Poem: "Worthy of Love and Belonging"
Nov. 23rd, 2025 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from rix_scaedu. It also fills the "Belonging" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred and librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
rix_scaedu. It also fills the "Belonging" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred and librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
The Vertigo Project: new work!
Nov. 23rd, 2025 09:08 pmmrissaI've mentioned here before that one of my big projects this year is my involvement with The Vertigo Project, which now has a webpage so the rest of you can see what we've been doing. Earlier today I facilitated the first creative therapy-style writing workshop through that group, and it was really lovely--and is just the tip of the iceberg on what this group is doing.
Specifically, you can now read all the new work they've commissioned from me! Friends, it's a lot. It's journaling prompts for people who would like to use writing to process some of their own vertigo experiences. But also it's the following stories and poems:
Advice for Wormhole Travelers (story), safe conduct through strange new worlds
Club Planet Vertigo (poem), this is not the dance I wanted to do
Greetings from Innerspace (poem), my orbits are eccentric
The Nature of Nemesis (poem), me and Clark Kent know what's what
On the Way Down (poem), falling hard
Preparation (poem), sometimes we're just literal, okay
She Wavers But She Does Not Weaken (story), when the waves hit you even on dry land, it's good to have someone who's willing to swim against the current for you
The Torn Map (story), rewriting the pieces of the former world into something new
The main page also has links to some of the other aspects of the project, which includes a nonfiction book, dance, puppetry, a podcast with a physical therapist, and more. Please feel welcome to explore it all.
"The Old Usher," by Oliver Reynolds
Nov. 23rd, 2025 06:32 pmchestnut_pod posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
poetryThe Old Usher
Oliver Reynolds
2010, from Hodge
--
for Farès Moussa
I have
shouted Lights! in the foyer as the show begins
I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms
I have
woken with Good Evening on my lips
I have
ROH in moles over my left nipple
I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat
I have
told ten thousand bladders
It’s down the slope and on the right
I have
stood at the bottom of Floral Hall stairs
with Peter Bramley at the top
tapping the metal hand-rail with his ring
to annoy me
I have
bent my head to complaints about the row in front
the big hair-do, the change-jingler, those who snore or smell
I have
turned a blind eye, a deaf ear, and a stopped nostril
I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms
I have
waited in the wings to present flowers
cygnets wafting past me in a crush of tutus
each back tight with the cordage of muscle
I have
sold ices with Susie Boyle
I have
passed the black-and-white monitor at Stage Door
and felt proud to see Haitink in the pit
a bottled homunculus preserved in music
I have
opened my locker on a vista of dirty shirts
I have
killed a moth for Monica Mason
It wants to settle on me!
she who once danced her death in the Rite
now frightened of millimetres of flutter
I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat
I have
bassoons and strings planned for my last-act death
the weightless pas-de-chat
lifting me out of this ninth life
into the proscenium’s eternal gold
I have
perfected my farewell
a final turning-out of the pockets
as I rise and vanish into air
swirling with the confetti of ticket-stubs
I have
shouted Lights! as the show begins
I have
Oliver Reynolds
2010, from Hodge
--
for Farès Moussa
I have
shouted Lights! in the foyer as the show begins
I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms
I have
woken with Good Evening on my lips
I have
ROH in moles over my left nipple
I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat
I have
told ten thousand bladders
It’s down the slope and on the right
I have
stood at the bottom of Floral Hall stairs
with Peter Bramley at the top
tapping the metal hand-rail with his ring
to annoy me
I have
bent my head to complaints about the row in front
the big hair-do, the change-jingler, those who snore or smell
I have
turned a blind eye, a deaf ear, and a stopped nostril
I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms
I have
waited in the wings to present flowers
cygnets wafting past me in a crush of tutus
each back tight with the cordage of muscle
I have
sold ices with Susie Boyle
I have
passed the black-and-white monitor at Stage Door
and felt proud to see Haitink in the pit
a bottled homunculus preserved in music
I have
opened my locker on a vista of dirty shirts
I have
killed a moth for Monica Mason
It wants to settle on me!
she who once danced her death in the Rite
now frightened of millimetres of flutter
I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat
I have
bassoons and strings planned for my last-act death
the weightless pas-de-chat
lifting me out of this ninth life
into the proscenium’s eternal gold
I have
perfected my farewell
a final turning-out of the pockets
as I rise and vanish into air
swirling with the confetti of ticket-stubs
I have
shouted Lights! as the show begins
I have
Hunting down those who kill people to sell their body parts for 'magic charms'
Nov. 24th, 2025 12:50 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bbcnewsworld_feedBBC Africa Eye uncovers two so-called "juju" practitioners, who offer to obtain body parts for ritual purposes.
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire
Nov. 24th, 2025 12:19 ambbcnewsworld_feedIsrael is allowing more food into Gaza, but aid workers say vital ingredients needed to improve people's diets are still missing.
Chinese land, US radar and ties to Taiwan: The geopolitics rattling a tiny Pacific nation
Nov. 24th, 2025 12:19 ambbcnewsworld_feedPalau's strategic location and diplomatic ties with Taiwan have made it a focus of US-China rivalry.
Machu Picchu hit by a row over tourist buses
Nov. 24th, 2025 12:06 ambbcnewsworld_feedProtests have taken place over the coaches that take visitors up to the world heritage site in Peru.
Bolsonaro says ankle monitor damage caused by paranoia
Nov. 23rd, 2025 08:49 pmbbcnewsworld_feedBrazil's convicted ex-president blames medication for tampering with his monitor under house arrest.
Man who grabbed Ariana Grande at premiere banned from Singapore
Nov. 23rd, 2025 08:54 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe actress and singer has not commented on the incident, but appeared visibly shaken by it.
Poem: "Indicative of the Extent"
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:49 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from librarygeek. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Clean Up the Town" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred and librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "The Choices Humans Make" so read that first or this won't make much sense.
( Read more... )
librarygeek. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Clean Up the Town" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred and librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "The Choices Humans Make" so read that first or this won't make much sense.( Read more... )
Tags:
Space Exploration
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:48 pmysabetwordsmithNearby super-Earth emerges as a top target in the search for life
Researchers found that the planet may have liquid water on its surface – a necessary ingredient for life.
Researchers have pinpointed a super-Earth in the habitable zone of a nearby M-dwarf star only 18 light-years away. Sophisticated instruments detected the planet’s gentle tug on its star, hinting at a rocky world that could hold liquid water. Future mega-telescopes may be able to directly image it—something impossible today.
This is so awesome. :D
Researchers found that the planet may have liquid water on its surface – a necessary ingredient for life.
Researchers have pinpointed a super-Earth in the habitable zone of a nearby M-dwarf star only 18 light-years away. Sophisticated instruments detected the planet’s gentle tug on its star, hinting at a rocky world that could hold liquid water. Future mega-telescopes may be able to directly image it—something impossible today.
This is so awesome. :D
Hey, look, a post!
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:20 pmkraitAaaahhh, where does the time go?? I always mean to post 'soon,' and that always proves to be a more distant date than it ought to be; but this might take the cake. I'm sorry!
Nothing much is new with me; I recently re-watched Princess Jellyfish and am currently re-reading The Goblin Emperor. Bought a couple of new books very cheap, but haven't started them yet.
Somehow I've stalled on Mob Psycho 100, with one season left; haven't watched in about three weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to pick it back up this weekend. Last weekend was eaten by yardwork, because the weather was unexpectedly cooperative; all the frost-killed mess is gone from the front bed now, and 25 daffodils have been planted. If we get one more stretch of nice weather, I can cut back the asters in the side bed and plant the alliums I forgot about last weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rain to clear out and the sun to return.
I've stocked up on tea so that I can make a decent quantity of my personal blends and have them ready in time for my Holiday Cards & Tea post!
Nothing much is new with me; I recently re-watched Princess Jellyfish and am currently re-reading The Goblin Emperor. Bought a couple of new books very cheap, but haven't started them yet.
Somehow I've stalled on Mob Psycho 100, with one season left; haven't watched in about three weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to pick it back up this weekend. Last weekend was eaten by yardwork, because the weather was unexpectedly cooperative; all the frost-killed mess is gone from the front bed now, and 25 daffodils have been planted. If we get one more stretch of nice weather, I can cut back the asters in the side bed and plant the alliums I forgot about last weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rain to clear out and the sun to return.
I've stocked up on tea so that I can make a decent quantity of my personal blends and have them ready in time for my Holiday Cards & Tea post!
Game Check-in: "Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku" ch. 5.1-6.3
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:09 pmbluapapilio
Chapter 5.1:
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t flustered by this. But whether it was from seeing his bare chest or from Shylock’s natural sex appeal, I wasn’t sure.
*waggles eyebrows*
Chapter 5.2:
Nero on wizards: “Maybe they just want a bit of the things we take for granted, like…appreciation and compassion. Stuff like that.”
Lol I don't know if he was being sarcastic in this convo but he was spot on.
Ughhh Riquet and that slimy priest. I really hope we see Riquet change.
Chapter 5.3:
Poor Chloe having to deal with Rustica and his search for this 'bride'...
Chapter 5.4:
Rustica: “I’ll enjoy anywhere I go as long as you’re with me, Chloe.”
Then stop causing him problems. 😭
Wait, Rustica said the moon chose them, but it's the Great Calamity, right? Why is it choosing people to fight against it??
Chapter 5.5-5.6:
I like the Southern Country people!
The chosen South wizards realizing that means the four wizards sent last time were killed. :'(
Ughh nothing better happen to these guys. >.< And the North wizards better not pick on them, either!!
Chapter 6.1:
Akira: (I can’t even imagine what it’s like. They’ve just been living their lives normally but now they’re suddenly expected to save the world.)
Exactly, and there's a high chance of dying.
The 'I've just changing' scene makes me think of fem!Akira. It's almost like they're going back and forth on how they depict them.
Chapter 6.2:
Man you know you fucked up if you piss off Heathcliff.
Shylock: “It doesn’t matter what we do, Heathcliff. No matter what we sacrifice, no matter how much we smile and try to play nice—”
Shylock: “—We will forever be their enemies, simply by virtue of possessing a power foreign to them. Stronger than them.”
😭😭😭
Okay maybe Heathcliff is just a hot-head in certain situations.
Apparently Bradley is the leader of 'the deadliest bandit gang in the world'.
Daily Check-In
Nov. 23rd, 2025 08:02 pmmecurtin posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, November 23, to midnight on Monday, November 24 (8pm Eastern Time).
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Poll #33871 Daily check-in poll
This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 25
How are you doing?
I am OK
14 (58.3%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
10 (41.7%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
10 (40.0%)
One other person
10 (40.0%)
More than one other person
5 (20.0%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
🌈BL Webnovel Check-in: "Jubo" ch. 1-17
Nov. 23rd, 2025 06:36 pmbluapapilio
I think the cover image was taken from some other source, maybe another webnovel, and made into a cover for Jubo but I couldn't find the true original source.
Chapter 1: Wang Cheng grew up in a temple, it was just him and his master until he passed away, leaving the old and worn down temple and deed to Wang Cheng.
Chapter 2: Wang Cheng was given up at age seven by his parents because they had a daughter and couldn't afford three kids. Wang Cheng never got to eat his fill as a growing teenager because he lived with the monks, so his mom tries to make up for it when he visits. His parents want him to move back in with them now instead of living alone in the old temple.
Chapter 3: developers took fancy of Shiquan County and wanted to build a large tourist resort here. Several villages have received the news, and Wang' Village was also included.
Wang Cheng doesn't want to sell the temple, he'd rather rebuild it.
How will turning the area into a tourist
Chapter 4-5: Family dynamics explanations and explorations.
Wang Cheng agreed to move back home so he heads off to get his things.
Chapter 6: Wang Cheng is a really good cook.
The real estate company shows up.
Chapter 7: Wang Cheng will only sell the mountain if the temple isn't demolished. Of course the real estate boss isn't happy about it.
Apparently Wang Cheng is really attractive even bald.
Chapter 8: Wang Cheng is so attractive even his sister blushes at him lol
Seems the family are supportive of Wang Cheng's decision?
I think they're moving to Guan Village, the mom's original village?
Chapter 9: The thing about the hands was interesting, I want to know more.
Chapter 10: I think Chu Yifeng, the real estate boss, is the LI?
Chapter 11: It is pretty interesting reading about the family dynamics.
Can't believe Wang Cheng negotiated 12 months work down to 3.
Chapter 12-13: Aunt Zhang is infuriating. 😡 Good luck finding a worker as good as Wang Ziyu!
Chapter 14 Finally moving away! Cute family interaction there at the end.
Chapter 15-16: Unfortunately two uncles they don't get along with also moved to Guan.
Chapter 17: First day of work, reading a bunch of docs, didn't see Boss Chu.
The editing could use some work but it's readable and mostly understandable. Seems like this will be a day-to-day story with a slow burn.
CW: A woman gets slapped and called a slut (in Wang Cheng's mind) after she hurls insults and abuse at Wang Ziyu.
(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:13 pmconuly posting in agonyauntDear Care and Feeding,
I’m 19 and in university. I recently broke up with my boyfriend, “Jason.” He’d been acting weird for a few weeks, but when I ended things, he completely flipped out.
It escalated to the point where he slipped into my family’s home, stole our cat, “Flibble,” and tried to hold him for ransom. We did get Flibble back, and Jason is now facing charges. I just want to put this all behind me.
My parents, however, are furious. They keep telling me I should “have better judgment” and promise I’m going to get an earful this Thanksgiving about “choosing appropriate partners.” I get it, this got bad. But Jason wasn’t showing signs of being unhinged when we first started dating, and I did break up with him as soon as he started acting erratically. Still, my parents chew me out every time we talk and have started calling two or three times a week specifically to lecture me.
It’s driving me crazy. I don’t want to block them or cut them out of my life, but I also don’t want to deal with this anymore. What can I do to get them to lay off?
—Stepped In It
( Read more... )
I’m 19 and in university. I recently broke up with my boyfriend, “Jason.” He’d been acting weird for a few weeks, but when I ended things, he completely flipped out.
It escalated to the point where he slipped into my family’s home, stole our cat, “Flibble,” and tried to hold him for ransom. We did get Flibble back, and Jason is now facing charges. I just want to put this all behind me.
My parents, however, are furious. They keep telling me I should “have better judgment” and promise I’m going to get an earful this Thanksgiving about “choosing appropriate partners.” I get it, this got bad. But Jason wasn’t showing signs of being unhinged when we first started dating, and I did break up with him as soon as he started acting erratically. Still, my parents chew me out every time we talk and have started calling two or three times a week specifically to lecture me.
It’s driving me crazy. I don’t want to block them or cut them out of my life, but I also don’t want to deal with this anymore. What can I do to get them to lay off?
—Stepped In It
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2025 07:03 pmconuly posting in agonyauntDear Meghan: I have an 8-year-old daughter. She does not have a mother (my husband and I are both men). She doesn’t particularly like shopping for clothes, but she has a relative who keeps her very well stocked with jumpsuits, dresses and girly outfits of all kinds, which is the type of clothing she typically likes. In general, I let her decide for herself how to mix and match the various clothes she has each morning and will only step in if something is really inappropriate.
My mother, however, feels the need to criticize her clothing choices nearly every time she sees her. “Oh dear, you should never mix prints!” or “Why didn’t you wear a different shirt under that jumpsuit — it really doesn’t match at all!” My mother blames me for what she sees as my inability to teach a girl about girls’ fashion.
I told her that I had indeed talked about some of these rules, but I thought my daughter should also be able to make her own choices about how to dress. She then accused me of being a bad parent and suggested that I would also “give up” if faced with a child who stole or cheated on a test. Is it really so wrong to refuse to have a daily struggle because my daughter went to school with shorts that lightly clashed with her shirt?
— Grandma’s Criticisms
( Read more... )
My mother, however, feels the need to criticize her clothing choices nearly every time she sees her. “Oh dear, you should never mix prints!” or “Why didn’t you wear a different shirt under that jumpsuit — it really doesn’t match at all!” My mother blames me for what she sees as my inability to teach a girl about girls’ fashion.
I told her that I had indeed talked about some of these rules, but I thought my daughter should also be able to make her own choices about how to dress. She then accused me of being a bad parent and suggested that I would also “give up” if faced with a child who stole or cheated on a test. Is it really so wrong to refuse to have a daily struggle because my daughter went to school with shorts that lightly clashed with her shirt?
— Grandma’s Criticisms
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2025 06:59 pmconuly posting in agonyauntDear Meghan: My sons (5 and 6 years old, both mildly autistic) tend to wake up in the morning and as fast as they can dive into my husband’s and my bed for cuddles. They seem to get a lot of sensory satisfaction and a lot of comfort from this ritual. Their preference would be to cuddle with me or both of us for about 15 minutes until they’re all the way awake, then run off and do their own thing. I don’t mind this at all — I enjoy it somewhat, and I find that (as primary caretaker) their days and thus mine go much smoother if they have this cuddle in bed to start the day.
The problem is that my husband says it ruins his day to have his kids in his bed at all.
I have tried to be a physical barrier between him and them — doesn’t work. I’ve tried to not let them in until he’s already up and showering — doesn’t work. I’ve tried to go to their beds and cuddle them there — doesn’t work. I’m out of ideas.
What should I do?
( Read more... )
The problem is that my husband says it ruins his day to have his kids in his bed at all.
I have tried to be a physical barrier between him and them — doesn’t work. I’ve tried to not let them in until he’s already up and showering — doesn’t work. I’ve tried to go to their beds and cuddle them there — doesn’t work. I’m out of ideas.
What should I do?
( Read more... )