noxelementalist

I take a lot of pictures of three classes of things:

Cats: This pictures are good on any camera, including my agéd single-lens SE.
Birds: These pics are shit on the aforementioned handheld phone.
Moss and lichens and bugs: These pics are fine on the phone, but could be much better.

My real constraint is my hands and arms. I can't hold my arms above my head, I can't hold a phone still very long, the non-ergonomic controls and shape of a phone are shit, I realistically can't carry a tripod on a hike, and I can't bear weight on my shoulders or the back of my neck for any length of time. (I recognize that this collection of constraints means my pictures will never be great, and that's okay.)

So, questions:

Are there any cameras that have particularly good ergonomics, are particularly light, or have a good reputation for accessibility?
I believe I could get a remote shutter trigger & a remote focus, so I could prop the camera somewhere and get a good pic from a less painful angle; do you know how to choose a hand-friendly one? (Not finger-fiddly, easy to attach & detach, easy to click buttons.)
On a modern camera, is it possible to get lenses good enough for bird pics that are not, you know, heavy? Last time I had an SLR I was taking pictures on film, so that tells you how out of date my knowledge is.
What's the lightest tripod that works well for people with shit fine motor control and no finger strength? I can sort by weight on hiking sites, but hikers put up with a lot of fiddly controls that I can't handle.

(I'm only looking for advice from your experience or from the experience of people you trust. Please don't GoogleKagiGoPT it for me!)

Homo erectus fossils in East Asia rewrite the timeline of human migration

A new analysis dates three Homo erectus skulls from central China to about 1.77 million years ago, making them the oldest securely dated hominin fossils in eastern Asia.

That older age shifts the arrival of early humans in the region back by roughly 600,000 years and compresses the timeline of how quickly our ancestors spread across Eurasia.
[---8<---]
The same layer holds stone tools and animal remains, tying the skulls to a specific moment nearly 1.8 million years ago rather than the younger dates long cited.

Current Mood: busy

My debit card was compromised late last week, and I'm waiting for the bank to get all of the charges reversed. I've been able to cover my most urgent bills (the hotel and my storage unit), but I have a few others that are due that I'm still worried about paying. If I can come up with another $100 or so, it would make a huge difference while I wait for the bank to get everything taken care of.

So I'm going to try to sell a few things and hope for the best. 🤞🏻

First, I have a few Nintendo Switch games for sale:

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! (example on Amazon)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (example on Amazon)
TemTem (example on Amazon)

And then a few TTRPGs that were Christmas presents so they're still in basically like new shape:

Candela Obscura Core Rulebook (example on Amazon)
Daggerheart Core Set (example on Amazon)

If you're not interested but know someone who might be, please point them my way. It would help a lot if I could manage to sell at least one or two things from this list.

For payment, I have CashApp ($Settiai), PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle (nancy.lynn.foster@gmail.com).

Current Mood: hopeful

It's bingo time again. Let's have some fun with the following table:

sunshine	green
homesick	magic

To complete the challenge, grab all the prompts and blackout the card. You can do single works or combine the four prompts in one work.
No one will blame you when you decide to do only one or two prompts, though.

Allowed are fics up to 500 words, small poems like haiku or similar, icons (100x100 px), and small graphics up to 500 px width x height. Please stay to the maximum, even if you decide to use all prompts in one work.

All fandoms, genres, and ratings are welcome, as are original work and real-person work.

Please tag your work with all relevant tags.

This challenge runs until February 28, at midnight in your time zone.

:::

Challenge Reminder:
10 out of 20
Rare Words

Title: Color Palette
Author:

goddess47
Fandom: 9-1-1
Challenge: 10 out of 20
Length: 440
Warnings: None

Notes:

For

sweetandshort February 2026 10 out of 20 challenge - white

For Fire Family Conflagration prompt #207 - ivory

For Writer's Choice #156 - only

Summary:

"I love the layout but, well, what's with the off-white walls everywhere?" Buck waved a hand.

Color Palette on AO3

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

Today is cloudy and cold.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows plus one female and two male cardinals separately.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/22/26 -- I planted 3 peonies 'Sorbet Mixed' under the apricot tree. The mix includes white, light pink, and dark pink. These cost $14.98, so about $5 a root. That's a great bargain for peonies, which average $20-30 each and catalogs and the high end is downright exorbitant. So if you want peonies, look for cheap ones at home or garden stores this time of year. Due to the unseasonal warmth, the ground here is unfrozen, so I was able to plant them immediately. \o/

EDIT 2/22/26 -- I labeled and mulched the new peonies.

I put out a fresh cake of peanut suet.

EDIT 2/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 2/22/26 -- I started the process of trimming dead stems from the wildflower garden, which is going to take a while.

.

Current Mood: busy

Title: in the darkness with you
Word count: 4,233
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Rating: Mature
Content tags: Blind Zhao Yunlan, First time, Hand-Feeding, Finger-Sucking, Clothed Sex, Zhao Yunlan's oral fixation, Episode Related, Episode 21, Missing Scene, Blindness Arc

Summary:

Zhao Yunlan woke to the smell of citrus, sweet and strong in the air. Without fully turning his face out of the pillow, he slitted open a sleep-heavy eye - to complete, unchanged darkness. Reality came crashing down like a landslide. Right: still blind.

Posted by Laerke Christensen

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/melania-barron-trump-homeless-hospital/

The first lady and her son opened two free hospitals in a single month — if Facebook posts were to be believed.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/melania-barron-trump-homeless-hospital/

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

candyheartsex author reveals have happened! And here's the fic I wrote for

facethestrange:

**

Title: in the darkness with you
Word count: 4,233
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Rating: Mature
Content tags: Blind Zhao Yunlan, First time, Hand-Feeding, Finger-Sucking, Clothed Sex, Zhao Yunlan's oral fixation, Episode Related, Episode 21, Missing Scene, Blindness Arc
A/N: Many thanks to

china_shop for beta-reading.

Summary:

Zhao Yunlan woke to the smell of citrus, sweet and strong in the air. Without fully turning his face out of the pillow, he slitted open a sleep-heavy eye - to complete, unchanged darkness. Reality came crashing down like a landslide. Right: still blind.

candyheartsex had creator reveals, so here's another portion of fanworks. :D Weilan drawing and 2 fics, a Chuguo fic, and a (non-Candy-Hearts) Zhubai drabble. :)

Underneath by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Undressing, undergarments, Kneeling, Mild Sexual Content, no sex just touching and vibes, Black-Cloaked Envoy | Hei Pao Shi (Guardian), Long-Haired Shen Wei (Guardian), Fanart, Drawing
Summary: Zhao Yunlan discovers what's under the Envoy's robes.

meet me where the hours bend (I'll do it again) (524 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Episode: e008 Zhao Yunlan Fails at Impressing Shen Wei, Canon Compliant, Pining Shen Wei (Guardian), Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Stomach Ache, Sick Zhao Yunlan, Memories, Tenderness
Summary: Zhao Yunlan whimpers in his sleep, and Shen Wei doesn't do anything.

The Envoy and the Cat (549 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Da Qing & Shen Wei & Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Da Qing (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Tree Climbing, friendly teasing, Da Qing Being a Cat in Human Form
Summary: "Really? Really, Damn Cat? You had to get the Black-Cloaked Envoy of all people to help you down from a tree?"

It Takes a Village (369 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Xiaomi the Dog (Guardian), Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian)
Additional Tags: Fluff, Dogs, Domestic, Established Relationship, Post-Canon, Minor Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Team as Family
Summary: "Who will feed Xiaomi when we're away?" Guo Changcheng asks, and Chu Shuzhi blinks.

"Everyone?"

See Nothing (100 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong, Li Yan (Actor)
Additional Tags: Beard Burn, Innuendo, Silly, Light-Hearted, No Homophobia, POV Outsider, Drabble
Summary: "Hey, what happened to your chin?"

Two very updates for Squidge Images.

The first update is we have opened up signup access for Squidge Images. Instead of having to leave us a ticket for an image hosting account, we have decided that it's been long enough, and the folks who were abusing image hosting have most likely moved on. So all that is done.

Second, and most important, Squidge Image Hosting will be down starting at 8am Pacific on Sunday, March 1st for an upgrade. Read that again. I say this because we will inevitably get 8,000 tickets asking us why image hosting is down, and when will it be back up again. Seriously. We've seen this with FenRecs.com posts - they are completely ignored and people will log tickets asking when it will be back (later this week, we hope!). This upgrade is important because will be transitioning from on-site hosting of images to remote hosting of images. Oh, and the upgrade should bring video support as well! So if you have videos you need hosting and, like us, hate Youtube, you'll be able to host your videos on Squidge Images.

Again, Squidge Image Hosting will be down starting at 8am Pacific time on Sunday, March 1st for an upgrade. We hope to be fully upgraded and back up within four hours, but we all know technology can be a giant pain sometimes.

Questions? Leave us a message here, or leave us a trouble ticket by clicking here.

VidUKon 2026 is just over three months away! Here are the essential things to know so far about this year's convention:

First of all, it takes place 5-7 June 2026 in both Birmingham and online. As usual, Friday programming will begin – online and in person – in the afternoon while Thursday evening will include some online-only pre-con programming to kick things off.

If you’d like to attend, we're aiming to open registration by 7 March (barring any unforeseen tech issues) and we'll post more about that right here, so keep an eye out. The deadline to register for in-person attendance is 30 April. Online registration will remain open until pretty close to the con, but if you'd like addons (the conbook + extras) you'll need to register by 15 May.

If you’re joining us in person, you will probably also want to know about hotel room bookings and finding a roommate. We don't have a block on rooms this year, so attendees need to book directly on the hotel website through a travel booking site. We've been told Agoda may have competitive rates, so it's worth checking there too.

The call for programming has closed and we'll be contacting folks who sent through suggestions soon with further steps. We have also settled on a theme for this year's themed show, more details for that soon.

Vid submission deadlines
We will have our three usual vidshows that VidUKon attendees can submit a vid to. You can submit up to one vid to each of these shows. The shows are Vidder’s Choice (a vid from your back catalogue), Premieres (a never-before-shown vid), and a show of vids fitting a specific theme. This year's themed vidshow will again be premieres-only. The deadline for all vidshows is 19 April. Please note that vid submissions are not yet open, we will post when they are.

With more updates to come, make sure to keep an eye on our social media – you'll always find the latest updates here on Dreamwidth, plus you can keep tabs on us via Tumblr and Bluesky.

Those dates in chronological order:

7 March – registration opens
19 April – deadline to submit to Vidder’s Choice, Premieres and the themed submissions show
30 April – deadline to register for in-person attendance
15 May – deadline to register for online attendance + addons (conbook, etc)
5-7 June – VidUKon \o/

We hope to see you at this year’s con

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

Title: Well, it is Raining!
Fandom: Hercule Poirot
Rating: G
Length: 348 words
Summary: Hastings comes in very wet; Poirot does not approve.

( But, ma fois... )

There's a feeling, I hope, a unidentifiable but deeply uncomfortable burn, felt by white women, who don't know, but should know, how many private brown group chats are typing.

And as I don't want to take on a cringe middle-class racist white woman (at this point there's about five of them that I have at various times decided not to take on, all terribly right-on, right-thinking, probably-vegan feminist pro-Palestine queer white women), that is all I have to say about that.

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

(So sorry for being one week late with this entry.)

After watching Zootopia 2 and doing some research on Nick I was surprised to learn that he was classified as Deuteragonist. So I thought we could focus a bit on those sort of characters for this Challenge. :o)

The deuteragonist or secondary main character is the second most important character of a narrative, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist often acts as a constant companion to the protagonist or as someone who continues actively aiding a protagonist. The deuteragonist may switch between supporting and opposing the protagonist, depending on their own conflict or plot.

For this Challenge you may icon every character that is classified as Deuteragonist (second main character) (such as on pages like Deuteragonists for example). As long as it's NOT the main character (such as Aladdin in "Aladdin") and that character played a bigger role in the media (such as tv show or movie etc) I'm okay with you using them. :o)

Nicholas Piberius "Nick" Wilde (Zootopia) by

editswhite | Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog) by

wazzuppy | Jasmine (Aladdin) by

sweetiepebbles | Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch) by

adisneysoul

* You may icon 2 different Deuteragonists in this challenge (in case you cannot decide which one is your absolute favorite).
* You may enter up to 4 icons (ICON+URL).
* Please submit your icons as new posts to this community. Every member has posting access.
* Please no animations or x-rated icons. Everything else is allowed.
* Icons must fit DW standards (< 60kb, 100x100 px).
* Tag your entries with challenge number and your username, or I can do it for you.
* Please put a description in your entry which Deuteragonist you picked.
* Please ask questions if you have any.

* DEADLINE: Sunday, March 08th 2026 (04pm Central European Time). [countdown]

Current Mood: sick
Current Music: BIGBANG - 우리 사랑하지 말아요(LET'S NOT FALL IN LOVE)

Here are items with dates between Sunday, February 22nd and Saturday, March 1st, as well as items added recently that started this past week. Remember, you can comment here on new items that need to be added to the list.

Items starting since the last update & this coming week

Open Date	Close Date	Community	Type of Challenge	Prompt/Information	Link
02/22/2026	04/18/2026	tardis_remix (DW)	Fanworks	Doctor Who: Signup and prompt fill period for Doctor Who and Related Fandoms Remix	click here for details
02/23/2026	03/02/2026	the_mane_event (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Signup period for The Main Event, a gift exchange for all things hair-related.	click here for details
02/26/2026	03/07/2026	unsent_letters_exchange (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Signup period for Unsent Letters - An Epistolary Exchange.	click here for details
03/01/2026	03/31/2026	marchmetamatterschallenge (DW)	Meta	Multifamdom: March is the time for backing up Meta entries to backup sites.	click here for details

Items ending this coming week

Open Date	Close Date	Community	Type of Challenge	Prompt/Information	Link
02/15/2026	02/22/2026	the_mane_event (DW)	Tagset Noms	Multifandom: Tagset nomination period for The Main Event, a gift exchange for all things hair-related.	click here for details
02/18/2026	02/25/2026	goreswap (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Sign up period for Goreswap Exchange 2026	click here for details
02/18/2026	02/25/2026	unsent_letters_exchange (DW)	Tagset Noms	Multifandom: Tagset nomination period for Unsent Letters - An Epistolary Exchange.	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	allbingo (DW)	Fanworks	February's theme is Valentines Fest Bingo	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	allbingo (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Aromantic February Prompt List bingo fest	click here for details
01/01/2026	02/28/2026	beagoldfish (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: A multimedia microbang with all types of media encouraged	click here for details
12/10/2025	02/28/2026	blackcestfest (Tumblr)	Fanworks	Prompt filling period for Harry Potter Blackcest Fest 2025	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	bookclub_dw (DW)	Book Club	The book for February is Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Future	click here for details
02/08/2026	02/28/2026	dove_drabbles (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: February Prompt is "Chocolate's the best way to say 'I love you'""	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	elasticella (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Fresh Femslash Salad Bar is underway all of February	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	emotion100 (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: February Prompt is Desire	click here for details
12/01/2025	02/28/2026	falloutbang (Tumblr)	Fanworks	Author signup period for Fall Out Boy fandom's Big Bang	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	fancake (DW)	Recs	Multifandom: Round 183 - Inept in Love	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	likealighthouse (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Fall Out Bou Femslash February Ficathon (based on Fall Out Boy titles, lyrics, etc.)	click here for details
02/14/2026	02/28/2026	romancingmcshep (DW)	Fanworks	Stargate Atlantis: Posting period for Romancing McShep	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	selfcest_fest (AO3)	Fanworks	Multifandom: SelfCest Fest runs all of February	click here for details
02/14/2026	02/28/2026	sga_saturday (DW)	Fanworks	Stargate Atlantis: Posting period for Romancing SGA Fest, a "Everything but McShep" romance fest	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	small_fandoms (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: The Frbuary 2026 Small Fandoms Drabblethon!	click here for details
02/14/2026	02/28/2026	stargatefests (DW)	Fanworks	Stargate SG-1: Posting period for Romancing SG-1	click here for details
02/02/2026	02/28/2026	sweetandshort (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: February 10 out of 20	click here for details
02/15/2026	02/28/2026	sweetandshort (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: February's challenge for Unique/Rare Words - The word is "petrichore"	click here for details
02/01/2026	02/28/2026	trope_of_the_month (DW)	Fanworks	Multifandom: Prompt for February is: Aliens Made Them Do It	click here for details
02/01/2026	03/01/2026	akurokubigbang (Tumblr)	Fanworks	AkuRoku: Signup period for the AkuRoku big bang	click here for details
02/20/2026	03/01/2026	fan_flashworks (DW)	Fanworks	Multifamdom: Challenge 507: Amnesty	click here for details

NOTE: Here are a few challenge communities that (can) have challenges that (usually) aren't part of the list:

Harry Potter fandom challenges can be found at PotterFests

The Vocab Drabbles Community does weekly challenges

The AU Challenge Community offers multiple AU challenges with no deadlines

The Froday Flash Fiction Challenge has weekly & other challenges

The Fic Promptly Community has daily prompts

The MCU100 Community offers weekly drabble challenges for the MCU fandom

The XMEN100 Community offers weekly drabble challenges for the X-Men fandom

The 10TrueLoves Community offers multifandom character prompts

Profile

noxelementalist

February 2026

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28

Page Summary

jadelennox - advice from camera nerds
ysabetwordsmith - Early Humans
settiai - For Sale: Nintendo Switch games + TTRPG books
prisca in sweetandshort - February: Bingo
goddess47 in sweetandshort - Color Palette - 9-1-1 (PG)
mekare - Update
ysabetwordsmith - Birdfeeding
trobadora in sid_guardian - FIC: in the darkness with you (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Mature]
snopes_feed - Did Melania and Barron Trump open 'Hope Medical Center' for homeless?
flareonfury in polyamships - Fic: One Bed (Je vous aime.) [TBSTDH, Annalise/Gabriel/Nathan]
trobadora - FIC: in the darkness with you (Guardian: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Mature]
facethestrange in sid_guardian - My latest Guardian fanworks
squidgestatus - Squidge Images - PLEASE READ!
condnsdmlk in vidukon_cardiff - VidUKon 2026: 5 to 7 June in Birmingham and Online!
minoanmiss - A wee expedition
smallhobbit in fan_flashworks - Rain Challenge: Hercule Poirot: Fanfic: Well, it is Raining!
raven - (no subject)
celli - BTS omegaverse fic: Opening
itsanonyx in your_favourites - Challenge #232 - Deuteragonist
squidgiepdx in whenisitdue - Items with Dates between Sunday, February 22nd and Saturday, March 1st

Style Credit

Base style: Abstractia by chiming
Theme: Dusk by nornoriel

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Page generated Feb. 22nd, 2026 10:01 pm

Writing on the Wall

Network

advice from camera nerds

Early Humans

For Sale: Nintendo Switch games + TTRPG books

February: Bingo

Color Palette - 9-1-1 (PG)

Update

Birdfeeding

FIC: in the darkness with you (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Mature]

Did Melania and Barron Trump open 'Hope Medical Center' for homeless?

Fic: One Bed (Je vous aime.) [TBSTDH, Annalise/Gabriel/Nathan]

FIC: in the darkness with you (Guardian: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) [Mature]

My latest Guardian fanworks

Squidge Images - PLEASE READ!

VidUKon 2026: 5 to 7 June in Birmingham and Online!

A wee expedition

Rain Challenge: Hercule Poirot: Fanfic: Well, it is Raining!

(no subject)

BTS omegaverse fic: Opening

Challenge #232 - Deuteragonist

Items with Dates between Sunday, February 22nd and Saturday, March 1st

Profile

February 2026

Page Summary

Style Credit

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