Science

Mar. 28th, 2026 02:06 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Why human babies are born helpless yet highly aware of the world

Because they cannot survive alone, human development unfolds through constant care. Feeding, carrying, soothing, and protecting do more than keep infants alive – they shape what babies see, hear, and experience.

A baby who cannot crawl into a group still becomes part of it, because caregivers bring the world closer. In that sense, dependence does not slow development. It creates the conditions that development grows from.



This explains a lot about why isolated or neglected infants -- in hospitals, orphanages, disadvantaged homes, etc. -- so often fail to thrive or outright die. They are deprived of the developmental needs for attention, interaction, and bonding with adults that would have supported healthy growth. The result is the same as when nutritional needs go unmet.
prisca: (empire mod)
We already have 5 participants in the regular challenge. In the Team Challenge, we have 1 participant for Team Alpha and 2 participants for Team Omega.

There are still about one day left until the end of the week. Jump into the game and earn some points!

Remember your Joker Card if you don't like your prompts. For two tokens, you can roll the dice again!

If you have used your Joker Card to catch up with a previous week, you can still post up to two works for this week.

Post all your finished works at [community profile] fandom_empire_workplace until Sunday, March 29, 18.00 UTC, but I will allow belated works until I've made the closing post. Countdown here.

Birdfeeding

Mar. 28th, 2026 01:52 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Today is sunny and chilly.

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

I put out water for the birds.















.
 
shuufleur93: (Default)
Title: With a Little Bit of Support
Fandom: Younger (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Maggie Amato & Kelsey Peters
Content Notes: Pregnancy scare, Kelsey thinks she's pregnant
Prompt: March 28 - Kelsey & Maggie "I don't know." "Let's find out together."

AO3DW

(no subject)

Mar. 28th, 2026 05:41 pm[personal profile] shadowhive
shadowhive: (Geoff/Seapeekay !!!)
So the music post I was planning yesterday fell by the wayside, oops. I did start it I just… got sidetracked and couldn’t watch the things I planned for it (cause I wanted thoughts fresh in my head)

I love that everything I’ve seen about the 5 Seconds of summer show is super slutty, like Calum in a skirt, Luke on his knees, mic sharing, Ashton’s fit. Also I’m so amused, one of the pieces of merch has Calum’s name misspelled like how?

But anyway!

Today was Megacon so this post is gonna be able that. It was odd being up and active so early. I’m not usually a morning person but I was out for the 8:37 train. I spent the trip first reading sfx (going through the reviews), sitting with my eyes closed and ficcing a few paragraphs.

I forgot how far the nec is from the train and with stairs so it was a bit of walking. There was a 5SOS poster I noticed on the way which me squee, then I saw Professor Cox is doing a talk at the same venue in October which is wild.

Getting in was easy enough and I collected the cute pin I got with the ticket. I had early entry which was kinda a good idea cause for the first while it wasn’t too busy.

One of my first stops was mystery dice goblin, cause the only thing I was sure I’d get was some of their dice. They had a thing where you roll a d20 and if you got a Nat 20 you’d win something and I did! It was a mystery box (would’ve been £20) and had two sets of dice bags, a pretty raven/crow book park, a Dm cat pin and a journal. I also got a free d20 from a code they’d posted and it’s very pretty.

I found out the person I got foolish pins from had a stall so I found them and got a Fennekin pin(and another Pokémon one as a gift), I must’ve missed them having mareep (it was in the pics they posted but I must have missed it or someone had it) but ah well.

I did a thing at another dice store, where I got a bundle with a a student discount. So I had a mystery bag of random stuff (a lil eh), 5 gacha d20’s (including a purple one! They were all quite nice) and rolled a d20 which got me a soft resin set which looks nice, though I can’t work out what’s in them.

I also got another mystery dice set from another stall which was completely random dice but they look nice.

Over the course of the day I wandered round the stalls, mostly adorning the art cause damn. Artists really are so impressive. Like all of it was so pretty. I kinda wish I’d had more warning than a week that I was going cause I’d have been able to plan, cause there were stuff like stamp rally’s and such. (plus I could’ve maybe maybe had more money, as it was I was limited)

What I did get was some Stranger Things art (they had an offer on getting three) so I got Dustin/Steve’s hug, Dustin and Steve at the graduation (with ghost Eddie) and Robin, Eddie and Steve in Scoops outfits.

I saw the was a Pokémon card rally thing so went around and got some of them, Drifloon, Zigzagoon and Noivern (and extra ones the artists had too). I also got a Leon charm too cause it was pretty.

And there was someone doing props of things out of wood and I got a boomerang from Zelda which looks so cool and it wasn’t much either.

I saw a few of the panels. First there was a quiz, with people getting onstage answering questions. I do not have the social skills or knowledge for that. Then I saw an Expedition 33 panel and one of the guys there was a handsome Frenchman which was nice. I also saw a voice actress from FNAF and honestly, she sounds so cool. She can do stunts, collects medieval weapons and horse rides. Then there was one for Epic the musical which was fun too, even though I don’t know it much.

The two main panels I went for were the ones were Seapeekay. The first, had 5 creators onstage and was only half an hour. It felt like too short a time for so many people (the presenter even acknowledged that) but one of them was so cool. She played Elden ring using her mind! I’m not sure how she did it but it sounds impressive. And it was funny how, at the end when asked to share socials Seapeekay was like ‘it’s spelt phonetically Seapeekay, ocean urine okay’ which was so funny.

I didn’t get to see Seapeekay then (he zoomed away too fast) so I hoped to have more luck at the pokopia challenges he was gonna do and… well it was a bit of a disaster. It’s clear there wasn’t much thought as to what the challenges would be, nor was anything set up (a lead was missing). (Though ti was cute seeing Seapeekay dance) It made me think of the simpsons quote ‘it was a veritable orgasm of poor planning’. What was settled on was planning hide and seek/prop hunt for the remainder of the hour.

It was a bit of a disaster really but it was pretty funny. Funnier still cause it was an area Seapeekay hadn’t got to so he was completely lost too and couldn’t even figure out stairs. (Props to the other guy hiding as stairs perfectly)

I did manage to catch him before he left, but only briefly (I overheard him say something was left in the cloakroom at the other con that he went to yesterday😭) but I got to say hi and got a pic. I’m sure I look terrible, but at least I beat the anxiety to get it. I wish I’d had more time cause I carried the cards wound all day in case I saw him (despite being a listed creator he didn’t have, like, as set area or anything.

But by that point too I was flagging a bit anyway, tiredness caught up with me.

By the time I got to the station a train was there so I just got on it and now I’m one stop away from home.

I’ll take pics of stuff and post on insta later, then add links too.

But mostly I’m gonna flop, have some noms and something to drink, maybe finish off The Awakening special features and bundle up

Challenge # 495: Letting Go

Mar. 28th, 2026 06:12 pm[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] drabble_zone
badly_knitted: (Drabble-Zone)

This week's challenge is:


Letting Go


Reminder of Rules

Entries should be 100, 200, or 300 words exactly, excluding titles and headers.
Please place the body of your entry behind a cut.
Tag with the appropriate Challenge, Fandom, Type, and Ratings tags. If a tag for your fandom doesn't exist, leave a request on the Tag Request post and I'll create the tags you need. You can request as many fandom tags as you want.
You don't need to use the challenge word or phrase in your drabble, though you can if you like.
Each challenge ends when the new challenge is posted, but if you're a few days late that's still fine.

NEW RULE: DOUBLE AND TRIPLE DRABBLES ARE ALSO ACCEPTED ;)

Have fun!




senmut: a bright blue tribal seahorse (General: Tribal Seahorse)
Title: Reaching for Understanding
Fandom: Talents Series (Anne McCaffrey)
Pairing/Characters: Afra Lyon & The Rowan
Content Notes: Complicated relationships
Prompt: 28 Afra Lyon & The Rowan "I don't know." "Let's find out together."

Reaching for Understanding )
glitteryv: (Default)
Fandom: BTS
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: SUGA, Jimin, RM, j-hope, Jungkook, V, and Jin
Content Notes/Warnings: N/A
Medium: Digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: N/A
Artist Website/Gallery: [twitter.com profile] mintdr_eam
Why this piece is awesome: Seeing all 7 members wearing Songzio designs for their comeback concert is already greatness. What made these two fanarts worth reccing is how the artist shows the fits' flowy aspects so well. Also extra!kudos for making sure that j-hope's knee tattoos are present as well, heheh.

Link: 🐱🐥🐨🐿️ and 🐰🐹🐻
greetingsfrommaars: ichihara yuuko from the manga xxxholic (Default)
Edit to add: just learned the spring counterpart to Spookfest has been renamed to Freak Week and is running again in early April!

The TBZ Olympus fest and Flash Fiction Exchange are both currently ongoing, and I know what I'm writing for both (more or less), phew! Wish me luck... (Also, I've been having fun treating the Flash Fiction Exchange tagset and promo post as a short story rec list.)

Besides the fics listed here, I also read most of the Hear the Silence AUs posted by the author. The original fic is a Naruto OC insert, and the AUs take her to other manga universes (and canon Naruto). The AUs are available through the Discord server linked on the fic.

[ Detroit: Become Human ]



We Are RK by Ausp_ice, Devi_ark

Post-canon: while out in the city, Connor and Nines run into mortal peril and have to combine their android bodies to survive. What follows is a confusing time for them and everyone else as they get used to having two minds in one body. This series takes body-sharing in a direction I haven't seen much before! Dad!Hank; pre-polyamory with Reed900 turning into Nines/Gavin/Connor in the future, which is the first time anyone has gotten me to consider Gavin and Connor as a ship. Hasn't updated in a little while, but I am prepared to be convinced...

and more for BTOB, various Criminal Minds crossovers... )

Project 2052

Mar. 28th, 2026 06:12 pm[personal profile] profiterole_reads
profiterole_reads: (Sense8 - Nomi and Amanita)
Project 2052: Revolutionary Dispatches from the World of Everything for Everyone is amazing and available for free! This is speculative activism fiction written in the form of non-fiction. 4 interviews and 1 epistolary story cover the many crises of the mid-21st century, then the insurrections that led to establishing communes all over the world.

There is no reading order, so you can start with the website, then go for M.E. O'Brien and Eman Abdelhadi's book.

In a time where tech billionaires seem to use dystopian science fiction as a model, it is especially important to counter it with hopeful stories offering us options to reflect about. Current issues, like the Palestinian genocide and the war on Iran, are also taken into account.

Most characters are LGBT (trans women...) and/or POC. For more Activism Fiction Books, check out my rec list.
ysabetwordsmith: (muse)
This is a prayer to Baba Yaga; this is a prayer of resistance.


This is a prayer for Baba Yaga. This is a prayer for Resistance.

This is a prayer for the magic of chicken feet, the heat of old hates, the way old bones hurt. This is a prayer for Resistance
.

Chain Saw Chains

Mar. 26th, 2026 02:55 pm[personal profile] ranunculus
ranunculus: (Default)
Edit: The first part of this was written Thursday night, it is now Sat Morning.
Tomorrow's project is to clear a trail with Rosemary.  In order to get ready the Gator had to be emptied of the detritus left from the clearing and burning around the pond.  Two chainsaws were in the back of the Gator Belin and Harvey. Both were empty of gas,  dirty and had dull chains.  I'm almost out of new chains, only one left; so that meant I had to actually use the chainsaw chain sharpener I bought last year.  Right off the bat my 3rd party attachment for it broke.  So I re-attached the stock one and went from there. Thank goodness Darren, at the repair shop where I take my equipment, had done a tutorial for a couple of us on how to use an electric sharpener.  Also thank goodness I had figured out some stuff and WRITTEN IT DOWN!   There are now 4 1/2 sharp chains.  I stopped when I broke my grinding wheel by not clamping the chain tight enough before using the wheel. Tore a huge chunk out of the wheel itself. Fortunately they are made to be replaceable and I now have a couple on order.  And I have several sharp chains.  And I've figured out how to do this thing. 
It is still quite warm, and we have had almost no rain since early January.  Fortunately there is rain in the forecast starting Monday night.  We all hope it will stay in the forecast, and that the storm will be bigger/longer than predicted!  We really need the rain and the Sierra Nevada could really use some snow.
Off to fill gas cans and pull more grass. 

On our way up the hill to clear trail Rosemary and I found a cow and tiny calf standing at the gate. They were clearly on the wrong side of the gate from the rest of the herd.  The cow clearly wanted to go through the gate but was a bit spooky of Chena and the Gator.  We left the gate open, called the dog (repeatedly, as Chena obviously thought it was her job to move that cow, but had no idea where) and drove down the hill and around the corner.  No cow in sight. After a moment I thought I'd better back up and go close the gate so the herd didn't find it and get out. We backed up and saw the cow, calf in tow, trotting happily through the open gate.  Victory!  After a quick trip up to see the fawn lilies (almost all finished blooming) we set to work on a terribly tangled mess of half dead manzanita which was liberally laced with poison oak.  The manzanita was at least 20 ft tall and so dense it would have been impossible to move forward through it. Three hours later we had 100 ft of old, old road cleared.  It looked so nice!  Of course I forgot to take a picture.  Cody was delighted to hear about our progress as he needs to work on the fence out there and we had just provided a really good access point. Rosemary and I worked  for another hour and a half cutting our way down hill to the Grapevine Springs trail.   So much poison oak out there!!  Still, our work should vastly improve access.  I'll take the weed whacker out with the hedge head on it and sheer off the poison oak so it doesn't crowd the trail so much.  That will work for a year or two. 
Caught one more vole last night.  I think that clears the garden area for now. 
This afternoon's project is to plant squash, cucumbers and other frost sensitive seed. 

goss: Bert - show and tell (Bert - show and tell)
Via [personal profile] gingicat:
If you were friends with Rubynye also known as [personal profile] minoanmiss, meravhoffman on Tumblr is collecting photos of her, and of her art and care packages that she sent out, to be part of the Virtual Memorial slide show:

https://www.tumblr.com/meravhoffman/812201183122014208/if-you-were-friends-with-rubynye-also-known-as

(Virtual Memorial takes place on April 12, at 1pm EDT (GMT -4) at a Zoom link TBD)

---

I have received so many lovely postcards from MM over the years, tucked into little corners around my house, and also little homemade Xmas tree ornaments. ♥

Will spend some time this weekend hunting them down, and taking a couple photos to send for the memorial slideshow.

I think it would be nice to include something to signify the destination, just to show how far and wide her kindness traveled. Maybe a flag or flower or something like that. ^__^

(My collection of links and announcements regarding MM can be found here.)

Speak Up Saturday

Mar. 28th, 2026 04:08 pm[personal profile] feurioo posting in [community profile] tv_talk
feurioo: (Default)
Assortment of black and white speech bubbles

Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?
smallhobbit: (Lucas 1)
Title: The Meeting on the Island: Puzzled
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Pairing/Characters: Adam Carter, werewolf!Lucas
Content Notes: PG. This is a six part story, in which Lucas North is a werewolf, but remains a valued part of the team.
Prompt: March 27 Adam Carter & Lucas North "I don't know." "Let's find out together."

The Meeting on the Island: Puzzled on AO3
capri0mni: A black Skull & Crossbones with the Online Disability Pride Flag as a background (Default)
Prompted by the Introduction Meme, over at [community profile] findingfriends, I checked my profile page, and realized this story I linked to, as an example of my writing, was on another site, which has since become unreliable. Since I don't want to lose it, I'm posting it here, instead.

It was inspired by the Czech tale "The Twelve Iron Shoes," the Grimms tale "The Cast Iron Stove," and the Norwegian tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon.'

Perhaps a Note of Interest: Because I composed this read aloud on stage, it's (mostly) in iambic pentameter, with the line breaks removed.

THE BAREFOOT QUEEN
By Ann Magill

In olden times, when wishing made things so, there lived a princess loved by rich and poor. So fair was she, in face, and heart, and mind, that all who knew her wished to bring her joy. She never raised a hand, or spoke a word, or took a step, except in sheer delight. And so she grew within the palace grounds, becoming even sweeter day by day, for kindness was the only thing she knew.

But childhood and time will never stay, and many nobles sought to call her "wife." The king, dissatisfied, dismissed them all. Each seemed too harsh or proud for her kind heart.

And then, one day, a prince arrived at court whose manner was so easy, warm and free that all agreed he was her very match. The wedding feast was held, and songs were sung, and tears were shed, when loved ones said "Good-bye."

The princess, for her part, was unafraid. The man beside her on the carriage seat was kind as any she had ever known. And though the land grew stranger with each mile, she only saw new wonders to behold.

Read more... )

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mistressofmuses: Image of nebulae in the colors of the bi pride flag: pink, purple, and blue (Default)
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