#stuff i like

[stuffilike2020]

[wombrion]

[flocktothelight]

season of harvest

[o-craven-canto]

I've started reading through Stephen Baxter's Xeelee Sequence (very recommende if, like me, you enjoy hardish science fiction set on truly cosmic space and time scales, and if you don't mind abundant body horror and endless bleakness) and slightly spoiling myself on later developments. I'm struck by how two facts, that would fit quite well in a more optimistic setting, are behind its horrid grimness.

This universe is incredibly prone to developing life and intelligence. It seems everything that exists -- quantum foam, dark matter, neutron star matter, star plasma, turbulent liquid -- will eventually sprout a whole civilization. This means the universe is full of radically different life form that have completely incompatible requirements for existence, and no ways to communicate meaningfully, or common background except for expansionism driven by natural selection; so First Contact is almost invariably enslavement or genocide.

The presence of relatively benign Precursors, namely the Xeelee, who can do near-magical feats of spacetime engineering and constantly leave powerful artifacts behind. They are even relatively nice, helping humanity escape extinction when the latter have launched a completely pointless war against them. However, these artifacts can be used and even replicated by lower-technology species, though without providing any information useful for other purposes. This means that, as soon as a species gets into space and finds such artifacts, they immediately give up scientific advancement -- what's the point? -- and start fighting over the Xeelee leftovers, since the first who gets its tentacles on starbreakers or nightfighters can rule all its neighbors.

Hence, "The Universe beyond the Solar System seemed to be a place full of petty, uncreative races endlessly competing for Xeelee scraps." (Ring, ch. 10).

(One of my favorite things about the Sequence, though, is how cosmic inflation, the matter/antimatter asymmetry, and the Great Attractor are all explained as part of Xeelee history. Not spoiling the details.)

[kick-girl]

I wish I had more time to draw my kotor fandom stuff, but I've been so busy prepping for my upcoming comic conventions that all my art time has been devoted to prep! Also lots of commission work too! Here's some original art pieces I've made recently! All of these are traditional art pieces I made using copic markers, micron pens, colored pencils, and pixie dust! I have 100 total for Phoenox Fan Fusion! And I'm working on creating some pieces for SDCC too! Since that's coming up fast! I usually only sell these at comic conventions for $45. They are so much fun to do. These are just a few samples! I hope you like them! Sorry I haven't posted fun stuff recently!

[bibixpgames]

The Aro-spec bundle is going strong! :D

Go from my magicals called the Love Squad to a comic about being partner free, to a story of a protagonist needing to go to the fairy realm and more all featuring arospec rep and often aro creators, like me! :3

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week Bundle: 23 items for $23.00

[sorrygoldfish]

ask me about...

(week of 6/22)

@dags-over-caravans recently reminded me that I used to post a little life update like this every week. I don't know if I'm going to keep it up as consistently, but for now:

...what I'm reading (books): Finishing up The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai. I DNFed Double Happiness by Heather Eng around the 66% point after struggling bravely through what might be the most poorly written sex scene I've ever read (like you could take notes from it on how not to write a sex scene, that's how bad it was).

After that it's Shapes of Love by L.V. Peñalba and Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero (between this and the Little Kitty, Big City game I am awash in cute cats, I am blessed).

...what I'm reading (fic): Nothing really. There are at least 5 or 6 very good fics that I'm behind on, but reading/writing fic has fallen kinda low on the priority list lately. I'm sure (I hope) it'll bump up higher again eventually.

...what I'm listening to: Olivia Rodrigo's new album 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' on repeat. It's kinda Chappell Roan-y, kinda Beach Boys-y, it has so many nods to the Cure, it's pure goldfish bait. 'drop dead' is my favorite track right now, the scansion tickles my brain just right.

Also, Videotape by Radiohead just made it on the TWAWKI playlist. It's never a good sign when that song shows up.

...what I'm watching: Just finished Widow's Bay and the finale was so satisfying! Patricia is everything, Ruth is everything and more, the setup for season 2 is perfect. Also (slowly) making my way through the last season of Hacks. Back during early pandemic times, some comedian/writer guy whose name I forget hosted Zoom wine tastings with funny people, and I watched one with Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello when they were just started to promote Hacks, and they kept referring to it as "HBO Max's Hacks on HBO Max" and I will forever call it that in my brain.

(I'm also still watching Love Island. Obviously.)

...what I'm eating: I'm in full on Weekly Gloop mode. I already do a lot of meal prepping so I don't have to make food decisions during the week (fuck you, ADHD!) so it's nothing groundbreaking AND YET I can feel extra brain space being freed up by not having to think about breakfast literally at all.

...what I'm working on: Nothing really. I keep fucking around with TWAWKI but I've hit such a road block that I might just scrap the entire chapter and rewrite it? So many of my lovely mutuals are still out here writing 10k chapters or a chapter a week and I'm like... how? How did I used to do that? Where'd that motivation go? I mean, my job has been nonstop stress since late April and shows no signs of letting up anytime soon, two people I know are going through cancer treatment, and it's running-around-outside-enjoying-9pm-sunsets time of year. So. That's where. But still.

I'm not officially tagging anyone or anything, but consider this an open invitation to share whatever's going on in your life because idk the world's on fire and all we have is each other.