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ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the June 4, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] see_also_friend, [personal profile] rix_scaedu, and [personal profile] wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Activism" square in my 6-1-24 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

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Follow Friday 1-16-26: Leverage

Jan. 16th, 2026 12:09 am
ysabetwordsmith: A blue sheep holding a quill dreams of Dreamwidth (Dreamsheep)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today's theme is Leverage.

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Poem: "There's an Art to It"

Jan. 15th, 2026 09:13 pm
ysabetwordsmith: A paint roller creates an American flag, with the text Arts and Crafts America. (Arts and Crafts America)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is the linkback perk for the July 5, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl, originally hosted by Dreamwidth user Dialecticdreamer. It is spillover from the March 1, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from Dreamwidth users Heartsinger and Zeeth_kyrah. It also fills the "Colored Pencils" square in my 3-1-22 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.

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Read "Hordes of the Khan"

Jan. 15th, 2026 08:19 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
My partner Doug tipped me to "Hordes of the Khan" by Scott R. Brooks, a Johnny Quest fancomic.

Check out the "Quest for Knowledge" page. That is very typical of comics in Terramagne, which often throw in some fun facts about the setting, history, flora and fauna, etc. even if the story is wholly fictional.

The Slow Passage Of Time

Jan. 15th, 2026 09:49 pm
[syndicated profile] questionable_content_feed

I think Hannelore is about 28 in comic time now but I also reserve the right to change this if/when it becomes necessary or I feel like it

loganberrybunny: Plagg with wide-open mouth trying to eat cheese (Plagg eating cheese)
[personal profile] loganberrybunny
Public


349/365: Larch Wood Farm, Kidderminster
Click for a larger, sharper image

Yes, I know about Robert Jenrick's defection from the Tories to Reform, which has been all over the news today, but I can't stand the man regardless of party so I'll move on quickly! Much more enjoyably, I had a free morning and so was able to go into Kidderminster for a buffet breakfast at Larch Wood Farm. Fortunately I was hungry, as shown by the fact that I had a black pudding with each of my two helpings! The bacon was particularly succulent this time, though the sausages were a tad underwhelming. Decent beans and hash browns, good fried eggs, acceptable mushrooms. Overall, pretty solid.

New year, new friends

Jan. 15th, 2026 04:27 pm
decemberthirty: (Default)
[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!
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
in which two teens independently fall into a toxic mud puddle and develop mind-reading abilities. Spoilers, they're not the only ones!

They're at a family reunion, and one person mentions that there have been a few breakins, how odd, because all the broken-in houses had security systems. And as they mention that, everybody in range automatically thinks their PINs. This, of course, is how the (telepathic!) thief had broken into the houses in the first place.

Ever since then, every time I've had to enter a PIN or a password anywhere, I've carefully also thought some other random letters or numbers. It's a silly habit, which I only developed long after I outgrew poking around closets for Narnia and had nearly outgrown poking around closets for secret passageways, and it wouldn't really deter a mind-reading thief for very long, but I still do it. If there ever is a telepathic malefactor in close proximity to me, at least they'll have to to try a few different codes to use my bank card!

******************


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Poetry Fishbowl Themes for Early 2026

Jan. 15th, 2026 02:42 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poll covers the ideas proposed in the recent call for themes. Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll. I will keep it open until at least Friday night. If there are clear answers then, I'll close it. Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer. If you don't have a Dreamwidth account, you can vote in an anonymous comment or email to me, but include some kind of handle to distinguish yourself.

For this poll, you can vote for as many themes as you find appealing. I recommend that you don't vote for all of them, since that makes it harder to whittle down the list. The themes are arranged in alphabetical order.

Here are your options ...

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Wildlife

Jan. 15th, 2026 02:21 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Monkeys With Smaller Testicles Scream Louder to Compensate

It's a "calls vs balls" tradeoff.

It’s a long-held belief that loudmouths overcompensate for something, but in the case of howler monkeys, science has confirmed it’s a biological fact. A landmark study by Dr. Jacob Dunn at Cambridge University, along with 2026 follow-up research, has established that monkeys who scream the loudest effectively “pay” for that volume with significantly smaller testes and lower sperm counts
.


You gotta wonder if this applies to humans and some of their absurd behavior.

Neighborhood Poetry

Jan. 15th, 2026 02:06 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] sef1029 shared a picture of a tiny bulletin board for neighborhood poetry.  This is the kind of thing that anyone could put up, a riff on the Little Free (whatever) concept.  It would work just as well for any kind of creative writing that fits on one page, like nature writing or drabbles, as well as things like copies of a journal page with a sketch and description of local flora or fauna. 

No poem?  No problem!  Sponsors of my work get nonexclusive reprint rights.  I'd be happy to write one-page poems for neighborhood use.  See something of mine that you already like?  Chip in, you're a cosponsor, you can pass around free copies. 

Also keep an eye out for local poets in your area who might like to participate.  Watch for bookstores, libraries, coffeehouses, etc. to host an open mike night, poetry reading, author signing, etc. where you can meet poets from your area.  These also make good places to put up a poetry post, indoors or outdoors.

Of course, you could also look up classic poems in the public domain and use those.

Birdfeeding

Jan. 15th, 2026 01:38 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly sunny and cold.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a flock of sparrows and a starling.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/15/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/15/26 -- I did some work around the yard.

I've seen a downy woodpecker drumming on a branch, and a pair of cardinals flying away.

EDIT 1/15/26 -- I dumped out the cloverleaf pots and stacked them upside-down on the patio.  Last year I tried growing wild strawberries in towers.  This didn't work great because 1) the berries weren't very good, 2) the towers were difficult to water, and 3) they were prone to falling over.  However, I learned some things so it wasn't a wasted effort.  I'm not sure what I'll try next.  Certainly I could plant better strawberries, either my wild ones or the pink-flowered Toscano that produced excellent berries last summer.  Watering should be easier with a hose.  Stability, hmm, I might try stakes or just spread them out.



.

 

Video for a postponed post

Jan. 15th, 2026 01:28 pm
neonvincent: From an icon made by the artists themselves (Bang)
[personal profile] neonvincent
This is one of two science videos about the Salem Witch Trials, but the other one made a different point, so instead I decided to write SciShow asks 'What’s the Truth about Acetaminophen and Autism?'

Constitutional rights - Red Cards

Jan. 15th, 2026 12:16 pm
otter: (Default)
[personal profile] otter posting in [community profile] thisfinecrew
These cards can be ordered or printed on you own. They provide a summary of constitutional rights and a brief script to follow if/when needed.

You have constitutional rights:
• DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is
knocking on the door.
• DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an
immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the
right to remain silent.
• DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a
lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer.
• If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are
free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.
• GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of
your home, show the card through the window or slide it
under the door.
I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions,
or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th
Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.
I do not give you permission to enter my home based
on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States
Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed
by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide
under the door.
I do not give you permission to search any of my
belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights.
I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.
These cards are available to citizens and noncitizens alike

https://www.ilrc.org/redcards#print
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Snowflake Challenge 8: Creative Process

Talk about your creative process.

This challenge looks at what goes on behind the scenes to produce all the wonderful fannish contents that come to be in the world. By ‘create’ we don’t just mean fic or art or videos -- there’s a process behind every blog post, comment or any other kind of fannish engagement. We’re all creators -- and every creator loves to know about other peoples'
.


Snowflake Challenge: A flatlay of a snowflake shaped shortbread cake, a mug with coffee, and a string of holiday lights on top of a rustic napkin.



I write fanfic "derive in, extrapolate out." This means I look for something in the canon that could use more explanation, think about how it could have gotten that way, then consider how that could influence further stories.

My biggest fanseries is Love Is For children (The Avengers). Several of these entries dig into the backstory of the characters, starting with a scene in canon that shows something already developed which must have had a way to get started but that part is never mentioned. So I used the character as known, and the context, to build something that would logically fit into that gap.

In the first Iron Man movie, we see Tony Stark build the Mark I suit in a cave, with a box of scraps. Specifically, we see him swinging a hammer, like Hephaestus at his forge. Now blacksmithing is one of those things that cannot be learned entirely from a book. It requires muscles and muscle memory; you actually have to do the work, a lot, over a long time. If you want to learn efficiently and also not set yourself on fire too much, it also requires a master blacksmith to teach you the tools and techniques. But the movie says nothing about how or where or when Tony learned any of that; it shows the end result of a mastersmith building a supergizmo out of junk.

I wrote "What Little Boys Are Made Of" to fill in that part of Tony's backstory. The earliest sections describe, also inspired by canon, examples of Tony's relationship with his father and Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Then it covers college, Tony's boredom because it's too easy, and his continuing efforts to get Howard's attention. The real key comes when Tony revisits Museum Village in Monroe, New York. There he meets a blacksmith and hits on the idea of working as an apprentice for the summer. And the rest is history.

Consider the Six Layers from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. With fanwriting, a creator necessarily starts at the surface of the canon element, in this case a movie. "Derive in" means picking a point on the surface, then delving underneath into the structure which supports it, and often consulting the idiom. To create something new requires an idea, which is the first or core layer. From there, "extrapolate out" simply works back up to the surface again.

There in a nutshell is the process for most of my fanwriting. It works equally well with all sizes and media. I use some other methods, but I usually pair them with this one.

(no subject)

Jan. 15th, 2026 11:22 am
pshaw_raven: (Raven with Coffee Mug)
[personal profile] pshaw_raven
Fox and I just got done using an electric hand warmer and a heat gun to revive some torpid bumblebees we found in the garden. How's your day going?

Since it's going to freeze tonight we wanted to get them dried off and active, so that they didn't stay put and die in the cold tonight. Mission probably accomplished. As a bonus, I got to pet a bumblebee.