Today's story is "Dear Robertson Family" by Alyssa N. Vaughn. @alyssaenvy.itch.io #ratbag #ratbaglit #litmag #literarymagazine #drabble #drabbles #StrangeDearJohn

Happy Pride 👻🏳️‍🌈

This was such a good read to kick off the summer, just the perfect vibe 🎧

I'm a huge fan of Dolly Parton. We're the same age and height, but she can sing better. Shame on Missouri Republicans for slashing funding to Dolly's Imagination Library, which provides free books to over 170,000 children every month. They must reverse these cuts immediately.

echo -e "10 FakeOS Indie Games For 2026" Want to play computer games on your computer inside a computer? Here's a list of 10 upcoming indie games that take that extra step! gameobserver.com/10-promising...

I do not consent to Neil Gaiman being in my feed

I posted some new stuff on my redbubble 🌸🐋 www.redbubble.com/people/creat...

Everyone knew Mr. Q as the neighborhood #oddball. His lawn was littered with gnomes and flamingos. He took nightly unicycle rides. Harmless. When Mr. Q began digging the holes, no one was willing to write it off as a personality quirk any longer. Especially not after he bought the backhoe. #vss365

"Shoo," she waved him away as if he were a pesky fly, "I don't have time for your nonsense." "Would you have any room in your schedule for my #balderdash?" he asked, fluttering his eyelashes. "I'm afraid," she closed her book with a snap, "It's been all filled up by your malarkey!" #vss365

“Just look at my studio!” Frances stormed about, “My portraits? My landscapes? All gone!” Petra stood politely before an enormous canvas, splattered with streaks of all sizes and colors. “It’s interesting,” she offered. “It’s your fault,” he retorted, “You‘re driving me to #abstraction!” #vss365

“I don’t understand,” huffed the passenger, “Why have we stopped?” “Checkpoint,” the cabbie grunted, “Looking for #illicit materials. Hope you’ve got your papers, miss.” A cold blast of air made him turn to see an open door and an abandoned fur coat on the backseat, sprinkled with snow. #vss365

We were drawn out of our houses in the night, following the sound of music as though we were #bewitched. But truly, there was no magic in the piper’s song. We left willingly. Because we knew that the true revenge was yet to come, and we wanted no part of it. #vss365

“What is this?!” Isabel screeched, pointing to the pile of feathers on the mannequin. “You said my would be one-of-a-kind and totally #chic!” The designer looked at his phone, puzzled. “Perhaps,” he said politely, ”When placing orders by text, you could use spell-check.” #vss365

“I’d love to go to the dance with you,” Rita said politely, “But I‘ve already agreed to go with Eli.” “No worries,“ Leon swaggered, “I‘ll tell him you changed your mind. Y’know, so you don’t have to.” Rita blinked at him slowly. “What a #chivalrous offer. My answer would still be no.” #vss365

The librarians rarely found a reason to delve into the #aphotic depths of the library basement; all of the archive materials had been moved to a climate-controlled storage unit years ago. So when they found the door standing open, they chalked it up to a broken latch. The first time. #vss365

“What was that?” the handler hissed through Elaine’s concealed earpiece, “You almost blew your cover!” “I was trying to play it cool! Be #suave!” “Suave?! You ended that tango with a judo throw!” “He wasn’t keeping his hands in tango-friendly places!” #vss365

“Okay,” Alina wiped the sweat from her brow, “That’s the #last box.” Her husband stared at the mountain of cardboard cubes now dominating their living room. “What did you order?” he asked. She stared back. “I thought they were yours.” The doorbell rang, they both jumped. “Delivery!” #vss365

They stuck to the plan, followed the routes marked on the map, bribed the guards, #timed everything perfectly. It should’ve been the perfect crime. But how were they supposed to know that the priceless gem they had stolen... was actually an egg… #vss365

“And now,“ the king intoned, “With the tragic passing of your parents in the fire that destroyed your village, there is nothing to hold you back from your quest.” “You set the fire!” “I fail to see how that is #relevant.” #vss365

“You can make a difference! Take #action now!” shouted the woman on the corner, waving a flyer overhead. The wind whistled through the empty streets, the rusted frames of the ancient, crumbling towers creaked ominously overhead. She sighed. She would have to save the world by herself. #vss365

“Arr! Ye have two #options,” the pirate captain growled, “Ye can swear yer loyalty and join me crew, or ye can walk the plank.” The unfortunate philosopher gulped, balanced precariously above shark-infested waters. “Could we have a brief discussion,” he proposed, ”Of false dichotomies?” #vss365

“You’re dating someone you met in a chatroom?” Laura rolled her eyes, popping her gum loudly. “Somebody needs a #reality check.” “He’s totally legit!” Kristen glared back. ”I saw his MySpace page and everything.” “Yeah, right,” Laura scoffed, “And I’m going to prom with SmarterChild.“ #vss365

The director called for a cut, glaring at his lead actor. “I need you to dig deep,” he ground out, “What is your character’s motivation? What is his ultimate #goal in this scene?” The actor gave a blank stare, mouth hanging open as he pondered the question. “…a bagel?” #vss365

The two fugitives dodged through the docks as swiftly as they could, crouching between the starships. "This way," the first said, edging up an open boarding ramp. "You have your own #transport?" The second followed close behind. "Well," the first settled into the cockpit, "I do now." #vss365

The young man laughed nervously as he stood holding the flashlight, dodging flying clumps of dirt. The things one does for love… “So,” he cleared his throat, “What kind of #science project is this anyway?” His crush popped her head out of the freshly in-dug grave. “What science project?” #vss365

The customer stormed out of the fitting room, sleeves dangling and pant legs dragging. “You said these suits were made-to-measure!” he shouted, turning red. “Of course, sir,” the clerk bustled over to demonstrate the concealed ruler and scales. “You can #measure anything you want!” #vss365

“You’re leaving? Just like that?” Jack scoffed, “What, did you join a cult?“ His wife dropped a stack of papers on the table before heading to the door. Photos of Jack and his mistress, pages of printed text messages… “No cult,” she said, “But I do have some #literature to leave for you.” #vss365

“You can’t do that!” Eliza hissed, “Breaking and entering is against the #law!” Ari gave her a dashing grin as sparks flew from his fingertips. The lock clicked and the door swung open of its own accord. “Ah, but we haven’t broken anything. So surely entering is permissible?” #vss365

“We can’t take the bridge,” the bard protests, “The tollkeeper and I have a #history.” The wizard rubbed his temples. “Did you steal from a bridge troll?” “Not exactly,” the bard replied, “But I am behind on child support.” #vss365

“I have spent a lifetime studying the #geography of you,” the old man kissed his partner’s hand, “But I still get lost in your eyes.” #vss365

Before exiting the hotel, the guest donned a pair of sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a black neck gaiter. “Hiding your face huh?” The doorman joked. “Are you #famous or something?’ “No,” came the muffled reply, ”Wanted.” #vss365

Rhea’s frown deepened as she scanned the job application. “Sleight of hand… funambulism… astral projection?!” She looked up in confusion. “The only requirement in the listing was a high school #education!” The receptionist coolly raised an eyebrow. “Your school didn't cover those?” #vss365

The traveler lifted the imported statuette for closer inspection. “Ah, sir,“ the shopkeeper rushed over, wringing her hands, “I think you might prefer our domesticated products.” “You mean #domestic?” the adventurer frowned. He could hear a low growl, felt his sleeve grow damp. “…No.” #vss365

Days 1 to 4 #witchtober 2025

Just posted this story on my website: www.anvaughn.com/2025/09/03/q...

Redoing the cover art for my oldest game

Tried some collage in the sketchbook this week

So this is what I've been doing today. Do I mean making the drawing or the activities depicted? No one will ever know.