Science News

 One gene controls extra gaits in horses.

Story: "Coming Together at the Seams" (Part 2 of 2)

This story fills a square on my second card for the cottoncandy_bingo fest. This fest encourages people to create and share material focused on what is variously called fluff, schmoop, gentle fiction, light reading, comfort reading, positive thinking, chicken soup for the soul, or anything else that offers a fun alternative to usual run of sex, violence, and angst of modern media. I'm hoping to attract some new readers for my writing.

This is Smallville fanfic, inspired by a post I made about Clark Kent leaving the Daily Planet and the ensuing conversation with anverie, who misread the title "Clark Kent Quits" as "Clark Kent QUILTS." Well, I think quilting is awesome, and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. It is illustrated with links to various quilts and related images.

Begin with Part 1. 


Fandom: Smallville
Prompt: Comfortable / Content
Medium: Fiction
Summary: Clark Kent makes quilts as a way of relaxing, then gives most of them away. One of the quilts comes back to him in a particularly unexpected manner.
Content Notes: Farmboy crafting skills. Quilt history and symbolism. Nostalgia. Flangst. Happy ending.

( Read more... )

Art

 armaina is doing ACEO commissions with free shipping, that can be completed prior to Christmas.  Click through for samples in marker and watercolor.  Fantasy characters, bold colors.

The Natural Hair Movement

Here's a good post about the natural hair movement in black culture.

I love Afro-ethnic hair.  Woolly hair.  Squiggly hair.  Nappy hair.  Hair in amazing braids.  Hair in dreadlocks.  Hair in a short little cap.  Hair sculpted into phantasmagoric shapes.  All hair can be wonderful hair.

Thinking about this, I realize that I customarily write my black characters with natural hair.  I can't recall ever having written one with artificially straightened hair, although I suppose I might have.  I don't think I'd do that unless it had a point in the story.  *ponder*  Partly because of my own diverse tastes, but also because I tend to pick characters who like themselves. 

Poem: "Wild Hearts Can't Be Spoken"

This poem came out of the October 2, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from natasiakith.  It also fills a square on my Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card for "loss of voice."  This poem belongs to the series Fledgling Grace, which you can explore further on the Serial Poetry page.  It predates the Fledging and lays some background for the cosmology.  It has been sponsored by rix_scaedu.

( On a wing and a prayer... )

Poem: "Moulting"

This poem came out of the October 2, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from siege.  It also fills a square on my second Cottoncandy Bingo Card for "reluctantly accepting help/comfort."  It has been sponsored by janetmiles.  For this poem, I researched the symbolism of sparrows in Christianity.  It belongs to the series Fledgling Grace, which you can explore further via the Serial Poetry page.

( On a wing and a prayer... )

Poem: "Human Heart and Hands"

This poem was written by kestrels_nest after reading "Moulting" and is posted here as a freebie.  So far there are three more poems in this subthread of the series: "After the Departure," "Redemption" (another freebie by kestrels_nest), and "The Fledging."  Watch for those to appear as sponsorship progresses.

I am really enjoying the amount of audience participation that this series engenders.  It's fun to see people mulling over the various bird species and what they mean, the transformation from one spiritual or physical state to another, and the characters' experiences.

( On a wing and a prayer ... )

Update on Fledgling Grace

"Moulting" has been sponsored and posted.  This is a major poem toward the beginning of the Fledgling Grace series, introducing a couple of characters who appear in later poems.

"Human Hands and Heart" by kestrels_nest has also been posted as a freebie.

With "Moulting" visible, "After the Departure" is now available for $5.  Sponsoring that one will reveal "Redemption," another freebie from kestrels_nest.

Also following the publication of "Moulting," my poem "The Fledging" is available for $48. 

I have updated the sale page accordingly.

I'm also working on a list of all the bird species featured in various poems, linked to the heritage or country or quality connected with the manifestation of those wings.