A very brief trip away...
17 May 2025 05:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kazzy_ceeAs we can't plan long trips away at the moment we've been doing the odd day trip, and last week we decided to go to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour "The Making of Harry Potter" again. We first visited back in 2023 when the Harry Potter sets were dressed for Christmas and this time they have dressed the sets to celebrate the Triwizard Tournament.
We decided to stay overnight on Thursday and go to the tour on Friday as that meant we didn't have to rush. So Thursday afternoon we took the train to Watford Junction and stayed in a reasonably priced hotel overnight. It was nice to be away from home, and the hotel was very comfortable (with bonus delicious food for dinner!). After an enormous breakfast on Friday, we walked to the station where they run a free shuttle bus to the Leavesden studios and we got there as it opened.
The studios are HUGE, and there are props, original sets and costumes alongside explanations of how things were made throughout the eight films. We spent four hours there before catching the train home again.
One of the first displays has the Triwizard Cup from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire along with the costumes worn by the four champions:
Under the cut for many Harry Potter photos... feel free to skip if you aren't interested!
( Read more... )
We will probably go back at some point as they frequently change the displays. We caught the train home and it only took an hour which was good (and it was free for us).
We decided to stay overnight on Thursday and go to the tour on Friday as that meant we didn't have to rush. So Thursday afternoon we took the train to Watford Junction and stayed in a reasonably priced hotel overnight. It was nice to be away from home, and the hotel was very comfortable (with bonus delicious food for dinner!). After an enormous breakfast on Friday, we walked to the station where they run a free shuttle bus to the Leavesden studios and we got there as it opened.
The studios are HUGE, and there are props, original sets and costumes alongside explanations of how things were made throughout the eight films. We spent four hours there before catching the train home again.
One of the first displays has the Triwizard Cup from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire along with the costumes worn by the four champions:
Under the cut for many Harry Potter photos... feel free to skip if you aren't interested!
( Read more... )
We will probably go back at some point as they frequently change the displays. We caught the train home and it only took an hour which was good (and it was free for us).
Misc
17 May 2025 12:33 pmelisiFirstly, Dead Boy Detectives is now available on Amazon Prime. And you can buy the whole show!!
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
~~
A very random and rather delightful story:
School evacuated as grenade brought to show-and-tell
A school was evacuated and army explosives experts called after a pupil unexpectedly produced a grenade from his pocket in a show-and-tell assembly.
(Everyone was FINE.)
~~
Apparently today's Doctor Who is excellent, which is nice. I am hiding from all spoilers.
( Spoiler only for the name of the episode - which, to be fair, is spoilery )
~~
And finally Dimash has released a new song/music video. It is very silly, and he clearly enjoys poking fun at himself and his fans.
Dimash Qudaibergen - 'TAU ISHINDE' OFFICIAL MV
(“Tau ishinde” was originally written by prominent Kazakh poet and writer Saken Seifullin — a foundational figure in Kazakh literature.)
ETA: Dimash Masterpost
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
~~
A very random and rather delightful story:
School evacuated as grenade brought to show-and-tell
A school was evacuated and army explosives experts called after a pupil unexpectedly produced a grenade from his pocket in a show-and-tell assembly.
(Everyone was FINE.)
~~
Apparently today's Doctor Who is excellent, which is nice. I am hiding from all spoilers.
( Spoiler only for the name of the episode - which, to be fair, is spoilery )
~~
And finally Dimash has released a new song/music video. It is very silly, and he clearly enjoys poking fun at himself and his fans.
Dimash Qudaibergen - 'TAU ISHINDE' OFFICIAL MV
(“Tau ishinde” was originally written by prominent Kazakh poet and writer Saken Seifullin — a foundational figure in Kazakh literature.)
ETA: Dimash Masterpost
Another Fantasy Bundle - Dungeon Dressing
14 May 2025 06:08 pmffutures"System-neutral" random tables for items etc. to be found in dungeons, wildernesses, etc. from Raging Swan Press
If you read these posts you probably already know that this really isn't my sort of thing. But someone out there is probably saying "Hey, just what I needed", and I think it's fair to say that you do get a LOT of random lookup tables for your money. Useful if you want to create a setting in a hurry, but I generally prefer to add my own - although sometimes this ends up a little oddly, I'm still trying to work out why one of my NPCs has a desk drawer containing "postcards and stereoscope pictures from strange places such as Lhasa, Peking, the Plateau of Leng, Boston, Boca del Infierno California, and Havana, and peculiar dice with eight, ten, and even twenty sides" since they play absolutely no part in that particular adventure. If you don't have a warped mind like mine you may find this bundle useful.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/DungeonDressing
If you read these posts you probably already know that this really isn't my sort of thing. But someone out there is probably saying "Hey, just what I needed", and I think it's fair to say that you do get a LOT of random lookup tables for your money. Useful if you want to create a setting in a hurry, but I generally prefer to add my own - although sometimes this ends up a little oddly, I'm still trying to work out why one of my NPCs has a desk drawer containing "postcards and stereoscope pictures from strange places such as Lhasa, Peking, the Plateau of Leng, Boston, Boca del Infierno California, and Havana, and peculiar dice with eight, ten, and even twenty sides" since they play absolutely no part in that particular adventure. If you don't have a warped mind like mine you may find this bundle useful.
Another Shadowrun Bundle - Sixth World Shadows
13 May 2025 06:32 pmffuturesThis is a bundle of new supplements and sourcebooks for Shadowrun 6th Edition that haven't been in any bundle before:
At a quick look it's a little on the expensive side but covers a lot of ground, if you're into the system there's probably a lot that you'll want. But given the prices it's possible that it may be a better idea to buy the material as you need it, rather than getting everything at once.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/SixthWorldShadows
At a quick look it's a little on the expensive side but covers a lot of ground, if you're into the system there's probably a lot that you'll want. But given the prices it's possible that it may be a better idea to buy the material as you need it, rather than getting everything at once.
The Friday Five for 9 May 2025: Nudity/Body Awareness
13 May 2025 10:27 amsulien1. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?
Yes, it was in the Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks back in the 1980’s. It was the middle of summer and it hit 97 F up in the mountains (it was like 105 F in Fresno at the time) and we had been hiking and were desperate to cool down. Unfortunately, we forgot that the beautiful stream falling into a set of water carved granite bowls was snow melt. o_0 Yeah, we jumped in and quickly rinsed off all of the sweat and then jumped right back out again to warm back up!
2. When you're home alone, do you strip down to get comfortable? Do you ever go out without underwear (bra and/or panties) because it's more comfortable?
No, I prefer light, loose natural fiber clothing. I do run around inside the house without a bra, but put one on if I’m heading out to run errands or whatever. I also wear a bra when running around inside the house doing housework and such because the old girls need the support these days when moving around a lot.
3. Have you ever/Do you use the bathroom with the door open? Are you comfortable using public facilities?
Yes, I live alone. If there are other people around, that door is closed. I always hated the pit latrines at the ranges when I was in the Army because they were multi-seaters with nothing but the exterior walls for privacy. The same goes for the two-seat latrines we had during deployment for Desert Storm, which initially only had solid plywood walls that were about 4 feet high with screen the rest of the way up to the roof. Needless to say, we cadged empty MRE boxes to cover the screen portion of the walls for the female latrine within an hour after they were set in place. As for modern public restrooms, they are obviously not a problem after all of that!
4. When getting intimate with your significant other, lights on or off?
This question is no longer applicable, but when it was, the lights being on was not an issue. Candle light was always preferable though and I admit to preferring to see my partner and very much enjoyed watching their reactions to things.
5. How comfortable are you with body exposure/nudity of others? Group shower rooms?, topless/nude beaches?, breastfeeding in public?Yes, it was in the Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks back in the 1980’s. It was the middle of summer and it hit 97 F up in the mountains (it was like 105 F in Fresno at the time) and we had been hiking and were desperate to cool down. Unfortunately, we forgot that the beautiful stream falling into a set of water carved granite bowls was snow melt. o_0 Yeah, we jumped in and quickly rinsed off all of the sweat and then jumped right back out again to warm back up!
2. When you're home alone, do you strip down to get comfortable? Do you ever go out without underwear (bra and/or panties) because it's more comfortable?
No, I prefer light, loose natural fiber clothing. I do run around inside the house without a bra, but put one on if I’m heading out to run errands or whatever. I also wear a bra when running around inside the house doing housework and such because the old girls need the support these days when moving around a lot.
3. Have you ever/Do you use the bathroom with the door open? Are you comfortable using public facilities?
Yes, I live alone. If there are other people around, that door is closed. I always hated the pit latrines at the ranges when I was in the Army because they were multi-seaters with nothing but the exterior walls for privacy. The same goes for the two-seat latrines we had during deployment for Desert Storm, which initially only had solid plywood walls that were about 4 feet high with screen the rest of the way up to the roof. Needless to say, we cadged empty MRE boxes to cover the screen portion of the walls for the female latrine within an hour after they were set in place. As for modern public restrooms, they are obviously not a problem after all of that!
4. When getting intimate with your significant other, lights on or off?
This question is no longer applicable, but when it was, the lights being on was not an issue. Candle light was always preferable though and I admit to preferring to see my partner and very much enjoyed watching their reactions to things.
Though I don’t have a problem with nudity, I definitely prefer clothing to be worn in any setting with strangers. My own body shyness mostly went the way of the Dodo in basic training where we had no doors on the shower stalls and an open bay for drying and dressing/undressing within the latrine/shower area. That was reinforced during Desert Storm when we had to take a half-hour bus ride to get to a shower point once a week for the first month and a half, which was a large tent set up with plumbing to provide a warm shower bay that we were all damn glad to have! We finally got our own shower points in our encampment that were big, square plywood structures with 4 sections with walls tall enough to ensure your torso was not exposed and someone would have to be obvious about peering over or under. They had a tank at the top to hold water, which was trucked in, and a pull cord to get water from the shower head. It was not uncommon to have a mixed group out in the showers shrieking and chatting away while taking lightning quick showers (the shrieking was because those water tanks were unheated and it got damn cold as soon as the sun went down in the Saudi desert in late winter and early spring). In fewer words: nudity of others? No problem!
Petition
12 May 2025 09:45 pmelisiAvaaz: Ban Israel from Eurovision
(I don't know if this will have any effect - I remember petitions last year. But it's worth trying.)
(I don't know if this will have any effect - I remember petitions last year. But it's worth trying.)
Another repeat bundle - Shadowrun
12 May 2025 06:39 pmffuturesThis is a repeat of the May 2022 bundle of Shadowrun Sixth World Essentials, featuring the current (2019) Sixth Edition of the cyberpunk-magic RPG.
SHADOWRUN SIXTH WORLD ESSENTIALS
https://bundleofholding.com/p
In 2022 I said "I'll be honest, I've never been a big fan of this setting - while there's a "fantasy with big guns" genre that works reasonably well in fiction, adding in all of the cyberpunk tropes means that in any given situation some of the characters will have problems bringing useful skills and abilities to bear; the worst case is a scene where only one or two characters are active, the rest are standing around waiting for their hacker / shaman / whatever to get their part of the job done. Having said that, this is a very popular system which has stayed in print for 30+ years despite changing publishers twice. If you like this sort of game, this is probably the game for you."
I really don't see any reason to change this opinion.
There may be more for this system later this week.
SHADOWRUN SIXTH WORLD ESSENTIALS
https://bundleofholding.com/p
In 2022 I said "I'll be honest, I've never been a big fan of this setting - while there's a "fantasy with big guns" genre that works reasonably well in fiction, adding in all of the cyberpunk tropes means that in any given situation some of the characters will have problems bringing useful skills and abilities to bear; the worst case is a scene where only one or two characters are active, the rest are standing around waiting for their hacker / shaman / whatever to get their part of the job done. Having said that, this is a very popular system which has stayed in print for 30+ years despite changing publishers twice. If you like this sort of game, this is probably the game for you."
I really don't see any reason to change this opinion.
There may be more for this system later this week.
Mother's Day
11 May 2025 06:13 amshireboundToday is Mother's Day in the U.S., and I'm sending good wishes to everyone who nurtures children, parents, gardens, family, friends in need, and pets indeed.
92 years ago...
10 May 2025 05:59 pmelisi"On 6 May 1933, the Berlin chapter of the German Student Union made an organised attack on Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute of Sex Research).
The institute's library included many thousands of volumes on sexuality and other matters relating to its work. The institute also had a substantial collection of objects, photographs and documents including research, biographies and patient records. Estimates of total size vary. The looted material was witnessed by the international press being loaded on to a truck and, on 10 May, it was taken to the Bebelplatz square at the State Opera, and burned them along with volumes from elsewhere."
(x)
Pink News:
VE Day 80: It took the world less than a century to forget what World War II was fought for
(OR: That poem should go 'First they came for the Trans people')
Also![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thissterlingcrew has a lot of good resources, such as:
Email Your Representatives About the Supreme Court Decision
Early Day Motion recognizing Trans+ History Week
The institute's library included many thousands of volumes on sexuality and other matters relating to its work. The institute also had a substantial collection of objects, photographs and documents including research, biographies and patient records. Estimates of total size vary. The looted material was witnessed by the international press being loaded on to a truck and, on 10 May, it was taken to the Bebelplatz square at the State Opera, and burned them along with volumes from elsewhere."
(x)
Pink News:
VE Day 80: It took the world less than a century to forget what World War II was fought for
(OR: That poem should go 'First they came for the Trans people')
Also
thissterlingcrew has a lot of good resources, such as:Email Your Representatives About the Supreme Court Decision
Early Day Motion recognizing Trans+ History Week
For friends of lbilover
10 May 2025 07:02 amshireboundlbilover's sister has let me know that Ellen's "Celebration of Life" Memorial Service will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 29th in Woodbridge, NJ. If you might be able to attend in person, let me know and I'll send you the information. The service will also be shared via Zoom, and if you'd like the I.D./sign-in code I can give it to you.A London walking tour around the Inns of Court and beyond
9 May 2025 10:36 amkazzy_ceeYesterday's walk around London was fun. There were eleven of us in the group and the weather behaved itself (although the wind was cold, there was sunshine). Guy, our leader took us on a route which included the Inns of Court and other things both familiar and new including statues, a couple of churches, Templar knights and ancient gates.
I was meeting everyone at Temple Station, so I walked through the Victorian Embankment gardens on the way and stopped to admire this monument for Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) which is one of my favourite statues. More under the cut.
( Read more... )
It was a good walk and we ended up in a very small pub for lunch before saying our goodbyes. Guy refused to allow us to pay for the walking tour as he said he enjoyed our company. He has promised to schedule another walk in the summer which I'm already looking forward to!
I was meeting everyone at Temple Station, so I walked through the Victorian Embankment gardens on the way and stopped to admire this monument for Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) which is one of my favourite statues. More under the cut.
( Read more... )
It was a good walk and we ended up in a very small pub for lunch before saying our goodbyes. Guy refused to allow us to pay for the walking tour as he said he enjoyed our company. He has promised to schedule another walk in the summer which I'm already looking forward to!
ozma914 (Note: This is the OFFICIAL announcement. You can tell by the officious way I typed it. Ignore the previous mentions.)
Not quite the summit, because Emily had to make some corrections, then get it up and running as an e-book. It'll be on Kindle Direct Publishing for 90 days, then go into wider distribution for those of you who would like to get it elsewhere. The print version went up just a few days ago. But the old version is also still listed, so for our improved edition, go here:
Haunted Noble County, Indiana by Mark R. Hunter; Emily Jane Hunter
As you've almost certainly already heard, we have a "new" book out, plus a really new book up for preorder. Considering what a crappy year it's been so far, I'd say that's reason to celebrate.
At least a little "yahoo!" and a chocolate cake.
After getting the rights back from the original publisher, we've been trying to independently publish The Notorious Ian Grant for ... well, the first thing that stopped it was COVID. No, that was late 2023 for Emily and me, wasn't it? I don't remember what the first thing was, but the theme continued: illness, injury, death--generally, the 2020s.
So when I got this preview copy in the mail, it felt like reaching the peak of Mount Everest:
Your thumb may vary.
Not quite the summit, because Emily had to make some corrections, then get it up and running as an e-book. It'll be on Kindle Direct Publishing for 90 days, then go into wider distribution for those of you who would like to get it elsewhere. The print version went up just a few days ago. But the old version is also still listed, so for our improved edition, go here:
Meanwhile its "parent" book, Storm Chaser, is getting a price reduction in both ebook and print, as part of my cunning plan to get people hooked on the first book so they have to get the rest. You can find Storm Chaser here:
And from there you can click on the author's name (me, I'm the author) for the related books in the Storm Chaser series, Storm Squalls and The No-Campfire Girls, and our other books.
Another meanwhile, a few weeks ago I was surfing the internet and stumbled across ...
Okay, fine, I was Googling myself. And no, I don't have a Wikipedia page. Anyway, I discovered Haunted Noble County, Indiana, which I talked about a lot last year, is up for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Other places, too. This being traditional publishing, the official cover isn't up yet, although last week I finally got a look at it.
A week after that I got an email from my publisher, letting us know Haunted Noble County, Indiana, would be officially published on August 12th of this year. They still haven't told us it's up for preorder. I mentioned it's traditionally published, right?
You can preorder it on our Amazon page, or here:
(Where the heck is Books a Million?)
I think it all boils down to Arcadia Publishing, which History Press is part of, having a very good distribution system.
More information--naturally--as the year goes on, assuming there are no illnesses, injuries, or accidents.
You can track down us or, more importantly, our books, here:
· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"
· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter
· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914
· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter
· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter
· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter
· Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914
· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914
· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf
Remember: You can't judge a book by its cover until it gets a cover.
Hello Pope Leo XIV
8 May 2025 06:40 pmelisi
I... was not expecting a pope from Chicago. Although apparently he spent years in Peru.
It would appear that he is likely to carry on Francis' work. 🙏 Leo XIII (1878 - 1903) was known for his social justice work.
Another short-term offer - DG Impossible Landscapes
8 May 2025 11:16 amffuturesDG Impossible Landscapes Quick Deal is a bundle featuring a "harrowing Delta Green campaign" from Arc Dream Publishing. It's only available until May 14th
Apologies this is a bit late, it came in after I'd gone to bed and I've only just seen it. It's a very good bundle - however, all of it was previously in the extra material for the September 2023 Delta Green Megabundle, so if you've got all of that you don't need to buy again.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Impossible
Apologies this is a bit late, it came in after I'd gone to bed and I've only just seen it. It's a very good bundle - however, all of it was previously in the extra material for the September 2023 Delta Green Megabundle, so if you've got all of that you don't need to buy again.