transmediaclub | Member Posts

We leave Thursday:

Day 1: DFW to Memphis
Day 2: Memphis to Louisville, KY, to Columbus, OH
Day 3: Columbus to Buffalo
Day 4-5: Explore Buffalo
Day 5 or 6: Buffalo to Ypsilanti, MI
Day 6: Explore Ypsilanti
Day 7ish: Ypsilanti to Chicago
Days 8-11ish: Explore Chicagoland
Day 12ish: Chicago to Champaign, IL
Day 12-14: Explore Champaign and/or Metro East
Day 14: Illinois to Memphis
Day 15 Memphis to DFW

Primary goals are to explore and make some decisions. Recommendations for accommodations, shops and eateries, queer and/or COVID-cautious spaces welcome. We may not have time to socialize much unless someone is willing to play tour guide, but all of the major stops are places we hope to visit after we relocate.

Current Location: packing (or about to)
Current Music: Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monáe & Eryka Badu

ysabetwordsmith

My bareroot plants arrived from Prairie Moon today:

Spicebush (plant)

American Plum (plant)

Current Mood: busy

genderjumper

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: whiny
Current Location: not shopping for clothes as planned
Current Music: Whisper to a Scream (earworm courtesy IG)

olivermoss

Hilary Knight coming off of the Long Term Injured Reserve list changed my plans for yesterday. Yesterday was also the Trans Town Marketplace. Trans Town is a group I was unfamiliar with and I'll need to look into them more.

I wore my Torrent shirt because I was going to go right from one event to Sports Bra. I knew that a shirt with a logo, any sort of brand, was not going to be the vibe. It never is for a queer art event. But, it still felt good to wear because the Torrent have CJ, who is non-binary. They are the only person in top level professional hockey who is openly nb or trans. So, it felt right to wear. Sometimes wearing a shirt that is a little not the vibe is fine, if you feel confident in it. Sometimes.

Turned out, the event was far more punk/street that I expected and some vendors didn't even interact with me and I am reasonably sure that it was because of how I was dressed. And, fair enough. I go to a LOT of queer art pop ups and mostly it's people who art have a street/punk edge as an aesthetic, this was different. No one was LARPing here. I did not expect that, especially considering the venue.

They also had a prosthetics vendor with samples you can handle, which I've never seen at any event before. This event was... very much what I would have expected from a trans marketplace before I started going to queer art pops ups. I really liked it and want to find out a bit more about this group.

So, that was a lot of words to say 'even though some people there side-eyed my logo shirt and decided to not interact with me, I actually felt more comfortable there than at most queer events I've been to'.

Also, there was someone selling dairy /soy free mochi-based brownies that had the most perfect fluffy texture and I would like to eat 5 of those every day for the rest of my life.

And then I went to Sports Bra to see the return of Hilary Knight, and sadly the Torrent lost. It's not too surprising because from what I've seen so far, first game back for a top player is often not a great game for them. They need a few games to get back in the swing.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and cool with howling wind.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches plus a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/30/26 -- My bareroot plants arrived from Prairie Moon. Regrettably it is now 79F outside with howling wind, not suitable for planting, and the rest of the week predicts rain. :/

.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Activism
Climate Change
Bingo
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Gaming
Communities
Science
Birdfeeding
Read "This is a prayer to Baba Yaga"
Philosophical Questions: Government
Wildlife
Poetry Fishbowl Report for March 3, 2026
Unsold Poems for the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl
Space Exploration
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 3-27-26: Manga
Poem: "A Generous Impulse"
Photos: Coles County Community Garden
Poem: "A Darkness in the Sky"
Community Thursdays
Birdfeeding
Photos: Charleston Food Forest Part 2 Left Side
Photos: Charleston Food Forest Part 1 Right Side
Today's Adventures
Poem: "Become for Us a Highway"
Birdfeeding
Economics
Renewable Energy
Good News

Linguistics has 46 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 64 comments. Safety has 76 comments.

March Meta Matters Challenge banner

marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.

The weather has been erratic here, with more whiplash. We did get a good soaking rain recently. 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. Leafing out: mayapple, Dutchman's breeches. Currently blooming: crocuses, daffodils, squill, violets, apricot, grape hyacinths, tulips, cherry.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

The Quiet Alliance That Helps Cities Change

In city after city, a quiet alliance often develops between two people who rarely coordinate directly: the resident pushing from outside city hall and the staff member working inside it.

One pushes from outside. The other nudges from within.

This informal partnership rarely appears on an organizational chart, yet it turns out to be one of the most reliable ways local change actually happens. A recent story from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, illustrates how this dynamic unfolds, but before getting there it helps to understand the environment inside local government that makes this relationship so important.

Nagging as an activism tactic.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Even moderate levels of warming can unleash extreme climate damage

Some climate futures at 3.6°F (2°C) of warming may be harsher for drought, rain, and fire than average projections at 5.4°F (3°C) or even 7.2°F (4°C), according to a new study.

The findings challenge a common assumption that moderate warming marks a boundary between manageable climate change and severe disruption.

2°C is not moderate. 1.5°C would have been moderate -- causing serious problems, but things civilization could withstand -- except we're far past being able to meet that goal. 2°C is tipping points dumping humans into a global environment unlike what they evolved to live in. 3°C is bend over and kiss your ass goodbye. (Note that many scientists expect a rise of 3°C or more.) But don't worry too much about Earth. It has survived a lot worse. Eventually species will adapt or new ones will evolve.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

I have made blackout on my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest.

B1 (smudges) -- "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation" (Frankenstein's Family)
B2 (mended clothes) -- "The Sisters Grimké" (Peculiar Obligations)
B3 (artisan) -- "Nuff Respect" (Polychrome Heroics: Trichromatic Attachments)
B4 (writing) -- "The Expression That Crosses Boundaries" (Polychrome Heroics: Shiv)
B5 (rag rugs) -- "Hidden Opportunities" (Polychrome Heroics and Schrodinger's Heroes)

I1 (ink pens) -- Photos: House Yard
I2 (thread) -- "Our Homemade Safety Nets" (Polychrome Heroics)
I3 (tension) -- "Find a Way Forward" (The Freaks Club)
I4 (upcycling) -- fruit box pots
I5 (lacking storage) -- "Foraging Forever" (A Conflagration of Dragons)

N1 (crocheting) -- studied video tutorials
N2 (time) -- "The Duplicity of Seasons" (The Freaks Club)
N3 (WILD CARD: paint) -- "Become for Us a Highway" (Feathered Nests)
N4 (sewing) -- "A Generous Impulse" (Polychrome Heroics: Iron Horses)
N5 (small spaces) -- "Walnut Park" (Polychrome Heroics: Broken Angels)

G1 (tangles) -- "Whirlwind Romances" (The Freaks Club)
G2 (stone) -- "A Darkness in the Sky" (standalone)
G3 (yarn) -- "Pearls of Wisdom" (Polychrome Heroics)
G4 (tape) -- "Colorful Opportunities" (Arts and Crafts America)
G5 (ribbon) -- "Refusing to Melt" (Alien Romance)

O1 (food) -- "Baked Innovation" (The Freaks Club)
O2 (woodworking) -- "A Proper Community Is a Commonwealth" (Polychrome Heroics: Broken Angels)
O3 (colors) -- "A Confusion of Honeybees" (standalone)
O4 (garden crafts) -- DIY tomato cage
O5 (poetry) -- "The Express Bus to Crazy-Ass Death Land" (Monster House)

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

Beavers are turning rivers into powerful carbon sinks

Beavers might be one of nature’s most unexpected allies in locking away carbon and fighting climate change.

Beavers may be unlikely climate heroes, but new research suggests they could play a powerful role in fighting climate change. By building dams and transforming streams into wetlands, these industrious animals dramatically reshape how carbon moves and is stored in landscapes. Over just 13 years, a beaver-engineered wetland in Switzerland stored over a thousand tonnes of carbon—up to ten times more than similar areas without beavers.

It's not just carbon. Beavers also greatly reduce the impact of droughts and wildfires by storing water in the environment over large areas. As ecosystem engineers, they create many more niches for other species to share the habitats they create -- fish, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, weasels, minks, otters, wading birds, waterfowl, and so on. Crucially, they do all this work for free. All they need is space, saplings, and a thread of water. So if you see an opportunity for beaver restoration, jump on it.

Current Mood: busy

olivermoss

* Hilary Knight is off of LTIR and is expected to play today. Let's fucking go! Yeah, I'm headed out to watch the game at Sports Bra in a bit.

* Vibes around the NHL right now. I don't know how accurate that is for other teams, but for the Kraken? Very accurate!

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches. A flock of blackbirds is flying around and singing.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I trimmed brush around the Japanese maple tree.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I trimmed brush between the parking lot and wild cherry grove, trying to reestablish a mow path there.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I trimmed more brush along the mow path.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I trimmed more brush along the mow path.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus a fox squirrel.

EDIT 3/29/26 -- I filled a trolley with sticks and dumped it in the firepit.

I saw a pair of red admiral butterflies courting. It's way early for them to appear.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

"'We were there in the 80s for the crash, and this is definitely crashier.'"

guess I can get where they're coming from, but I don't think the current video game industry crash feels, specifically, "crashier." It feels worse and bigger, most definitely, which is what they meant, I'm sure, but it doesn't really feel much like an actual "crash" at all, at least not in the usual sense of such things.

This discussion post links to the original article about problems in the video game industry.

Current Mood: busy

alias_sqbr

Masterlist

I decided to poke my writers block by getting back to this and immediately hit a thick wall of Fear of Failure even though that makes no sense with writing exercises. But I persisted!

( Read more... )

vriddy

Now complete!

Acting on instinct | Wind Breaker | Sakura/Nirei/Suou/Kiryuu/Tsugeura | 5.3k words | rated T

Summary: Something shifted for them all in that moment at Kiryuu's house. They all felt it. But Kiryuu was missing for it, so they can't do anything about it.

Not yet.

Read it on Dreamwidth or on AO3.

Current Mood: satisfied

mistressofmuses

The beaft.

Her two runs for today!

She didn't break ten seconds today, but that second run was pretty good. Between 10 and 11 seconds seems to be Her Time, for the most part. (Apparently she also maybe tripped on that second run? Alex said she suddenly veered to one side, but she kept going!)

And as always, she seemed to have a lot of fun. Apparently someone walked past as they were heading back from a run and said "Now that's an obedience dog!" because she was walking so nice, haha.

There's another event next weekend, so she'll get to run again pretty soon.

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: my apartment

ysabetwordsmith

Musing on an essay: the commodification and enshittification of community

The fact that community is becoming a wellness trend—often with an aesthetic and hefty price tag—is very telling to me. Very exposing of the larger game at play here. Because upon hearing “loneliness kills”, the impulse wasn’t to rebuild the free, accessible infrastructure of community, and ask why we’re all too exhausted and automized to connect. It was to commodify connection—sell us Community as a product: friendship coaches, curated community memberships, networking events with entry fees, apps that gamify making friends.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

dhampyresa

A book being slow-burn doesn’t mean it has to be slow.

ysabetwordsmith

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.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

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.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I did more work on the tomato cage.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I sowed chives, catnip, and lemon bergamot in former fruit boxes that should make good upcycled pots.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I fastened the tomato cage to the new picnic table. It's much less wobbly now.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/28/26 -- I did some weeding around the forest garden. There's a mayapple putting up leaves. :D

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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For discussion of works by or about Trans People

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GTFO Part 1: The Ultimate Road Trip

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Cranky day ramble

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Birdfeeding

Monday Update 3-30-26

Activism

Climate Change

Bingo

Wildlife

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Gaming

Steering the Craft Chapter 4: Repetition

Updated Wind Breaker fic: Acting on instinct (Sakura/Nirei/Suou/Kiryuu/Tsugeura)

FastCAT day!

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