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ysabetwordsmith
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pixietails_feedMy blog experiment has ended and I’ve decided to go back to Dreamwidth as my main journal/blog space– reasons are here, if you’re interested.
This domain will be up until early January, then I’ll forward it to my Dreamwidth journal for a bit and then it’ll shut down as part of a larger move to my new personal domain (tozka.fyi).
If you’re subscribed here via RSS, you can subscribe to my Dreamwidth RSS instead! I’ll be posting the same stuff, just over there.
kallowayrocky41_7 posting in booknookLast night I wrapped up Solo Dance by Kotomi Li, translated from Japanese by Arthur Morris. This short book is about a young gay Taiwanese woman who struggles with both internal and external homophobia, and eventually moves to Japan looking for understanding.
Queer stories from other countries are always interesting to me and it’s a good reminder that progress has not been even all over the world. Much of the book is pretty depressing, because the protagonist struggled with fitting in even before she realized she was gay, and she has some real struggles. She is battling severe depression for much of the book and at several points, suicidality.
The book is touching in that the protagonist’s struggles feel real and she’s someone who is so close to having positive experience that could change her life for the better, but her luck keeps dropping on the other side each time.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the end, but while I was grateful for the overall tone of the it, it is contrived and not very believable. But I did enjoy the protagonist’s travels leading up to that point. It’s not at all subtle, and it packs a lot more plot into the final handful of chapters than the rest of the book, but it was still sweet to see the protagonist’s perspective shift a little through her engagements with other people.
I’m not sure if it’s the translation or the original prose, but the language is stilted and very emotionally distant. The reader is kept at arm’s length from the protagonist virtually the whole novel, and while we’re often told she’s feeling these intense feelings, I never felt it. It was like reading a clinical report of her feelings, which was disappointing.
This is Li’s first novel, and it reads that way. There’s a lot of heart in it, and I appreciate it for that, but it lacks a lot in technical skill. I would be interested to see more of Li’s future work, when she’s had more time to polish her ability, but I don’t regret taking the time with this one.
rocky41_7 posting in booksLast night I wrapped up Solo Dance by Kotomi Li, translated from Japanese by Arthur Morris. This short book is about a young gay Taiwanese woman who struggles with both internal and external homophobia, and eventually moves to Japan looking for understanding.
Queer stories from other countries are always interesting to me and it’s a good reminder that progress has not been even all over the world. Much of the book is pretty depressing, because the protagonist struggled with fitting in even before she realized she was gay, and she has some real struggles. She is battling severe depression for much of the book and at several points, suicidality.
The book is touching in that the protagonist’s struggles feel real and she’s someone who is so close to having positive experience that could change her life for the better, but her luck keeps dropping on the other side each time.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the end, but while I was grateful for the overall tone of the it, it is contrived and not very believable. But I did enjoy the protagonist’s travels leading up to that point. It’s not at all subtle, and it packs a lot more plot into the final handful of chapters than the rest of the book, but it was still sweet to see the protagonist’s perspective shift a little through her engagements with other people.
I’m not sure if it’s the translation or the original prose, but the language is stilted and very emotionally distant. The reader is kept at arm’s length from the protagonist virtually the whole novel, and while we’re often told she’s feeling these intense feelings, I never felt it. It was like reading a clinical report of her feelings, which was disappointing.
This is Li’s first novel, and it reads that way. There’s a lot of heart in it, and I appreciate it for that, but it lacks a lot in technical skill. I would be interested to see more of Li’s future work, when she’s had more time to polish her ability, but I don’t regret taking the time with this one.
rocky41_7Last night I wrapped up Solo Dance by Kotomi Li, translated from Japanese by Arthur Morris. This short book is about a young gay Taiwanese woman who struggles with both internal and external homophobia, and eventually moves to Japan looking for understanding.
Queer stories from other countries are always interesting to me and it’s a good reminder that progress has not been even all over the world. Much of the book is pretty depressing, because the protagonist struggled with fitting in even before she realized she was gay, and she has some real struggles. She is battling severe depression for much of the book and at several points, suicidality.
The book is touching in that the protagonist’s struggles feel real and she’s someone who is so close to having positive experience that could change her life for the better, but her luck keeps dropping on the other side each time.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the end, but while I was grateful for the overall tone of the it, it is contrived and not very believable. But I did enjoy the protagonist’s travels leading up to that point. It’s not at all subtle, and it packs a lot more plot into the final handful of chapters than the rest of the book, but it was still sweet to see the protagonist’s perspective shift a little through her engagements with other people.
I’m not sure if it’s the translation or the original prose, but the language is stilted and very emotionally distant. The reader is kept at arm’s length from the protagonist virtually the whole novel, and while we’re often told she’s feeling these intense feelings, I never felt it. It was like reading a clinical report of her feelings, which was disappointing.
This is Li’s first novel, and it reads that way. There’s a lot of heart in it, and I appreciate it for that, but it lacks a lot in technical skill. I would be interested to see more of Li’s future work, when she’s had more time to polish her ability, but I don’t regret taking the time with this one.
atlas_obscura_places_feed
Situated only 13km from the Belgian border, Dunkerque is the northernmost city in France. The region is best known for its red brick houses. However, on the outskirts of the city, one neighbourhood stands out for its colourful, unusual houses: the 'Quartier Excentric' (Eccentric district).
The history of these thirty or so houses is as unique as their architecture. This district was not supposed to exist at the beginning of the 20th century. Although it was located in the neighbouring municipality of Rosendael, it was situated in front of the city of Dunkirk's fortifications. Only wooden structures, which could easily be dismantled, were permitted there. In 1926, François Reynaert, an interior designer, purchased a plot of land there. He built his own house – l'Escargot, No. 147 Rue Carnot – without having studied architecture, instead improvising as an architect.
The permit was logically refused by the military authorities. But that didn't matter. He built his house in 1927. He received a fine and paid it. However, this legal mishap did not stop him: he did the same thing for the neighbouring house — Les Roses, No. 143 Rue Carnot — and, unsurprisingly, the authorities fined him a second time.
This time, he set the machine in motion: he sold the plots of land he had created behind his house, on the condition that he would design the houses that would be built on them. For each house, he created a unique design that was tailored to the tastes and financial means of the future owner.
Each house had a name that generally influenced its appearance. The result was a wide variety of shapes, colours, and materials. The last building added to this complex was the 'Excentric Moulin' dance hall. After World War II, only qualified architects were permitted to construct buildings. In total, Reynaert built 35 houses in the district.
Seven houses were listed as Historic Monuments in 1988, followed by an eighth in 2016. These classifications recognise the importance of this unique and colourful complex. A century after they were built, the quality and originality of the complex are finally being recognised, and this is a source of pride for the neighbourhood's residents.
smbc_comics_feed
Hovertext:
Of course you don't need AI. You can just crunch the numbers in excel.
psocopteratrobadoraficinabox - what a bounty! Time got away from me; I've been meaning share this this sooner, but here they finally are:Clock Strikes Midnight (4204 words) [Teen]
Fandom: Grimm (TV)
Relationship: Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton
Characters: Nick Burkhardt, Sean Renard, Juliette Silverton, Rosalee Calvert, Alexander
Content Tags: background Rosalee Calvert/Monroe, Wesen & Grimm & Royals Politics, Plans to make the Wesen world go public, Politics, Worldbuilding, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Voice of Reason Rosalee Calvert
Summary: "Revelation is inevitable. Sooner or later, we will be found out and our secrets dragged out of the shadows and into the light."
At a potluck picnic in the park, Portland's Wesen gather to decide their future—and that of the world.
A Historical Perspective on the Gesetzbuch Ehrenkodex (6082 words) [Teen]
Fandom: Grimm (TV)
Content Tags: Wesen & Grimm & Royals Politics, In-Universe Textbook, Pre-Canon, In-Universe Documents
Summary: Being the introduction to a textbook on the history of a complex time in the wesen world.
A Private Audience (1265 words) [Teen]
Fandom: Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling
Relationships: Kashtiliash/Kathryn Hollard, Raupasha & Kashtiliash, Raupasha/Kenneth Hollard
Characters: Kashtiliash, Raupasha, Kathryn Hollard
Content Tags: Missing Scene, Not Canon Incompliant, Uptimers vs Downtimers, Hollard Family Tropism for Royalty
Summary: Raupasha seeks Kashtiliash's permission this time...
cathrowanyuletidemods posting in yuletide_pinch_hitscandyheartsexatlas_obscura_places_feed
Directly across the street from the entrance to the Fort Frederica National Monument which is maintained by the National Park Service, is the Wesley Church at Frederica. The church, along with the Episcopal Church, Christ Church Frederica, which is located down the street, was donated 20 acres of land, divided equally, by Alfred W. Jones, Jr., in 1984.
The two churches created the Wesley Memorial Garden where the Wesley Memorial Monument is located. The monument was erected in honor of John and Charles Wesley who served as clergymen at Fort Frederica for 2 years.
John Wesley, who is said to have coined the phrase, "Agree to disagree," is best known as the creator of Methodism. His brother, Charles Wesley, is the writer of hymns still sung today, including the Christmas song, "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing."
The memorial is a Celtic cross that is 18 feet high, weighs 15 tons, and was built with granite from Georgia.
luminousdaze posting in iconthat
8daysofdwj_feedWhat's the good of being civilized? That's what I want to know. It just means other people can break the rules and you can't.
The gender dictatorship, the horror of conformity, the limits of word power, and how to stop your mother-in-law from living rent free in your brain.
Transcript available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gnTKOU9XOofGvXZR4CdpBVJI-qYp5UqO/view?usp=sharing
And we'll be back in two weeks with A Sudden Wild Magic!
moon_custaferysabetwordsmith - Birdfeedingbluedreaming in fan_flashworks - Hyouka (Kotenbu): Fanfic: reviving at this late datepixietails_feed - notice: this blog is closing (go to dreamwidth!)kalloway - Busy Busyrocky41_7 in booknook - Book review: Solo Dancerocky41_7 in books - Recent Reading: Solo Dancerocky41_7 - Recent Reading: Solo Danceatlas_obscura_places_feed - Quartier Exentric in Dunkerque, Francesmbc_comics_feed - Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Hoppsocoptera - The Ornaments, part IItrobadora - Fic in a Box - my gifts!cathrowan - One day to goyuletidemods in yuletide_pinch_hits - ALL CLAIMED - Pinch Hits #219 & 220joseph_teller - Food Recalls Againcandyheartsex - Nomination Queries and Notes #1atlas_obscura_places_feed - Wesley Memorial Monument in St. Simons Island, Georgialuminousdaze in iconthat - iconthat challenge reminderpurplecat - Random Doctor Who Picture8daysofdwj_feed - Black Mariamoon_custafer - Saturday Reporttimeasmymeasure