(no subject)

Jan. 18th, 2026 08:37 am
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[personal profile] acet posting in [community profile] addme
Name: Hi I'm Ace!

Age: 30s

I mostly post about: life, coding, activism, politics, idk things? I'm just getting back into "Real Life" blogging so am setting up a new journal. My pervious one was [personal profile] theladyunicorn and I think I had another potentially ~immortalaussie before that but those were well over a decade ago.

My hobbies are: reading, writing, fandom, collecting old books, web design and development, collecting and dropping hobbies, candle and jewellery making, gaming, doing to much, volunteering

My fandoms are: My main fandom is BTS at the moment but I dabble in a lot of things. If you're after fandom specific posts that will be over at my other new journal [personal profile] thequirkyfan which I'm also still setting up.

I'm looking to meet people who: Cool and want to be friends

My posting schedule tends to be: Who knows!

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: I strongly believe that Love is Love, Anti Genocide, BLM, Disability Rights, and all of that stuff and I ask that you are too

Before adding me, you should know: At the moment I imagine a lot of my stuff will be public unless its super personal etc. I will use content warnings as appropriate as I will talk about mental health, health problems, disability and weight loss etc

I'm nonbinary/genderqueer possibly ftm idk things and use they/them pronouns. The link above has a lot more info

Book 6 - Rupi Kaur "Milk And Honey"

Jan. 16th, 2026 09:41 pm
jazzy_dave: (books n tea)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Rupi Kaur "Milk And Honey" (Andrews McMeel Publishing)




Rupi Kaur was just 21 when she wrote and illustrated this collection of poetry, somehow managing to do the impossible and selling millions of copies of a genre that typically doesn't often top the bestseller charts.

Milk and Honey is a raw, honest and gutsy collection of poems about abuse, falling in love, having your heart broken and healing. I enjoyed the sections on falling in love and breaking up the most - for those of us who passed out of our teens and twenties quite some time ago, it was an enjoyable reminder of the passion that burns so fiercely at that point in life, when sexual relationships are all consuming and break ups so terribly hurtful and destructive (I'm not suggesting break ups aren't upsetting at any stage in life, but there's a particular rawness to those early breakups when you're just discovering life and trying to figure out who you are).

your name is
the strongest
positive and negative
connotation in any language
it either lights me up or
leaves me aching for days

Bam! I'm rocketed straight back to the late eighties and thoughts of an ex who sent me head and heart spinning in all sorts of great and awful directions.

I don't know why
I split myself open
for others knowing
sewing myself up
hurts this much
afterward

I loved this collection. It's so raw, so open, so painfully, brutally recognisable to anyone who remembers the immense joy and pain of falling in and out of love for the first time or even second time.

(no subject)

Jan. 16th, 2026 01:38 pm
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[personal profile] dark_heroine posting in [community profile] addme
Nane: Kim

Age: 45

 
I mostly post about: Everyday life, thoughts, feelings. My version of a walk-a-bout in this season of life. I have made a lot of changes in the last few months, and I have a re-new excitement for...things, everything. I do have my moments of gloom and doom because human, but I don't get stuck there.
 
 
My hobbies are: Reading, running, exercising, gaming, movies, music/concerts, anything that induces frisson. Who doesn't like free dopamine?
 
 
My fandoms are: Star Trek , Star Wars, X-Files. I was born in the 80's. 
 
 
I'm looking to meet people who: anyone with an open heart and an open mind.
 
 
My posting schedule tends to be: I am going to try to post every day, since I do have a physical journal that I jot things down.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
don't be mean. You can be angry, sad or whatever you are feeling, but when you take it and turn it around on me, we're done. I've been a punching bag for far too long and for far too many people in my life. Not going to tolerate it.

 
Before adding me, you should know: I'm human, just like you. Searching for connection.
 

New year, new friends

Jan. 15th, 2026 04:27 pm
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[personal profile] decemberthirty posting in [community profile] addme
Hello, all! I know I'm a little late to really consider this a new year's post, but here I am looking to meet a few new people nevertheless.

About me:
My name is Katie. I'm 47 years old, and this summer will mark my 25th year of journaling on LJ/DW/both.

I'm a writer by profession, primarily of literary fiction with occasional book reviews for variety. I live in Philadelphia with my partner of 27 years (she's a high school physics teacher). We have a pair of eight-month-old kittens named Oscar and Zorro. I'm the oldest of three sisters in a pretty close-knit family. My sisters have five kids between them, and being an aunt is basically my favorite thing.

I love books and am always reading. Favorite authors include E.M. Forster, Marilynne Robinson, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lauren Groff, Andrea Barrett.... The list could go on and on. I also love the outdoors and learning about nature. I've been a birdwatcher for years; more recently I've gotten into things like butterflies and insects, reptiles, wildflowers, and more. In summer, my favorite thing is finding wild orchids. My partner and I like to travel, and when we do, I use it as an opportunity to learn about the amazing variety of nature in other places.

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm a very introverted person. I spend most of my time at home, where I keep myself busy writing, reading, or in the kitchen. I like cooking, baking, and food preservation, and I'm always working on some sort of kitchen project or trying to teach myself a new skill.

Milkweed

About my journal:
My journal began as a place for me to keep track of my reading, and that's still the subject I write about most often. Other frequent topics include the interests mentioned above: writing, nature, cooking and baking. I tend to post more about what I'm thinking than about what I'm doing at any given time, although I do sometimes use my journal to keep track goals or record projects that I'm working on. I often include photos. I would say I post about once a week...but realistically it's probably a bit less than that.

If you're looking for a friend who comments on every single post, I'm probably not the right person for you. I do like to interact and I always read my friends page, but I prefer to comment only when I have something worth saying. Also, I've found over the years that I don't mesh well with extremely prolific posters. Once a day is fine, but if it's more than that I have trouble keeping up.

My journal is friends-locked for privacy, but I will be happy to add anyone who's interested in checking it out. And I won't be offended if it turns out that it's not your style.

Say hello if you think we'd get along!
jazzy_dave: (books n tea)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Josephine Tey "The Man in the Queue" (Pushkin Vertigo)




On the plus side, the writing is descriptive and sometimes lovely, both of which are surprising in a detective story. For instance, Inspector Grant sees laundry hanging to dry in a poor neighborhood: “Here and there a line of gay, motley child’s clothes danced and ballooned with the breeze in a necklace of coloured laughter.”

The book gets off to a slightly sluggish start, ameliorated by atmospheric descriptions of the rituals and entertainments associated with the process of patiently queuing in the rain in hope of gaining a theatre seat.

On the minus side, it’s rather dated in its social attitudes. Just by seeing the murder weapon, Inspector Grant draws this conclusion: “This was a crime that had been planned with an ingenuity and executed with a subtlety that was foreign to an Englishman’s habit of thought. The very femininity of it proclaimed the Levant, or at the very least one used to Levantine habits of life.”

On the plus side again, it’s a clever and engaging story, if one makes allowances for the ways it’s dated, and it is a colourful depiction of a time and place. Looking up some of the obsolete colloquialisms was part of the fun.

Kali Malone

Jan. 13th, 2026 03:44 pm
jazzy_dave: (Default)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
My favourite new artist in minimalism.

Organist Kali Malone: 'It was a point of departure for me to work with language' • FRANCE 24



I have ordered two more albums by her after selling quite a lot of stuff from eBay, Vinted and Discogs recently.

The Sacrificial Code

Jan. 13th, 2026 03:40 pm
jazzy_dave: (musical cat)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
This is another recent album added to my collection. If you love pipe organs you will enjoy this minimalist outing.


Kali Malone - The Sacrificial Code (Full Album)



1. Canons For Kirnberger III
1 Spectacle Of Ritual
2 Sacrificial Code
3 Rose Wreath Crown (For CW)

II. Norrlands Orgel
4 Sacer Profanare
5 Litanic Cloth Wrung
6 Fifth Worship II

III. Live In Hagakyrka
7 Hagakyrka Bells
8 Prelude (Live In Hagakyrka)
9 Sacrificial Code (Live In Hagakyrka)
10 Glory Canon III (Live In Hagakyrka)

The Sacrificial Code’ takes a more surgical approach to the methods first explored on ‘Organ Dirges 2016 - 2017’.
Over the course of three parts performed on three different organs, Malone’s minimalist process captures a jarring precision of closeness, both on the level of the materiality of the sounds and on the level of composition.The recordings here involved careful close miking of the pipe organ in such a way as to eliminate environmental identifiers as far as possible - essentially removing the large hall reverb so inextricably linked to the instrument. The pieces were then further compositionally stripped of gestural adornments and spontaneous expressive impulse - an approach that flows against the grain of the prevailing musical hegemony, where sound is so often manipulated, and composition often steeped in self indulgence. It echoes Steve Reich’s sentiment “..by voluntarily giving up the freedom to do whatever momentarily comes to mind, we are, as a result, free of all that momentarily comes to mind.

ENJOY
jazzy_dave: (books n tea)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Joe Comarroe "Six American Poets: An Anthology" (Vintage)





Editor Conarroe distills the works of six unique American Poets in this 281 page volume. For each he provides a concise but enlightening introduction, but it is the poets themselves whose words speak loudest. Whether it is the rapture of Whitman, the surface simplicity of Emily Dickinson, the puzzles of Wallace Stevens, the plain truth of the observations of William Carlos Williams, the sober musings of Robert Frost, or the unforgettable impact of the lyrical prose of Langston Hughes (who seems incapable of even a single boring line), this book is a treasure you should give to somebody who has bnever read a poem or literature. Or you can kep it for yourself and, as far as I am concerned, it is a highly recommended introduction to these famous poets. .
jazzy_dave: (bookish)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Jeff Pike "The Death Of Rock And Roll: Untimely Demises, Morbid Preoccupations, and Premature Forecasts of Doom in Pop Music" (Faber & Faber)





Some of the less anthropic members of the world may want to see the rich and famous brought low. But for me, this is a fascinating look at The Hollywood Babylon of rock 'n' roll The book is split into sections depending on the type of death, from suicide, to drug overdose or by accident. This is a book that should not be read if you feel low, morose or suicidal. Cliically funereal and morbid in equal measure.
bedes: An icon of Marina from the official Hana vs Dango Splatfest art (marina)
[personal profile] bedes posting in [community profile] addme

Decorative divider


Gonna try to make a tradition of re-promoting myself yearly in January~

Name(s): Azure or Bede. I answer to both, so use whichever floats your boat!
Age: 20-something
Hobbies: Writing (fanfic, essays and fan analysis), drawing, editing (videos, images and gifs), coding, researching (almost exclusively things that don't matter), and gaming!
Fandoms: I mainly participate in video game fandoms! Right now, I'm really into Pokémon (my one true fandom), Cookie Run, Great God Grove, In Stars and Time, Kingdom Hearts, Vocaloid, and Splatoon. I'm at least passively interested in most Nintendo games, though. I'm also a furry (rabbit fursona)!

I mostly post about... My fandoms, non-fannish interests (including disability, queerness, the indie web, writing, art and alterhumanity), and some personal stuff!
I'm looking to meet people who... Have similar interests (whether that be fandom or non-fandom), or who just pass the vibe check and have interesting things to say.
My posting schedule tends to be... A little bit sporadic! I go through small periods of inactivity. When I come back, I always cross-post everything I've posted onto other platforms with the back-dating feature, though! I love commenting on other people's posts, and try to do it as often as possible.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are... Bigots, right-wingers, and AI "artists". Christians who try converting others, or who don't CW for religious discussion. (No offense to the latter, it's a personal thing.) Regarding fandom, I'm squicked out by Harry Potter (I'm trans; I hope you can understand!) and Hazbin Hotel, and have pedophilia/incest/rape as triggers.
Before you add me, you should know... I'm autistic and otherwise mentally disabled, so please be patient with me! I'm from the South of the USA, so I use petnames very casually ("honey, darling, dear," etc). You can also (or alternatively) add my account for my fanfic and fandom meta exclusively, [personal profile] fairyfic.

A blinkie that says, 'I was uncool before uncool was cool' A blinkie that says, 'Fairy type Trainer', with a Fairy-type symbol next to it A blinkie that says, 'It's gay love, baby!', with hearts on either side

jazzy_dave: (books n tea)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Ursula K LeGuin "Words Are My Matter: Writings on Life and Books" (Canongate)




A great collection of essays and book reviews, many of which I've never read, in which Ursula K Le Guin manages to talk about imagination in ways that are smart, unsentimental and never cornball.

These are prescient, as everything seems to be now, as the designer for this book must have realized when they excerpted "Hard times are coming... We'll need writers who can remember freedom," but none of these essays predict the future, they just demonstrate an extreme intuition for human beingsand the things they do, including the fact that every book benefits from animals in it. "Then the dog showed upand I knew everything was all right."

(no subject)

Jan. 11th, 2026 08:57 am
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[personal profile] zesty_pinto
Teleconverter came in.

Okay, it came in like a week prior, but still. It's in. Reviews have said it's not officially supported for the 3-to-6 (300-600 f/4) so use at risk. I did a test with it at home in manual focus in case of any glass impact and it cleared without a problem. Other photographers said something very similar. Image quality is really solid despite the extra elements. Viltrox has found ways to turn me into more of a fanboy.

Speaking of which, dinged my fucking 35mm during a lens change, I'm so mad at myself for even letting that happen. It was in sand at least so a lot of the impact was reduced but fuck me I am going to bubble wrap my gear if I can't figure out a smarter technique when juggling my gear around.

On Friday, Michelle has been tracking the Sandy Hook Facebook group to better gauge when the seals pop in and determined that the seals do not come in right before low tide but a time before that. She said it was a risk, but if we try to get there two hours prior, we might see a seal.

So here's the catch: low tide is at 5pm and rain was scheduled to come... at 6pm.

So under Michelle's calculations, there is a chance we'd see some seals if we pop in around 3-4, right before sunset.

So, one 30 minute drive later and we were the only ones standing around their favorite spot looking for the seals.

And we saw them! We saw them at 4:45pm, finally making landfall right as it was becoming near-impossible to see them, lol.

I did get to field test the 3-to-6 teleconverter combo at least. It works, though the focus range takes some getting used to, but it's very promising.

But also any images we have of these seals is at unusable ISOs, so not much in the way of our progress lmao

Aside from this,

My head is still in holiday mode, meaning I am having a hard time getting myself back into workaholic mode. I'm not saying this as a way to say "I hate my job" (this is still the best place I've worked at so far), but I am saying I'm annoyed at myself for taking this long to getting myself to wind up. At least I had a meeting with the boss and gave her a laugh when I talked about that Niagara trip.

Yesterday was relentless rain in cold weather which, seen it, done that, so spent it at home and did some chores, worked on a model kit. Not much to write about.

I'm chronologically parsing through photos and made it to Niagara Falls. There's a lot here, obviously, and a fair share of it not that good; mostly tourist shots but snapshot stuff so fairly boring by my standards. There's good stuff in here though, just... ironically not too many in the places where I paid for it lol

I'll set up a photo post before I step out.

(no subject)

Jan. 11th, 2026 12:31 am
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[personal profile] ciacconne posting in [community profile] addme

Name: Ciacconne

Age: Mid 30s

I mostly post about: My life, health, and fandom stuff.

My hobbies are: Writing, reading, gaming, and art.

My fandoms are: Harry Potter, FF16, FF7, Frieren, Slayers, Gintama, Kekkai Sensen, YGO— basically game and anime fandoms.

I'm looking to meet people who: Share my interests and fandoms.

My posting schedule tends to be: daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc — I post daily, or will try to post daily now.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: People who are antis.

Before adding me, you should know: I focus a lot on my health, be it mental or physical.

A Passing Thought

Jan. 8th, 2026 10:46 am
jazzy_dave: (Default)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
As we get older do you think we get weirder or at least more unconventional?

Is it in our DNA?

Or is it that uncertainty about the future and the undiscovered country that informs our conclusion that we don't give an eff anymore?

I try to do this once a year:

Jan. 6th, 2026 10:17 am
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[personal profile] tommx posting in [community profile] addme
Name: Tom

Age: 58

I mostly post about: Day to day life, random thoughts, whatever I'm watching/reading, etc. It's more or less stream of consciousness, though I try to link certain items that I consider relevant; books, restaurants, significant locations, etc. In the past, I've used Amazon to link them, but as I have grown to really hate Jeff Bezos for what he's done to the Washington Post, I now use Barnes and Noble for book links.

My hobbies are: TTRPs (primarily Dungeons and Dragons), community theater, cooking, hiking, camping, wine collecting, computer programming (also my profession but I like to code for fun as well), writing, reading, building things, tinkering, drawing, and more things I generally have no actual time for.

My fandoms are: Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel (Silver Age), A Song of Ice and Fire, Remembrance of Earth's Past aka The Three Body Problem, et al. Some of my favorite authors include Douglas Adams, George R.R. Martin, James S. A. Corey, Tanith Lee, Michael Moorock, Brad Meltzer, John Steinbeck, and William Gibson. There are more, but that's who comes to mind.

I'm looking to meet people who: are basically cool and like to interact. I have a presence on other socials but I don't like using them because they either have become echo chambers, or are trying to push things on me in which I have no interest. I'm not looking to share memes and I have no interest in someone's OnlyFans page. I have nothing against people who have that sort of thing, but it doesn't interest me. I'd rather interact with someone who might want to discuss the Medici family of Renaissance Florence, or discuss the actual mechanics of LLMs rather than rant about how AI is going to destroy the world. Want to talk meaningfully about physics, archeology, musicology, mythology, literature, or the nature of consciousness? You might be someone I'd like to know.

My posting schedule tends to be: It's been kind of sporadic over the last year, but I'm looking to make a fresh start this year. I won't post daily, probably, but weekly at least.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: If you're MAGA, move on. I probably represent everything you hate, and I don't have time to educate people in a cult. I do not tolerate hate speech, homophobia, transphobia, incels, etc.

Before adding me, you should know: I'm an atheist for starters. I don't have a problem with people of faith, provided they don't try to rub my nose in it. I don't generally countenance evangelicals or fundamentalists, or anyone who feels the need to inject some performative demonstration of their supposed piety into literally every situation. I've known many people like this, and I lose patience with them very quickly.

I'm a 2 time cancer survivor. The last bout was diagnosed 4 years ago, and nearly killed me. I've written about some of the experience here, but may expand on it more in the future, now that I feel like I'm in a reasonably good headspace to think about what I went through.

I try to be polite and respectful of everyone with whom I interact. I expect the same from others. Slurs, insults, etc., are not tolerated. The basic rule of interacting with me: Don't be a dick. It's pretty much the closest thing I have to a philosophy of life.

Most of my journal is friends locked, but I'm happy to add people if they're interested. I've met some wonderful people here, and am always happy to meet more.

Hello Possible 2026 Friends

Jan. 5th, 2026 07:23 pm
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[personal profile] jayregee posting in [community profile] addme
 <b><p>Name:</b> </p> Regis 
 
<p><b>Age:</b></p> 46
 
<p><b>I mostly post about:</b></p> My life as a bipolar gay man, fandoms and things that pique my interest.

<p><b>My hobbies are:</b></p> I mainly just surf the net and collect physical media.  I prefer it over streaming.
 
<p><b>My fandoms are:</b></p> Twin Peaks, Friday the 13th, SAW Monk, Sherlock, Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason...  Let's just say I like a lot of mystery programs.
 
<p><b>I'm looking to meet people who:</b></p> I wouldn't mind finding other gays with my interests.  I am not picky though.  I will take anyone.  I am trying to make new friends in 2026.  Take the edge off of today's misery.
 
<p><b>My posting schedule tends to be:</b> daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc</p> I tend to write when the spirit in me is strong.  I try to post everyday but lately I've been too weak in the mind to get any words on the screen.
 
<p><b>When I add people, my dealbreakers are:</b></p> Homophobic people that are MAGA like Trump.  DIsgusting pictures are sometimes banned but I like horror movies.  So, they tend to be few and far between.
 
<p><b>Before adding me, you should know:</b></p> I am gay and do talk about the and my depression at some length.  Also, I am known to post hunky guys on holidays and special occasions/

Monday Musings

Jan. 5th, 2026 08:06 pm
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[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Wonderful lie-in this morning. Too cosy to get up early. In fact, I listened to the radio and got out of bed around ten. Never feel guilty, I say.

I did pop into town this morning, as there was chores to do, and some other items I needed. It was cold, but sunny and dry, and around 2 degrees centigrade.

I posted off one item and then headed towards my local pub. I met Ewart for a few drinks and gave him his late Xmas pressie. The present was the Guardian Yearbook in hardback. It was from 2025 anyway, and I remembered buying it from the Fleurs Bookshop.

When I arrived back home, I hit the decks and spun some vinyl. An excellent LP from Rare Vinyl had arrived. It was the classic 1974 album by The Crusaders called "Southern Comfort". Just £17 for a copy in near mint condition.

Southern Comfort, Primary, 1 of 6

I just love really good jazz, jazz funk and fusion.

(no subject)

Jan. 4th, 2026 05:49 pm
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[personal profile] spain posting in [community profile] addme
Name: Sarah
Age: 32

I mostly post about: Day to day, real life stuff. I mostly talk about whatever's going on, which can just be about taking the kids somewhere cool, visiting family, my job, etc. I do tend to keep negative posts private just because I'm using the space to vent and don't necessarily want advice, so I'd say my posts are also typically positive. I also try to include photos in every post and love seeing photos from friends

My hobbies/interests are: Reading, traveling, video games, going to concerts, collecting vinyl, lego, dark academia, tarot, coffee, all things horror

I'm looking to meet people who: have similar interests and values, who I can get along with and become friends with outside of this site. I love being friends on other social media platforms, talking outside of just DW, meeting up with people, etc

My posting schedule tends to be: For someone who is chronically online, I tend to only post about once or twice a month. I do read everyone's posts and comment when I can, but I don't like commenting just for the sake of commenting. I enjoy comments that can start a conversation or come from a place of sincerity and don't just say something like, "looks fun!"

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: I'm not into fandom whatsoever, so if your journal is majorly or exclusively about fandom, we won't work out. Also regardless of political views, I will most likely never talk about it on my journal and don't love reading about politics, so if that's something that's important to you, we might not mesh well

The Sunday Relax

Jan. 4th, 2026 09:54 pm
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[personal profile] jazzy_dave
It was one of those days that i ended a lie-in. I did not sleep too well in the night. Either a busy brain or some dread that gripped me. At least, after a morning cuppa, I did feel quite inequivalently myself again. I had a shower at around eleven. I was intending to do some hoovering around the flat, but I put that on the back burner.

I sat down listening to some music on CD such as the latest Ben LaMar Gay album and The Necks latest workout. Both albums are related to jazz in many respects.

For lunch, I had the same chicken dish as teh previous day,with the baby spinach and garlic, but on this occasion, with sweet potato. I had forgotten how tasty sweet potato can be. It is a wonderful veg.

I have not been watching any telly today due to the glaringly pernicious old octogenarian that refuses to give up the communal television remote control..

This is why I prefer music and books overall.

I rediscovered the joys of my old mp3 player,a Filo X1. I think my brother gave me this some years ago now. It has loads of albums on there which I randomly select.

Tomorrow, I Wil;l brave the cold weather to venture into town to post off something that was faulty and to get the refund.
jazzy_dave: (bookish)
[personal profile] jazzy_dave
Rie Qudan "Sympathy Tower Tokyo" (Penguin)




Sympathy Tower Tokyo is a thought-provoking novel that begins with the presence of generative AI, but quickly reveals it’s not really about machines. It’s about people. While it may seem at first like Qudan is simply exploring the novelty of AI-generated language, the real power of the novel lies in how that technology becomes a lens for deeper questions. When a machine offers us words, does that reduce their emotional impact, or is it just another form of collaboration?

At its core, Sympathy Tower Tokyo is a meditation on the changing nature of language. In the neon-lit glow of Tokyo, languages blend as Japanese and foreign sounding imports mix in subways, menus, ideals, and inner thoughts. Generative AI, able to mimic tone and idioms, highlights how flexible language has become. But the novel goes beyond this. Language here isn’t just a tool. It’s a living thing, shaped by context, gesture, even silence. The AI’s fluent but mechanical voice contrasts with the messiness of human expression, showing that meaning comes not just from grammar but from emotion, memory, and history.

Although the story presents itself as forward-looking with themes of AI, emotional design, and restorative justice, it’s also shot through with more conservative undercurrents that complicate its message. These aren’t overt, but they surface in character dynamics, language choices, and ideological tensions.

The architect of the tower is a particularly complex figure. She’s a woman leading a radical project meant to reimagine criminal justice. Yet her thinking is steeped in cultural nostalgia and linguistic conservatism. Her dislike for katakana, for example, goes beyond aesthetics. It reflects discomfort with Japan’s shifting cultural identity. To her, katakana signals dilution, euphemism, even avoidance. Her preference for kanji isn’t just about beauty. It’s about control and preserving meaning within a fixed cultural tradition. This linguistic purism mirrors a broader conservative instinct, a desire to maintain clarity, hierarchy, and cultural specificity in an increasingly fluid world.

The novel’s central irony is that its most innovative elements, the tower, the AI, the justice model, are all created by people who hold deeply traditional views. This tension feels deliberate. Qudan seems to suggest that real progress often stands on the shoulders of older, sometimes problematic foundations. Even the most forward-thinking ideas can carry traces of the past. The result is a story that embraces empathy, technology, and change while cautioning us to examine the ideologies quietly embedded in them. The tower may rise high, but it’s still grounded in history, bias, and contradiction.

In the end, Sympathy Tower Tokyo isn’t really a story about AI, architecture, or even justice. It’s a story about language, how it shifts, how it connects, and how it fails to define. Through its layered narrative and philosophical depth, Qudan invites us to examine language and its cultural underpinnings more closely. I loved it.

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