dreamsrundeep

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I finally made it to the Modular monthly at Substation. Usually it's on a Sunday at 1700, but this time it was on a Saturday at 1900. It's exactly what the name suggests: a bunch of people pushing buttons and tweaking knobs on modular synthesizers. Yeah, you know that crowd was nerdy. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only trans lady there.

But did I like the choonz? Quite often, yeah! Honorable mention: local boy EZBOT, who reminded me by turns of Aphex Twin, drum & bass, and several others. I was a little ambivalent about club hopping to the Mercury after two of the eight (!) artists that they had lined up.

So why club hop to the Merc? Caturday, Pride edition, which I used as an excuse to wear my "I [Pride heart] [beaver graphic]" tank top. I was hoping to run into some of the trans girls from the other day. Instead, I saw a lady in a butterfly costume like the ones I saw in Sydney. In a fit of nostalgia, I went over to talk to her. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was Temptress.

Fun fact about me: like my mother, I have the world's worst poker face. I may have looked absolutely horrified at her, but only for a second. Had her vile boyfriend been with her, I wouldn't have even gone over there. I chatted about Sydney, maybe a bit nervously.

Despite being seriously caffeinated, I didn't make it to midnight. I did to a ton of bike riding and chores around the house on Saturday, so I don't feel like too much of a geezer. I have to get the Devil Girl House ready for Tacoma Girl on Saturday. (The joke here is that TG is probably the least judgy person I know.)

Current Mood: various
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House
Current Music: Modular Seattle Vol. 3

james_davis_nicoll

2000: The theft of an Enigma Machine comes too late to play a significant role in World War Two, Sellafield highlight British dedication to nuclear saafety, and the Conservatives, informed polling has them 2% ahead of Labour, discover that they are actually trailing by 13%.

Poll #33234 Clarke Award Finalists 2000

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

View Respondents

Which 2000 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Distraction by Bruce Sterling
5 (29.4%)

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
13 (76.5%)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
14 (82.4%)

Silver Screen by Justina Robson
3 (17.6%)

The Bones of Time by Kathleen Ann Goonan
2 (11.8%)

Time by Stephen Baxter
5 (29.4%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2000 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Distraction by Bruce Sterling
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Silver Screen by Justina Robson
The Bones of Time by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Time by Stephen Baxter

glacier_kitty

Today I turned 36, woohoo! I know I'm getting old because sometimes I forget what I'm talking about in the middle of a conversation LOL. Both Ryan/Jo and dad got me the same cat card from Barnes and Noble haha! I got two gift cards too, so I'll have fun buying lots of books there. :P Vicki and her boyfriend Sam came over in the afternoon, their first time going to my parents' house and meeting Ryan and Jo! Curti was a little overwhelmed by her loud voice, but still walked over to her. I'm glad he doesn't hide when he sees strangers. We went to Chena's Alaskan Grill for dinner, my traditional birthday restaurant spot, which was super fun! Vicki is so much fun to hang out with! After good food and conversation we went back to my parents' house and had cupcakes and ice cream, yum! Vicki got me a game called Exploding Cats, which I'd seen before but never played..we'll have to play it together sometime! I'll miss working with her, but I'm glad to be great friends with her too!

( some pics from the night! )

Mom's birthday is next week, so it'll be my turn taking her to dinner, yay! I can't believe she'll be 70 O_o

7. What adventure do you want to go on? I want to brave the Drake Passage and sail to Antarctica and see the sights!

8. If you owned a store, what would you sell? Books, obviously :P

cornerofmadness

I honestly wish I edited better than I do.

It was rainy so I sat and wrote on my next

getyourwordsout Yahtzee story. These two are STILL arguing for another 2080 words

Let me know what day you’re reporting in for. If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.

Day Eight

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

brithistorian,

cmk418,

nafs,

trobadora,

badly_knitted,

goddess47,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

( other days )

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Death in Paradise

cornerofmadness

Before I get into my writerly ways let me just say, diabetes is going to steer me around the bend. Today I was bad. I ate fries for lunch and pizza for dinner. My sugar is 90. Two days ago I ate nothing but proteins and my sugar was 360.... WHY?

So into the writing crap. I have been thinking about timing of scenes this week. Early this week I watched The Night House and finished reading The Witch's Orchard. Let me start with House. This was a horror movie and without spoiling too much, she is learning terrible things about her dead husband (while dealing with what she thinks is his ghost). After learning this, when the ghost wants to get frisky, she's into it.

And I'm thinking what woman who learns her husband might have been murdering women who look like her is going to want him touching all over her? Had this scene come before she learned this about her husband, maybe it would have hit they way they wanted it to (unless disbelief was their goal)

Same thing with Orchard, it went a place SO many stories have gone. The protagonist nearly gets killed, does get injured and then in spite of having her leg torn open and breaking in meth lab explosion fumes, feels like having sex. If there is one thing you'll see in my sex scenes, they don't tend to come after times like this because it makes no sense to me. I suppose the whole 'nearly died celebrate life' thing is a trope. It's just one that has me rolling my eyes. Having had some serious injuries, I can tell you sex is the last thing on my mind in those times.

In my novel (still need to get more betas on this) I DID mess up the timing. I ended up having to reorder things and expand some of the beginning in order for the timing to not feel off.

How do you handle timing? Do you find timing issues that bother you?

OPEN CALLS

Anomaly July 2025 Window Science fiction stories under 300 words in length

Brink Literary Magazine July 2025 Window Hybrid fiction with the theme of Obsession

Fraidy Cat Quarterly Volume 7 Rage

The Quiet Ones 2025 Window Quiet Horror and Intimate-Scale Dystopian Fiction

The 13th Floor 30,000-50,000 word stories that take place on the mysterious 13th floor! (details in the post)

The Orange & Bee July 2025 Window Original and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays that explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore, with a strong focus on fairy tales (though we also sometimes dabble in other forms of folklore, such as fables, myths, and legends)

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2025

Fish Barrel Review: Now Seeking Submissions

36 Themed Calls and Contests for June 2025.

star crossed

From Around the Web

Advance to Adaptation

Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications

The Art of the Twist: Adding Surprise to Your Story Structure

How to Publish a Novel in 2025

Unusual Writing Formats: When Your Story Demands Footnotes, Letters, or a Series of Haikus

Tim Weed: Five Things I Learned Writing The Afterlife Project

From Betty

Six Important Differences Between Filmed and Narrated Stories

Ten Easy Jokes for Your Dialogue

Why the Mysterious Badass Hero Is a Trap For New Writers

Seven Ways to Create Rifts Between Close Characters

The Strategic Author's Guide to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited

Dual Protagonists

Communication is the Key to Critique Partner Success (still looking for new members for mine)

Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications

The Importance of Beginning a Book with Publishing End Goals in Mind

Your protagonist’s plans are useful, especially when they don’t pan out

How Do I Deliver My Self-Published Book to a Reader?.

Adventuring in Utah Gave Me Insight into Important Writing Truths: Part 1 The Brutal Beginning

Six “Soft Skills” To Make You a Better Writer

Be All-Seeing By Writing Third Person Omniscient

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Midsomer Murder

james_davis_nicoll

I swung by Old Goat Books to pick up a book I ordered, which meant I was in the right place at the right time hear the confused customer next to me ask "What's speculative fiction?" Which, after I explained what it meant, was followed by the question. "Do you know anything about Andre Norton?"

It was only with great effort that I resisted shouting "BEHOLD! I AM Marshall McLuhan" before helping.

rejectomorph

I'm quite sure the Idernet is lying about how sweltery it is around here today. It is saying it is 88 degrees outside, but I believe it to be closer to 200. It's 80 indoors, ffs, and sure to get hotter. But then I'm lying about myself, though in a different sense. I'm lying about because I lack the energy to get up and move around. This will almost certainly be the day on which I finally turn the air conditioner on. I can't take much more of this. This weather is truly fecking awful, and the solstice still lies in the dismal future.

My niece made a quick run to a store for me and picked up some almond flour on sale, paying for it mostly with accumulated bonus points. I should get through the next few days okay, if my milk doesn't go sour. Shopping again on Friday. I hope they've got some good stuff on sale that week. That could save it. The only thing saving this evening is the fact that I don't have to go out in the heat and fetch mail. Sunday has that to recommend it, at least.

( Sunday Verse )

james_davis_nicoll

A decrepit fleet sails from Germany to play its role in a futile war, crewed by sailors who seem more eager to kill each other than the perfidious Australians.

The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook

used_songs

I took it as a sign when two posts about this in a row crossed my feed, so now I am in, too! I have never done LJ Idol: Wheel of Chaos but here I go!

cornerofmadness

Making this quick as the nerves in my back are causing that restless leg nonsense and I need to go walk.

I did manage to know out 1400 words on my next

getyourwordsout Yahtzee story. These two love to argue.

If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.

Day Seven

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

badly_knitted,

goddess47,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

nafs,

the_siobhan,

cmk418,

yasaman,

brithistorian,

( other days )

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Midsomer Murder

james_davis_nicoll

Best Novel: Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia UK)

Best Novella: The Dragonfly Gambit, A.D. Sui (Neon Hemlock)

Best Novelette: Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita (Clarkesworld 11/24)

Short Story: Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 2/24)

Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts, Vanessa Ricci-Thode (self-published)

Best Game Writing: A Death in Hyperspace, Stewart C Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Isabel J. Kim, Sara S. Messenger, Naca Rat, Natalia Theodoridou, M. Darusha Wehm, Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Infomancy.net)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Dune: Part Two by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve (Warner Bros)

Kevin O'Donnell, Jr Special Service Award: C.J. Lavigne

cornerofmadness

Abney Park did an acoustic online concert tonight, in part because the lead singer's daughter was in a serious hit and run earlier in the year, the guy drove off and she and her friends ended up with serious, slow to resolve concussions. In the last few concerts they had other people running the lights/sound etc instead of her but she wanted to help again so they did acoustic so she could handle the sensory input.

Regardless, it was one of their better concerts. Occasionally the sound mix gets off but this more simple concert that didn't happen. It really sounded great.

I also went to the Italian deli today for some good gabagool and the pasta that doesn't jack my sugar up. Went to a non-associated Italian restaurant which was good but SLOW.

Visited my cousin in her assisted living home which has taken a serious downturn since Christmas. At Christmas it was clean and neat. Today the place reeked of piss so bad I was glad we were sitting outside. It got worse at dinner so I think some of that are the elder wandering around in wet adult diapers because damn. (not a surprise these places are criminally understaffed)

something stole one of my tomatoes and one flower. Didn't bite them off or anything. They're just pulled up and are gone. I'm unamused.

Current Mood: drained
Current Music: Jaws

used_songs

I FINALLY printed copies of the zines I made during April and May. If you would like some, send me a message with your address and I will get them in the mail. I am not comment screening, so don’t leave your address here!

james_davis_nicoll

Voters in Conservative and NDP ridings die younger, study suggests

cornerofmadness

Now this quote is easier said than done.

I managed to finish and post my

intoabar story. I’m not 100% happy with it but it’s a worthy sequel to the first one. Got about 1000 words accomplishing that.

If I've missed you on the tally let me know. Feel free to jump in at any time.

Day Six

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

ysilme,

goddess47,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

goddess47,

nafs,

the_siobhan,

lilly_c,

brithistorian,

cmk418,

badly_knitted,

( other days )

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: Doctor Strange

rejectomorph

When the computer informed me that today is Friday and not Thursday I sort of had a brief breakdown. One would think I would be accustomed to such shocks now that my brain has been disarrayed for so long, but no. I still hate discovering that I've lost track of entire days. Today it is exacerbated by The fact that I've been awake for about eleven hours now, and that's about my maximum these days.

When I was going to bed what turned out to be Thursday night, I opened the window for cooler air and saw the waxing moon westering, and it was orange. The air smelled of fire. After sleeping I checked again and could no longer smell fire, but the air has been hazy all day. The problem is I can't get the fecktwudling idernet to show me a web site with information about current fires. Even CalFire's is a pig's breakfast, with a big blank map. The federal agency web sites have pretty much vanished. Perhaps Elmo crammed them up his ass before flouncing out. A bromance on the rocks can bring a lot of collateral damage.

There's reflux again from breakfast, and I want to get back to sleep but not to wake up choking on chunder. I'm eating some almond powder, which might work. I'm running low on the stuff, and might have to pay full price to replenish the supply. It isn't on sale very often. But at least we grow almonds in California, so it won't get tariffed. At least not yet. We might get declared foreigners any day now. It seems like nothing is off the table these days. Except eggs and foreign foods, of course.

Bugger, nodding off and there are dishes to wash. No rest for the wack.

cornerofmadness

Since nothing interesting happened today have stories. Look I finished my

intoabar story. I'm not as happy with it as I was the one that came before it last year but it's still fun

Title: Somebody’s Eyes

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel/The Owl House

Character/Pairing: Edalyn Clawthorn/Raine Whispers, Angel Dust/Husk, Charlie Morningstar/Vaggie

Summary: Edalyn decides to take Raine and Lilith through the portal to revisit the people she met at the Hazbin Hotel on her last visit. They have even more fun than last time.

Rating: teen and up

Author Note - Written for my into a bar challenge for 2025. My challenge was exactly the same as last year so how could I not write a sequel? My challenge was Eda Clawthorne goes into a bar and meets... Niffty (Hazbin Hotel)! And if you want to see last year’s story (they’re stand alones but if you want to, please do) head here to read To Travel is To Live

Also written for the lyrical titles album challenge 2025 using the Footloose album and the song Somebody’s Eyes by Karla Bonoff. (I was thinking of all the eyes on things in both fandoms. I admit it, it’s a lame title).

Also written for spikesgirl58’s six word challenge. The six words were Repeat, Amuse, Official, Sword, Captivate, & Reform and for the allbingo prompt of Nonbinary

( story at the above link or under here )

Here's my fannish 50 recs of the week

our sadness provides us a home Star Trek: Prodigy

A Blessing or a Curse? Hazbin Hotel

Invasion Of Privacy Torchwood

Out Of The Storm FAKE

Meraki The Owl House

Stupidity Torchwood

Kept Unspoken Criminal Minds

crawl into my heart, take me apart
时光代理人 | Link Click

The Outlier The Murderbot Diaries

Body Image The Owl House

New Discoveries The Owl House

Faraway Lands Torchwood

Bitter Victory Buffy the Vampire Slayer

nothing is better Star Trek: Voyager

Planning for the Winter Solstice Celebration
Stargate Atlantis/Stargate SG-1

Natural Hazbin Hotel

Pretty Boy Hazbin Hotel

The Night of the Third Task Harry Potter

Steve Week Shorties The Owl House

Stop and Smell the The Murderbot Diaries

Introducing the Hale Pack Teen Wolf

An Unexpected Form of Belonging Teen Wolf

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: The Golden Girls

glacier_kitty

1. What’s going to be special about this weekend? My birthday's on Sunday! Vicki and her boyfriend Sam are coming over to my parents' house and going to dinner with us! Both of us are very excited lol
2. When did you last order the special when dining out? Hmmm..not sure, it's been awhile..
3. What’s especially memorable about this past week? Mom came home from Florida, yay! (Funny how this Friday five is asking things I already wanted to talk about haha.) She said grandpa gets tired easy, like he can only mow part of his lawn at a time, but considering he's 91 it's impressive he can do it at all lol
4. When did you last consult with a specialist of some kind? Maybe a couple months ago? Time goes by so fast it can all blur together lol
5. What have you done recently to make someone else feel special? I told Vicki the last two years with her as manager has been some of the best times I've ever had working at the bookstore. Tomorrow's her last day (*sniff*), but she'll stop in to buy books and we definitely want to stay close friends!

Since Sunday's my birthday, we had milkshakes at our staff meeting at work to celebrate! I love that they do things like that for people's birthdays. One of the other bookstore staff members resigned this week (the job was too physical for her), so it'll just be me and Bill next week until they hire new people (Lucie or Shelby will probably come to check on us too). We will be strong and keep things running!

This weekend, an "anomalously cold airmass" is supposed to come and it could get in the 30s!! Ummm..Alaska, it's June?? Luckily by next week it'll be in the 60s and 70s again (I love that the word they used to describe the cold front is "anomalously"..hard to say, but still cool haha)

Sleepy Curti is so cute!!

502943497_30771133429151752_5702219655907798202_n

One of the most spoiled kitties in America. :P His tail has gotten super fluffy!

( june 2-6 )

sistawendy

I went to the women's munch at the Wildrose last night. Nothing unusual there, but who I ran into was: a table full of trans women in their late twenties. Trans women besides me are a regular feature at this munch, but they don't show up in a group and they're not especially young.

It's noteworthy for me because that's a trans age group that I don't typically spend much time with. There are the folks closer to my age and the teens at Lambert House, the Mercury, or (ahem) out & about, but trans women around my son's age are not the ones I usually run into. They had much to tell me:

There's a facial feminization surgeon around here, Dr. Liu, who does excellent work. That's something to think about if I'm ever an heiress.
There's been some drink-spiking at Pony lately. Uh, yikes! One or two of the assembled dolls weren't pleased with how it had been handled. That's a damn shame, because I'm one of many queers I know who otherwise love that place.

They seemed so... together. So much more than I was at their age, struggling mightily to be someone I'm not. From talking with them, at least briefly, you'd never guess that we're a community under seige.

And I'd also like to say how impressed I am with the current Washington State Ms. Leather and her partner, a former Ms. Leather, who organize this and many other shindigs. They work hard at pulling all of us non-cis-men into leather activities. Aside from warm fuzzies, there's nothing in it for them, really.

Current Mood: impressed
Current Location: the living room of the Devil Girl House
Current Music: Courtney Barnett, "Avant Gardener" on KEXP

james_davis_nicoll

A foundling boy raised by a great snake becomes intrigued by a reclusive calligrapher living near the river snake and boy call home.

Numamushi by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

Style Credit

Style: Starflower for Mobility by branchandroot
Resources: Rounded Star 005

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Saturday club hopping

Clarke Award Finalists 2000

36th birthday!

Write Every Day - Day 9

Writerly Ways

Timing

52/131: Swelter

The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook

Wheel of Chaos

Write Every Day - Day 8

Nebula winners announced

Unplugged

Zines

Let me pull out good old reliable "interesting if true"

Write Every Day - Day 7

52/129-130: Wack

fan fic friday

Friday five

a meeting of the minds at the munch

Numamushi by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh

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