Recent Reading
Friday, 19 June 2026 10:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sanguinityI'm behind on my book-logging, so you get this hot on the heels of the previous one.
Rose Lerner, Sailor's Delight (2022)
Gay romance set in 1813 Portsmouth between a Jewish naval agent and a Royal Navy sailing master.
Novella-length, so a straightforward plot and a quick read, narrating when the High Holy Days intersected with Elie's client/friend/crush object's shore leave -- oh, and Elie really must finish his prize accounting, so that said crush object can get married on the proceeds.
I loved all the immersive textural details of Elie's family and faith and job, and his deeply felt (but presumed hopeless) thirst for his friend and client. For a little while it looked like the novella was setting up Augie's fiancée as a controlling and vindictive obstacle to the main romance, but that thread was resolved reasonably well, with Sarah and Elie establishing an amicable business relationship at the same time that Augie and Elie advanced to a romance. Augie's penchant for going about in breeches and no shirt jarred me (my understanding is that clothing didn't work that way in 1813), but I can forgive it, given how much I enjoyed the rest.
Fahrad J. Dadyburjor, The Other Man (2021)
Gay romance set in Mumbai on the eve of the decriminalization of homosexuality. Ved is crushed by parental expectations: his father's expectation that he take over the family business and his mother's expectation that he get married. Meanwhile, he's not over his first-last-only relationship: a man he saw secretly on weekends, who himself decided to get married in deference to parental expectations. (He wanted to keep seeing Ved on the side after his marriage; Ved, insulted, broke it off.)
To placate his mother, Ved agrees to a date with a Parson's graduate, and gets on with her so well that he ends up drifting into an engagement with her. After all, he and Disha are good friends, are they not? He likes her. Surely this could work out? Simultaneously, Ved's Grindr flirtation with a Brazilian man visiting India becomes a fling, then becomes a whirlwind romance. Ved knows he has to come clean with everyone -- Disha, Carlos, his parents -- but a paralyzing combination of denial and fear keeps him from doing it.
I personally liked how sympathetically Disha (the fiancée) was portrayed, and that she and Ved walked out of the mutual wreckage of their engagement still friends. I also liked that the resolution was 1000% dependent on Ved getting his shit together across the board, and not on any big romantic declarations. I'm a little squirrelly about how persistently Ved kept texting Carlos after their break-up, but I presume Carlos could have blocked Ved's number if he felt strongly about it. And I'm a lot squirrelly about Ved's choice of midlife crisis career change:
Quick, enjoyable read, but obviously a non-starter for people who can't deal with cheating storylines, or characters who get stuck in a spiral of bad decisions.
Randall Munroe, What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, 10th Anniversary Edition (2014, 2024)
In fact, these are silly answers to silly questions, typically answered with back-of-the-envelope precision, but it was an amusing read, and I learned some sciencey-engineery facts along the way. For the 10th Anniversary Edition, Munroe added annotations for where the march of time had (or sometimes hadn't) changed an answer, plus additionally answered what would happen if we increased everything by a factor of ten.
From the author of XKCD, and with illustrations and humour in the style thereof. I understand there's a sequel; I may check it out at some point.
Rose Lerner, Sailor's Delight (2022)
Gay romance set in 1813 Portsmouth between a Jewish naval agent and a Royal Navy sailing master.
Novella-length, so a straightforward plot and a quick read, narrating when the High Holy Days intersected with Elie's client/friend/crush object's shore leave -- oh, and Elie really must finish his prize accounting, so that said crush object can get married on the proceeds.
I loved all the immersive textural details of Elie's family and faith and job, and his deeply felt (but presumed hopeless) thirst for his friend and client. For a little while it looked like the novella was setting up Augie's fiancée as a controlling and vindictive obstacle to the main romance, but that thread was resolved reasonably well, with Sarah and Elie establishing an amicable business relationship at the same time that Augie and Elie advanced to a romance. Augie's penchant for going about in breeches and no shirt jarred me (my understanding is that clothing didn't work that way in 1813), but I can forgive it, given how much I enjoyed the rest.
Fahrad J. Dadyburjor, The Other Man (2021)
Gay romance set in Mumbai on the eve of the decriminalization of homosexuality. Ved is crushed by parental expectations: his father's expectation that he take over the family business and his mother's expectation that he get married. Meanwhile, he's not over his first-last-only relationship: a man he saw secretly on weekends, who himself decided to get married in deference to parental expectations. (He wanted to keep seeing Ved on the side after his marriage; Ved, insulted, broke it off.)
To placate his mother, Ved agrees to a date with a Parson's graduate, and gets on with her so well that he ends up drifting into an engagement with her. After all, he and Disha are good friends, are they not? He likes her. Surely this could work out? Simultaneously, Ved's Grindr flirtation with a Brazilian man visiting India becomes a fling, then becomes a whirlwind romance. Ved knows he has to come clean with everyone -- Disha, Carlos, his parents -- but a paralyzing combination of denial and fear keeps him from doing it.
I personally liked how sympathetically Disha (the fiancée) was portrayed, and that she and Ved walked out of the mutual wreckage of their engagement still friends. I also liked that the resolution was 1000% dependent on Ved getting his shit together across the board, and not on any big romantic declarations. I'm a little squirrelly about how persistently Ved kept texting Carlos after their break-up, but I presume Carlos could have blocked Ved's number if he felt strongly about it. And I'm a lot squirrelly about Ved's choice of midlife crisis career change:
spoiler
a middle-aged businessman who has been out for two hot minutes doesn't seem the best choice for a counselor for queer youth.Quick, enjoyable read, but obviously a non-starter for people who can't deal with cheating storylines, or characters who get stuck in a spiral of bad decisions.
Randall Munroe, What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, 10th Anniversary Edition (2014, 2024)
In fact, these are silly answers to silly questions, typically answered with back-of-the-envelope precision, but it was an amusing read, and I learned some sciencey-engineery facts along the way. For the 10th Anniversary Edition, Munroe added annotations for where the march of time had (or sometimes hadn't) changed an answer, plus additionally answered what would happen if we increased everything by a factor of ten.
From the author of XKCD, and with illustrations and humour in the style thereof. I understand there's a sequel; I may check it out at some point.
30 Dilraba Dilmurat icons (including 6 with Deng Lun)
Friday, 19 June 2026 08:48 amthesleepingbeauty posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
c_ent
All icons are HERE @
little_mermaid. ♥ Note: This post will only be open for a few weeks or a month. After that it will be locked to members only, so please feel free to join & subscribe if you like my work. Thank you. <3
Noted around and about
Friday, 19 June 2026 04:57 pmoursinMoar and moar on performative reading, sigh: Booksmaxxing: how reading became sexy (haven't we been here before?)
***
I haven't actually read the whole of this yet, but on reading and the sexxy, it goes the full academic: Romantasy and the quest for cliteracy. Abstract:
Romantasy – a hybrid genre of romance and fantasy – is well known for its explicit ‘spicy’ content. Like romance fiction, female desire and pleasure are central to the narrative. Drawing on textual analysis from three popular romantasy series, this article examines the genre’s potential to foster cultural cliteracy: or the recognition and understanding of the clitoris as a central site of sexual pleasure. It explores how depictions of clitoral stimulation, female sexual response and orgasm function as a form of public pedagogy on female sexual embodiment. Through detailed sensory description, romantasy offers rich narratives of female pleasure that contrast the often disembodied and risk-focused approaches that pervade school-based sexuality education. While the genre is not without its limitations, it is argued that romantasy provides readers imaginative, safe spaces to engage with the embodied, erotic and emotional dimensions of sex, gender and relationships. In doing so, it offers valuable counternarratives to patriarchal and phallocentric discourses that continue to constrain how female sexuality is understood and expressed.
***
People have been going WO WO SYMBOLICKAL METAPHOR about this: ‘Most famous tree in the world’: Sherwood Forest’s 1,000-year-old Major oak dies. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a different take (bless 'em):
Although this marks the end of the Major Oak as a living tree, it does not mark the end of its story. The iconic oak tree remains a powerful presence in the landscape and an enduring part of our cultural heritage. The tree and soil beneath it will continue to be a vital refuge for wildlife and the knowledge we have gained by looking after the Major Oak will help preserve other ancient oaks across the country. Its legacy will live on through its saplings and the legends associated with it, with plans being drawn up with our partners, and the tree will continue to be a vital refuge for wildlife.
***
Honestly, this secret org sounds like a cross between the school playground and Versailles of the Sun King with who rates and why. I guess the 'got sand kicked in his face' is an aged trope (it was in ads for some body-building thing) but we feel some such back-stories must be in play.
***
'Here they come building their big fancy Stonehenges, two wooden posts was good enough for us....': Archaeologists believe they have discovered an earlier, much simpler version of Stonehenge about 3 miles (5km) away from the prehistoric monument.
***
A different kind of heritage: Glassy Junction, Southall: the definitive history of ‘London’s first Indian pub’
***
Today in London history [last Tuesday]: RSPCA founded in West End coffeehouse, 1824.
Friday open thread: specific real-world details in fiction
Friday, 19 June 2026 05:14 pmdolorosa_12Friday open threads are back for now, and this week's one is inspired by a great Shetland fanfic I read recently. It's wonderful for many, many reasons, but one thing that I particularly enjoyed was its incredible specificity of place: having been to Shetland myself, it was like walking around Lerwick again. The crowning glory: it even managed to work in a reference to a specific waterfront cafe which (in my opinion) has the best coffee in town.
( Link to the fic behind the cut if you want to read it )
So, here is this week's prompt: what is your favourite tiny real-world detail in a work of fiction (original or transformative) that makes it clear the author has genuine experience of the place being depicted?
( Link to the fic behind the cut if you want to read it )
So, here is this week's prompt: what is your favourite tiny real-world detail in a work of fiction (original or transformative) that makes it clear the author has genuine experience of the place being depicted?
10 Wu Lei icons for icons10in20
Friday, 19 June 2026 05:55 pmtinnyHere's my set for round 43 at icons10in20! I enjoyed making these summery looking icons. I hope you like them, too:
Teasers:
( 10+6 icons )
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:
icons10in20! I enjoyed making these summery looking icons. I hope you like them, too:Teasers:
( 10+6 icons )
Every single comment is treasured. All icons shareable! Concrit welcome. Check out my resource post for makers of textures and brushes I use.
hypothecate
Friday, 19 June 2026 08:45 amprettygoodwordhypothecate (hai-POTH-i-kayt) - v., to pledge (property) as security or collateral without delivery of title or possession, mortgage.
Contrast with pawn, in which possession is transferred for the duration of the loan, and also car loans. There's additional financial definitions used in the UK and Australia, related to revenue dedicated by special taxes. Also sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym of hypothesize (usage experts almost universally disapprove). Taken around 1680 from Medieval Latin hypothēcāre, from Latin hypothēca, pledge/deposit, from Ancient Greek hupothēkē, from hupotithenai, to give as a pledge as well as to suppose -- which means at the root, it was the same word as hypothesize as well as to pawn. Wild.
---L.
Contrast with pawn, in which possession is transferred for the duration of the loan, and also car loans. There's additional financial definitions used in the UK and Australia, related to revenue dedicated by special taxes. Also sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym of hypothesize (usage experts almost universally disapprove). Taken around 1680 from Medieval Latin hypothēcāre, from Latin hypothēca, pledge/deposit, from Ancient Greek hupothēkē, from hupotithenai, to give as a pledge as well as to suppose -- which means at the root, it was the same word as hypothesize as well as to pawn. Wild.
---L.
🌙
Friday, 19 June 2026 09:08 pmadoreMoontime began today around 1 p.m. Perhaps this is the first time I'm posting twice on the same day?
I watched Freaky Friday for the first time and snacked on gorgon nuts.
So far it's a light bleed! That's a new precedent. Let's see, I'm hoping it stays that way.
Something I realised recently is that I can't talk or listen to conversation while eating, since if I'm distracted or not paying attention to my chewing I end up chewing the inside of my mouth 😭
I watched Freaky Friday for the first time and snacked on gorgon nuts.
So far it's a light bleed! That's a new precedent. Let's see, I'm hoping it stays that way.
Something I realised recently is that I can't talk or listen to conversation while eating, since if I'm distracted or not paying attention to my chewing I end up chewing the inside of my mouth 😭
Per Aspera Ad Astra
Friday, 19 June 2026 05:32 pmprofiterole_readsThe Chinese movie Per Aspera Ad Astra was a lot of fun! A programmer must get into the dreams of several astronauts to wake them up.
Basically, we get Inception IN SPACE, with awesome visuals.
It's available on Netflix.
Basically, we get Inception IN SPACE, with awesome visuals.
It's available on Netflix.
Quick check-in..
Friday, 19 June 2026 11:25 amerinm_4600because I should be working.
Hi and hello. Nothing terribly exciting to report on this end (such is life)
Did a quick check at the last post to see if anything drastic had occurred.. God, I really need to get back into the groove.Work is very slow, so it's not like I don't have plenty of time to make a post everyday. I'M JUST LAZY.
I'm also NOT using a cut today because I just don't want to. :p
+ not-boss finally left for Montana and has been relatively radio-silent which I'm okay with.
+ I meant to make a big celebration post two weeks ago.. but Memorial Day Weekend ended up being A LOT (TM) and the less said about it, the better. HOWEVER... the weekend did bring the 15th anniversary - yes FIFTEEN - of me meeting bothbizarra (at the airport in Chicago) and amedia (in a Michigan hotel ballroom) face-to -face in person.
This year is 29 for actually knowing Biz. We'll have to have a party next year, I guess. LOL
+ The (former) Lifeguard and I are driving to South Carolina, tomorrow, for a Roger Clyne concert. Closest they've been to Florida the last few years is Atlanta, and by God, it's been too long. Also we just can't justify trips to Mexico, Vegas, or elsewhere, no matter how many times we've done the math.
I should probably listen to the new CD at least once.... Whoops.hashtag superfan
+ new laptop is Wifi only and really DOES NOT like Discord calls, which makes D&D difficult. Ended up having to swap to the old laptop mid-game the other night. WHY THE EVER-LOVIN' %&*_)$ IS DEFAULT WIFI A THING IN AN AGE WHEN WIFI IS THE LEAST STABLE CONNECTION ON THE PLANET???????? I can't even get my &$)@ cellphone to notice the Wifi when I try to open Emoji Blitz and the phone is next to the damn router.
Also the new laptop forces login with a pin because the Microsoft login I've had for 30 years means jack shit when it comes to Windows 11 laptops. Fun fact that I did not know about when I bought it.
+ Universal has decided to go ALL-IN of JAWS this summer and have clearly realized that the fans still want that dumb broken shark in their lives. Have to have Biz figure out her schedule to get up there, though, to see all the pomp. Related, we have tickets for the annual Flashback showing on July 05. AS IT SHOULD BE.
+ in crafting news ... I really need to stop. The last of my diamond art art kits that were backordered have shipped (three arrive today; three shipped yesterday) ; I have multiple fabric preorders and some kits and I COULD REOPEN JOANNS TODAY. It's so bad, guys. SO BAD. I did it to myself.
I wish I had seller brain because I could make half this stuff and sell it to hopefully pay for all of it.. but I just do NOT have an interest in selling. 99% of that comes from being on the accountant-side of a client who had shopify and the mess that was every few months, trying to sort her sales tax. Just NO.
Also, I know the quality I produce and it is NOT professional by any stretch.
Anyway, now I really need to get to work because I didn't do anything yesterday but watch a pre-launch Kickstarter stream and then refresh FB half the day.The desk and lighting would be great for DP but NOT APPROPRIATE. Alas.
I love all your faces ♥
(copy/pasted from LJ, the old way)
Hi and hello. Nothing terribly exciting to report on this end (such is life)
Did a quick check at the last post to see if anything drastic had occurred.. God, I really need to get back into the groove.
I'm also NOT using a cut today because I just don't want to. :p
+ not-boss finally left for Montana and has been relatively radio-silent which I'm okay with.
+ I meant to make a big celebration post two weeks ago.. but Memorial Day Weekend ended up being A LOT (TM) and the less said about it, the better. HOWEVER... the weekend did bring the 15th anniversary - yes FIFTEEN - of me meeting both
bizarra (at the airport in Chicago) and amedia (in a Michigan hotel ballroom) face-to -face in person.This year is 29 for actually knowing Biz. We'll have to have a party next year, I guess. LOL
+ The (former) Lifeguard and I are driving to South Carolina, tomorrow, for a Roger Clyne concert. Closest they've been to Florida the last few years is Atlanta, and by God, it's been too long. Also we just can't justify trips to Mexico, Vegas, or elsewhere, no matter how many times we've done the math.
I should probably listen to the new CD at least once.... Whoops.
+ new laptop is Wifi only and really DOES NOT like Discord calls, which makes D&D difficult. Ended up having to swap to the old laptop mid-game the other night. WHY THE EVER-LOVIN' %&*
_)$ IS DEFAULT WIFI A THING IN AN AGE WHEN WIFI IS THE LEAST STABLE CONNECTION ON THE PLANET???????? I can't even get my &$)@ cellphone to notice the Wifi when I try to open Emoji Blitz and the phone is next to the damn router.Also the new laptop forces login with a pin because the Microsoft login I've had for 30 years means jack shit when it comes to Windows 11 laptops. Fun fact that I did not know about when I bought it.
+ Universal has decided to go ALL-IN of JAWS this summer and have clearly realized that the fans still want that dumb broken shark in their lives. Have to have Biz figure out her schedule to get up there, though, to see all the pomp. Related, we have tickets for the annual Flashback showing on July 05. AS IT SHOULD BE.
+ in crafting news ... I really need to stop. The last of my diamond art art kits that were backordered have shipped (three arrive today; three shipped yesterday) ; I have multiple fabric preorders and some kits and I COULD REOPEN JOANNS TODAY. It's so bad, guys. SO BAD. I did it to myself.
I wish I had seller brain because I could make half this stuff and sell it to hopefully pay for all of it.. but I just do NOT have an interest in selling. 99% of that comes from being on the accountant-side of a client who had shopify and the mess that was every few months, trying to sort her sales tax. Just NO.
Also, I know the quality I produce and it is NOT professional by any stretch.
Anyway, now I really need to get to work because I didn't do anything yesterday but watch a pre-launch Kickstarter stream and then refresh FB half the day.
I love all your faces ♥
(copy/pasted from LJ, the old way)
June Manga TBR 13
Friday, 19 June 2026 09:47 ambluapapilioUsed my manga TBR boardgame. I finished 17/18, DNF'ing one, on my last challenge.
Avatar:
Conan
Skill: Beat the trap tile once
Roll #1:
A 5, prompt: historical - Time Traveled to Meet You.
Roll #2:
A 2 and the trap tile. Prompt: fantasy adventure - Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei.
Roll #3:
Went back and rolled a 5 again, prompt: witches/etc - Witch Hat Atelier.
Roll #4:
Another 5, prompt: mystery horror - Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru.
Roll #5:
A 6, prompt: sci-fi element - One Punch-Man.
Roll #6:
A 5 and the TBR tile. 66x50 - Kesshoku Impulse.
Roll #7:
A 3, prompt: game elements - Silver Diamond.
Roll #8:
A 1 and the CR tile. 4x2 - title .
Roll #9:
Another 1, prompt: publishing industry - Harukawa-kun to Yuki-sensei no Fudanshi Jijou..
Roll #10:
A 5, prompt: secret identity - Lady Crystal Is a Man.
Roll #11:
A 3, prompt: mutual unrequited love - Love on Hold.
Roll #12:
A 1, prompt: office setting - Shachou to Hisho, Ai no Shoumei.
Roll #13:
A 2 and the CR tile. 2x22 is Kagurabachi.
Roll #14:
A 3 and the end. Reward is Wind Breaker.
~Manga TBR List~
[BL] Time Traveled to Meet You ✔️
[GL/Fantasy] Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei ✔️
[Fantasy] Witch Hat Atelier ✔️
[BL/Horror] Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru ✔️
[Action/Superhero] One Punch-Man ✔️
[BL/Smut] Kesshoku Impulse ✔️
[Action/Game Elements] The Gamer ✔️
[Fantasy] Silver Diamond ✔️
[BL/Smut] Harukawa-kun to Yuki-sensei no Fudanshi Jijou. DNF
[Gender Bender] Lady Crystal Is a Man ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love on Hold ✔️
[BL/Romance] Shachou to Hisho, Ai no Shoumei
[Action/Supernatural] Kagurabachi
[Action/Slice of Life] Wind Breaker
x2 shoujo/josei, x5 shounen/seinen, x7 BL, x1 GL
Avatar:
Conan
Skill: Beat the trap tile once
Roll #1:
A 5, prompt: historical - Time Traveled to Meet You.
Roll #2:
A 2 and the trap tile. Prompt: fantasy adventure - Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei.
Roll #3:
Went back and rolled a 5 again, prompt: witches/etc - Witch Hat Atelier.
Roll #4:
Another 5, prompt: mystery horror - Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru.
Roll #5:
A 6, prompt: sci-fi element - One Punch-Man.
Roll #6:
A 5 and the TBR tile. 66x50 - Kesshoku Impulse.
Roll #7:
A 3, prompt: game elements - Silver Diamond.
Roll #8:
A 1 and the CR tile. 4x2 - title .
Roll #9:
Another 1, prompt: publishing industry - Harukawa-kun to Yuki-sensei no Fudanshi Jijou..
Roll #10:
A 5, prompt: secret identity - Lady Crystal Is a Man.
Roll #11:
A 3, prompt: mutual unrequited love - Love on Hold.
Roll #12:
A 1, prompt: office setting - Shachou to Hisho, Ai no Shoumei.
Roll #13:
A 2 and the CR tile. 2x22 is Kagurabachi.
Roll #14:
A 3 and the end. Reward is Wind Breaker.
~Manga TBR List~
[BL] Time Traveled to Meet You ✔️
[GL/Fantasy] Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei ✔️
[Fantasy] Witch Hat Atelier ✔️
[BL/Horror] Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru ✔️
[Action/Superhero] One Punch-Man ✔️
[BL/Smut] Kesshoku Impulse ✔️
[Action/Game Elements] The Gamer ✔️
[Fantasy] Silver Diamond ✔️
[BL/Smut] Harukawa-kun to Yuki-sensei no Fudanshi Jijou. DNF
[Gender Bender] Lady Crystal Is a Man ✔️
[BL/Romance] Love on Hold ✔️
[BL/Romance] Shachou to Hisho, Ai no Shoumei
[Action/Supernatural] Kagurabachi
[Action/Slice of Life] Wind Breaker
x2 shoujo/josei, x5 shounen/seinen, x7 BL, x1 GL
June Manga Wrap-Up 12
Friday, 19 June 2026 09:40 ambluapapilio
Read ep. 9 of Lady Crystal is a Man! Read ep. 5 of Love on Hold. Read ep. 28 of The Gamer. Read ch. 12 of Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei. Read ch. 9 of Silver Diamond! Read ch. 181 of Golden Kamuy. Read ch. 22 of Shugo Chara. Read ch. 187 of Wind Breaker! Read ch. 9 of Binkan Elevator. Read ch. 8 of Magic Knight Rayearth. Read ch. 14 of EniDewi. Read ch. 14 of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun! Read ch. 4 of Slam Dunk. Finished volume 4 of Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito! 
Read ch. 151-155 of 19 Days. Finished volume 4 of Witch Hat Atelier! 
Manga Check-in: "Witch Hat Atelier" volume 4 ch. 18-22 (reread)
Friday, 19 June 2026 09:34 ambluapapilio[Previous]
Chapter 18: Richeh focused chapter, she's afraid of losing her own magic if she has to learn others.
Aw, Olruggio giving Qifrey Warmstones to give to the students. <3 "Your magic is so kind, it says more than words ever could."
Agott's second test date has been decided at the Serpent's Spine.
Chapter 19: We see that maybe the reason Richeh is the way she is because her 'Rili-nii' told her he loves her unique brand of magic and told her to stay the way she is. Rili was taken away (to become an apprentice?).
There's a boy taking the test for the third time, Euini.
Brushbug seeing Alaira as a giant brushbug. XD
The test is to protect the targets, baby Merffins, from magic, as they make their way to the exit.
Quifrey snuck Richeh into the test but she'll take it because of Coco's influence.
Quifrey cares so much. 🥲 He offered to let Euini into his atelier.
Chapter 20: I like learning about the history of the witches.
Euini's attitude is grating but you really want him to not be under the witch he is anymore and to have a better chance at getting somewhere. :(
Chapter 21: Richeh is doing good on this test. And helping Euini. :')
What is an angriche point?
Welp, Alaira got taken away by a Brimhat. I like her so I hope she'll be okay.
Chapter 22: After this chapter I'll be all caught up!!
"Agott, why are your soar boots so fast!?"
"I don't want to talk about it!" 😂
I'm glad Euini is doing so well under pressure.
So the Brimhat wants to make Coco use forbidden magic to save Agott. But for the same reason Agott still uses the boots Coco made her, I think Coco will come up with something else to save her.
Chapter 23: Geeze, Agott almost had a glyph tattooed on her but Richeh saved her. But Euini got caught by the Brimhat and transfigured. T___T Even if they catch him he would only be killed or imprisoned by the big wig because they can't use forbidden magic to change him back...
Is something wrong with Qifrey's left eye?
WTF the gold people are still alive.
Brushbug POV omake to cheer you up. 🥲
Round 43: Extension!
Friday, 19 June 2026 10:32 amabyss_valkyrie posting in icons10in20
Hello, all! Round 43 has been extended until 22nd June.
Find out more information on this round here.
Participants that need to enter their sets:
impala_evolved
tinny
tinny
need to reply
Friday, 19 June 2026 10:28 amnautastellarisgod i have 18 unread notifications right now and most of them are replies or comments and i really need to lock the fuck in and reply to everyone. i'm sorry if i never got back to you! i promise my brain is just mush! i also have bad internet where i am right now, but i'll try to get back to everyone soon.
AO3 Celebrates 11 Million Registered Users
Friday, 19 June 2026 10:02 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
ao3_news_feed
Did someone make a wish for more Archive of Our Own (AO3) users at 11:11? Because that wish has come true and we are proud to share that just four months after we celebrated 10 million registered users, AO3 now has 11 million registered users! This means an average of around 250,000 people have made an AO3 account every month since then.
In honor of getting what we wished for, we're spotlighting the Gift feature on AO3! Gifts are works that are dedicated by the creators. For example, a work may have been written for a friend's birthday, created for a Gift Exchange, or simply something you made while thinking of someone else. Is there anyone you've created fanworks for that you'd like to spotlight? You can gift something to someone even if they don't have an AO3 account!
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Manga Check-in: "Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito" volume 4
Friday, 19 June 2026 08:52 ambluapapilio
"Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito: Danzai Sareta Tenseisha no tame Usotsuki Heroine ni Fukushuu Itashimasu /
The Villainess Within: Avenging the Reincarnated Girl by Exposing the Heroine's Lies"
Previous: Volume 3
Makiburo, Shiraume Nazuna (artist), 2024
MangaUpdates MyAnimeListSummary: "I will captivate all humans, and my territory will rule everything." In the demon kingdom, where peace has finally returned thanks to Remilia, the next step for the country's development is to plan the world's first trade between demon and human territories. Meanwhile, it seems that Pina, the Star Maiden, is also on the move in the royal capital.
My comments: We get to see the Queen and Williard discussing Pina in this one which I enjoyed. Pina wants to do the things that Remilia has already gone and done. The Queen is definitely not falling for Pina's bullshit anymore. XD
Remilia has spiders everywhere so we also unfortunately see Williard and Claude making excuses for Pina and believing her lies about Remilia. She also learns of a method from Angel to see people's memories and uses that to find out each piece that led to her banishment.
We meet who created the love potion and charm perfume, they are asked to create products for Remilia.
The demons who were sent away to the human realm for their own safety get to go home. :')
They made a play out of the story of Remilia and Angel working together to take down the Gods/miasma and made deals with noblemen to work in their territory, so now the people are more accepting of demons and Remilia than ever! The musical scene was really pretty, I'd love to see it animated.
My rating: 9/10
