@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

Sssindy and Sisi were relaxing together in the lounge of Angels' Wings.
"How many times do you think you could wind around me?" Sisi asked.
"I'm not sssure," Sssindy said. "Let'sss find out!"
Sisi stood up and Sssindy slithered over. She #wound around Sisi one, two, three, four times, until just her head was poking up out of Sssindy's coils.
"It looksss like four timesss," Sssindy said. She took a deep breath and Sisi's eyes bulged out of her head.
"Oh! I'm sssorry!" Sssindy said.

#wss366

Bebe is one of the Better Angels. Read more in *Better Angels: Tour de Force* on the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy. https://truckstop.waterdragonpublishing.com/product/better-angels-tour-de-force/

"I wonder how Tau's date went," David said.
Zaza shook her head. "I wouldn't mention it. As I understand, it's a sensitive #subject."
"Oh? What happened?"
"Lambda's boss came with her and… Well. Let's just say she kept her on a short leash."
"Aw…"
They heard the click click click of Tau's nails as he came onto the bridge.
"Hello, Tau," David said, solicitously.
Bebe, who'd heard him arrive, came running out.
"Hey, Tau! Tell Bebe! How was the date? Did you get lucky?"
Tau's tail fell.

#wss366

My wife found this cool liverwort (probably *Marchantia*) growing inside an old sand bucket in the back yard. #WortsUpDoc

I've been using elk.zone for a while now and liking it pretty well. But yesterday, its behavior changed such that if you switch away from its tab and then switch back, it reloads and takes you back to the very top of your feed. This is utterly unacceptable. Is it a bug? Or a new "feature"? Sigh…

One thing really pisses me off about currently political fundraising messaging… Most of it is couched in the language of FEC deadlines: "Give us money before this deadline because..." Because why? Because then you can say your campaign's dick is bigger than theirs? What are you actually going to do with the fucking money?

I wrote a bit more about the Head in the Clouds Amherst calendar (and how to buy it) and included the other photos I had submitted. I think they're all pretty good. https://stevendbrewer.com/head-in-the-clouds-amherst-calendar/ #WesternMass

#PennedPossibilities Is your MC able to control their temper?

Sometimes…

Two men oohed and aahed as the Angels in their swimsuits came into focus.
"Can you tell which one is which?" one asked.
"I think Bebe is the one wearing pink."
"That's Tutu," Zaza said.
"Aah!" one yelled in surprise when he lifted his head and found himself looking down the barrel of a railgun.
"You've got 5 seconds to run before I open fire," Zaza said, emotionlessly. "And if I ever see you again, I'll shoot first."

#WritersCoffeeClub Ursula K Le Guin said that Earthsea began when she drew a map. What’s your starting point?

I usually begin with a setting or the interaction of two characters. And the rest simply flows from there.

I do often make maps (using Inkscape) but they come later in the process and are, more than anything else, a memory aid for me to record the relationships and distances between places, so I don't get tangled up later. I used one to make a 'zine, tho: https://stevendbrewer.com/islands-of-revins-heart-zine/

#WordWeavers Do you play around with time and space either in your world or as a storytelling device?

Rory realized he was in some kind of small open shelter on a tiny island with ocean as far as the eye could see all around. 
"Where are we?" he asked. "What about the tournament?"
"This is my special retreat," Tseluna said. "It's in a dimension where the time-dilation effect is… significant."
"How long do I have?" 
"Hours. Go swim to clean yourself off and then you can rest. Sleep, if you can."

Rowe let his breath out. He didn't have much to show for a long day of work. He'd managed to #produce two charms earlier, but that last one… Well. That one wasn't going on sale tomorrow. He tucked it into his pocket & extinguished the lights in the workshop.
He locked the door & started walking home. Suddenly a voice rang out behind him, "Outta my way, loser!"
A man shoved him to the ground, then ran on, raving & swatting at invisible somethings in the air.
OK. Maybe he did deserve it.

#wss366

I had a photo selected for the 2025 Head in the Clouds Amherst calendar (for April)! https://headinthecloudsamherst.blogspot.com/2024/09/2025-head-in-clouds-amherst-wall.html

Rowe wracked his brain. Did he really have to curse someone? Was there anyone he wanted to curse? Was there anyone who deserved it? Did he hate anyone? A face flashed in his mind's eye: a bully that knocked him down on the playground in school. What was his name again?
"Thy hast chosen," the figure intoned. "He shall be cursed for life. He shall have no peace unto death." The shadow faded out, leaving Rowe alone.
He tried and failed to #console himself that the guy really deserved it.

#wss366

#PennedPossibilities If you’re planning a sequel for one of your finished or unfinished works, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it? No major spoilers!

In *A Familiar Problem*, the protagonist — instead of getting a familiar — is made the familiar of an ancient, OP demon that knows humans better than he does. In the sequel (where having human familiars has become fashionable among demons) a girl is captured by a young, inexperienced demon and will have to teach them about humans.

#WordWeavers What views/philosophies in the world you created do you as author think are problematic?

Woof. *Revin's Heart* is fundamentally about feudalism. I wrote it, at least in part, after seeing how so many people in the US seem to have become sycophants of aristocracy (and wealth). The protagonist, Revin, is a commoner and is initially angry at the aristocrats that look down on him. But he later becomes ensnared by the aristocracy and struggles with his feelings as he reaps the benefits.

"M-My command?" Rowe stuttered.
"Thou hast invoked me from the other plane," the voice continued in a sepulchral tone. "For what reason hast thou brought me here?"
"I… Uh…" Rowe's mind went blank. A long pause grew increasingly uncomfortable.
"What is thy desire?" it hissed.
"Money?"
"I know not what this is. Who dost thou wish to curse? Whom shall I menace on thy behalf?"
"Do you have to menace someone?"
"Mercy," the eyes glowed briefly even brighter, "is not one of my attributes…"

#wss366

#WordWeavers Is your world inhabited by humans only or do other intelligent creatures live there as well?

The Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy is a shared-world setting created by multiple authors at Water Dragon Publishing. It has many intelligent alien races — plus my addition of non-human biological androids, NeoBoxers, and AIs.

*A Familiar Problem* has humans & demons, plus the presence of other intelligent races from across the multiverse is implied.

*Revin's Heart* is humans only.

Tanuki-chan barks at the sprinkler until we turn it on, and then she's sooooo happy. #DogsOfMastodon

A sudden gust of #wind blew through the workshop, scattering the scraps of gold leaf from the bench and swirling clouds of dust in the corners. Rowe clapped his hand over his mouth and nose as a strong charnel stench swept through the room.
The shadow coalesced into a towering dark figure with glowing red eyes.
Rowe, still clutching the charm, backed into a corner, looking up in terror at the figure leaning over him.
"What is thy command?" the figure said in a low, menacing hiss.

#wss366

In the NYT, David French describes "What liberals miss about the MAGA movement." It turns out that what he means is that MAGA people really LOVE being part of a mob that is kicking innocent people lying on the ground. I think we knew that, though… (gift link) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/opinion/liberals-trump-maga.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L04.Ojg5.RHPhFb2V_nCU&smid=url-share