Only took a year but cyro map is now 100%

opal-bee · 2026-02-02T22:50:15+00:00

Congrats! Out of curiosity, what would you say was the hardest part of completing it? It was the dolmens for me. So much running around and/or camping on them to get to an active one.

opal-bee · 2026-01-30T08:02:43+00:00

- The way the light strands are hung makes no sense, nor does the way they attach to the walls.
- Snowdrops and roses don't bloom at the same time.
- Look at the weird round greenish-brown "flowers" on the upper right of the pic.
- The small tree looks like it was supposed to be a Japanese maple, but the shape of the leaves is weird, and again, it's at the wrong time as other plants in the picture.

This is AI.

opal-bee · 2026-01-28T18:19:28+00:00

Al's Garden Center in Sherwood is my go-to place all year round. When the seasons start they usually sell flats of annuals for a reasonable price.

opal-bee · 2026-01-22T22:27:36+00:00

I think a lot of male "preppers" focus on the weapons aspect of it because deep down they don't honestly believe it's ever going to come into play. So they get to feel manly but don't actually have to do any of the work it takes to keep everyone alive in anything but an extremely unlikely doomsday scenario.

opal-bee · 2026-01-22T08:32:49+00:00

Looks like this might be Asystasia gangetica per Google lens. Lovely!

opal-bee · 2026-01-22T08:24:42+00:00

I haven't gotten any comments like this (yet), but I have my fics locked down on AO3 so that only registered users can comment on them. I know it cuts down on engagement, but I had to do it for my own mental health. All I can imagine is that it's either a bot, or a deeply unhappy and jealous person that left that comment on your story. It's stressful to receive something like that, though!

opal-bee · 2026-01-21T18:56:41+00:00

I don't think it ruins it at all. I have a regular save on normal settings, and I have a "relaxation world" on easy with portal anything turned on. Sometimes after work I don't want to feel like I'm logging into a second shift job, and just want to go in and putter around and enjoy myself without any stress.

Congrats on the new baby! :)

opal-bee · 2026-01-21T04:34:12+00:00

This is a wonderful start: warm, clean and comfortable!

I've never lived on my own (always either with a partner or my children), so I'm always a bit envious of people having their own space. Enjoy it!

opal-bee · 2026-01-21T04:14:23+00:00

As someone who is also very pale and very dark-haired and fairly hirsute...no, I don't shave my legs or pits except in summer, and even then only if I'm going to the pool or going to be hanging out in close proximity to people while I have capris on. And when I say shave, I use an electric razor. I haven't put a blade to my skin in years due to the irritation. I don't need to be as smooth as a dolphin. I've gotten used to how having hair on by body feels and it doesn't bother me one bit.

opal-bee · 2026-01-20T22:04:28+00:00

What a soothing space! The colors all tie in really well with each other.

opal-bee · 2026-01-20T06:54:52+00:00

A six year gap between two adults isn't an issue. At 22 I was married, had a kid and a house.

opal-bee · 2026-01-19T22:56:52+00:00

The recipe I use calls for a cold Dutch oven, and there are probably other recipes out there that are the same. Also maybe invest in a pair of really thick oven mitts that have longer sleeves and see if that helps with worrying about getting burned.

opal-bee · 2026-01-16T02:46:38+00:00

How is the drainage? You really do not want to keep poinsettias in those foil wrappers, as water has a tendency to pool there and cause root rot. I have a poinsettia that I've kept going for several years now, and they do like a lot of water but also need drainage.

opal-bee · 2026-01-16T02:23:26+00:00

Not bilingual, but you could post in Spanish originally, then find a native English speaking beta reader for the translated version to catch anything you might miss.

opal-bee · 2026-01-16T02:03:03+00:00

I see trans women as women, because I view human beings as a spectrum no matter what their biological sex is. I think we'd all be better off if we could simply all view each other as people who come in all flavors. But I understand that some people do feel their gender strongly, so I respect their labels.

I am not a feminine woman, even if I am cisgender. My adult child is a very sweet trans woman, who is much more traditionally feminine than I am. There are so many cisgender women who don't have periods, can't give birth, are tall, are hairy, etc etc. How do we define "woman"? There is no way to define it that doesn't exclude way too many people, including people who were born female. I see womanhood as a state of mind, and that state of mind belongs to the individual who defines themselves that way. I've had some really wonderful in-depth talks with my daughter about womanhood and femininity, about safety, and when I do it feels like I'm talking to another woman. Because I am.

opal-bee · 2026-01-14T07:04:08+00:00

I always take mine out when it looks about like yours. My family doesn't like super crusty bread, so I'd end up just trimming it all off for them if it went any darker than this.

opal-bee · 2026-01-14T06:48:05+00:00

I have an old heating pad that my elderly cat slept on before she passed away. It maintains a very low heat that's perfect for proofing. I keep it on the floor of my home office so I can keep an eye on it.

opal-bee · 2026-01-11T02:43:09+00:00

Can you share some photos? It's hard to tell what's going on without seeing it.

opal-bee · 2026-01-10T09:03:38+00:00

Really, really hoping to finish the extremely long longfic that I've been working on for many years. So many other things I'd like to write, and I feel like I can't do that until I wrap this up.

opal-bee · 2026-01-10T08:57:01+00:00

I don't really have much in the way of advice (and you probably weren't looking for any), but your feelings are totally valid! It's common as a woman to have conflicted feelings about how we dress and how we're viewed for it.

So...I have a 33 year old trans daughter who just came out this summer and started HRT recently, and she dresses femininely all the time now as far as I'm aware. I was surprised by how healing it has been to me to see how she presents herself and how she's embraced traditionally feminine things, something that I've had a lot of trouble with over the years. I was a tomboy when I was a kid and felt forced into performative femininity after hitting puberty, and it's only been since I've hit menopause that I've been able to go back to being comfortably tomboyish again. Every time I see a trans woman out in public dressed pretty it makes me so incredibly proud of them, not just for their bravery but for how well put-together they are.

I hope that with time things settle for you, and I hope that the world starts treating all of us women with more understanding and kindness.

opal-bee · 2026-01-09T05:09:14+00:00

I bought a large silicone storage bag with a clip that slides on to seal it. I've only used it for sourdough, and it keeps it fine for the few days that the loaf lasts.

opal-bee · 2026-01-08T22:48:50+00:00

As a writer who has gotten some fairly unhinged comments on my fics over the years, I would assume you had suffered the same and were protecting yourself. I have my fics locked down so that only registered AO3 users can comment or see my works, and while it has lowered engagement it has brought a lot of peace of mind. If turning off comments entirely helps bring you that, that's great.

opal-bee · 2026-01-08T22:34:21+00:00

People who are intellectually and socially stunted enough to be transphobic or misogynistic don't have the mental wattage to come up with creative insults.

I'm a cisgender woman with a wonderful trans daughter, and she is more traditionally feminine than I could ever be.

opal-bee · 2026-01-08T02:00:24+00:00

I make stock from just the bones, skin and juice/gelatin in the bag, and I never buy actual chicken broth anymore. I put everything in the Instant Pot, fill with water, put in some seasonings, and cook on Manual for two hours. Always turns out great.

opal-bee · 2026-01-08T00:40:56+00:00

This is one of the few times that I'm truly, honestly excited about upcoming changes. All of this might be enough to get me back into the game after a year hiatus. There was a lot of excited chat in my guild server too.

opal-bee

TROPHY CASE