Art

 Painting of goldfish.

Cake Pictures

 Mirror cakes and spackle cakes.  Wow.

On Captain America

I was appalled, but not surprised, by Marvel's recent storyline that Captain America is Hydra.  Yes, they're really paddling that douchecanoe for all it's worth.  I am pleased to find a post by a Jewish writer, who speaks with more cultural right than I could, explaining why this is so very wrong. 

It's not just about the current fetish for brutalizing and/or distorting heroic figures, this persistent desire to destroy all that is good and hopeful in the world, to convince everyone that they can't have  heroes.  It's that this twist hurts living people  as well as mocking the dead.  That is not okay.

Art is power.  You use it responsibly, because if you don't, you're a bully.

I really hope, in some just and well-deserved afterlife, the people who perpetrated this meet with Steve Rogers so can ... explain ... a few things to them.

Monday Update 5-30-16

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Superheroes in Real Life
Friending Meme
Sunday Yardening
Unsold Poems from the May 3, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl
Saturday Yardening
Schrodinger's Entanglement
Poetry Fishbowl Report for May 3, 2016
Thursday's Yardening
Wednesday Yardening
Good News


I'm currently working on poetry records, trying to catch up before next week's fishbowl.


Poetry in Microfunding:
"Holding Hope and Love" belongs to Polychrome Heroics.  Cheersquad gives Zima some ideas for helping Lakia.  "The Door to Nowhere" is a crossover between P.I.E. and Schrodinger's Heroes.  Folks discuss the good and evil Schrodingers.  "A Hope and a Promise" belongs to Polychrome Heroics.  Aidan and Saraphina return to Easy City to visit Arlene and explore a Montessori school.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Unicorns on Parade" "Spruce Deer" "Wandering the Heights" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Winterheart" (parts 2-3), "Stinging Like Nettles"  "Off the Clock" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board: "Ghost Bat" (nonfiction). Drafted: "Like Ash Before the Wind," "From Dark to Bright," "The Inappropriate But Useful Disposal of Lettuce" "A Thin Red Trail" (fiction), "Changes in the Wind" (poetry), "Southern Breads" "Tangleweed Article" (articles), Jularei (character sheet).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "Raining Kittens," "Finding the Holes," "Broken Hopes," "Brewing Beauty," "Little Paws in the Licenses" (fiction), "The Smallest Invaders," "Raising the Future" "Beach Pies" "Unsolid Ground" "Riding from the Rescue" "To Ride Death" (poetry), "Rammer" (nonfiction).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "A Cold Clear Night" (fiction).


Weather is a little dryer here.  Current project is to follow up the major brush clearing with things like putting stump killer on the remains.  Seen at the bird feeders this week: small flock of sparrows, several mourning doves, cardinals, and grackles.  Currently blooming: violets, honeysuckle, zinnias, petunias, marigolds, million bells, moss rose, johnny jump ups, pink things and purple things in the wildflower garden, comfrey. The iris and peonies are done.

Monday Yardening

Today I went back out with the stump killer.  I remembered to get a rag to brush sawdust off the stumps, and gloves to protect my hands.  I did the stumps around the septic tank and the ones around the parking lot. 

EDIT:

Second round: started killing stumps in the prairie garden.  I worked around the south edge and some in the middle, then moved partway up the north side.  There is still a lot left to do in the north though.

Third round: New! Improved! Now with giant clouds of biting bugs!  >_<  I use Deep Woods Off with deet on my clothes, a milder chemical spray on my skin, and that discourages ticks and mosquitoes.  It does not affect flies, so when those showed up today I added the herbal oil which discourages them.  Total effect on biting gnats: zero.  *snort, stomp feet*  However, I did manage to finish killing the big patch of stumps on the north edge of the prairie garden.  I think that is everything.

I really, really hope this stump killing stuff proves effective.

Learning from Civil War

I'm researching superpower ethics again, and came across this article: "What Can We Learn from Watching a Superhero Civil War?"

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Story: "Rotten Fruit"

I've been thinking about Marvel's latest issue of fail. Clearly somebody ought to do something about this. Well, I'm Somebody.  If you want to do something about this nonsense too, I have a list of suggestions.

EDIT 5/31/16:  shiori_makiba has written two lovely poems that follow my story "Rotten Fruit." "A Good Man" shows Phil's musing about what makes a villain and what makes a hero, while waiting for rescue. "It Ain't So" features Tony helping to clean up the aftermath, in which he and Steve explain about bullies.

EDIT 6-1-16: I have added a scene about Hulk reciting social stories, and a new reference to kibbutzim.

This story fills the "caught in the act" square in my 5-1-16 card for the Solo Celebration Bingo fest.

This story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk,""kintsukuroi," "Little and Broken, but Still Good," "Up the Water Spout," "The Life of the Dead," "If They Could Just Stay Little," "Anahata," "When the Wheels Come Off," "Against His Own Shield," "Coming in from the Cold: Saturday: Building Towers," "Coming in from the Cold: Sunday: Shaking Foundations," "Coming in from the Cold: Monday: Memorial Day," and "What Little Boys Are Made Of."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Steve Rogers, Phil Coulson, Hulk, HYDRA!Nick Spencer, Nick Fury, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, JARVIS
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Defamation. Betrayal. Anger management issues. Rebellion. Ethical dilemmas. RPF. #sayitaintso. #nickspencerishydra.
Summary: A more plausible explanation for that issue of Captain America in which Steve is portrayed as a HYDRA agent.
Notes: Heroism. Team as family. Competence. Friendship.

A note on feedback: While it's not necessary to comment on every post I make, remember that I don't know who reads/likes things if nobody says anything. Particularly on long stories, I've discovered that I get antsy if there's nothing but crickets chirping for several posts. So it helps to give me feedback at least once, even if it's just "I like this" or "This one doesn't grab me." First and last episodes are ideal if you rarely feel inspired to comment in the middle.

I also have a list of favorite photogenic scenes from the whole series for fanartists to consider, partly compiled from audience requests.

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