#gender — Public Fediverse posts

#PennedPossibilities 1013 — MC POV: Have you ever lived in another country / place besides where you were born? Would you want to?

[Bolt:] Okay. figured ya didn't mean in the country, a different country area other than where I was born, so I had to look it up, then had to ask someone. A pretty-out there question, this one! Learnt there're a few autonomous regions that get to have different customs, different laws, and different money systems, but there's no other place completely, separately ruled by anyone other than Rainy Days. There's a reason why her title is Director of Home (our world) and the Nine Outer Worlds (because there are nine others, but none like home). Now that I've learnt that "Nine Outer Worlds" actually means nine other places beyond the stars that people live and ya can walk through an Interstellar gateway to go there, I'd like to walk through one of them daemon-worked miracle gateways, to see a sky different from ours, at least once. Since Boss Mead's syndicate doesn't extend beyond Home City, I probably won't be allowed, though.

[Bolt's a bit of a country bumpkin who ended up in the big city against her will. But she's right, there are no nation states, and though Rainy Days delegates much of her authority, that sometimes backfires to the extent that wars break out (like the one she started in Reluctant Moon), she technically rules ten worlds, mostly colonies on Mars-like worlds where people live under domes, and two hollowed out asteroids. The Dragon world is large enough that it has a breathable atmosphere, but it's hellish.—RS]

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1013 — MC POV: Have you ever lived in another country / place besides where you were born? Would you want to?

[Bolt:] Okay. figured ya didn't mean in the country, a different country area other than where I was born, so I had to look it up, then had to ask someone. A pretty-out there question, this one! Learnt there're a few autonomous regions that get to have different customs, different laws, and different money systems, but there's no other place completely, separately ruled by anyone other than Rainy Days. There's a reason why her title is Director of Home (our world) and the Nine Outer Worlds (because there are nine others, but none like home). Now that I've learnt that "Nine Outer Worlds" actually means nine other places beyond the stars that people live and ya can walk through an Interstellar gateway to go there, I'd like to walk through one of them daemon-worked miracle gateways, to see a sky different from ours, at least once. Since Boss Mead's syndicate doesn't extend beyond Home City, I probably won't be allowed, though.

[Bolt's a bit of a country bumpkin who ended up in the big city against her will. But she's right, there are no nation states, and though Rainy Days delegates much of her authority, that sometimes backfires to the extent that wars break out (like the one she started in Reluctant Moon), she technically rules ten worlds, mostly colonies on Mars-like worlds where people live under domes, and two hollowed out asteroids. The Dragon world is large enough that it has a breathable atmosphere, but it's hellish.—RS]

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1013 — MC POV: Have you ever lived in another country / place besides where you were born? Would you want to?

[Bolt:] Okay. figured ya didn't mean in the country, a different country area other than where I was born, so I had to look it up, then had to ask someone. A pretty-out there question, this one! Learnt there're a few autonomous regions that get to have different customs, different laws, and different money systems, but there's no other place completely, separately ruled by anyone other than Rainy Days. There's a reason why her title is Director of Home (our world) and the Nine Outer Worlds (because there are nine others, but none like home). Now that I've learnt that "Nine Outer Worlds" actually means nine other places beyond the stars that people live and ya can walk through an Interstellar gateway to go there, I'd like to walk through one of them daemon-worked miracle gateways, to see a sky different from ours, at least once. Since Boss Mead's syndicate doesn't extend beyond Home City, I probably won't be allowed, though.

[Bolt's a bit of a country bumpkin who ended up in the big city against her will. But she's right, there are no nation states, and though Rainy Days delegates much of her authority, that sometimes backfires to the extent that wars break out (like the one she started in Reluctant Moon), she technically rules ten worlds, mostly colonies on Mars-like worlds where people live under domes, and two hollowed out asteroids. The Dragon world is large enough that it has a breathable atmosphere, but it's hellish.—RS]

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1013 — MC POV: Have you ever lived in another country / place besides where you were born? Would you want to?

[Bolt:] Okay. figured ya didn't mean in the country, a different country area other than where I was born, so I had to look it up, then had to ask someone. A pretty-out there question, this one! Learnt there're a few autonomous regions that get to have different customs, different laws, and different money systems, but there's no other place completely, separately ruled by anyone other than Rainy Days. There's a reason why her title is Director of Home (our world) and the Nine Outer Worlds (because there are nine others, but none like home). Now that I've learnt that "Nine Outer Worlds" actually means nine other places beyond the stars that people live and ya can walk through an Interstellar gateway to go there, I'd like to walk through one of them daemon-worked miracle gateways, to see a sky different from ours, at least once. Since Boss Mead's syndicate doesn't extend beyond Home City, I probably won't be allowed, though.

[Bolt's a bit of a country bumpkin who ended up in the big city against her will. But she's right, there are no nation states, and though Rainy Days delegates much of her authority, that sometimes backfires to the extent that wars break out (like the one she started in Reluctant Moon), she technically rules ten worlds, mostly colonies on Mars-like worlds where people live under domes, and two hollowed out asteroids. The Dragon world is large enough that it has a breathable atmosphere, but it's hellish.—RS]

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1013 — MC POV: Have you ever lived in another country / place besides where you were born? Would you want to?

[Bolt:] Okay. figured ya didn't mean in the country, a different country area other than where I was born, so I had to look it up, then had to ask someone. A pretty-out there question, this one! Learnt there're a few autonomous regions that get to have different customs, different laws, and different money systems, but there's no other place completely, separately ruled by anyone other than Rainy Days. There's a reason why her title is Director of Home (our world) and the Nine Outer Worlds (because there are nine others, but none like home). Now that I've learnt that "Nine Outer Worlds" actually means nine other places beyond the stars that people live and ya can walk through an Interstellar gateway to go there, I'd like to walk through one of them daemon-worked miracle gateways, to see a sky different from ours, at least once. Since Boss Mead's syndicate doesn't extend beyond Home City, I probably won't be allowed, though.

[Bolt's a bit of a country bumpkin who ended up in the big city against her will. But she's right, there are no nation states, and though Rainy Days delegates much of her authority, that sometimes backfires to the extent that wars break out (like the one she started in Reluctant Moon), she technically rules ten worlds, mostly colonies on Mars-like worlds where people live under domes, and two hollowed out asteroids. The Dragon world is large enough that it has a breathable atmosphere, but it's hellish.—RS]

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

Substack, unfortunately, but still a solid read.
https://sorayachemaly.substack.com/p/26-decentering-men-is-not-misandry
#gender #politics #society #feminism #FromMetafilter

#ScribesAndMakers № 13 ('26 May) Our next featured creator is exploring pixel art. Have you ever worked with pixel art?

I have been using computers since there were personal computers or personal screens with pixels. My friend was cutting edge because they bought an IMSAI kit (look it up) with 256 bytes of serial RAM. You read that right, 256. It had no display. It had lights above dip switches. You put an AM radio near it and tuned in the music the running machine programmatically made. NO PIXELS. I did have a Balley game console. It was all 16-bit pixels, none of which I could make art with.

My Apple ][ Plus years later had pixel games. I don't think I used it for art. Later, my original Fat Mac came with Quick Draw and Mac Paint, which allowed me to draw things with the mouse. The sketches I've found with notes for very early story files are really bad. Personally, I prefer oil pastels for art and pencil for sketching, and I'm not calling that big A art, either. I'm not much of an artist; I haven't done pixel are except to create icons for programs. I do work with my iPad acting as a tablet when working with photos in Photoshop. Photography is my art.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers № 13 ('26 May) Our next featured creator is exploring pixel art. Have you ever worked with pixel art?

I have been using computers since there were personal computers or personal screens with pixels. My friend was cutting edge because they bought an IMSAI kit (look it up) with 256 bytes of serial RAM. You read that right, 256. It had no display. It had lights above dip switches. You put an AM radio near it and tuned in the music the running machine programmatically made. NO PIXELS. I did have a Balley game console. It was all 16-bit pixels, none of which I could make art with.

My Apple ][ Plus years later had pixel games. I don't think I used it for art. Later, my original Fat Mac came with Quick Draw and Mac Paint, which allowed me to draw things with the mouse. The sketches I've found with notes for very early story files are really bad. Personally, I prefer oil pastels for art and pencil for sketching, and I'm not calling that big A art, either. I'm not much of an artist; I haven't done pixel are except to create icons for programs. I do work with my iPad acting as a tablet when working with photos in Photoshop. Photography is my art.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers № 13 ('26 May) Our next featured creator is exploring pixel art. Have you ever worked with pixel art?

I have been using computers since there were personal computers or personal screens with pixels. My friend was cutting edge because they bought an IMSAI kit (look it up) with 256 bytes of serial RAM. You read that right, 256. It had no display. It had lights above dip switches. You put an AM radio near it and tuned in the music the running machine programmatically made. NO PIXELS. I did have a Balley game console. It was all 16-bit pixels, none of which I could make art with.

My Apple ][ Plus years later had pixel games. I don't think I used it for art. Later, my original Fat Mac came with Quick Draw and Mac Paint, which allowed me to draw things with the mouse. The sketches I've found with notes for very early story files are really bad. Personally, I prefer oil pastels for art and pencil for sketching, and I'm not calling that big A art, either. I'm not much of an artist; I haven't done pixel are except to create icons for programs. I do work with my iPad acting as a tablet when working with photos in Photoshop. Photography is my art.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers № 13 ('26 May) Our next featured creator is exploring pixel art. Have you ever worked with pixel art?

I have been using computers since there were personal computers or personal screens with pixels. My friend was cutting edge because they bought an IMSAI kit (look it up) with 256 bytes of serial RAM. You read that right, 256. It had no display. It had lights above dip switches. You put an AM radio near it and tuned in the music the running machine programmatically made. NO PIXELS. I did have a Balley game console. It was all 16-bit pixels, none of which I could make art with.

My Apple ][ Plus years later had pixel games. I don't think I used it for art. Later, my original Fat Mac came with Quick Draw and Mac Paint, which allowed me to draw things with the mouse. The sketches I've found with notes for very early story files are really bad. Personally, I prefer oil pastels for art and pencil for sketching, and I'm not calling that big A art, either. I'm not much of an artist; I haven't done pixel are except to create icons for programs. I do work with my iPad acting as a tablet when working with photos in Photoshop. Photography is my art.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers № 13 ('26 May) Our next featured creator is exploring pixel art. Have you ever worked with pixel art?

I have been using computers since there were personal computers or personal screens with pixels. My friend was cutting edge because they bought an IMSAI kit (look it up) with 256 bytes of serial RAM. You read that right, 256. It had no display. It had lights above dip switches. You put an AM radio near it and tuned in the music the running machine programmatically made. NO PIXELS. I did have a Balley game console. It was all 16-bit pixels, none of which I could make art with.

My Apple ][ Plus years later had pixel games. I don't think I used it for art. Later, my original Fat Mac came with Quick Draw and Mac Paint, which allowed me to draw things with the mouse. The sketches I've found with notes for very early story files are really bad. Personally, I prefer oil pastels for art and pencil for sketching, and I'm not calling that big A art, either. I'm not much of an artist; I haven't done pixel are except to create icons for programs. I do work with my iPad acting as a tablet when working with photos in Photoshop. Photography is my art.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.05.13 — What role does non-romantic love play in your story?

Like yesterday's response, today's is a high level meta answer; specifics would delve into plot. Whilst these responses sound all very planned out, plotted, Machiavellian even, I'm a simple pantser. Character discovery drives the story. Here I'm analyzing the total affect on my stories.

Non-romantic love? An interesting distinction: Basically a love were sex has nothing to do with it? My Reluctance Series stories go out of their way to remove sex as an important factor in love—unless the characters choose otherwise!— meaning all love in the story is essentially the non-romantic sort. Sex? Well humans need to eat and sleep, too? Right? Most characters are very fond of, or go out of the way to be with, others. Many feel connected. They enjoy levels of intimacy with many people, this in a way that our society works hard to make us (i.e., the reader) feel uncomfortably close, or to cause us to worry about upsetting our primary partner, or to worry that friends, family, or co-workers might call us out, embarrass us or ostracize. We live in an hierarchal society strictly structured to provide power to a select few, with set gender roles that control women's freedom and restrict men and force them to act cruel; reluctance series stories poke furiously (though subtly) at that to make the reader reluctantly think, to make them change their context such that they can view the world and themselves differently. The role that non-romantic love plays is to propose that friendship should always be primary in any relationship and, if friendship is neglected, such relationships are destined to fail or, at best, be transient.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.05.13 — What role does non-romantic love play in your story?

Like yesterday's response, today's is a high level meta answer; specifics would delve into plot. Whilst these responses sound all very planned out, plotted, Machiavellian even, I'm a simple pantser. Character discovery drives the story. Here I'm analyzing the total affect on my stories.

Non-romantic love? An interesting distinction: Basically a love were sex has nothing to do with it? My Reluctance Series stories go out of their way to remove sex as an important factor in love—unless the characters choose otherwise!— meaning all love in the story is essentially the non-romantic sort. Sex? Well humans need to eat and sleep, too? Right? Most characters are very fond of, or go out of the way to be with, others. Many feel connected. They enjoy levels of intimacy with many people, this in a way that our society works hard to make us (i.e., the reader) feel uncomfortably close, or to cause us to worry about upsetting our primary partner, or to worry that friends, family, or co-workers might call us out, embarrass us or ostracize. We live in an hierarchal society strictly structured to provide power to a select few, with set gender roles that control women's freedom and restrict men and force them to act cruel; reluctance series stories poke furiously (though subtly) at that to make the reader reluctantly think, to make them change their context such that they can view the world and themselves differently. The role that non-romantic love plays is to propose that friendship should always be primary in any relationship and, if friendship is neglected, such relationships are destined to fail or, at best, be transient.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.05.13 — What role does non-romantic love play in your story?

Like yesterday's response, today's is a high level meta answer; specifics would delve into plot. Whilst these responses sound all very planned out, plotted, Machiavellian even, I'm a simple pantser. Character discovery drives the story. Here I'm analyzing the total affect on my stories.

Non-romantic love? An interesting distinction: Basically a love were sex has nothing to do with it? My Reluctance Series stories go out of their way to remove sex as an important factor in love—unless the characters choose otherwise!— meaning all love in the story is essentially the non-romantic sort. Sex? Well humans need to eat and sleep, too? Right? Most characters are very fond of, or go out of the way to be with, others. Many feel connected. They enjoy levels of intimacy with many people, this in a way that our society works hard to make us (i.e., the reader) feel uncomfortably close, or to cause us to worry about upsetting our primary partner, or to worry that friends, family, or co-workers might call us out, embarrass us or ostracize. We live in an hierarchal society strictly structured to provide power to a select few, with set gender roles that control women's freedom and restrict men and force them to act cruel; reluctance series stories poke furiously (though subtly) at that to make the reader reluctantly think, to make them change their context such that they can view the world and themselves differently. The role that non-romantic love plays is to propose that friendship should always be primary in any relationship and, if friendship is neglected, such relationships are destined to fail or, at best, be transient.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.05.13 — What role does non-romantic love play in your story?

Like yesterday's response, today's is a high level meta answer; specifics would delve into plot. Whilst these responses sound all very planned out, plotted, Machiavellian even, I'm a simple pantser. Character discovery drives the story. Here I'm analyzing the total affect on my stories.

Non-romantic love? An interesting distinction: Basically a love were sex has nothing to do with it? My Reluctance Series stories go out of their way to remove sex as an important factor in love—unless the characters choose otherwise!— meaning all love in the story is essentially the non-romantic sort. Sex? Well humans need to eat and sleep, too? Right? Most characters are very fond of, or go out of the way to be with, others. Many feel connected. They enjoy levels of intimacy with many people, this in a way that our society works hard to make us (i.e., the reader) feel uncomfortably close, or to cause us to worry about upsetting our primary partner, or to worry that friends, family, or co-workers might call us out, embarrass us or ostracize. We live in an hierarchal society strictly structured to provide power to a select few, with set gender roles that control women's freedom and restrict men and force them to act cruel; reluctance series stories poke furiously (though subtly) at that to make the reader reluctantly think, to make them change their context such that they can view the world and themselves differently. The role that non-romantic love plays is to propose that friendship should always be primary in any relationship and, if friendship is neglected, such relationships are destined to fail or, at best, be transient.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.05.13 — What role does non-romantic love play in your story?

Like yesterday's response, today's is a high level meta answer; specifics would delve into plot. Whilst these responses sound all very planned out, plotted, Machiavellian even, I'm a simple pantser. Character discovery drives the story. Here I'm analyzing the total affect on my stories.

Non-romantic love? An interesting distinction: Basically a love were sex has nothing to do with it? My Reluctance Series stories go out of their way to remove sex as an important factor in love—unless the characters choose otherwise!— meaning all love in the story is essentially the non-romantic sort. Sex? Well humans need to eat and sleep, too? Right? Most characters are very fond of, or go out of the way to be with, others. Many feel connected. They enjoy levels of intimacy with many people, this in a way that our society works hard to make us (i.e., the reader) feel uncomfortably close, or to cause us to worry about upsetting our primary partner, or to worry that friends, family, or co-workers might call us out, embarrass us or ostracize. We live in an hierarchal society strictly structured to provide power to a select few, with set gender roles that control women's freedom and restrict men and force them to act cruel; reluctance series stories poke furiously (though subtly) at that to make the reader reluctantly think, to make them change their context such that they can view the world and themselves differently. The role that non-romantic love plays is to propose that friendship should always be primary in any relationship and, if friendship is neglected, such relationships are destined to fail or, at best, be transient.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.13 — Follow-up: if writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?

Photography. Have a picture. Notice the horse's eye? Taken at the Elverhøj Museum, Solvang. California.

#BoostingIsSharing

More in #AltText

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#Photography #photo

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.13 — Follow-up: if writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?

Photography. Have a picture. Notice the horse's eye? Taken at the Elverhøj Museum, Solvang. California.

#BoostingIsSharing

More in #AltText

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#Photography #photo

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.13 — Follow-up: if writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?

Photography. Have a picture. Notice the horse's eye? Taken at the Elverhøj Museum, Solvang. California.

#BoostingIsSharing

More in #AltText

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#Photography #photo

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.13 — Follow-up: if writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?

Photography. Have a picture. Notice the horse's eye? Taken at the Elverhøj Museum, Solvang. California.

#BoostingIsSharing

More in #AltText

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#Photography #photo

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.13 — Follow-up: if writing was not your "thing," what would your "thing" be?

Photography. Have a picture. Notice the horse's eye? Taken at the Elverhøj Museum, Solvang. California.

#BoostingIsSharing

More in #AltText

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#Photography #photo

Speaking at an event hosted by the magazine "Stern" in Hamburg, former Federal President Joachim Gauck stated that he is open to nominating a male successor. Th... https://news.osna.fm/?p=45832 | #news #barrier #gender #german #head

Speaking at an event hosted by the magazine "Stern" in Hamburg, former Federal President Joachim Gauck stated that he is open to nominating a male successor. Th... https://news.osna.fm/?p=45832 | #news #barrier #gender #german #head

Speaking at an event hosted by the magazine "Stern" in Hamburg, former Federal President Joachim Gauck stated that he is open to nominating a male successor. Th... https://news.osna.fm/?p=45832 | #news #barrier #gender #german #head

Speaking at an event hosted by the magazine "Stern" in Hamburg, former Federal President Joachim Gauck stated that he is open to nominating a male successor. Th... https://news.osna.fm/?p=45832 | #news #barrier #gender #german #head

#EroticMusings 2026.05.03 — Week 49 (May 3-9) Characters: Do you come up with your characters before their relationships, or do you design characters to fit desired relationships or interpersonal dynamics? Any interesting examples?

The daemon Thorn Rose and the day angel Streak Carryingaton were created with their relationship in mind. She's as dark as midnight and he's as white as snow. I'm using intentionally loaded words here. Also, she has an accent that alludes to an eastern European accent. She's a first generation daughter of an emigrant mother alluding to the Jewish ethnic experience in the early to mid-1900s in the US. He's simply from a bad neighborhood never expected to amount to much. In a world where a relationship like what we would call "marriage" does not exist—and is indeed frowned upon enough to merit special adjectives describing it, like ancestrous—these two lovers have a special youthful chemistry and randiness. It allows me to contrast a relationship that seems normal to us with a normalcy in their society we'd find promiscuous at best. It puts an interesting spin on concepts of fidelity and love. They spend parts of this moonshot novel proving they're better than what everyone assumes.

Other than this one example, I'm more likely to have characters form relationships of their own accord as the story develops and I discover connections.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#EroticMusings 2026.05.03 — Week 49 (May 3-9) Characters: Do you come up with your characters before their relationships, or do you design characters to fit desired relationships or interpersonal dynamics? Any interesting examples?

The daemon Thorn Rose and the day angel Streak Carryingaton were created with their relationship in mind. She's as dark as midnight and he's as white as snow. I'm using intentionally loaded words here. Also, she has an accent that alludes to an eastern European accent. She's a first generation daughter of an emigrant mother alluding to the Jewish ethnic experience in the early to mid-1900s in the US. He's simply from a bad neighborhood never expected to amount to much. In a world where a relationship like what we would call "marriage" does not exist—and is indeed frowned upon enough to merit special adjectives describing it, like ancestrous—these two lovers have a special youthful chemistry and randiness. It allows me to contrast a relationship that seems normal to us with a normalcy in their society we'd find promiscuous at best. It puts an interesting spin on concepts of fidelity and love. They spend parts of this moonshot novel proving they're better than what everyone assumes.

Other than this one example, I'm more likely to have characters form relationships of their own accord as the story develops and I discover connections.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#EroticMusings 2026.05.03 — Week 49 (May 3-9) Characters: Do you come up with your characters before their relationships, or do you design characters to fit desired relationships or interpersonal dynamics? Any interesting examples?

The daemon Thorn Rose and the day angel Streak Carryingaton were created with their relationship in mind. She's as dark as midnight and he's as white as snow. I'm using intentionally loaded words here. Also, she has an accent that alludes to an eastern European accent. She's a first generation daughter of an emigrant mother alluding to the Jewish ethnic experience in the early to mid-1900s in the US. He's simply from a bad neighborhood never expected to amount to much. In a world where a relationship like what we would call "marriage" does not exist—and is indeed frowned upon enough to merit special adjectives describing it, like ancestrous—these two lovers have a special youthful chemistry and randiness. It allows me to contrast a relationship that seems normal to us with a normalcy in their society we'd find promiscuous at best. It puts an interesting spin on concepts of fidelity and love. They spend parts of this moonshot novel proving they're better than what everyone assumes.

Other than this one example, I'm more likely to have characters form relationships of their own accord as the story develops and I discover connections.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

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#EroticMusings 2026.05.03 — Week 49 (May 3-9) Characters: Do you come up with your characters before their relationships, or do you design characters to fit desired relationships or interpersonal dynamics? Any interesting examples?

The daemon Thorn Rose and the day angel Streak Carryingaton were created with their relationship in mind. She's as dark as midnight and he's as white as snow. I'm using intentionally loaded words here. Also, she has an accent that alludes to an eastern European accent. She's a first generation daughter of an emigrant mother alluding to the Jewish ethnic experience in the early to mid-1900s in the US. He's simply from a bad neighborhood never expected to amount to much. In a world where a relationship like what we would call "marriage" does not exist—and is indeed frowned upon enough to merit special adjectives describing it, like ancestrous—these two lovers have a special youthful chemistry and randiness. It allows me to contrast a relationship that seems normal to us with a normalcy in their society we'd find promiscuous at best. It puts an interesting spin on concepts of fidelity and love. They spend parts of this moonshot novel proving they're better than what everyone assumes.

Other than this one example, I'm more likely to have characters form relationships of their own accord as the story develops and I discover connections.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#EroticMusings 2026.05.03 — Week 49 (May 3-9) Characters: Do you come up with your characters before their relationships, or do you design characters to fit desired relationships or interpersonal dynamics? Any interesting examples?

The daemon Thorn Rose and the day angel Streak Carryingaton were created with their relationship in mind. She's as dark as midnight and he's as white as snow. I'm using intentionally loaded words here. Also, she has an accent that alludes to an eastern European accent. She's a first generation daughter of an emigrant mother alluding to the Jewish ethnic experience in the early to mid-1900s in the US. He's simply from a bad neighborhood never expected to amount to much. In a world where a relationship like what we would call "marriage" does not exist—and is indeed frowned upon enough to merit special adjectives describing it, like ancestrous—these two lovers have a special youthful chemistry and randiness. It allows me to contrast a relationship that seems normal to us with a normalcy in their society we'd find promiscuous at best. It puts an interesting spin on concepts of fidelity and love. They spend parts of this moonshot novel proving they're better than what everyone assumes.

Other than this one example, I'm more likely to have characters form relationships of their own accord as the story develops and I discover connections.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#EroticMusings 2026.05.10 Week 50 (May 10-15) Studio: Is your creative workspace erotic in any way? Would a visitor guess that erotica is created there?

The visitor would have to search my desk to find the toys. The bedroom would be a better choice.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

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#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#EroticMusings 2026.05.10 Week 50 (May 10-15) Studio: Is your creative workspace erotic in any way? Would a visitor guess that erotica is created there?

The visitor would have to search my desk to find the toys. The bedroom would be a better choice.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#EroticMusings 2026.05.10 Week 50 (May 10-15) Studio: Is your creative workspace erotic in any way? Would a visitor guess that erotica is created there?

The visitor would have to search my desk to find the toys. The bedroom would be a better choice.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#EroticMusings 2026.05.10 Week 50 (May 10-15) Studio: Is your creative workspace erotic in any way? Would a visitor guess that erotica is created there?

The visitor would have to search my desk to find the toys. The bedroom would be a better choice.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#PennedPossibilities 1012 — How do your characters feel about seeing doctors or anyone in the medical field?

The best doctors are daemons as Bolt, my day angel MC, understands it. As far as she knows (and she'll learn she's wrong) all doctors are part of Health Services, something everyone gets for free along with basic income, and is therefore available to her only if she shows her government ID. She's a criminal, so she's intentionally lost that ID; the last thing she needs is for the mob to use it to trace her to her family (or for the constabulary to link her to a teenage cough-cough "indiscretion"). Her first experience with the medical field in the novel is when she takes her boyfriend Molt, who is a very cute university student, to Health Services to mend a broken arm. Not only does a daemon nurse use a miracle to relieve the guy's pain, but a daemon doctor later "reaches" into Molt's body to "convince" his fracture to heal "miraculously" quickly. Bolt later learns from the devil-girl that the exceptionally talented doctor they had to wait half the night for is Rainy Day's personal physician.

It's interesting how the main series antagonist, Rainy Days, keeps up showing up peripherally in the story!

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

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#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1012 — How do your characters feel about seeing doctors or anyone in the medical field?

The best doctors are daemons as Bolt, my day angel MC, understands it. As far as she knows (and she'll learn she's wrong) all doctors are part of Health Services, something everyone gets for free along with basic income, and is therefore available to her only if she shows her government ID. She's a criminal, so she's intentionally lost that ID; the last thing she needs is for the mob to use it to trace her to her family (or for the constabulary to link her to a teenage cough-cough "indiscretion"). Her first experience with the medical field in the novel is when she takes her boyfriend Molt, who is a very cute university student, to Health Services to mend a broken arm. Not only does a daemon nurse use a miracle to relieve the guy's pain, but a daemon doctor later "reaches" into Molt's body to "convince" his fracture to heal "miraculously" quickly. Bolt later learns from the devil-girl that the exceptionally talented doctor they had to wait half the night for is Rainy Day's personal physician.

It's interesting how the main series antagonist, Rainy Days, keeps up showing up peripherally in the story!

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1012 — How do your characters feel about seeing doctors or anyone in the medical field?

The best doctors are daemons as Bolt, my day angel MC, understands it. As far as she knows (and she'll learn she's wrong) all doctors are part of Health Services, something everyone gets for free along with basic income, and is therefore available to her only if she shows her government ID. She's a criminal, so she's intentionally lost that ID; the last thing she needs is for the mob to use it to trace her to her family (or for the constabulary to link her to a teenage cough-cough "indiscretion"). Her first experience with the medical field in the novel is when she takes her boyfriend Molt, who is a very cute university student, to Health Services to mend a broken arm. Not only does a daemon nurse use a miracle to relieve the guy's pain, but a daemon doctor later "reaches" into Molt's body to "convince" his fracture to heal "miraculously" quickly. Bolt later learns from the devil-girl that the exceptionally talented doctor they had to wait half the night for is Rainy Day's personal physician.

It's interesting how the main series antagonist, Rainy Days, keeps up showing up peripherally in the story!

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1012 — How do your characters feel about seeing doctors or anyone in the medical field?

The best doctors are daemons as Bolt, my day angel MC, understands it. As far as she knows (and she'll learn she's wrong) all doctors are part of Health Services, something everyone gets for free along with basic income, and is therefore available to her only if she shows her government ID. She's a criminal, so she's intentionally lost that ID; the last thing she needs is for the mob to use it to trace her to her family (or for the constabulary to link her to a teenage cough-cough "indiscretion"). Her first experience with the medical field in the novel is when she takes her boyfriend Molt, who is a very cute university student, to Health Services to mend a broken arm. Not only does a daemon nurse use a miracle to relieve the guy's pain, but a daemon doctor later "reaches" into Molt's body to "convince" his fracture to heal "miraculously" quickly. Bolt later learns from the devil-girl that the exceptionally talented doctor they had to wait half the night for is Rainy Day's personal physician.

It's interesting how the main series antagonist, Rainy Days, keeps up showing up peripherally in the story!

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1012 — How do your characters feel about seeing doctors or anyone in the medical field?

The best doctors are daemons as Bolt, my day angel MC, understands it. As far as she knows (and she'll learn she's wrong) all doctors are part of Health Services, something everyone gets for free along with basic income, and is therefore available to her only if she shows her government ID. She's a criminal, so she's intentionally lost that ID; the last thing she needs is for the mob to use it to trace her to her family (or for the constabulary to link her to a teenage cough-cough "indiscretion"). Her first experience with the medical field in the novel is when she takes her boyfriend Molt, who is a very cute university student, to Health Services to mend a broken arm. Not only does a daemon nurse use a miracle to relieve the guy's pain, but a daemon doctor later "reaches" into Molt's body to "convince" his fracture to heal "miraculously" quickly. Bolt later learns from the devil-girl that the exceptionally talented doctor they had to wait half the night for is Rainy Day's personal physician.

It's interesting how the main series antagonist, Rainy Days, keeps up showing up peripherally in the story!

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

https://www.europesays.com/iran/111078/ Israeli Report Finds That Sexual Violence by Hamas Was Widespread #DefenseAndMilitaryForces #GazaStrip #gender #Hamas #InternationalRelations #Israel #UnitedNations #WestBank #Witnesses

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.12 — If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?

My life in the past decade has been this: dabbling in the other format. I was and had always been a novelist. The idea of something "short" was pretty much foreign, though not alien. When I began writing again after the 2001 burnout in 2015, I began first writing essays (which much of my output on Mastodon illustrates and demonstrates) and then writing short stories in the 1K to 3k range. I discovered the pleasure of starting, writing, then completing projects that novel length puts off and puts off and puts off... You get the idea. My answers today would be short stories, and if by novel you mean fiction, I'd write short essays or columns, though I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as writing fiction.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.12 — If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?

My life in the past decade has been this: dabbling in the other format. I was and had always been a novelist. The idea of something "short" was pretty much foreign, though not alien. When I began writing again after the 2001 burnout in 2015, I began first writing essays (which much of my output on Mastodon illustrates and demonstrates) and then writing short stories in the 1K to 3k range. I discovered the pleasure of starting, writing, then completing projects that novel length puts off and puts off and puts off... You get the idea. My answers today would be short stories, and if by novel you mean fiction, I'd write short essays or columns, though I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as writing fiction.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.12 — If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?

My life in the past decade has been this: dabbling in the other format. I was and had always been a novelist. The idea of something "short" was pretty much foreign, though not alien. When I began writing again after the 2001 burnout in 2015, I began first writing essays (which much of my output on Mastodon illustrates and demonstrates) and then writing short stories in the 1K to 3k range. I discovered the pleasure of starting, writing, then completing projects that novel length puts off and puts off and puts off... You get the idea. My answers today would be short stories, and if by novel you mean fiction, I'd write short essays or columns, though I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as writing fiction.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.12 — If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?

My life in the past decade has been this: dabbling in the other format. I was and had always been a novelist. The idea of something "short" was pretty much foreign, though not alien. When I began writing again after the 2001 burnout in 2015, I began first writing essays (which much of my output on Mastodon illustrates and demonstrates) and then writing short stories in the 1K to 3k range. I discovered the pleasure of starting, writing, then completing projects that novel length puts off and puts off and puts off... You get the idea. My answers today would be short stories, and if by novel you mean fiction, I'd write short essays or columns, though I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as writing fiction.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.05.12 — If not in your current format (novel, play, music, etc.), in what format would you write?

My life in the past decade has been this: dabbling in the other format. I was and had always been a novelist. The idea of something "short" was pretty much foreign, though not alien. When I began writing again after the 2001 burnout in 2015, I began first writing essays (which much of my output on Mastodon illustrates and demonstrates) and then writing short stories in the 1K to 3k range. I discovered the pleasure of starting, writing, then completing projects that novel length puts off and puts off and puts off... You get the idea. My answers today would be short stories, and if by novel you mean fiction, I'd write short essays or columns, though I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as writing fiction.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion