veryroundbird | Reading

This poem is spillover from the July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It is posted here as the second freebie, courtesy of new prompter

gothfvck. It was inspired by a prompt from

see_also_friend. It also fills the "bad girls" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo Fest.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

2. 35-billion-year-old Moon rock found in Africa rewrites lunar history

A 2.35-billion-year-old Moon rock that fell to Earth in Africa is rewriting what we know about lunar volcanism. This rare meteorite, studied by UK scientists and unveiled at a major geochemistry conference, reveals that the Moon was volcanically active far longer than previously thought. With a unique chemical makeup and an age that bridges a billion-year gap in Moon rock samples, it suggests the Moon had internal heat sources that persisted for ages.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

I've been talking about placemaking with a friend, and how to connect the dots with different activities...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

nnozomi posting in

guardian_learning

部首
十 part 5 shí
南, south; 博, learned ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=24
卜 bǔ
占, to occupy; 卡, to get stuck/card/car; 卧, to lie down ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=25
卩 parts 1-2 jié
卫, hygiene/to protect; 印, to print/to engrave; 危, danger; 即, immediately; 却, but; 卷, to roll; 卸, to unload
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=26
⺁ parts 1-2 hǎn
厅, hall; 历, calendar/history; 厉, strict/severe; 压, pressure; 厌, to dislike; 厕, bathroom; 厘, 1/100; 厚, thick
( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=27

语法
Using 吗 and 呢
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/ma-ne/
Using 吧 and 吗
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/ba-ma-sentence-particles/
长 vs 久
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/chang-jiu-long-length-time/

词汇
危害, harm; 危险, danger
为, to act as/become; 为了, in order to; 变为, to change into; 称为, to be known as
围, to enclose; 范围, range; 周围, around
温暖, warm
文化, culture; 文件, file; 文明, civilization; 文学, literature; 文章, article; 文字, writing/character; 外文, foreign language
握手, handshake; 把握, grasp
( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

玩玩
Two versions of 开花忘忧; pick whichever you like, an octave higher or lower.

大家过得怎么样？我还可以啊，我不在的时候我的棒球队赢得太多，为啥呀。

paradoxcase posting in

rainbowfic

Name: An Alternate Timeline
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Nacarat #8: Antsafa (Malagasy): Inquiries about things of which one is fully cognizant beforehand, Light Black #4: Carry
Styles and Supplies: Panorama, Gift Wrap, Cartography, Brushes (July 13 2025: Contrite)
Word Count: 3268
Rating: T
Warnings: Fantasy Drug (Ab)use, Discussion of slavery
Characters: Setsiana, Qhoroali, Cyaru (and an unnamed minor character with significant dialog)
In-Universe Date: 1912.2.1.3
Summary: Qhoroali takes Setsiana to a Sohanke timeline.
Notes: Gift wrap for Nyoacelya Lyuya. At some point I thought this segment might actually make the story pass the gender-reversed Bechdel test, but then the old man never wound up getting a name, and didn't wind up having a real conversation with Cyaru directly.

( An Alternate Timeline )

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, mild, and damp -- so cloudy that the light is dim.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches plus a pair of cardinals.

I put out water for the birds.

It's starting to drizzle.

EDIT 7/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/13/25 -- I refilled the birdfeeders again.

I've seen a fox squirrel.

As it is still wet out, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

For fans of the Marketplace series of kinky books by Laura Antoniou, the author has the rights back.

Current Mood: busy

marthawells

A really thoughtful essay on Murderbot: ‘Even If They Are My Favourite Human’: Murderbot Just Explained Boundaries

https://countercurrents.org/2025/07/even-if-they-are-my-favourite-human-murderbot-just-explained-boundaries/

“I Don’t Know What I Want”: The Line That Changed Everything

In the final moments of the season, Murderbot says: “I don’t know what I want. But I know I don’t want anyone to tell me what I want or to make decisions for me. Even if they are my favourite human.”

This is not a dramatic declaration. It is confusion wrapped in clarity. A sentence that holds discomfort and self-awareness in equal measure. It reflects a truth often ignored in stories about intelligence and emotion: that it is okay to not know, as long as that unknowing belongs to the self. In a world that constantly demands certainty, this line opens up space for uncertainty without shame.

* And a great interview with Alexander Skarsgård!

https://collider.com/murderbot-finale-alexander-skarsgard/

So, it just wants to start fresh and get away, and figure out who it is and what it wants. It doesn't really know that. I quite enjoyed that Murderbot didn't end up having answers to all the questions or knowing exactly what it wants. It's more messy and complicated than that. But it definitely knows that it needs to find its own path and make its own decisions, to make its own mistakes, and not have the Corporation or anyone tell it who it is or what it wants.

amiserablepileofwords posting in

eggbug_writes

Monster who is a minister most sinister

amiserablepileofwords posting in

eggbug_writes

Girls who are larger than life

renegadefolkhero

I'm so annoyed lol.

( yeet report )

So I'm annoyed on two fronts. First is I don't know why it sold better. Second, this seems to confirm allllll that launch work and $$$ I spent before amounted to jack squat.

The conventional wisdom is that novels sell better, and longer novels sell better than shorter ones (understanding the people saying this are often in KU, which rewards length). Erom is not a conventional genre, and I traditionally write a pretty tight book, but I think I might loosen up a bit for the next one, aim for higher WC, and be less ruthless with my edits.

I have a hard time NOT editing the bejesus out of a book, even when it's a "this won't sell" weird-ass erom. I would like to get more comfortable with less work for these types of books. Final edits are by far the most tedious part of the process for me, and if I could cut that out and just write, have a good time, and yeet, that would be swell.

kalloway posting in

mobilegames

This is the July 13th Weekly Megapost & Chat!

Things you can do in the comments-

- trade friend codes
- ask about games
- post about in-game events
- anything you don't want to make an individual post about
- share how the RNG is treating you

epizone posting in

fst

Listen on Spotify: Here!

No track listing on account of the fact that this playlist is 7 hours long. Best listened to with a good shuffle for the full, frenetic Tony Stark experience.

ysabetwordsmith

Melting glaciers are awakening Earth's most dangerous volcanoes

As glaciers melt around the world, long-dormant volcanoes may be waking up beneath the ice. New research reveals that massive ice sheets have suppressed eruptions for thousands of years, building up underground pressure. But as that icy weight disappears, it may trigger a wave of explosive eruptions—especially in places like Antarctica. This unexpected volcanic threat not only poses regional risks but could also accelerate climate change in a dangerous feedback loop. The Earth’s hidden fire may be closer to the surface than we thought.

Somehow OH SHIT just doesn't seem like enough. O_O I have noticed that the volcanoes seem more restless than they used to, and now wonder if this could be a contributing factor.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup almond milk
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons Bettergoods pistachio butter
a dash of cardamom

The result is off-white and on the thin side. It tastes okay, but does not have much pistachio flavor at this stage.

The pistachio butter does have a strong pistachio flavor, but it is quite sweet; sugar is the second ingredient. So we skipped the honey that we usually put into a nut butter smoothie.

Current Mood: busy

spectre_writes

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

jazzyjj posting in

awesomeers

It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

nnozomi posting in

guardian_learning

部首
⺁ part 2
厌, to dislike; 厕, bathroom; 厘, 1/100; 厚, thick ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=27

词汇
握手, handshake; 把握, grasp ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
陪我去上个厕所, come to the bathroom with me
我也没有十足的把握, I didn't grasp it fully either

Me:
在夏天我很讨厌穿太厚的衣服。
你为什么拒绝了跟他握手？

silvercat17 posting in

justcreate

What are you working on? What have you finished? What do you need encouragement on?

Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?

What do you just want to talk about?

What have you been watching or reading?

Chores and other not-fun things count!

Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky

ysabetwordsmith

This is what's wrong with most renditions of superheroes.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

sadge posting in

dreamcodes

( aka a biosheet, permissions code, a make-your-own kind of code? )

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, mild, and wet. It rained earlier.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It started drizzling again.

EDIT 7/12/25 -- I potted up 2 apricot seeds.

I picked the first ripe cucumber. :D

.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Current Mood: busy

marthawells

Here's a gift link for the New York Times interview with Paul and Chris Weitz, who wrote, directed, and produced Murderbot:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/arts/television/murderbot-season-finale-chris-paul-weitz.html?unlocked_article_code=1.V08.exvw.M_qE37ROOT58&smid=url-share

🌸

35/F, Chicago, writer/programmer/artist/rpg enthusiast/known gay/bird fan. she/they

sagitta luminis

Reading

Poem: "Provoking Change by Bringing Nature"

Space Exploration

Placemaking: How to Connect the Dots

第四年第一百八十五天

Nacarat #8, Light Black #4 [The Fulcrum]

Birdfeeding

Birdfeeding

Marketplace Books

More Murderbot Articles

Making Up Monsters #686

Monster who is a minister most sinister

Eternal Sapphtember #286

Girls who are larger than life

Status Report: Best Launch Ever

This is the July 13th Weekly Megapost & Chat!

[MOVIES] [MCU] The Price of Peace: A Tony Stark Playlist

Climate Change

Today's Smoothie

Yuri Shipping Olympics Bonus Round 4

Just one thing: 13 July 2025

第四年第一百八十四天

Just Create - Shishi (guardian lions) Edition

Superhero on Call

a cheatsheet code: can i vanish into you?

Birdfeeding

Birdfeeding

Murderbot Interview

🌸

Links