pauraque (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pauraque) wrote2025-07-02 12:21 pm
pauraque) wrote2025-07-02 12:21 pmThe Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (1972)
Many years have passed since The Tombs of Atuan, and Ged is now Archmage of Roke, the highest magical authority of Earthsea. One day the young prince of Enlad arrives with ill tidings: outside the safety of Roke's impenetrable enchantments, magic is disappearing from the world. Spells and songs are forgotten and the people are falling into despair. Ged and Prince Arren set out to find the cause, a quest that will lead them to realize their own respective destinies.
Even though I have read this book many times, I still find it almost shockingly good. Sometimes when reading it I have a wild urge to shake it and demand how?! how are you so good?? But that might be a little weird so I try to restrain myself.
It's a short book, but well-paced, and I think it feels longer than it is. It is a book where not that much actually "happens" in terms of plot events, and the main things that do happen are signposted fairly early on, so they're not surprises and they're not meant to be. The characters spend a lot of time traveling over sea and land and having thoughtful conversations about the nature of life, death, power, and what they are doing; the book is content to sit with them and listen. The beauty of the language and the depth of what's discussed make it a wonderful book to sink into and feel that there is space to think.
( cut for vaguely spoilery discussion that assumes you've read the book )
This was supposed to be the final book of the series, and it was 18 years before Le Guin added book four. If I stick to my planned re-read schedule, it's going to be just about a year until I get to Tehanu. It is tempting to skip ahead! But part of why I'm doing this chronologically is that I want to look at Le Guin's development as a writer over time and how she went from being the author who wrote A Wizard of Earthsea to being the author who wrote Tehanu. We've got a ways to go yet.
Even though I have read this book many times, I still find it almost shockingly good. Sometimes when reading it I have a wild urge to shake it and demand how?! how are you so good?? But that might be a little weird so I try to restrain myself.
It's a short book, but well-paced, and I think it feels longer than it is. It is a book where not that much actually "happens" in terms of plot events, and the main things that do happen are signposted fairly early on, so they're not surprises and they're not meant to be. The characters spend a lot of time traveling over sea and land and having thoughtful conversations about the nature of life, death, power, and what they are doing; the book is content to sit with them and listen. The beauty of the language and the depth of what's discussed make it a wonderful book to sink into and feel that there is space to think.
( cut for vaguely spoilery discussion that assumes you've read the book )
This was supposed to be the final book of the series, and it was 18 years before Le Guin added book four. If I stick to my planned re-read schedule, it's going to be just about a year until I get to Tehanu. It is tempting to skip ahead! But part of why I'm doing this chronologically is that I want to look at Le Guin's development as a writer over time and how she went from being the author who wrote A Wizard of Earthsea to being the author who wrote Tehanu. We've got a ways to go yet.
lightofdaye (lightofdaye) wrote2025-07-01 09:26 pm
lightofdaye) wrote2025-07-01 09:26 pmEntry tags:
Double Drabble: Recognition (Albus Severus, Slughorn)
Title: Recognition
Rating: PG
Characters & Pairing: Albus Severus Potter, Horace Slughorn
Word Count: 2 x 100
Content: mildly cracky/non-serious, canon typical violence, Al has a temper
Disclaimer: The characters, settings and HP Franchise as a whole are owned by JKR and not by me. I make no profit from writing this piece of fanfiction.
Summary: Al encounters trouble on the train.
A/n: Unbeta'd. Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hp_nextgen100's Prompt #329: "Lightning". At the risk of underming myself, not the best, only one I could think of. Please ignore that Slughorn's career would have had to have lasted well over seventy years for him to teach nextgen.
( Recognition )
Rating: PG
Characters & Pairing: Albus Severus Potter, Horace Slughorn
Word Count: 2 x 100
Content: mildly cracky/non-serious, canon typical violence, Al has a temper
Disclaimer: The characters, settings and HP Franchise as a whole are owned by JKR and not by me. I make no profit from writing this piece of fanfiction.
Summary: Al encounters trouble on the train.
A/n: Unbeta'd. Written for
hp_nextgen100's Prompt #329: "Lightning". At the risk of underming myself, not the best, only one I could think of. Please ignore that Slughorn's career would have had to have lasted well over seventy years for him to teach nextgen.( Recognition )
pauraque (pauraque) wrote2025-07-01 04:28 pm
pauraque) wrote2025-07-01 04:28 pmEntry tags:
Sunshine Revival Challenge #1
This year sunshine_revival is picking up where sunshine_challenge left off. Yay! Anyone is welcome to participate with no sign-ups or obligations. There's also a friending meme!
That said, hitting the second half of the year always sets off my fears that I'm not doing or accomplishing "enough," whatever that means, and this year I'm trying to counter that by actively choosing to do a little less this summer and give myself a break. Just because my job is less busy in the summer doesn't mean I need to fill up all the time with more activities! I've temporarily stepped back from a few things, which is really hard for me to do because it messes with the part of my anxiety that takes the form of Must Always Show Up And Never Miss Anything. But of course it is not actually possible to always show up for everything, and never resting leads to burnout. I know that, and I'm trying to be better about acting on it.
And on that note, I'm skipping the creative prompt. Not that the mods have in any way suggested that people should or must do both prompts! I'm just patting myself on the back for not trying to overachieve. :D
sunshine_revival is picking up where sunshine_challenge left off. Yay! Anyone is welcome to participate with no sign-ups or obligations. There's also a friending meme!Challenge #1In terms of journaling, the goals question is an easy one. This year I've been aiming for posting one book review and one game review per week. I already know what July's books will be and three of those reviews are already written. I like to have a backlog so weeks don't sneak up on me and become a scramble. By my standards I'm a little behind on games (only this week's post is ready to go! gasp!) and I'm not sure yet what the other games will be. I want to do some more retro titles since I've been leaning towards modern games lately. So one July goal is to play some old games and/or finish the ones I'm in the middle of. And to figure out what I'm reading/playing for August.
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.
That said, hitting the second half of the year always sets off my fears that I'm not doing or accomplishing "enough," whatever that means, and this year I'm trying to counter that by actively choosing to do a little less this summer and give myself a break. Just because my job is less busy in the summer doesn't mean I need to fill up all the time with more activities! I've temporarily stepped back from a few things, which is really hard for me to do because it messes with the part of my anxiety that takes the form of Must Always Show Up And Never Miss Anything. But of course it is not actually possible to always show up for everything, and never resting leads to burnout. I know that, and I'm trying to be better about acting on it.
And on that note, I'm skipping the creative prompt. Not that the mods have in any way suggested that people should or must do both prompts! I'm just patting myself on the back for not trying to overachieve. :D
alierak (alierak) wrote in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_maintenance2025-06-30 03:18 pm
alierak) wrote in dw_maintenance2025-06-30 03:18 pmRebuilding journal search again
We're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
pauraque (pauraque) wrote2025-06-30 04:07 pm
pauraque) wrote2025-06-30 04:07 pmpictures for June
Ox-eye Daisy.
( more flowers [7 photos] )
( birds [3 photos] )
( bugs [4 photos] )
( miscellaneous [4 photos] )
alisanne (alisanne) wrote in dracoharry1002025-06-29 05:21 pm
alisanne) wrote in dracoharry1002025-06-29 05:21 pmChallenge #853
Welcome back to another DracoHarry Sunday!
Last week our teams tied once again, meaning our score remains: Death Eaters 383, Aurors’ 407.
This week’s new prompt is:
Challenge #853: Currency
Happy drabbling!
Last week our teams tied once again, meaning our score remains: Death Eaters 383, Aurors’ 407.
This week’s new prompt is:
Happy drabbling!
maraudersaffair (maraudersaffair) wrote in dracoharry1002025-06-29 12:47 pm
maraudersaffair) wrote in dracoharry1002025-06-29 12:47 pmEntry tags:
Challenge #852
Title: Do You Mean to Flirt?
Author:maraudersaffair
Team: DE
Word count: 300
Characters/pairings: Drarry
Challenge: Challenge #852
Authors Notes: Thanks <3
Read Here
Author:
maraudersaffairTeam: DE
Word count: 300
Characters/pairings: Drarry
Challenge: Challenge #852
Authors Notes: Thanks <3
Read Here
pauraque (pauraque) wrote2025-06-28 12:21 pm
pauraque) wrote2025-06-28 12:21 pmGet in the Car, Loser! (2021)
Concluding Pride Month media, I played Get in the Car, Loser! which is a queer road trip fantasy RPG. The lead developer Christine Love is a trans woman, and I'm not sure if everyone who worked on the game is trans but it looks like it's at least a high proportion.
The story primarily focuses on Sam, an anxious goth trans girl who's studying magic in college. Her classmate Grace steals a mystical sword and then recruits Sam to be her party's healer on a quest to defeat the evil Machine Devil (who, disappointingly, isn't this guy). It's going to be a bit of a drive to the Machine Devil's lair, but fortunately Grace's nonbinary partner Valentin has a car, and also serves as the party's tank. The contemporary-fantasy worldbuilding is only lightly sketched but that's all that's needed; the quest to beat the Machine Devil just provides a framework for the characters to talk to each other, build connections, and grapple with their own insecurities and inner conflicts.
( Read more... )
Get in the Car, Loser! is normally $24.99 USD on Steam, but is currently on sale for $17.49 USD, so this would be a good time to pick it up if it sounds like your thing!
The story primarily focuses on Sam, an anxious goth trans girl who's studying magic in college. Her classmate Grace steals a mystical sword and then recruits Sam to be her party's healer on a quest to defeat the evil Machine Devil (who, disappointingly, isn't this guy). It's going to be a bit of a drive to the Machine Devil's lair, but fortunately Grace's nonbinary partner Valentin has a car, and also serves as the party's tank. The contemporary-fantasy worldbuilding is only lightly sketched but that's all that's needed; the quest to beat the Machine Devil just provides a framework for the characters to talk to each other, build connections, and grapple with their own insecurities and inner conflicts.
( Read more... )
Get in the Car, Loser! is normally $24.99 USD on Steam, but is currently on sale for $17.49 USD, so this would be a good time to pick it up if it sounds like your thing!
lightofdaye (lightofdaye) wrote2025-06-28 12:24 pm
lightofdaye) wrote2025-06-28 12:24 pmEntry tags:
Fic: Gifted (Teddy/James/Victoire)
Title: Gifted
Rating: NC-17
Characters & Pairing: Teddy Lupin/James Sirus Potter/Victoire Weasley
Word Count: 380
Content: PWP, threesome - MMF, slash/bi-men, anal sex, directed sex
Disclaimer: The characters, settings and HP Franchise as a whole are owned by JKR and not by me. I make no profit from writing this piece of fanfiction.
Summary: It's James' birthday but is he getting a gift or is he the gift?
A/n: Fortorino10154 on her birthday. Hope it's a good one.
( Gifted )
Rating: NC-17
Characters & Pairing: Teddy Lupin/James Sirus Potter/Victoire Weasley
Word Count: 380
Content: PWP, threesome - MMF, slash/bi-men, anal sex, directed sex
Disclaimer: The characters, settings and HP Franchise as a whole are owned by JKR and not by me. I make no profit from writing this piece of fanfiction.
Summary: It's James' birthday but is he getting a gift or is he the gift?
A/n: For
torino10154 on her birthday. Hope it's a good one.( Gifted )