The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, May 2

May. 3rd, 2026 12:06 am
veronyxk84: Editor icon for su_herald (_Herald Editor#1)
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GILES: I'm just a bit twitchy about leaving you alone again here while—while things are in such a state of flux.
BUFFY: I know. But you should go. This trip is important for the girls to understand the source of their power, and to know how to use it right.
GILES: Do you think they appreciate the gravity of what we're undertaking? It's frightening, and it's difficult. And then, apparently, someone told them that the vision quest consists of me driving them to the desert, doing the hokey pokey until a spooky Rasta-mama slayer arrives and speaks to them in riddles.
BUFFY: That's not exactly how I put it.

~~BtVS 7x13 “The Killer in Me”~~


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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, May 1st

May. 1st, 2026 11:55 pm
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
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GILES: Did you see that? Customers! Real, live customers! They came in and I gave them things and they gave me money and then they left! It's brilliant!

~~No Place Like Home~~


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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, April 30th

May. 1st, 2026 03:06 pm
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
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Xander: So how come Faith was a no-show? I thought mucus-y demons were her favorites.
Buffy: Couldn't reach her... again. She hasn't been hanging out much.
Xander: I detect worry.
Buffy: A little bit. Slaying's a rough gig. Too much alone time isn't healthy. Stuff gets pent up.
Willow: We should try to do more socializing with her.

~~The Wish~~

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Question a Day Meme & the illfated return of the dreaded reading slump

Apr. 29th, 2026 05:33 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
I'm horribly behind on the Question a Day - April - Meme - so, I'm just going to finish out the month while I have the opportunity. I was going to read more of "This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me" but the vagus nerve associated with my neck is bothering me today - and I'd need to well bend over the book? Had troubles reading on the train for the same reason. It's the weather - which is turning again, and as a result my arthritis is flaring up. (I may go back to audio books - actually, that was why Masq (from ATPOBTVS) started on audio books, back and neck issues.)

22. If you took part in a quiz, what would be your specialist subject?

Probably movies, television, theater and fictional books. I have an insane amount of trivia knowledge in that arena. For some reason or other, my brain holds onto that sort of data? When I played Jeopardy on my phone - every time it did that category - I won. Same with Trivia pursuit.

23. In 1895, Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand detective writer and producer, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Have you ever read any of her detective novels? If not, who is your favourite detective novelist?

Yes, a couple. It's been a long time since I read them though - and I get her confused with PD James (who I prefer and have read more of). Neither are my favorite. My favorite is the Master - Agatha Christie. I read all of her books. I did find Peters Vicky Bliss mysteries up to and including The Night Train to Memphis - to be fun and memorable. I always wished those novels had been adapted in a series or movies. But alas, no.

I also loved Minette Walters, another British mystery writer - whose first novel was adapted. Not sure any others were. She would be a close second to Agatha Christie.

24. It’s Barbara Streisand’s birthday – are you a fan of her music or movies?

I didn't realize she was born in April. So is my niece and brother. Fan? Not really? I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan exactly? I enjoy her music and her movies. Like her music better - she has an amazing range. One of the original belters. Her movies are a mixed bag, unfortunately. But I have enjoyed several of them. Her better ones were when she was younger...

She's the same age as my mother and Harrison Ford.

25. When’s the last time you had to use a plumber?

I can't remember? I always call the Super, and they tend to fix the problem if I can't.

26. Do you still have a landline, or do you only use your mobile phone/cellphone?

Yes. Although not sure why - since it's not really a landline but through a cable bundle? Phone, cable and internet. It does make the other two cheaper, but it would probably be cheaper just to have the internet. I just don't want to deal with figuring out how to return the equipment.

27. What sweets/candies do you remember from your childhood? When was the last time you ate some?

Butterfingers, Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, Big Chew Gum, those sour balls that you can suck for hours and they change flavors and colors, sweet tarts, colored sugar in straws (can't remember the name of it)...

I had a 3 Musketeers about a year ago. The rest, I can't eat any longer - too much sugar or they have gluten. Kit Kats are a thing of the past - I can't have them at all. Butterfingers are possible - but high in sugar, as are all the rest.

I don't know what I did? But sugar got angry at me. So did gluten. And here we are.

28. In 2004, Shrek the sheep from Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand, was finally shorn live on TV after 6 years of avoidance; the fleece weighed 27 kg (60 lb). Do you own, or have you made anything from sheep’s wool?

There's a sheep named Shrek? Oh that's hilarious. Did they name it after the movie Shrek?

Yes, I have wool - not a lot, I find it itchy. But I have wool sweaters. I even have a knitted wool blanket. At least I think it is wool - it might be alpaca.

29. When was the last time you received a letter (not junk mail)?

God knows. I've no clue. I miss letters. I think it might have been five years ago - from my mother? She has sent me cards - do those count? The rest of the family uses Facebook or Texts.

And my penpals are on social media now.

30. In 2018, Sweden's official Twitter account confirmed that Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey. Do you like Swedish meatballs? Ever had them in IKEA?

Yes. My mother used to make them a lot - with rice. But I can't have them now - because they contain gluten. I suppose you could make them without?
But I've also kind of limited red meat intake - because it doesn't agree with me any longer. So, I eat it sparingly, if at all.

***

I should have put that under a cut, but I didn't feel like it. It's been one of those days.

***

Today I finally "attempted" to schedule my X-rays, only to be reminded of why I was procrastinating?

So I call the Trinity location in Manhattan.
( hell is scheduling x-rays )

Oh well, if it doesn't work - I'll try Lennox Hill in Cobble Hill, which has openings on weekends. I just hate their portal and it's difficult to share with other doctors.

I'm worried about my vagus nerve - which apparently affects the gut and the head, and causes all sorts of issues if out of wack.

***

So, I gave up on Firebird and went over to Scalzi's Locked-In (I may go back to Firebird, not sure yet.) John Scalzi is kind of the Stephen King of Sci-Fi writing. ( Read more... )

Book Instagram is odd? Very young. And kind of whiny? Apparently book reviews and book blogging has been replaced with book podcasting?? Where everybody and their mother gives book reviews via podcasts. Some of them are paid to do this? Why? ( Read more... )
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, April 29

Apr. 30th, 2026 12:10 am
veronyxk84: Editor icon for su_herald (_Herald Editor#1)
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DAWN: When I was younger, I used to put my chopsticks in my mouth like this, and then Buffy would chase me around the house yelling, 'I'm the slayer, I'm going to get you!'
ANYA: That's disturbing. You're emotionally scarred and will end up badly.
DAWN: No, it was great. I mean, she didn't actually stake me in the heart, you know.
XANDER: Buffy's pretty cool like that.

~~BtVS 5x10 “Into the Woods”~~


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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, April 28

Apr. 28th, 2026 06:57 pm
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FRED: Don’t. All we ever do is turn away.
GUNN: Fred—
FRED: I know. Whatever Wes was feeling, whatever he thought might… I should have told him it was never going to happen. You think I don’t know that? GUNN: That’s not what I was going to say.
FRED: But it’s what you think. Isn’t it? (beat) I’m sorry.
GUNN: It’s not about that anymore. You know that.
FRED: All I know is I miss you. Can’t we just go back… before any of this. I just want to go back, Charles. I just want to…
GUNN: I… I should do a sweep.

~~Angel Season IV Episode #80~~


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Nothing to see, move it along, just me rambling..

Apr. 28th, 2026 08:51 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
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I think I've given up on Gideon the Ninth, made it to the 15% mark, I just can't follow it? I have no idea what is going on or why? I'm confused? It's a busy and harrowing/ugly narrative style, and the way it's written is hard for my brain to make sense of - and this is coming from someone who read and analyzed and wrote a paper on James Joyce's Ulysses and William Faulkner's Sound and the Fury.

The writing style was just irritating me, I think. Here's the first chapter.

How to explain? I think it's the made-up slang? My brain doesn't like made up words or slang laden novels. Examples? Clockwork Orange (couldn't make it through that book either). There are others. Their Eyes Are Watching God, also gave me a headache. Too much slang and dialect.

I don't know if an audio book would be better? It might. Because this book was playing havoc with the dyslexia. (I need poetic prose or sentences to have a certain rhythm to them or my mind won't grasp it.)

I've decided to start reading "Firebird by Susanne Kearse" on the Kindle now, it's only been waiting in the queue for the last five years. We'll see - it's a historical/supernatural romance. I tried it twice before and gave up. Ugh. I like my hard cover novel better.

***

Mental illness has increasingly become a problem in our society - and our media isn't helping matters. It's judgemental of the mentally ill. People are really judgemental of others, aren't they? I guess there are positive aspects of being judgemental - so probably not something we want to get rid of completely.

I keep thinking...there but for the grace go we or I or you. It helps push away the judgement, and superimpose empathy and compassion instead. Emphasis on compassion. Sympathy tends to fall into the trap of judgement. Empathy, often falls into the trap of over-relating, but compassion is just caring for the other person and being mindful of their situation and our own, and trying to not do more harm.

I keep reminding myself that I'm here on this earth, right now, to learn and to help wherever or however I am able (emphasis on able? I'm not always able.). And everything is a lesson. It helps. More than one might think?

***

Wasn't planning on it - but since it recorded instead of General Hospital, I watched King Charles III's speech. I was impressed - he's a good speaker and it was an excellent speech. (Granted the bar was set pretty low with Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the White House at the Moment, but still.) He said, words and actions matter - and made a very strong point about how we need to be careful about the ones we take and honor the past in doing so. Britain may not have wanted him to come - for well, understandable and obvious reasons, but I'm glad he did - because what he said to both houses of the US Congress - needed to be said, and both Houses and both parties for the most part were in agreement with what he stated. Specifically, that we need to fight against tyranny, and honor checks and balances. It's ironic that a British King is kindly admonishing and reminding the United States ( a former colony that rebelled against tyranny) of what it's shared values are - and why it rebelled and won that rebellion in the first place.
Made all the more ironic - by the fact that the King in question is a direct descendant of the one the US's founders rebelled against, and just a few months before the US's 250th birthday. But there you have it.

Maybe the people who needed to hear that - did? Let's hope it wasn't just the choir - but also the congregation? It appeared to be both? Nonetheless, it gave me a smidgen of hope. And the befuddled yet not quite dead historian in me celebrated and did a little dance in my head.

So make of that what you will.

Off to bed, to sleep, or at least I hope. It's been up in the air of late.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, April 27th

Apr. 28th, 2026 01:07 am
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
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Cordelia: Why didn't you tell me that you were half demon? I thought we agreed that secrets are bad!
Doyle: I wanted to tell you. I was afraid. I thought if I did, you'd reject me.
Cordelia: I've rejected you way before now! So, you're half demon. Big Whoop! I can't believe you'd think I'd care about that. I mean, I work for a vampire! Hello?
Doyle: It's true. I just...
Cordelia: What do you think I am, superficial? - So, you're half demon. That's so far down the list, way under 'short' and 'poor'! - Is there anything else I should know?
Doyle: The half demons thing is pretty much my big secret.
Cordelia: Good. That's out. It's done. - Would you ask me out to dinner already?

~~Hero~~

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, April 26

Apr. 26th, 2026 09:11 pm
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Willow: (appalled) It's horrible! That's me as a vampire? (Angel closes the door) I'm so evil and... skanky. (aside to Buffy, worried) And I think I'm kinda gay.

Buffy: (reassuringly) Willow, just remember, a vampire's personality has nothing to do with the person it was.

Angel: (without thinking) Well, actually... (gets a look from Buffy) That's a good point.

~~S3E16: Dopplegängland~~


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(no subject)

Apr. 26th, 2026 09:33 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
I binged the first two seasons of From this weekend and am quarter of the way into the third. It's been renewed for two more seasons, with the fifth as the final season. S4 is currently airing on MGM+ in the US.

Damn thing is good. Each episode ends on a creepy cliff-hanger. I'd classify it as psychological/supernatural folk horror.

M: I thought you didn't like horror?
Me: Depends on the horror. (I'm not a fan of torture porn, gore, or body horror for example? Also slasher and rape horror tropes - I steer clear of. Most of the teen horror flicks - I'm not interested in, and I can't watch 98% of the stuff directed by Wes Craven.)
M: So as long as it doesn't have spiders right?
Me: well among other things. But yes, definitely not spiders.

I need characters that are interesting figuring out a problem, with some modicum of success.

From - does have some issues? It has a couple of annoying characters that I keep wishing they'd kill off - but nooo...instead they keep killing off minor supporting characters that I kind of liked? They can kill off that kid at any time - but alas, I don't see it happening. There's a lot of characters who have temper tantrums, almost every other episode, while other characters attempt to calm them down.

That said, right around the time I start wishing they'd kill someone off - the show makes them likable?

It's the folks lost in a nightmare/Twilight Zone style town, unable to find the way out, and the town keeps playing mind-games with them, and trying to kill them - trope. (See Lost, a lot of Stephen King stories, and there was a sci-fi horror series in the 1970s starring Ike Eisenman and Roddy Dowel about folks who end up on this island in the Bermuda Triangle and are kind of lost, and have nightmarish adventures. I've seen this done a lot - it was popular in the 1960s and 70s.)

The writing for the most part, is rather clever. Blending elements of folk horror with psychological and supernatural horror. Also rather innovative.

Also, for the most part, the main or lead characters are likable. Boyd, Donna, Kristi, and Kenny are among my favorites.

***

Mother called to let me know that her friend loved the book I self-published. The friend loved the cover, the title, and the writing. And wants to know when I'm going to finish writing and will publish another one.

When I manage to write one that I think is publishable? The last three weren't.

****
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, April 25

Apr. 25th, 2026 11:36 pm
veronyxk84: Editor icon for su_herald (_Herald Editor#1)
[personal profile] veronyxk84 posting in [community profile] su_herald
SPIKE: Hey, when do I get fed?
BUFFY: Later. I hope the others are ok.
SPIKE: You know what happens to vampires who don't get to feed?
BUFFY: I always wondered that. Giles, plates.
SPIKE: Living skeletons, mate. Like famine pictures from those dusty countries, only not half as funny.
BUFFY: You can have gravy. That has blood in it, right?
SPIKE: Do you know what else has blood in it? Blood.

~~BtVS 4x08 “Pangs”~~


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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, April 24th

Apr. 25th, 2026 12:28 am
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
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Lilah: Faith.
Faith: How do you know my name? I don't think I told you.
Lilah: We are well aware of who you are and what you do. We know you have been experiencing some difficulties. We think we can help bring some order back to your life.
Faith: We do, do we? Who is we, and why do they know me when I don't know Jack about you?
Lilah: Green is my favorite color. I look good in diamonds and I love riding in limousines.

~~Five by Five~~

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, April 23rd

Apr. 24th, 2026 01:52 am
double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
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Giles: It can't be!
Ethan: Yes, it can. (Giles turns to him) Hello, Ripper.
Giles: I thought I told you to leave town.
Ethan: You did. I didn't.

~~The Dark Age~~

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(no subject)

Apr. 22nd, 2026 09:24 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
My back and neck have been bugging me today, along with my right knee. I blame the weather, and arthritis. And sitting at a desk all day. And the commute. Oh well, at least I scheduled my lab work. Now, I just have to schedule three more doctor appointments and two x-rays. And figure out where to do it around my schedule.

And try not to worry about the stupid union going on strike. Folks were worrying over it in line to get cookies at Insominac Cookies today. A strike would effectively shut down a good portion of the city and all of Long Island - it would be a nightmare for everybody - which is why I'm against it. The Insominac Cookie Clerk decided I deserved a free cookie and a discount - since I come in every day or every other day. I got three cookies today as a result, one was free, and I only paid $5.58 for all three of the home-made, freshly baked, chewey, warm cookies - and the cookies are medium size. I was in heaven. Insominac has the best gluten free cookies anywhere. I've not had better gluten-free cookies anywhere - the closest I've come to these are Heritage. They are even better than home-made tollhouse cookies and the old Mrs. Fields that I had prior to being diagnosed with Ceiliac. You've not had cookies until you've had these. Yum.

I wish there was a pill or something I could take - to get more patience. I feel I've almost reached my limit?

Mother thinks I've a phenomenal amount of patience.

Apparently folks in the publishing realm and in educational circles have decided that people are writing with AI, if:

* they are using em -- dashes.
* semicolons
* proper word syntax
* coma usage

Yes, we live in a world in which -- if you have learned to write well or know proper grammar usage, you are considered a robot. So, from now on - if anyone checks my grammar or syntax - can I accuse them of being a bot? Yeah, that'll end well.

***

Chloe Zhao was apparently interviewed (prior to the cancellation of the Buffy pilot) on the Buffy ships. (Damn, they must all be very disappointed that the Revival was cancelled - since they marketed the hell out of the pilot.) ( Read more... )

As an aside? I'd rather have a continuation of Buffy in animated form, than a continuation of Firefly. We've enough stuff like Firefly out there, I mean come on - Star Trek, BSG, Farscape, Star Wars, Expanse (which is a lot better by the way), etc... Firefly wasn't that good. I tried a re-watch and thought, damn, this is annoying in places - it may have gotten better. I should try again? I remember enjoying it, but I never really loved it. It was problematic? It kind of took the worst things in Westerns and threw them in the middle of a space opera, that reminded me a touch more of Space 1999 meets Star Wars? I'd have preferred more of Caprica - which was a bit more...innovative?

I don't see myself watching an animated Firefly. I barely watch animated Star Trek or Star Wars, and I liked those better.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, April 22

Apr. 22nd, 2026 11:13 pm
veronyxk84: Editor icon for su_herald (_Herald Editor#1)
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GILES: Uh-uh, Kendra, uh, there are a-a-a few people, uh, ci-civilians if you like, who, who know Buffy's identity. Willow is one of them, a-a-and they also, um, spend time together, uh, socially.
KENDRA: And you allow this, sir?
GILES: Well, uh...
KENDRA: But the Slayer must work in secret for security.
GILES: Of course, uh, but, uh, with Buffy, however, it-it's, um, some flexibility is required.

~~BtVS 2x10 “What's My Line? Part 2”~~


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Search maintenance

Apr. 22nd, 2026 09:19 am
mark: A photo of Mark kneeling on top of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines. It was a long hike. (Default)
[staff profile] mark posting in [site community profile] dw_maintenance

Happy Wednesday!

I'm taking search offline sometime today to upgrade the server to a new instance type. It should be down for a day or so -- sorry for the inconvenience. If you're curious, the existing search machine is over 10 years old and was starting to accumulate a decade of cruft...!

Also, apparently these older machines cost more than twice what the newer ones cost, on top of being slower. Trying to save a bit of maintenance and cost, and hopefully a Wednesday is okay!

Edited: The other cool thing is that this also means that the search index will be effectively realtime afterwards... no more waiting a few minutes for the indexer to catch new content.

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, April 21

Apr. 21st, 2026 06:51 pm
rahirah: (su_editor)
[personal profile] rahirah posting in [community profile] su_herald
SKIP: It’s going to be really hard for you to accept but Cordelia has ascended to a higher plane.
ANGEL: I know. She’s back.
SKIP: Back?
ANGEL: Or at least something that looks like her.
SKIP: Whoa, wait. Nobody comes back from paradise. Okay, a Slayer once but—

~~Angel Season IV Episode #83: "Inside Out"~~


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This that and the other thingamagig

Apr. 21st, 2026 08:55 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
Television Re-Watches

I attempted to re-watch Veronica Mars and Firefly - but neither held my interest, and Veronica Mars - sigh, it neither dates well nor holds up. I remember liking this better when I first watched it? Maybe I wanted to like it? The writing and direction just aren't that good. And Bell doesn't quite sell the high school student vibe? The performances are more forced and less natural than the ones on Buffy - there's a scene with Veronica crying in about the seventh or eighth episode, and I don't buy it. Buffy cried - and I bought it. Also, Veronica isn't as likable nor is Keith, none of the characters are - and I think it's a dual problem, writing and direction. I can see why Rob Thomas's work didn't take off and Veronica Mars didn't last more than three seasons, and the revival didn't take off. I may try Firefly, again, not certain, don't really remember it all. I only have a vague memory of most of the episodes.

April Question a Day Memage:

20. Did you sleep well last night?

Not really. I need to go to bed earlier. I've been getting to bed around 10:30, and as a result only sleep a little over 5 hours. Also getting up at 5:50 am. I slept longer, when I went to bed by 10 am, and slept until 6 am.

21. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

New York City. I really don't want to live anywhere else? It has ease of transportation, my favorite mode of transportation, is near water, has lots of trees, and a temperate climate. Plus lots of cultural pursuits, and is very diverse in population.

I'm a New Yorker, I think. It's going to be very hard to prod me out. NYC has kind of ruined me for anywhere else. You either take to this city and love it for life, or you can't wait to get out of it - and don't stay long. It's often one or the other. Also apparently, you either love Boston or NYC, not both.

Maybe London would work? I remember loving London in the 1980s. I suck at languages, so it would have to be a place that spoke English as the official language. Also, I don't/can't drive any longer (yes, I drove once upon a time - long ago, in a galaxy far far away - it was called Kansas, and it was back in the 20th Century). I like trains. And I need trees.

**

Books

To get out of the reading slump - I've embraced one of my go-to genres, Fantasy. And am exploring all the new fantasy novels out there. I have two favorite go-to genres - Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Then mystery and romance, and horror, and sigh, regular realistic fiction which more often than not tends to bore me? I need more plot and world-building than actually exists in realistic fiction.)

I finished Illona Andrews "The Kinsmen Universe" novellas, Silver Shark and Silver Streak (I think), and stopped short of the soft core porn short story (Illona Andrews isn't that good at sex scenes, and I tend to roll my eyes?). It was good. Not enough plot. But fast reads.

Now? I'm reading Gideon, the Ninth on my Kindle - it's a book about lesbian necromancers in Space. Gideon is attempting to escape a necromancer strong-hold. We'll see. I'm heterosexual - so lesbian stories sometimes work for me, and sometimes don't. It depends on the characters. Actually that's true of heterosexual stories too, so never mind. It came highly rec'd - mainly for the banter and laugh out loud sections, also emotional core. From various social media sources - people here, and random strangers on "Book Instagram" (I finally found "Book Instagram" - which is kind of like Book TikTok but far less annoying, and not quite as obnoxious with the marketing and pimping - not that I'm on TikTock - TikTock irritates me - and that's just from the posts folks throw at me from it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It reminds me of the worst of Twitter - but with videos.)

Also making my way through This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews - in hard cover (so I can only read it at home - although, I am debating lugging it to doctor's appointments). This book is a portal fantasy - except into a "GrimDark Fantasy World" (a la Game of Thrones without GRR Martin's abilities - so think a very watered down version of Game of Thrones?). Portal Fantasy is not my favorite fantasy sub-genre?
It's hard to pull off well - and Illona Andrews doesn't quite manage it? So far there are far too many information dumps, and way too much telling and not enough showing. Every time a character shows up - we get a couple of paragraphs, sometimes pages of character backstory, summarized by the protagonist based on her memory of the book's world. It's kind of like having a commentator with you as you read? CS Lewis did a better job with the portal fantasy in the Chronicles of Narnia, as did the guy who wrote The Magicians, which became a series. Long Live Evil - was atrocious, I couldn't get through it.

Also the world, which is GrimDark, is much nicer to the protagonist than it should be. It's kind of a comforting, romantic take on Game of Thrones, while at the same time making fun of Game of Thrones...or the fact that GRR Martin can't finish the series because he wrote himself into a corner and got writer's block as a result. (We're never going to see Winds of Winter.)

***

Doctors...

I've finally figured out why people who see doctors are called patients. I'm surprised it took this long. It's kind of obvious when you think about it.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, April 20th

Apr. 21st, 2026 05:42 pm
burnhername: Faith pic with the word editor (SH editor Faith)
[personal profile] burnhername posting in [community profile] su_herald
MS. KROGER: Oh, so you live with another woman.
BUFFY: Oh! Oh, it's not a, a gay thing, you know, I mean, well...
Ms. Kroger picks up a plastic baggie containing some herbs.
BUFFY: ...she's gay, but, but we don't ... gay. Not that there's anything - (notices Ms. Kroger looking at the herb) Oh! Wrong with... (rushes over) You know, I know what that looks like, but I, I swear, it's not ... what it looks like. (Ms. Kroger looking shocked) It's *magic* weed.
Buffy grabs the plastic bag from Ms. Kroger and tosses it back in the box.
BUFFY: It's not mine.

~~Gone~~


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Dispatches...

Apr. 20th, 2026 10:02 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
1. My workplace's browser (MSN) shot an article at me today on the renewed, cancelled and still waiting television series. I'll see if I can find it?

Well I found it HERE on Scary Mommy (sigh don't ask) (does it by network and streaming channel) and via Rotten Tomatoes (does it alphabetically),
and Tv Line and Metacritic (which is more up to date than Scary Mommy, not surprising in the least).

Interesting, albeit not surprising, sidebar? Paramount is cancelling all the Star Trek in favor of all of the Taylor Sheridan modern (also uber violent) Westerns. (I'm feeling validated for cancelling Paramount and boycotting CBS. Honestly, people were willing to unsubscribe to Disney for Jimmy Kimmel, but not unsubscribe from Paramount for Star Trek and cancelling Colbert? People? Really?)

Gone are the days, I can just list them. There's too many. It would take me hours.

2. Listened to a podcast - with Juliet Landau interviewing David Greenwalt.
Landau is great at interviewing folks. She barely talks and just lets them talk, with various targeted questions that spur them to say more about the business, and she, for the most part, avoids problematic topics.

Take away? Greenwalt's reward for doing Buffy was supposed to be - joining the writing and producing team for the X-Files. But Greenwalt states that he couldn't write for the X-Files. He just couldn't write that type of television series. When Landau asked why, he said that he needed an emotional arc or an emotional core - that his writing was more character based and emotion based. He said that while the X-Files is brilliantly written - it has no emotional core. It's just not there, and he couldn't write for it because of that. The network apparently wanted Mulder and Scully to kiss in the first episode, and the writers fought against it and won. Which was the right decision - it wouldn't have worked at all.

X-Files is plot based, not character based. You literally could put anyone in it and it would for the most part work - a skeptic and a true believer.
That's actually a hard format to pull off well. Emotion based is easier.
Plot based can get redundant and old fast. X-Files had good writers: Tim Minear came from the X-Files as did Vince Gillian.

I didn't like the X-Files that much - for two reasons? 1) I don't really like hyper-realistic horror. I like my horror unrealistic. Also alien invasion/government conspiracy stories irritate me - it's most likely a side effect of being forced to watch a lot of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s sci-fi alien invasion/government conspiracy series/ and B movies as a child. My best friend at the time loved that shit. 2) It's a by the books, plot procedural with no emotional base - and I'm a bit like Greenwalt, I need the emotional arc. I get bored or my attention starts to wander if I don't have that. I'm more character than plot oriented, most people tend to be one or the other? Some are both. I preferred Fringe? It was less hyper-realistic scary, and had more of an emotional core.

3. Listened to Nerd Subculture - which is an Australian Podcast Series on well, American television series? It's not very good. FB kept throwing snatches of it at me. So I gave it a try. They lost me in their analysis of Beneath You. (It's a couple, one has seen the series, one hasn't.)
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