Favorites from Ghidorah
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Graphic novels for 13 year old girl
My kid loves graphic novels, especially in fantastical settings and with delightfully odd characters. Her 13th birthday is coming up. Her favourites so far: Hilda, Lumberjanes, Lightfall, Real Frieds+sequel, Witch Boy. Can you recommend more?
Non-favorites below
How to Draw Webcomics
Korean webtoon platform Bomtoon has made available a guide on creating webcomics as a series of 5 YouTube videos. Videos are in Korean with English subtitles.
Gentle sci-fi set on space- stations or ships?
Looking for examples of gentle sci-fi set mainly or exclusively on space stations/spaceships, but where the focus is about human relationships rather than grand sci-fi plots.
alternate endings to hamlet | jennifer peepas
alternate endings to hamlet
by Jennifer Peepas (aka Captain Awkward). A quick but worthwhile read (there's also a 10 min. audio version) that ends with a killer reimagining of Hamlet. Content warning: threats of sexual violence.
It's Tasty Being Green
While hunger may be the best sauce in the world, most prefer something with a bit more taste. And since it's summer and beautiful herbs abound, let's look at many ways of bringing a "green" zip to the plate. (Plus it's Hatch Chile season!)
As with all things culinary, this will be woefully incomplete, short sighted, lacking the complete picture and not the way your nana made it and that's great - more green sauces!
“To permanently become part of the beauty of the Zone”
“The Zone itself undulates between three possible descriptive modes - sublime, spooky and grotesque - and becomes controlled by players after they perish inside. Only one player will make it to The Center, and everyone else who has perished collaboratively decides their final fate, whether that’s evisceration by a plant werewolf or a slow dissolution by way of radiation.” (via) The Zone is a storytelling RPG inspired by horror works like Annihilation, Stalker, Uzumaki, and the SCP Foundation. It’s “play to lose” — players know from the start that their character will almost certainly die, which frees them up to take big risks that fuel exciting stories.
A Particular Sort of Webcomic
My three favorite webcomics ever are Achewood, Kill Six Billion Demons, and The Abominable Charles Christopher. What are some more like these?
From One To "40" -- We Have To Talk About The New U2 Album
It started out as Edge's pandemic project. [Rolling Stone] Why not remake some old songs in a new flavor? Larry's on light duty, at best, after back surgery, and it's lockdown anyway so let's just fuck around with a sort of front porch vibe. Two years later, and we have the totally unexpected (even by their label) new U2 project Songs Of Surrender [Wikipedia]. Forty songs spanning their career, organized into four albums. Tracks with major lyric changes marked with •. We begin with The Edge: One, studio version [from Achtung Baby], video, best live recording, most famous cover version
Science fiction short stories by BIPOC, female, and LGBTQ authors?
I'm trying to put together a high school unit of science fiction short stories, but noticing the ones I have are all written by white men. I'm ok using those stories, but I want to aim for more diversity. Most of my students are not white, some are gender neutral, some are not straight, and I want them to be exposed to work written by people they can relate to.
Looking for examples of songs with vocals like "Pepper"
I'm looking for song examples where the singer "speaks" over music in a more or less plain voice (possibly in a rhythmic fashion). The first forty seconds of The Butthole Surfers "Pepper" is the best example I know.
I am not looking for rap or hip hop or trap unless it's very different. Not looking for people using recorded samples of speaking over music. I am looking for diverse examples of people using a speaking voice over music. It can be just a short section of a piece.
I Lost My Job. I’m Middle Aged. What Now?
I just lost my job after a decade with the company. I now have to figure out what’s next. Details inside
Urgent Site Fundraising Appeal: Who is Responsible for the Banner?
Over the last few days, there have been numerous comments on the Gray, the Blue, the Green, and on MetafilterMeta on Reddit asking why the fundraising banner in the Metafilter menubar isn't communicating the site's fundraising needs both more urgently and more noticeably. It's well-known that not everyone reads the Gray. That means that non-Gray readers, which includes long-time lurkers and friends of the site, are not being well-served here. Who has control over the banner, and why isn't this a priority?
save mefi btw @ start of the fundraiser it was like a matter of weeks
"I already had a recurring payment to metafilter, so when I saw the casual banner note about fundraising, I initially ignored it. As others have suggested, making the situation more obvious/dire might attract more attention. I've since sent a one-time payment and upped my monthly payment. I'm not saying this to brag, but to stress that it nearly didn't happen due to me initially not realizing the severity of the problem." Anyway I figured that's fixable, so now you know!
Individuals have a fundamental right to have their voices heard.
Language justice is a practice based on the concept that everyone has the basic human right to speak in the language(s) in which we feel most comfortable at a given time, where no one language is dominant in a space or discussion. Decentering English is liberation-based in principle but difficult in practice.
MetaFilter Gift Swap needs a new organizer!
After three years, the Gift Swap needs a new organizer (or three)!
Give your ears a sonic vacation
The US National Park Service has a few high quality recorded soundscapes from Rocky Mountain National Park.
Put on your headphones, close your eyes, and take a little trip to the country.
How can I stop hating people?
[Gestures broadly at everything] is making me into a misanthrope and I don't like it. I hate people. Not specific people, or even specific kinds of people. PEOPLE. Persons are fine. Introduce me to your mom and she'll find me personable and friendly. But people as a collective and non-specific people out in the world are just the worst. I need to be able to like and enjoy humanity again, so that I can be happier, perform better at work, set a better example for my kid, and not miss out on the good from other people.
Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds
The $10+ Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds features more than 790 projects (and counting) from all across itch.io, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the National Network for Abortion Fund's Collective Power Fund, which moves money directly to abortion funds across 20+ U.S. states. The bundle includes titles like Hypnospace Outlaw (detective/'90s internet simulator indie darling), Calico (incredibly cute coffee shop / lifesim), Buck Up And Drive! (PINK. BACKFLIPPING. TRUCKS. ON THE MOON) and Catlateral Damage (a first-person destructive cat simulator).
Paperwork & Bodywork: short virtual anti-procrastination calls
Is there paperwork or light exercise you've been putting off? Would mild peer pressure from other MeFites help you get started? Join or start a short call! As a followup to recent FPPs on fitness, on Hybrid Calisthenics, and on accountability and body doubling, I'm setting up several IRL (but actually online) events May 10th-14th. And I'd love copycats.
I’m better at this than you are at everything you do.
Damon Young is a writer, critic, humorist, satirist, and professional Black person. He is also a contributing columnist at the Washington Post, and people send emails to comment on his columns. One of those comments was a complaint about his use of "ain't" and "them white boys". Young was not having it.
"we stand for Mourner's Kaddish for 11 months after someone has passed"
"This is a love letter to my friends and community. Please stay. You matter." "Mourners' Kaddish" is a song by musician Fureigh (disclaimer: a friend of mine) in the context of suicidality among transgender people. "my friend / I hope you know you’re dear / I’d rather celebrate you while you’re here."
"I don’t personally vet every prophecy that comes through these halls"
Catelyn Winona (Caffeine and Magix) has published several short stories or vignettes recently that subvert epic fantasy or superhero tropes. Here are three: "No Heroes Here" ("Daz was raised by a hero. That’s probably why she isn’t one."); a piece in which the Chosen One immediately takes up the Dark Lord's offer to join their cause; and "Wizards Stole My Brother" ("Being the Chosen One fucking sucks. That’s why Erika is furious when she finds out her brother got picked.").
Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop.
The Nimona movie is coming to Netflix in 2023.
Welcome To Year Zero
Nine Inch Nails' 2007 album Year Zero foretold of a dystopian future, set in 15 years in the future, 2022, where the Religious Right was taking over the country, terrorism inspired mass surveillance, drugs for population control were in the water, and something from beyond the planet is trying to reach out with a message. But let's not start with the music... let's start with the plot [Reddit, top answer has a very good synopsis of the setting and storyline].
Hard work pays off, dreams come true; bad times don't last, bad guys do.
He was the man who kicked off the biggest boom period in the history of professional wrestling. Along with Shawn Michaels, he innovated the ladder match, now a staple of the sport. He wrestled a desperate battle with alcoholism for almost twenty years, and in his twilight appeared to have finally beaten it into submission, and was known throughout the business for a keen mind and for being generous towards his fellow wrestlers to a fault. Whether you knew him best as the Diamond Studd, as Razor Ramon, or simply as himself, "Da Bad Guy" was always one of the coolest wrestlers to ever set foot in the ring. Scott Hall passed away today after being taken off life support following complications from hip surgery. He was 63.
Indie TTRPG bundle for Trans Kids in Texas
The TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Texas bundle features nearly 500 different downloadable tabletop roleplaying games, for a minimum donation of $5, in response to the heinous policies recently announced by Texas's government. Donations are to be split between the Transgender Education Network of Texas and Organización Latina de Trans en Texas. A google spreadsheet provides an alternate way of browsing the titles on offer. Another huge itch.io bundle, for Ukraine, is just wrapping up submissions and hopes to release on Monday.
The sublime science fiction of Ted Chiang
Twelve years on, Ted Chiang remains perhaps the finest author in contemporary science fiction -- and the most rarefied. A technical writer by trade and a graduate of the distinguished Clarion Writers Workshop, Chiang has published only eighteen short stories in the last thirty years, one and a half dozen masterpieces of the genre whose insightful, precise, often poetic language confronts fundamental ideas -- intelligence, consciousness, the nature of God -- and thrusts them into a dazzling new light. His collected works, mostly available in the anthologies Stories of Your Life and Others (2010) and Exhalation: Stories (2019), have cemented his reputation as one of the greatest SF storytellers of all time (and inspired one of the best SF movies of all time). Click inside for a complete listing of Chiang's work, with links to online reprints or audio versions where available, as well as a collection of one-on-one interviews, links to his other writings, video essays, movie clips, and lots more.
Gentle comics from a gentle world
Odekake Kozame, "Outing child shark", is a series of wonderful, gentle comics posted to Twitter by the psuedonymous Penguinbox, about a happy little shark who goes on various outings and activities in a Japanese town, whether that's going to an age-appropriate movie, running a race, enjoying illumination lights, winning an extra chilled pineapple, or making friends with the whack-a-mole-like snakes instead of hitting them.
How X Shaped the World
I'm looking for books in the "How X Shaped the World" genre, that describe how a technology, commodity, idea, institution, etc helped determine the world we live in today. Bonus points if you can sum up the main claims of the book (i.e. describe how the thing shaped the world) in a sentence or two.
A Book of Memories: Goshuincho
If you've been to a temple or shrine in Japan, chances are you've seen people lining up with small, colorful books. These goshuincho (御朱印帳) are for collecting goshuin (御朱印) - red stamps with calligraphy written over the top as a record of your visit. Goshuin should not be confused with stamp rallies or commemorative stamps found at many train stations and tourist sites - while they are increasingly popular for their variety and beauty, originally goshuin were given as proof that a religious pilgrim had copied sutras. But it's still considered polite to follow a few protocols before you receive one.
Then I went back up the stairs — well, I fell back up the stairs —
I Drank Too Much by comedy sister act Flo & Joan
The night just keeps going... and getting worse... in this hilarious, brisk, jaunty tune [involving drinking too much, btw] that brightened my Friday.
More music like this?
Can you direct me to more string/piano/both music in the style of the song Over by Julien Baker?
chunky cubby chasers
Welcome everyone, to Fat Bear Week 2021!
What if it's all bullshit?
What if it's all bullshit?
An academic philosopher ponders discrimination, failed COVID policies, and bullshit
It measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile
Enough with the GDP — it's time to measure genuine progress
- "Unlike GDP, the Genuine Progress Indicator is designed to measure economic performance from the perspective of ordinary American households, not corporations or Wall Street investors."[1,2]
The Girl Who Lived
Molly tried her best. When Harry had told them, Arthur had asked excitedly, "is this a Muggle thing?" and Hermione had hurried out a "no!" and a frantic history of gender diversity in the wizarding world.
"It's just that I'm a girl," Harry had said. and Arthur had nodded and asked her about how telephone booths worked. He would call her by the right pronouns until the day he died at the respectable old age of one hundred and thirty three, and he would make it seem easy.
"It's just that I'm a girl," Harry had said. and Arthur had nodded and asked her about how telephone booths worked. He would call her by the right pronouns until the day he died at the respectable old age of one hundred and thirty three, and he would make it seem easy.
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates joining Howard University
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates are joining the faculty of Howard University, creating a center for Journalism and Democracy. Hannah-Jones' has a sharp and clear statement on her new job and her mistreatment by the University of North Carolina.
Novels about existential crisis & loss of meaning
I am looking for novels in which the protagonist experiences a profound loss of meaning and somehow comes out the other side. Think existential crisis, depersonalization, or nervous breakdown. We should follow the protagonist through the process of loss and (hopefully) reconstruction. Ideally something written in the last twenty years, though I'm open to older stuff, too.
"I hate to say I told you so."
India Walton claims upset in Buffalo mayoral race
(from the Buffalo News): Speaking with reporters late Tuesday, Walton was asked if she considers herself to be a socialist. Her response: "Oh, absolutely. The entire intent of this campaign is to draw down power and resources to the ground level and into the hands of the people."
ChocoPro Wrestling: Rock, Paper, Suplex
Professional wrestling, to most American viewers, is a big-budget, mass-market, massively-muscled-lunkheads kind of product. The connoisseur, however, may opt to check out a rather different kind of wrasslin' experience... such as one that doesn't need ropes, or an elevated ring, or a live audience, or much of anything beyond a strong spirit, an emptied-out dentist's waiting room, and a dream.
Welcome to the NBA
Former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles host the Knuckleheads podcast, a series of freewheeling discussions with current and former NBA and WNBA players. Their first question is always the same: "When you first got to the league, who was the first person to bust your ass?" The answers are funny, enlightening, surprising and (almost) always humble; players often remember the exact number of points their buster scored in years- or decades-old games. They offer a unique window into what it's like to make the transition to the upper echelons of professional sports, when someone who has spent their life as the best player in the gym suddenly realizes that they still have a lot to learn. Here's Gary Payton with the paradigmatic "welcome to the NBA" moment, but there's much more inside.
Um, how do I give a s*** again?
Basically I've gone totally numb due to the usual depression reasons. I'm also exhausted. Need to hear ideas how to reverse course without overwhelming myself. Content warning: lots of anger.
do the damn thing girl
Nia Dennis - 2021 Floor Exercise (1-23-21)
"This routine definitely reflects everything that I am today as a woman," Dennis says in a press conference after the meet. "And of course I had to incorporate a lot of parts of my culture. I wanted to give a tribute to my father, he was Greek, he was in fraternities and stepping is really big so I wanted to incorporate that. I wanted to have a dance party because that’s my personality and of course I had to shout out LA because we out here, UCLA."