#pennedpossibilities — Public Fediverse posts

#PennedPossibilities 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

Being observant, noticing things others never see, and seeing patterns.

The others would say things like 'We bloody well hope so, considering you're the Overseer!' and 'Not everyone is good at their job, though.' and leave it at that.

1121. What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

Bella would say that she never gives up and does what she thinks needs to be done. Her friends would agree.

#PennedPossibilities

#PennedPossibilities 1121

What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

Kessy wouldn't brag in any way, she tries to be as mousey as possible so others leave her alone for the better.

#PennedPossibilities 1119

Ketchup

MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

"Nobody taught me how to be 'brave', swallow my feelings and just go on as nothing really matters, I had to develop that myself. Did it help me? Not really, but sometimes it's needed to keep my mind for myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a good time at any school."

#PennedPossibilities 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

She'd say none. Were you to pry it out of Bolt, she'd tell you that she's deceitful, sneaky, cowardly, and twelve flavors of stupid.

Most of the other characters would disagree. They would say she's incredibly earnest, honest to a fault (despite working for the mob), and always speaks her mind. Moreover, she's dependable.

It's the qualities that have made Boss Mead and the mob lieutenants keep her around. She's very good at her job as a courier without ever sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Rain Days, the Director of Home, was so impressed by her encounter with her, how she taught and then protected her praetorian friend Blue against her, that Rainy Days has her eye on Bolt as a possible student†. BTW, those last two are her big antagonists…

She's human, though. The truth is somewhere in between.

=~=~=~=~=
† It's an honor, but she breaks far more personal students than she graduates, and it's traveling through hell either way.

[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 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

She'd say none. Were you to pry it out of Bolt, she'd tell you that she's deceitful, sneaky, cowardly, and twelve flavors of stupid.

Most of the other characters would disagree. They would say she's incredibly earnest, honest to a fault (despite working for the mob), and always speaks her mind. Moreover, she's dependable.

It's the qualities that have made Boss Mead and the mob lieutenants keep her around. She's very good at her job as a courier without ever sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Rain Days, the Director of Home, was so impressed by her encounter with her, how she taught and then protected her praetorian friend Blue against her, that Rainy Days has her eye on Bolt as a possible student†. BTW, those last two are her big antagonists…

She's human, though. The truth is somewhere in between.

=~=~=~=~=
† It's an honor, but she breaks far more personal students than she graduates, and it's traveling through hell either way.

[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 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

She'd say none. Were you to pry it out of Bolt, she'd tell you that she's deceitful, sneaky, cowardly, and twelve flavors of stupid.

Most of the other characters would disagree. They would say she's incredibly earnest, honest to a fault (despite working for the mob), and always speaks her mind. Moreover, she's dependable.

It's the qualities that have made Boss Mead and the mob lieutenants keep her around. She's very good at her job as a courier without ever sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Rain Days, the Director of Home, was so impressed by her encounter with her, how she taught and then protected her praetorian friend Blue against her, that Rainy Days has her eye on Bolt as a possible student†. BTW, those last two are her big antagonists…

She's human, though. The truth is somewhere in between.

=~=~=~=~=
† It's an honor, but she breaks far more personal students than she graduates, and it's traveling through hell either way.

[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 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

She'd say none. Were you to pry it out of Bolt, she'd tell you that she's deceitful, sneaky, cowardly, and twelve flavors of stupid.

Most of the other characters would disagree. They would say she's incredibly earnest, honest to a fault (despite working for the mob), and always speaks her mind. Moreover, she's dependable.

It's the qualities that have made Boss Mead and the mob lieutenants keep her around. She's very good at her job as a courier without ever sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Rain Days, the Director of Home, was so impressed by her encounter with her, how she taught and then protected her praetorian friend Blue against her, that Rainy Days has her eye on Bolt as a possible student†. BTW, those last two are her big antagonists…

She's human, though. The truth is somewhere in between.

=~=~=~=~=
† It's an honor, but she breaks far more personal students than she graduates, and it's traveling through hell either way.

[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 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

She'd say none. Were you to pry it out of Bolt, she'd tell you that she's deceitful, sneaky, cowardly, and twelve flavors of stupid.

Most of the other characters would disagree. They would say she's incredibly earnest, honest to a fault (despite working for the mob), and always speaks her mind. Moreover, she's dependable.

It's the qualities that have made Boss Mead and the mob lieutenants keep her around. She's very good at her job as a courier without ever sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Rain Days, the Director of Home, was so impressed by her encounter with her, how she taught and then protected her praetorian friend Blue against her, that Rainy Days has her eye on Bolt as a possible student†. BTW, those last two are her big antagonists…

She's human, though. The truth is somewhere in between.

=~=~=~=~=
† It's an honor, but she breaks far more personal students than she graduates, and it's traveling through hell either way.

[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 1121: What would your MC say their personal strengths are? Would other characters agree?

Kindness. He would say that it's the abundance of kindness in his ancient heart. To go one step further, he would also admit that it’s both his greatest strength and his biggest weakness. Others would agree with him, but they would certainly argue that it isn’t a weakness, only a strength.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #TheScarletMirror #FatedByFire #CozyFantasy #Fantasy #SwordAndSorcery #Romance

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

A month later she disappeared for over a week and didn't come back home until that deer had kicked her, cracking two ribs. Her mother was cooking stew when she had slinked back in, shifted, then fell over from the pain and nearly passed out. She could still hear the amused tone as her mother told her “Until you're old enough to regenerate, stick to hunting things smaller than you.. and you'll heal quicker if you stay as a wolf next time. Also it's good manners to bring something back to cook. Now what got you and where?”

————
#SanguineDreams #riders_of_the_dream #RidersOfTheDream #werewolves #werewolf #writing

#PennedPossibilities 1116: What does your antagonist fear?

That they might be wrong.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: From the WIP with “entertainment.”

Close enough?

Quite unexpectedly, Prefrontal Cortex is nowhere to be found. The lights dimmed for a moment and as soon as your back was turned, they have slipped away. You entertain the idea of asking Amygdala and immediately dismiss the thought. A keeper of knowledge she is not. How many times has she made the heart gallop screaming bloody murder over a shadow that had a vague resemblance to a spider?

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

See screencap: full text in alt-text. It doesn't specifically use the word "entertainment" … but it might as well. Will fix later!

(The house party is so entertainingly memorable that it ends with a jewel robbery, a fox hunt, a nuclear explosion, then the inquisition turns up and crucifies all the survivors.)

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

1/2
That would be Cassie when she’s performing on stage in the persona of The Lady Cassandra.

She’s perky Goth with bubble-gum pink hair who just happens to be a Gothic Belly Dancer.

#WritersOfMastodon #TalesFrom… #SecretLife… #HowtoSucceed… #Author #Novel

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

My main WIP from the last year and a half is no longer IP. Of course, there’s always a W that’s IP.

There’s far less to draw on being so fresh. I haven’t used this word. Although there was a fireworks show that was quite entertaining, so let’s go with that.

I’d share an excerpt but it’s all handwritten at the moment and I haven’t had enough coffee this morning to decipher those hieroglyphics.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here we finally meet actor Paddy McLemore:

Hulvey fussed around for a minute or two until the corridor door opened and admitted two well-dressed men, one young and wearing a suit so sharply pressed Barbara entertained a momentary fantasy of trying to slice her arm on one of its creases. Behind him appeared a taller, older man, perhaps in his thirties, with receding hair.

1120. Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

**Meanwhile, the minstrel has started his routine. He sings some ballads—he does have a good voice—and then moves on to more bawdy songs. The guests love it and sing along. Finally, he sings praise to my mother.
…
“Good Queen Ravenhold, who keeps the Elfen trash at bay.
“Good Queen Ravenhold, who wipes the Elfen trash away.”
…
The audience roars and chants the chorus, all the while thumping their mugs on the tables.''

#PennedPossibilities

#PennedPossibilities 1120: "entertainment"

Last I’d visited, King’s Harbor had been the largest city in the “free province of Dayonia.” I knew all the history but still found it jarring to see. Some unpleasant echo of Old Earth had triumphed in the northern hemisphere: an imitation learned from books. Magery had been driven farther underground. “Magic” was now the province of entertainment, dubious specialty shops, and pricey retreats.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Uh.

I searched for "entertainment" in A Wolf's Love.

"Keyword not found."

Same for Moon Rises.

I guess I don't write out that word often.

So be it.

#WritingCommunity

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Uh.

I searched for "entertainment" in A Wolf's Love.

"Keyword not found."

Same for Moon Rises.

I guess I don't write out that word often.

So be it.

#WritingCommunity

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Uh.

I searched for "entertainment" in A Wolf's Love.

"Keyword not found."

Same for Moon Rises.

I guess I don't write out that word often.

So be it.

#WritingCommunity

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Uh.

I searched for "entertainment" in A Wolf's Love.

"Keyword not found."

Same for Moon Rises.

I guess I don't write out that word often.

So be it.

#WritingCommunity

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Uh.

I searched for "entertainment" in A Wolf's Love.

"Keyword not found."

Same for Moon Rises.

I guess I don't write out that word often.

So be it.

#WritingCommunity

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

In my story, Lucy's son Patryk is studying music at college and is also involved in the writing/production of a play with some of his college friends. In the story Lucy has watched him perform his songs twice at open mics. Patryk's songs are very entertaining. Patryk is destined to be a writer/performer in small scale travelling theatre groups which is not a lucrative profession.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

In my story, Lucy's son Patryk is studying music at college and is also involved in the writing/production of a play with some of his college friends. In the story Lucy has watched him perform his songs twice at open mics. Patryk's songs are very entertaining. Patryk is destined to be a writer/performer in small scale travelling theatre groups which is not a lucrative profession.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

In my story, Lucy's son Patryk is studying music at college and is also involved in the writing/production of a play with some of his college friends. In the story Lucy has watched him perform his songs twice at open mics. Patryk's songs are very entertaining. Patryk is destined to be a writer/performer in small scale travelling theatre groups which is not a lucrative profession.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

In my story, Lucy's son Patryk is studying music at college and is also involved in the writing/production of a play with some of his college friends. In the story Lucy has watched him perform his songs twice at open mics. Patryk's songs are very entertaining. Patryk is destined to be a writer/performer in small scale travelling theatre groups which is not a lucrative profession.

#PennedPossibilities #PennedPossibilitiesWordEdition 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here, from my FLOPPY EARS BOOK! ❤️ https://ekdawn.com/novel/CHTS

(Context for the ears: https://mastoart.social/@thatwriterellie/117185281007509109 Context for word prompt: https://mastoart.social/@floofpaldi@mindly.social/117221818297297395 )

Might release in ~2027!

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #Books #DarkCozy #Fantasy #DarkCozyFantasy #DisabledRepresentation #LGBTQIA #QueerFantasy #IndieBooks

#PennedPossibilities #PennedPossibilitiesWordEdition 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here, from my FLOPPY EARS BOOK! ❤️ https://ekdawn.com/novel/CHTS

(Context for the ears: https://mastoart.social/@thatwriterellie/117185281007509109 Context for word prompt: https://mastoart.social/@floofpaldi@mindly.social/117221818297297395 )

Might release in ~2027!

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #Books #DarkCozy #Fantasy #DarkCozyFantasy #DisabledRepresentation #LGBTQIA #QueerFantasy #IndieBooks

#PennedPossibilities #PennedPossibilitiesWordEdition 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here, from my FLOPPY EARS BOOK! ❤️ https://ekdawn.com/novel/CHTS

(Context for the ears: https://mastoart.social/@thatwriterellie/117185281007509109 Context for word prompt: https://mastoart.social/@floofpaldi@mindly.social/117221818297297395 )

Might release in ~2027!

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #Books #DarkCozy #Fantasy #DarkCozyFantasy #DisabledRepresentation #LGBTQIA #QueerFantasy #IndieBooks

#PennedPossibilities #PennedPossibilitiesWordEdition 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here, from my FLOPPY EARS BOOK! ❤️ https://ekdawn.com/novel/CHTS

(Context for the ears: https://mastoart.social/@thatwriterellie/117185281007509109 Context for word prompt: https://mastoart.social/@floofpaldi@mindly.social/117221818297297395 )

Might release in ~2027!

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #Books #DarkCozy #Fantasy #DarkCozyFantasy #DisabledRepresentation #LGBTQIA #QueerFantasy #IndieBooks

#PennedPossibilities #PennedPossibilitiesWordEdition 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Here, from my FLOPPY EARS BOOK! ❤️ https://
ekdawn.com/novel/CHTS

(Context for the ears: https://mastoart.social/@thatwriterellie/117185281007509109 Context for word prompt: https://mastoart.social/@floofpaldi@mindly.social/117221818297297395 )

Might release in ~2027!

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #Books #DarkCozy #Fantasy #DarkCozyFantasy #DisabledRepresentation #LGBTQIA #QueerFantasy #IndieBooks

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Bolt is acting as the photographer for her friend Shugh as he interviews a male diva actor for a magazine similar to The New Yorker. Hers is a woman-centric society. The scene in this #excerpt hints that Bolt can be sexist as the actor being interviewed needles her.

Upstairs, Shugh hit it off with Morning Glory. Both men sought careers not often occupied by men. The actor-playwright became more animated as the magazine interview progressed, allowing me with my camera to fade into the background of the plush upper lounge of the theatre. By the time the long-legged delicate man started pacing as he told his life story, I had gleaned that his tale was glorified and larger-than life, like the man, his persona, his masks. His elegant pacing allowed me to move with my Flicka4, steadying myself using the back of a gilt divan, a bamboo formed-steel torchere lamp (one of pair), and then a black marble tea table to as I composed pictures of a celebrity, but a man, lost in thoughts about inflating the image he presented the world, finally dropping his actor's mask. I caught the sparkle in his eye. I caught flamboyant hands thrown wide, later framing his face as he sang a note. I caught an absentminded sneer aimed at an unnamed actress who'd worked to derail his entertainment career.

"I'm changing the way women perceive men," he declared. He sat abruptly on a hanger chair, one of those short shallow chairs built with a bench seat of a single plank of wood, finely finished glowing golden oak but uncushioned; it barely supported his thighs in deference to his hips, forcing the man to crouch. Also called a man's chair because a man looked really adorable hanging there when unclothed in a certain way. (It totally did Morning Glory.) That it made men shorter than any women in a room seemed like a plus, but then I was female. These days, especially in the city, I'd seen men leave a room in disgust if they saw one. Not Morning Glory! Probably furnished it here himself, stage managing, to spike the drama. Legs wide, crouching—his hands above his knees, framing his crotch—eyes narrowed and on me, his body language firmed up my perception of him.

Performatively male, sure of his good looks.

Aggressive.

Dominant.

He addressed Shugh still meeting my gaze. "Steamed Milk and Sugar—can I call you Milk? How does it feel working as her protégé? Do we live in progressive times?"

Hint, hint! I am a #gender #fiction #writer. If you think a hanger chair in this Basic Instincts scene is peculiar, realize that it is a male-oriented gender domination device analogous to what stiletto heels achieve physically with women in our society. Like many women today, Morning Glory is "owning" it (trying anyway) and changing the device's meaning.

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

#BoostingIsSharing

#author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Bolt is acting as the photographer for her friend Shugh as he interviews a male diva actor for a magazine similar to The New Yorker. Hers is a woman-centric society. The scene in this #excerpt hints that Bolt can be sexist as the actor being interviewed needles her.

Upstairs, Shugh hit it off with Morning Glory. Both men sought careers not often occupied by men. The actor-playwright became more animated as the magazine interview progressed, allowing me with my camera to fade into the background of the plush upper lounge of the theatre. By the time the long-legged delicate man started pacing as he told his life story, I had gleaned that his tale was glorified and larger-than life, like the man, his persona, his masks. His elegant pacing allowed me to move with my Flicka4, steadying myself using the back of a gilt divan, a bamboo formed-steel torchere lamp (one of pair), and then a black marble tea table to as I composed pictures of a celebrity, but a man, lost in thoughts about inflating the image he presented the world, finally dropping his actor's mask. I caught the sparkle in his eye. I caught flamboyant hands thrown wide, later framing his face as he sang a note. I caught an absentminded sneer aimed at an unnamed actress who'd worked to derail his entertainment career.

"I'm changing the way women perceive men," he declared. He sat abruptly on a hanger chair, one of those short shallow chairs built with a bench seat of a single plank of wood, finely finished glowing golden oak but uncushioned; it barely supported his thighs in deference to his hips, forcing the man to crouch. Also called a man's chair because a man looked really adorable hanging there when unclothed in a certain way. (It totally did Morning Glory.) That it made men shorter than any women in a room seemed like a plus, but then I was female. These days, especially in the city, I'd seen men leave a room in disgust if they saw one. Not Morning Glory! Probably furnished it here himself, stage managing, to spike the drama. Legs wide, crouching—his hands above his knees, framing his crotch—eyes narrowed and on me, his body language firmed up my perception of him.

Performatively male, sure of his good looks.

Aggressive.

Dominant.

He addressed Shugh still meeting my gaze. "Steamed Milk and Sugar—can I call you Milk? How does it feel working as her protégé? Do we live in progressive times?"

Hint, hint! I am a #gender #fiction #writer. If you think a hanger chair in this Basic Instincts scene is peculiar, realize that it is a male-oriented gender domination device analogous to what stiletto heels achieve physically with women in our society. Like many women today, Morning Glory is "owning" it (trying anyway) and changing the device's meaning.

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

#BoostingIsSharing

#author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Bolt is acting as the photographer for her friend Shugh as he interviews a male diva actor for a magazine similar to The New Yorker. Hers is a woman-centric society. The scene in this #excerpt hints that Bolt can be sexist as the actor being interviewed needles her.

Upstairs, Shugh hit it off with Morning Glory. Both men sought careers not often occupied by men. The actor-playwright became more animated as the magazine interview progressed, allowing me with my camera to fade into the background of the plush upper lounge of the theatre. By the time the long-legged delicate man started pacing as he told his life story, I had gleaned that his tale was glorified and larger-than life, like the man, his persona, his masks. His elegant pacing allowed me to move with my Flicka4, steadying myself using the back of a gilt divan, a bamboo formed-steel torchere lamp (one of pair), and then a black marble tea table to as I composed pictures of a celebrity, but a man, lost in thoughts about inflating the image he presented the world, finally dropping his actor's mask. I caught the sparkle in his eye. I caught flamboyant hands thrown wide, later framing his face as he sang a note. I caught an absentminded sneer aimed at an unnamed actress who'd worked to derail his entertainment career.

"I'm changing the way women perceive men," he declared. He sat abruptly on a hanger chair, one of those short shallow chairs built with a bench seat of a single plank of wood, finely finished glowing golden oak but uncushioned; it barely supported his thighs in deference to his hips, forcing the man to crouch. Also called a man's chair because a man looked really adorable hanging there when unclothed in a certain way. (It totally did Morning Glory.) That it made men shorter than any women in a room seemed like a plus, but then I was female. These days, especially in the city, I'd seen men leave a room in disgust if they saw one. Not Morning Glory! Probably furnished it here himself, stage managing, to spike the drama. Legs wide, crouching—his hands above his knees, framing his crotch—eyes narrowed and on me, his body language firmed up my perception of him.

Performatively male, sure of his good looks.

Aggressive.

Dominant.

He addressed Shugh still meeting my gaze. "Steamed Milk and Sugar—can I call you Milk? How does it feel working as her protégé? Do we live in progressive times?"

Hint, hint! I am a #gender #fiction #writer. If you think a hanger chair in this Basic Instincts scene is peculiar, realize that it is a male-oriented gender domination device analogous to what stiletto heels achieve physically with women in our society. Like many women today, Morning Glory is "owning" it (trying anyway) and changing the device's meaning.

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

#BoostingIsSharing

#author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Bolt is acting as the photographer for her friend Shugh as he interviews a male diva actor for a magazine similar to The New Yorker. Hers is a woman-centric society. The scene in this #excerpt hints that Bolt can be sexist as the actor being interviewed needles her.

Upstairs, Shugh hit it off with Morning Glory. Both men sought careers not often occupied by men. The actor-playwright became more animated as the magazine interview progressed, allowing me with my camera to fade into the background of the plush upper lounge of the theatre. By the time the long-legged delicate man started pacing as he told his life story, I had gleaned that his tale was glorified and larger-than life, like the man, his persona, his masks. His elegant pacing allowed me to move with my Flicka4, steadying myself using the back of a gilt divan, a bamboo formed-steel torchere lamp (one of pair), and then a black marble tea table to as I composed pictures of a celebrity, but a man, lost in thoughts about inflating the image he presented the world, finally dropping his actor's mask. I caught the sparkle in his eye. I caught flamboyant hands thrown wide, later framing his face as he sang a note. I caught an absentminded sneer aimed at an unnamed actress who'd worked to derail his entertainment career.

"I'm changing the way women perceive men," he declared. He sat abruptly on a hanger chair, one of those short shallow chairs built with a bench seat of a single plank of wood, finely finished glowing golden oak but uncushioned; it barely supported his thighs in deference to his hips, forcing the man to crouch. Also called a man's chair because a man looked really adorable hanging there when unclothed in a certain way. (It totally did Morning Glory.) That it made men shorter than any women in a room seemed like a plus, but then I was female. These days, especially in the city, I'd seen men leave a room in disgust if they saw one. Not Morning Glory! Probably furnished it here himself, stage managing, to spike the drama. Legs wide, crouching—his hands above his knees, framing his crotch—eyes narrowed and on me, his body language firmed up my perception of him.

Performatively male, sure of his good looks.

Aggressive.

Dominant.

He addressed Shugh still meeting my gaze. "Steamed Milk and Sugar—can I call you Milk? How does it feel working as her protégé? Do we live in progressive times?"

Hint, hint! I am a #gender #fiction #writer. If you think a hanger chair in this Basic Instincts scene is peculiar, realize that it is a male-oriented gender domination device analogous to what stiletto heels achieve physically with women in our society. Like many women today, Morning Glory is "owning" it (trying anyway) and changing the device's meaning.

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

#BoostingIsSharing

#author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Bolt is acting as the photographer for her friend Shugh as he interviews a male diva actor for a magazine similar to The New Yorker. Hers is a woman-centric society. The scene in this #excerpt hints that Bolt can be sexist as the actor being interviewed needles her.

Upstairs, Shugh hit it off with Morning Glory. Both men sought careers not often occupied by men. The actor-playwright became more animated as the magazine interview progressed, allowing me with my camera to fade into the background of the plush upper lounge of the theatre. By the time the long-legged delicate man started pacing as he told his life story, I had gleaned that his tale was glorified and larger-than life, like the man, his persona, his masks. His elegant pacing allowed me to move with my Flicka4, steadying myself using the back of a gilt divan, a bamboo formed-steel torchere lamp (one of pair), and then a black marble tea table to as I composed pictures of a celebrity, but a man, lost in thoughts about inflating the image he presented the world, finally dropping his actor's mask. I caught the sparkle in his eye. I caught flamboyant hands thrown wide, later framing his face as he sang a note. I caught an absentminded sneer aimed at an unnamed actress who'd worked to derail his entertainment career.

"I'm changing the way women perceive men," he declared. He sat abruptly on a hanger chair, one of those short shallow chairs built with a bench seat of a single plank of wood, finely finished glowing golden oak but uncushioned; it barely supported his thighs in deference to his hips, forcing the man to crouch. Also called a man's chair because a man looked really adorable hanging there when unclothed in a certain way. (It totally did Morning Glory.) That it made men shorter than any women in a room seemed like a plus, but then I was female. These days, especially in the city, I'd seen men leave a room in disgust if they saw one. Not Morning Glory! Probably furnished it here himself, stage managing, to spike the drama. Legs wide, crouching—his hands above his knees, framing his crotch—eyes narrowed and on me, his body language firmed up my perception of him.

Performatively male, sure of his good looks.

Aggressive.

Dominant.

He addressed Shugh still meeting my gaze. "Steamed Milk and Sugar—can I call you Milk? How does it feel working as her protégé? Do we live in progressive times?"

Hint, hint! I am a #gender #fiction #writer. If you think a hanger chair in this Basic Instincts scene is peculiar, realize that it is a male-oriented gender domination device analogous to what stiletto heels achieve physically with women in our society. Like many women today, Morning Glory is "owning" it (trying anyway) and changing the device's meaning.

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

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#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

There was room for entertainment and he was making off with fresh comics and a couple shooting games with appropriate gun controllers and goggles. Not that what he had was bad, but he'd always seen that sort of thing as really old. If he'd been serious, he could have gotten some glove controllers, but he'd gotten sticker shock on it and decided his current reality was exciting enough without bringing virtual reality too far into it. The goggles could be used for augmented reality and that was plenty for a shooting gallery.

Honestly, how could anyone find space so boring that they need to escape into a new reality entirely? he smirked to himself, then lost it as he realized it would have been perfect for the trips between the two stars. He thought on it and checked his funds. I'm not that desperate.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

There was room for entertainment and he was making off with fresh comics and a couple shooting games with appropriate gun controllers and goggles. Not that what he had was bad, but he'd always seen that sort of thing as really old. If he'd been serious, he could have gotten some glove controllers, but he'd gotten sticker shock on it and decided his current reality was exciting enough without bringing virtual reality too far into it. The goggles could be used for augmented reality and that was plenty for a shooting gallery.

Honestly, how could anyone find space so boring that they need to escape into a new reality entirely? he smirked to himself, then frowned as he realized it would have been perfect for the trips between the two stars. He thought on it and checked his funds. I'm not that desperate.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

There was room for entertainment and he was making off with fresh comics and a couple shooting games with appropriate gun controllers and goggles. Not that what he had was bad, but he'd always seen that sort of thing as really old. If he'd been serious, he could have gotten some glove controllers, but he'd gotten sticker shock on it and decided his current reality was exciting enough without bringing virtual reality too far into it. The goggles could be used for augmented reality and that was plenty for a shooting gallery.

Honestly, how could anyone find space so boring that they need to escape into a new reality entirely? he smirked to himself, then lost it as he realized it would have been perfect for the trips between the two stars. He thought on it and checked his funds. I'm not that desperate.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

There was room for entertainment and he was making off with fresh comics and a couple shooting games with appropriate gun controllers and goggles. Not that what he had was bad, but he'd always seen that sort of thing as really old. If he'd been serious, he could have gotten some glove controllers, but he'd gotten sticker shock on it and decided his current reality was exciting enough without bringing virtual reality too far into it. The goggles could be used for augmented reality and that was plenty for a shooting gallery.

Honestly, how could anyone find space so boring that they need to escape into a new reality entirely? he smirked to himself, then lost it as he realized it would have been perfect for the trips between the two stars. He thought on it and checked his funds. I'm not that desperate.

#PennedPossibilities 1120: Saturday Word Edition: Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

There was room for entertainment and he was making off with fresh comics and a couple shooting games with appropriate gun controllers and goggles. Not that what he had was bad, but he'd always seen that sort of thing as really old. If he'd been serious, he could have gotten some glove controllers, but he'd gotten sticker shock on it and decided his current reality was exciting enough without bringing virtual reality too far into it. The goggles could be used for augmented reality and that was plenty for a shooting gallery.

Honestly, how could anyone find space so boring that they need to escape into a new reality entirely? he smirked to himself, then lost it as he realized it would have been perfect for the trips between the two stars. He thought on it and checked his funds. I'm not that desperate.

#PennedPossibilities 1119: MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

For Ethan, strictly speaking, his most valuable skill is piloting. He did that on the government's dime in flight school so he could be useful and hopefully far from Earth in space.

That said, he has a lot of soft skills born from a life of walking on eggshells with his extended family. He's observant. Abnormally so. He's also able to bullshit well, which generally serves him well in any case where he needs to pass more than casual muster.

#PennedPossibilities 1119: MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

For Ethan, strictly speaking, his most valuable skill is piloting. He did that on the government's dime in flight school so he could be useful and hopefully far from Earth in space.

That said, he has a lot of soft skills born from a life of walking on eggshells with his extended family. He's observant. Abnormally so. He's also able to bullshit well, which generally serves him well in any case where he needs to pass more than casual muster.

#PennedPossibilities 1119: MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

For Ethan, strictly speaking, his most valuable skill is piloting. He did that on the government's dime in flight school so he could be useful and hopefully far from Earth in space.

That said, he has a lot of soft skills born from a life of walking on eggshells with his extended family. He's observant. Abnormally so. He's also able to bullshit well, which generally serves him well in any case where he needs to pass more than casual muster.

#PennedPossibilities 1119: MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

For Ethan, strictly speaking, his most valuable skill is piloting. He did that on the government's dime in flight school so he could be useful and hopefully far from Earth in space.

That said, he has a lot of soft skills born from a life of walking on eggshells with his extended family. He's observant. Abnormally so. He's also able to bullshit well, which generally serves him well in any case where he needs to pass more than casual muster.

#PennedPossibilities 1119: MC POV: How did you learn your most valuable skill? Who taught you, and why is it so important?

For Ethan, strictly speaking, his most valuable skill is piloting. He did that on the government's dime in flight school so he could be useful and hopefully far from Earth in space.

That said, he has a lot of soft skills born from a life of walking on eggshells with his extended family. He's observant. Abnormally so. He's also able to bullshit well, which generally serves him well in any case where he needs to pass more than casual muster.

#PennedPossibilities Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Kids go to drive-in cinema with parents to see "Mary Poppins". As credits are rolling up te screen at the end they hear over the speakers a friend calling for help, and an adult voice threatening her. They call at her house on the way home and find that she has been kidnapped.
#WIP #AmWriting

#PennedPossibilities Share something from your WIP pertaining to the word “entertainment.”

Kids go to drive-in cinema with parents to see "Mary Poppins". As credits are rolling up te screen at the end they hear over the speakers a friend calling for help, and an adult voice threatening her. They call at her house on the way home and find that she has been kidnapped.
#WIP #AmWriting