Abra Staffin-Wiebe

@abracanabra

Writer of horror-inflected SF/fantasy. Mostly post daily freewriting and writing-related things, gruesome writing tidbits, and science facts because SIENSE! Likely to reshare cat pictures, weird science facts, books and short stories, art.

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Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 19d

I got home from my mini writing retreat in Denver late last night. Since then, this cat has been following me everywhere. And I do mean everywhere! #Caturday #CaptainChaosCat #Cats

A cat perches on the edge of the bathtub, head bent. The mustache pattern under his nose gives him a very detective-like, "Do you think you're going somewhere human?" expression.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 23d

Late lunch date went well!

At Denver Pizza with a veggie pizza topped with sun dried tomatoes, green peppers, and artichokes, a half empty beer, and The Dragon Has Some Complaints book.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 23d

And look what I found while I was at Tattered Covers in Denver! Good reading for the flight home. @wiswell.bsky.social 3/ #AmWriting #WritersLife #AmReading #Denver #Books

My hand holding up The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell, in front of the Tattered Covers library.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 23d

It's a really impressive bookstore. 2/ #AmWriting #WritersLife #AmReading #Denver

Approximately 1/4 of a really impressive bookstore. Most other indie bookstores could fit inside that 1/4. Also there are some awesome royal armchairs prominently featured.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 23d

Day 3 of my mini writing retreat in Denver off to a good (but expensive) start with a visit to the Tattered Covers book store and cafe in Colfax. Thanks for the recommendation, @princejvstin.com! 1/ #AmWriting #WritersLife #AmReading #Denver

A wooden table is strewn with critique notes, manuscript pages, and a red pen, and a latte to drink while revising. There is also a stack of freshly purchased books, including The Gilded Wolves, The Dragon Has Some Complaints, The Court of the Dead, and Greeking-Out. Most of the books are for my kids, but The Dragon Has Some Complaints is mine, and I plan on stealing The Gilded Wolves and Dungeon Crawler Carl. In the background is the interior of the very large bookstore, prominently featuring their Read a Banned Book exhibit.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

Then I was dropped off at the hostel I'm staying at, which has an impressive amount of community features like this lounge and library area. 5/ #WritersLife

A retro-looking room painted bright colors with a Persian rug, comfy couches, an overstuffed armchair in the corner, an art deco light fixture, and several shelves of books and games.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

The Aquarium Restaurant food was good but expensive. If we'd known that the strawberry lemonade was both reasonably priced and bottomless, we would have gotten more of them! The aquarium viewable in the restaurant itself was nice scenery but not terribly impressive. 4/ #Denver #fish #WritersLife

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

And it was so hot. 3/ #Denver #WritersLife #AmWriting

A river in Denver, pouring between man-made mini waterfalls and a lovely riverwalk. It looks refreshing.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

Upon arrival, had a lunch reservation at the Aquarium Restaurant, but first had some time to kill. There was a delightful little beach a short walk away down the river, where we did some wading and I found a quartz rock paperweight. Great way to beat the heat! 2/ #Denver #WritersLife #AmWriting

View from above of my feet under the water in a small pebbly riverbed, with one much larger moss-covered rock nearby.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

Day 1 of my mini writing retreat in Denver. It was still really smoky from the Boundary Waters fire when we took off early on Sunday. 1/ #Wildfire #Minneapolis #AmWriting

View from an airplane in flight. The Mississippi River is visible, but there is a thick yellow-gray haze over the bottom two thirds of the photo from wildfire smoke. Above that the sky is clear.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 24d

Day 2 of my mini writing retreat in Denver, and I'm working in the Denver Arboretum this morning before it gets too hot (100° 🥵). #AmWriting

An overheating smiling pink-faced person in a sun hat brandishing printed critique pages, standing in front of a water feature with a towering spiky glass Chihuli sculpture.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· 29d

Oh dang, Minneapolis!

Screen capture showing hazardous air conditions due to climate change wildfires.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· Jun 27

Happy #Caturday! In anticipation of the coming heatwave, I had to move furniture around to install the AC. The cats approved the new vantage point.

An armchair is on its side on top of an unmade bed. Two cats perch on top of it, looking as pleased with their new view as any mountain climber, while also not sure if they are about to launch into a battle for who is king of this mountain. (Spoiler: they did not, but there was tail-lashing.)

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· Jun 4

To my surprise, Duck Duck Go NAILED it. Every single link was about the NBA Finals game and their color scheme. The optional "search assist" was bland and useless, so I disabled it. 🧵4/4

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· Jun 4

Kagi led with the same not-immediately-useful Reddit thread, a weird game thread, but then had the right explanation followed by three more supporting article links. Without the (wrong) AI summary it was easier to find them.

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Getting the Teal and Orange movie look in Final Cut Pro - YouTube
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How to get Orange & Teal (No LUT Needed) - Final Cut... - YouTube
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2 Steps For Teal & Orange look (NO LUT)|FINAL CUT... - YouTube
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Teal and Orange Filter in Final Cut Pro X - YouTube
Please. For the love of god. Change the team colors : r/thefinals
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reddit.com › r › thefinals › comments › 1dha6oa
Jun 16, 2024 the finals' colorblind mode isn't meant to help the player, it's meant to show any spectators or non-colorblind people what it's like to be ...
Why did the spurs used to have those random pastel colors ... - Reddit
Half in, half out. Sprucing things up without having to go full teal horsehead. There's a good podcast out there on how jersey creation used to work in the NBA - I think through 99% Invisible. The cliff notes is that it used to be really complicated to do a whole lot with jerseys outside of some really core basics - both in terms of color and ...
Team colors need to be changed : r/thefinals - Reddit
So your team color is always blue, which leaves three colors left for the other teams, yet embark has 4 other colors: purple, pink, orange and red.
I legitimately can't tell the difference between these colors
This is it the bright yellow outline makes the difference between the pink and orange less noticeable.
Link to reddit.com
Apr 15, 2026
Can We Use More Distinct Colors? :: THE FINALS General ...
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steamcommunity.com › app › 2073850 › discussions › 0
Dec 27, 2023 But if the Pink Dome Shield looks orange and you are fighting Pink Team then Pink team can shoot into the Orange Dome Shield because it's not ...
Why are all Team Colors so close to each other? :: THE FINALS General ...
Can't choose yellow because of orange. Depending on the shade of green it might cause issues with your team: teal. I'd…

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· Jun 4

First, I tried Google with a very bad query of "why finals teal orange and pink". The Google summary failed and so did the first few links. It did have the real answer buried a few links down. 🧵2/4

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 30

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 28

She is correct. #Cats

Close up from the previous picture of the cat, whose eyes are closed in happiness.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 28

She is very sure that I cannot catch her. #Cats

At first all you notice are bicycles. There are three bicycles completely blocking access to the corner of a 3-seasons porch. Outside it is a sunny Spring morning filled with verdant growing things. In the very corner of the porch is an armchair. In the armchair is a yoga ball. Between the yoga ball and the arm of the armchair is a very contented cat. All you can see is the ears. Oh, and also there's a human-sized paper mache bird-fish suspended from the ceiling of the porch.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 22

To celebrate World Goth Day, here are a few submission calls for old-school Gothic fiction! 🧵1/5 #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #SubmissionCall #WorldGothDay

A Paul Gustave Doré's 1883 illustration for an 1883 edition of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," showing a weak and weary man in a dressing gown resting in an armchair, staring up at the ceiling. A skeleton holding a scythe sits beside his armchair, as if he is a companion keeping him company. Behind the chair, out of the man's line of sight, are shown a gathering of angels clustered around the ghostly figure of a young woman.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 22

glaad.org/fcc

DEFEND OUR FREEDOM TO BE SEEN:
TELL THE FCC THAT LGBTQ STORIES DON’T NEED A WARNING LABEL
The FCC Needs To Hear From You

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is targeting LGBTQ stories. They are trying to control what you see on television. This government overreach is dangerous to the existence of an independent and free media.

In a Public Notice released on April 22, 2026, the FCC is asking Americans to submit comments about whether the TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB) should create new TV ratings to alert viewers to “transgender and gender non-binary programming” and “the discussion or promotion of gender identity themes.”

Tell the FCC that LGBTQ Peopl Don’t Need a Warning Label - Click here to see GLAAD's Instagram Post

And the Public Notice does not state how a change in TV ratings will impact gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters and stories on TV. Applying warning labels to programs with transgender and nonbinary characters and stories incorrectly equates them to programming with coarse and crude language, sexual situations, or violence.

This makes life harder for LGBTQ Americans. It sends a message that the FCC can pressure the TVOMB to add even more ratings that stigmatize other diverse groups.

The FCC cannot directly set TV content ratings, but under this administration, it has a clear pattern of pressuring TV networks to comply with the political agenda of the Federal government.

The public has until May 22 to submit comments and tell the FCC that LGBTQ characters and stories on television do not harm anyone – our lives should not be compared to content that is violent, coarse, sexual, or includes drug use.

It’s time to tell the FCC that LGBTQ people do not need warning labels.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 22

This is a cat checkpoint; relinquish your most recent cat picture on your phone.

A mostly white young cat on his hind legs, aggressively going after our CSA's green garlic!

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 17

New reading goal just dropped: immediately (same day) reading the first 10 pages of anything I buy/borrow. Yes, even if I'm already reading a different book! This one: promising. A nice, dry, cynical narrator. #AmReading #reading #books #sff #fantasy

My hand holding the book, "Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City" by KJ Parker

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 11

Referenced John Wyndham! My booooooy!

Vintage worn cover of The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, showing a bloody handprint on the cover.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 11

Mysterious blooping. So mysterious. Whatever can it be.

Hercules, shirtless and flexing, pinning his attacker to the ground...while the subtitle says (mysterious blooping)

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 11

Like some species of moth, she has extra eyes to deceive predators. 🧵

Woman with extra eyes in her massive bouffant. Very 60s makeup and shiny bodice, in a temple with white-robed man in the background, subtitles say "and saved the life of a maiden."

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 10

*🧵4: "EDIE" by James Dick for @escapepod.org, coming soon! Check it out when it's live! Europa, robots, ?life? not as we know it, how to pronounce Pwyll*🧵5, and a great mother-daughter relationship. Sound recording briefly delayed because my voice was recovering. #podcast #sff #MothersDay

An atypical sound recording setup, featuring a marked-up copy of the story being read, a box of organic Throat Coat tea, a container of honey, a Blue mic, Dayquil, and Entertainer's Secret throat spray (nasty but effective).

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 10

*🧵2: Pro-tip for #Minneapolis locals: Broder's Pasta Bar in S Mpls has really, really good food and they don't require or take reservations, so it's a great last-minute choice for Mother's Day or Valentine's Day! Or anytime, really. #Food #Restaurant

A plate holds extra-wide strips of fresh egg noodles served with braised lamb, eggplant, and kalamata olives, with a green herb-coated ball of fresh cheese balanced on top.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 10

Mother's Day plans (fancy brunch! opera!) were derailed by a sick kid, in an ironically classic parental experience. Instead, breakfast in bed, a spectacular lunch sans kids at Broder's Pasta Bar*🧵2, and dessert*🧵3 from Patisserie 46. AND I finished a delayed audio project.*🧵4 #MothersDay #MomLife

A table for two on the outdoor patio of a fancy Italian restaurant with my husband, who is sitting across from me. A plate holds extra-wide strips of fresh egg noodles served with braised lamb, eggplant, and kalamata olives, with a green herb-coated ball of fresh cheese balanced on top. Also on the table is a bread plate, my husband's good-but-not-as-delicious-as-mine red pepper and Italian sausage penne dish, lemonade, an amazing blood orange hard cider by Milk & Honey, and a bread plate with that I totally ate all the crackers from because they were delicious.

Abra Staffin-Wiebe@abracanabra· May 2

This #Caturday, I wish you the satisfaction of the cat who decided to go directly to the source. #CaptainChaosCat #Cats