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Sep. 18th, 2025 11:17 pm
tinypinkmouse: (Default)
[personal profile] tinypinkmouse posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
I'm attempting to make this post on my phone, because I want to share the fic right now, but posting from phone isn't quite so easy it turns out. But very importantly I just finished posting my college AU fic (it's still set in drama canon universe though), and I'm really rather happy about it!

A World of Its Own (38986 words) by tinypinkmouse
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei (Guardian), Wu Xiaojun
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, things diverge before canon starts, there are universities for dixingren, and everyone knows about dixing, Getting Together, Blow Jobs, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, Drunkenness
Summary:

It's a stupid idea, but applying to a Dixingren university means Zhao Yunlan can say goodbye to any plans Zhao Xinci had for his future. And that has to be worth it, right? He really doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps.

trobadora: (Guardian - SID team)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
A gifting fest for Guardian and related fandoms: guardian-wishlist.dreamwidth.org


[community profile] guardian_wishlist sign-ups are now closed! We have 21 wishlists covering a variety of Guardian canons and related fandoms and a wide range of media. Go forth and make gifts!!! :D :D :D

Wishlists are tagged for fandoms and media (previous years' tags are labelled with their respective years, so check the plain fandom and media tags at the bottom for this year's), and there's also a spreadsheet for your convenience.

Anyone can write or make gifts for any sign-up, right up to reveals on 6 October (Reunion Festival). All gifts must be hidden from public view until reveals. Post or link gifts in comments on the recipient's wishlist. (Comments are screened.) Gift comments can be anonymous or signed in. You don't need a Dreamwidth or AO3 account to gift.

Rules/FAQ/schedule | AO3 collection | Fandom and media tags | Spreadsheet | Promo text and graphics

9 + 3 icons for retro_icontest

Sep. 16th, 2025 09:28 pm
tinny: Close-up of Wu Lei with long Dongji hair, his head propped up on his hand, looking so soft (wulei_so soft)
[personal profile] tinny
The current round at [community profile] retro_icontest provided three themes and I made three icons for each theme.

Enjoy!


Dongji, Nothing But You, and Shine )


Every single comment is treasured. All icons shareable! Concrit welcome. Check out my resource post for makers of textures and brushes I use.

Previous icon posts:

My latest Guardian fanworks

Sep. 16th, 2025 09:07 pm
facethestrange: (guardian: weilan: hands)
[personal profile] facethestrange posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
2 drama fics, 1 novel fic, 1 RPF drawing. (The last one has already been linked elsewhere in the comm, but I'm still putting it here for completion's sake. :))

Held (463 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Hands, Memories, Wedding, Domestic Fluff, Tenderness, Canon Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Mild Sexual Content, POV Zhao Yunlan, Guardian Bingo
Series: Part 11 of Guardian Bingo 2025
Summary: He takes Shen Wei's hand in his, slow and solemn, and thinks of the handshake from what feels like a lifetime ago — all the longing and confusion and desperate hope in the firm grip, back when Zhao Yunlan didn't understand anything.

Taking What's (Not) Mine (1568 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Shen Wei/Ye Zun/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Ye Zun (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Threesome - M/M/M, Twincest, Dubiously consensual voyeurism, Mildly Dubious Consent, (as in: everyone consents but Ye Zun wouldn't exactly care if Zhao Yunlan didn't), POV Ye Zun (Guardian), Clothed Sex, Grinding, Coming In Pants, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Finger Sucking, Biting, Come Eating, Possessive Sex, Possessive Ye Zun, hand-wavy post-canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies
Summary: Ye Zun is welcome here, in Gege's bed, in Gege's home, no matter how Zhao Yunlan feels about it.

Show Me (1879 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen San/Shen Wei (Guardian)
Characters: Shen San (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian)
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Oral Sex, Laughter During Sex, a bit of praise kink, Soft
Summary: "I want to show you," Wei says, breath warm against his skin, and Shen San makes a soft, strangled sound and nods wordlessly, the fire he has tried to keep in check all day rising and blooming in his belly.

Good Fortune by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: cheek kiss, Holding Hands, Fluff, Guardian Bingo, Fanart, Drawing
Series: Part 10 of Zhubai ~canon~ but with more kissing, Part 10 of Guardian Bingo 2025
Summary: The new crush is mutual.

Fannish August

Sep. 15th, 2025 06:13 pm
tinny: Song Sanchuan and Liang You'an from Nothing But You kissing in grungy brown-orange coloring and the word 'anchor' (cdrama_nothing_kiss)
[personal profile] tinny
Work pressure didn't let up in August either, so the stress-watching continued.

TV new (finished)


My fascination with Nothing But You has now led me to trying out the leads' back catalogues:

Zhou Yutong was last in Will Love in Spring (on viki here), a 21-ep romance cdrama from 2024, starring Li Xian as her love interest, an embalmer who tries to see everything in life with equanimity and calm after getting into lots of fights in his youth and feeling responsible for his best friend's death. She's a successful sales person and workaholic who was in a car accident when she was 12, where her father died and she lost a leg. The story is very sweetly told, with lots of flashbacks and non-linear cuts. I watched the whole thing within a week and liked it overall. Some of the relationship dynamics and generational conflicts with their parents/grandmother were amazing, but the miscommunication between the leads got on my nerves, as well as the sometimes preachy dialogue about life and death from all characters. CW for death, since that's the theme of the show and some important people die. Last but not least: it gets extra points for having an actually hot sex scene - that's very rare for a het cdrama. There are many happy/cuddly/kiss scenes, too. I should probably make a kissy picspam post. :D

TV new (unfinished)


Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, a 2024 cdrama starring Wu Lei and Zhou Jianmai as successful (i.e. impossibly competent) billiard players. It's on viki. It was filmed in Finland, replete with lots of night scenes and snow everywhere (the BTS about that is funny because apparently it did not snow nearly enough and most of the snow is fake). It's based on a webnovel by MBFB, the same author who wrote Love Me Love My Voice, which was so low on drama it verged on boring, but I sat through the whole thing last year. Lets see if I can do it with the Finnish billiards romance, too. So far Wu Lei's subtle expressions are still holding my attention (and he's soooo pretty), but his character is the older one in the relationship, and he's very stoic, which just isn't Wu Lei. Plus there are some tropes I don't like - and I recognize them as typical for the author: both leads are hyper-competent, they seem to have an inhuman number of hours every day to do their multiple jobs and travel for six hours on top of that, there is a lot of eating/food conversation going on, the man does implausible romantic things for the woman while keeping important things secret from her, all the side characters are in favor of the romance and constantly commenting on it. I went into it expecting pretty much all of it, so it's not too bad. It turns out that watching characters play billiard tournaments is much less interesting than watching people cook (which is what Love Me Love My Voice did), but I have now started watching BTS material, which I found pretty interesting, especially the featurettes on the leads getting proper training in the sport. (Otoh, I have also been watching a ton of Dongji Rescue BTS material, and learning to freedive >> learning to play billiards, just sayin. ;))

I also started reading the novel the drama is based on, trying to figure out if some of the relationship setup things were better in the novel, but it turns out the drama is very very close to the novel, often scene by scene, including dialogue. Which is probably a good thing, because there is only a terrible MTL translation available of the novel (the title is "During the Snowstorm"). I actually needed the drama to explain some of the book scenes to me, because the translation was pretty much incomprehensible. /o\ I did not get to the kiss scenes in the novel yet, but apparently the drama was heavily censored and stripped of eight episodes to meet the episode limit requirements when it aired last year, so maybe there will be some more differences going forward. There are still a *ton* of kiss scenes left in any case.

I started Shine, BeOnCloud and MileApo's new BL (this is only on wetv). They're taking their mission statement to increase Thai soft power seriously and have chosen another political topic: 1960s student protests. I didn't like ep1 much, but have heard that they get better. I found ep2 better than ep1, at least, and have now watched through ep 4, but to me none of the pairings make sense, and I really do not like Mile's character in this. They're sexy together, no question, but I'm not happy about them just being sexually attracted to each other with no other connection - at least one of the couples has a love of literature in common, even though they never seem to agree on its interpretation. I hope I'll be able to finish it, despite the setup screaming tragedy for everyone. Not least because Apo is absolutely gorgeous and doing great in the role and I'm already halfway through anyway.

TV new (dropped)


I started Breeze By The Sea (on viki), a Taiwanese remake of the kdrama „Top Star Yoo Baek“, starring Puff Guo, who I really like. The first two episodes were so bad I had to push myself to continue, which really only worked because I was too tired to think of anything else to watch. It's about a burned-out asshole of a movie star being sent to relax on an island, at a guesthouse the female lead and her grandmother run. He slowly gets entangled with the locals and their problems, and slowly loses his asshole behavior. Unfortunately, that is very strong in the beginning, and I think unforgivable in places, so really wasn't enjoying his redemption as much as the show thought I should. Unfortunately, I also didn't find him attractive, and his acting was so-so. Puff Guo was wonderful as always, but she couldn't really save this on her own. I gave up on it after 7 (of 18) episodes.

Viki peddled My Girlfriend Is The Man! to me, a genderswap kdrama based on a graphic novel. Here on viki. The female lead turns into a man because of a genetic quirk that runs in her family - and episode one already conveniently ignores that everyone knew this was coming for dramatic reasons. Ooof. I made it through almost three eps, in fits and starts, and then dropped it. It seemed to always do the opposite of what I wanted it to do, gender-wise, while heaping on the embarrassment squick. Yes, it's embarrassing to suddenly have a different gender, but I'm interested in the repercussions for the main characters, not what the sister's friends group thinks about the new hunk, nor her constantly ogling her newly-male sister. Oi. I really wanted to like it. :(

I also tried an ep of Love is for the Dogs (also on viki), but it did not grip me at all. (I'm not a dog person, that might explain it.) It's obviously geared towards animal lovers, with many scenes of cute animals just for the sake of cute animals. If that's your thing, you might like it.

I checked out half an episode of Romance in the Alley, which in Chinese is just "Alley Family" or maybe "The House in the Alley" (Chinese is hard yo), so the romance part is almost certainly false advertising, but it looks interesting at first glance. It's supposedly a slice-of-life show about three families in an industrial town in the 80s. It won a bunch of awards, which is what alerted me to it. I hope I'll have the time/motivation to check out more of it, but the subs are terrible, so probably not. It's on youtube.


TV continued


My watchalong made it through three more eps of When A Snail Falls in Love, and we're mostly enjoying it? I've forgotten almost all the case details since I watched it last in 2018, and we're both enjoying Wang Kai's voice and face. Nothing much to report otherwise.
facethestrange: (zhubai: wedding)
[personal profile] facethestrange posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
(I can't believe I've never shared this here! I still have one spot left, and I only just realized that tumblr is not the only place where I can promote it. :D)

There are about exactly 12 hours left to bid in [personal profile] sunflower_auction for Ukraine (countdown), where I'm offering 3 Guardian drawings!

Drama, novel, RPF - any of them, not one drawing for each fandom. :) Weilan derivatives tentatively included (Luo Fei/Luo Fusheng included very enthusiastically). :D In addition to just drawing some regular fanart, I'd be super interested in illustrating your fic (or other people's fics, as long as they gave permission).

You can bid here! ♡

(I'm the only Guardian creator this year.)

Examples: drama | novel | RPF
To only view art without any fics, select "Fanart" under "Additional Tags" in the sidebar. I'm not pre-filtering because the general themes of my fics are also relevant to what I draw, so you may get a better feel this way.
(My icon is an example too. :D)

Giving Lucky Star a second chance

Sep. 14th, 2025 07:43 pm
fennectik: Anime (Anime)
[personal profile] fennectik posting in [community profile] anime_manga
When I first watching Lucky Star, I simply couldn't get into it. I know its akin to American shows like Seinfeld where it's practically about nothing and I got behind that, but I simply couldn't got to be invested after the first four episodes. Decided to give it another go after watching clips on youtube and finding Izumi practically adorable after all this time.

Had also finished Area 88 (2004,) and despite its mild ending and how it directed itself, I enjoyed it for what it was.

Another Anime with a cute protagonist I'm trying out is The Great Jahy Won't be Defeated (or something like that,) which so far it's entertaining, and Heatguy J, which I'm sure I've watched some episodes of it before. Best way I can describe it is like Inspector Gadget if he were badass.

Will update on more progress on said titles.

trobadora: (Guardian - SID team)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Sign-ups are still open on the 15th (any timezone). If you've been thinking of signing up for [community profile] guardian_wishlist, you have one day left until sign-ups close! Your wishlist can be as brief or as detailed as you like. You don't need a Dreamwidth account. (If you're signing up without a Dreamwidth account, we ask that you provide a current email address.)

Requests so far cover a range of related fandoms - from Guardian (drama, novel and RPF), to The Lost Tomb Reboot, Bank on Me, Detective L and other dramas, to commercials - and media from fic and art to meta, vids, picspams and podfic. There are no assignments, and signing up doesn't mean you're required to gift (though of course we hope you'll look at other wishlists and be inspired!).

Promote!
Thanks so much to everyone who's promoted [community profile] guardian_wishlist around Dreamwidth and on other sites! We really appreciate it!

If you're willing to help out, please spread the word! You can reblog our Tumblr post, or use the promo graphics, text, and link to our Carrd we've assembled for your convenience, or feel free to write/make your own. Help us get the word out!

Make gifts!
17 wishlists are now live and receiving gifts on [community profile] guardian_wishlist.

Anyone can write or make gifts for any sign-up, right up to reveals on 6 October (Reunion Festival). Post or link gifts in comments on the recipient's wishlist. (Comments are screened.) Gift comments can be anonymous or signed in. You don't need a Dreamwidth or AO3 account to gift.

Rules/FAQ/schedule | Sign-up post | AO3 collection | Fandom and media tags | Spreadsheet | Promo text and graphics

CDrama Parody: Dream Within a Dream

Sep. 14th, 2025 12:37 pm
tinny: Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine misquoting "eyes closed, head first, can't lose" (b99_jake eyesclosed headfirst)
[personal profile] tinny
I ran across AvenueX recommending A Dream Within a Dream, and watched its first ep. It's a transmigration parody of Chinese costume romance dramas.

Hilariously, I had *just the day before* watched Love Like The Galaxy episode 6, which contained a "rescue the damsel from a fire" scene.

Compare:
screenshots from both shows )

It's virtually identical down to her dress. :D

I can't say I'm enjoying Love Like The Galaxy so far (12 eps in, of 56!), but that first ep of Dream Within a Dream (of 40 total) definitely made me laugh. I'll probably check out more of that.

Ep. 15 Screencaps

Sep. 13th, 2025 07:11 pm
veetvoojagig: (lollipop)
[personal profile] veetvoojagig posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Another batch! 373 screencaps from episode 15! I try to look out for all of the perverts (affectionate) so in this collection we have hand pics, feet pics, lollipop pics, and of course, this:



As well as regular shots of all our babies!





Edited with the correct link! Sorry about that!

Pluto fic

Sep. 14th, 2025 09:01 am
thawrecka: (Default)
[personal profile] thawrecka posting in [community profile] anime_manga
Preludes and Endings (Arr. for Piano) (1854 words) by thawrecka
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pluto (Anime)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Paul Duncan/North no. 2
Characters: Paul Duncan (Pluto), North No. 2 (Pluto)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Canonical Character Death, Angst, First Kiss, Robot/Human Relationships
Summary:

Paul Duncan uses the time they have to reach out for North no. 2's hands.

jesse_the_k: Head inside a box, with words "Thinking inside the box" scrawled on it. (thinking inside the box)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

The American Foundation for the Blind is researching AI:

details on how to participate )

In addition to the environmental and ethical violations which LLMs/AIs depend on, the endless hype and inaccurate performance make me shudder and growl. Yet I admit I’ve used neural text-to-speech voices for casual audio reading. The neural voices require an internet connection and they lose intelligibility at speed. They’re best as substitutes for human readers.

Blind computer users set their on-device system text-to-speech (TTS) at high speeds. Three hundred to five hundred words per minute are often cited. For screen reader applications, a robotic voice is a feature, enabling bits to flow from device to brain with minimal interpretation.

Neural voices produce much higher quality than system-level TTS. When fed appropriately coded input, they can laugh, whisper, and sound sarcastic as well as "analyze" an essay to produce a "podcast" dialog between two synthetic discussants. Some samples here: https://www.naturalreaders.com/online/

But I know well the expertise that skilled human narrators bring to their work—whether it’s commercial audiobook production, volunteer alternative-format creation, or podfic elves making magic. I don’t want a world where those jobs are outsourced to computers.

On the gripping hand, I remember when skilled Linotype operators--many Deaf--were obviated by computerized systems where reporters keyed their own copy. I used the bridge technology of phototypesetting, as well as pioneering desktop publishing. It's expected that admin workers now create flyers and graphs and charts.

Have you tried neural voices? Recognized them on YouTube or TikTok or your recent tech support call? Do you have thoughts for or against?

trobadora: (Black-Cloaked Envoy)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purple sky with stars. Text reads, "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid_guardian.dreamwidth.org"


Hi, welcome to our second instalment of the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Join us to watch half an episode a week (at your leisure) and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here is last week's half-episode. On to the second half!

Episode 1, from 22:28

Summary: Guo Changcheng is having a day! After being dangled from a window and falling, now he fails at tailing Shen Wei and Li Qian, takes a lost grandma home, and promptly runs into a shadowy attacker! But action hero Chu Shuzhi comes to the rescue. Shen Wei studies Zhao Yunlan's file, and we get our first YOHE flashback. Zhao Yunlan, who has concluded the attacker mistook Lu Ruomei for Li Qian, tails Li Qian and has another intense encounter with Professor Shen. The Shadow Man attacks Li Qian at the university, but Shen Wei protects her - until he's thrown off the roof, just as the SID arrives. The team meets the Black-Cloaked Envoy for the first time.

Shen Wei protecting Li Qian on the rooftop

Quote:

Zhao Yunlan: "Tell you the truth, I really don't know why, but from the moment I saw you, I've had this feeling like we've known each other a long time."

Shen Wei: "Who knows, maybe we really have met before."

Detail:

One of my favourite details in this half of the episode is the Envoy's very dramatic arrival on the rooftop - storm clouds and lightning and time stoppage and all. The best part about this is something a first-time viewer can't know - that this is clearly a choice on Shen Wei's part. He's looking to make an impression, hee! :D

Questions:

What's your favourite moment or line in this half of the episode? Anything you noticed that you'd completely forgotten about, or never noticed before? How literally do you take Shen Wei's "I've searched for you for 10,000 years"? What do you think Zhao Yunlan is thinking when Shen Wei just gives away that he knows about Dixingren? If you were on that rooftop when the Envoy took the Shadow Man away, would you speak up like Xiao-Guo? And if you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how this compares?

(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)

And here is our schedule - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

Two books

Sep. 14th, 2025 12:37 am
geraineon: (Default)
[personal profile] geraineon
Before my recent book thoughts disappear into fedi because I didn't save them where I can tag and find, I'm gonna copy/paste them here!

As mentioned in my post here, someone started translating a lot of Konohara Narise's books last year and have been quite prolific. And so, I picked up a few to read:

Bluebird アオイトリ


Summary on Novel Updates:
This age-gap Omegaverse story follows Kawachi, an Omega striving to live as a Beta, whose plans are disrupted by an unexpected incident just before his 35th birthday.

Inukai, a young Alpha from the sales department who has secretly admired Kawachi, steps in to help, intertwining their lives in ways neither expected.

This is a heartfelt story of love, family, and personal growth between a devoted younger Alpha and a kind-hearted Omega pursuing a new path in life.


Thoughts: Ahaha while I was reading, I was thinking, "ah, she has a lactation link" and yep, she said so in the afterword 😂 would have loved to read her initial pitch to her editor, which was "Alpha uke." Also, please do not trust the summary. It is not a heartfelt story of love, family, and personal growth. Not really XD
More thoughts under the spoiler! I guess one can squint and say that the "personal growth" here is Kawachi, the omega, accepting his life after his choices have all been forcefully taken away, and "love" as idk, Inukai babytrapping Kawachi into staying alive. The depiction of postpartum depression was ouch, and really, Kawachi's life was awful!

He was ready to be done with heats forever (doctors said that omegas with such mild heats can go into what's pretty much heat menopause [is there an omegaverse term for this? XD] if he continued to stay virgin, but as he approaches "heat menopause", things might get unpredictable... and yep, his heat came stronger than he has ever experienced before and he was caught unprepared because the mildest dosage of heat suppressant which had worked in the past, stopped working. And tbf, Inukai checked on Kawachi out of concern, but that triggered his rut and then they both lost it, and oops, pregnancy! also they were both non-conned into sex by their omegaverse physiology. Inukai was already in love with Kawachi at that point (unfortunately for him, Kawachi was straight, dating a woman, and was gonna get married), so he was going to marry Kawachi anyway, but Kawachi didn't want that. Well, Kawachi had just lost his shot at being rid of heats forever, he tried hiding his pregnancy from his fiancee who found out anyway and then they broke up because he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he was raped due to a heat accident. Ah, and also because of omega male's body and how they handle pregnancy, abortion was impossible, apparently (lol, Konohara-sensei, you just wanted to make sure there's no way out, huh). And now his heats cannot be suppressed by any medication, and even sex therapy (basically, a dildo with deactivated sperm that can be pumped in) did not work. He needed Inukai, and he rather die than have sex with Inukai again. And so, after Kawachi gave birth and experienced his heat again, Inukai forced himself on Kawachi, made him pregnant again and forced a mating bond, to keep him from his passive death wish. Then both of them started living together in a weird, kinda domestic situation, except Inukai feels like an outside to Kawachi and their son (later, sons), while Kawachi is still grappling with this whole situation and figuring out how to accept Inukai.

Anyway, this has a sweeter/happier ending than the usual Konohara. I was expecting more tragedy/angst considering how this relationship started. I would have loved to read Kawachi (the omega)'s thoughts on the relationship too, because after the awful beginning, the pov switched to Inukai, the alpha male. I would have loved to read how Kawachi worked through his reactions at having all his choices and basically what he wanted as his future taken away.

Other scattered thoughts: I don't think I've read stuff that mentioned the diversity of heat experiences (like the diversity of period symptoms/pain/discomfort), so that was interesting. And how that can change over time too and get worse/less bad.


Translation link: https://itoshiikoto.blogspot.com/2024/12/bluebird-illustrated.html

A Disgusting Guy 嫌な奴


Summary from Novel Updates:

Miura is a rough and self-centered man who was Sugimoto’s “best friend” in their school days. Sugimoto visits Miura in the hospital for the first time in 12 years, as he is bedridden with illness. The strange relationship between the two begins again and develops into an unwilling cohabitation. Is this friendship, love, or obsession?

Thoughts: Well, this summary is more accurate than Bluebird's! Classic Konohara experience - I already wanted to strangle/shake the main character in chapter 1. And that was the POV character.
More thoughts under the spoiler! Tl;dr, Kazuya pretended to be friends with Miura during childhood and kept the pretense as a kind friend so hard that he cornered himself into the position of Miura's best friend, out of fear of Miura because he once saw Miura being violent to another kid and he wants to maintain his image as the kind person who is liked by everyone. And Miura definitely fell in love (obsession) during childhood and was devastated when Kazuya deliberately moved away and cut off contact, swearing their mutual friend Onodera to secrecy. Years later, they reunited because Onodera asked Kazuya to visit Miura in the hospital (Miura now has a chronic condition).

Somehow, Miura ended up living with Kazuya who at first continued to try to pretend, but over time, masks came off and he told Miura he actually hated being with him, and Miura decided that it's okay, he doesn't need Kazuya to like him, he just wants to be with Kazuya. And continued sticking to Kazuya, and Kazuya never called the police on Miura. And then Miura forced himself on Kazuya. And somehow that became a thing and Kazuya got used to it and now that's their relationship. One man who cannot let go even after finding out that his childhood best friend actually hated him the whole while, and the other man, initially trapped by his desire to be "liked by everyone" and fear of violence by Miura, now have resigned himself to living together with Miura who had forced himself on him.

BL but without the L. Ahaha.

Kazuya at the end of the story:
Even sitting there and looking at his face, I couldn't think of anything to say — even the usual "How are you feeling?" It seemed too much trouble to voice something I didn't really mean.


Miura at the end of the story:
It's the same thing over and over again, just like the words I once threw at Kazuya. Even now, we're going in circles. I said I didn't need his heart. I knew all too well that even if I said I wanted it, he wouldn't give me a single piece. And yet I couldn't leave him. I can't leave him.


Both of you need intervention.

I haven't even mentioned the bit where Kazuya was going to get married and his fiancee was "stolen" by his student on the day of their wedding (it was a willing bride-napping), Miura had a dead son, Miura's father who was disabled, died crushed by a cupboard and nobody knew until the body started rotting because Miura was not there (and the reason Miura wasn't there was because he followed Kazuya to a fancy top school [but Kazuya really wanted to get away from Miura which was why he tested for the fancy top school because he thought Miura wouldn't be able to test in, AND THEN HE DITCHED MIURA ANYWAY, LEAVING THE SCHOOL]). So much happened, and I felt like I've watched them make all these bad choices for themselves their whole lives... Idk if I can say I enjoyed it (a little hard when I am frustrated at the characters), but it was an interesting read.


I'm not sure if I'd have translated the title as "A Disgusting Guy" but idk what I would replace it with (unpleasant?), so it stays.

Translation link: https://itoshiikoto.blogspot.com/2024/06/a-disgusting-guy_20.html

Me-and-media update

Sep. 13th, 2025 06:41 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
Pandemic life
You just can't get fitted for new glasses in a mask.

Previous poll review
In the Spice tolerance poll, 44.9% of respondents can handle mild, 40.8% a vague tingle, 49% a distinct tingle, 34.7% hot, and 12.2% searing. Two people (4.1%) said to call the fire department. Of course, all of these assessments are subjective and contextual: I initially said "hot", but then decided it was probably only "hot for me". Also, 26.5% said it depends on the cuisine.

In ticky-boxes, chocolate came second to hugs, 65.3% to 79.6%. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
We finished the latest Rivers of London in audio, and it was fine. And I finished A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, which suffered from my genre expectations, I'm afraid. Otherwise, the same as last week.

Kdramas/Cdramas
Nothing But Love -- one episode to go, and there is no way to make it last. (If anyone's interest, [personal profile] tinny made some gorgeous icons, yay!)

My Youth -- low-key romance with Song Joong-ki, partially set in the entertainment industry. As yet, there's no tension and very little plot, but everyone's pretty. I'll give it a bit longer.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar -- watched two more episodes. Manager Gwi will forever be my fav. I may have to go back to The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, lol. And probably Family by Choice, too.

Aema -- I'm always delighted to find a kdrama Andrew will watch with me. (He's not really into romances.) This is set in the tawdry film industry of the early 1980s and based on a true story. It's about a celebrated actress who is tired of the exploitative aesthetic (antagonist, but I find her sympathetic) and an unknown ingenue who is desperate to make it, even if it means compromising (also great). It's about censorship, commercialism vs artistic vision, and film-making. Tonally, it reminds me of The Offer, which is a rec. We're three or four eps in.

Low Life -- (Disney+ does Kdramas) Two episodes with our tv-watching-with friend. Another period piece, this one about an array of scam artists and ruffians trying to salvage shipwrecked treasure in the 1970s. A lot of competing interests and macho posturing, and quite a lot of exposition, but I think it's going to be fun.

Other TV
More Chief of War (Apple+; yay indigenous TV; not very fun, but good and with that "prestige TV" vibe). Some Prehistoric Planet (Apple+ nature doco about dinosaurs, narrated by David Attenborough; really charming, quality animation, lots of cute baby 'saurs). More Bluey (we're going to run oooout /o\). Some Secret Genius of Modern Life with Hannah Fry (the episode about microwave ovens, where I learned a) that microwave ovens have Faraday cages to keep the microwaves in, and b) that if you shut an iPhone in my microwave, you can still call it (but not an Android) -- does this mean the little microwaves are escaping? /o\). Connections (BBC, 1978) episode 1, which is scientifically interesting while taking a dim view of human nature.

Guardian/Fandom
Fandom!! Our behind-the-scenes [community profile] fan_flashworks project went live yesterday with a Community Report, a Creator Report, and a comprehensive spreadsheet. We're so proud of this! A million thanks to [personal profile] treonb for working so tirelessly on it!!

Meanwhile, [community profile] guardian_wishlist is underway (sign-ups close soon! come join the fun!), the Slo-Mo Rewatch started last week (jump in anytime!), and I'm still doing Guardian polls, apparently. On top of that, things are hopping on [community profile] fan_writers (if you're posting meta about the craft or process of writing, please link it there!!). *collapses*

Films
Not seen recently, but Uproar! is on Netflix now (here, at least), and it's so good. My review from May: 2023 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film about a Māori teen in 1981, at a time when a tour by the South African rugby team was dividing the country, because apartheid. This film blew me away, A++, absolutely recommend. The theme plays out on multiple levels, the performances are great, and the setting feels very genuine and frustrating. It deals with racism in school, the community, the home, and by the police/state. Stars Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), Minnie Driver, and James Rolleston (Boy).

Writing/making things
My unexpected-kinkfic is at beta. I haven't managed to start anything else yet, despite the vast wealth of Wishlist prompts. My brain keeps stuttering and deflecting (and to be fair, there's been a lot of mod stuff to do). Whenever I look at my WIPs, they slide right off my duck-back brain. I'm really hoping I can get into gear soon!!

Life/health/mental state things
Another political submission last Monday, and one due on the 25th. (I can't do them all, so I'm just tackling ones I hear about.)

I ordered my first progressive-lens glasses. NO WARNINGS OR HORROR STORIES, PLEASE! I'm already trepidatious.
tl;drI've been holding out for a few years now. But these days I'm juggling a) my main pair: 12-yo scuffed-lens cheapos from Zenni Optical (online) which work for most things but I have to take them off for reading, and the scuffs make me feel like I'm getting cataracts; b) single-distance intermediate glasses (computer, crosswords and, increasingly, reading); and c) ancient-prescription sunglasses which, again, work for most things, but I can't read in them, which is a problem at outdoor cafes. My sister had a terrible time adjusting to her progressives last year, and I've seen similar unhappiness on my flist at times, so rather than going to the discount place where I got my intermediates, I went to my opticians. The nice sales guy spent literally hours talking me through everything, showing me various layouts for different lifestyles, and deciding which system would work best for me. He let me take three pairs of frames home for a second opinion. And then spent maybe another hour measuring my eye position and sightlines in different postures. I'm getting clip-on shades to fit the glasses -- fancy! Hopefully this will see me right for a long, long time. (Bodies are so expensive to maintain, ugh.) Again, please don't tell me any progressive-lens horror stories or even ambivalent ones!! Good/encouraging stories are welcome, though.


Korean
So far I'm easily keeping up with reading through the Guardian subs (it helps that I pretty much know episode 1 by heart). I'm not trying to understand every single thing. My brain is enjoying the Hangeul, and the jokes are even funnier when compounded with the triumph of "Oh! I understood that!"

Good things
Saw a seal in the harbour while I was biking home from the opticians. Kdramas! Fandom. Sunshine. Sleep is just really good, yes please. Walking through trees. Partners who let you blather about fandom all the time. ♥ Cat. ♥ Bluey!

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 59


How do you generally make/take phone calls, posturely speaking?

View Answers

hold phone to ear
36 (61.0%)

put call on speaker
24 (40.7%)

wear an earpiece/headphones
17 (28.8%)

other
0 (0.0%)

I don't make phone calls
5 (8.5%)

ticky-box full of beret-wearing bumblebees performing buzz poetry
23 (39.0%)

ticky-box full of cats with resting blep face
36 (61.0%)

ticky-box full of snacks, yes please
28 (47.5%)

ticky-box full of magic tricks with real magic
25 (42.4%)

ticky-box full of hugs
41 (69.5%)

bikes and stuff

Sep. 13th, 2025 01:17 am
trobadora: (Default)
[personal profile] trobadora
(So much for that daily posting thing - I've already skipped a few without meaning to. /o\)

Today I rode an e-bike for the first time. Useful for the hills, for sure, but it wasn't as much fun as a regular bike, so I don't see myself doing that often.

Last spring I signed up for a local rent-a-bike service, and ever since then I've been riding bikes a lot again, after a break of something like 15 years. (That was about when my bike got stolen, and I didn't buy a new one because I didn't and still don't have a good place to put it.) I still like biking a lot, though I'm glad I no longer have to in the winter, the way I used to when I was still biking to uni. *g*

I've also been walking a lot again this summer, so overall I've been getting a lot more exercise than I used to! Which, alas, did not turn out to be an unmitigated good. (Turns out that more physical activity makes me hungrier - shock, horror! - but not exactly in proportion. I'd really rather keep fitting into my clothes, and also I don't want not be constantly hungry. So less activity might actually be better. Since we're heading into winter and I don't like going out very much when it's wet and/or cold, I guess I'll see!)
trobadora: (Guardian - SID team)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Thanks so much to everyone who's promoted [community profile] guardian_wishlist around Dreamwidth and on other sites! We really appreciate it! ♥

It's three days until sign-ups close, so now's the time for a final promo push. If you're willing to help out, there's a three-day reminder on tumblr, and our promo post with graphics and text, as well as links to our general tumblr promo post and a Carrd for your convenience, or feel free to write/make your own. Help us get the word out!

(For posts on other publicly viewable platforms, we'd love it if you'd drop a link in the comments here so people can reblog or retweet.)

Meanwhile, 14 wishlists are live and receiving gifts on [community profile] guardian_wishlist!

Requests cover a wide range of media and Guardian-related fandoms. There are no assignments, and you don't have to be signed up to participate in gift-giving. Anyone can write or make gifts for any sign-up, right up to reveals on 6 October (Reunion Festival).

All gifts must be hidden from public view until reveals. Post or link gifts in comments on the recipient's wishlist. (Comments are screened.) Gift comments can be anonymous or signed in. You don't need a Dreamwidth or AO3 account to gift.

And remember, sign-ups are open until 15 September! Come and join in!

Rules/FAQ/schedule | Sign-up post | AO3 collection | Fandom and media tags | Spreadsheet | Promo text and graphics

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