Bingo
Nov. 30th, 2025 05:40 pmN1 (The deeds of ordinary folks keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.) -- "The Universal Assent to the World" (Polychrome Heroics: Officer Pink)
N2 (elves) -- "Revealing Itself at Its Most Brilliant" (Polychrome Heroics: Eric the Elven King)
N3 (WILD CARD: brownie) -- "Better Than Living Alone" (Monster House)
N4 (shadow) -- "Unicornis Memento Mori" (The Freaks Club)
N5 (Once Upon a Time) -- "Better Than a Million Dollars" (Alien Romance)
B4 (Fairy Ring) -- "Time and Relative Dimensions in Magic" (Doctor Who)
I1 (The Nightingale) -- "The Impermanence of Light and Life" (The Freaks Club)
I3 (Very little worth knowing is taught by fear.) -- "To the Rational Mind" (Doctor Who)
I4 (solitude) -- "Company in Solitude" (The Freaks Club)
G1 (vision) -- "A Vision That Visits Us" (The Freaks Club)
G2 (journey) -- "The Coracle in the Forest" (standalone)
G5 (I didn't want power. All I wanted was control. Over my life.) -- "A Clear Path of Freedom" (standalone)
O3 (fairies) -- "The Heart to Change the World" (Polychrome Heroics: The Big One)
History
Nov. 30th, 2025 03:10 pmIn essence, a cylinder seal was a small sculpture that served a crucial utilitarian purpose: signing documents. It was generally made of a precious or semiprecious stone such as lapis lazuli, agate or chalcedony. Images and texts were engraved into the stone with a technique called intaglio. Notably, these engravings would need to be made in reverse of how the markings would look when it was used.
When rolled on a moist clay tablet, these engravings left low-relief markings, signifying that the object’s owner authorized the written document. In this respect, a cylinder seal’s impression is the ancestor of modern handwritten and digital signatures.
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Birdfeeding
Nov. 30th, 2025 02:28 pmI fed the birds. I hung up a peanut suet cake. I've seen one female and three male cardinals plus a dark-eyed junco. :D This is the first I've seen of my little snowbirds this year; the juncos are cold-weather birds here and don't appear in summer.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 11/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 11/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I've seen two female cardinals and the three boys again.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Done Since 2025-11-23
Nov. 30th, 2025 08:43 pmMixed. A couple of minor high points, including a very nice Thanksgiving (observed) dinner yesterday evening, but enough lows to more than compensate, plus enough problems with both my health, and my abject failure to get those across during my appointment Friday morning, to throw me into a tailspin that I still haven't fully recovered from. Oh, and Leslie Fish died yesterday. There's another bit storythere, too, but it'll wait for another day.
Three walks. One guitar practice, Friday, but after spending the day in a funk it lifted my spirits a litte, as did a little more Dutch on Duolingo. I take what I can get. The top quote of the week, from Paradox of hedonism - Wikipedia:
Happiness is like a cat, if you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. But if you pay no attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.
Apparently the same thing applies to sleep. But it's only 20:48, so I have two hours, more or less, before I have to not-try to put that into practice. If the cats will let me. But I'll stop here, incoherent as this post is, because between now and then I have to compose an email to my doctors. (Or at least their clinic. It's complicated, and a large part of Friday's trainwreck was because I didn't know how complicated it had gotten while I wasn't looking.)
Why Nature will not allow the use of generative AI in images and video So apparently Nature abhors AI.
How about ending with The Illustrated Version of “Alice’s Restaurant”?
Dreamwidth Points
Nov. 30th, 2025 01:46 pmThe standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.
If you're gift-shopping for anyone on Dreamwidth, or you wish to support a favorite community here, points or paid time offer a great way to do that. Now is also a good time to buy them for yourself. Support the platform that keeps us connected here.
New Year's Resolutions Check In
Nov. 30th, 2025 03:31 amThis year I'm trying something new, continuing to track goals at the end of each month. So far it seems to be helping, so that's encouraging. I'm looking at my goal list more often and trying to keep ticking off more of them. The main drawback is that this update becomes more of a chore each month.
These are the previous check in posts:
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 4
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 10
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 17
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 24
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In February 28
New Year's Resolutions Check In March 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In April 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In May 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In June 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In July 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In August 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In September 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In October 31
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Penric audio news
Nov. 30th, 2025 08:29 amGeneral release is scheduled for February 14, 2026:
https://www.downpour.com/products/boo...
And at all the usual suspects/online vendors. Happy Valentine's?
In addition, Audible has an earlier release on December 16th.
https://www.amazon.com/Testimony-Mute...
I've no idea why Audible gets a 2-month exclusive head start; business matters I expect. It was the same for "Demonic Ox".
At any rate, "Coming Soon!" is roughly true.
Ta, L.
posted by Lois McMaster Bujold on November, 30
If only
Nov. 30th, 2025 03:56 amBook one (Dalia Ravenstone and the Vicious Circle): A picture of Dalia Ravenstone -- a black girl with her hair in locs -- wearing a witches' hat and holding her wand in both hands, point side up. Brandon would be in the picture too, in his wheelchair. Sally as well, if I could fit her in. If not, a wider version of the image in which she is in the picture, would be included in the book itself.
Book two (Vedya Ravenstone and the Forge of Ponos): Vedya Ravenstone -- who is a Dalit child with rainbow colored hair -- would be in the image with her best friend Sarah Butcher, the two girls having their arms over each others' shoulders, both hamming it up for the camera.
Book three (Chooli Ravenstone and the Corrupted Spirit): An image of Chooli Ravenstone -- whose appearance is that of a Navajo child, but zee is actually biracial (half black) -- dressed in a tunic and vest for a ren faire, standing next to Felicia Grimaldi (an Italian girl with black hair). The image looks like a professional portrait of the two, but Chooli's attention has been diverted by something not in the frame. We can still see zeer face, though.
Book four (Ressa Akamai and the Bridge Not Crossed): Ressa Akamai -- a Hawaiian1 woman from another universe -- on the back of a motorcycle with an anonymous biker in the front, everything about their identity hidden by their gloves, bike leathers, and helmet. I'd get the second anonymous biker from that scene in the image too, if I could, on their own motorcycle. This would include having the skill to draw a very specific brand and model of motorcycle that would have to be imported from India.
Book five (Dalia Ravenstone and the Vengeful Hunter): For this one, a bit of a departure. It would be a view of a place much like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, in the background. (The foreground is a more traditional sandy shore.) It would, in fact, be Fomor. Several Ravenstones would be in the image -- most likely Dalia, Vedya, and at least two of the adults like Nizoni and Orpheus. Morgana as well, if there's room. They would be scattered on the shore, soaking wet, clearly having just been washed ashore.
Book six (Naga Ravenstone and the Envoy of Truth): I think having Naga herself on the cover would be too confusing, even with her haircut being what it is, and her hair being pink. This is because she is a multiverse double of Vedya. So in another departure, I'd probably include the Lichters and Oxythemis Caldwell instead, or maybe just feature the LLS Oneironaut -- an airship that resembles a submarine turned into a blimp. I dunno. Point is, most of book six's important plot is centered around them. The title is not a red herring, it is relevant to the plot, just not as much as other things are. The Lichters are both blond and white and look like they're from Victorian England. They look like identical twins if one was a woman and the other a man. (They are multiverse doubles of each other, and Lady Lichter is a trans woman.)
Book seven (Vasanti Sultana and the Riddle of Hope): Probably Vasanti and Zorana standing in a group next to one or both of the Lichters. Their appearances... Vasanti is Indian. (India Indian) Zorana is a black woman.
1 = Technically Ressa is biracial as well, however her father's ethnicity doesn't really show in her appearance, which is a good thing as I'm not really clear myself what that ethnicity is, as the country he's from doesn't exist in our world, however I would say the most likely cognate for his ethnicity to ours is Mexican, because the country he's from is located in part of what is Mexico here. Mexico exists in that world, but its name is Mexica. And obviously its borders are different.
News
Nov. 30th, 2025 02:20 amIn 2024, Maine business owner Reade Brower was forced to sell off a majority of the newspapers that he owned. He then tried to salvage four weeklies by combining them into one paper: The Midcoast Villager.
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Moment of Silence: Leslie Fish
Nov. 30th, 2025 01:59 amSo, screw the moment of silence because we all know the Great Con in the Sky is bellowing "Banned from Argo." I got to hear her sing that one once, and it was glorious. But I think "Hope Eyrie" is more apt. Another timely one is "Freedom of the Snow," which I used to belt out when walking across campus after an evening class. Frat rats crossed the street to get away from me. \o/
Here's a good description of Leslie's impact on filk.
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Science
Nov. 30th, 2025 12:54 amBearded vultures are unusual birds. Their diet consists primarily of bones, which they sometimes drop from great heights to break into smaller, bite-size pieces. They deliberately change the color of their plumage by rolling around in reddish-orange mud. And they return to the same nesting sites year after year, with generations of the species even reusing nests for centuries.
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Shop for Good Sunday
Nov. 30th, 2025 12:16 amIf you know what your friends and family value -- whether that's fair trade or sustainability or women-owned businesses -- then you can buy treats they might not ordinarily get because the good, responsible stuff tends to cost more. Pay attention to packaging: some companies just slap on a seal or few and call it good, but others really highlight the values aspect of their goodies with text or illustrations so your recipient will definitely notice it. The same goes for cards or gift wrapping in companies that offer that service.

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November 30, 2025: Some SJ Games Favorites Of Mine Through The Years - Part 3
Nov. 30th, 2025 06:22 am– Sabrina Gonzalez
Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action
There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!
Leadership
Nov. 30th, 2025 05:01 amyeah some panels changed
patreon folks convinced me to reintegrate a strip i’d removed, so you’re getting two tomorrow
About that one conlang
Nov. 29th, 2025 09:21 pmSo basically a bunch of changes, haven't the energy to go over all of them right now. I just got through systematically populating a list of potential words given the constraints of the language. It was long and tedious work, and now there's 30 pages in that Google Doc. I will assign words to meanings later.
#46 The Search (part 2 of 2, complete)
Nov. 29th, 2025 10:18 pmBy Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1166
[Sunday, May 10, 2020, night]
:: Searching for Liana leads to an unexpected encounter. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::
Donathea smiled at the man with dark skin and auburn hair. “It’s fine. I’ll be done in a minute.”
Aidan nodded. “Would it help if I spoke with another employee? There is no time to waste.”
The customer studied Aidan’s worried expression. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a teenage girl missing, seen getting into a car that may have come to the ferry,” Aidan explained quickly. “I am asking if anyone has seen her.”
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