It's Here!
Mar. 12th, 2026 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muccamukkNational Theatre's Importance of Being Earnest (2025)
Free to view now until the 18th, GMT, I assume.
Free to view now until the 18th, GMT, I assume.
muccamukk
links list (the Internet may be getting worse)
Mar. 12th, 2026 08:52 ammuccamukkThe Battle Against Enshittification
![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_dev: AI and Dreamwidth.
Great post from![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png)
mark about exactly how DW could use AI (potentially spam filtering), and how it will never use it (feeding your posts into the maw).
404 Media: 'AI Is African Intelligence': The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back.
The Verge: Grammarly is using our identities without permission.
Wired: Grammarly Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit Over Its AI 'Expert Review' Feature.
I'm sure everyone enjoys getting sued by Stephen King.
The Flytrap: Sex Workers Versus the Algorithm.
Mostly about payment processors, but also about filtering:
The Guardian: The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all.
Canadian Politics
(I'm actually saving fewer links about this, because it's mostly pretty disheartening. And I can't deal.)
![[youtube.com profile]](https://youtube.com/favicon.ico)
TheBreach: Pierre Poilievre is misleading the public about refugee healthcare (Video: 3 minutes).
The Tyee: Advocates Hope a Ruling Will Change RCMP Treatment of Indigenous Witnesses.
Nominally good news, but so much about this case pisses me off. $7k each? Seriously? Reminder that the one person who got state protection in all of this, the guy who (allegedly) abused all those people, is John Furlong. Fuck that guy.
The Breach: A notorious RCMP unit shaped B.C. universities’ reaction to Palestine encampments.
Category: jackbooted thugs.
Kind of Cool, Actually:
HeatherCoxRichardson: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Reckoning with Jason Herbert Podcast (Video: 1:43 hours).
Words cannot express how validating this was. Lo! How many long years have I said that AL:VH is the most historically accurate Lincoln movie? HCR agrees.
The Tyee: What Can You Do with Used Plastic and 3D Printers? Meet Two Pros.
Not sure how scalable this is, but it's a cool project.
The Narwhal : In northeast B.C., fresh food is scarce. This First Nation hopes geothermal energy could change that.
Cool project to restore food security after Site C fucked it up, hopefully they can get funding.
NorthernBallet: Northern Ballet's Gentleman Jack | Costumes (Video: 2 minutes).
I've really been enjoying the promo clips for this new ballet. I hope there's some way to watch it online.
dw_dev: AI and Dreamwidth.Great post from
mark about exactly how DW could use AI (potentially spam filtering), and how it will never use it (feeding your posts into the maw).404 Media: 'AI Is African Intelligence': The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back.
Kenyan workers are still the underpaid labor behind AI training, moderation, and sex chatbots. The Data Labelers Association is fighting back.
The Verge: Grammarly is using our identities without permission.
When users select the 'expert review' button in the Grammarly sidebar, it analyzes their writing and surfaces AI-generated suggestions 'inspired by' related experts. Those 'industry-relevant perspectives' include the likes of Stephen King, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Carl Sagan, among many others.
Wired: Grammarly Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit Over Its AI 'Expert Review' Feature.
I'm sure everyone enjoys getting sued by Stephen King.
The Flytrap: Sex Workers Versus the Algorithm.
Mostly about payment processors, but also about filtering:
the endless dance around content bans requires constantly coming up with new ways to craft video titles and content that are frustrating not only for adult performers, but also their customers.
The Guardian: The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all.
Age-verification systems require collecting sensitive data to support the biometric information. In no time, the internet will become a fully surveilled digital panopticon.
Canadian Politics
(I'm actually saving fewer links about this, because it's mostly pretty disheartening. And I can't deal.)
Desmond Cole fact checks his misinformation and explains how blaming the most vulnerable distracts us from fighting for good health care for all.
The Tyee: Advocates Hope a Ruling Will Change RCMP Treatment of Indigenous Witnesses.
But critics say the Canadian rights tribunal didn’t go far enough after finding police discrimination.
Nominally good news, but so much about this case pisses me off. $7k each? Seriously? Reminder that the one person who got state protection in all of this, the guy who (allegedly) abused all those people, is John Furlong. Fuck that guy.
The Breach: A notorious RCMP unit shaped B.C. universities’ reaction to Palestine encampments.
From Fairy Creek to university campuses, CRU-BC is positioning itself as the go-to police force for repressing dissent.
Category: jackbooted thugs.
Kind of Cool, Actually:
Words cannot express how validating this was. Lo! How many long years have I said that AL:VH is the most historically accurate Lincoln movie? HCR agrees.
The Tyee: What Can You Do with Used Plastic and 3D Printers? Meet Two Pros.
Not sure how scalable this is, but it's a cool project.
The Narwhal : In northeast B.C., fresh food is scarce. This First Nation hopes geothermal energy could change that.
Cool project to restore food security after Site C fucked it up, hopefully they can get funding.
I've really been enjoying the promo clips for this new ballet. I hope there's some way to watch it online.
(no subject)
Mar. 12th, 2026 08:17 amkallowayApparently last week was just a week of Doing Things, because along with setting up Saint All-fi (works most of the time well enough, thus far), I also made my first Suruga-ya order for the year. It arrived yesterday, and didn't get dinged for tariffs because it was all books. (One gunpla server is waiting to see how the tariffs are now and where the break-even point is for sales/fees, dollar-wise.) Two Gundam books, two Fire Emblem books. One replaces a weirdly damaged book from some years back, one I've never actually seen in stock before, two others just very good prices.
Premium Bandai did varying price points of Gundam Kit Fukubukuro this year, and just put up a few more sets. I snagged one earlier in the year and thought it okay and after some dithering, picked up another. They've all been very good deals, as far as MSRP goes. Since the one I just ordered is still a mystery to everyone, I'm going to try to keep it a surprise til I open it. This is difficult because plenty of people will receive theirs first and post to discords/reddit.
I am still mired in various projects, so my poll is still open for just a smidge longer.
Also,taichara and I had talked about Final Fantasy for weeks (months? years?) and what to play and I finally said 'roll for it' and we're playing Final Fantasy VII. I'm playing the Switch version, and trying out the various cheats for lulz. I am about to go into the Shinra building.
I also started playing Arknights again, kinda. I downloaded it onto a tablet so I could uninstall it from my phone (still there despite not playing in a year) and whoops, no guilt and a bunch of goodies, along with some nice QoL. Doubt I'll stick with it for more than a few weeks, but I did kinda miss everyone.
Premium Bandai did varying price points of Gundam Kit Fukubukuro this year, and just put up a few more sets. I snagged one earlier in the year and thought it okay and after some dithering, picked up another. They've all been very good deals, as far as MSRP goes. Since the one I just ordered is still a mystery to everyone, I'm going to try to keep it a surprise til I open it. This is difficult because plenty of people will receive theirs first and post to discords/reddit.
I am still mired in various projects, so my poll is still open for just a smidge longer.
Also,
taichara and I had talked about Final Fantasy for weeks (months? years?) and what to play and I finally said 'roll for it' and we're playing Final Fantasy VII. I'm playing the Switch version, and trying out the various cheats for lulz. I am about to go into the Shinra building. I also started playing Arknights again, kinda. I downloaded it onto a tablet so I could uninstall it from my phone (still there despite not playing in a year) and whoops, no guilt and a bunch of goodies, along with some nice QoL. Doubt I'll stick with it for more than a few weeks, but I did kinda miss everyone.
Don't rely on AI coding.
Mar. 11th, 2026 05:35 pmestiroseMy audience probably isn't much into having AI help code software, but I ran an experiment just out curiosity. Basically, I asked 3 different AIs (ChatGPT, Claude, and Llama) code a Stardew Valley Content Patcher mod. I am very familiar with coding these things and can easily spot errors. None of them got the coding right.
( What I asked for, and what the AIs had issues with )
( What I asked for, and what the AIs had issues with )
HELLO???????????????????
Mar. 11th, 2026 04:25 pmsetsuntamewMADARA MIKEJIMA WHEN I GET YOU-----
rough translation: "Today marks my last post as MaM...but it looks like I'll be making another appearance soon, so please look forward to it!"
What. WHAT. WHAT ELSE COULD THIS MEAN???? Like I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but that sounds like vague teasing Double Face reunion.............
I MEAN. THEY DIDN'T GET A FANTHANX. SOBS.
But like for real I'm gonna lose my mind waiting to see how this pays off. I can't even put it into words because I'm sooooooooo just *clenches fist* insane about these two. Clearly they don't have to be in a unit to spend time together (we now have two canonical trips they've taken together post-disbandment), but I really like Double Face's music. So I want more ;w;
Maybe we didn't get Sleeper Mystery Train or Secret of Metropolis added in the 2024-2025 cycle because they're saving them for when DF gets back together...that's the lie I'm telling myself, okay.
Also the quote retweets on that are just like.......soooooooo many Double FacePs crashing out and crying about it. Like. This isn't just me making shit up; we're all making shit up together.
lays on the floor
Anyway I found out about this because Liz called me from work to wake me up so I could be insane with them XD Which is so real ngl- sometimes you just gotta scream together. But this also means I've been going nuts since I woke up, and playing a bunch of Pokopia did not temper it. Instead, I've just been vibrating at a frequency that can shatter glass while trying to be chill.
......so Liz and I are gonna work on cosplay when they get home from work as a way to direct this madness XD If we really go hard, we could finish their first feature scouts in time for peak cherry blossom blooms in DC, and wouldn't that make for a nice photoshoot?? Or if nothing else we could take them to Sakura Matsuri :T Either way, I'd like to get them done, since we bought the fabric before Joanns went out of business (RIP).
OKAY OKAY OKAY I need to actually eat something today because I've just been going nuts about fictional anime boys all day XD Oops!
rough translation: "Today marks my last post as MaM...but it looks like I'll be making another appearance soon, so please look forward to it!"
What. WHAT. WHAT ELSE COULD THIS MEAN???? Like I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but that sounds like vague teasing Double Face reunion.............
I MEAN. THEY DIDN'T GET A FANTHANX. SOBS.
But like for real I'm gonna lose my mind waiting to see how this pays off. I can't even put it into words because I'm sooooooooo just *clenches fist* insane about these two. Clearly they don't have to be in a unit to spend time together (we now have two canonical trips they've taken together post-disbandment), but I really like Double Face's music. So I want more ;w;
Maybe we didn't get Sleeper Mystery Train or Secret of Metropolis added in the 2024-2025 cycle because they're saving them for when DF gets back together...that's the lie I'm telling myself, okay.
Also the quote retweets on that are just like.......soooooooo many Double FacePs crashing out and crying about it. Like. This isn't just me making shit up; we're all making shit up together.
lays on the floor
Anyway I found out about this because Liz called me from work to wake me up so I could be insane with them XD Which is so real ngl- sometimes you just gotta scream together. But this also means I've been going nuts since I woke up, and playing a bunch of Pokopia did not temper it. Instead, I've just been vibrating at a frequency that can shatter glass while trying to be chill.
......so Liz and I are gonna work on cosplay when they get home from work as a way to direct this madness XD If we really go hard, we could finish their first feature scouts in time for peak cherry blossom blooms in DC, and wouldn't that make for a nice photoshoot?? Or if nothing else we could take them to Sakura Matsuri :T Either way, I'd like to get them done, since we bought the fabric before Joanns went out of business (RIP).
OKAY OKAY OKAY I need to actually eat something today because I've just been going nuts about fictional anime boys all day XD Oops!
The Importance of Being Earnest - Streaming March 12-18
Mar. 11th, 2026 10:13 amdelphiAnother theatrical streaming plug:
The pro-shot of The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Ncuti Gatwa, Sharon D. Clarke, and Hugh Skinner, will be streaming on Youtube from March 12th to 18th!
A bit from the show:
National Theatre at Home has been one of my favourite streaming services for a long time now, with the way it bring UK theatre to someone like me (not in the UK, also not living in a place that gets much in the way of touring shows), and I'm really happy they're releasing this one for free on a bigger platform.
The pro-shot of The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Ncuti Gatwa, Sharon D. Clarke, and Hugh Skinner, will be streaming on Youtube from March 12th to 18th!
A bit from the show:
National Theatre at Home has been one of my favourite streaming services for a long time now, with the way it bring UK theatre to someone like me (not in the UK, also not living in a place that gets much in the way of touring shows), and I'm really happy they're releasing this one for free on a bigger platform.
The Joy Who Lived
Mar. 10th, 2026 07:59 pmdelphiIf anyone's interested in checking out some queer comedy theatre with a slate of great trans and gnc performers:
The Joy Who Lived: March 31st to April 12th
You can find a list of shows by date or you can browse by category. Shows are running both in person in Los Angeles and as live streaming events that are also available to view up to two weeks afterwards. I tuned in a while back for their fundraising show, a chaotic live runthrough of the Ocean's 11 script called Gender Heist, and it was a heck of a good time.
The Joy Who Lived: March 31st to April 12th
You can find a list of shows by date or you can browse by category. Shows are running both in person in Los Angeles and as live streaming events that are also available to view up to two weeks afterwards. I tuned in a while back for their fundraising show, a chaotic live runthrough of the Ocean's 11 script called Gender Heist, and it was a heck of a good time.
That Was Not Naturalistic.
Mar. 10th, 2026 07:25 pmrionaleonhartI dreamt last night that I followed Robert Grove of The Goes Wrong Show into a bathroom stall in a shopping centre and attempted to solicit sex from him. He just stared at me and left. I can't believe I was rejected when my approach was so normal and irresistible.
As a consequence of this, I have spent a concerning amount of the day thinking about sex with Robert Grove.
My first instinct was that Robert would be a selfish lover, because, well, he's a selfish person. However! What Robert really wants to do, at all times, is put on a performance and get a warm reception from the audience. In bed, you are his audience, and his main interest is getting a good response from you.
This means he will pay attention to your pleasure in bed! If you're not visibly and audibly enjoying yourself, he's not satisfied. Unfortunately, he is ungracious about this; if your response is not to his satisfaction, he will call you a philistine and sulk.
While Robert is likely of the opinion that thrusting harder equals better sex, you can probably get him to do just about anything if you frame it as a role you'd like him to perform. He is willing to perform oral sex, but will grumble that he prefers speaking roles.
My extremely inexpert assessment of the other members of the Cornley Drama Society in bed:
Annie: Great! Bold and enthusiastic, invested in both of you having a good time, introduces you to some fun new fetishes.
Sandra: Sandra and Robert are both very self-absorbed, but, unlike Robert - who seeks to bolster his ego through your reactions - I think Sandra's mainly interested in her own pleasure in bed. She knows what she's doing, though, which is more than can be said for much of the society. You'll probably still have a good time.
Max: Clueless but enthusiastic. Is, like Robert, very invested in you responding well. Probably not bad overall.
Dennis: Clueless and terrified. He's either dreadful or, much to the surprise of both of you, turns out to be the best sex you've ever had.
Vanessa: Has drawn up an agenda for your sexual encounter, assigning time slots for each specific act, and will become very stressed out if you deviate from it. She'd probably be good if she relaxed a little! She will never relax.
Trevor: I have no idea what Trevor is like in bed, and I find it slightly alarming to contemplate. If it's anything like the way he drives, you are in physical danger.
Jonathan: N/A. You will never sleep with Jonathan. You can try! But somehow the two of you will always be prevented from actually performing the deed. He's probably the best lover in the drama society, but you'll never know.
Chris: Terrible. The worst of the lot. He will try! He will fail. Do not sleep with Chris Bean.
I mean, you can if you want to. It's not that bad; he's just deeply repressed in a way that is unlikely to mesh well with 'hey, it's time for a lot of intimacy and physical contact.' The experience is likely to be disappointing, rather than traumatic. But it's going to be so disappointing.
As a consequence of this, I have spent a concerning amount of the day thinking about sex with Robert Grove.
My first instinct was that Robert would be a selfish lover, because, well, he's a selfish person. However! What Robert really wants to do, at all times, is put on a performance and get a warm reception from the audience. In bed, you are his audience, and his main interest is getting a good response from you.
This means he will pay attention to your pleasure in bed! If you're not visibly and audibly enjoying yourself, he's not satisfied. Unfortunately, he is ungracious about this; if your response is not to his satisfaction, he will call you a philistine and sulk.
While Robert is likely of the opinion that thrusting harder equals better sex, you can probably get him to do just about anything if you frame it as a role you'd like him to perform. He is willing to perform oral sex, but will grumble that he prefers speaking roles.
My extremely inexpert assessment of the other members of the Cornley Drama Society in bed:
Annie: Great! Bold and enthusiastic, invested in both of you having a good time, introduces you to some fun new fetishes.
Sandra: Sandra and Robert are both very self-absorbed, but, unlike Robert - who seeks to bolster his ego through your reactions - I think Sandra's mainly interested in her own pleasure in bed. She knows what she's doing, though, which is more than can be said for much of the society. You'll probably still have a good time.
Max: Clueless but enthusiastic. Is, like Robert, very invested in you responding well. Probably not bad overall.
Dennis: Clueless and terrified. He's either dreadful or, much to the surprise of both of you, turns out to be the best sex you've ever had.
Vanessa: Has drawn up an agenda for your sexual encounter, assigning time slots for each specific act, and will become very stressed out if you deviate from it. She'd probably be good if she relaxed a little! She will never relax.
Trevor: I have no idea what Trevor is like in bed, and I find it slightly alarming to contemplate. If it's anything like the way he drives, you are in physical danger.
Jonathan: N/A. You will never sleep with Jonathan. You can try! But somehow the two of you will always be prevented from actually performing the deed. He's probably the best lover in the drama society, but you'll never know.
Chris: Terrible. The worst of the lot. He will try! He will fail. Do not sleep with Chris Bean.
I mean, you can if you want to. It's not that bad; he's just deeply repressed in a way that is unlikely to mesh well with 'hey, it's time for a lot of intimacy and physical contact.' The experience is likely to be disappointing, rather than traumatic. But it's going to be so disappointing.
we may not have much...
Mar. 10th, 2026 08:47 ammuccamukkbut at least the Alexander brothers are going to jail, possibly forever (content warning on that link: semi-graphic descriptions of sexual assault).
(Yes, I know, carceral feminism, etc, let me have this.)
(Yes, I know, carceral feminism, etc, let me have this.)
~Because five ate nine! Wait
Mar. 10th, 2026 07:42 amzarlaI got a little USB Cassette converter to digitize some of my old tapes! As such I went and digitized the two tapes I could find, Randomousity 5 and 8. I had a whole series but these are the only ones on hand! I'm not sure many I made of them. :O The rips are pretty good quality, it's mostly the tapes themselves that have gotten damaged over the years. Sometimes the audio gets kind of rough or fades in and out, but mostly it's pretty clear! It always gets rough when each side stops and starts. But maybe some of you are into that kind of thing. |D
As such, they're on the site now! I added a third shelf for them on the index since they needed the space. :B They lead to the same page though. Notably for the spine/cases, I took some photos of my actual tapes! Well, one tape and one case, the others were all in pretty bad shape or had a bunch of drawings or track listings on them.
( Case in point )
They look a bit more realistic as a result than the others but still. |D I think they're neat. I figured a horizontal pile would be a fun contrast to the vertical CDs. You can download the tapes on the site itself! Should I link to them in this entry too...? Well, I can do the tracklisting anyway, haha. A lot of these songs show up in later CDs, I've had them for a long time.
Randomousity 5 went...
SIDE A
The Cynic Project - Matrix ]|[
Bamble B - Crime of Passion (Main Mix)
Bjork - I've Seen It All
Rhexx - Yellowstone
Massive Attack - Everywhen
Ben Folds - The Ascent of Stan
Blind Melon - No Rain
System of a Down - The Metro
Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
Kittie - Brackish
Cirque du Soleil - Jeux d'enfants
--
SIDE B
Cirque du Soleil - Jeux d'enfants
Zilch - Into Heaven
Hiro feat. Sweet Little 30's - Heaven is a '57 Metallic Gray (GimMIX)
Final Offset - Twin Bee -Generation X-
Mr. T - xenon
tiger YAMATO - r3
Becky and Pokemon Kids - Soratobu Pokemon Kids
Ben Folds - Carrying Cathy
Ben Folds - Zak and Sara
VA - Always (DJ Tatana remix)
The Swan Princess - This Is My Idea
Matt Wilson - Real Folked Up (Cowboy Bebop Remix)
Within Temptation - Mother Earth
Heino - Die Schwarze Barbara
This tape was odd since it started on a down note and then went up, which was the opposite of how I usually did it.
Randomousity 8 went...
SIDE A
Dr. Reanimator - Move Your Dead Bones
Haiducii vs O-Zone & Gabry Ponte - Dragostea Din Tei RMX
Gigi D'Agostino - The Riddle
Ministry of Sound - Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue
J.B.O. - Hey, Pippi Langstrumpf
Dance Nation - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Sonny and Cher - Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
The Pirates of Penzance - I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General
Tom Lehrer - The Elements Song
Randy Newman - I Love L.A.
The Magnetic Fields - All My Little Words
The Magnetic Fields - I Wish I Had an Evil TWin
The 6ths - Dead Only Quickly
The 6ths - San Diego Zoo
--
SIDE B
The 6ths - San Diego Zoo
The 6ths - Give Me Back My Dreams
Ryan Cabrera - On The Way Down
The Exies - Ugly
Yoko Kanno - Butterfly
Conjure One - Center of the Sun
Vast - My TV and You
explode 16 - thunderstorm
Lord of the Rings - Into the West
Spacekats - Land of the Rising Sun
Spacekats - Mellow
Crispy - Bubble Dancer
Crispy - The Game
Crush - Jellyhead
The label on the tape was so damaged I could barely read it! The tape itself played fine, mostly, although it definitely has some rough bits. I remember listening to this a lot while writing Vargas back in the day, and of course I was visualizing Move Your Dead Bones to it, hehe. This might have been one of the last ones I ever made, it's hard to remember now. I found tapes for the DDR 5th and 6th megamixes, but you could probably find those anywhere in much better quality so I didn't transfer them.
(zaaaarrr you can find all these tracks anywhere in much better quality, why did you do thiiissSs)
It was satisfying to handle the tape transferrer, it feels just like an old Walkman. Very nostalgic to flip it open, slide a tape in, click the thick buttons, hear it whirring in there. I used my Walkman so much back in the day! It was more durable than a Discman and tapes didn't skip if you banged them around, haha. I used it way after everyone had switched over to Discmans, which was foreshadowing for how I keep using things way after everyone else has left. STILL POSTING HERE AND UPDATING MY PERSONAL SITE, AFTER ALL THIS TIME
lj post
As such, they're on the site now! I added a third shelf for them on the index since they needed the space. :B They lead to the same page though. Notably for the spine/cases, I took some photos of my actual tapes! Well, one tape and one case, the others were all in pretty bad shape or had a bunch of drawings or track listings on them.
( Case in point )
They look a bit more realistic as a result than the others but still. |D I think they're neat. I figured a horizontal pile would be a fun contrast to the vertical CDs. You can download the tapes on the site itself! Should I link to them in this entry too...? Well, I can do the tracklisting anyway, haha. A lot of these songs show up in later CDs, I've had them for a long time.
Randomousity 5 went...
SIDE A
The Cynic Project - Matrix ]|[
Bamble B - Crime of Passion (Main Mix)
Bjork - I've Seen It All
Rhexx - Yellowstone
Massive Attack - Everywhen
Ben Folds - The Ascent of Stan
Blind Melon - No Rain
System of a Down - The Metro
Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
Kittie - Brackish
Cirque du Soleil - Jeux d'enfants
--
SIDE B
Cirque du Soleil - Jeux d'enfants
Zilch - Into Heaven
Hiro feat. Sweet Little 30's - Heaven is a '57 Metallic Gray (GimMIX)
Final Offset - Twin Bee -Generation X-
Mr. T - xenon
tiger YAMATO - r3
Becky and Pokemon Kids - Soratobu Pokemon Kids
Ben Folds - Carrying Cathy
Ben Folds - Zak and Sara
VA - Always (DJ Tatana remix)
The Swan Princess - This Is My Idea
Matt Wilson - Real Folked Up (Cowboy Bebop Remix)
Within Temptation - Mother Earth
Heino - Die Schwarze Barbara
This tape was odd since it started on a down note and then went up, which was the opposite of how I usually did it.
Randomousity 8 went...
SIDE A
Dr. Reanimator - Move Your Dead Bones
Haiducii vs O-Zone & Gabry Ponte - Dragostea Din Tei RMX
Gigi D'Agostino - The Riddle
Ministry of Sound - Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue
J.B.O. - Hey, Pippi Langstrumpf
Dance Nation - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Sonny and Cher - Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
The Pirates of Penzance - I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General
Tom Lehrer - The Elements Song
Randy Newman - I Love L.A.
The Magnetic Fields - All My Little Words
The Magnetic Fields - I Wish I Had an Evil TWin
The 6ths - Dead Only Quickly
The 6ths - San Diego Zoo
--
SIDE B
The 6ths - San Diego Zoo
The 6ths - Give Me Back My Dreams
Ryan Cabrera - On The Way Down
The Exies - Ugly
Yoko Kanno - Butterfly
Conjure One - Center of the Sun
Vast - My TV and You
explode 16 - thunderstorm
Lord of the Rings - Into the West
Spacekats - Land of the Rising Sun
Spacekats - Mellow
Crispy - Bubble Dancer
Crispy - The Game
Crush - Jellyhead
The label on the tape was so damaged I could barely read it! The tape itself played fine, mostly, although it definitely has some rough bits. I remember listening to this a lot while writing Vargas back in the day, and of course I was visualizing Move Your Dead Bones to it, hehe. This might have been one of the last ones I ever made, it's hard to remember now. I found tapes for the DDR 5th and 6th megamixes, but you could probably find those anywhere in much better quality so I didn't transfer them.
(zaaaarrr you can find all these tracks anywhere in much better quality, why did you do thiiissSs)
It was satisfying to handle the tape transferrer, it feels just like an old Walkman. Very nostalgic to flip it open, slide a tape in, click the thick buttons, hear it whirring in there. I used my Walkman so much back in the day! It was more durable than a Discman and tapes didn't skip if you banged them around, haha. I used it way after everyone had switched over to Discmans, which was foreshadowing for how I keep using things way after everyone else has left. STILL POSTING HERE AND UPDATING MY PERSONAL SITE, AFTER ALL THIS TIME
lj post
MaM Event: Done!!!!
Mar. 10th, 2026 10:54 amsetsuntamewThe final rankings are in, and here's how it shook out for me:
Anyway, I'll be moving to Sea World with the rest of the whales, see y'all on the other side~
Seriously, nearly being in the top 100 in a JP event is insane. Like. Yeah, MaM isn't the most popular unit by any means, but still. I'm not gonna top this for awhile (largely because I cannot be spending this much money on enstars regularly lmao). Also Kohaku is much more popular, so even if I get as many points in whatever his next center is, I probably won't be as high ranked. So I will hold onto this proudly!!!!
Also, I'm up early because 1) I didn't sleep Sunday night so I made myself stay awake all of Monday so I could actually sleep at regular hour for once, and 2) big enstars announcement stream at 8 am. MELLOW DEAR US is finally being added in game as playable characters, after months of edging us~ I'm so pumped!!!!! I've been intrigued by them ever since they were teased in name only during VS★AUDIENCE nearly two years ago now, so it's exciting that it's all coming together~ Nice Arneb Thunder abandoned them to ES - which seems to be a pattern with him, sorry esupuri - and now they're gonna be part of RhythLin.
hopefully that goes better for them than all the other RhythLin units lmao
ANYWAY. The stream was very good, the new VAs seem to slot right in with enstars vibes already ngl, so it's probs gonna be good things moving forward. They're also the next JP event, which looks sick as hell aesthetically but why is Juis the center for it? He's the leader, so he's managing to debut with three 5 stars while everyone else gets one. Greedy XD I like him and his stupid green hair tho, so I'm not complaining....it's just funny. tbh from the vibes of the MV, Nozomi looks more central, but what do I know?
The other thing occupying my time and attention is the new Pokemon game.........I can't fucking put it down. Pokopia is so good; I just think it's unfair that it's Switch 2 exclusive. I wish Liz and Pat could play with me ;w; Everyone's been enjoying watching me play, but it's definitely the kind of game that's most fun when you can play it yourself. It's like if Animal Crossing and Minecraft had a baby, and the baby was full of Pokemon. Which is to say, addictive as hell.
.....after I finish this entry I'm gonna go play it some more XD My house in the beach area should be done being built!!! It's just really good, okay. It was absolutely worth spending a chunk of my severance pay on a Switch 2 as my birthday present to myself. It's a legitimately good system (better than I expected, ngl), and I just. Look. Pokemon is so good ;w;
OH AND I DID GET KOHAKU'S SECOND FEATURE SCOUT IN ENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He came home on the first 10 scout ;w; I was so worried that I wouldn't get him, cuz like....his and Madara's FS2s run the same week and I've had two years to save for it and then I blew all my savings on Madara's stupid global exclusive because I hate him. And then I spent $$$ on the JP event, also for Madara, also so he could ruin my life, which means I don't have a lot to spend on scouting right now. BUT KOHAKU LOVES ME. HE'S A GOOD BOY. I can only hope it goes as well when Madara's scout starts on Friday D: Fingers crossed!!!!!
Anyway, I'll be moving to Sea World with the rest of the whales, see y'all on the other side~
Seriously, nearly being in the top 100 in a JP event is insane. Like. Yeah, MaM isn't the most popular unit by any means, but still. I'm not gonna top this for awhile (largely because I cannot be spending this much money on enstars regularly lmao). Also Kohaku is much more popular, so even if I get as many points in whatever his next center is, I probably won't be as high ranked. So I will hold onto this proudly!!!!
Also, I'm up early because 1) I didn't sleep Sunday night so I made myself stay awake all of Monday so I could actually sleep at regular hour for once, and 2) big enstars announcement stream at 8 am. MELLOW DEAR US is finally being added in game as playable characters, after months of edging us~ I'm so pumped!!!!! I've been intrigued by them ever since they were teased in name only during VS★AUDIENCE nearly two years ago now, so it's exciting that it's all coming together~ Nice Arneb Thunder abandoned them to ES - which seems to be a pattern with him, sorry esupuri - and now they're gonna be part of RhythLin.
ANYWAY. The stream was very good, the new VAs seem to slot right in with enstars vibes already ngl, so it's probs gonna be good things moving forward. They're also the next JP event, which looks sick as hell aesthetically but why is Juis the center for it? He's the leader, so he's managing to debut with three 5 stars while everyone else gets one. Greedy XD I like him and his stupid green hair tho, so I'm not complaining....it's just funny. tbh from the vibes of the MV, Nozomi looks more central, but what do I know?
The other thing occupying my time and attention is the new Pokemon game.........I can't fucking put it down. Pokopia is so good; I just think it's unfair that it's Switch 2 exclusive. I wish Liz and Pat could play with me ;w; Everyone's been enjoying watching me play, but it's definitely the kind of game that's most fun when you can play it yourself. It's like if Animal Crossing and Minecraft had a baby, and the baby was full of Pokemon. Which is to say, addictive as hell.
.....after I finish this entry I'm gonna go play it some more XD My house in the beach area should be done being built!!! It's just really good, okay. It was absolutely worth spending a chunk of my severance pay on a Switch 2 as my birthday present to myself. It's a legitimately good system (better than I expected, ngl), and I just. Look. Pokemon is so good ;w;
OH AND I DID GET KOHAKU'S SECOND FEATURE SCOUT IN ENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He came home on the first 10 scout ;w; I was so worried that I wouldn't get him, cuz like....his and Madara's FS2s run the same week and I've had two years to save for it and then I blew all my savings on Madara's stupid global exclusive because I hate him. And then I spent $$$ on the JP event, also for Madara, also so he could ruin my life, which means I don't have a lot to spend on scouting right now. BUT KOHAKU LOVES ME. HE'S A GOOD BOY. I can only hope it goes as well when Madara's scout starts on Friday D: Fingers crossed!!!!!
Ode to Trash Cans, and Crap That Doesn't Matter
Mar. 10th, 2026 09:11 amrenegadefolkheroI suffer mightily from sunk cost fallacy, and I've developed a constellation of rulesets to help me navigate this. One of the most effective techniques I've discovered is being able to simulate physically throwing things away.
All my projects have a trash folder, and any time I need to rewrite a chapter or cut something, it goes in the trash. The idea here is if I made a horrible mistake, I can still dig it out of the trash, just like I would in my office at home. Dig rate is like... less than 1 percent. I've dug something out of the trash maybe once. But the possibility of being able to dig things out of the trash has made it a lot easier to cut darlings.
This past week I was trying to decide which story to finish next and I was pretty meh on most of them. I looked at all the drafts and general cruft lying around, and I set up a trash can, and I started throwing stuff in it. I was ruthless. Anything less than X words, gone. Concepts that have been sitting around a few years that I never "got around to" are clearly not interesting enough to pursue, so gone. A muddled concept that split into two drafts, because I couldn't figure out a clear direction? Both parts gone. (These are the worst, by the way.) Hate this idea now? Goes without saying, maybe, but gone!
By the end of it, I'd whittled down my graveyard to such an extent I realized... I'm done? I'm done. I'm finished with this generation of pen names. I did the thing, and it's time to move on. And I felt it this time. It wasn't, "I should retire this pen," it was, "This pen is retired now. There's nothing left to write for it."
As someone who drags pen names around for years, this was very liberating. So I've spent the last few days chasing down outstanding royalty payouts, deleting unnecessary accounts, and turning off auto-renewal on domains. It's very cleansing.
I was going to do another post but forget that noise, I'll put it right here.
Obvious (?) Shit I Learned the Hard Way Cause I'm That Guy
Over the past few years I have been given advice by people who are much better at this, and I have made a point of Questioning the Premise (QTP, see Becca Syme) or going with my gut most of the time. I've sold 6,000 books which is more than average but not "a lot" so take this as you will. Shout out to all the dudes who were right who I didn't listen to.
And if you say "Renaldo you don't sell enough books to know squat about anything why should anyone care what you think," that's valid but also fuck you.
ANYWAY, my takeaway is
Don't worry about doing all the things. Do the things you have energy for or like. A lot of "the things" have absolutely negligible impact compared to writing good books, having solid covers that your readership recognizes, and solid passive advertising, unless you're already selling a crapton of books and you are wanting to expand into every nook and cranny.
IDK what my full strategy will be for my next pen but I ain't doin none of ^^^^ that nonsense.
Monday Media Musings: February 2026 highlights
Mar. 9th, 2026 03:55 pmowlmooseClair Obscur: Expedition 33: I wanted to love this game, but the most I could muster up was an appreciation for its artistry, world-building, and ambition. Too much of the story was left clouded, hidden behind impossible bosses, and character motivations kept opaque to preserve surprises for the audience. ( Massive spoilers behind the cut. )
On top of that, T and I both found the combat difficult in an unsatisfying way, and having to learn not just entirely different skill trees but power-up mechanisms for every character felt unnecessary. Eventually we turned the difficulty level down, which helped, but in the end it felt like we were just slogging through the final battles to get to the ending and be done with it. Disappointing.Plur1bus: Like many folks, I was eagerly anticipating this one, based on my love for Rhea Seehorn in Better Call Saul, and it lived up to that expectation -- although in other ways I wasn't sure what to expect, and it certainly kept me guessing throughout. It's hard to say much without spoilers, so I'll limit my thoughts here to being just generally impressed by it, and blown away by Seehorn's performance, and also by Karolina Wydra, who played Zosia, a tough role on several levels. Excited to see where it goes!
The 2026 Winter Olympics: Despite all the problems, I do still love the Olympics -- getting to watch and learn about different sports, witness joy and heartbreak and feats of incredible athleticism, following developing storylines and experience the unexpected. I dipped in and out of a lot of events, but I ended up spending the most time on curling. T is a fan -- it's perhaps the only Olympic sport that he'll actively sit down and watch with me -- and because the athletes are all miked, you can hear them discussing strategy with each other, which is really interesting. I also caught some figure skating; in particular, the men's and women's free programs were fascinating case studies in the folly of expectations, and I genuinely loved watching the two gold medal winners put in the performances of their lives.
~The rhythm has my soul!
Mar. 9th, 2026 07:36 amzarlaFINALLY MADE A SONG PAGE ON MY SITE
I've had a mental image of what I wanted to do for a while but I just wasn't sure where to start on it. It just seemed like it'd be so complicated! What did I want it to look like exactly, all these fiddly details... finally I just decided to get in there with a general wood pattern (like my desk) and just try and figure something out. Once the ball got rolling the rest started coming along! It took me a long time to finish though. I think it really looks cool, haha.
I went through my LJ looking for posts I made about CDs here and there to copy em over, so now I've got back-up copies in case something happens! Always a good idea, especially with ones like the Lady or Vargas FSTs that got absurdly long write-ups. In the process of looking around I found out I'd written up posts for some VGmix CDs and DoD ones that I had no memory of. I didn't have any convenient cover art made for them, so instead I just decided to go the simple route and set up a blank CD-R in a case and then wrote the name on it using a ClipStudio pen, haha. It looks surprisingly realistic! It's like I took a picture of the CD! I ended up putting the other covers in the cd case with some weathering/age effects too so they'd all match. You can see the clean versions of the covers on their own individual pages.
A tricky thing is that for a while I was posting individual songs from 100 song chunks from my main Winamp playlist where all my music has gone for decades now (currently at 41119 songs). There are a lot of them but I don't know how I'd convey that on the shelf! I have a big ipod playlist for my car as well, and I GUESS I could put an ipod on the shelf but I don't know...
In the meantime, I got curious about whether or not there are USB converters for cassette tapes and there are! I ordered one and we'll see if it works. Maybe I can dig up some REALLY old mixtapes for you lol. I mean, assuming anyone downloads or listens to any of these... if nothing else it's nice to have them in an easy place where I can get them if I need them.
lj post
I've had a mental image of what I wanted to do for a while but I just wasn't sure where to start on it. It just seemed like it'd be so complicated! What did I want it to look like exactly, all these fiddly details... finally I just decided to get in there with a general wood pattern (like my desk) and just try and figure something out. Once the ball got rolling the rest started coming along! It took me a long time to finish though. I think it really looks cool, haha.
I went through my LJ looking for posts I made about CDs here and there to copy em over, so now I've got back-up copies in case something happens! Always a good idea, especially with ones like the Lady or Vargas FSTs that got absurdly long write-ups. In the process of looking around I found out I'd written up posts for some VGmix CDs and DoD ones that I had no memory of. I didn't have any convenient cover art made for them, so instead I just decided to go the simple route and set up a blank CD-R in a case and then wrote the name on it using a ClipStudio pen, haha. It looks surprisingly realistic! It's like I took a picture of the CD! I ended up putting the other covers in the cd case with some weathering/age effects too so they'd all match. You can see the clean versions of the covers on their own individual pages.
A tricky thing is that for a while I was posting individual songs from 100 song chunks from my main Winamp playlist where all my music has gone for decades now (currently at 41119 songs). There are a lot of them but I don't know how I'd convey that on the shelf! I have a big ipod playlist for my car as well, and I GUESS I could put an ipod on the shelf but I don't know...
In the meantime, I got curious about whether or not there are USB converters for cassette tapes and there are! I ordered one and we'll see if it works. Maybe I can dig up some REALLY old mixtapes for you lol. I mean, assuming anyone downloads or listens to any of these... if nothing else it's nice to have them in an easy place where I can get them if I need them.
lj post
Wrote a 2nd fic for the CDrama Excellent Women.
Mar. 8th, 2026 08:52 pmestiroseGrab a paintbrush and follow me (508 words) by Estirose
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 剑兰女探社 | Excellent Women
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Yang Moli/Yao Zhidi (Excellent Women)
Characters: Yang Moli (Excellent Women)
Summary:
Episode 32 is the most current episode; it looks like the drama will have a season 2 (which is already filmed). Also, part of the last scene irritated me so I made minor alterations to it, otherwise Moli would be in emotionally worse condition than she is in canon.
I really don't expect either of these fics to get many hits; they might be a F/F couple but they're an obscure F/F couple on an equally obscure Chinese Web Drama. I'll definitely be asking for this fandom for Yuletide just so I might not be the only writer for it.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 剑兰女探社 | Excellent Women
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Yang Moli/Yao Zhidi (Excellent Women)
Characters: Yang Moli (Excellent Women)
Summary:
Yang Moli after the events of episode 32.
(Slight deviations from canon)
Episode 32 is the most current episode; it looks like the drama will have a season 2 (which is already filmed). Also, part of the last scene irritated me so I made minor alterations to it, otherwise Moli would be in emotionally worse condition than she is in canon.
I really don't expect either of these fics to get many hits; they might be a F/F couple but they're an obscure F/F couple on an equally obscure Chinese Web Drama. I'll definitely be asking for this fandom for Yuletide just so I might not be the only writer for it.
Post and Jam: Trinque l'amourette by La Bottine Souriante [1978]
Mar. 8th, 2026 08:02 pmdelphiFandom 50 #2
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, here's 1978's:
Trinque l'amourette by La Bottine Souriante
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, here's 1978's:
Trinque l'amourette by La Bottine Souriante
A Reckoning of Swords 67
Mar. 8th, 2026 08:52 amkallowayIt has been awhile since I've sorted my swords... February ended up pretty busy and I got behind on a lot of things.
But I've done updates on the Lemonade Cafe, both website and at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lemonadecafe. Going to try to do a few more before it's time to sleep. There's a very real chance I can finish off January's very full calendar pages and debate how to tackle both February and March's.
I'm still working through my inbox and found a comment from 2022 talking about The Mangar and getting back to it and I did! I finally got back to The Mangar! I went to mention this and ah, the entry is gone. ^^;; This will probably be the case more and more often as I get back to the truly ancient messages. Alas. (After a point I will also find the people and entire sites gone, which will be far more complicated.)
I suppose at some point I will claim true comment amnesty. ^^;;
But I've done updates on the Lemonade Cafe, both website and at
lemonadecafe. Going to try to do a few more before it's time to sleep. There's a very real chance I can finish off January's very full calendar pages and debate how to tackle both February and March's. I'm still working through my inbox and found a comment from 2022 talking about The Mangar and getting back to it and I did! I finally got back to The Mangar! I went to mention this and ah, the entry is gone. ^^;; This will probably be the case more and more often as I get back to the truly ancient messages. Alas. (After a point I will also find the people and entire sites gone, which will be far more complicated.)
I suppose at some point I will claim true comment amnesty. ^^;;
Media Roundup, Accidental Advent All-in-One Again
Mar. 8th, 2026 07:49 amkallowayOoof, I got incredibly off-course with these and it'll probably take a little while to catch up. ^^;; But here's a start!
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers 1-5 (Katsuyuki Sumizawa, Tomofumi Ogasawara) - I have had all of Glory sitting around for ages and have tried to read it more than once only to repeatedly have Stuff happen. This time, I will grab my swords if Stuff gets in my way. While normally I'm fine with the Sunrise stance of "only animated is canon", this is a firmed up version of the story featuring a lot of amazing redesigns, extra info, etc. Looking forward to reading the rest.
My Love Story!! - anime, since I'd just watched the live action. Honestly, I liked the live action more. I thought the anime was only 12-13 episodes but it's 24 and it really drags in places. It's nice to have the setting and characters filled out, but it really drags in places. Can probably let it go since I can't imagine wanting to watch it again.
Tsukipro The Animation - S1, like with any idol anime, I'm here to listen to the songs as much as anything. One of the guys looks a bit like RS2's Noel so he's automatically my fave. I have S2 waiting in the queue.
Cyborg 009 vs Devilman - this is a lot of fun and a complete mess. Should you watch this if you don't know either franchise? No. Should you watch this if you do? Probably not. But you'll do it anyway, just like I have multiple times now.
The Omen 1-4 - ah, boycritter brought these over because I'd made a comment about never having seen the first one (or being aware of there being more than one, I guess). The first one was pretty good, 2 had me laughing uproariously at the bad special effects, 3 was decent, and 4 was atrocious. Good fun, but more ridiculous than scary and I also feel like 4 forgot half the plot of 3.
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors - technically the latter since I watched the dub. Absolute fun except for the middle part which I want to edit down with a knife. This is one of those "I have watched good chunks of this in the past but never made it all the way through" shows, and yay, now I have. (Except the OVAs which... I can continue skipping, lol.)
And now, I can't believe I'm watching these before even the halfway point of the viewing period - JFF Theater!
The Lines That Define Me - culture drama about a young man finding healing through sumi-e. Absolutely gorgeous and takes the time to explain sumi-e and demonstrate beautifully without feeling like it's taking away from the plot. Also very tropey, as far as culture dramas seem to go. Definitely recommended if you can watch JFF stuff.
Bonsai Warrior - a documentary about a guy traveling the world teaching and demonstrating bonsai. Interesting watch, worth it also for the information about bonsai practitioners around the world.
Thermae Romae - if you can watch any JFF film this quarter, watch this one. It's fucking hysterical in every way. The gist is that a Roman bathhouse architect is in a slump and ends up magically transported to a modern Japanese bathhouse. This happens again and again, and he experiences all sorts of interesting things (like a bidet, lol) but not really understanding what's happening. At one point, a group of old Japanese men end up in Rome.
(Roman slavery is a fairly prominent concept, however, if you would rather not.)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers 1-5 (Katsuyuki Sumizawa, Tomofumi Ogasawara) - I have had all of Glory sitting around for ages and have tried to read it more than once only to repeatedly have Stuff happen. This time, I will grab my swords if Stuff gets in my way. While normally I'm fine with the Sunrise stance of "only animated is canon", this is a firmed up version of the story featuring a lot of amazing redesigns, extra info, etc. Looking forward to reading the rest.
My Love Story!! - anime, since I'd just watched the live action. Honestly, I liked the live action more. I thought the anime was only 12-13 episodes but it's 24 and it really drags in places. It's nice to have the setting and characters filled out, but it really drags in places. Can probably let it go since I can't imagine wanting to watch it again.
Tsukipro The Animation - S1, like with any idol anime, I'm here to listen to the songs as much as anything. One of the guys looks a bit like RS2's Noel so he's automatically my fave. I have S2 waiting in the queue.
Cyborg 009 vs Devilman - this is a lot of fun and a complete mess. Should you watch this if you don't know either franchise? No. Should you watch this if you do? Probably not. But you'll do it anyway, just like I have multiple times now.
The Omen 1-4 - ah, boycritter brought these over because I'd made a comment about never having seen the first one (or being aware of there being more than one, I guess). The first one was pretty good, 2 had me laughing uproariously at the bad special effects, 3 was decent, and 4 was atrocious. Good fun, but more ridiculous than scary and I also feel like 4 forgot half the plot of 3.
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors - technically the latter since I watched the dub. Absolute fun except for the middle part which I want to edit down with a knife. This is one of those "I have watched good chunks of this in the past but never made it all the way through" shows, and yay, now I have. (Except the OVAs which... I can continue skipping, lol.)
And now, I can't believe I'm watching these before even the halfway point of the viewing period - JFF Theater!
The Lines That Define Me - culture drama about a young man finding healing through sumi-e. Absolutely gorgeous and takes the time to explain sumi-e and demonstrate beautifully without feeling like it's taking away from the plot. Also very tropey, as far as culture dramas seem to go. Definitely recommended if you can watch JFF stuff.
Bonsai Warrior - a documentary about a guy traveling the world teaching and demonstrating bonsai. Interesting watch, worth it also for the information about bonsai practitioners around the world.
Thermae Romae - if you can watch any JFF film this quarter, watch this one. It's fucking hysterical in every way. The gist is that a Roman bathhouse architect is in a slump and ends up magically transported to a modern Japanese bathhouse. This happens again and again, and he experiences all sorts of interesting things (like a bidet, lol) but not really understanding what's happening. At one point, a group of old Japanese men end up in Rome.
(Roman slavery is a fairly prominent concept, however, if you would rather not.)