Five Mostly Helpful Mentors in SF and Fantasy
May. 26th, 2026 10:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
Helping young protagonists fulfill their destiny... if they can keep them alive long enough.
Five Mostly Helpful Mentors in SF and Fantasy
james_davis_nicollHelping young protagonists fulfill their destiny... if they can keep them alive long enough.
Five Mostly Helpful Mentors in SF and Fantasy
(no subject)
May. 26th, 2026 02:27 pmbeccaelizabethThe weather is Not Pleasing.
... that's about all I have to say today but I am very sure of it.
33C is too many, esprcially with how fast the weather went from 3C to 33C this May.
... that's about all I have to say today but I am very sure of it.
33C is too many, esprcially with how fast the weather went from 3C to 33C this May.
Frankensteins and Foreign Devils By Walter Jon Williams (Edited by Timothy P. Szczesuil)
May. 26th, 2026 07:48 amjames_davis_nicoll
Short stories from Walter Jon Williams.
Frankensteins and Foreign Devils By Walter Jon Williams (Edited by Timothy P. Szczesuil)
After Hours Meeting (part 2 of 2, complete)
May. 25th, 2026 10:46 pmdialecticdreamerAfter Hours Meeting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1158
[Monday evening, 13 November of 2017]
:: Jules and Jaliy surprise Blainn and Bennett with the kitten. Part of the Lodestar story arc in Polychrome Heroics. ::
Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading! ::
“Genetically,” Jaliya began, scrunching lower in the driver’s seat. Her hands twisted on the steering wheel before she forced her grip to ‘relax. “Genetically,” she repeated, your dad… Yeah. So… Do you think…”
Jules raised an eyebrow, then snickered. “Nope. If he provided one drop of DNA, he’d want to be involved as a parent. Very involved. I happen to think that he’s a great dad, but your church would give you crap for associating with him. I’m surprised that they aren’t trying to get you to stay away from me, frankly.”
The young man hummed. “I could bounce the idea around with Mariset, so that when you’re ready for DNA, I’m pretty sure that the three of us would have an agreement.”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1158
[Monday evening, 13 November of 2017]
:: Jules and Jaliy surprise Blainn and Bennett with the kitten. Part of the Lodestar story arc in Polychrome Heroics. ::
Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading! ::
“Genetically,” Jaliya began, scrunching lower in the driver’s seat. Her hands twisted on the steering wheel before she forced her grip to ‘relax. “Genetically,” she repeated, your dad… Yeah. So… Do you think…”
Jules raised an eyebrow, then snickered. “Nope. If he provided one drop of DNA, he’d want to be involved as a parent. Very involved. I happen to think that he’s a great dad, but your church would give you crap for associating with him. I’m surprised that they aren’t trying to get you to stay away from me, frankly.”
The young man hummed. “I could bounce the idea around with Mariset, so that when you’re ready for DNA, I’m pretty sure that the three of us would have an agreement.”
( Read more... )
Bundle of Holding: Dyson's Delves (from 2024)
May. 25th, 2026 02:09 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Hundreds of beautiful hand-drawn labyrinths from ZERObarrier
Bundle of Holding: Dyson's Delves (from 2024)
(no subject)
May. 25th, 2026 05:25 ambeccaelizabethI have relistened all the Charlotte Pollard from the main range.
That includes the three with Mila at the end. Paper Cuts was a very good one.
But the range did a weird thing where they'd written Charley into a corner where she'd never let the Doctor go and then it budged her out of the way and made a new exaggerated copy of her ( Read more... )
I don't know, something about how they wrapped that up felt like they'd written themselves into a corner and then put a mirror up and walked out through it.
... which would be fine in genre anyway and is basically what physically happened in Time of the Daleks so it is difficult to come up with a comparison.
They set up a question and answered a different question and it felt a bit unsatisfying.
Having listened to all the Charley up to this point I am not encouraged to listen to her some more.
But there is more, Further Adventuress and more recent ones.
So that is up next.
That includes the three with Mila at the end. Paper Cuts was a very good one.
But the range did a weird thing where they'd written Charley into a corner where she'd never let the Doctor go and then it budged her out of the way and made a new exaggerated copy of her ( Read more... )
I don't know, something about how they wrapped that up felt like they'd written themselves into a corner and then put a mirror up and walked out through it.
... which would be fine in genre anyway and is basically what physically happened in Time of the Daleks so it is difficult to come up with a comparison.
They set up a question and answered a different question and it felt a bit unsatisfying.
Having listened to all the Charley up to this point I am not encouraged to listen to her some more.
But there is more, Further Adventuress and more recent ones.
So that is up next.
After Hours Meeting (part 1 of 2)
May. 24th, 2026 11:15 pmdialecticdreamerAfter Hours Meeting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1017
[Monday evening, 13 November of 2017]
:: Jules and Jaliy surprise Blainn and Bennett with the kitten. Part of the Lodestar story arc in Polychrome Heroics. ::
On to part two
Jules petted the silvery kitten as Jalliya braked in front of the house. “It’s okay, we’re here,” he soothed the kitten. The wings, nearly the same color as the kitten’s fur, fluttered once, then again, before tucking away almost unnoticeably.
Jaliya grinned at him. “You are so gone on that kitten,” she teased.
“I haven’t named her,” the young man insisted, shaking his head vigorously.
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1017
[Monday evening, 13 November of 2017]
:: Jules and Jaliy surprise Blainn and Bennett with the kitten. Part of the Lodestar story arc in Polychrome Heroics. ::
On to part two
Jules petted the silvery kitten as Jalliya braked in front of the house. “It’s okay, we’re here,” he soothed the kitten. The wings, nearly the same color as the kitten’s fur, fluttered once, then again, before tucking away almost unnoticeably.
Jaliya grinned at him. “You are so gone on that kitten,” she teased.
“I haven’t named her,” the young man insisted, shaking his head vigorously.
( Read more... )
you're dangerous, you don't know what you want
May. 24th, 2026 06:36 pmmusesfoolFrequently when we reschedule something because of a bad weather forecast, the weather turns out to not be that bad after all, but this weekend, it was the smart move. It seems to have finally stopped raining for bit after it rained heavily for most of yesterday and all of today. It's been a real chilly and kind of gray spring, tbh, those few days of high 80s/low 90s notwithstanding.
Anyway, I've taken the chance to try out some recipes - yesterday, I made chicken meatballs with garlic butter orzo, which is good and I have some leftover, but I would say that the meatballs are sort of unnecessary? And the garlic butter needs a little more seasoning imo - some rosemary and oregano and basil would not go amiss - but the orzo in garlic butter is good stuff.
I also made Ina Garten's shortbread, though I kept the teaspoon of almond extract from the pecan shortbread and covered them with chocolate sprinkles - I made the dough yesterday and then baked them off this morning. 20 minutes was probably a minute or 2 too long in the oven, but they still taste good.
I also baked a loaf of bread, on which I might make French bread pizza tomorrow. We'll see. I might also bake some kind of lemon cake, since I have a bunch of lemons, but maybe not. Again, I'll see how I feel. But for dinner tonight, I made these ricotta and breadcrumb balls. Which again, I seasoned to my own taste rather than following the instructions. They're pretty good if you like ricotta.
I think that's one of the most important things you can do when you learn to cook - learn to make things taste the way you like them. I save a ton of recipes and have a bunch of cookbooks, but mainly I need them for measurements and techniques, not flavorings. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes they will come up with a combination that would never have occurred to me which is delicious! But a lot of the time, I'm going, I'll swap in X for Y and I will like it better. If there are too many of these in one recipe, then it's not really that recipe (not that I would comment to say so!), but the technique might be useful just the same.
*
Anyway, I've taken the chance to try out some recipes - yesterday, I made chicken meatballs with garlic butter orzo, which is good and I have some leftover, but I would say that the meatballs are sort of unnecessary? And the garlic butter needs a little more seasoning imo - some rosemary and oregano and basil would not go amiss - but the orzo in garlic butter is good stuff.
I also made Ina Garten's shortbread, though I kept the teaspoon of almond extract from the pecan shortbread and covered them with chocolate sprinkles - I made the dough yesterday and then baked them off this morning. 20 minutes was probably a minute or 2 too long in the oven, but they still taste good.
I also baked a loaf of bread, on which I might make French bread pizza tomorrow. We'll see. I might also bake some kind of lemon cake, since I have a bunch of lemons, but maybe not. Again, I'll see how I feel. But for dinner tonight, I made these ricotta and breadcrumb balls. Which again, I seasoned to my own taste rather than following the instructions. They're pretty good if you like ricotta.
I think that's one of the most important things you can do when you learn to cook - learn to make things taste the way you like them. I save a ton of recipes and have a bunch of cookbooks, but mainly I need them for measurements and techniques, not flavorings. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes they will come up with a combination that would never have occurred to me which is delicious! But a lot of the time, I'm going, I'll swap in X for Y and I will like it better. If there are too many of these in one recipe, then it's not really that recipe (not that I would comment to say so!), but the technique might be useful just the same.
*
Spring 1980 Destinies (Destinies, volume 7) edited by Jim Baen
May. 24th, 2026 09:05 amjames_davis_nicoll
Another foray into a long cancelled, fondly remembered magazine of my teen years.
Spring 1980 Destinies (Destinies, volume 7) edited by Jim Baen
Post delayed
May. 23rd, 2026 10:17 pmdialecticdreamerI'm completely fried. I keep falling asleep while trying to write. I'm sorry, everyone.
Books Received, May 16 — 22
May. 23rd, 2026 08:48 amjames_davis_nicoll
A dozen books new to me: eight fantasy, three science fiction, one historical, at least four of which are series.
Books Received, May 16 — 22
Poll #34638 Books Received, May 16 — 22
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 48
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
A Dance of Burning Blades by M. H. Ayinde (April 2026)
9 (18.8%)
Crimson in Quietus by Eugen Bacon (September 2026)
11 (22.9%)
To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose (January 2026)
21 (43.8%)
Blade of Two Faces by Blake Blessing (November 2026)
4 (8.3%)
The Silver Hand by Shawn Carpenter (August 2026)
7 (14.6%)
Like the Moon We Rise by Annabelle Cormack (January 2027)
3 (6.2%)
Little Necromancers by Emma Devlin (March 2027)
12 (25.0%)
Eyes of Kings by Chloe Gong (August 2026)
1 (2.1%)
What Haunts the Ice by S. Hati (January 2027)
7 (14.6%)
The Curve of the World by Vonda N. McIntyre (March 2026)
34 (70.8%)
The Unfolding: Mairee by S. Nyland (April 2026)
5 (10.4%)
Project V by Park Seolyeon (April 2026)
9 (18.8%)
Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.1%)
Cats!
30 (62.5%)