firecat | Network

When I saw her a few weeks ago my vegan-and-gluten-free-bc-allergies friend said that she loves oat milk and it tastes much better than soy or almond milk, especially in coffee, so I got some to try.

And it's so good! I'm only making cocoa with it right now, but it impressed me right away. I use lactose-free dairy products usually, but I suspect that they disagree with me too, just mildly, especially cocoa made with milk. I've always been too lazy to test that systematically. Eliminating all dairy for an extended period (which I have a few times) isn't rigorous enough because other things can upset my stomach too, including just... anxiety.

I really love lattes - mostly chai and matcha, but I like coffee lattes too - and I've been wanting to make them for years and years. I was originally planning to get a milk steamer as a reward when and if I ever pass the driving test, but currently I'm trying a caffeine-free diet to see if it helps my anxiety. I'm not sure if I will decide to consume it again when the trial is over (I'm doing two and a half months minimum on physician's advice), and there's no point buying one if not.

There's popcorn flavored oat milk at the store. Bewildered and concerned. Don't like that.

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-reshape-atom-thin-semiconductors-generation.html

Rice University researchers studying a class of atom-thin semiconductors known as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have discovered that light can trigger a physical shift in their atomic lattice, creating a tunable way to adjust the materials' behavior and properties.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-reshape-atom-thin-semiconductors-generation.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-scientific.html

Researchers have developed an AI-powered 'scientific assistant' designed to accelerate the scientific process by helping them identify new research questions, analyze and interpret data, and produce scientific documents.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-scientific.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-strong-shells-survive-archaeology-fresh.html

We've feasted on them, built economies around them and in some places nearly erased them from our coasts. Today, 85% of the world's oyster reefs are gone. Many fisheries are collapsing, and those in Florida are no exception: Many estuaries in the state have lost up to 90% of their oyster reefs. Scientists and conservationists are racing to rebuild sustainable oyster populations, something that Indigenous communities were able to steward for millennia. By looking at ancient oyster populations, archaeologists may be able to guide this restoration in the present.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-strong-shells-survive-archaeology-fresh.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sculpting-technique-advanced-materials-basic.html

In a kind of addition-by-subtraction, chemists at the University of Florida have developed a technique to create highly porous materials from the ubiquitous building blocks of everyday plastics, and the end result could have applications in electronics, separations and battery manufacturing.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sculpting-technique-advanced-materials-basic.html

mount_oregano

A story I translated from Spanish by Ramiro Sanchiz, “Trees at Night” (Árboles en la noche) is in the November 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. A podcast of the story is read by Kate Baker. Both are free to enjoy.

Sanchiz is a Uruguayan writer, and this story is part of his literary project that explores permutations of a universe that revolves around a character named Federico Stahl. You can read “Arboles en la noche” in the original Spanish at the magazine Contaminación futura 8.

In the story, a librarian at a hospital-like sanatorium befriends a young patient named Federico for reasons that eventually become clear.

I recommend this story, among other reasons, as a masterful example of in medias res: beginning a story in the middle of the action or plot. Science fiction often does this, and SF readers are used to it, but I’ve seen readers of mainstream and literary fiction sometimes get so flummoxed that they give up because they don’t immediately understand what’s happening. SF readers have learned that a good story in this style will explain all the things in the end, and the fascination of the story is the discovery.

This haunting work offers a distant echo of the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (which I recommend): aliens come to Earth, and what they leave behind seems incomprehensible to humans.

atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/secret-slide

View from the bottom!

Located on Mount Victoria, one of the most scenic points in Wellington, Roseneath Park offers something for the whole family. In addition to its stunning lookout points and relaxing hikes, the Roseneath Park Playground is a perfect spot for kids (or adults) to play to their heart's content.

The most iconic feature of the playground is its slide - riding this colossal slide has become a Wellington rite of passage. The slide has become famous for the speed that riders are able to achieve, as well as for the views it offers at the top. The slide's open top allows visitors to enjoy a view of Wellington city and the harbor while they make their way down - if you manage to catch a quick enough glimpse, that is!

Thrill seekers be warned - the descent really is faster than you think, but if you're up for a ride, you won't be disappointed!

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/secret-slide

squirmelia

A lunchtime wander to the foreshore in the rain. A pinkish piece of glass, saying “tent” and a dark blue piece. Some Westerwald stoneware. Something that I thought was a blue bead but now I wonder if it's something else, a bit of cable perhaps? And then a piece that lost its colour and crumbled away.

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-optimizing-avalanche-photodiode-photodetection-ultraviolet.html

Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GM-APDs) are highly sensitive light detectors, capable of detecting single photons. Photons of certain wavelengths, when absorbed by photodiodes, generate electron-hole pairs in a process called impact ionization which can result in a multiplication of charges when occurring in an electric field.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-optimizing-avalanche-photodiode-photodetection-ultraviolet.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-alix-protein-cell-death.html

When pathogens enter our cells as part of an infection, our body will trigger a programmed cell death known as "pyroptosis" as part of an antimicrobial response. This response also plays a role in processes which are not directly linked to infection, such as chronic inflammation and is most commonly associated with diseases like diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-alix-protein-cell-death.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tiny-overlooked-ponds-andes-play.html

Small mountain ponds high in the tropical Andes may be playing an outsized role in global climate change, according to new research led by scientists at the University of North Carolina.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tiny-overlooked-ponds-andes-play.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-enzyme-motif-reveals-plastic-munching.html

Deep within the world's oceans lurk marine bacteria armed with plastic-munching enzymes, their evolution seemingly sculpted by our synthetic castaways.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-enzyme-motif-reveals-plastic-munching.html

atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goteborgs-remfabrik

Göteborgs Remfabrik - The Office

Originally founded in 1891 as a weaving mill for industrial belting, Göteborgs Remfabrik operated for nearly a century before closing its doors in 1977. Remarkably, very few changes were made during the last decades of its operation, leaving all the original looms, transmissions, and tools exactly as they were.

When the Göteborg City Council proposed demolishing the building to make room for a highway, the Swedish National Heritage Board intervened and protected the site in 1984. Today, the preserved factory stands as one of the best examples of early 20th-century textile production in Scandinavia and functions as a museum run entirely by volunteers.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goteborgs-remfabrik

ranunculus

For the first night in almost 2 weeks I got a block of 6 hours of sleep. YAY!

Went down for my first shift taking care of the horses at Winter Quarters. Thankfully it wasn't raining. All the horses were in very high spirits, dashing around bucking and rearing. Poor Firefly doesn't get to go out with the boys during the day. She would instantly become obese if left to graze all day. Instead she gets her portion of hay, in a barrel.

The wind is kicking up, it is threatening to really rain. Leaves are blowing off the oaks and fluttering down.
Here is a picture of the trees at the Main Gate swathed in yellow grapevines.

trobadora posting in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."

Hello, Guardian Rewatchers! Thanks to everyone who's been part of the discussion, or has been reading along. ♥

Come join us for round 2 of the Guardian Slo-Mo Rewatch! We're watching half an episode a week (about twenty minutes) so we can talk and squee about our beloved 镇魂 | Guardian drama. With the second batch of episodes, be ready for mirrors, web novels, book scams, Zhao Yunlan's disaster flat and the start of the Hanga arc!

(For those who remember our last rewatch, this time we're aiming for a lighter touch. Posts are on the minimalist side - a brief summary, one quote, one screencap, maybe one noteworthy detail and some discussion-starter questions.)

We're looking forward to some more fun discussions as we revisit Haixing, Dixing, and the SID – and of course you can always drop in on any of the previous discussions at any time.

Fans of the novel, the drama, or both are very welcome! You don't have to keep up with the rewatch – it's absolutely fine to dip in at any time. We want to hear what you think! Those of us who participated in the Novel Readalong or are otherwise familiar with the novel are likely to compare and contrast the two canons, but it's 100% okay to focus purely on the drama.

Please consider hosting a post or two, if you're willing and able to! Comment with a date from the schedule below. Posts should ideally be made sometime on the Friday or Saturday, in any time zone.

Schedule for round 2
Weekend of 14 November - episode 6 up to 22:44:
Weekend of 21 November - episode 6 from 22:44:
Weekend of 28 November - episode 7 up to 24:30:
Weekend of 5 December - episode 7 from 24:30:
Weekend of 12 December - episode 8 up to 22:19:
Weekend of 19 December - episode 8 from 22:19:
Weekend of 26 December - no new post; catch-up time!
Weekend of 2 January - no new post; catch-up time!
Weekend of 9 January - - episode 9 up to 22:52:
Weekend of 16 January - episode 9 from 22:52:
Weekend of 23 January - episode 10 up to 22:09:
Weekend of 30 January - episode 10 from 22:09:

ranunculus

Decades ago Donald and I visited the Orkney Islands. We had a wonderful time visiting a variety of Neolithic sites, including Maes Howe, The Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brogar all of which are in close proximity to each other. The major sites were documented and various facts (and guesses) about their age and function were readily available. We also noted that there were lumps and bumps in the ground showing plenty of evidence of further human activity, though apparently no one knew much about those structures. Years later I was intrigued to hear that an archeological dig had begun in a farm field between the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brogar. https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/

( More site description )

allezhop

I've noticed that when i get into a creative project, I start to get lost in the financial possibilities. It's been a long time since I wrote fiction, but when I started novels, I would usually get to a point that I'd start thinking about how this one might get an agent, and a publisher... and maybe this one would start the writing career that would let me live in a cabin by a lake and spend my days enjoying the writing process. It's really not unlike a fantasy of winning the lottery, but for me it's a lot more destructive, because it ends up causing friction with the actual creative drive.

I'm starting a creative project now that is about a cultural topic. I've started a reddit community with deep dive, analytical and data-driven posts. I'm also putting together a YouTube channel to do shorter videos about the same thing, and hoping to have them cross paths. I have started YouTube before, when I was doing hypnotherapy videos, but I never really set the time aside to make it successful, so I deleted it. I'm pretty sure the idea of how to make it a business also kept it from being a creative success first.

I guess it's not when I first start the project that I'm thinking along those lines, but when I've gotten far enough in that the vision starts to become clear in my mind. Something seems to shift from "hobby/creative outlet" to "potential income source." So the cycle goes: The excitement of the idea

\rightarrow

The calculation of the financial reward -> The anxiety over the long odds and reality checks -> creative block.

Financial stability has always had a strong pull for me, especially in the past when I was making very little money. I have a truly steady job now, and while obviously teachers don't make a ton of money, it's enough for me to support myself, and as I dig out from debts, I even have money to put aside - and even a little for vacations! (62 days to cruise!) So the financial pull isn't as much day to day survival right now, as it is a chance to build a 6-month emergency cushion. It’s the idealism of what could be, constantly being battered by the reality of what must be done.

My strategy for this, starting today, is to have two hats.

The Creative Hat: When I’m wearing this hat, my only goal is to produce content. This includes every step of the creative process: deep research, drafting Reddit posts, writing YouTube scripts, video compilation, editing, and even the technical work of channel descriptions and keywords. As long as it’s part of the creation of something that didn’t exist before, it is Creative Hat time, and money thoughts get jotted down for later.

The Business Hat: I will set aside a tiny, specific chunk of time each week, maybe 30 minutes, to put on this hat. Only during this dedicated window can I indulge in fantasies about views, monetization, or how good it would feel to win the lottery and have an instant emergency fund.

This way I can stay focused on the process, and hopefully stay excited by the ideas that drive the process. I have no control over the outcome, so why let that stop me from enjoying the creative journey?

Current Mood: contemplative

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-infrared-sensors-gain-sensitivity-ultra.html

Researchers have developed a highly sensitive method for detecting hotspots in the environment, such as bushfires or military threats, by harnessing the focusing power of meta-optical systems.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-infrared-sensors-gain-sensitivity-ultra.html

ysabetwordsmith

Sunflowers may be the future of "vegan meat"

Sunflower flour emerges as a sustainable, nutrient-packed, and surprisingly meat-like plant protein innovation.

A collaboration between Brazilian and German researchers has led to a sunflower-based meat substitute that’s high in protein and minerals. The new ingredient, made from refined sunflower flour, delivers excellent nutritional value and a mild flavor. Tests showed strong texture and healthy fat content, suggesting great potential for use in the growing plant-based food sector.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

maju

We left Maryland (or my part of it) just after 6:30 am and arrived here at my daughter's just before 12:30 pm. I had forgotten that the girls have the day off school because their school is being used as a polling place today, so I was slightly surprised to be greeted enthusiastically by all of them.

I woke up at 4:15 am for the second day in a row, so I'm feeling quite tired now even though my daughter did all the driving this morning.

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-chemists-atlas-reliable-polyoxometalates.html

Polyoxometalates (POMs) look like tiny, perfectly ordered mandalas—complex molecular cages made of metal and oxygen atoms. Chemists produce these POMs as versatile model systems for catalysis, energy storage and biomedical applications. But their apparent symmetry can be deceptive.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-chemists-atlas-reliable-polyoxometalates.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lost-rare-birds-shifting-migration.html

On a 2009 hike in the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, a group of birders heard an otherworldly, ethereal bird song floating, flute-like, through the canyon. The hikers identified the singer as a brown-backed solitaire, recognizing immediately that the bird was very far from home. The brown-backed solitaire spends its life in the mountain forests of Mexico and Central America—what was it doing in Arizona?

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lost-rare-birds-shifting-migration.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-physicists-high-precision-strontium-atoms.html

Having good neighbors can be very valuable—even in the atomic world. A team of Amsterdam physicists was able to determine an important property of strontium atoms, a highly useful element for modern applications in atomic clocks and quantum computers, to unprecedented precision. To achieve this, they made clever use of a nearby cloud of rubidium atoms. The results were published in the journal Physical Review Letters this week.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-physicists-high-precision-strontium-atoms.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-pink-sea-anemone-home-hermit.html

Researchers from Kumamoto University and collaborating institutions have discovered a new species of deep-sea sea anemone that builds shell-like "homes" for hermit crabs—an extraordinary case of mutualism and co-evolution in the ocean depths. The work is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-pink-sea-anemone-home-hermit.html

ysabetwordsmith

Today is mostly sunny and mild.

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

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

somedayseattle

From Dream Moods--
If you dream that you are still working at your old job, then it suggests that there is an old lesson that you need to learn and apply to a current situation. It may also mean that you are regressing into your comfort zone.

So what's wrong with a comfort zone? It's comfortable, right? What more can i ask for than comfort?

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-species-wild-leeks-debate.html

There's a long-standing debate in the wild ramp community, with one faction arguing that there is only one species of the plant, while others maintain there are up to four species.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-species-wild-leeks-debate.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-generation-energy-conversion-materials-simple.html

Researchers at Kyushu University have designed a class of molecules whose ability to amplify light energy can be actively controlled by simply applying pressure. The findings, published in the journal Chemical Science, may open new possibilities for highly efficient energy conversion devices and advanced medical therapies.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-generation-energy-conversion-materials-simple.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-genetics-choice-academic-field.html

What we choose to study—whether fine art or finance—is one of the most influential decisions in our lives. It shapes not only career trajectories, but also income, fertility, and well-being. As access to education is expanding, what we study now plays a bigger role than how long we study in shaping life outcomes.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-genetics-choice-academic-field.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-triangle-weaver-spider-web-mechanism.html

Different species of spiders produce different silks that serve different purposes, from floating on air to cradling eggs. The triangle weaver spider, Hyptiotes cavatus, weaves and holds a three-sided web under tension, which it releases the moment prey flies into the web, quickly tangling the prey in the spring-loaded threads. Thus, the web can move much faster than any muscle in the spider's body, illustrating how silk can amplify a spider's abilities.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-triangle-weaver-spider-web-mechanism.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-molecular-dynamics-simulations-atomistic-field.html

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of life's most versatile molecules, with roles going far beyond being a messenger of genetic code, as it is fundamentally involved in gene regulation, processing, and maintenance across all living systems. This versatility is deeply tied to RNA's ability to adopt complex three-dimensional shapes, known as secondary and tertiary structures.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-molecular-dynamics-simulations-atomistic-field.html

spikedluv

I wrote two fic for

fandomgiftbasket this round. I hope you enjoy them!

Title: Pretzels and Pizza
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: Hawkeye (tv) | Hawkeye (Fraction comics) | Thunderbolts (2025)
Rating: PG13/Femslash
Pairing/Characters: Kate/Yelena, Clint, Bucky
Length: 1,605 words
Spoilers: Takes place post-everything, but just bits and pieces from each canon.
Summary: When Bucky dragged Yelena out for an afternoon of ‘fun', she didn't know they were going to Clint Barton's apartment, or that Kate Bishop would be there.
Author's Notes: Written for

impala_chick for

fandomgiftbasket 2025. One of their prompts was the rest of the team finding out about them. I hope you enjoy this variation on that!
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: October 8, 2025

Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/72130546

Title: Open Arms
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Rating: PG13/Pre-Slash/Slash
Pairing/Characters: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (Cameo by Erica and pack; OFC)
Length: 2,500 words
Spoilers: Spoilers through season two, though the story takes place later.
Summary: Stiles and Derek are kidnapped. Again.
Author's Notes: Stiles is not underage in this story. Written for

logans_girl2001 for

fandomgiftbasket 2025. They asked for Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles and one of their ‘likes' was Soulmate AUs of all kinds. I hope you enjoy this! Title from a Journey song that popped into my head.
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: October 11, 2025

Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/72290586

atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/john-fitzgerald-kennedy-national-historic-site2

Beals Street is a fairly ordinary residential neighborhood in Brookline, and the blue-colored home at number 83 seems almost indistinguishable from all the others. Yet it holds a tremendous amount of history as the birthplace and childhood home of one of the most iconic presidents in U.S. history.

On May 29, 1917, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy gave birth to her second son, future president John F. Kennedy, in the upstairs bedroom of the family home. Her husband, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. had purchased the house a few years earlier, in 1914, shortly after their marriage. Kennedy's sisters, Rosemary and Kathleen, were also born in the house in 1918 and 1920, respectively. The family lived on Beals Street for only a few years before moving to a larger home a few blocks away.

After JFK’s assassination in 1963, thousands of mourners gathered outside the house for a special day of mourning service. In 1966, the Kennedy family repurchased the home and donated it to the National Park Service three years later. Rose Kennedy spent the following years restoring the house to its 1917 appearance. About 20 percent of the artifacts displayed today are original to the Kennedy family, while the rest are authentic to the time period or reproductions.

The Kennedy home is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in presidential history. Meticulously preserved, it offers visitors not only a glimpse into the daily life of the Kennedy family, but also of a middle-class household in the early 20th century. The park rangers on site are extremely knowledgeable, and visitors can even listen to audio records made by Rose Kennedy herself during the restoration, in which she describes various parts of the house.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/john-fitzgerald-kennedy-national-historic-site2

flo_nelja

Catégorie : La Bonne Auberge de la Pierre Levée (Fantasy - Quête - Médiéval - JDR - Livre dont vous êtes le héros - Voyageur - Musique)

Un autre des livres de la sélection du Prix Mangawa ! C'est une série d'histoires sur l'amour des disques vinyl. Une jeune femme qui hérite des disques de son grand-père et enquête sur l'un d'entre eux qui n'a pas de nom d'auteur, juste son nom. Un vendeur clandestin de disques occidentaux dans l'Europe communiste. L'histoire d'un vieux juke-box. Une aventure du groupe qui est l'expy des Beatles, the Staggs. Les aventures paritimes d'une radio pirate. Parfois ils sont subtilement connectés, même s'ils ne se passent pas tous à la même époque.

J'ai beaucoup aimé ! La narration est très douce, et malgré ça la passion intense. Le dessin est un peu retro, ça va bien avec le sujet.

ysabetwordsmith

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Fairies and Fey." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

I'll be soliciting ideas for fairies, seelie or unseelie sidhe, the Wild Hunt, elves, other types of fey, Radical Faeries, other queers, tricksters, contraries, rebels, adventurers, mentors, historians, explorers, magic users, partners, teachers, leaders, dark lords, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, fantasy species, activists, other unusual fantasy folk, doing magic, doing things backwards, causing mischief, breaking rules, caring for the land, exploring new territory, meeting new species, upsetting predictions, twisting tropes, flipping stereotypes, expecting the unexpected, teaching, adventuring, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, adapting, improvising, troubleshooting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, coming out, running away from home, going off the rails, subverting fate, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, other fantastic activities, Underhill, faery rings, the forest primeval, underwater, underground, liminal zones, castles, ruins, dungeons, dragon lairs, schools, kitchens, campfires, libraries, apothecary shops, supervillain lairs, makerspaces, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, farmer's markets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other phantasmagoric settings, faerie magic, unusual magical systems, magical artifacts, enchanted musical instruments or weapons, quests, time periods other than medieval, governments other than monarchy, dragons, unicorns, enchantments, potions, reversals, contradictions, conundrums, puzzling discoveries, sudden surprises, fey time distortions, time travel, travel mishaps, the buck stops here, trial and error, polarity, weird food, secret ingredients, supplements that turn out to be metagenic, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:

Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo Card 11-1-25

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia is about live happy lesbians in a quirky fantasy world.

Clay of Life is Jewish fantasy about a blacksmith and a golem.

Dragonsilk is about trauma and recovery.

Hart's Farm is a free love community with a few really exotic characters.

Monster House is suburban fantasy with a diverse household, where the line between truth and fantasy isn't always clear.

The Ocracies features all the political systems other than monarchy.

The Odd Trio is about a family consisting of a dwarf, an elf, and a human.

P.I.E. is urban fantasy about paranormal investigations,

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all trying to get along and figure out how to make a functional society. Eric the Elven King has interdimensional refugees. Officer Pink features centaurs and mystic shifters. Vybra of the Broken Angels specializes in fantasy sex and often dresses as a fairy.

Practical Magics is low fantasy with a prosaic focus.

Quixotic Ideas is contemporary fantasy where magic integrates with modern life in positive ways.

The Ursulan Cycle is genderbent King Arthur.

Or you can ask for something new.

Boost the signal to reveal a verse in any open linkback poem.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: creative

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-webb-telescope-spies-io-volcanic.html

Trapped in a gravitational push and pull between Jupiter and other Jovian moons, Io is constantly being stretched and compressed. Heat generated by these contortions has melted pockets of the moon's interior so much that Io is our solar system's most volcanically active body.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-webb-telescope-spies-io-volcanic.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-turbo-boost-immune-cells.html

Temperature is a key physiological factor that determines the speed of immune reactions. While this may seem obvious, it has remained largely unexplored at the single-cell level—until now. Stefan Wieser from the Institute of Zoology at the University of Innsbruck and his colleagues report in Developmental Cell that the motor protein Myosin II regulates the temperature sensitivity of immune cells and drives the acceleration of immune responses at elevated body temperature.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-turbo-boost-immune-cells.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-rethinking-industry-world.html

As global warming intensifies and extreme weather events become more frequent, insurance systems worldwide are under pressure. In the United States, for instance, rising flood and hurricane damages have driven major reforms in the federal flood insurance program (NFIP), reducing public subsidies and raising costs for homeowners.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-rethinking-industry-world.html

atlas_obscura_places_feed

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flagstaff-house-museum-of-tea-ware

Situated in the tranquil grounds of Hong Kong Park and designated a monument in 1989, Flagstaff House was built in an elegant Greek Revival style as part of the former Victoria Barracks. Originally named Headquarters House, it served as the residence and office of the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong from its completion in 1846 until 1978. Today, it is the oldest surviving example of Greek Revival architecture in Hong Kong and is now a museum devoted to teaware.

After its military role ended, the building found a new purpose on 1981, when a donation of approximately 600 pieces of teaware from local businessman and philanthropist Dr. K.S. Lo to the then Urban Council prompted its conversion into the Museum of Tea Ware. Established to collect, display, and study teaware and its related culture, the museum opened to the public in 1984.

Dr Lo's initial donation forms the core of the museum's collection, comprising tea utensils and related relics ranging from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 771 B.C.) to the 20th century. Besides exhibitions, the museum also arranges educational tours, tea ceremonies and demonstrations, and art lectures that promote Chinese tea culture.

Visitors can also explore a permanent exhibition of Chinese seal stamps on the upper floor of the neighboring K.S. Lo Gallery. On the ground floor, the LockCha teahouse serves excellent vegetarian dim sum and more than 100 varieties of tea.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flagstaff-house-museum-of-tea-ware

fbhjr

( Delaware Week 2 )

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-black-sea-nitrous-oxide-conundrum.html

Microorganisms in the Black Sea can produce large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). However, this gas never reaches the atmosphere because it is swiftly consumed by other microorganisms, which convert it to harmless dinitrogen gas (N2). Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have now investigated this process and identified the key players involved.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-black-sea-nitrous-oxide-conundrum.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-extremely-massive-stars-forged-oldest.html

An international team led by ICREA researcher Mark Gieles, from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), has developed a model that reveals how extremely massive stars (EMS)—with more than 1,000 times the mass of the sun—have governed the birth and early evolution of the oldest star clusters in the universe.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-extremely-massive-stars-forged-oldest.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-contrails-natural-ice-clouds-skies.html

Contrails in the blue sky remind us of daily air traffic—and its impact on the climate. However, the effect of contrails on the climate is still only partially understood. It is assumed that they have a predominantly warming effect.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-contrails-natural-ice-clouds-skies.html

phys_breaking_feed

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-magnetoelectric-nanotherapy-pancreatic-tumors-survival.html

A new study has found for the first time that magnetoelectric nanoparticles—tiny, wirelessly controlled particles activated by magnetic fields—can both locate and destroy pancreatic tumors in preclinical models, offering a potential new approach to minimally invasively treating one of the deadliest cancers.

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-magnetoelectric-nanotherapy-pancreatic-tumors-survival.html

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!

eledonecirrhosa

Spent 2 weekends in a row at science fiction conventions: Bristolcon in (you guessed it) Bristol and then Armadacon in Plymouth. Had terrific fun at both, with lots of catching up with friends and meeting new people.

John Higgins the Artist Guest of Honour at Bristolcon was terrific, and my highlight of the con. Did a great Guest of Honour talk, and then did a live painting workshop, which was one of the most fun and informative things I'd been to in years. I bought way too many books and way too much art at Bristolcon! I was on one panel and moderated another (Pets in Space - we had an actual dog on the panel).

Managed to resist buying too many books at Armadacon, but bought some more art and the CD of the first album by Paradox of Ravens who were the climax of the Saturday evening entertainment, and who are both lovely human beings. Their music has an 80s Depeche Mode/New Order vibe to it.

Guest of Honour Jonny Nexus was terrific value - good speaker, very self deprecating about his novel writing and RPG endeavours. He'd also suggested (and chaired) a cool panel about animal intelligence and personhood, which covered everything from real world animals to what to do of we encountered aliens or if AI became sentient. Physicist Martin Lavelle also gave a talk about quantum mechanics, and was lovely to chat to in the bar afterwards.

I gave a talk called The Past is An Alien Planet: They Do Things Differently There, to point out that 'Earth-like' planets in science fiction do not necessarily mean Earth as it is now. With health and safety tips for time travellers, and a discussion of carbon capture (yoghurt pots down salt mines!) in the Q&A afterwards. Lots of people came up to me over the day to say they'd enjoyed it, which was sweet of them.

There were lots of RPGs being played, but I only managed to play (part) of one of them, Dreams & Machines, because they clashed with panels I was on, or wanted to see. We stopped the Dreams & Machines game for a hour for me to be on the panel about RPGs!

badly_knitted

Title: Hearty Appetites
Fandom: FAKE
Author:

badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: There’s nothing like sailing to work up an appetite.
Written Using: The dw100 prompt ‘Whet’.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Double drabble.

( Hearty Appetites... )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

haunted_cherries

As context, I've been doing the PilloWriMo writing challenge over on Pillowfort, and I'm certain this event is gonna take me through some Emotions™ and Realizations™. EXHIBIT A:

Slowly but surely became annoyed with my brain b/c last night I went through all my WIPs to see what would be feasible to work on and tidy up for PilloWriMo and DO Y'ALL KNOW that with the exception of ONE WIP, all the other ones were close to done and just needed some editing/fine tuning????

Like at this point I am going to fight my brain fucking TEKKEN-style b/c WHAT DO YOU MEAN I PSYCHED MYSELF OUT OF DOING SOMETHING I LOVE B/C I THOUGHT I DIDN'T HAVE THE SKILL LEVEL TO MAKE THE WORDS SOUND PRETTY?????

So anyways YEAH, I'll probably have more time to work on my longfic than I thought b/c my brain was being dumb, but it'll be good to talk through the progress, I suppose, so there's that! 😅

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: Duet Night Abyss OST

renfys

Saw this, had to do it, but added bonus options as well at the bottom. I've tried to give a nice spread of fandoms. Some of these are smut. I need to fill my X and I'm on a Castle kick atm, so maybe I'll write Castle fic for X.

Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for [starting] a fanwork title? One per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fanworks count.

A - Abstinence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (or something like that). - SG1 - Sam/Jack
B - Birthday Card - She-Ra - Catra/Adora
C - Chasing Cars - NCIS - Gibbs/Todd
D - Decontamination - Voyager - Janeway/Chakotay
E - Enough For Now - Dragon Age - Isabella/Josephine
F - First Edition - Sanctuary - Helen/Tesla
G - Girlfriend - SG1 - Sam/Jack
H - Heir - Iron Man - Tony/Pepper
I - Immortal - Sanctuary - Will/Helen
J - Jump - Doctor Who - Rose/Nine
K - Knock Out - The Mentalist - Jane/Lisbon
L - Lessons - Dragon Age - Morrigan/Female Cousland
M - Mix and Match - MCU - Pepper/Black Widow
N - Needing - Castle - Beckett/Castle
O - Office Hours - The Closer - Brenda/Sharon
P - Proper Lawn Maintenance - Dragon Age - genfic
Q - Quickly Crawling Along - House - Cuddy/Cameron
R - Repitition - Dragon Age - Leliana/Female Trevelyan
S - Some of the adventures of Schrödinger the cat - SG1 - Genfic.
T - Testing Ground - MCU - Pepper/Bruce Banner
U - Unzip Me - Rizzoli & Isles - Jane/Maura
V - Void - SG1 - Sam/Fifth
W - Worthy - MCU - Slight Pepper/Black Widow.
X -
Y - Your Gains Depend On Your Losses - Dragon Age - Josephine/Cassandra
Z - Zepherus - Iron Man - Tony/Pepper

Bonus
Starts with a number - 4am Questions - Bones - Booth/Bones
Starts with a symbol - $135 - Rizzoli & Isles - Jane/Maura

badly_knitted

Title: Gone Viral
Author:

badly_knitted
Characters: Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby, Lindy.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 972: ‘Viral’ at

dw100.
Spoilers: Dot And Bubble.
Summary: The Doctor and Ruby will do whatever it takes to save lives.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who, or the characters.

( Gone Viral... )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

Profile

firecat (attention machine in need of calibration)

September 2025

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phys_breaking_feed - Rethinking the insurance industry in a warming world
atlas_obscura_places_feed - Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong
fbhjr - Tales from the faire
phys_breaking_feed - Black Sea nitrous oxide conundrum: Why most N₂O produced by microbes never reaches the surface
phys_breaking_feed - Extremely massive stars forged oldest star clusters in the universe, model suggests
phys_breaking_feed - Most long-lived contrails found to form within natural ice clouds, not clear skies
phys_breaking_feed - Magnetoelectric nanotherapy shrinks pancreatic tumors and extends survival in preclinical study
jazzyjj in awesomeers - Just one thing: 04 November 2025
eledonecirrhosa - Enjoyed Bristolcon & Armadacon 2025
badly_knitted - FAKE Double Drabble: Hearty Appetites
haunted_cherries - TEKKEN-Style Mirror Match w/My Brain
renfys - Fic meme
badly_knitted - Doctor Who Drabble: Gone Viral

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