Sunshine Challenge #1, and other thoughts

[pensnest]

The sunshine_challenge is not quite what I was expecting, but that's probably to the good, as I've done the snowflake challenge several times, and the same prompts again would be a bit stale.

So, today's challenge is Red, and as it so happens, I do have a Red, because I wrote a story that may have been for that prompt, or may have been retro-fitted to that prompt, I really can't remember. But it's here, if anyone would like to take a look. A fantasy AU (The Chronicles of Lancyn and Ser Chrisfer), and the red in question is blood.

*

Pandemic stuff, vaguely

I went on socially distanced walk on Monday with six ladies from my chorus, through fields of indifferent sheep and quite a bit of wind. It was so nice to see one another in person: not one of us has the slightest intention of going shopping for anything other than essentials. Cannot see the point, do not want the risk. Then again, we are all old enough (a) to be more at risk, and (b) not to think of shopping as a leisure activity. Also, finding we actually own more clothes than we have any pressing need to wear. I swear, if I could sew, I could make many handsome(?) Frankendresses from what I own. And it would be fun. If I could sew. Which I can't.

The fleeting thought came to me for some reason - I expect there was a trigger somewhere - that the internet having trained so many of us to have short attention spans is probably part of the reason why we aren't thinking long-term about the pandemic. "Lockdown easing" is translating, for so many, into "everything is fine". Ah. No.

https://story.californiasunday.com/eleanor-davis-hugs-to-look-forward-to
Actually this one made me tear up, quite unexpectedly, so beware.

*


This is fun: A really long outdoor Rube Goldberg Machine.

http://nautil.us/issue/86/energy/why-birds-can-fly-over-mount-everest Very interesting and not very long piece about evolution. Cool stuff about birds (and dinosaurs, and giant insects) and how things fit together. Which led my Beast to investigate the birds stuff a bit more and find some diagrams on Wikipedia.

Comments

2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

I remember predicting that the news media would probably get bored of the pandemic and stop reporting on it just when it was getting worse. I did not predict that it would be governors who got bored and decided to pretend everything was fine while cases were still increasing. ::sigh::

The hugs cartoon!

The Rube Goldberg thing is amazing. I wouldn't have even been able to think up most of those connections, let alone implement them.

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

And yet, there is so much to say about the pandemic, about the *real* death and infection rates, about the progress of research and what we know about it... argh!

It was also quite a feat to film all the clicks and tricks, I think! Whoever did it must have been running quite fast to follow it through. No wonder he was delighted when it all worked!

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

I just kept thinking, "How many times did this fail? How many times did something accidentally trip too early because of the wind or a squirrel or something?" It's like I can feel my own laziness weighing me down because this was so cool and yet I know I would never attempt it. Bless clever people who follow through on their ideas.

Re: 2020 ✹ Sunshine Challenge

[pensnest]

There have been quite a lot of fun things on the internet that almost certainly happened because people suddenly had a lot of time on their hands!

[dine]

well, you know - lots of people are learning new skills. if you want a Frankendresse, you probably can pick sewing up enough to give it a shot.

I love love love both the Hugs and Rube Goldberg links - those are marvellous, and I'm gonna post them, because everyone needs to see them both

[pensnest]

Almost you tempt me, but then, I have too many crafts that I actually *can do*

Ooh, and thank you for the postcard. What magnificent trees those are.

Yes, everyone must share!

[writedragon]

Hi! Found you through Sunshine 2020. We seem to have a few things in common (Black Sails, sciencey + literature + history stuff, and British film/TV in general). Glad to have found you.:)

[pensnest]

Ah yes, and Firefly and the Princess Bride! Nice to meet you.

[writedragon]

:)

[badfalcon]

I've always taken 'lockdown easing' to mean 'NHS has ICU space and ventilators for you now' - I'm still only venturing out for my daily allowed exercise (I walk around the graveyard, the dead don't mine) and once a week to get groceries. I'm not risking it, no thank you.

[pensnest]

Exactly so! It certainly doesn't mean "go back to carefree old-style normality and don't worry about trivial things like common sense and consideration".

When we were firmly in lockdown, it felt like real solidarity, and it was comforting. We couldn't do much, but staying at home actually helped. I liked the feeling of community that I got from the Thursday NHS Clap, too. Now, most of the people I know are staying firmly at home, but there are a lot of others who seem to think that having parties on the beach is Just Fine. Gah!

[turps]

It was so good to revisit Lancyn and Ser Chrisfer. I don't want to give spoilers in case others want to read, but the sense of action was fantastic.


Those hugs are fabulous. The sticky one made me smile as each time I hug my youngest nephew and niece I always end up grimy somehow.

[pensnest]

I still have a couple of chapters in the Chronicles to tell... maybe....

I like the hugs. I want hugs. More hugs!

[enemytosleep]

(I'll have you know that I am slow and did not realize the fantasy AU in question was NSYNC flavored, and then when I did I loved it more haha).

This bit of description:

Blood.

Blood everywhere. Slick hot spill all over Lancyn's sword hand, clutching the hilt that was now digging painfully into his own belly, with the weight of this hot dead thing pressing it down. Blood, coughed from the dead mouth, spattered over Lancyn's face while the dead man lay against his neck like a lover. Bile rising in his own throat, and a whimper.

Still hampered by his trapped leg, Lancyn fought free of the dead man's embrace, crawled a yard and buried his face in the wet grass.

Was so striking and visceral. That was a fun read!

[pensnest]

Thank you - glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun with that little fantasy series.

[quietmoon]

I shared the Rube Goldberg Machine video with my dad, who also loved it. :P Thank you for sharing! The hugs comic is also very lovely and relatable. ♥ I will enjoy reading this article about evolution, anything about dinosaurs or birds is invariably interesting to me. *u*

It makes me nervous how many people have taken lockdown easing to mean they can return to life how they used to. I understand that the pandemic can feel like a bad dream, but ignoring it won't make it go away. And they're just putting themselves and other's at risk. *sigh* Sorry, I hope that wasn't too dark. There are definitely also those who are still taking things seriously and being responsible and considerate; I am so grateful for those people.

[pensnest]

I love the way we can start at point A on the internet and end up at, say, Q squared, without quite remembering how it happened.

It was easier to deal, I think, when lockdown was a firm thing that applied to everyone. Now it has to be navigated. And I'm going back to not trusting my fellow citizens to do the right thing, which also makes me sad.

[quietmoon]

Haha, true. It is full of niche info rabbit holes.

Agreed. Everyone knew exactly what the right thing to do was because it was pretty black and white, but with more complicated rules comes more willingness to ignore them entirely.

[frausorge]

That walk sounds lovely! And wow, I learned a lot from that evolution piece. Strange to think of the earth being such a different environment from what we know now.

[pensnest]

It was the nightmarish vision of yard-long dragonflies that stuck with me, I think! But it's a very interesting reflection on how the changes in our world happened and how they influenced the development of life, which in turn influenced the world....

[brandywine28]

Confession: I have a short list of popslash fics that, even after all these years, I'm still waiting to read. I call them my "rainy day" fics and this is one of them, mostly because the summary is so kickass it's pretty much a guarantee I'll love it and, well. I have issues with delayed gratification. :)

But I'll get there! It'll happen!