This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from Laura G. It also fills the "Taking It Slow" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "The Bones of Chihuly" but is listed after "To Repair the Damage of the Lumberman."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It was inspired by a prompt from

zianuray. It has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. This poem belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

"The Graffiti of the Rich"

[Wednesday, November 5, 2014]

For months, Shiv had been
enjoying the ever-changing display
of graffiti along a retaining wall
between Blues Moon and
Buster Hump's Gym.

It was a perfect place
to get a good feel for
the neighborhood
and its current artists.

Then one day, Shiv
arrived to find that
someone had covered
the wall with grey paint.

Fuming, he glared at
the nearby billboards.

Funny how nobody ever
covered up those eyesores.

That got him thinking about
some stuff that Dr. G had said
about cultures, graffiti, and
what counted as artwork.

Smirking, he pulled out
a black paint pen and
scribbled his rebuttal.

With grey paint we silence
some voices in society.
Advertising is fine -- it is,
after all, the graffiti of the rich.

Current Mood: busy

i_like_the_stars

Another Monday, another Reading! (lol)

1. What have you recently finished reading?
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I had to speedrun most of the book since I overestimated how fast I was going. The book club discussion went well, it was fun as usual! We had two new faces (to me, anyway) and a lot of opinions. My coworker who usually goes to the other book club came to this one since she was interested in reading the book. (We have two book clubs, a general reads and sci-fi/fantasy. I got to the latter.)

Personally, I loved it! I only remember bits and pieces of the movie, having watched it (or at least half-watched it) when I was younger, so while I knew the general gist of things, the book was still fresh and VERY exciting! I discovered I may like thrillers--I'll have to give some other authors a try.

2. What are you currently reading?
Circe by Madeline Miller. Another book I'm super enjoying! I underestimated how strong the pull of Greek mythology still is on me. I'm well past hooked, and hope to have it done before Thursday, when the book club for this read is. I'm really excited to hear what the kids have to say about it!

3. What will you be reading next?
Severance by Ling Ma. This is for a square on my 2026 Book Bingo, which I have a few squares filled in already but have yet to actually... share any where... I think I'll just leave it until I have a bingo. Most of the books I plan to read/have read for the bingo are ones that were on my TBR, the bingo is just some extra motivation.

linky

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

Current Mood: still waking up

dialecticdreamer

Feathering the Nest is HERE!
( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

seleneheart

maevedarcy posted a friending meme.

Copy/paste the box below:

Getting to know me
origin of your username: I originally wanted it to be 'Raederle' for my favorite fictional female character but that was already taken, so I tried 'Moonheart' for a beloved book, but that was also taken, so I substituted 'selene' for 'moon' and came up with Seleneheart. I didn't think about doing Raederle-of-An until much later.
i always order this food: At Mexican restaurants, I always order fajitas the first time I go there. How else am I supposed to evaluate them and compare? We can have only one independent variable.
current overused emoji: ^_^
current favorite show: Hard to say. I just finished Bridgerton S4 but it's probably Heated Rivalry.
current favorite book: What ever book I'm reading. Which at the moment is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
current favorite video game: Always and forever Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
song on repeat: The entirety of Amercian Idiot album by Greenday.
last thing you really got into: Really got into? What does that mean? If it means couldn't stop thinking about, kept me up at night sort of thing, that would be moving out of Texas.
oddly specific thing that brings you joy: the birds outside my bedroom window waking up and twittering with dawn
phone wallpaper: My lockscreen is a sea turtle art piece by someone who's name escapes me at the moment. My homescreen is a marker art piece that I did.
what smell makes you happy: Smelling my kids - they all smell different.
morning, night, or other type: Just glad to be here.
what’s your work/profession: Attorney

Current Mood: rushed
Current Music: Barcelona - First Floor People

ysabetwordsmith

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 3: Dance

Dance is a performing art about moving the body, usually but not always to music. It exists in many styles. Every ethnic group or other cultural identity tends to have their own dances. Here on Dreamwidth, check out

beautifulmechanical and

first_nations_freaks.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth April 25-May 15

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "Our Homemade Safety Nets"
Birdfeeding
Friending Meme
Today's Adventures
Philosophical Questions: Different
You Don't Have to Stay
Science
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 4-24-26: Metal
Vocabulary: Scabrous
History
History
History
Community Thursdays
Earth Day
Poem: "When You Learn to Read"
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Hard Things

Poem: "Walnut Park" has 41 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 66 comments. Safety has 77 comments.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is running April 25-May 15. People aim to make a new post each day, or participate in various activities to celebrate the platform.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth April 25-May 15

"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" belongs to Polychrome Heroics and needs $45 to be complete. Josué makes friends with Maria-Vera.

The weather has been mild here. We got some rain the other day. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it. Currently blooming: violets, tulips, anemone, Solomon's seal, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, bleeding heart, chokecherries, alliums, lilies of the valley, marigolds, honeysuckle, raspberies, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, wild chives, star of Bethlehem. Flower buds: peonies. Green fruit: mulberries.

Current Mood: busy

meteordust

I always love a good Australian musical. And it's been pretty exciting over the past few years, to see more of them appear on the scene. This one is based on My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin, a classic book by a literary icon. (I walk past her statue regularly!)

The musical premiered in Melbourne in 2024. On the weekend I saw it performed by the Sydney Theatre Company at the Roslyn Packer Theatre.

Previously

Even though I watched the movie and read the book when I was young, I remember very little of the story. Embarrassingly, for all these years, I've had the impression that the book was an autobiography. Because it's about a young woman growing up in 1890s rural Australia and dreaming of becoming a writer. Which is why I was mildly confused, watching the musical, that the main character's name was Sybylla. ("I thought her name was Stella? Because the Stella Prize is named for her? Or maybe it's a nickname?")

But no. It's a novel! (Which actually did attract controversy when published, because some people thought it had thinly veiled references to real people and incidents from her own life.)

Story

Sybylla is fifteen, hating her life of drudgery on a struggling farm in the middle of nowhere, and chafing against her only future being a wife and mother. Her dream is art, music, and writing. She wants to figure out herself and the world. We follow her through the next few years, exploring life beyond the farm, growing up into a young woman, and trying to carve her own path.

I love that Sybylla is dorky, passionate, rebellious, and outspoken. There are lines of dialogue and narrative that I assume are excerpts from the book, but Sybylla herself gets to drop in modern phrases as well.

It was surprisingly funny, but also emotional. It had a great energy to it, and if some moments felt a bit raw and unpolished, that made it feel more real. This is a musical that supports the need to express yourself, to make your voice be heard, even when it seems like the world isn't interested in what people like you have to say. It hit home about the importance of creativity to humans, because it's communicating what we think and what we feel, to someone else somewhere who might connect with it.

Casting

The performance I saw featured understudies, who were all excellent:

* Sybylla (Melanie Bird)
* Gertie/Blanche/Ensemble (Meg McKibbin)
* Harry/Peter/Ensemble (Jack Green)

Miscellaneous

Cast recording - An original cast recording was made in 2020, after a 2019 workshop, but the track listing differs a bit from the final musical.

Miniseries - Apparently Netflix is making the book into a miniseries! To be released in late 2026 or early 2027.

Video

"In the Wrong Key":

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: geeky

ysabetwordsmith

These are the Notes for "Our Homemade Safety Nets."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

olivermoss

* Yes, Firebirds won last night pushing out the series against the Condors by another games so I could watch at least one. And then they won again tonight! Condors eliminated and they are off to face the Reign.

* Watching AHL hockey as an NHL fan is weird. It's like 'yes, keep seasoning your top players, shame if they disappeared forever'. One of the announcers said that the team would look completely different without Jacob Melanson and, yeah, they are right... and sadly for the Firebirds...

* The ONE Condors game I see and no #77 on the ice? No Luke Prokop content for me? Was he a healthy scratch? I was looking forward to watching some gay hockey. ... more gay hockey, I just saw some gay hockey in Seattle. Never enough gay hockey.

* Buffalo was just very mean to Boston. Buffalo is going to be nuts next week with those final game/games of the series. The vibes have got to be insane

dialecticdreamer

A Complicated Tangle
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 5 of 5, complete
Word count (story only): 1129
[Tuesday, 3 January 2017]

:: Frank the Crank is analyzing the next sections of road to clear, and trying to decide if the promise of payment is enough to warrant hiring a crew captain for a new work crew. All these difficulties, and he hasn’t even seen the next tangle in person yet! Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story is written for the April Magpie Monday, and will post in five parts. Thank you all for your support. Enjoy! ::

Back to part four
:: Thanks for reading! ::

Frank eased the car to a stop and stared intently at the front of Alun’s house. It was five minutes to eight in the morning, and steam began fogging the inside of the car windows as soon as Frank shut off the engine and the vent fans. The front door of the house opened before Frank could unfasten his seatbelt, revealing Alun’s older relative, Ela.

She made her way over to him with the help of her plain black cane, but waited on the sidewalk instead of rapping on the window. Frank turned the key to roll down the passenger window. “Morning, Ms. Gladstone. Did you get enough rest, or did you wake up at the time zone that you were used to?”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

batiferrite

I've been meaning to mod it for *such* a long time, but honestly, when it was still supported I was a little scared of getting my account banned... and then I straight up forgot about it, honestly. But then I started playing various Pokemon ROM hacks and other gbc/gba games on my phone to replace mobile gaming / scrolling, and I started really craving a proper controller and one thing led to another... I used this guide and everything went completely smoothly! Unrelated, though, the rubber on my joystick completely fell to pieces after just being sticky for a while. It's so annoying how badly rubber ages, ugh. Looks like that'll have to be a project for another day...

Besides that, did a little bit of decorating!

I got a couple stickers from a friend a while ago including this Shinx that I thought fit well with this cute Luxray theme I found. Then I crocheted a little four-pointed star dangly charm-thing to look like her tail. :3

Some random ROM hack recs / etc:

Pokemon Lazarus: really beautiful, gen II-style graphics and putting a spotlight on gen II mons. clothing options. following Pokemon. Stardew Valley-style fishing. quests (including wanting you to catch all the Pokemon on each individual route. I've been sinking a lot of time into doing those, lol). really enjoying it! I'm also a big fan of their other hack, Emerald Seaglass, which is Emerald redone in the same style
Pokemon Sour Crystal: Crystal with a few quality of life updates (most importantly, the box system is more like gen III and you can catch mareep <3)
Karpe Diem: a short and sweet fishing-themed Pokemon fangame. very chill and cozy!
Taiyaki's Fabulous Museum of Fish: a nonogram-based rpg for gbc. love this, great vibes

I dunno, I've just really fallen in love with the Gameboy Color recently; there's something that's just so charming about these graphics. I downloaded various others, but decision paralysis tends to kick my ass, so I've been defaulting to these (to start with, at least). I might also get FE: Gay Awakening (lol) and finally marry Cherche as fem!Robin <3

[Also, I got sooo badly sunburned from yesterday, yowch!! ( ꩜﹏꩜; ) ]

Current Mood: excited

ysabetwordsmith

This poem came out of the March 17, 2026 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Thread" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

fuzzyred. It belongs to the Mercedes thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

althea_valara

Not much today because a good portion of the day was spent getting ready to go back home and then getting there, but YAY I'M HOME! I had a fun "vacation" with the dog, but glad to be back in my own space.

1. one creative thing I did today

Worked on a swatch for a knitted tee. Just a row or two, but I touched it.

When I got home, I did some searching on Ravelry to find something for a Nerdopolis challenge. For those new around here: Nerdopolis is a crafting tournament in which we get themes to craft to. One of the themes this month is "deep space objects", so I've been looking for stuff that is reminiscent of spiral galaxies.

I found a great hat that I wanted to knit, but (a) I wasn't sure I'd have time because it was densely knit worsted weight AND double-layered, (b) I went to purchase it and it said "This designer is not taking payments at this time." Tried their Etsy store, and it's closed. Ah, well. I had previously started a crocheted doily that I might finish, but I wasn't digging it, so I dunno. The end of round is coming, though, so I'll need to make SOMETHING.

2. one thing I'm proud of today

I cleaned the house before I left, to my satisfaction. Also left a note to say how good the dog was, here's some things they should know about, and thanking them for trusting me with their home and dog.

3. video game progress

I logged into FFXIV just so my console would be ON (I had shut it down completely before I left), which meant I did the PlayStation 5 OS upgrade and new TOS agreement. Now the console is asleep, or will be soon. I'm purposely leaving it sleeping so when patch hits tomorrow night, it gets updated and I won't have to wait for it before I play on Tuesday morning. I didn't do much in game, just checked retainers (they sold a bunch of things! That's what happens when you don't log in for over a week) and spent some poetics on HW relic materials.

and that's it for today.

Current Mood: pleased

ysabetwordsmith

Thanks to a donation from

fuzzyred, there are 50 new verses in "No Faster or Firmer Friendships." Josué and Maria-Vera begin reading The Last Calabash together, a story about family loss and recovery.

Current Mood: busy

olivermoss

I am back from the final game of the Torrent's inaugural season. The worst season of any team in PWHL history! Sold out crowd at an area 2-3x the size some other teams even get. I may make a separate post about the team's problems and the issues that could create for the league, but I am going to try to ignore that. Just hard today after some player statements today in their exit interviews >.>

I went up on the bus that Sports Bra charted for the game. The bus had a bit of a wait list. Good thing I kept an eye on that and nabbed my seat immediately. The group for the bus was really cool. I sat next to a girl was was knitting scarves for the trinket exchange people do at Torrent games. (I'd hope to do that but my project did not come together...) Half way through the ride she knotted some yarn to make a little holder for her cell phone to hook on the back of the seat in front of her so she could watch the Goldeneyes at the Frost on her way to see the Victoire take on the Torrent.

My first visit to Climate Pledge Arena, the place I've seen on TV so often! I thought my seat would be pretty bad, but it was great. People who say there are no bad seats in that house might not be wrong. My cheap seat was waaaay better than I expected.

The food situation was dire. Well, when we arrived my priority was trying to get some of the PWHL Pride Collection, only being sold at pride nights at pride games. Teams have been struggling to meet demand for even basic generic shirts, so I expected stuff to sell out and it did. Even with our bus dropping us off at the lesser-used entrance and not having a bag at all, sizes where gone by the time I got the merch.

I did get some, but when I got it home I realize it's all too big. There was no way to try things on, sizing was wonky overall, and I got that sweatshirt in the smallest size they had left. I wasn't going to get the sweatshirt, but other people had nabbed it and put it on already, and it seemed to wear really nicely on them, especially the trim around the waist. It's too big on me, not in an intentionally-oversized way, but it's still a sweatshirt disappointing but I can get some use out of it. The T shirts are a problem. I grabbed it in 2 sizes and both are two big for me, but I am pretty sure a size smaller would have been too small. I need to figure out what to do with them, sadly even the smaller one makes me look like I am wearing scrubs. Maybe if I figure out how to style them right? Might need to just use the larger one as raw material for something.

If I can make these pieces work, they will solve several problems with my wardrobe, including my perennial 'what to wear to pride / this queer event' problem. They are currently air drying after a very gentle wash to get the stadium smell out of them. I will find a way. I paid [redacted] for them PLUS this thing called sales tax that I forgot about.

Yeah, if I hadn't been so focused on the exclusive drop and also team store exclusives, I might have found a food option that wasn't... beer.

The game was a lot of fun. The crowd was hype. For the puck drop, they started listing the accomplishments and awards of the person who was going to drop the puck. People around me started freaking out. Lots of 'no way... no way... omg really... it's her!!!!' The very hype person brought out for the ceremonial first puck drop of the Pride Night game turned out to be Brandi Carlile. I have no idea who that is. Everyone around me was losing their shit. I will look up some songs by her later.

The game did go double overtime. The bus service we had was great, but around 1 AM I was feeling it a bit.

Really, really hope to see more of those buses next year! Also, with Amtrak finally getting more rolling stock so they can start to meet demand for train travel between Seattle and Portland, maybe train/ticket combo packages for both teams next year?? One of the PDX teams has an Amtrak deal so fans all ride down together, would love to see the squids or toothpaste get in on that.

Also, I was in the same building as Alison Lukan. I <3 Alison Lukan. Maybe someday I'll meet her. I'd love for her to be involved in one of the Kraken or Torrent events in Portland next season

isabrella

This month I read: Bitter - Akwaeke Emezi (YA specfic), Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (classic sci-fi/horror), Coldwire - Chloe Gong (YA sci-fi/thriller), To Ride a Rising Storm - Moniquill Blackgoose (YA alternate-history fantasy), When the Museum is Closed - Emi Yagi (Japanese specfic/litfic in translation), and Playing for Keeps - Alexandria Bellefleur (adult F/F romance).

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merrileemakes

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥

Here's a meme from this post over at

3weeks4dreamwidth

Put your ~~mp3 player/phone/~~streaming collection on shuffle, and write down the first line of the first twenty songs. Post the poem that results.

I'm not a huge fan of memes, or poetry, but I do want to post more during 3W4D and I do occasionally indulge in found poetry, so here goes. Here's the first 20 songs with lyrics from my 'Liked music' playlist on YouTube Music.
( Read more... )

isabrella

I make this so often when I get a lot of beetroots from my vege delivery box. It's liberally adapted from this recipe. I double it for efficiency and because a double recipe fits perfectly in my large baking dish. The original recipe includes a chocolate ganache which I don't usually make.

Notes

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35-50 minutes depending on pan size etc.

Ingredients

1.5 cups (230 g) plain flour (can use gluten-free)
1 cup (80 g) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 cup (250 mL) rice bran oil (or other neutral oil)
1 cup (200 g) sugar (I prefer brown, YMMV)
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or a smaller amount of vanilla paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
400 g beetroot
200 g chocolate chips, buttons, or chopped chocolate (approximately, vary up or down depending on taste; this is quite a lot of chocolate) (here I use the best chocolate in the world, Whittakers 50% dark, but if you're a pleb from overseas... get whatever doesn't use slave labour or palm oil)

Instructions

Prepare the beetroot. I generally chop into 2 cm cubes and then steam until soft. If I have too many beetroots and not enough time I will freeze the cubes and then steam straight from frozen. This can take up to an hour from frozen - I usually leave it going while I do other chores or work.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan 160ºC). Prepare your tins - I line a large brownie pan for this recipe, which I doubled from the original, or two 12-hole muffin trays.
In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Toss the chocolate chips/chunks through to coat with flour. This helps them not sink to the bottom while cooking, although this recipe can run on the lighter side and suffer from a bit of sinkage.
To a food processor or blender add the olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, cider vinegar, and the chopped beetroot (make sure the beetroot has cooled a bit and the eggs are added last to avoid cooking the eggs directly in the blender). Blend until smooth and creamy.
Add the blended ingredients to the dry ingredients and give a good stir to just combine. Pour into the prepared cake tin/s and bake for 30-50 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. (Alternatively, to make cupcakes spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.)
The original recipe includes a chocolate ganache, which I don't usually make, but may be of interest if you don't use chocolate bits.
This cake keeps well for several days, covered at room temperature, a bit longer in the fridge, or frozen indefinitely.

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Page Summary

ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "Let the Glass Make Itself"
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "The Graffiti of the Rich"
i_like_the_stars - Reading Monday #2
linky - Fannish Fifty #18: Crossposting More Asks
dialecticdreamer - Feathering the Nest for April 2026
seleneheart - Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Friending Meme
ysabetwordsmith - Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance
ysabetwordsmith - Monday Update 4-27-26
meteordust - My Brilliant Career
ysabetwordsmith - Notes for "Our Homemade Safety Nets"
olivermoss - (no subject)
dialecticdreamer - A Complicated Tangle (part 5 of 5, complete)
batiferrite - journaling: i modded my 3ds!
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "Our Homemade Safety Nets"
althea_valara - 3W4DW Day 2 Check-in
ysabetwordsmith - New verses in "No Faster or Firmer Friendships"
olivermoss - (no subject)
isabrella - April reading round-up
merrileemakes - 3W4D: Found poetry
isabrella - Beetroot brownie cake/muffins

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Member Posts

Poem: "Let the Glass Make Itself"

Poem: "The Graffiti of the Rich"

Reading Monday #2

Fannish Fifty #18: Crossposting More Asks

Feathering the Nest for April 2026

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Friending Meme

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance

Monday Update 4-27-26

My Brilliant Career

Notes for "Our Homemade Safety Nets"

(no subject)

A Complicated Tangle (part 5 of 5, complete)

journaling: i modded my 3ds!

Poem: "Our Homemade Safety Nets"

3W4DW Day 2 Check-in

1. one creative thing I did today

2. one thing I'm proud of today

3. video game progress

New verses in "No Faster or Firmer Friendships"

(no subject)

April reading round-up

3W4D: Found poetry

Beetroot brownie cake/muffins

Notes

Ingredients

Instructions

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April 2026

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