New Poems
Jan. 7th, 2026 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithbeavertech has posted the January batch of sponsored poems. :D"So Many Words for Wood" on
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
first_nations_freaks"The Infinity of Acorns" on
scienceworld"Birds and Snow" on
the_magick_circle"A Piecemeal Apocalypse" on
thefreaksclub
Shopping
Jan. 7th, 2026 05:14 pmysabetwordsmithbrickhousewench tipped me to Heading Prints, a company that makes scarves using book art as inspiration. They offer bandanas, skinny scarves, large rectangular scarves, square silky scarves, and also a few rings with designs to match some of their most popular scarf designs. Also, these are much more affordable on average than most fashion scarves I've seen, although they do cost more than the cheap random ones in a discount store.If you've seen my post "How to Simplify Fashion," then consider these scarves as an option for color-matching. Look for a scarf whose colors you love and want to use. Wear it while clothes shopping to test if new clothes match your colors.
Let's Get Literate! 2025 Reading Recap
Jan. 7th, 2026 04:31 pmrenay posting in ladybusiness2025 was the first year my reading started to feel less like a miracle and more like, "oh yeah, reading! I do that without struggling." I read 78 books, although a lot of them were rereads. I'm happy to reread The Murderbot Diaries and a bunch of my favorite romance novels a few times a year. The brain craves familiarity.
I have elevenish favorites this year (I combined books in series, because I make the rules). My top book, which is no big secret as I've been shouting about it for months, is the only one ranked; the rest are here in alphabetical order.
( Favorite Books )
( The numbers and musings )
That's a wrap on 2025! If you read any of my favorites and have readalikes, I'm always hyped for recs. If you wrote a favorites post for your SFF reading, I'd love to see it (and then link it in Intergalactic Mixtape, haha).
I have elevenish favorites this year (I combined books in series, because I make the rules). My top book, which is no big secret as I've been shouting about it for months, is the only one ranked; the rest are here in alphabetical order.
( Favorite Books )
( The numbers and musings )
That's a wrap on 2025! If you read any of my favorites and have readalikes, I'm always hyped for recs. If you wrote a favorites post for your SFF reading, I'd love to see it (and then link it in Intergalactic Mixtape, haha).
Birdfeeding
Jan. 7th, 2026 01:10 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I gathered the raked leaves from the ritual meadow, enough to fill the trolley twice, which I dumped on the daffodil bed. (That should have been done in fall, but better late than never.) One quarter around the firepit equaled two trolleys and covered the daffodil bed completely. The tulip bed will need at least twice that much.
I startled several cardinals and the great-horned owl in the ritual meadow.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I filled a trolley with sticks from the brushpile beside the driveway, then dumped that in the firepit.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I filled another trolley with sticks, then dumped that in the firepit.
There's not much left of the brushpile now, mostly pieces too big for me to break down.
It's 5:05 PM. The western sky is still twilight, the east considerably darker.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I gathered the raked leaves from the ritual meadow, enough to fill the trolley twice, which I dumped on the daffodil bed. (That should have been done in fall, but better late than never.) One quarter around the firepit equaled two trolleys and covered the daffodil bed completely. The tulip bed will need at least twice that much.
I startled several cardinals and the great-horned owl in the ritual meadow.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I filled a trolley with sticks from the brushpile beside the driveway, then dumped that in the firepit.
EDIT 1/7/26 -- I filled another trolley with sticks, then dumped that in the firepit.
There's not much left of the brushpile now, mostly pieces too big for me to break down.
It's 5:05 PM. The western sky is still twilight, the east considerably darker.
I am done for the night.
Snowflake Challenge 4: Rec Your Last Page
Jan. 7th, 2026 12:03 pmysabetwordsmithChallenge 4: Rec Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
On many of the fannish websites we use, our history is easily compileable into "pages". When we look back through those pages, sometimes we stumble upon things that we think are rather cool.
( Read more... )
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
On many of the fannish websites we use, our history is easily compileable into "pages". When we look back through those pages, sometimes we stumble upon things that we think are rather cool.
( Read more... )
2025 in Review: Writing!
Jan. 7th, 2026 09:02 amforestofglory2025 wasn’t my best year for writing, I was sleep deprived and not very inspired. But I did manage to write a few longer things so I thought I’d do a quick round up.
I wrote three things forladybusiness :
Adventures with Crossdressing Sword Girls
Domestic Labor and Community Building Rec List
Chill Chinese Reality Shows Rec List
I posted one short translation from Classical Chinese:
Magu
And I wrote an annotated bibliography for a friend:
Liao Biblography
I wrote three things for
ladybusiness :Adventures with Crossdressing Sword Girls
Domestic Labor and Community Building Rec List
Chill Chinese Reality Shows Rec List
I posted one short translation from Classical Chinese:
Magu
And I wrote an annotated bibliography for a friend:
Liao Biblography
Cadance Rain Shower
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:51 amfrith posting in ponyville_trot
Source: https://tantabus.ai/images/43388
Pastiche machine generator: Wai_NSFW_Illustrious_SDXL. Prompter: Truekry.
Sunshine and rain at the same time. Now that's a nice wingspan. Again in that un-horsey cat-like squat that so many fanartists dote on.
I updated ComfyUI on my other laptop when I picked up a couple of new checkpoints and LoRa's in early December. (That was a mistake, my ISP had "helpfully" sped up my connection to the delight of Windows 10, which gobbled up bandwidth updating who knows what. Cost me $40 in bandwidth overflow.) The update changed the clarity and look of the EZ Make pastiches, but the degree to which ComfyUI follows instructions varies with the checkpoints. I was trying to make a horse version of the Ursa Minor living constellation. One checkpoint would bake up a ghostly transparent horse full of stars, but when I switched to another checkpoint I'd get a pony shape but no transparency. Robotic cats, why u no herd?
Hard Things
Jan. 7th, 2026 12:02 amysabetwordsmithLife is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.
What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?
What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?
History
Jan. 6th, 2026 11:57 pmysabetwordsmithRecreating an Ancient Pump (with no moving parts)
This historic pump uses a mixture of flowing water and air bubbles to lift water high above its original level. While not as efficient as some other methods, it has two tremendous advantages: 1) It requires no electricity, fuel, or animal power. 2) With no moving parts, it avoids the problems of wear and clogs that threaten more complex pumps. Given the increasing issue of climate change, there is great value in any useful technology that runs entirely on renewable energy and doesn't need repair or replacement at all often.
This historic pump uses a mixture of flowing water and air bubbles to lift water high above its original level. While not as efficient as some other methods, it has two tremendous advantages: 1) It requires no electricity, fuel, or animal power. 2) With no moving parts, it avoids the problems of wear and clogs that threaten more complex pumps. Given the increasing issue of climate change, there is great value in any useful technology that runs entirely on renewable energy and doesn't need repair or replacement at all often.
Poem: "Done to Perfection"
Jan. 6th, 2026 08:24 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is from today's fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Pain's Gray thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Done to Perfection"
-- a cinquain
Pain's Gray
bakes French pastries --
beignets and petits fours,
choux à la crème and tartes des Alpes --
exquis.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the cinquain form.
French pastries include beignets, choux à la crème, petits fours, and tartes des Alpes.
exquis
French: delightful, delicious
fuzzyred. It belongs to the Pain's Gray thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Done to Perfection"
-- a cinquain
Pain's Gray
bakes French pastries --
beignets and petits fours,
choux à la crème and tartes des Alpes --
exquis.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the cinquain form.
French pastries include beignets, choux à la crème, petits fours, and tartes des Alpes.
exquis
French: delightful, delicious
Poem: "Beneath the Sea"
Jan. 6th, 2026 08:05 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is from today's Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Seas Beneath" square in my 1-6-26 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken and Mercedes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Beneath the Sea"
-- a hexaduad
Jules reads
job feeds.
Come work beneath the sea!
Stock Cans; room and board free.
He knows it's good work and good pay,
but should he go or should he stay?
Tides rise and fall,
feelings, sea call.
Beach, a liminal place;
teen, in similar space.
Jules scans the shore,
texts, Tell me more.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the hexaduad form.
dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Seas Beneath" square in my 1-6-26 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken and Mercedes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series."Beneath the Sea"
-- a hexaduad
Jules reads
job feeds.
Come work beneath the sea!
Stock Cans; room and board free.
He knows it's good work and good pay,
but should he go or should he stay?
Tides rise and fall,
feelings, sea call.
Beach, a liminal place;
teen, in similar space.
Jules scans the shore,
texts, Tell me more.
* * *
Notes:
Read about the hexaduad form.
Science
Jan. 6th, 2026 04:26 pmysabetwordsmithNearly all women in STEM secretly feel like impostors
A striking 97.5% of women pursuing graduate degrees in STEM report moderate or higher levels of impostorism.
Nearly all women in STEM graduate programs report feeling like impostors, despite strong evidence of success. This mindset leads many to dismiss their achievements as luck and fear being “found out.” Research links impostorism to worse mental health, higher burnout, and increased thoughts of dropping out. Supportive environments and shifting beliefs about intelligence may help break the cycle.
That's probably because 97.5% of their male coworkers are misogynistic assholes, and so are a lot of people even outside of STEM.
After decades of being told that girls are bad at math, go play with dolls, harassment as soon as their breasts start growing, male students being put in charge of groups, professors stealing their work, getting lower grades than they deserve, struggling to find a job, their name being left off papers or awards, promotions going to less-qualified males, fighting for funds ... of course women realize that they are aren't wanted, aren't welcome, and nobody likes them.
The last 2.5% of women in STEM? They don't give a shit if people like them, and they aren't there to stroke anyone's ego or penis. Shut up and work. Impostor syndrome? It can be beaten to death with facts.
A striking 97.5% of women pursuing graduate degrees in STEM report moderate or higher levels of impostorism.
Nearly all women in STEM graduate programs report feeling like impostors, despite strong evidence of success. This mindset leads many to dismiss their achievements as luck and fear being “found out.” Research links impostorism to worse mental health, higher burnout, and increased thoughts of dropping out. Supportive environments and shifting beliefs about intelligence may help break the cycle.
That's probably because 97.5% of their male coworkers are misogynistic assholes, and so are a lot of people even outside of STEM.
After decades of being told that girls are bad at math, go play with dolls, harassment as soon as their breasts start growing, male students being put in charge of groups, professors stealing their work, getting lower grades than they deserve, struggling to find a job, their name being left off papers or awards, promotions going to less-qualified males, fighting for funds ... of course women realize that they are aren't wanted, aren't welcome, and nobody likes them.
The last 2.5% of women in STEM? They don't give a shit if people like them, and they aren't there to stroke anyone's ego or penis. Shut up and work. Impostor syndrome? It can be beaten to death with facts.
Birdfeeding
Jan. 6th, 2026 03:23 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Haiku
Jan. 6th, 2026 02:07 pmysabetwordsmithThis is today's freebie, inspired by a prompt from jake67jake.
Maduro kidnapped --
he was quite unpopular,
but it was still wrong
* * *
Notes:
Read a discussion of Venezuela politics.
jake67jake. Maduro kidnapped --
he was quite unpopular,
but it was still wrong
* * *
Notes:
Read a discussion of Venezuela politics.
Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Jan. 6th, 2026 01:11 pmysabetwordsmithThe Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you all for your time and attention.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "short forms." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
I'll be soliciting poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 168 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.
In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. I also list gender identities and my characters with disabilities. Want to help me play with my bookshelf? :D I have The Conflict Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2, The Occupation Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. Simply click "Read Sample" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.
( Read more... )
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "short forms." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
I'll be soliciting poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 168 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.
In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. I also list gender identities and my characters with disabilities. Want to help me play with my bookshelf? :D I have The Conflict Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2, The Occupation Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. Simply click "Read Sample" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.
( Read more... )
