There was a jackhammer in my chest this morning, or maybe just across the creek, but the distinction didn’t matter. Its rhythm became my pulse, an arrhythmic metronome that synced with something lodged behind my sternum. At first, I mistook it for anxiety—the kind I used to chew like old gum when she and I still shared a kitchen, splitting eggshells into the compost like nothing was rotting between us.
The hummingbird was watching from the bookshelf, just above the divorce paperwork. Carved from pale wood, beak sharp and wing-frozen in a posture of endless offering. My grandmother gave it to my grandfather the year they stumbled across Fun Valley, a Christian-themed RV park she swore God had led them to. On the base, in her jagged hand, she’d written: “56 years” in red ink, almost bleeding into the grain. I always thought the bird looked more like a woodpecker.
This morning I flung it—no ceremony, just a quick wrist flick, almost casual—into the paved channel they still had the audacity to call Shoal Creek. The water barely made a noise. I waited for something symbolic to happen: a sign, a splash, a sudden bloom of wildflowers. Instead, the jackhammer groaned through its next breath, indifferent.
At the Central Library, I tried to focus. I stood in the atrium for a while just watching the escalators hum, people riding their arcs of motion like they were conveyor-belt deities. Above the reading porch, the Floravores had begun to bloom again. No one knew who’d seeded them—some claimed it was a guerrilla horticulturist with a grudge against AI-generated real estate, others swore it was a secret city pilot program—but the result was the same: devouring vines with variegated leaves and psychedelic blossoms that smelled like lemon zest and static. They fed on the calcium-rich walls of the annex, digesting the biomaterial of the city’s cheap post-boom prefab shells, metabolizing ambition into pollen.
I stepped outside for a call from the lawyer. The Petition was moving forward. Theresa's lawyer had brought up the mushroom thing again, her voice nasal and pinched in the voicemail: “We believe Mr. Reyes—has been operating a fungal-based side business without formal disclosure…” A taboo we’d buried beneath years of compost and microdoses. The irony stung; she’d once helped label jars.
I found the old Live Oak and stood beneath its vast canopy. The same one near Seaholm where I practiced Qigong, planting invisible roots down into the limestone, pulling imaginary silk threads skyward through my palms. As I pressed one foot into the soil, the vibrations of the jackhammer melted into a kind of sonic moss—vivid green, rough against the nerves. My breath tasted like powdered sugar and copper.
The lawyer spoke in measured tones, crisp as dry crackers. I nodded in all the right places, though I wasn’t listening. I was watching a hummingbird—real, not carved—hovering just above a cluster of blue mistflower. Its wings shimmered violet. It made a sound I could feel behind my eyes. A high whine like the glint off polished aluminum.
“Fun Valley,” I whispered to no one.
The bird didn’t answer, but for a second, I thought I saw it wink.
Beneath me, the roots shifted.
⸻
Let me know if you’d like this chapter to take on a different shape—slightly more surreal, more grounded, or to start weaving in other side plots like the Floravores’ origin, the mushroom network, or an unexpected alliance at the library.
🚮 W.A.S.T.E.: Words Assisting Sustainable Transformation & Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Architectural Transformation (0.00) | Welcome to our exploration of Architectural Transformation, an engaging facet of urban planning that aims to revitalize and repurpose structures to meet the changing needs of our society and environment. Architectural Transformation represents the adaptive reuse and repurposing of existing buildings and spaces to fulfill new functions or to address modern challenges. This not only conserves resources but also breathes new life into historical structures, merging the past with the future. In this section, we dive into the world of Architectural Transformation through the lens of the ReLeaf initiative in Austin. Starting with "ReLeaf: Pioneering a SolarPunk Future Through Creative Urban Greenery," we examine how innovative approaches to urban greening are transforming city landscapes. Our journey continues with "Sustainability's Moment: Embracing Athens' Vision in Austin's ReLeaf Initiative" and "From Windows to Wonders: Transforming Post-War Colossals with Vertical Gardens," showcasing the interplay between architectural transformation and sustainability. We also explore the intersection of Architectural Transformation and SolarPunk fiction, illustrating how creativity and imagination can inspire real-world change in "Shadows of Harmony: A SolarPunk Tale of Unity and Choice," and "Blurring Reality and Fantasy: The Intersection of Gaming, Literature, and Income Streams." Join us as we traverse the exciting landscapes of Architectural Transformation, discovering how the built environment around us can be reshaped to create a more sustainable, beautiful, and inclusive world. |
| Bandwidth Bloom (0.00) | A sudden flowering of overlapping consciousness across timelines, where signal and self blur into radiant confusion. |
| Biomimicry (0.00) | The practice of drawing inspiration from nature’s designs, processes, and systems to create sustainable human technologies and solutions. |
| Boggy Creek (0.00) | Boggy Creek, located in the heart of Austin, Texas, is a hidden gem that often gets overshadowed by its more famous counterparts, Waller Creek and Shoal Creek. While it may not enjoy the same level of prominence, Boggy Creek has its own unique charm and ecological significance. Over the years, it has undergone several restoration efforts, turning it into a thriving environment teeming with local flora and fauna. Rich in biodiversity and offering serene landscapes, Boggy Creek deserves its own spotlight, for it has just as much to offer to the community and to those who seek the solace of nature within the bustling city. |
| Cane of Blossoms (0.00) | An elder’s staff that grows as both root and record, carrying wisdom in living wood. |
| Circular Economy (0.00) | The linear take-make-waste model is failing. The circular economy offers a regenerative, restorative path. This section shows how ReLeaf in Austin, Texas, puts that approach to work. Through articles and Organic Fiction, we document practical steps toward sustainable, democratic, and equitable exchange. ReLeaf helps unlock dormant spaces for shared income and supports Austin’s Zero Waste goals. The team is not only imagining a better future. They are building it. Picture a city where waste is rare, materials cycle again and again, and success includes social and environmental gains. Join us as we trace Austin’s shift to a circular economy and consider how the same principles can scale worldwide to create shared prosperity and lasting sustainability. |
| Ebb and Flow (0.00) | Practice of local repair, reuse, mutual care, and shared access. People use scrap, skills, and trust to keep each other safe and resourced when official systems fail. |
| Ego Eclipse (0.00) | The sudden blackout of self, where shame or awe blots out thought and leaves only nothingness. |
| Future Austin (0.00) | Future Austin invites you to explore a luminous vision of the city’s tomorrow—where imagination and reality intertwine to create a thriving, sustainable urban landscape. Here, grassroots ingenuity and cutting-edge technology power communities, transforming Austin into a place of boundless possibility. Through insightful articles and evocative Organic Fiction, you’ll glimpse futures shaped by innovators like ReLeaf, whose bold strategies—such as Vertical Garden Fairs in schools—seed green revolutions in unexpected places. From unconventional movements like Trash Magic reimagining music distribution, to fictional worlds alive with unseen energy and harmony, this collection offers both practical inspiration and immersive storytelling. Whether you’re drawn to actionable sustainability or simply wish to lose yourself in tales of a resilient, radiant future, Future Austin points toward the city we could create—and the one we must. |
| Grackleclock (0.00) | The syncopated tapping of grackles that lines up with the city’s time flow. A public rhythm you can set your day to. |
| Lady Bird Lake (0.00) | The wide, restless heart of Austin, a man-made river-lake where festivals, protests, and blooms of algae ripple against the city’s reflection. |
| Lake Exhale (0.00) | The felt breath of Lady Bird Lake offering quiet forgiveness that loosens the day. |
| LifeThread (0.00) | The mandatory provenance strand affixed to every object, linking origin, use, and story. |
| Organic Media and Fiction (0.00) | The rapid pace of urbanization and its environmental impact has inspired various speculative genres in literature and media. Organic Media and Fiction, a recent addition, offers a refreshing counter-narrative to dystopian futures, focusing on optimistic, sustainable societies powered by renewable energies. ReLeaf, an Organic Media and Fiction-inspired platform, epitomizes this genre by blending reality with narratives that envision a world where humans coexist harmoniously with nature and technology. ReLeaf's ethos is rooted in the belief that a hopeful future of sustainable living is not just an ideal but a reality. It combines engaging storytelling, visual arts, and direct action to showcase the possibilities of an Organic Media and Fiction future. By merging immersive narratives with tangible solutions, ReLeaf serves as both a creative outlet and a catalyst for change. The narratives in ReLeaf are set in cities that integrate renewable energy and green technology into their architecture, infrastructure, and daily life. From urban gardens atop skyscrapers to solar-powered public transport, these stories offer a glimpse of future urban landscapes grounded in existing technologies and practices. They provide an encouraging perspective on how our cities could evolve by amplifying sustainable practices we are already exploring. ReLeaf's stories feature diverse, inclusive, and community-oriented societies, emphasizing social justice, community empowerment, and equitable resource distribution. These narratives reflect societal structures that could foster a balanced coexistence, highlighting the importance of these values in creating a sustainable future. Beyond storytelling, ReLeaf engages in direct action, promoting real-world initiatives that echo Organic Media and Fiction principles. By supporting community-led renewable energy projects and sustainable urban farming, ReLeaf bridges the gap between the Organic Media and Fiction vision and our present reality, making the dream of a sustainable future feel achievable. ReLeaf broadens the understanding of the Organic Media and Fiction genre by presenting a balanced blend of reality and narrative. It underscores that Organic Media and Fiction is not just a literary genre or aesthetic movement, but a lens through which we can view and shape our future. The Organic Media and Fiction vision put forth by ReLeaf invites us to imagine, innovate, and create a future where sustainability is the norm. By intertwining fiction with reality, it presents Organic Media and Fiction as a plausible future, offering a hopeful counterpoint to narratives of environmental doom. ReLeaf helps us believe in—and strive for—a future where humans live in harmony with nature and technology. |
| ReLeaf (0.00) | Welcome to the ReLeaf Cooperative, where we dive deep into an innovative and revolutionary model of sustainability and community building. ReLeaf is a pioneer in developing scalable engagement strategies that foster community participation and work towards addressing pressing social issues such as homelessness. In this category, you'll find articles and Organic Media detailing ReLeaf's groundbreaking initiatives and visions. From creating sustainable gardens in Austin elementary schools to providing transparency in a world often shrouded in deception, ReLeaf serves as a beacon of hope and innovation. ReLeaf's approach of intertwining real and fictional elements in their work—such as characters, materials, techniques, and labor—sets a new standard for cooperatives worldwide. Its business model, which compensates for labor and knowledge contributions, creates a lasting benefit and helps people who have historically been marginalized. By meeting people with compassion, as resources in need of support instead of liabilities, ReLeaf has shown that everyone has the potential to contribute to society meaningfully. Explore this section to discover how ReLeaf is redefining the way we approach social issues and sustainability, with stories of inspiration, innovation, and hope. |
| Rootpulse (0.00) | A faint vibration sensed through soil or concrete when bio-infrastructure awakens. |
| Seaholm (0.00) | The city’s old power station reborn as a threshold where electricity remembers its origins, its turbines now humming with archives and spectral frequencies that blur industry into memory. |
| Secret Garden (0.00) | Practice of local repair, reuse, mutual care, and shared access. People use scrap, skills, and trust to keep each other safe and resourced when official systems fail. |
| Shoal Creek (0.00) | Shoal Creek is changing. At the Seaholm Intake, the water and stone hold a new role for the city. Engineers and naturalists are close to confirming a time-bending effect in the current. Short pulses move both downstream and upstream. Standing near the intake leaves people rested and clear, as if a long afternoon just ended. This site becomes a public time commons. The cooled chambers host sensors and quiet rooms. The walkway links to Central across the water. The mycelium network listens, then routes what the creek gives: steadier attention, better recall, and a calm pace for work and care. What to expect: Check-in stones that log a short visit and return a focus interval Benches that sync with the flow and guide five-minute rest cycles A simple light on the rail that signals when the current flips A small desk for field notes and shared observations Open data on pulse times so neighbors can plan repairs, study, and gatherings Invitation Come without hurry. Sit by the intake. Let the water set your pace. Then carry that steadiness back into the city. |
| Tradescantia pallida (0.00) | Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. The cultivar T. pallida 'Purpurea' is commonly called purple secretia, purple-heart, or purple queen. Edward Palmer collected the type specimen near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas in 1907. Tradescantia pallida is an evergreen perennial plant of scrambling stature. It is distinguished by elongated, pointed leaves - themselves glaucous green, sometimes fringed with red or purple - and bearing small, three-petaled flowers of white, pink or purple. Plants are top-killed by moderate frosts, but will often sprout back from roots. The cultivar T. pallida 'Purpurea' has purple leaves and pink flowers. Widely used as an ornamental plant in gardens and borders, as a ground cover, hanging plant, or - particularly in colder climates where it cannot survive the winter season - houseplant, it is propagated easily by cuttings (the stems are visibly segmented and roots will frequently grow from the joints). Numerous cultivars are available, of which 'Purpurea' with purple foliage has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Support this species by reading about it, sharing with others, and donating monthly or yearly to the ReLeaf Cooperative in honor of Tradescantia pallida. We deliver any quantity of these, for free, to any ReLeaf site (Free Little Library or other suggested location in the Shoal Creek, Waller Creek, and Fort Branch watersheds). We are currently seeking cooperative members in Austin and beyond to cultivate and provide Tradescantia pallida and other species for free to ReLeaf sites in their local watersheds. Inquire by email: bryceb@releaf.site. Thanks! |
| Waller Creek (0.00) | Waller Creek is a stream and an urban watershed in Austin, Texas, United States. Named after Edwin Waller, the first mayor of Austin, it has its headwaters near Highland Malland runs in a southerly direction, through the University of Texas at Austin and the eastern part of downtown Austin to its end at Lady Bird Lake. |