New Berettaflies Guidepage

Thanks to help from lynnoconnacht and thnidu, there is now a Berettaflies guidepage on the PenUltimate Productions website.  *cheers, fanfare, confetti*  It's still a bit of a rough draft, but we have things in approximate chronological order and mostly filled in.  Audience participation is encouraged if you can help improve it.

Read "A Visit from Ilyana Cherenkov" by Siliconshaman

 siliconshaman has posted Part 1 and Part 2 of "A Visit from Ilyana Cherenkov."  Sometimes superpowers come down to keeping the heat on.  :D

Poem: "Logical Impossibilities"

This poem came out of the April 2015 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from chordatesrock. It has been sponsored by EdorFaus.


"Logical Impossibilities"


The world is full of things
that should not exist, but do;
could not perform, but do.

They are logical impossibilities
that question assumptions
and poke holes in theories.

Fat, fuzzy bumblebees
fly on unbelievable wings.

Ball lightning fizzes its way
through thunderstorms.

Spitting cobras were considered a myth
until white folks learned the hard way
that the warnings were real.

Science is always learning and growing,
an infinite process of trial and error.

Whatever is, must be possible.

Hope is the understanding that
logic doesn't know everything.

* * *

Notes:

Read about bumblebee flight.

Ball lightning is a rare weather phenomenon that took a long time to catch on film.

Spitting cobras are also real, although for a long time books said it was a myth.

Recipe: "Chocolate-Hazelnut Bread Pudding"

Today I made a new variation of my Basic Bread Pudding and Sauce.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Version: Use a rich, sweet bread such as challah.  Put one third of the bread chunks into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and dot with spoonfuls of chocolate-hazelnut spread such as Nutella. You may add chopped hazelnuts if you wish. Cover with second third of bread chunks, add more chocolate chips and chocolate-hazelnut spread. (Use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, depending on your taste.) Top with the remaining third of bread chunks. When making the batter, use 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon. When making the topping, add a big blob of chocolate-hazelnut spread (about 1/4 cup) and stir until it melts into the liquid.

Since it was a new recipe, I dished out modest scoops at first.  This led to a couple of people making puppydog eyes and saying, "Please, sir, may I have some more?"  Six of us, and there is maybe a quarter of the dish left.  It does not go nearly as far as other flavors of bread pudding have in the past!

Story: "Strong and Fragile"

This story came out of the June 2015 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by prompts from dialecticdreamer and chanter_greenie. It fills the "post-traumatic stress disorder" square in my 6-16-15 card for the hc_bingo fest, and the "experimentation" square in my 6-1-15 card for the June Relationship Bingo fest. This story has been sponsored by EdorFaus. It belongs to the Don't Try This at Home thread of the Schrodinger's Heroes project.

WARNING: This story contains some intense topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. There are identity issues, emotional angst, some very ugly racism, prejudiced language, a physical scuffle, post-traumatic stress, and other challenges. However, the upstanding characters handle it pretty well, and the dirtbags are pretty obviously dirtbags. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before clicking through.

( Read more... )

Poem: "Forging Ahead"

This poem is spillover from the July 21, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman. It fills the "graduation" square of my 12-30-14 card in the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by EdorFaus. It belongs to the Path of the Paladins series.

( Read more... )

New Berettaflies Posts

 siliconshaman has posted more about Ashley.  Read "Forms and Fittings" Part 4 and Part 5.  See Ashley's name icon.  Read her email to All Bodies All Beautiful.

Also, "A Visit from Ilyana Cherenkov" is a holiday story.  See Part 1 and Part 2.

Poem: "To Put Together a Family"

This poem came out of the August 4, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from chanter_greenie. It also fills the "hugs" square in my 5-20-15 card for the Wellness Toolbox Bingo fest. This poem was sponsored by EdorFaus. It belongs to the Monster House series. It follows "Unspoken Noise," "Gathered Here Today," and "In Our Many Images."

Warning: This poem contains some touchy topics.  Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers.  There is homophobia, (brief) teen homelessness, emotional whump, and other angst.  The decent characters provide support, though.  If these are sensitive areas for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )