@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

Forrest was still on duty, however. The chicken and cake meant even larger amounts of trash than usual. They could hear him screeching even now, accompanied by the terrified howls of people caught littering. (4/5) #wss366

The Ranger stood nearby, wearing the fake goatee and string tie of Thunder Cross. It was tedious, but he was grateful that, this year, he'd talked them out of letting children sit on Thunder Cross's lap. Instead, he too was simply waving at people and greeting them as they arrived. (3/5) #wss366

Instead, he had been pressed into service as an elf and stood near the Ranger welcoming guests. It wasn't feasible to have him wear a costume, but he was wearing fake elf ears. They itched, but he tried not to scratch to avoid dislodging them. (2/5) #wss366

The bear stood by the entrance to the Volpex Picnic #Park. waving at guests as they arrived.
"Meri Kurisumasu!" he said, over and over again.
No-one was using grills today. Everyone was carrying boxes of fried chicken and cake. So the bear was not needed for his regular duties. (1/5) #wss366

RE: https://masto.es/@FediTree/115778084358846910

It's practically my #wss366 tree!

Let's see what my @FediTree looks like…

#diehard "I hope that's not a hostage."

#diehard "We're gonna need some more FBI guys, I guess."

#diehard "Of course I'm gonna come by later, baby!"

RE: https://wandering.shop/@stevendbrewer/115579319386335622

This is still as true now as when I wrote it.

New releases from Water Dragon Publishing. I recognize a few of the mentioned books! https://mailchi.mp/b2294b81ea37/words-from-water-dragon-publishing-december-2025?e=066b06fede

He looked at it, shocked. It was his wife's number.
He answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, honey!" It was her voice. "#Excuse me, if I woke you up. I just wanted to wish you a Happy…"
He hung up the phone.
"Fuckin' AI…" he grumbled. He might be pretty far gone, but not *that* far gone. (3/3) #wss366

Or those goddamn phone trees. He'd just given up. It was all he could do to shower and get dressed.
But, somehow, he'd made it through another year. Alone.
He watched the clock count down the seconds.
Midnight. Happy New Year. He snorted. As if.
His phone rang. (2/3) #wss366

The old man watched the sweep hand of the clock as the seconds ticked down to midnight. What a lousy year.
He coughed — a deep wracking cough.
His health was shot. He couldn't keep track of things anymore. Since his wife died, he couldn't manage the prescriptions or appointments. (1/3) #wss366

Tanuki-chan is VERY DISAPPOINTED in me for not sharing my burned pretzel with her. #DogsOfMastodon

#WritersCoffeeClub What’s a facet of the modern era of writing for which you’re thankful?

@patcharcana says "word processors" but I'd go one step lower: being able to write electronically. I don't need (or use) word processors for writing. But a text editor! Yes! Being able to edit, copy/paste, & work on my text across multiple devices: those are essential.

In the end, I do use a word processor to format a manuscript for submission. But the real magic is the foundation upon which it's built.

The bear looked at her, trying to be #firm, but his heart simply melted.
"C'mon," he said. He knelt down and let her climb up on his shoulders. "Let's go look for butterflies by the forest where you can run safely."
She raised a fist over her head and shouted, "Let's go!" (4/4) #wss366

"Brunhilde!" the bear growled, sternly. "You need to be more careful. Look where you're going! You could have hurt yourself. Or bumped into someone and hurt them."
He set her back on her feet.
She stood, looking down and shifting from foot to foot.
"I'm sowwy," she whispered. (3/4) #wss366

He looked around and spotted Brunhilde running at full speed through the crowd chasing a butterfly. He broke into a charge and leapt, skidding across the grass, and just managed to get a paw out and catch her before she ran headlong into a grill. (2/4) #wss366

Yesterday, I went to the UMass Sunwheel to the watch the sunrise on the winter solstice. https://stevendbrewer.com/solstice-sunrise-at-the-sunwheel/ #WesternMass