Beyond Selidor

I've been out in the garden, planting tomato, bean and rocket seeds, so hopefully they'll be all sprouting before long. We also discovered some parsnips planted by the previous owners of the house, which will be a nice addition to tonight's dinner.

And now, some links.

The first is one of those absurd and bizarre stories that only seem to emerge from academia: scams, feuds, researchers disappearing with priceless archives or artefacts. Honestly, nothing I could say will adequately describe it — see for yourselves!

I liked this piece on the Irish language, and the sea. It also has lovely animated videos.

Finally, I wrote an essay of sorts about community, online platforms, and the eternal struggle to find a social media platform that won't, eventually let us down. You can read it here at dolorosa12.

Before I launch into discussing all that's happened since my last post (excellent books! rewatching beloved favourite films! so. much. fic. writing!), a link.

My wonderful former MPhil and PhD supervisor has been part of an international project updating eDIL, the online dictionary of the Irish language. As well as the huge amount of work that contributed to the revamped, expanded, and updated dictionary, she and her collaborators ended up publishing what sounds like a really cool book, aimed at a non-specialist audience, called A History of Ireland in 100 Words. Yesterday, the Irish Times newspaper featured excerpts from this book in its Saturday magazine, and the words selected are a really great illustration of how the history of Ireland influenced its language. You can read the excerpt here.

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I was initially surprised and daunted by my Yuletide assignment — it wasn't a fandom I was expecting to match on — but after turning ideas over in my head all week, I worked out the emotional beats and shape of the kind of story I wanted to tell, and today I finally had time to write it. I think I'm about a third of the way there. I also added several thousand words to the non-assignment fic that's completely consumed my mind. The whole thing sits at just over 7000 words right now, and I'd say it's about a third of the way to completion, meaning it should clock in at around 20,000 words or so.

I've got ideas for at least two Yuletide treats, but they will wait until the assignment is completed. I normally aim to write at least three treats, but I never start them until the assignment is finished and ready to upload, because I don't want to get sidetracked from my main responsibility in the exchange. I was worried about what feels like a slightly shorter writing period this year, but it seems my ability to get words out in good time remains.

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After a run of quite disappointing books, I'm pleased to report that the last two novels I've read were a massive return to form.

Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson was right up my alley, with character and relationship dynamics that seemed written with me in mind as the intended reader. I also love encountering books whose influences are so obvious — and so clearly marks the author as someone of my own generation and a fan of the same stories that spoke to me when I was growing up. In this case, the stories in question are those of Garth Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy, Lirael in particular.

Musketeer Space Tansy Rayner Roberts' genderswapped space opera retelling of The Three Musketeers is a rollicking, swashbuckling delight. I loved in particular that Roberts managed to create a universe without sexism or homophobia, which is not just sex positive but revels in its female characters' sexuality, allowing women (and men) to be frank and enthusiastic about sex, but not in a cringeworthy, Sex and the City way. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although I should probably warn that it has a high proportion of Whedonesque snappy dialogue, which is a selling point for me, but may grate for some.

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Matthias and I had to spend most of yesterday doing stressful life admin, so we rewarded ourselves with a rewatch of one of my favourite films of all time: What We Do In The Shadows. I love it — and Taika Waititi — so much.

Tonight, we're heading off for Polish food at thirstyandhungrycambridge, one of my favourite places in this city. It will be a nice way to close out the weekend.