Welcome back to Wednesday Links!
How are we all doing? Did anyone take part in the No Kings protest or any Pride festivities this past weekend? Boston had both on the same day. I loved seeing cities and towns, big and small, congregate in support of protecting their communities.
I’m not a big fan of the summer and it usually flies by in a bit of a haze, but I’m even more eager to get through it as my partner and I have some trips planned in fall and winter, plus an elopement on the horizon.
I hope you all have something to look forward to in the second half of 2025.
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To my fellow gamers, Date Everything released yesterday. It’s a visual novel dating game where your household items have come to life. It’s fully voice acted by well-known VAs. I’m really enjoying it so far and plan to do a deeper review on the site soon!
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From Alison: As someone who reads a lot of historicals (and their attempts to deal with contraception and STI prevention) I found it fascinating. Souvenir condoms!
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The IG algorithm served up Holy Duk’s account, where he entrusts a disposable camera with strangers about to fly out to different destinations from Incheon Airport in South Korea. My favorites are when flight attendants take him up on the camera offer.
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Wired has compiled half a dozen tools to help keep track of civil liberties in jeopardy.
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
Toughpigs.com (the premier Muppet fan site, IMHO) is in the midst of its annual Pride Month…not only are the themed posts amazing and educational (the explanation of nonbinary gender through the example of Sesame Street anything Muppets truly blew my mind), they have a truly wonderful Pride fundraiser going on through the 29th. (Proof of donation to True Colors United, The Trevor Project, or Advocates for Trans Equality of $10 or above can get you entered to win some beautiful Muppet fan art and replicas.) Details at http://www.toughpigs.com/pride-2025
@Trix—the Tough Pigs founder is one of my husband’s oldest friends. I am always happy when he turns up on this corner of the internet. 🙂
@Trix- I’m so glad you shared the Tough Pigs fundraiser for Pride month, especially in light of today’s disappointing news that The Trevor Project’s services are being removed from the national suicide prevention hotline here in the US. They need all the funds and support they can get from allies.
Loved, loved , loved toughpigs.com and as suggested, the essay on Any Muppets as a metaphor for non binary was truly inspired.
My husband & I attended a No Kings protest in our small western NC town. We are blue dots in a red area. It was our third protest. Ever thought I’d be spending my retirement years protesting, but here we are.
A good number of our book club members joined 9,000 others at the Reno No Kings protest. Enormous energy, great signs, completely peaceful — in a county that is reliably and stubbornly red. @Laurel: Yes, here we are. Again.
@emily.c The Trevor Project is apparently triple-matching donations through the 22nd…
I attended the protest in my medium sized, bright red southern city. I was there for the future of the younger generations of my family. There were maybe 2000 people, which was a lot for this area. I’m moving to a purple state in a few months and can’t wait to cast a vote that might actually count.
I just saw an article that feels very relevant to here: The Unmaking of Historical Romance on Bookriot. They talk with some well known authors but I feel like I’d like more depth, one of my issues with that site at times. But I’d love other people’s thoughts on this. I’m a book selector for my library and while currently there are a lot of romantasy books, many of them are in historical settings. I feel like the article kind of ignores that historical doesn’t mean just Regency as one author mentions a Victorian. So I’d like more data.
Sadly I missed the two Boston events, I slept in but loved seeing the pictures.
For my fellow women’s sports fans: I am obsessed with breakingt.com t-shirts at the moment! Sports puns! Officially licensed sports puns that support the W and give NIL money to college players. My collection is rapidly expanding and the shirts are very comfortable and easy to wash!