feuervogel | Reading

As if the fact that they were playing around with synthesizers in the early '80s wasn't proof enough that The Human League were big geeks, I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole the other day and learned that their name came from a 1974 science fiction board game called Star Force: Alpha Centauri.

On a whim, I just checked and one can buy a copy of Star Force: Alpha Centauri on Ebay for about $20, including shipping.

And, in a final bit of trivia, the design of Star Force: Alpha Centauri, Redmond A. Simonsen, is credited with inventing the term "game designer." (According to an obituary for Simonsen written by Greg Costikyan: "Before he did, we had no good term – game inventor, game author... but he put his finger on what we do.")

When I was playing "Time in a Bottle" last night, I noticed an Easter egg in the chorus. The chorus is like this: (The numbers in parentheses are the frets to play the chord on a ukulele. The bolded numbers will be explained below.)

D (2-2-2-5)
DMaj7 (2-2-2-4)
D6 (2-2-2-2)
D (2-2-2-0) alternate fingering for D
G (0-2-3-2)
G6 (0-2-2-2)
Em7 (0-2-0-2)
A7 (0-1-0-0)

The notes played by the bolded numbers are: D, C#, B, A, G, F#, E, A. Those notes may look kind of familiar to some of you: Pachelbel's Canon in D goes D, C#, B, A, G, F#, G, A! The seventh note is different, but otherwise it's the same, even in the same key!

Today I finally got around to watching the trailer for the new Fantastic Four movie. I am absolutely jaw-dropped and looking forward to seeing this movie, which I never really expected to be. It's as if someone at Marvel read my post from last year about why previous Fantastic Four movies hadn't really worked well and taken my ideas to heart. I don't think I can ever recall a studio making the movie I wanted them to make!

Which sums up so much, really. In a very short time last week, the following things happened:

I successfully sold one of Jana's design bindings (my personal fav, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) to a book collector. Not the institution I had hoped for but still good news and very helpful.I also managed to rehome/sell a bunch of her reference books and remaining tools with someone else who was one of her students and a colleague.
I got news that Jana is getting a posthumous Laura Young Award from the Guild of Bookworkers this year in Iowa City. One the one hand, this is "Yay! Awesome!" and very well-deserved, On the other, I am kind of resentful that this recognition couldn't have come in the Before Times so she could have enjoyed it, given that was when she did the bulk of the work that is being honored. But so it goes. Now I have to figure out how I'll fit in a trip to Iowa City in October, especially as I may be unemployed.
Because that is the other thing that happened on the same afternoon last week. I got word that my contract wasn't going to be extended so I'm out on 7/2. On the one hand, this fairly toxic project was starting to be bad for my mental health, especially after what I've been through already this year. On the other, super fond of the paychecks and not yet in a position for retirement to be more than a good joke amongst friends. And, of course, Readercon (midJuly) has been a goal for ages and is partially paid for and Worldcon in Seattle (mid August) is paid for with the exception of hotel, food and sundries and I have a roommate and a friend to travel on the train with, so cancelling is not on the table.
I did go to 4th Street Fantasy over the weekend and had a perfectly nice time with friends. And I wore my Alice B. Readers' medal pinned to my chest like a Napoleanic general all weekend because I'm not going to get another lifetime achievement award (in all likelihood) so I'd best appreciate it while I can.
I had a really nice queer elder moment this weekend. A local young person is trying to spin up a homemade scones delivered by bike business that I have ordered from a few times and they reached out on Sunday to ask if they could stop by to give me some scones since they had extra from their last sale. We had a nice chat and i enjoyed the intergenerational bonding. Will try and do more of this!
I watched "Ballerina" and "In the Lost Lands" in the last week and they are both terrible in different ways, but also action-packed and entertaining fun. Very, very high body count and quite gory if those are things you wish to avoid.
Things that would be helpful as I embark on another effin' round of job hunting:

Job referrals for analyst gigs - as much WFH as possible. Shu is not doing well and I'd need to pay someone to check on him otherwise (this is what I do when I have all day events, given his shot schedule).
Check out the Pride StoryBundle - buy one if you can, encourage your friends to do the same, recommend it to others and boost if you can't buy. Melissa and I split the curator's fee so the more we sell, the better we do. It also means more money for the publishers and authors as well as for Rainbow Railroad so very much a win/win.
Hire me! I edit, I coach people on publishing and marketing, I can format ebooks, give talks, teach classes and workshops and all that good stuff. I write fiction, nonfiction and media tie-ins - invite me to write or edit for your project!
I have a Patreon that supports both me and Queen of Swords. The tiers are nonsense at this point - everybody gets something and any amount helps.
Buy books or get your library to buy Queen of Swords Press titles. Reviews and recommendations help lots too!
Stay tuned - I'll be putting stuff up for sale online, including finally getting Jana's boxes up on my Ko-fi. I'm looking at article pitches and CFS and crowdfunding a Queen of Swords Press project. Oh, and finally writing that next novel and digging into writing a new short story collection and more.

Am I aware of what's going on in the outside world? Yes. Doing what I can to make things better where I can, but I also gotta consider what happens to me, my cats and so forth so that needs to be the priority. Hugs all around if you need them.

Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology

Out in ebook and paperback on July 1. My story is "Data Ghost"

https://bookshop.org/p/books/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology/a74b320486117220?ean=9798992595406&next=t

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/storyteller-a-tanith-lee-tribute-anthology?sId=e0bafab6-32a8-4ffb-9436-2dcda473349c

Edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney. Stories by Martha Wells, Andy Duncan, C.S.E. Cooney, Nisi Shawl, Mike Allen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, CL Hellisen, Maya Deane, Rocío Rincón Fernández, Theodora Goss, Getty Hesse, Starlene Justice, Amelia Mangan, Michael Yuya Montroy, Marisca Pichette, KT Wagner.

Sixteen new stories from some of today's most renowned authors. All inspired by the master storyteller Tanith Lee.

Drowning cities and unicorns. Burning deserts and forgotten gods. Golems, elf warriors, and inner-Earthers. Alien lifeforms and museum workers. Ancient plagues and the future of humanity. The familiar and the fantastical. Each story in this anthology is both unique and compelling: from fairy-tale retellings to romance-tinged high fantasy, from nihilistic horror to gripping science fiction. Immersive, wide-ranging, and sublime, Storyteller features worlds and characters that are sure to travel with you long after the last page has been read.

***

Short Story: "Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy" by Martha Wells

will be available on Reactor Magazine on July 10

Illustrated by Jaime Jones
Edited by Lee Harris

Perihelion and its crew embark on a dangerous new mission at a corporate-controlled station in the throes of a hostile takeover...

***

Summer of Science Fiction & Fantasy: Martha Wells in conversation with Kate Elliott

https://www.clarionwest.org/event/summer-of-science-fiction-fantasy-martha-wells-in-conversation-with-kate-elliott/

July 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm PDT

The Clarion West Summer Reading Series will be held virtually and streamed live over Zoom during the Six-Week Workshop.

Join us for our final event, a conversation between Martha Wells and Kate Elliott!

This event will begin with a conversation between Martha and Kate. There will be time to take questions from the audience. Participants will be able to submit questions in the webinar.

***

The New Yorker announced "Platform Decay" will be the next Murderbot novella. No word on publication date yet.

***

Grimoire: A Grim Oak Press Anthology For Seattle Worldcon 2025

https://grimoakpress.com/products/grimoire-a-grim-oak-press-anthology-for-seattle-worldcon-2025

My story is a fantasy called "Birthright" which is reprint that's not currently available anywhere else.

***

Queen Demon, the sequel to Witch King, second book of the Rising World, is up for preorder and will be released in ebook, audiobook, and hardcover on October 7.

From the breakout SFF superstar author of Murderbot comes the remarkable sequel to the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling novel, Witch King. A fantasy of epic scope, Queen Demon is a story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose.

Dahin believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.

Can Kai stop the rise of a new Hierarch?

And can he trust his companions to do what's right?

Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/queen-demon-martha-wells/21751501?ean=9781250826916

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen-demon-martha-wells/1146167707?ean=9781250826916

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/queen-demon

Audiobook Libro.fm https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250291981-queen-demon

Bakka-Phoenix (indie bookstore in Canada): https://bakkaphoenixbooks.com/item/3Czr8TaWU9-_fwJ25ytSCw

In ‘Murderbot,’ an anxious scientist and an autonomous robot develop a workplace-trauma bond

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-06-13/murderbot-episode-6-alexander-skarsgard-noma-dumezweni

Leading a TV series is a first for Dumezweni, who has previously been cast in smaller roles. She wasn’t convinced by the initial pitch at first because sci-fi hasn’t traditionally had a lot of major roles for actors of color.

“Usually I’d come in and play the receptionist,” she says. “I love to watch sci-fi. But I wondered: Who am I going to be in this sci-fi world?”

However, once she learned more about the world and the character, the actor changed her mind.

“It was an absolute joy to discover that there was nothing that Chris and Paul had to change to make it representational,” Dumezweni says. “It’s lovely not to have to fight for people’s positions in the world based on their skin color.”

ETA: Wanted to add this one real quick from BlueSky:

Vestal Magazine: Noma Dumezweni -- Off Canvas

https://www.vestalmag.com/noma-dumezweni

Set in a near future where the line between machine and human is increasingly blurred, Murderbot explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it truly means to be alive through the eyes of a self-aware security android. Adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved The Murderbot Diaries novels, the series blends gripping sci-fi action with sharp, witty humor. At the heart of the story is Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Dr. Ayda Mensah, the thoughtful leader of a pacifist civilization struggling to uphold her community’s ideals amid a universe dominated by corporate greed and political tensions. Noma brings to the role a grounded strength, embodying the delicate balance between idealism and pragmatism as her character wrestles with the burdens of leadership and moral compromise. The parallels between Noma and Ayda run deep: both choose to lead with heart, courage, and conviction. “Your head will try to talk you out of that feeling of expansion. It will tell you, ‘You can’t do this,’” Noma says. “Trust your body, trust your instinct. Your body knows the truth.” That instinct and bravery have guided her career, from becoming the first Black actress to portray Hermione Granger on stage, a landmark moment for representation in theater, to winning two Laurence Olivier Awards and becoming a beacon of inspiration for a new generation of actors. Like Ayda, Noma has forged a path not only of leadership, but of quiet, transformative power.

Lovely photos in this!

(Historical reference.)

"Maybe I'm Trans?" badges

Raising money for the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, who have been doing excellent things like organizing this parliamentary briefing:

Attitude: Trans+ legal experts warn Supreme Court ruling could breach human rights as 60+ attend Parliament briefing

Empanadas (masaco and nutellla), rosemary plant, yellow sweet cherries, tart cherries, red raspberries, black raspberries, almond croissant, bacon-and-gruyere wheel, sugar peas in pods, carrot-walnut mini-cake, chocolate raspberry mini-cake, walnut-chocolate cookies, and locally grown brown rice.

My fave is the semicolon; however, I refuse to cede em-dashes or any other punctuation marks to ChatGPT.

These attacks on the em dash — a ChatGPT hyphen? How very dare you! — have in turn blazed across social media spaces populated by the kind of folks who will tell you, unprompted, that they have a favorite punctuation mark and what it is. (It is very likely the em dash.) — https://www.salon.com/2025/06/11/ai-cant-have-my-em-dash/

No kings, no crowns -- and we may hit an historic high point with tomorrow's protests.

* Interview with Sue Chan, the production designer:

https://filmstories.co.uk/news/murderbot-designing-a-future-world-that-doesnt-look-like-alien/

“I started out by taking the most ancient societies on each continent – Etruscans, Asian, European, and African cultures,” Chan tells us. “I looked at the most fundamental motifs and gathered them into a bible, then asked my team to imagine 100 generations from now, when the diaspora of Earth have chosen to live together in society. How would they evolve a unified set of symbols? A language that really honours where they came from.”

This informed the alphabet that can be seen in the decoration painted across the otherwise grey, corporate habitat the PresAux crew are leasing. At the same time, acknowledging how much of the crew is queer and polyamorous, the colours of the rainbow are also entwined into their decorations.

“All of that is mashed up but it has a fundamental logic to it,” says Chan.

* Interview with Akshay Khanna (Ratthi):

https://squaremile.com/style/akshay-khanna-murderbot-actor-interview/

I’m incredibly excited for people to watch Murderbot on Apple TV+. Sci-fi has been my favourite genre by a country mile forever, and being on a show like this has always been a career goal of mine. Frankly, I had too much fun filming that show, and getting paid to do it constantly felt like I was getting away with something on set.

And the show is just so good. I can confidently say it’s fantastic – and if you don’t like it, then I would gently tell you that it’s OK to be wrong sometimes.

* Interview with Sabrina Wu (Pin-Lee):

https://www.autostraddle.com/sabrina-wu-interview-murderbot/

And then once I got the role, I read the books and I was legit just blown away at how funny the books were. I just haven’t seen such a dry sarcastic sensibility with this kind of hero sci-fi stories. And then I also just really liked that it was in the tradition of I felt like Octavia Butler, where it’s like, “oh, this is a queer imagining of the future.” So I don’t know. I just thought it was a really sweet, funny, different world. I also, obviously every comedian who becomes an actor, their dream is to get to work on something with action to move beyond an It’s Always Sunny kind of comedy. I believe there was already an opportunity for me to be in a spaceship and shoot guns, and it just made me happy that it was genuinely funny source material.

* Video interview with Tattiawna Jones (Arada) and Tamara Podemski (Bharadwaj):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllgfEekw9s

* And a video interview with Noma Dumezweni (Mensah)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZpigqUqZXQ

* and a video interview with Noma and David Dastmalchian (Gurathin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=361cKOujISE

* And a video interview (with a transcript) with Alexander Skarsgard, Jack McBrayer, and Paul and Chris Weitz:

https://collider.com/murderbot-alexander-skarsgard-jack-mcbrayer-creators-paul-weitz-chris-weitz/

* And there is a profile of me in The New Yorker (!!)

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/do-androids-dream-of-anything-at-all

* ETA: In ‘Murderbot,’ an anxious scientist and an autonomous robot develop a workplace-trauma bond

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-06-13/murderbot-episode-6-alexander-skarsgard-noma-dumezweni

Leading a TV series is a first for Dumezweni, who has previously been cast in smaller roles. She wasn’t convinced by the initial pitch at first because sci-fi hasn’t traditionally had a lot of major roles for actors of color.

“Usually I’d come in and play the receptionist,” she says. “I love to watch sci-fi. But I wondered: Who am I going to be in this sci-fi world?”

However, once she learned more about the world and the character, the actor changed her mind.

“It was an absolute joy to discover that there was nothing that Chris and Paul had to change to make it representational,” Dumezweni says. “It’s lovely not to have to fight for people’s positions in the world based on their skin color.”

*
ETA: Wanted to add this one real quick from BlueSky:

Vestal Magazine: Noma Dumezweni -- Off Canvas

https://www.vestalmag.com/noma-dumezweni

Set in a near future where the line between machine and human is increasingly blurred, Murderbot explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it truly means to be alive through the eyes of a self-aware security android. Adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved The Murderbot Diaries novels, the series blends gripping sci-fi action with sharp, witty humor. At the heart of the story is Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Dr. Ayda Mensah, the thoughtful leader of a pacifist civilization struggling to uphold her community’s ideals amid a universe dominated by corporate greed and political tensions. Noma brings to the role a grounded strength, embodying the delicate balance between idealism and pragmatism as her character wrestles with the burdens of leadership and moral compromise. The parallels between Noma and Ayda run deep: both choose to lead with heart, courage, and conviction. “Your head will try to talk you out of that feeling of expansion. It will tell you, ‘You can’t do this,’” Noma says. “Trust your body, trust your instinct. Your body knows the truth.” That instinct and bravery have guided her career, from becoming the first Black actress to portray Hermione Granger on stage, a landmark moment for representation in theater, to winning two Laurence Olivier Awards and becoming a beacon of inspiration for a new generation of actors. Like Ayda, Noma has forged a path not only of leadership, but of quiet, transformative power.

Lovely photos in this!

Anyone can be shouty, edgy, and black.

There seems to be more than one band with a pink logo, but this song surely features the most metal instrument of all times:

the recorder.

Watch on YouTube

(For Germans: This is Torfrock. Brings back memories. I got there via Platt folk songs: Dat Du meen Leevsten büst -> Nakich bün ick gor nich mehr so schmuck (from recommendations - c'mon, I had to listen to that [*]) -> other Torfrock songs -> WTF???)

[*] There's an English language folk song, 'I just don't look good naked anymore' of which this is riffing off. And in typical Torfrock manner, it's a lot more direct. ('schmuck' is an adjective used for attractive people, so... yeah. I still understand a fair bit of it. Not all, though, which is annoying.).

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: amused

I wanted to make a post about shiny math rocks, and will do so at a later time, but my experience has been marred a bit by customer service issues.

( Same problem, different solutions )

I definitely need to find more opportunities to play DnD.

Current Mood: disappointed

3	Transformers: Bumblebee	I	The Gift Horse	February 2010	June 09, 2025
4	Transformers	I	Things Fall Apart (pt. 3): Seasons in Flight	January 2010	June 09, 2025
7	52		Going Down	April 2006	June 11, 2025	BBfB 170

A look at the events behind what's happening today in LA.

19	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures		The Man Who Sold the World	April 1991	June 07, 2025
1	🦇 Run, Riddler, Run		The Road to Hell	June 1992	June 08, 2025	BBfB 46

Current Mood: cold

I learned today about Chris Osmond's "Human Words Project," a way for writers to indicate that their work is 100% human words, i.e. not generated by AI. Here's the logo for it, which you can add to your projects, if you want:

Human Words Project logo

ETA: Note that this is not the original logo. The website was moved after the original logo was created. I took the liberty of editing the logo to reflect the current URL, and at the same time changed the size of the logo, deleted a lot of white space around it, and changed the file type to JPG (thus making the file MUCH smaller).

Some thoughts on jobs that used to exist and don't, anymore, because of mechanization, progress, and the potential future job losses to AI.

Three quarts of strawberries, 3 pints of sweet cherries, a pint of sugar peas, locally grown brown rice, locally grown polenta, large soft pretzel, gruyere-bacon pastry wheel, lemon tart, fennel plant, dill plant, zinnia, cilantro, basil (all three plants given away by the local Master Gardeners group).

I guess I'm making strawberry jam this weekend.

I'm on hiatus here generally; if you've emailed me and haven't heard back, I'm triaging due to work/other commitments. (In one case, there's someone with, I think, a name starting with C who emailed me a lovely note the week after my concussion and I can't find the email; I'm convinced I accidentally concussedly deleted it because my hand-eye/focus were so shot I kept hitting random keys; if that's you, I'm very sorry!) I will try to catch up when work/life permit. :]

Melissa Scott and i and have once again curated the Pride StoryBundle and it is full of great queer books by great queer writers! This year's lineup:

We're Here: Best Queer Speculative Fiction of 2023 edited by Darcie Little Badger and Charles Payseur
Point of Dreams (Astreiant #3) by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomolo
These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein
Be the Sea by Clara Ward
Fallen by Melissa Scott
A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert
Luminescent Machinations edited by Rhiannon Rasmussen and dave ring
Fairs' Point (Astreiant #4)
So You Want to be a Robot by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
Price of a Thousand Blessings by Ginn Hale
Reforged by Seth Haddan
Welcome to Boy.Net by Lyda Morehouse
Power to Yield by Bogi Takács

Everything from queer high fantasy to trans cyberpunk, short stories to novels, award-winning authors to debut authors and for $25 you get all 14 books AND you can designate part of your purchase price (no extra cost!) for Rainbow Railroad's work with LGBTQ refugees! Heckuva way to kick off Pride Month!

Profile

feuervogel

webcomics

June 2025

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Page Summary

brithistorian - The things you learn...
brithistorian - A musical puzzle?
brithistorian - It looks like fetch is going to happen!
catherineldf - And here we go again...
marthawells - Things Coming Out Next
marthawells - Another Murderbot interview
rydra_wong - In the spirit of the "I might be transsexual" badges at Michfest
neotoma - Farmer's Market -- 14 June 2025 (Jasmine Day, 26th of Meadows, Year 233)
firecat - Hey AI — hands off my em-dash
twistedchick - New Substack post
marthawells - Murderbot Day
green_knight - The true meaning of Metal
green_knight - Of Dice and Bots
wispywillow - (no subject)
twistedchick - New Substack post
wispywillow - 06.09.2025
brithistorian - Human Words Project
twistedchick - New Substack post
neotoma - Farmer's Market -- 7 June 2025 (Pitchfork Day, 20th of Meadows, Year 233)
yhlee - PSA
catherineldf - 2025 Pride StoryBundle!

Style Credit

Base style: Abstractia by chiming
Theme: Burnished by chiming

Page generated 19 Jun 2025 10:44 pm

Reading page

Reading

The things you learn...

A musical puzzle?

It looks like fetch is going to happen!

And here we go again...

Things Coming Out Next

Another Murderbot interview

In the spirit of the "I might be transsexual" badges at Michfest

Farmer's Market -- 14 June 2025 (Jasmine Day, 26th of Meadows, Year 233)

Hey AI — hands off my em-dash

New Substack post

Murderbot Day

The true meaning of Metal

Of Dice and Bots

(no subject)

New Substack post

06.09.2025

Human Words Project

New Substack post

Farmer's Market -- 7 June 2025 (Pitchfork Day, 20th of Meadows, Year 233)

PSA

2025 Pride StoryBundle!

Profile

webcomics

June 2025

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit