like butter scraped over too much bread

[halfcactus]

I am now 10 chapters into The Fellowship of the Ring (via audiobook), here are my journal pages on it. I'm a full month behind the Shelved by Genre (podcast) pace, and a lot of the things that are being discussed go right over my head anyway, but I'm enjoying having the readalong experience.

Some photos I took this month: 4 photos of flowers + 1 of a magnificent chicken that I passed by on the small residential road that I privately think of as "the chicken path". I'm trying to be better at ID-ing plants but it's not really going well.

I'm at the part of Legend of Mana where I have gotten the Sword of Mana artifact? But I still have so many quests left? Even though I totally messed up the artifact placements and have been locked out of a bunch of other quests? Shoutout to this beautifully designed Legend of Mana fansite + walkthrough which is so neatly organized and ad-free. Without its step-by-step dungeon guides I would have dropped this game within 5 hours and left too many quests unfinished because I can't be bothered to explore from place to place.

Just set up a personal fantranslation site (halfxin.bearblog.dev) for organizing old works--just audiodrama clips and fancomics for now. I'm not fannishly active in any capacity anymore, I just like clean websites.


Misc. links

Zhang Linghe’s face is the real star of Pursuit Of Jade – and that’s the point - h/t douqi, an entertaining little piece about the economics of TV and attractiveness.

深渊猫猫: A 4-koma-style slice-of-life comic on Bilibili about living with an eldritch cat.

Comments

[adore]

Zhang Linghe’s face is the real star of Pursuit Of Jade – and that’s the point - h/t douqi, an entertaining little piece about the economics of TV and attractiveness.

I agree very enthusiastically with all of this. We love to see it!

I read an article previously which said that the Ju Zhengping Studio and China's NRTA were criticising the emergence pretty heroes. Apart from the double standards (the heroines have always been pretty) it's so shortsighted about what makes us watch.

[halfcactus]

The movement against ~unrealistically pretty men~ is so ridiculous and hypocritical! It also reminds me of men who get threatened when they see girls being attracted to idols / pretty men and jeer at the latter for not being "manly" enough. Like, what is your deal lol

[adore]

It also reminds me of men who get threatened when they see girls being attracted to idols / pretty men and jeer at the latter for not being "manly" enough.

IKR it's so annoying lol. Men policing other men's masculinity is such a "I'm restricting myself and suffering so everyone else should, too" vibe.

I just want to sit those insecure men down and tell them, "Pretty men attract women, not you. Your approval isn't important here. Hope that helps. Go be happy with your manly men and leave the rest of us alone."