Twilight Swimming

Jan. 4th, 2026 08:46 am
frith: Realistic My Little Pony Twilight Sparkle via generative software (MLP EZ Make Twilight Sparkle)
[personal profile] frith posting in [community profile] ponyville_trot
Twilight_Swimming_via_Zoinksnoob_by_Marestare
Source: https://tantabus.ai/images/36960
Pastiche machine generator: Zoinksnoob. Prompter: Marestare.

Typical sweeping panorama, horse looking at something she likes. The water and reflections are nice. Horse is solo, in these EZ Bake pastiches the horse is usually solo. I wonder if the reflections of the mountains were touched up, they nearly match as mirror reflections. The water depth where Twilight is swimming has an Escher distortion going on, it is both up to her chin and up to her belly at the same time. Only her front hooves are under water, her front legs are clearly not submerged. I did not notice that at nearly one in the morning when I was trying to clear all my tabs and go to bed. It's clearly an arche-typical EZ Bake pastiche. I was swayed by the setting and the reflections of the mountains. Still better than a sultry pin up pony posing in a French maid uniform.

Arne in January

Jan. 4th, 2026 01:54 pm
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[personal profile] puddleshark
Arne in January 1

Met up with C. and her terrier for a walk by the harbour at Arne in the January sunshine. The water silver, still as glass. Cormorants and grebes performing vanishing tricks through a mirror.

I didn't get any good photos, but the light was gorgeous - you cannot take light for granted in January - and the harbour was very quiet, just the calling of the wading birds, or the splash of a rower passing by. Afterwards, coffee and cake at the café, sitting outside, the terrier curled in C.s lap, half-dozing in the sun, waking just enough to grumble halfheartedly at other dogs passing by.

Read more... )

(no subject)

Jan. 4th, 2026 01:00 pm
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)
[personal profile] oursin
Happy birthday, [personal profile] 19_crows, [personal profile] aitchellsee and [personal profile] sofiaviolet

Another bridge closed

Jan. 4th, 2026 08:21 am
soemand: (Default)
[personal profile] soemand
Covered bridges may be charming, but they’re outdated and impractical. Built for light, slow traffic, they can’t handle modern vehicle loads or safety standards. Their timber frames rot, deteriorate, and demand constant costly repairs. Their value no longer lies in preserving them, though this doesn’t ignore their place in our history. We should celebrate them while moving on.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/new-brunswick/article/another-covered-bridge-closure-in-nb/

Poem: "The Sound of Anguish"

Jan. 4th, 2026 03:32 am
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the September 2023 [community profile] crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] curiosity. It also fills the "Rescue / Recovery" square in my 9-1-23 card for the Story Sparks Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the Aquariana, Cuoio & Chiara, and Marionettes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series, and follows "Help Others to Grow Up."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics with emotional mayhem. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes traumatic loss, traumatic stress, supporting character death, a crying man, an inept messenger, reference to past losses, upset baby super-intellect, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before deciding if this is something you want to read.

Read more... )

Stalag to Stalag

Jan. 4th, 2026 05:53 am
soemand: (Default)
[personal profile] soemand
This excerpt is from my grandfather’s diary on the forced march he was on from stalag VIIIA and the day he refound freedom. The “A” is the Americans, and a few months later he was in his hometown getting married, returning to civilian life.

April 3–Announced at 10:00 by one of the 7 who stopped some people the A had passed us started marching & met A. Marched to town arrived at 12.



spent all day eating and smoking, boy it feels great to be free. Drove to Zegenhaim and lodged in a house, room with two J. A. Now they are playing the guitar and violin great had coffee. It is now 22:00 hr. and we have a bottle of whisky on the table boy oh boy.

Apr 6 Still in commandered house living like a king. Plenty of food, cigs, etc.


My understanding is he never spoke about his service, and the diary was found after his widowmaker heart attack in early 1970. The diary is terse, but has enough details to map out his path from Stalag ViiiA to Zegenhain—a good winter project.

Politics

Jan. 4th, 2026 02:35 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
So today, America's craziness reached a new frenzy...


What’s Happening in Venezuela? Start Here

US forces struck multiple military and civilian targets in Caracas and nearby cities, and captured Maduro. Here’s what we know at this point.


Sovereign countries are not supposed to violate each other's borders or leadership, outside of properly declared war; and that's largely about defense because war of aggression is also forbidden at this time. But people have largely quite caring about those rules, which is a growing problem.

Read more... )

Sunday Word: Mellifluous

Jan. 4th, 2026 04:17 pm
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[personal profile] sallymn posting in [community profile] 1word1day

mellifluous [muh-lif-loo-uhs]

adjective:
1 sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding
2 flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey

Examples:

The mellifluous tenor that narrated Dodgers games for generations of Spanish-language listeners hasn't weakened. (Gustavo Arellano, A Dodgers broadcasting legend reflects on life, superstar-laden team, Los Angeles Times, March 2025)

What could've been a quick journey turns into a 10-year expedition filled with mythical creatures and near-death experiences involving a Cyclops, the mellifluous Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe. (Allison DeGrushe, Everything we know about Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey: Release date, trailer, and more, Entertainment Weekly, December 2025)

Like prying open a crypt, even the narrowest crack of the lid released a sharp, mellifluous tang, potent enough to make your eyes water. (Jennifer Hope Choi, No Vacation Is Complete Without a Cooler Full of Gimbap, Chicago Reader, August 2020)

But above all, and to give a bacchanalian grace to this truly masculine repast, the captain produced his mellifluous keg of home-brewed nectar, which had been so potent over the senses of the veteran of Hudson's Bay. (Washington Irving, The Adventures of Captain Bonneville)

At the same moment the door of the room below opened, and the captain's mellifluous bass notes floated upstairs, charged with the customary stimulant to his wife's faculties. (Wilkie Collins, No Name)


(click to enlarge)

Origin:
early 15c, 'sweet as honey, pleasing, sweetly or smoothly flowing' (of an odor, a style of speaking or writing, etc), from Late Latin mellifluus 'flowing with (or as if with) honey,' from Latin mel (genitive mellis) 'honey' (related to Greek meli 'honey;' from PIE root melit- 'honey') + -fluus 'flowing,' from fluere 'to flow' (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Mellifluous comes from two Latin roots: the noun mel, meaning 'honey', and the verb fluere, meaning 'to flow'. These linguistic components flowed smoothly together into the Late Latin word mellifluus, then continued on into the Middle English word mellyfluous, before crystallizing into the adjective we employ today. As it has for centuries, mellifluous typically and figuratively describes sound, and is often at the tip of the tongues of writers who proclaim that a voice or melody is smooth like molasses (molasses, like mellifluous, is a descendant of the Latin mel). But mellifluous can also be used to describe edibles and potables, such as wine, with a pronounced note of sweetness. (Merriam-Webster)

[syndicated profile] snopes_feed

Posted by Jack Izzo

The videos shared on social media got key facts wrong, including incorrectly identifying Boston's police chief as Marcus Thompson.
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
I thought I outgrew this behavior a good two decades ago, but I guess illegal wars really get my dander up.

The conversation, such as it was, was long and pointless, but it did have this amusing, paraphrased exchange:

Them: I didn't say that you should say "ones of them", I just said that even though it sounds wrong it's technically grammatical! Go to ChatGPT, it'll tell you the same thing!

Me: No, it won't, here's the screenshot.

Them: Well! That doesn't count because it doesn't cite a rule! I did check before posting that you should go to ChatGPT, you know!

(They spontaneously claimed elsewhere that they understand the idea of descriptivist linguistics, but I think they don't understand how much of language has yet to be described, even in very well-studied languages like English.)

hi, hello!

Jan. 3rd, 2026 04:24 pm
stel: vyt-24, a girl with purple hair, clutching a pillow (Default)
[personal profile] stel posting in [community profile] addme_fandom

dusting off this journal, so i thought it’d be fun to make some fandom friends…

name: stel

age group: young adult, think mid-2000s

country: the usa

subscription/access policy: feel free to subscribe if you jive with me and what i post! i tend to subscribe back if we have shared interests. i don’t have access-locked posts at the moment, so no policy there as of yet.

fannish interests: mostly undertale/deltarune. i like making + viewing fanworks (art, fic, webshrines). i’m also a big selfshipper!

i like to post about: mostly ramblings about my life and the stuff i’m thinking about, which usually aren’t super deep or consequential. i just like to yap and share :]

about me/other info: i’m gen-z and that’s quite apparent in the way i talk and the things i talk about! i’m not very good at talking to people, but i do love to chat. i’m queer and really not a fan of gen-ai for art/writing/etc. i don’t like to participate in ship discourse—i do think there’s value in exploring darker themes in fiction, but i’m less comfortable when this is done with the intention of glorification.

Poem: "Help Others to Grow Up"

Jan. 3rd, 2026 04:59 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the June 6, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Main character has to use odds and ends to fix a problem" square in my 6-1-23 card for the Kinky and Unusual Situations Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the Aquariana, Cuoio & Chiara, and Marionettes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes reference to past injuries, reference to traumatic loss of teammates, volcanic activity, traumatic stress, human trafficking, surprise baby, moving to a new home, dramatic scars, attachment, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

Read more... )
catherineldf: (Default)
[personal profile] catherineldf

Updates as we have them!

January:

  • Tomes and Treats - The Lodge of Lazarus Crowe, St. Paul, MN. January 18th, 12-5PM. Queen of Swords Press will have a book table.
  • #SmallPitch - Online small press pitching event January 19th - 26th. Got a manuscript and a pitch ready to submit? Queen of Swords Press is one of the participating presses.

February:

  • "To Market, To Market" - The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. February 28th, 9AM-12:00. Join Jennie Goloboy (a successful literary agent) and Catherine Lundoff (an award-winning small press publisher) for a workshop on their perspectives on what makes a manuscript marketable.

March:

  • MarsCon - March 6-8, Minneapolis, MN. Queen of Swords Press will be there with a book table and Michael Merriam and Catherine will be on programming.

April:

  • 13 Gears Steampunk Festival - placeholder
  • Minicon - April 2nd - 5th. The Hotel Formerly Known as the Radishtree, Bloomington, MN. Queen of Swords Press has applied for a table.
  • Rewind Book Fair - placeholder. St. Paul, MN. April 18-19.

May:

  • Rochester Pride - May 16th, 12-5PM. Rochester, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a booth.
  • WisCon - May 21-25th. Online. 
  • Balticon 60 - May 22-25, Baltimore, MD. Melissa Scott may be there - placeholder

June:

  • Pride Month StoryBundle - Kicks off end of May and runs through end of June, placeholder. Lots of books by amazing queer authors and we're raising funds for Rainbow Railroad again!
  • 4th Street Fantasy - placeholder
  • Twin Cities Pride - June 27th-28th, Minneapolis, MN. Queen of Swords Press will back in the Queer Writes Tent, near Harmon Place this year.

July

  • Inbound Brewing Book Fair for Grown Ups - July 11th, 12-7PM, Education Building, MN State Fair Grounds, St. Paul. There is an admission fee with this one, but it comes with a drink ticket. Queen of Swords Press will be there with books. (pending)

August:

  •  

September:

October:

  •  
November:

December:


fox_in_me: fox.in.me (Default)
[personal profile] fox_in_me


📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Приветствую вас, дорогие читатели.

С радостью прерываю это время тишины. Сегодня я хочу поделиться не историей из далёкого прошлого, а своими размышлениями. Возможно, кому-то они покажутся знакомыми, а кому-то помогут выбрать более подходящий путь.

Новый год — именно полночь этого года — ясно показал мне, насколько сильно я потерял себя.

Читая мои записи, можно заметить: помогать другим, отдавать часть себя — это мой образ жизни. Позже я обязательно расскажу несколько зимних историй о том, как я помогал людям и в итоге оказывался под подозрением полиции или просто в убытке. Но всему своё время. Сейчас — о другом.

В эту новогоднюю ночь поздравительных сообщений было немного. Круг общения стал ещё меньше. Но я получил несколько писем с благодарностью за мою «человечность» — от людей, которых могу назвать своими. Людей, за которых я несу ответственность, для которых я командир, пока нахожусь на службе. Это одно из немногого, что до сих пор даёт мне силы делать то, что я должен.

Мне хорошо известно: руководство одновременно и опасается меня, и держит на расстоянии от принятия глобальных решений (в том числе по моей инициативе). И в то же время люди стремятся перейти в моё подчинение, несмотря на то, что в последние месяцы видели меня истощённым — морально и физически.

О физическом скажу кратко: мой невротический кашель стал причиной обращения к профильным врачам. В военном госпитале все проходят процедуру выявления ПТСР. Я не скрываю его наличие у себя и понимаю, что официальное подтверждение может повлечь за собой последствия. Из моего опыта работы с людьми, действительно пострадавшими от войны, я знаю: волшебного лекарства не существует. Есть медикаменты, которые снимают симптомы, но не лечат душу.

Почти четыре года я отдавал себя этой службе — этой «работе», как ни назови. Много раз выгорал, снова и снова отдавая себя людям — разным, в том числе близким.

В новогоднюю ночь я читал письма людей из разных стран. В них говорилось о важности помогать другим, уметь прощать, ставить цели — и не забывать о себе, о личных ориентирах.

Как и в прошлом году, так и в этом, первая моя задача — выжить. Это не громкие слова, а реальность. Мне хочется путешествовать, строить планы, мечтать. Сейчас я связан обстоятельствами и могу лишь мечтать. Но мечты, как и сердце, могут быть разбиты одним-единственным словом.

Я открывался людям полностью, без границ. В ответ часто получал обесценивание и непонимание. Это привело к внутреннему обнулению.

Несколько дней назад я вытянул предсказание из маленького горшочка. Там было написано: «Не сдавайся. Ты точно не проиграешь». Я хотел бы отнести эти слова к борьбе за одного очень дорогого мне человека. Но вдруг понял — а когда я в последний раз боролся за себя? Не за жизнь, а именно за себя.

В последние дни уходящего года я был открыт и честен, признал свою неидеальность — с ошибками, через усилия. Итог прост: сейчас я снова один, как и много лет подряд. Иногда жизни не хватает, чтобы понять человека, а иногда достаточно совсем немного времени.

Я знаю, что за семь лет меня так и не узнали настоящего. А знаю ли я сам себя?

Я помню себя другим: как ходил один на танцы, как любил сидеть в баре на берегу моря, слушать музыку, бегать вдоль побережья, открывать новое — без планов и календарей, просто по щелчку пальцев.

Именно в этом, возможно, главный смысл для читателя: я был самодостаточным. Я знаю людей, которым был интересен, не имея за душой ни гроша — просто потому, какой я есть.

Когда-то у меня была сила жить без границ. Сейчас, стерев собственные границы, я позволил обесценить себя.

Моя поездка в горы на машине была спонтанной и безумной. Формально — чтобы помочь не себе. Но вселенная дала понять: в итоге я помог и себе.

У меня есть два кота. Они, как люди, продолжают меня обнимать — не потому, что соскучились, а потому что чувствуют меня.

Я хотел оставить прошлое в уходящем году и в новом строить будущее. План остался, изменилось его наполнение. Мне нужно отстроить себя заново. Восстать из пепла.

Я почувствовал зиму в горах: снег, камин, чай с костра, отношение людей к военным — значительно более уважительное на западе Украины, чем на юге и в прифронтовых районах. Я побыл какое-то время без зависимости от электричества. Возвращаясь последние двести километров, ехал в полной темноте — туман и свет фар. И возвращался из мест, где горят гирлянды, украшены ёлки и живёт атмосфера праздника.

К чему всё это? Не забывайте о себе.

Мой отпуск продлится ещё неделю. Мне хотелось бы успеть многое, но в первую очередь — восстановить себя. Возможно, я пишу немного размыто, но между строк смысл ясен.

Не забывайте о себе.

Часто говорят, что кроме семьи никто не поможет. В моём случае я помогаю себе сам. Родственники, к сожалению, лишь тянут вниз.

А пока — я просто обнимаю своих котов.

Note translated in assistance with AI.
I’m glad to break this time of silence. Today I want to share not a story from the distant past, but my reflections. Some of them may feel familiar to you, and for others they might help in choosing a more fitting path.

The New Year — that exact moment of midnight — made it painfully clear how much I have lost myself.

If you read my previous entries, you may notice that helping others, giving away parts of myself, has always been my way of life. I will later tell winter stories about how I helped people and ended up under police suspicion or simply at a loss. But that will come in time. Now, about something else.

This New Year’s night, there were not many messages of congratulations. My social circle has become even smaller. Yet I received a few messages of gratitude for my “humanity” — from people I can truly call my own. People I am responsible for, people for whom I am a commander while I am in service. This is one of the few things that still gives me strength to do what I must.

I know well that the leadership both fears me and keeps me at a distance from major decisions — partly by my own choice. At the same time, people still try to transfer under my command, even though they have seen me exhausted in recent months, both mentally and physically.

As for the physical side: my neurotic cough led me to specialized doctors. In a military hospital, everyone goes through PTSD screening. I do not hide that I have it, and I understand that official confirmation can bring further consequences. From my experience working with people truly affected by war, I know there is no miracle cure. Medication can ease symptoms, but it does not heal the soul.

For almost four years I have given myself to this service — this “work,” whatever you call it. I burned out many times, giving myself again and again to people, different people, including those close to me.

On New Year’s night I read letters from people in different countries. They spoke about the importance of helping others, forgiving, setting goals — and not forgetting about yourself.

Just like last year, my first goal this year is simply to survive. These are not loud words, but reality. I want to travel, to plan, to dream. Right now I am bound by circumstances and can only dream. And dreams, like the heart, can be broken by a single word.

I opened myself to people completely, without boundaries. In return, I often received devaluation and misunderstanding. This led to an inner emptiness.

A few days ago, I drew a small fortune from a pot. It said: “Don’t give up. You will definitely not lose.” I wanted to apply this to my wish to fight for one very precious person in my life. But then I realized — when was the last time I fought for myself? Not for my life, but for myself.

In the final days of the year, I was open and honest, admitted my imperfections, my mistakes, through effort and vulnerability. The result is simple: I am alone again, as I have been for many years. Sometimes a lifetime is not enough to understand a person, and sometimes only a short time is needed.

I know that for seven years I was never truly known. And do I know myself?

I remember who I was: going to dance classes alone, spending time in a bar by the sea, listening to music, running along the coastline, discovering new things — without plans or calendars, just on a whim.

Perhaps this is the key thought for the reader: I was self-sufficient. I know people who found me interesting when I had nothing at all — simply because of who I was.

I once had the strength to live without boundaries. Now, having erased my own boundaries, I allowed myself to be devalued.

My trip to the mountains by car was spontaneous and a little mad. Officially, it was to help others, not myself. But the universe made it clear that in the end, I helped myself too.

I have two cats. They hug me like people do — not because they miss me, but because they feel me.

I wanted to leave the past in the old year and build my future in the new one. The plan remains, but its content has changed. I need to rebuild myself. To rise from the ashes.

I felt winter in the mountains: snow, a fireplace, tea from a campfire, and the way people treat the military — much more respectfully in western Ukraine than in the south and frontline regions. I spent some time without dependence on electricity. On the way back, the last two hundred kilometers were complete darkness — fog and headlights only. And I returned from places filled with lights, decorated trees, and a sense of celebration.

Why am I saying all this? Don’t forget about yourself.

My leave will last one more week. I would like to do many things, but first of all — to restore myself. Perhaps my words are a bit vague, but the meaning between the lines is clear.

Don’t forget about yourself.

People often say that no one will help you except family. In my case, I help myself. Unfortunately, relatives only pull me further down.

And for now — I simply hug my cats.

Fossils

Jan. 3rd, 2026 03:22 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Fossilized bones are revealing secrets from a lost world

Tiny chemical clues trapped inside ancient bones are revealing what animals ate, the diseases they carried, and the environments they lived in.

Researchers have uncovered thousands of preserved metabolic molecules inside fossilized bones millions of years old, offering a surprising new window into prehistoric life. The findings reveal animals’ diets, diseases, and even their surrounding climate, including evidence of warmer, wetter environments. One fossil even showed signs of a parasite still known today. This approach could transform how scientists reconstruct ancient ecosystems
.


That which is small can still hold volumes.  :D
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