justcreate | Member Posts

Today is mostly sunny and sweltering. It rained off and on yesterday and last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen several house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

lb_lee

Mori: as a reward for getting through some crummy medical shit, I trawled a used book store for lady speculative fiction! (We’ve realized that it’s a lot easier to let ourself buy it with the glee that even if WE don’t enjoy it, the sci-fi library insures OTHERS will! And while the sci-fi library is well-stocked with “traditional” sci-fi publishers, it is really lacking in speculative work for queer and women’s presses and such.) I have taken on three of the four now...

“Sultana’s Dream”, by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain. 1905 Bengali Muslim biting satire about a carless future society where women rule and all the men have to stay indoors and never be perceived by humans outside their servants and immediate family. The edition I had shared the short story and then all the historical, cultural, and personal context as to WHY the story got made, who the author was (a feminist who fought hard for women’s rights in now-Bangladesh) and why it matters. Very historically interesting and edifying! (Also, for real, I do love the fantasy of Garden Future where all roads look like gorgeous garden paths because cars don’t exist and everyone moves by walking or floating helicopter/zeppelin thingies! In 1905, a carless future was imaginable! When the narrator regrets treading on such pretty flowers, another character tells her not to worry, these are special street flowers that can’t be harmed by feet!)

Return to Isis, by Jean Stewart. 1992 lesbian separatist post-apocalyptic matriarchy story. Didn’t finish; everyone was just kind of unpleasant to each other, and if you’re going to write evil rapist men, I damn well require you understand how misogynist rape works. (I am probably the equivalent of the lawyer going “ugh” whenever they have to watch a courtroom drama, when it comes to the study of human sexual douchebaggery, though.) First book of five book series; maybe she got better as she went on, but I have other books to read!

Madame Aurora, by Sarah Aldridge. 1983 historical novel about two girlfriends in their seventies at the turn of the last century who, struggling with money and disability, decides to set one of them up as a spiritual advisor, and the events that follow. I really enjoyed this one! Old ladies who still bang! Sordid history! Is it psychic or is she just really intuitive? What’s the deal with that scabby old Colonel? Aldridge does a good job, I think, of writing even unpleasant characters with an understanding of why they are how they are. Refreshing!

All that remains now is Katherine V. Forrest’s Daughters of a Coral Dawn. Forrest is apparently a better mystery writer than sci-fi (and I read one and liked it!) but I am willing to give it a shot and declare it library-worthy if I can’t stand it.

A successful booking!

Current Mood: dorky

kickair8p

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Current Mood: artistic

purplecat

Three Silence standing around some kind of console with a glowing column in the centre..

ysabetwordsmith

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Do people in wealthier countries have a moral obligation to help those in poorer countries?

If you want to hold all the money, you have to pay all the bills. If you don't want to pay all the bills, make sure other folks have enough money to pay their own.

Also, there is no Planet B. Climate change affects everyone -- but the people in wealthy countries who are causing it have thus far suffered less than people in poor countries who haven't caused it. If you don't make it feasible for them to stay in their own countries, they will leave so they don't die, and wash up in wealthy countries. This is already happening some, but you have seen nothing yet. It will be like the waves of the sea beating the shore, over and over again, until people think they would give anything to make it stop. And then it will stop. And then people will wish, just as desperately, to have that many people ever again as the losses pile up and there aren't enough hands left to hold up civilization.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

I have made bingo down the G column of my 6-2-15 card for the Pride Fest Bingo, plus 7 extra fills. That covers Row 5 also.

G1 (support) -- "Fatherhood Is Support" (standalone)
G2 (aroace) -- "Preparing Every Nook and Cranny" (Polychrome Heroics: Finn Family and Mallory)
G3 (found family) -- "Born and Found and Made" (standalone)
G4 ("I'd rather eat cake") -- "The Bond with a Dog" (Polychrome Heroics)
G5 (belonging) -- "Worthy of Love and Belonging" (Polychrome Heroics: Kraken)

B3 (activism) -- "The Result of Your Own Bad Behavior" (Monster House)
B5 (unlabeled) -- "Emodox" (A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows)

I3 (rainbow) -- "Along These Sympathetic Fibers" (Peculiar Obligations)
I5 (community) -- "When Warmth and Gentleness Are Needed" (Clay of Life)

N1 (growth) -- "Tomato Seedlings in Tin Cans" (Daughters of the Apocalypse)
N5 (comfort) -- "All It Takes to Be Invulnerable" (Polychrome Heroics: Marionettes)

O5 (validation) -- "Choose to Be Gentle" (Arts and Crafts America)

Current Mood: accomplished

zenigotchas

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ysabetwordsmith

Our theme this month was "Gentleness Is Strength." I wrote from 12:30 PM to 4 AM, so about 13 hours 30 minutes, allowing for lunch and supper breaks. I wrote 6 poems on Tuesday and another 5 later in the week.

Participation was variable, with 11 comments on LiveJournal and another 30 on Dreamwidth. A total of 10 people sent prompts.

Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"All It Takes to Be Invulnerable"
"The Bond with a Dog"
"Choose to Be Gentle"
"Emodox"
"The Result of Your Own Bad Behavior"
"When Warmth and Gentleness Are Needed"

Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from June 3. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.

This session's donors include:

librarygeek and

janetmiles. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There are 3 tallies toward a bonus fishbowl.

The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy, muggy, and hot. It's been raining off and on.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/27/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

The first of the blackberry lilies is blooming. :D

Current Mood: busy

purplecat

A rectangular entrance building with battlements and a large wooden door, next to a taller building - also with battlements and a rounded corner. All in reddish stone.

Powis Castle

lumemiruuuuuuuuuuu

i havent done anything else but drawing, and drawing, and browsing through da internet. i made a silly little gay drawing for a contest, which is the one below

ALSO THE NEW ALNST EP…i dont want to talk about it again, but man the animation was beautiful and i totally agree with everyone saying mizi is an unreliable narrator, prolly for a different reason, but it is totally true. ALSO TILL AND LUKA ARE ALIVE. but luka wasnt able to escape…vivimeng stop making my boy suffer pls, though frankly the whole thing about him being alive gives me strong vibes that heperu cloned him, but it still sad nonetheless. also if u know if the series is truly ending rn tell me. the whole thing gives strong “this is ending vibes”, aside from the official announcements from the team (or the recent one by mizi’s va), but pretty much everyone is confused currently. so i’ll be looking for an official announcement by vivinos or qmeng or kang :3, bc if its not ending i'll stop making my drawing tribute.

i hope everyone has a nice week

Current Mood: bored
Current Location: computer
Current Music: danna's video about emilia perez

fred_mouse

thestory inside is doing July signups. I'm not taking on any extra commitments, not even suggested reading, at the moment, but I have very much enjoyed the suggestions I have had from this group. If you have a TBR list you can share, you too can have this excitement in your life!

It works on a buddy system - they pick three books from your list for you to read, you pick three books from their list for them to read. Sign ups close on the 1st July.

kickair8p

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Current Mood: artistic

duskpeterson

A long, windowless corridor leads into the royal sanctuary. The corridor's entrance is next to a walled-up gateway that originally led directly into the courtyard of the royal residence. The corridor itself is kept deliberately unlit, to recreate the circumstances under which captives were led here before being enslaved. Just walk toward the light at the end of the corridor to reach your destination.

[Translator's note: A chase takes place in that corridor during Death Mask.]

zenigotchas

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ysabetwordsmith

NDN Netcasts

Online news from various tribal people.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today's theme is Hiking.

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Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Stage magic is a hobby of illusion. There are many styles, from closeup to grand stage effects. Some can be done with very affordable props. Much is now available online for free. If you have any interest in card magic, start with The Royal Road to Card Magic and an ordinary deck of playing cards. Pay attention to skill trees, that is, which techniques will enable you to learn more techniques based on them. Note that this hobby is fun and easy to start, but getting good at it will require a lot of practice.

On Dreamwidth, consider creative communities like

justcreate.

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Current Mood: busy

mistressofmuses

On Monday we decided to head up toward the Pawnee National Grasslands. Back when I was in college we lived much closer, and went out there pretty often. There's a birding "trail" (it's a driving route with a handful of stops around where certain birds are frequently seen), some good scenery, and sometimes other wildlife. We were hoping to see a rattlesnake, since we often did when we were up there before, but alas.

We didn't have a terribly specific plan, beyond maybe some of the birding areas, or just anywhere that seemed interesting to pull over and check out. Part of the road for the birding route is closed, and while it seemed like you could still go through, it also headed into a fee camping area, which I do not remember from before... but it has been 15+ years since we were exploring up there, so things may simply have changed! (The website also has one stop on the birding trail crossed out, just saying "this stop has been removed" and I want to know why!)

We pulled over at one informative sign, and went on a brief walk into the grasslands. Mostly there were a ton of wildflowers! It was lovely.

~~Unfortunately I also got bit by a fuckoff big mosquito and some of her friends. I swatted her while she was biting me and there was a pretty gross explosion of blood. Uuuuugh.~~

A beeplant! Actually mostly being visited by ants. With a photobomb from a little tiny wasp or some sort coming in from the lower right.

I took more cactus flower pictures than anything else, ha.

Ten more pictures:

Globemallow again!

A mystery fungal pod. (Probably some sort of small puffball?)

A lone prickly pear.

Asters.

I just really love prickly pear flowers! The petals are so delicate looking for something so stabby.

More prickly pear flowers. With bonus bug friends.

Not sure what these are, but they looked neat.

Seems like we'd just missed whatever these were blooming.

One more cactus flower picture!

We did drive one stretch of the birding route, and we did see quite a few birds! Lark buntings, horned larks, a few I couldn't quite identify... of course they mostly flew off as soon as the car was close, haha.

But...