ludgate Hill and The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews. Third and fourth in the four-hander Regency romances in the Belles of London series, in which four horse-riding friends get paired off. Book three involves one of the girls calling in a favor from an old flame. Timewise this is interspersed with events from the previous books in a very clever way. Book four involves the aftermath of those events and ties in with them the same way. This time the clergyman's sister has to forsake her home to get her independence and her man, who's a disabled artist (he can't walk after a bout of scarlet fever). The way the series ties the books together is really clever.
Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Detective, by Sharmini Kumar & Kelly Gardiner. Inspired by the side characters in Pride & Prejudice, this one uses a Regency mystery as a jumping-off point to get into the history of the East India Company and subcontinental Indians in Regency London. By the end of the book we have Caroline set up with an Anglo-Indian lady friend, a possible romance/foil in the Company, friends and allies and enemies, so I expect there to be another one.
A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murders, by Dianne Freeman. This time Frances and her husband are in 1900-ish Paris, at Longchamps and dealing with a mystery in which the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) is a suspect. I like the expansion of the family in the B-plot and the resolutions with Frances' mother and personal friends, and while I did see one of the twists coming, there was one that surprised me, so that was good.
Movies & TV
Murderbot, Episode 10. I've really enjoyed this series even if most of the finale was predictable (they weren't going to destroy the protagonist!) I liked the ending and look forward to S2.
Music
Apple Essentials: Wet Leg and Wet Leg, Moisturizer. None of the other stuff is as droll as Chaise Longue but I do like me a little female fronted rock music. Of the new stuff I think I like CPR (the new single) best.
They Fight Crime!
Jul. 10th, 2025 09:17 amelfI'd forgotten how much I love https://theyfightcrime.org.
( something-something fic prompts )
He's a lonely skateboarding shaman with a winning smile and a way with the ladies. She's a bloodthirsty wisecracking wrestler who hides her beauty behind a pair of thick-framed spectacles. They fight crime!
He's an unconventional soccer-playing grifter in a wheelchair. She's an orphaned foul-mouthed socialite from out of town. They fight crime!
He's an oversexed ninja werewolf fleeing from a secret government programme. She's an enchanted snooty advertising executive with a knack for trouble. They fight crime!
( something-something fic prompts )
Weekly media report - for the week ending 2025 07 09
Jul. 9th, 2025 10:37 pmgentlyepigramsBooks
Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (3rd edition), by Susan C. Pinsky. I don't have ADHD but chronic illness has given me some of the same management issues, and I'm pretty sure spouse has his share as well. This is the third edition; I'd previously read the second edition, and there's some additional useful information in it. Specifically there's more up-to-date suggestions for keeping your online life organized. I think I'm feeling the desire for what this book calls a Brutal Purge, because I'm thinking about rereading another, similar book next.
Short Stories
Death and Liquidity Under the New Moon, by Vajra Chandrasekera. Post-mortem military service by the author of The Saint of the Bright Doors. Nuff said.
Movies & TV
Murderbot, episodes 7-9. We get to the climax and find out what's going on, finally, and everything blows up in everyone's faces. Next week: the payoff. Then I'm going to read the books. I continue to enjoy this series and especially Alexander Skarsgard's deadpan as he deals with his clients/cow orkers.
Music
Neave Trio, La mer: French Piano Trios & A Room of Her Own. Two albums of chamber music that I'm mostly not familiar with but definitely enjoyed. I picked this album because the trio has two women, putting them squarely in my "listen to more women in 2025" project, and because their newest album (the first) got a nice review in the Guardian.
Apple Essentials: Tangerine Dream. Pretty sure the answer here is still I really like the late Virgin era and am not so crazy about anything else.
Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (3rd edition), by Susan C. Pinsky. I don't have ADHD but chronic illness has given me some of the same management issues, and I'm pretty sure spouse has his share as well. This is the third edition; I'd previously read the second edition, and there's some additional useful information in it. Specifically there's more up-to-date suggestions for keeping your online life organized. I think I'm feeling the desire for what this book calls a Brutal Purge, because I'm thinking about rereading another, similar book next.
Short Stories
Death and Liquidity Under the New Moon, by Vajra Chandrasekera. Post-mortem military service by the author of The Saint of the Bright Doors. Nuff said.
Movies & TV
Murderbot, episodes 7-9. We get to the climax and find out what's going on, finally, and everything blows up in everyone's faces. Next week: the payoff. Then I'm going to read the books. I continue to enjoy this series and especially Alexander Skarsgard's deadpan as he deals with his clients/cow orkers.
Music
Neave Trio, La mer: French Piano Trios & A Room of Her Own. Two albums of chamber music that I'm mostly not familiar with but definitely enjoyed. I picked this album because the trio has two women, putting them squarely in my "listen to more women in 2025" project, and because their newest album (the first) got a nice review in the Guardian.
Apple Essentials: Tangerine Dream. Pretty sure the answer here is still I really like the late Virgin era and am not so crazy about anything else.