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Dec. 7th, 2025 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysobelWe're on the final boss fight of the campaign. Said boss is hovering over a deep pit -- bad for melee, unless they have some form of flight.
My character rolls the highest initiative.
She is a L20 owlin monk. She has flight. She also has a) 70 feet of movement per turn, and b) magic items (and a feat) that gives extra damage for distance moved in a straight line just before the attack. Oh, and a potion that does bonus
First roll hit a nat 20.
Rolling 20 means damage dice are doubled; if you would normally do 2d6, on a crit you roll 4d6. Between the damage roll (doubled), the extra monk ability I always like to throw in (also doubled, plus poison for a round), and the bonus damage for straight lines (doubled), I did 119 points of damage.
I also have a feat that says if I get a critical hit, all attacks against that creature have advantage until my next turn.
So... a pretty good start.
I love this character.
(...I got a crit the next turn too.)
My character rolls the highest initiative.
She is a L20 owlin monk. She has flight. She also has a) 70 feet of movement per turn, and b) magic items (and a feat) that gives extra damage for distance moved in a straight line just before the attack. Oh, and a potion that does bonus
First roll hit a nat 20.
Rolling 20 means damage dice are doubled; if you would normally do 2d6, on a crit you roll 4d6. Between the damage roll (doubled), the extra monk ability I always like to throw in (also doubled, plus poison for a round), and the bonus damage for straight lines (doubled), I did 119 points of damage.
I also have a feat that says if I get a critical hit, all attacks against that creature have advantage until my next turn.
So... a pretty good start.
I love this character.
(...I got a crit the next turn too.)
The Montessori Child: A Parent's Guide to Raising Capable Children...
Dec. 7th, 2025 05:02 pmlightreadsThe Montessori Child
4/5. What it sounds like, focusing mostly on the 6-12 age range, and a bit on the teenage years. A good survey book that passes lightly over a lot of things and gives good recommendations for where to look for deeper info. The sort of book that will say in passing that of course a child’s gender may not be as a parent wants or expects and a parent should follow the child’s lead. Good information delivered in a paragraph whereas the people who need it the most probably need a full book on it. Useful to me largely in that it made me realize that I already know most of this, at least in general. Good to know some things have stuck after all the parent ed Cb’s montessori school does.
4/5. What it sounds like, focusing mostly on the 6-12 age range, and a bit on the teenage years. A good survey book that passes lightly over a lot of things and gives good recommendations for where to look for deeper info. The sort of book that will say in passing that of course a child’s gender may not be as a parent wants or expects and a parent should follow the child’s lead. Good information delivered in a paragraph whereas the people who need it the most probably need a full book on it. Useful to me largely in that it made me realize that I already know most of this, at least in general. Good to know some things have stuck after all the parent ed Cb’s montessori school does.
[ SECRET POST #6911 ]
Dec. 7th, 2025 03:15 pmcase posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6911 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 42 secrets from Secret Submission Post #987.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
misc.
Dec. 6th, 2025 06:10 pmaethel1. Dreamwidth's December points bonus has started. dw_news also has an update on some of the state-level censorship legislation.
2. I found another quirky booktuber to watch: Michael K Vaughan. See Classics of Literature…or ARE they?
3. I recently watched The Green Knight and thought the scenes I could see were very pretty, but it seemed to be less gay than the poem?? I need to reread the poem.
4. 2025 reading progress: 102 books
Most recently finished: Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I had previously read this one as a teenager; the concept is interesting, but this time I couldn't help noticing that it mainly consisted of men explaining things to each other--no action, no female characters.
Most recently abandoned: Mr Collins in Love
Currently reading: Native Nations (will probably have to return this to the library before I finish); Ancillary Sword (I listened to the audiobook of Ancillary Justice, but the whole trilogy was sitting on the bookshelf in paperback, so I couldn't stop at just one); Salt Magic, Skin Magic (same author as Mr Collins in Love, but with characters who aren't the most annoying character in Jane Austen); and A Princess of Mars (I expected it to be dated and sexist, but I didn't realize the hero was a former Confederate soldier)
2. I found another quirky booktuber to watch: Michael K Vaughan. See Classics of Literature…or ARE they?
3. I recently watched The Green Knight and thought the scenes I could see were very pretty, but it seemed to be less gay than the poem?? I need to reread the poem.
4. 2025 reading progress: 102 books
Most recently finished: Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I had previously read this one as a teenager; the concept is interesting, but this time I couldn't help noticing that it mainly consisted of men explaining things to each other--no action, no female characters.
Most recently abandoned: Mr Collins in Love
Currently reading: Native Nations (will probably have to return this to the library before I finish); Ancillary Sword (I listened to the audiobook of Ancillary Justice, but the whole trilogy was sitting on the bookshelf in paperback, so I couldn't stop at just one); Salt Magic, Skin Magic (same author as Mr Collins in Love, but with characters who aren't the most annoying character in Jane Austen); and A Princess of Mars (I expected it to be dated and sexist, but I didn't realize the hero was a former Confederate soldier)
At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Dec. 6th, 2025 03:55 pmlightreadsAt Midnight Comes the Cry
3/5. Tenth in this series of mysteries about the episcopal priest and the police chief (they are married with baby at this point).
I’m always happy to spend more time with these characters, but I’m gonna be honest here: I come to this series for small town stuff and mysteries and a light but intense approach to relationships. I do not come for white nationalist terrorism or action movie stuff. And yet, guess what I got here.
This also feels like a final book, with a weirdly pasted on ‘five years later’ epilogue. Which is fine if that’s how it is, but I was disappointed in the treatment that a secondary couple got. She is so good at relationships that shouldn’t work but do. In this case, a divorced woman in her thirties with young kids and a history in the porn industry, and an early twenties rookie on the police force. She does messy but magnetic so well, and she let them develop over many books. So I found the conclusion(?) to their story here, and how little attention was paid to the thorny emotional stuff between them, to be uncharacteristic and disappointing. Same take on the resolution(?) of the addiction plotline.
Content notes: White nationalism of several flavors, violence (domestic and otherwise)
3/5. Tenth in this series of mysteries about the episcopal priest and the police chief (they are married with baby at this point).
I’m always happy to spend more time with these characters, but I’m gonna be honest here: I come to this series for small town stuff and mysteries and a light but intense approach to relationships. I do not come for white nationalist terrorism or action movie stuff. And yet, guess what I got here.
This also feels like a final book, with a weirdly pasted on ‘five years later’ epilogue. Which is fine if that’s how it is, but I was disappointed in the treatment that a secondary couple got. She is so good at relationships that shouldn’t work but do. In this case, a divorced woman in her thirties with young kids and a history in the porn industry, and an early twenties rookie on the police force. She does messy but magnetic so well, and she let them develop over many books. So I found the conclusion(?) to their story here, and how little attention was paid to the thorny emotional stuff between them, to be uncharacteristic and disappointing. Same take on the resolution(?) of the addiction plotline.
Content notes: White nationalism of several flavors, violence (domestic and otherwise)
also recent reading
Dec. 6th, 2025 11:46 amthistleingrey(Formerly stalled drafts have been nudged by end-of-term exams, in progress.)
Sonali Dev, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, The Rajes 1 (2019)
Recipe for Persuasion, The Rajes 2 (2020)
Incense and Sensibility, The Rajes 3 (2021)
Beyond the pairwise romance ostensibly cranking its plot, the first book is a love letter to third-culture kids whose lives have been bent by contradictory familial expectations, and an acknowledgment of bits of the wreckage wrought by postcolonial aspiration. Light touch, relatively, but I appreciate that these books say some of the quiet things aloud about costs and---better---that several characters encourage each other to speak to someone specific.
"Raje" isn't ordinarily a surname, which makes it a good choice.
Perhaps the most important feature of the setting, as a fix-it, is that when the kids who figure in these books as adult characters were growing up, several older relatives were local. I also appreciate the queer side-character situationship, whose arc suits the books' setting.
Anyway, four books total---none for Mansfield Park, which I think would be tough to fit. The fourth is The Emma Project (2022), which I've begun.
Sonali Dev, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, The Rajes 1 (2019)
Recipe for Persuasion, The Rajes 2 (2020)
Incense and Sensibility, The Rajes 3 (2021)
Beyond the pairwise romance ostensibly cranking its plot, the first book is a love letter to third-culture kids whose lives have been bent by contradictory familial expectations, and an acknowledgment of bits of the wreckage wrought by postcolonial aspiration. Light touch, relatively, but I appreciate that these books say some of the quiet things aloud about costs and---better---that several characters encourage each other to speak to someone specific.
"Raje" isn't ordinarily a surname, which makes it a good choice.
Perhaps the most important feature of the setting, as a fix-it, is that when the kids who figure in these books as adult characters were growing up, several older relatives were local. I also appreciate the queer side-character situationship, whose arc suits the books' setting.
Anyway, four books total---none for Mansfield Park, which I think would be tough to fit. The fourth is The Emma Project (2022), which I've begun.
[ SECRET POST #6910 ]
Dec. 6th, 2025 02:43 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6910 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 49 secrets from Secret Submission Post #987.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
[ SECRET SUBMISSIONS POST #988 ]
Dec. 6th, 2025 02:35 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets[ SECRET SUBMISSIONS POST #988 ]
The first secret from this batch will be posted on December 13th.
The first secret from this batch will be posted on December 13th.
| RULES: 1. One secret link per comment. 2. 750x750 px or smaller. 3. Link directly to the image. More details on how to send a secret in! Optional: If you would like your secret's fandom to be noted in the main post along with the secret itself, please put it in the comment along with your secret. If your secret makes the fandom obvious, there's no need to do this. If your fandom is obscure, you should probably tell me what it is. Optional #2: If you would like WARNINGS (such as spoilers or common triggers -- list of some common ones here) to be noted in the main post before the secret itself, please put it in the comment along with your secret. Optional #3: If you would like a transcript to be posted along with your secret, put it along with the link in the comment! |
Sunday Online Chat
Dec. 6th, 2025 09:25 amsartoriasI need to remember to mention these (rare) things in case one or two of you have free time at 9:00a.m. Pacific time Sunday the 7th. B Cubed Press Sunday Brunch, on Youtube, hosts a live chat. Tomorrow I'm to be included, for what will begin as a chat about preparing for readings, but might go in any direction.
New Vid: Philip Swift/Syrena Fan Video - Sirens
Dec. 5th, 2025 11:13 pmbrokenframe posting in vidding(no subject)
Dec. 5th, 2025 10:39 pmysobelSo my plan of quitting Duo at 4K days has gone from "vaguely in the future" to, uh, tomorrow.
It feels weird. And me being me, I'm second guessing myself. But then in a matching exercise it gave me patada (kick, as far as I can tell a noun) on the Spanish side and "to give somebody the push" on the English side, and that is a) a British phrase for firing someone, b) that is a verb, c) an unlikely translation, and d) completely novel to me both in general and on Duo and thus unhelpful for learning.
So, tomorrow is my last session and then I'm done.
It feels weird. And me being me, I'm second guessing myself. But then in a matching exercise it gave me patada (kick, as far as I can tell a noun) on the Spanish side and "to give somebody the push" on the English side, and that is a) a British phrase for firing someone, b) that is a verb, c) an unlikely translation, and d) completely novel to me both in general and on Duo and thus unhelpful for learning.
So, tomorrow is my last session and then I'm done.
[ SECRET POST #6909 ]
Dec. 5th, 2025 05:38 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6909 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #986.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
10 things about the gay hockey show
Dec. 5th, 2025 09:37 pmmarinaSo, I've been stuck at home for 3 weeks now with a broken ankle. I've watched so much TV. SO. MUCH. TV. Some of it utterly delightful ("The Summer I Turned Pretty", "Queen of the South"), some of it utterly forgettable. Then "Heated Rivalry" came out, and due to the tragic circumstances of being stuck at home, I've watched the first 2 episodes. Let us acknowledge this up front: I should have only watched this show after it finished airing. Like, week-to-week is a very bad format for me with this show.
However, episodes have been consumed, this show is already doing numbers in fannish circles for obvious reasons, my guess is that that trend will continue, and so I need to get stuff off my chest I guess. Think of this not as a public statement but more as a private space where I process stuff, just for the sake of framing the below.
( thoughts in no particular order )
However, episodes have been consumed, this show is already doing numbers in fannish circles for obvious reasons, my guess is that that trend will continue, and so I need to get stuff off my chest I guess. Think of this not as a public statement but more as a private space where I process stuff, just for the sake of framing the below.
( thoughts in no particular order )
recent reading
Dec. 5th, 2025 02:24 pmthistleingrey1. I've finally dawdled my way through the rest of Spinney's Proto. It has fit into two minutes here, three minutes there, of accompanying tiny housemate outside.
2. Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney, The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary [sic] Teens (2016)
Continues from Brill's Transgender Child with Rachel Pepper (2008, rev. 2022), which I haven't read. Kenney was (till 2020) the executive director of Gender Spectrum, the nonprofit visibility org that Brill founded almost 20 years ago.
Turban's Free to Be lays out several case studies supported by others' research, intersperses stylized parts of his own journey, and lets the reader decide how to read them, albeit over his shoulder. Brill and Kenney go like this:
To save my hands, though I was given a paper copy, I bought and read epub.
2. Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney, The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary [sic] Teens (2016)
Continues from Brill's Transgender Child with Rachel Pepper (2008, rev. 2022), which I haven't read. Kenney was (till 2020) the executive director of Gender Spectrum, the nonprofit visibility org that Brill founded almost 20 years ago.
Turban's Free to Be lays out several case studies supported by others' research, intersperses stylized parts of his own journey, and lets the reader decide how to read them, albeit over his shoulder. Brill and Kenney go like this:
We will help clarify the issues at hand so that you are able to refocus your attention on the whole of your child, and not just their gender. We will help you move from a place of concern, disbelief, fear, confusion, or wariness to a place where you can become an effective ally for your child---no matter where they may lie on the gender spectrum. We want to help you move to or return to a place where your teen knows they can count on you to support them, to love them, and to help them through the rough patches of life, both in these years and the years to come. (pp. xi-xii)
To save my hands, though I was given a paper copy, I bought and read epub.
Please give me excuses to talk about my hyperfixations (again)
Dec. 5th, 2025 08:07 pmrydra_wongLargely the same as before:
Except that THANK FUCK my friend is now out of the Very Bad Situation (and please let him remain so, please please please).
My brain is just trying to eat itself because it's prone to doing that and it's been a very very hard year (and I'm having yet another IC flare-up, joy).
Currently trying to support a friend in a Very Bad Situation and it's desperately anxiety-inducing and my brain is trying to eat itself, which also makes me less useful as support, which is bad.
So if anyone would like to ask or discuss anything about Prophet or Dark Souls or IWTV or climbing or, you know, any of the somewhat cheering topics I sometimes ramble about, PLEASE DO. "More of a comment than a question" questions also very welcome.
I cannot guarantee replies in a timely or consistent manner (because of the Situation and also the bad state of my brain) but it would be deeply appreciated nonetheless.
Except that THANK FUCK my friend is now out of the Very Bad Situation (and please let him remain so, please please please).
My brain is just trying to eat itself because it's prone to doing that and it's been a very very hard year (and I'm having yet another IC flare-up, joy).