Finished Bee Speaker
Dec. 30th, 2025 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conulyI believe the theme of this book is "the road to hell" with a side order of "best laid plans". ( To be fair... )
***************************
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
conuly
Birdfeeding
Dec. 30th, 2025 01:57 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and cool. It spit snow a bit yesterday but didn't amount to anything.
I fed the birds. There was a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches perched in the forest garden waiting to be fed. :D
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. There was a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches perched in the forest garden waiting to be fed. :D
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
end-of-year Iron Company art roundup
Dec. 30th, 2025 11:19 amdoodlemancyi have not been keeping up with posting this stuff here this year. it's a mixture of being really busy and... posting images on dreamwidth... being kind of a nightmare lol. i finally figured out imgbb makes it a little easier, though, so here's some Iron Company stuff i drew this year. starting with the major characters i designed this year: Elemere, Alastor, Viktor, and Dimitri. this year doodlemancy truly became Doodlemancy Who Draws A Man Sometimes.
some of the more polished stuff:
and a boatload of sketches:
this is not even all of it. if you want to see more, toyhouse or pillowfort are probably your best bet.
all these characters are from my current visual novel project which you can play right now for free!!
and a boatload of sketches:
all these characters are from my current visual novel project which you can play right now for free!!
Poem: "The Last Command"
Dec. 30th, 2025 01:19 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills "The Last Command" square in my 1-1-24 card for the Public Domain Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. This is the third poem in the series Crystal Wood; it follows "Trees of Glass" and "Ghost Forests."
Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. This is the third poem in the series Crystal Wood; it follows "Trees of Glass" and "Ghost Forests."Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
Manga Check-in: Mob Psycho 100 v12ch90 (reread)
Dec. 30th, 2025 01:07 pmbluapapilio
This is where I put I stopped on MAL/MU so I'm just going to trust it since it's so close to the end anyway. I do think I ended up just past the
Chapter 90 reread: I love how Mob is just 'Ritsu's brother' to Shou. XD
Dimple and Mob taking turns saving each other;;
"Nobody can rate someone else's thoughts as if it were a scoreboard!"
Mob was trying to calmly talk to Suzuki but then he talked down to Shou and that made Mob go to 77%. And Shou's face when he realized Mob was getting mad for him. Shou tried to jump in to help Mob but got smacked down. 😭
Reigen also tried to help but failed and got attacked, but Serizawa saved him! Aaand Mob reached 100%. Wait, has Reigen never seen him at that point?
Mob spotting Ritsu and remembering hurting him. 😭 He went from 100% Ecstasy to 100% Shame like whiplash.
Teru saying Mob is 'just a regular junior high student'. :')
The omake where they tried to influence their anime designs hahah. Dimple is...cute? Mob is muscular and Reigen is handsome.
Mob is so unbelievably kind. He can put himself in someone else's shoes and understand how and why he needs to make a move.
I missed this manga and the characters. I'm so grateful to this challenge for motivating me to go back into so much. ❤️️
December Anime Wrap-Up
Dec. 30th, 2025 12:14 pmbluapapilio
(Re)watched episode 1 of K! 
(Re)watched ep. 3-4 of Fairy Ranmaru! Finished season 4/part 2 of Dr. Stone, I'm not too far ahead of this in the manga! Watched ep. 6-9 of Cardfight Vanguard!!! 
Anime Check-in: Dr. Stone S4P2E10-12 END
Dec. 30th, 2025 12:09 pmbluapapilio
Episode 10: Just casually shooting up Suika like that. 😭
So it's been 100 days since they took Xeno. And of course his first words (well, spoken anyway) to Stanley were questioning if he was slacking off lmao
Suika girl you really need a backup pair of glasses.
Xeno blames the higher-ups for not accepting his science inventions who instead sought 'power and conflict' but weren't all this inventions weapons of war?? Or did I misunderstand and he was forced down that path.
Stanley had the chance to shoot the last revival fluid but realized that Senkuu would revive Xeno again, and Xeno would get to continue making things with someone who understood him more than even him perhaps. The flashback to little Stanley watching little Xeno do science was sweet. It's clear that it was the boy who was passionate about all these things he was most interested in, not just what he could do.
I got chills as everyone turned to stone and then the little doggy and boar came along. 😭 And that poor cheetah got quite the fright!
Suika was way too young to be left alone like this ughh I know there was very little choice in the end but aHH.
Episode 11: Suika hugging Kohaku's statue 😭😭😭 She's the bravest little girl ever. Ughh my watery eyes.
Episode 12: Thinking about it, Suika is older than Mirai now.
I wonder why Senkuu decided to wait and revive them all at once instead of as he made the liquid? Honestly though I really like that he waited so everyone could reunite at once after that traumatic experience.
Tsukasa's first thought was Hyouga, and the look in his eyes...I see why people ship them. And Hyouga indulging them with his catch phrase lol
Tsukasa's image of the characters as old people. 😭
The earring/communicator kinda looks good on Xeno...
I'm only 6 chapters ahead of this part in the manga.
So it's been 100 days since they took Xeno. And of course his first words (well, spoken anyway) to Stanley were questioning if he was slacking off lmao
Suika girl you really need a backup pair of glasses.
Xeno blames the higher-ups for not accepting his science inventions who instead sought 'power and conflict' but weren't all this inventions weapons of war?? Or did I misunderstand and he was forced down that path.
Stanley had the chance to shoot the last revival fluid but realized that Senkuu would revive Xeno again, and Xeno would get to continue making things with someone who understood him more than even him perhaps. The flashback to little Stanley watching little Xeno do science was sweet. It's clear that it was the boy who was passionate about all these things he was most interested in, not just what he could do.
I got chills as everyone turned to stone and then the little doggy and boar came along. 😭 And that poor cheetah got quite the fright!
Suika was way too young to be left alone like this ughh I know there was very little choice in the end but aHH.
Episode 11: Suika hugging Kohaku's statue 😭😭😭 She's the bravest little girl ever. Ughh my watery eyes.
Episode 12: Thinking about it, Suika is older than Mirai now.
I wonder why Senkuu decided to wait and revive them all at once instead of as he made the liquid? Honestly though I really like that he waited so everyone could reunite at once after that traumatic experience.
Tsukasa's first thought was Hyouga, and the look in his eyes...I see why people ship them. And Hyouga indulging them with his catch phrase lol
Tsukasa's image of the characters as old people. 😭
The earring/communicator kinda looks good on Xeno...
I'm only 6 chapters ahead of this part in the manga.
I prefer the manga panel more, Stan's lips are pursed in it and Xeno looks more in love but this is still nice!
He imagined Stan talking to him. :')
Medieval 'Cussing' in the Middle East
Dec. 30th, 2025 05:04 pmstarryeyedknight posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
little_detailsHello! I’ve got a rather niche one particularly for Arabic speakers/historians - my writing is set in the medieval crusading period, where European/Catholic individuals would often use expressions of annoyance/surprise/exasperation that are largely religious-based, such as ‘oh sweet Christ’, 'dear God', ‘Christ’s bones’, ‘Saint Jude’s eyes’ etc etc. (One can then make as crude as you like while focusing a lot around divine/saintly body parts!).
I also have a few Levantine Arab Christian characters with mixed Arab/European heritage and I'm wondering if the above sort of religious-based swearing might have been used also in the Levant (particularly if they've taken some verbal influence from their European father), or if would come across as jarring to use these more western-associated idioms in a Middle Eastern setting?
Also: I've done some research around Arabic idioms already, but it would also be great to hear of any Arabic phrases (either in Arabic or transliterated) of annoyance or surprise similar to 'oh Christ' or 'for God's sake' that might be used? (I know ‘ya Allah’ is one such phrase but I’m trying to diversify) Similarly, any other recommendations of non-religious exclamations (of the ‘damn, bugger, blast’ varieties) would be very helpful!
I also have a few Levantine Arab Christian characters with mixed Arab/European heritage and I'm wondering if the above sort of religious-based swearing might have been used also in the Levant (particularly if they've taken some verbal influence from their European father), or if would come across as jarring to use these more western-associated idioms in a Middle Eastern setting?
Also: I've done some research around Arabic idioms already, but it would also be great to hear of any Arabic phrases (either in Arabic or transliterated) of annoyance or surprise similar to 'oh Christ' or 'for God's sake' that might be used? (I know ‘ya Allah’ is one such phrase but I’m trying to diversify) Similarly, any other recommendations of non-religious exclamations (of the ‘damn, bugger, blast’ varieties) would be very helpful!
The Far Side Of Cake, Vol. 9
Dec. 30th, 2025 02:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
cakewrecks_feedThey say Santa just wasn't the same after that visit.
*****
Everyone did their best to stay nonchalant, but like moths to a flame, they were inexorably drawn to Eeyore's new lower back tattoo:
*****
The silence stretched out painfully, and now everyone was looking at him. Curse that mechanic and his "ultra performance diesel shake"!
*****
It really was a great place for cookouts and casual get-togethers... provided you never made eye contact with the ducks:
Thanks to Susan L., Laura K., Beth J., & Warren G. for the fowl play.
*****
P.S. Forget the cakes, this month has left my house wrecked. I'm so ready for a big purge and organizing blitz - and eyeballing nifty little turntables like this:
7-Layer Rotating Makeup Organizer
Ohhh, look at this beauty. Don't you just want to take her for a spin?
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Update
Dec. 30th, 2025 11:54 pmvassHi everyone. Sorry I've fallen off the posting again.
Here are some Yuletide recs:
Imperial Radch/Translation State - Ann Leckie: a perfect preservation (so we’ll never fall apart). If you haven't read Translation State yet, then I strongly recommend not reading this fic until you've read canon. Otherwise, recommended. (I was the recipient.)
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson/The New Yorker RPF: Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death
Goose of Soulmate Enforcement trope/Original Fic: #footscraygoose (Especially recommended for people from Melbourne)
Prophet - Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald: Wrong Choice
The Raven Tower - Ann Leckie: k2, p2, yo, k2tog
Columbo, Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Murdered
France's language watchdog has told government officials to use French fetish terms... (News Satire): Les immortels au service de la petite mort
Chalion/Les Mis: The Truth that Once Was Spoken
Here are some Yuletide recs:
Imperial Radch/Translation State - Ann Leckie: a perfect preservation (so we’ll never fall apart). If you haven't read Translation State yet, then I strongly recommend not reading this fic until you've read canon. Otherwise, recommended. (I was the recipient.)
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson/The New Yorker RPF: Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death
Goose of Soulmate Enforcement trope/Original Fic: #footscraygoose (Especially recommended for people from Melbourne)
Prophet - Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald: Wrong Choice
The Raven Tower - Ann Leckie: k2, p2, yo, k2tog
Columbo, Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Murdered
France's language watchdog has told government officials to use French fetish terms... (News Satire): Les immortels au service de la petite mort
Chalion/Les Mis: The Truth that Once Was Spoken
Bingo
Dec. 30th, 2025 04:17 amysabetwordsmithI have made bingo for Amnesty this month. Counting each 5 fills as a bingo, I have made two. \o/
5-1-25 B3 "In a Splash of Color"
11-1-25 B3 "The Sand of Celebration"
8-1-25 B2 "Until the Rain Comes"
5-1-25 O5 "A Palette of Appetizers"
11-1-25 O5 "User Interfaces"
2-1-25 B5 "Protect the Inner Core"
5-1-25 B5 "The Marvels of Brush and Ink"
11-1-25 I2 "The Car That Didn't Like Bullies"
11-1-25 B2 "Learning New Skills"
11-1-25 O4 "The Unicorn Door"
5-1-25 B3 "In a Splash of Color"
11-1-25 B3 "The Sand of Celebration"
8-1-25 B2 "Until the Rain Comes"
5-1-25 O5 "A Palette of Appetizers"
11-1-25 O5 "User Interfaces"
2-1-25 B5 "Protect the Inner Core"
5-1-25 B5 "The Marvels of Brush and Ink"
11-1-25 I2 "The Car That Didn't Like Bullies"
11-1-25 B2 "Learning New Skills"
11-1-25 O4 "The Unicorn Door"
Consequences
Dec. 30th, 2025 12:57 amfirecatTurns out that listening to an audiobook of The Witcher in the vicinity of an iThing can cause a mildly irritating problem
Veganuary
Dec. 30th, 2025 02:22 amysabetwordsmith posting in goals_on_dwThis January, don't change who you are, just try vegan
New Delhi [India], December 9: Veganuary -- the global campaign to try vegan for January and beyond - is today launching its 2026 campaign, titled "New Year, Same You". Since launching in India in 2022, Veganuary has had wide success, and more than 140,000 Indians have already signed up for the 2026 campaign.
With "New Year, Same You", Veganuary is flipping the usual New Year narrative on its head. Instead of pushing people to become someone "better", Veganuary reminds people that taking part does not require changing who they are - just making a few simple swaps that naturally fit into their everyday lives
Get the prompt list. It should also work for vegetarians, flexitarians, climatarians,etc. if you treat it as a "one vegan meal per day" challenge.
New Delhi [India], December 9: Veganuary -- the global campaign to try vegan for January and beyond - is today launching its 2026 campaign, titled "New Year, Same You". Since launching in India in 2022, Veganuary has had wide success, and more than 140,000 Indians have already signed up for the 2026 campaign.
With "New Year, Same You", Veganuary is flipping the usual New Year narrative on its head. Instead of pushing people to become someone "better", Veganuary reminds people that taking part does not require changing who they are - just making a few simple swaps that naturally fit into their everyday lives
Get the prompt list. It should also work for vegetarians, flexitarians, climatarians,etc. if you treat it as a "one vegan meal per day" challenge.
Poem: "Ghost Forests"
Dec. 30th, 2025 02:02 amysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Accident" square in my 6-1-22 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. This is the second poem in the series Crystal Wood; it follows "Trees of Glass."
Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. This is the second poem in the series Crystal Wood; it follows "Trees of Glass."Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
Tags:
Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Dec. 30th, 2025 12:16 amysabetwordsmithThis is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "short forms." 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.
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
Arts and Crafts America is ideal for picture prompts, or just name a craft.
Clay of Life suits words from Yiddish, Ladino, or Hebrew.
Fiorenza the Wisewoman suits Italian forms, most of which are short; also Italian words or phrases.
Hart's Farm suits Old Norse poetry or words.
Kung Fu Robots goes with Chinese forms.
Lacquerware suits Japanese forms.
Or you can ask for something new.
Linkbacks reveal a verse of any open linkback poem.
If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts. I am now.) Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog.
( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )
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.
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
Arts and Crafts America is ideal for picture prompts, or just name a craft.
Clay of Life suits words from Yiddish, Ladino, or Hebrew.
Fiorenza the Wisewoman suits Italian forms, most of which are short; also Italian words or phrases.
Hart's Farm suits Old Norse poetry or words.
Kung Fu Robots goes with Chinese forms.
Lacquerware suits Japanese forms.
Or you can ask for something new.
Linkbacks reveal a verse of any open linkback poem.
If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts. I am now.) Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog.
( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )
Poem: "Trees of Glass"
Dec. 29th, 2025 10:44 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Genes" square in my 11-1-23 card for the Drabble Fest Bingo. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. This is the first poem in the series Crystal Wood.
Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. This is the first poem in the series Crystal Wood.Warning: This poem is dark science fiction along the lines of ecological horror.
( Read more... )
Activism
Dec. 29th, 2025 09:41 pmysabetwordsmithBe careful with each other
How activist groups can build trust, care, and sustainability in a world of capitalism and oppression.
( Read more... )
How activist groups can build trust, care, and sustainability in a world of capitalism and oppression.
( Read more... )
Year in review, Part the Second: Publishing
Dec. 29th, 2025 09:26 pmcatherineldfIt was one heck of a year!
We released 3 titles:
- Point of Hearts (Astreiant #6) by Melissa Scott
- Running Dry by M.Christian
- The Complete Astreiant by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
Award News:
- Point of Hopes (Astreiant #1) by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett won a Midwest Independent Publishers Association Award for speculative fiction
- Catherine Lundoff won an Alice B. Readers Award for her body of work in sapphic fiction
- Terror at Tierra de Cobre by Michael Merriam was a finalist for the Inaugural Small Spec Book Awards, Horror Category
- The Language of Roses by Heather Rose Jones was nominated for the Indie Ink Awards in 2 categories, including Aromantic/Asexual Representation
- The Complete Astreiant by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett is eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Series this year
Other Cool Things:
- The University of Minnesota Library Upper Midwest Literary Archive is officially collecting us, with a finding guide and everything, crossed listed with the Tretter Collection.
- Point of Hearts was reviewed in Locus Magazine, our first title in Locus.
Apart from that, we did 36 events this year! That includes conferences, book festivals, bookstore readings, book events at breweries and other venues, podcasts and probably something I'm forgetting. It was a lot! If you were one of the folks who hosted us, bought our books, reviewed our books, supported our Patreon and/or generally helped us get the word out about our books, you rock! Thank you!
And a big thank you to our authors, cover designers, book designer and my assistant, Alexa, for all your hard work this year! Additional shout out to Kate Larking who did a bunch of marketing and publicity work for us! See you all in 2026!