Last night, Z and I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood, a 1938 film. We got a little curious about the Robin Hood mythos after watching an in-depth video about a Sierra Robin Hood adventure game:

and the 1938 film seemed to be one of the most well-regarded. And we could see why! It was definitely different in style than a modern film, not in a bad way - there still seemed to be a lot of stage theater influence in the acting style, and the fight choreography definitely seemed more like stage fighting than something like chambara choreo, let alone those modern shakycam fight scenes where you can't see what's happening.

While there were a few odd notes (hi Marian, have you met the poor and dispossessed we are helping? We put them behind some trees so they wouldn't spoil the banquet), but overall we really enjoyed it. There's a lot of genuinely good quippy dialogue, and the chemistry between Marian (who does get to be somewhat active in the plot) and Robin was great. I also got a kick out of the costumes, which were pretty and also not trying too hard to be very period. Robin's initial outfit has crystals on it. Marian's dresses are made of the shiniest modern fabrics they could find. The band of Merry Men are indeed very merry, often laughing and smiling, especially when they've pulled one over the Normans.

My favorite scene was the one early on where Robin bursts in on Prince John's banquet, slings down a poached deer on the table, and tells him he's a traitor. It felt exactly like watching a D&D scene with a high-charisma character, so it was a lot of fun. There's also a very neat bit in the final fighting scene where we see the characters go off screen, but the fight is still visible in their enlarged shadows on a pillar until they return to the frame.

In other news, I have added a new library card to my library app, as I found out I was eligible to get one from a much larger system than our local one. Suddenly 90% of the books on my 'plz add this' list are available, and my phone keeps sending me individual notifications for various titles. Just have to choose where to start!

As always, the good news depends on your perspective, and mileage may vary on this.

To the tune of We're Accentuating the Positive, Eliminating the Negative...and Hanging on to the Affirmative but Don't Mess around with Mr. in Between...sung by Aretha Franklyn (mainly because her version is the only one I like.)

A lot of it is just showing the positive results from non-violent resistance via the courts, etc. But basically as my source states: "We the people are pushing back and making good news." However, there's also a lot of positive environmental news - showing that progress happens regardless, and we are globally making progress in regards to managing climate change and preserving the environment.

1.The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction that will block the Trump administration’s unlawful reorganization of the federal government while the case proceeds.

( Read more... )

https://democracyforward.org/updates/massive-coalition-of-unions-non-profit-groups-and-local-governments-file-omnibus-challenge-to-unconstitutional-reorganization-of-federal-government/

The court filing can be found HERE

2.This week was the deadline for Congress to act on a resolution that could have overturned the ban on TCE [not to be confused with ICE, this is a toxic chemical]. But thanks to your voices, your stories, and your pressure—Congress didn’t act. The ban on TCE stands.

( Read more... )

https://toxicfreefuture.org/blog/we-finally-won-a-ban-on-toxic-tce-now-some-in-congress-are-trying-to-roll-it-back/

3. Calling for “freedom from partisan interference in programming,” administrative staffers at the Kennedy Center went public with a push to unionize following an overhaul of the institution by the Trump clan.

Go HERE

4. The MeidasTouch Podcast, a show critical of Trump, won Podcast of the Year at the Webby Awards.

https://www.newsweek.com/medias-touch-podcast-webby-award-donald-trump-democrat-2071984?emci=c60a435f-ab32-f011-a5f1-6045bda9d96b&emdi=d3638486-ab32-f011-a5f1-6045bda9d96b&ceid=417324

5. Trump’s support among Latino voters, including those who voted for him in 2024, is fracturing.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/exclusive-trump-losing-the-latino-voters-he-won-in-2024-equis-poll-survey-registered

6.Democrat Sam Sutton defeated his Republican opponent to win New York’s 22nd State Senate District special election — a district Trump won by 55 points in 2024.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5310726-democrat-sam-sutton-wins-new-york-seat/

7. New record for batteries in California (CAISO) On May 20, 2025, battery discharge crossed 10 GW for the first time. That was enough meet a third of evening peak demand. Solar moved fast, but batteries are moving even faster.

https://energycentral.com/c/em/batteries-hit-new-heights-californias-energy-mix

8. In 2019, California's state wide battery capacity was 770 MW. California’s Energy storage has surge to 15,700 MW - including 2300 MW added since last September. That means a clean resilient energy grid to meet peak demand.

https://energycentral.com/c/em/batteries-hit-new-heights-californias-energy-mix

9. Fusion overtakes scission April 2025: for the first time ever, solar power generated more electricity than nuclear worldwide.

https://environmentamerica.org/center/updates/theres-now-five-times-more-solar-than-nuclear-power-in-the-world/

10. For the first time, a surge on China's renewable energy output has led to a 4.7% drop in the countries carbon and missions despite a 2.5% increase in power demand. This marks is major mile stone and China's energy transition.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-clean-energy-just-put-chinas-co2-emissions-into-reverse-for-first-time/

( the rest )

There you have it. This weeks list of how people helped slay their monsters and change the world peacefully and without violence. Slayers every one.

And an advertisement.

"Three weeks from right now, people will be taking to the streets across the United States on No Kings Day. Over 1,000 events are planned in all 50 states. Find an event near you: Click on the link and enter your zip code to see all the gatherings near you."

https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=indivisible

Join us on June 14th, all across this country, when we all show up and say NO, we have no kings, we are a representative democracy and we the people have a say in how our lives are run. Let's stand up for those being harmed by these policies, let's take care of our communities, let's take care of each other."

[No pressure, I'm not doing it - I can't physically and mentally do it. I do this instead. But if you can - please do.]

And here's a picture:

Title: One of These Nights
author: cornerofmadness

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Characters/Pairing: Angel Dust, Sir Pentious, Valentino

Summary: Angel is excited for the new script Valentino has in mind with the help of a newly fallen Sinner: airship pirates. His only problem is convincing Pentious to use his airship.
Rating: teen

Warnings: Angel is a sex worker

Artist: Sammy Hagar
Album: Footloose Soundtrack
Song: The Girl Gets Around

I just compared Jyn Erso to Han Solo

This moment, where she protects KayToo from Baze. No hesitation. Just throws herself out there.

She spends so much of the movie pretending not to care when asked about things, that she's only in it to get answers about her dad.

But Jyn, LIKE HAN, has a problem. She CARES deeply. She WANTS to do the RIGHT THING. All else is bluffing, bravado, and an attempt to shield against any more pain.

Jyn is the Han analogue for Rogue One.

(Baze and Chirrut are the R2-D2/C-3PO analogues, you cannot change my mind on this)

Lizards have been somewhat fewer in the apartment complex than last year, and the other night I learned a possible reason: a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) couple have set up housekeeping on the back lawn next door! (No pictorial tax as yet: their nest, less than five feet from the curb, overlooks a back alley heavily travelled by garbage, service, and delivery vehicles as well as human pedestrians—meaning that they’re probably experiencing botherance enough without amateur paparazzi. (1)

Burrowing Owls are regarded as local mascots and rigorously protected here; standard procedure upon discovering an inhabited burrow is to erect a little designated perch for the owls and cordon it off, crime-scene style, halting any human construction until the young have left the nest.

(1) Rule of thumb is that if the owls are reacting to your presence, you’re too close; the risk of attracting gawkers is one reason that doxxing Burrowing Owls nesting on private property is frowned upon around here. Schools, museums, and other such facilities, however, will encourage on-site nesting, observable by remote cam.

I’m finding varying accounts of how capable they are of digging their own burrows, but certainly the owls prefer the convenience of found housing when they can get it, not only taking over burrows constructed by other animals but occupying such human artifacts as PVC pipes; it’s quite possible to build artificial burrows to attract them.

I finally had a decent night's rest - got a total of 9 hours, with not a lot of waking up between. ( sleep issues and how to fix them )

The weekend has been a quiet one, in which I've done alarmingly little. I took out the trash. And the recycling. Straightened up the clutter a bit. And finished a watercolor. Also did a bit of reading, and way too much time surfing the internet and watching television as one often does. The internet is kind of addictive?

Memorial Day is a US holiday traditionally utilized for memorializing the dead, specifically those who died during our many and seemingly endless number of armed conflicts and wars. I think it was meant to remind us of the consequences of WAR and not to keep having them? If so, I'm not sure it succeeded.

Per Google AI:

"Memorial Day, a national holiday in the United States, honors those who have died while serving in the country's armed forces. Its origins lie in the years following the Civil War, when communities began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers. The holiday, initially known as "Decoration Day," was officially established as a national holiday in 1868. After World War I, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971."

When I was much younger and still residing in the suburbs of Kansas City, I'd visit my Grandmother in Liberty, Missouri - to decorate the graves.

( a seemingly long personal essay on Memorial Day )

I'm behind, so sue me.

( All the things under the Cut )

This week's word is



[ôlˈterədē]

noun


From Wikipedia

In philosophy and anthropology, alterity refers to the state of being "other" or different (Latin alter). It describes the experience of encountering something or someone perceived as distinct from oneself or one's own group. The concept of alterity explores how we understand and relate to those who are seen as different, and how this "otherness" shapes identity and social relations. While rooted in academic discourse, the term is also increasingly used more broadly to describe anything outside of established norms or conventions.


Merriam-Webster:

Otherness, specifically: the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or a particular cultural orientation.

I am The Most Behind on dw and on uh several other things. My May has involved several different all-encompassing things taking over my life! but! I have a new fic to share!! freshly posted! get it on ao3 or on my personal website! (I also put some bird pics up on my personal website's bird shrine today, if you're not into mdzs but enjoy looking at cute birds)

Niche Volition

on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65895511

on aviansoph: https://aviansoph.com/fic/niche-volition.html

Fandom: MDZS
Focus: Lan Jingyi-centric (Lan Jingyi & Lan Xichen, Lan Jingyi & his sect, Lan Jingyi & Jin Ling)
Setting: several years post-canon
Length: 4,873 words

Themes:

community leadership and personal fulfillment

Summary:

Lan Jingyi’s role in the Lan sect has increased in responsibility in the years since canon and he’s being seen as a potential heir to the title of sect leader. When two sets of visitors arrive at Cloud Recesses on the same day, Lan Jingyi has to balance multiple responsibilities.

I'm looking for more fantasy and sci-fi, so if there are any titles that pop into mind, new or old, feel free to drop names below! 

( Characters/Fandoms & Icon URLs under the cut... )

A bit more scattered offerings this week.

1. Angela Bassett & Michael B Jordan | Photos
2. Karl Urban taught himself a trick for Eomer | tiktok embed
3. Blues Brothers love note from tumblr | gifs and text
4. 12 Famous Native American Women | article
5. New photos of Mt. St Helens' eruption (Proper name: Lawetlat'la or Loowit or Louwala-Clough) | embedded video and article link
6. Impressive Tattoos | Art
7. Embroidery color work on black canvas | photos
8. Northern AND Southern constellation shawls | Photos & pattern link
9. 3D printed wheelchairs for tykes, team wants to release pattern for free once they iron it out | Photos & text
10. Knitting Noodles | Embedded video
11. Cat drags in a bat... (monster reveal, humor) | web comic

Actors: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Michael Des Barres, David Tennant, Ncuti Gutwa, Jodie Whittaker, Jo Martin, Peter Capaldi, Jonathan Groff, Michael Sheen, Con O'Neill, Samba Schutte, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Jeff Goldblum, Rhys Darby, Renée O'Connor & Lucy Lawless

Fandoms: Stargate, MacGyver, Doctor Who, Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, Sherlock, The Mandalorian, The Last Of Us, Star Trek, What We Do In The Shadows, Pokemon & The X Files



Check out the rest here. <3

Chat GPT Is Very Useful for Everything /s
Jason Sanford: Genre Grapevine’s Deep Dive into the Use of ChatGPT by Seattle Worldcon.
Though, honestly, if the rest of the volunteers quit, and the ConCom wasn't responsive to the cries for help from the last two people, I might have done crime too. I'm still perplexed by the Hugos team quitting, as it seems like a disproportionate reaction from people not prone to melodrama, but we'll probably never know.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: Philadephia Inquirer and Chicago Sun-Times Publish Summer Reading List of Nonexistent Books.
Good look at how that happened, followed by a long rant about the state of the media landscape, especially in regards to US Politics.

SAVYWRITESBOOKS: The “BookTok Fyre Fest” | A Million Lives was a DISASTER (Video, 1 hour).
A lot of people have been covering this shitshow, which probably shouldn't fairly be in the LLM trashfire situation, but fells spiritually akin to it, so I'm putting it here. Savy also links to A Million Lives Recovery, which boosts all the authors, artists and vendors screwed over by this nonsense. It looks like mostly romantasy, but there's a variety in there.


Misogyny Slop Ecosystem: ( Cutting five links for discussion of violence against women and non-binary people )


At Least Somewhat Good Stuff:
The Breach: Inside the campaign that upended CanLit’s ties to Scotiabank and Israeli arms.
Nice example of activism getting stuff done.

The Tyee: A Fresh Opportunity to Get Elections Right.
I really want this to happen.

MattBernstein1: A Morning With Vivian Wilson (Video, 45 minutes).
I just like getting to see her being happy.

QwithTomPower: What led Rick Astley to quitting pop music at 27 (Video, 40 minutes).
I got rickrolled the other day, and YouTube recced this charming interview.

centaurianthropology: Therapy for Thee but Not for Me: Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms in ‘Murderbot’ (Thoughts on Episodes 1-3).
Meta!

Land of Art has moved to dreamwidth!



A Landcomm for Graphic Lovers:
- Icons
- Wallpapers
- Fanmixes
- Headers
- Picspams
and so much more..

Apply for a team here: https://land-of-art.dreamwidth.org/453688.html

If you mention me as the referrer I'll get extra points.

1. Daredevil Born Again is bringing back Luke Cage, Iron Fist (who seriously needs to be recast, but whatever), and Jessica Jones to join Daredevil as the Defenders. They are all in S2 Daredevil. (Basically Daredevil is getting the Disney treatment, which works for me - since I liked The Defenders.)

2. Wheel of Time was cancelled by Amazon after the 3rd season. Cancelled due to ratings and a hefty price tag. (Amazon's head honcho got absurdly political and it has cost him.) I haven't made it past S1. I have too many television shows, and the characters didn't grab me for some reason or other. I was thinking of going back to it - but now? Probably not.

3. Finished watching:

* Etoile (on Amazon) while visiting Mother. We both enjoyed it. It's about the Paris and New National Ballet Theaters - trading lead talent in order to booster each others ticket sales. It's in French and English. And has performances by professional ballet dancers, who are also lead actors in the series. Focuses more on the running of the two theaters, and putting together the performances. It's not a relationship drama, so much as a workplace drama or dramedy? It's written by the same people who did Bunheads and Gilmore Girls - so swings towards witty comedic banter and comedic situations.

Etoile was picked up for two seasons by Amazon, so season 2 is being filmed and the entire cast is returning for it.

* The Residence (on Netflix) (finished yesterday) - it's a satirical mystery series, about an unorthodox detective, who is rather brilliant, and prefer to watch birds. ( Read more... )

Other than that - it's fun and hilarious in places, with a farcical humor, touched with light satire.

This works very well as a stand-a-lone. All the plot-threads were satisfyingly closed. I'm not sure I want a second season?

* The Four Seasons - this is a relationship comedy - it is loosely adapted from Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name, with Tina Fey taking on the Carol Burnett role, and Colman Domingo taking on Jack Weston's role, except as a gay Black man, with his Italian husband (the original was portrayed by Rita Moreno). It's about three couples that vacation together each season. We see them only on their vacations or trips together. The first or main point of view couple is Tina Fey and Will Forte (Katie and Jack), then Danny and Claude (Colman Domingo and an Italian actor), finally Steve Carrol's Nick (and Anne (his wife) and Ginny (the girl-friend, after he divorces his wife). It reminded me vaguely of the original, but I'm not certain how close it is - because I haven't seen the original version since the 1980s. Also, now, I'm the same age as the four couples, when the last time I saw it - I was much younger.

It's okay. I found the other two television series funnier. Wales liked it better than I did. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of relationship comedy.

4. Buffy Reboot

I could be wrong about this? But I'm becoming increasingly convinced that James Marsters is involved in the Reboot, not sure how big his role will be or how he'll be involved. ( Read more... )

Yes, I'm still a fan of Buffy. It was that rare television series which had perfect casting, good writing, and blending of collaborative creative talent in various sections (makeup, stunt craft, writing, directing, production, casting, acting) that just worked and got better as it went. The first season is okay, but the second season ...was leaps and bounds better in all areas. There's a handful of television series that I've been a fan of, and 98% of them are fantasy and science fiction series.
What this says about me, I do not know.

[ETA:
Slayers, Every One of Us: How One Girl in All the World Showed Us How to Hold On by Kristin Russo (Author), Jenny Owen Youngs (Author) -

"Read by the authors and hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer, this memoir reflects on heartbreak, perseverance, building community, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This audiobook features bonus songs, jingles, and clips from the podcast and live shows, and contributions from fans/committed Scoobies.

Kristin and Jenny’s marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny's favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the terms set, they began a journey that has led them through seven seasons of the beloved genre show, a podcast rewatching the series with their newly minted listenership of “Scoobies,” unexpected success, and a divorce. Through it all, their love for Buffy and their commitment to their community held them together against the odds."

Sigh, I feel old. Buffering the Vampire Slayer - was a podcast they did to rewatch the show in 2016. I watched the show live between 1997 - 2004, and was on the internet with people discussing as far back as the 1990s. The podcasts I listened to - you can't find now. Nor the sites for that matter. Even my own web site is long gone - although all my essays and fanfic can be found on Ao3, but I didn't write much in the way of fanfic. ]

ETA: Apparently "Slayers" the audio book did amazingly well, too well, and Disney stopped it from doing any more and pulled the rights. (Disney owns the rights to Buffy now, not Fox not Whedon. That's important.) The reason was - they were doing the Buffy Reboot and didn't want Slayers to get in the way of it.

Below is the link to the Q&A where Marsters explains it - it's at the very end of the Q&A. (Marsters Q&A's are highly entertaining, because he clearly loves Conventions and has been going to them since he was thirteen with Star Trek. Most actors at these things are kind of boring. Please note? I have NEVER been to a fan convention, I watch it all on youtube or the internet. I found the American Library Association Conventions and the E-Publishing ones to be headache inducing enough. I hate crowds, claustrophobic convention halls, etc. My idea of hell is a convention. The appeal is lost on me. If I wanted to - I could go to the big one - Comic Con in NYC, but it would kill me.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aj5esoZOi8 ]

5. Also saw two filmed theater performances on PBS (Great Performances). PBS is kind of the US equivalent of the BBC, except it doesn't have quite as much money, and is mostly locally supported by subscribers.

* Next to Normal - I saw the original on Broadway ages ago. This is the West End Revival - in London. Apparently it hadn't made it to the UK, so they revived it. What's remarkable is the entire cast is speaking with an American accent, even though they are all British. I'm surprised they didn't make it British - they could. It's a musical/rock opera about mental illness, grief, and it's devastating effects on the family dynamic- I call it a rock opera, because there's no dancing, and most of the lines are sung, and the band is on stage. It has some truly beautiful music and excellent performances.

* YellowFace - the semi-autobiographical satirical play by David
Henry Kwang about racism in the US. It's hilarious in places and overall rather well done. Danial Dae Kim (Angel, LOST, Hawaii 5-0) portrays Kwang, and Ryan Eggold (Blacklist and New Amsterdam) portrays a Russian actor who can pass as Asian. (Actually I think it's a call out to Yul Brunner and they even reference the King and I.) A lot of the play is actors talking to the audience, and sometimes to each other. It breaks the fourth wall a lot -- in that the actors are directly speaking to the audience or step outside the framework of the play - to do so in monologues. ( Read more... )

The mail brought my contributor's copy of Weird Fiction Quarterly Winter 2025: Ghosts. It leads off with my poem "The Ghost Summer," inspired by the season I wrote it at the end of and given a gorgeously night-eyed illustration by Sarah Walker. Other contributors to its store of specters include Natasha Liora, Andy Joynes, Brandon Barrows, David Barker, Rebecca Buchanan, Maxwell I. Gold, Christopher Ropes, John Claude Smith, Lisa Morton, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, Daniel Braum, Can Wiggins, Mark McLaughlin, Duane Pesice, Ngo Binh Anh Khoa, Peter Rawlik, M Ennenbach, Robert Jeschonek, Michael Thomas Ford, Adam Bolivar, Russ Parkhurst, and dozens more. Check it out! Feeling like an apparition yourself is not compulsory.

The assignment deadline is now past, and our remaining Post-Deadline Pinch Hits are listed below.

The deadline for these PDPHs is June 4, 2025, 11:59 AM CST (Timezone Conversion). 




( PH 1 - Dragon Age (Video Games), Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games), Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games), Hamilton - Miranda, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) )

 

( PH 7 - Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) )

 

( CLAIMED PH 8 - Hawkeye (TV 2021), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hogwarts Legacy (Video Game), Ancient Greek Religion & Lore )

 

( CLAIMED PH 9 - 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney, X-Men (Movieverse), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

 

( PH 10 - Jack Jeanne (Video Game), A3! (Video Game), ちはやふる | Chihayafuru (Anime & Manga), Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, AI: The Somnium Files (Video Games), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime 1997-2023) )

 

( CLAIMED PH 11 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Seducing the Sedgwicks - Cat Sebastian, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Miraculous Ladybug )

 

A note for our participants: we do have several creators with active extensions, so if you don't see your gift posted yet, don't fret! They're still a'brewing! :) 


2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests |