reactions and lil posts
“But she had not the slightest doubt it was him: the dented, shaven skull, the prominent nose, the eyes with the spider’s web of blood vessels and the alcoholic’s washed-out, pale-blue irises. The determined chin with the surprisingly gentle, almost beautiful mouth.”
Nesbø, Jo. “Harry Hole 10 – Police.”
Graphics cards come and go, but text endures. And adventure is forever.
Creating Interactive Fiction with Inform 7 by Aaron A. Reed
What is the percentage of English people who don't own a flowery teapot of some kind?
Here is a list of things. Lost cats, found Lost pets, unfound A secret lost pet city on the moon Trees that see Restaurants that hear A void that thinks A face, half-seen, just before falling asleep Trembling hands reaching for desparately needed idols. Sandwiches Silence when there should be noise Noise when there should be silence Nothing when you want something Something when you thought there was nothing Clear plastic binder sheets Scented dryer sheets. Rain coming down in sheets. Night. Rest. Sleep. End.
There's a sudden urge to make one. The communal kitchen is just down the hall. Just like Mum used to make it, “ ... Melty ... bit chewy in the middle ... three eggs ... “
Improvise. In your store, there's local cheese and a heavy pastry mix. Might work.
Not bad. It didn't rise quite right, in the too small oven. It's stretchy, gooey. And, there's no-one here to share it with. That's wrong. Close your eyes, though, and your fingers can still find their way into the warm cheese. They locate and extract imaginary tinfoil, just one piece. Gently, carefully unfolding nothing, you can almost see Mum's handwriting on the backs of your eyelids, “ ... smart and clever ... always thinking of others ... ” Her pie always hid motivation, message, occasionally rebuke. She'll make you another, one day.
You didn't give her enough chloroform! We gave her enough to knock out a horse! Do we have enough to knock out an elephant?
Fascinating, often overlooked aspect of history of something we can take for granted (“just knock me out, doc”) – with good production values and a well defined scope. Linking to modern concepts of patient safety brings this from historical trivia to illuminating the foundations of anaesthesia as the discipline it is today.
(first written 2021)
This is a sorta satire of Japanese corporate culture, I don’t think it’s necessarily unique to police departments. I thought the case was actually decently interesting – you can tell its age because of what's considered cutting-edge that we now take for granted.
But ultimately this poor sod needs to almost die before his colleagues and bosses acknowledge his work. for WHAT.
Joey Batey's first novel is a front row seat to the creation of legend.
Al is part of a band with no name. They've never needed one, never been popular enough to want one. But seemingly overnight, they attract a devoted following that rapidly spirals out of control. As their fans attribute unintended meaning to their lyrics and fictional mythology, parasocial relationships blur and distort into violence.
Batey writes with a keen sense of how social media and popular movements work, and impressive work for a debut novel.
Odette stands on the cusp of an arranged marriage and, with it, an inescapable coming of age. Then she finds a strange cottage in the woods which might reveal something unexpected, yet unsurprising, about herself...
Erotic and lyrical, this brief story presents a transmasculine dark fairy tale about transformation and escape. And really, it's about self-love – in multiple senses of the word.