The Gordian Iris
11 Nov 2025 22:10![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
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less painful than an apology
questionable_content_feedSkigill
11 Nov 2025 18:03![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sinealaToday's cheap indie video game rec, found via a review at Ars Technica, is Skigill, which costs $5, currently $3.50 as a launch discount, and it is definitely at least as much fun as, say, a fancy caffeinated beverage of your choice, although admittedly it's less tasty.
It is yet another Vampire Survivors-esque "bullet heaven" roguelite auto-shooter -- you know, the kind where you dodge the enemies and the game does the aiming and firing for you. You know the kind of game I mean. The gimmick of Skigill here is that it is for people who really, really love RPG skill trees. You are actually running around on a giant skill tree, and as you kill enemies and collect XP, you can stand on any node of the skill tree (that is linked to one you have previously unlocked) and it will put your points in that skill, unlock new weapons, etc. So you are leveling up and building your character based on where you are running around.
There is of course also a second skill tree that you can access between runs and use to get yourself permanent stat increases. You know how this genre works.
It's in Early Access but there is enough content in here that it's pretty playable. The Mac port insists it is 32-bit and will not work, but this is lies; it works just fine on my M1 Air.
The game has extremely retro yellow-on-black pixel graphics and a chiptune soundtrack. The one downside is that the dev is committed to having no tutorial and in fact no in-game text whatsoever, which means I have absolutely no idea what most of these little symbols are or what they do or what my character is or how come when I stand on a skill node it doesn't unlock even though it looks like I have enough XP, which means I probably don't understand what the numbers in the game represent. But I will never know what I am doing wrong, because the game will never tell me.
Still, it's fun, if you like this genre of game. And skill trees.
It is yet another Vampire Survivors-esque "bullet heaven" roguelite auto-shooter -- you know, the kind where you dodge the enemies and the game does the aiming and firing for you. You know the kind of game I mean. The gimmick of Skigill here is that it is for people who really, really love RPG skill trees. You are actually running around on a giant skill tree, and as you kill enemies and collect XP, you can stand on any node of the skill tree (that is linked to one you have previously unlocked) and it will put your points in that skill, unlock new weapons, etc. So you are leveling up and building your character based on where you are running around.
There is of course also a second skill tree that you can access between runs and use to get yourself permanent stat increases. You know how this genre works.
It's in Early Access but there is enough content in here that it's pretty playable. The Mac port insists it is 32-bit and will not work, but this is lies; it works just fine on my M1 Air.
The game has extremely retro yellow-on-black pixel graphics and a chiptune soundtrack. The one downside is that the dev is committed to having no tutorial and in fact no in-game text whatsoever, which means I have absolutely no idea what most of these little symbols are or what they do or what my character is or how come when I stand on a skill node it doesn't unlock even though it looks like I have enough XP, which means I probably don't understand what the numbers in the game represent. But I will never know what I am doing wrong, because the game will never tell me.
Still, it's fun, if you like this genre of game. And skill trees.
ikeahacker_feedThe easiest hidden TV idea yet—perfect for small spaces and minimalist bedrooms. Apparently, you’re supposed to keep TV out of the bedroom because the bedroom is just for sleeping and, well, you know. But let’s get real. Plenty of us like to binge our favorite shows until our eyelids give up the fight. If having a TV in your room is non-negotiable, then we’ve got the hack for you! This clever hidden TV hack means you can maintain a peaceful, […]
The post This Hidden TV IKEA Hack Keeps Your Bedroom Looking Calm and Clutter-Free first appeared on IKEA Hackers.
Lake Lewisia #1328
10 Nov 2025 16:44scrubjayspeaksWhile all Lewisia restaurants and businesses pay their employees a living wage (or equivalent thereof for non-living staff), tipping can still be a means of showing one’s appreciation for excellent service when done appropriately. As a general rule, staff prefer tips to be made in the form of accepted currencies, small high-value goods that can be easily taken home with them, or minor boons from lesser entities. Remember, if you and your waiter have to discuss the age at which your first-born child will be offered up, you are negotiating, not tipping, and you should consider waiting for their paid meal period to continue or just leaving cash instead.
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LL#1328
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LL#1328
Star Trek TNG: Dark Mirror by Diane Duane
10 Nov 2025 18:16sinealaReposting book reviews from Goodreads because why not? This one is obviously a reread!
For reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, I haven't felt like reading basically anything at all in a long time, and definitely not novel-length fiction. But lately I have started to feel like my brain can hack it, and then I spent a while thinking I just wanted to read something I already loved, and then I stared guiltily at my TBR pile, and then I thought, fuck it, I'm just gonna read Dark Mirror again. Probably haven't read this in, like, fifteen years. So here I am.
( Dark Mirror )
For reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, I haven't felt like reading basically anything at all in a long time, and definitely not novel-length fiction. But lately I have started to feel like my brain can hack it, and then I spent a while thinking I just wanted to read something I already loved, and then I stared guiltily at my TBR pile, and then I thought, fuck it, I'm just gonna read Dark Mirror again. Probably haven't read this in, like, fifteen years. So here I am.
( Dark Mirror )
Done This Week
9 Nov 2025 08:49scrubjayspeaksI have been writing on my lunch breaks! This is the sort of easy, reasonable choice that nonetheless makes me feel like I am a very good big boy who deserves a parade. ✪ω✪
I’ve just generally been trying to arrange my days a little differently. I’m not really cutting anything out. In fact, I’ve added in both an exercise routine (I’m not doing as much heavy lifting at work as I did in my previous position) and the NaClYoHo cleaning time most days. It doesn’t even feel like I’ve cut back that much on social media time, though maybe it was adding up to more than I realized before.
The Writing Excuses podcast recommended the Balance meditation app--I’ve already forgotten why exactly--and I was feeling amenable to such an experiment. I’ve been trying to improve my sleep and manage my stress. I found myself really enjoying using it to both wind down at night AND, unexpectedly, ramp up in the morning. Using a little three-minute wake-up module really helped deal with the workday existential dread I’ve been dealing with.
Weather continues to be warm in the day and chilly at night. I’m hoping the predicted rain for this next week amounts to something so things will continue growing. It’s nice having green grass everywhere again after the dusty brown of summer.
Lewisia: 3 new pieces written, November posts queued
Day job: 42.5 hours
Cleaning: worked on cleaning my stuff on and around mum’s piano, removed cobwebs from three rooms with my new Swiffer thingy <3
Crafting: continued attaching back patch
Gardening: garden club post
Reading: Dracula audiobook (old reread, new-to-me production, audiobooks really do make the classics so much more accessible to me)
Listening: Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine (finally, enjoyable but needs more time to settle in for me)
Clock Mouse: 1115 words
I’ve just generally been trying to arrange my days a little differently. I’m not really cutting anything out. In fact, I’ve added in both an exercise routine (I’m not doing as much heavy lifting at work as I did in my previous position) and the NaClYoHo cleaning time most days. It doesn’t even feel like I’ve cut back that much on social media time, though maybe it was adding up to more than I realized before.
The Writing Excuses podcast recommended the Balance meditation app--I’ve already forgotten why exactly--and I was feeling amenable to such an experiment. I’ve been trying to improve my sleep and manage my stress. I found myself really enjoying using it to both wind down at night AND, unexpectedly, ramp up in the morning. Using a little three-minute wake-up module really helped deal with the workday existential dread I’ve been dealing with.
Weather continues to be warm in the day and chilly at night. I’m hoping the predicted rain for this next week amounts to something so things will continue growing. It’s nice having green grass everywhere again after the dusty brown of summer.
Lewisia: 3 new pieces written, November posts queued
Day job: 42.5 hours
Cleaning: worked on cleaning my stuff on and around mum’s piano, removed cobwebs from three rooms with my new Swiffer thingy <3
Crafting: continued attaching back patch
Gardening: garden club post
Reading: Dracula audiobook (old reread, new-to-me production, audiobooks really do make the classics so much more accessible to me)
Listening: Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine (finally, enjoyable but needs more time to settle in for me)
Clock Mouse: 1115 words
All 6 PostSecret Books Are Still In Hardcover And Available
9 Nov 2025 00:02post_secret_feed—–email—–
Dear Frank-
My boyfriend knew I was a PostSecret fan and a couple of days before Christmas this was in a package on my porch. It was the most thoughtful and unexpected gift. Thanks Rod and Frank!
All 6 PostSecret books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your favorite Independent bookstore. Order now in time for Christmas.
(PostSecret books from other countries can be tough to find online.)
The post All 6 PostSecret Books Are Still In Hardcover And Available appeared first on PostSecret.
Postcards & Emails
9 Nov 2025 00:07post_secret_feed
—–Email—–
—–Frank@PostSecret.com—–
Dear Frank,
Last week you were speaking in Portland, Oregon. I walked in a little late to a very crowded room. You said a few words, a few more and then, suddenly, I recognized my words:
15 years-ago . . . adoption . . . 1 year-ago . . . trick or treating . . .
Tears sprang to my eyes. You were reading MY secret. And I heard it. Everyone heard it. My heart was thumping so hard in my chest I was certain everyone could hear it too. I wanted to yell out “That’s my secret!”
I went home later, after buying a few books, and told my husband that you read my secret to hundreds of people. He smiled and hugged me. I asked him if he wanted to know what it was. He said; “No, a whole room full of strangers knows, and that’s enough.”
Thank you.
—–Email—–
Dear Frank,
I mailed in one of the secrets that made it into your book, PostSecet Confessions on Life, Death and God. Mine reads-
“When another woman steals your man, the best revenge is to let her keep him.”
Funny story, my ex-husband’s wife (the other woman) dropped my kids off at my house last week and saw my PostSecret book in the kitchen. She exclaimed,
“I love that book! Have you seen the one about stealing another person’s man? That one’s my favorite!”
She had no idea it was about her.
—–Email—–
Two weeks ago I was placed in a psych ward for attempting to take my own life. I was sitting alone until another boy came up to me and simply said, “You’re not the most fucked up person anymore.” For the first time in my life I didn’t feel like I was the only one struggling.
—–Email—–
Frank,
The message about the girl in the psychiatric hospital with the boy who let her in on the secret that she isn’t alone. I’m the girl. I sent you that 8 years ago. Two week after my suicide attempt. It stopped me in my tracks to see it again. I sent it to you on a whim. I can’t remember why. I struggled hard for a few years after this. I struggle still but am stable now. Thank you for honoring me and all of us in what you do.
The post Postcards & Emails appeared first on PostSecret.
Classic Secrets
9 Nov 2025 00:05post_secret_feed
Hi Frank,
Several months ago, I sent in a secret on an image cutout of Mariana by Sir John Everett Millias. Mariana loses the man she loves and, consumed by the grief of unrequited love, she lives a life of loneliness.
For years, I have been struggling severely with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide as I work through past trauma and a heartbreak. Sending in the secret was a major crack in my healing– a radical acceptance of where my life is. An acknowledgement that I lost something so great and I may spend my life waiting for something that will never come; A solidarity with Mariana. A deep sadness arose within me as I created the card and dropped it in the mail. While I did not receive a miraculous healing from sharing my secret, it allowed me to feel something- anything- which I had been denying myself.
Then something strange happened recently: The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift was released. Swift credits Millias’ painting Ophelia as her inspiration, which, itself, is an interpretation of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As I learned of the similarities between our inspirations, it was like the Universe winked at me. But Swift turns the fate of her muse around and does not allow grief consume her.
PostSecret and Taylor Swift have given me strength to keep moving. I am just going to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not allow myself to become a female tragedy. I can turn my own fate around.
Thank you!
The post Classic Secrets appeared first on PostSecret.
Pandemic Garden Club
8 Nov 2025 12:19scrubjayspeaksWelcome to the November edition of Pandemic Garden Club! Growing good things in strange times!
Anyone is welcome to comment with what they're growing right now, things they would like to try, problems they're encountering, and questions they have. Share resources, answer questions, shout encouragement.
As for myself...
( Read more... )
Anyone is welcome to comment with what they're growing right now, things they would like to try, problems they're encountering, and questions they have. Share resources, answer questions, shout encouragement.
As for myself...
( Read more... )
This IKEA Hack Makes Organizing Laundry Incredibly Efficient
8 Nov 2025 12:00ikeahacker_feedWith just a few IKEA pieces and clever ideas, one woman created a custom-looking laundry room that actually makes sorting clothes enjoyable. Doing laundry may never top anyone’s list of favorite chores, but one IKEA hack is proving that the right setup can make wash day more bearable. For many of us, the laundry room isn’t just for clothes. It’s also ground zero for everything from small repairs to household storage. That’s why creating a space that works hard and […]
The post This IKEA Hack Makes Organizing Laundry Incredibly Efficient first appeared on IKEA Hackers.
I made this video about a puppet that I also made
8 Nov 2025 01:22wondermark_feedHere is a video of me making a puppet! And then performing a little with that puppet!
Some of you may recognize this technique as a callback to another series of puppet videos I made, some years ago. (As demonstrated here)
It’s been a fun idea to revisit, and I plan to do it some more.
This is, of course, related to my Wondermark-themed card game, Bolted!
Which now has final box art:
If you were part of the game’s launch campaign back in the spring, you may have noticed I just posted a detailed backer update about the final printing and shipping schedule.
You can read it if you want LOTS OF DETAILS about the current status & progress of the game! But in summary:
- I’m sending off the final artwork to the printer VERY SHORTLY
- The games will be printed in December/January
- I expect to receive my copies in February/March!
The time it will take to approve the artwork proofs & samples also allows for a perfect li’l window for me to REOPEN PREORDERS.
So if you missed it the first time around, you will now have a BONUS CHANCE to reserve yourself a copy:
Bolted! is coming to Kickstarter!My (silly but ambitious) goal in this prelaunch period is to gather the same number of “followers” on the prelaunch page, as we had total backers in the original campaign (436). That seems doable, right??
The plan is to launch mid-next week! That’s pretty soon!!
I’m assuming at least some of you reading this are OG Boltheads who jumped on the train early and have been patiently waiting for me to wrap it all up. I’m super grateful for your initial support!
And now that the manufacturing part of it all is in motion, I’m super pleased that the timing will allow for another chance to get it in front of folks for pre-orders.
Since I’m only likely to print this game once, I want to make sure anyone who’s interested will have a chance to grab a copy. So I’ll be talking much more about this in the days to come!!
Lake Lewisia #1327
7 Nov 2025 16:42scrubjayspeaksThe street woke to a blaze of color, red and orange and gold, that spilled from the trees down to the sidewalks, up lampposts and mailboxes, and flooded across porches and balconies. The little spirit in charge of coloring the fall leaves preened from its perch on the highest roof peak, admiring its work and the people’s reactions both. It had gotten such a scolding from its supervisor for going outside its designated areas and for using up more than its share of materials, but it thought anything worth doing at all was worth overdoing gloriously.
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LL#1327
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LL#1327
ikeahacker_feedGetting your home ready for the holidays isn’t just about decking the halls. It’s about making room for friends and family, too. But when you live in a smaller home or apartment, finding space for overnight guests can feel a little challenging. That’s where the right small space sleeper sofa can save the day. Enter the IKEA TORNSBORG sleeper sofa — a sleek, space-saving piece that turns from cozy couch to comfy bed in seconds. Designed for compact living, this […]
The post IKEA’s Genius Small Space Sleeper Sofa That Transforms Any Room for Holiday Guests first appeared on IKEA Hackers.