Beenjamin's First Christmas: I think he likes the gifts. (🧵 1/2)

Okay, sure, have the associated photo. From Beenjamin and me to you, may you have a cozy Christmas with folks you love, whoever those may be. :)

Wrapped up the night by introducing Beenjamin to the Muppets. Beenjamin: [soft gasp, point] "They're soft! Like me!"

This looks so cute! 😭😭 I love that pin so much!! (And I'm super excited to hear more about the Bee Lord!)

And we're LIVE! Join us now for a sparkly Christmas Eve Night Writes, from now until whenever! Click the link to join our open chat. Word sprints start at 9 PM. www.youtube.com/live/W2irt9k... #writingcommunity #writesky

I'd hate to say it because I don't want to come off as the kind of person who can't take criticism, but that bit about the beta note in the thread about the sonic projection? Makes me think about how much passion I lost from the last beta run.

FFXIV keeps kicking me off, and I'm stalling on writing until the stream, so you get rushed bee doodles. Namely this one, of a zizzun buzzing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for reasons.

Unfortunately, no promo image today because somebody just had a pre-holiday bath. :V But look, relaxation is a big part of writing, right? Join us tonight at 8:30 PM ET for Night Writes! Sprints to start at 9. ;)

I have a tendency to give names to inanimate objects I really like. Anyway, the AlphaSmart's name is Clara, and I have discovered it is intensely relaxing to lounge on the couch with a cup of tea and Christmas tunes while clacking out 1k words in under an hour on a machine old enough to vote.

I might've gone immediately after work, against all reasonable judgment.

Mister Bee WIP! As in, A Scandal in Bohemia, but with bee people in Edwardian [mumble]. Because bees. Tbh, I'm delighted that TNS is evolving into its own universe. There's Mick's politics-heavy, drama-heavy story, and MEANWHILE, there's excitable Bee-lock Holmes going feral over mysteries.

One way or another, I'm going to take Beenjamin to the holiday market tomorrow. The pain's still there, but it's definitely just the ovary at this point. So long as I don't strain myself too much, I'll be fine and back in time for dinner.

Video showing off the AlphaSmart, which came in today! All you need to do is hook it up to your computer, open the doc you want to work on, make sure your cursor is at the end, and hit send, and boom! It works! It even fits in the adventure bag with Beenjamin! (Video mentions this, in this order.)

"And this, Beenjamin, is how to defend your hive without using your stinger." "Oooooooh." (On a serious note, woke up pain-free for the first time in days but doing work in bed with holiday-appropriate background noise.)

The parenting advice I needed today.

What I wanted to do today: Go to the Union Square Holiday Market. What I actually did: Spent the day in the ER with mystery right side pains, only to find out it's a misbehaving ovary. 🫠 I now have antibiotics. At this rate, Beenjamin's never going to see the better holiday market.

This is more of a paragraph than a single line...but I really like it, so here

Tennant: “College is mostly for proving yourself and partying. Degrees can easily be faked if you know photoshop and the school's logo. I happened to know both.” He shrugged. “Seriously though. It’s really just a fancy piece of paper and bragging rights.” #FaveLineFriday #Dystopian #CharacterQuotes

“I've had worse reasons to team up with worse people,” Karlach says, and flashes Wyll a wink that inexplicably makes him flush. “You're right, Turtle.” Raven actually smirks a little. “I know I'm right; that's why I said it.” Karlach cracks up laughing. #FaveLineFriday #BG3 #AMurderOfRavens

#FaveLineFriday "I will burn your paper dolls and roast your children over there their ashes." Yes, my book is funny. 😅 Not all my characters are. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

Theron and his father have always had a strained relationship, but at least Jace is trying now. better late than never, I guess. #FaveLineFriday #CharacterQuotes #TheronShan #JaceMalcolm #OriginalStory #StarWarstheOldRepublic

I love this moment. It’s the first time Jehani actually has to acknowledge how he feels about Kathian. Zero surprise it’s because of his best and oldest friend. #FaveLineFriday #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

I still laugh at this one #FaveLineFriday #CharacterQuotes #WIPSnips

Lord Borias: “I will always do everything to make you happy Theron, even if I have to share you with someone else. Which, I would not mind, though part of me would much rather keep you to myself." He grinned. Theron : *chuckling* "Why doesn’t that surprise me." #FaveLineFriday #CharacterQuotes

Lazulibleu: **Her red eyes went wide.** “You said that you were married Theron.” Theron: “Yeah, and you assumed that it was a woman.“ he squeezed Borias hand. “Borias is my husband.” #FaveLineFriday #WIPSnips #QueerWriters #CharacterQuotes from “the Broken Throne”

Jonas: “I’m happy you invited me Theron, and i’m even happier that you found somebody that wasn’t gonna abandon you.” He grabbed Theron by the shoulders. “We could’ve had something special, but I really messed it up huh?” #FaveLineFriday #QueerWriters #WIPSnips #CharacterQuotes

This is a longer excerpt because The Lake Hopper from my #Raven+Bear series is full of bangers. To be clear, this isn't a literal ghost he's talking to. I actually nearly cut this, but it's just too good not to have in. Also, Sir Corbyn Lore! 🥰 #FaveLineFriday #Raven+Bear #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

so glad to see #FaveLineFriday is now official !! I have a much sadder one today than I did for the pilot run (I have to post & run for a while, but I’ll revisit this quote-post thread later) #writesky

Here, I thought it'd be part of the ballad (which I'm proud to have finished), but then this happened. One fun thing about the edits? I've discovered Mick has a tendency to match the energy of anyone he's with. A very *interesting* tendency . . . 8) #FaveLineFriday

It's time for #FaveLineFriday! Post your favorite line you've written or edited this week, and don't forget the hashtag—or supporting your fellow authors!

Also, graphics are made, which means we're set for the first FaveLineFriday! Keep an eye out around 9 am tomorrow morning for the first post. :D (Still . . . still hammering out the exact time, but I figure mid-morning's a good starting point, right?)

And we're LIVE! Join us now until whenever for chill chats, chill beats, and chill vibes! Sprints to start in 30. www.youtube.com/live/x8l8TDZ... #writingcommunity #writesky

For readers and writers, you can find CWs/TWs for thousands of books on the Book Trigger Warnings wiki. They even have a list of books with author-provided TWs, saying "If you're an author looking for examples on how to include warnings in your book, this list is a good place to start!"

I've recently sold off the Fire Hazard (my old laptop whose three-year-old battery nearly caught on fire and had to be replaced), and I found an eBay listing for an AlphaSmart. Before I make the jump, does anyone use one? If so, how easy is it to hook it up to a modern computer?

I used to do this a lot for every WIP. They were just little side shorts for exercise or fun. Not sure why I'd stopped, other than motivation. In *any* case, the one I'd started but never finished was the story of how Mick and Eleanor met . . . which needs to be rewritten anyway.

If you like: - Urban Fantasy - Queer characters - Disabled characters - Doting daddies - Bantering gay grandpas - Heavy worldbuilding - A family of disasters - Positive Masculinity You should pre-order today! books2read.com/InarorasExcu... And sign up for my newsletter! www.astridabellauthor.com

Beenjamin is hard at work preparing for the holidays, but he (and I) will be taking a break for a much long-awaited Night Writes! Join us tonight at 8:30 PM ET for word sprints, chill chats, and lofi beats. Sprints start at 9; link will appear when the stream starts. #writingcommunity #writesky

if you’re (rightly!) pissed at Firefox for doubling down on AI nonsense, as a web developer I would humbly request that you consider trying Waterfox, Orion or Safari before you move to something based on Chromium; Google are already too powerful, don’t hand the web to them

Soooooo I admit I'm prob not going to be streaming tomorrow for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with updates. HOWEVER, I plan on doing so on Thursday, so keep an eye out? :D

The St. Nadia Incident. Before, Mick's main goals were to survive until he can change back, stay out of Miryam's way, and do what Eleanor thinks is right, often in that order. After St. Nadia's destroyed and the bees go to Sanctuary, he realizes he has to, you know, do his job and lead the dragons.

If today is hard, please accept this video of a carpenter bee flopped on her back and playing with Christmas decorations that I found: www.instagram.com/reel/DSML1tj...

Productive evening, apparently! In the past two hours, I've: 1. Finished the ballad and inserted it into chapter 1. 2.

First off: bee people plushies. Dragon plushies too, I suppose, but lbr. Bee. People. Plushies. Second: A music box that plays the titular nameless song, or one that plays the Ballad of Josiah Martin. Third: Mick's amulet, as charms. Fourth: If money REALLY wasn't an object, queen cakes.

Get this ballad written. 🫠 There's a ballad that tells the backstory of my MC, his family, and the local god that turns out to be extremely important to my WIP, and it's just. Not written. And continues to not be written. Because I am not a songwriter. Also, minor goals in replies. #queerwriters

Happy first night, folks! I know this is a minor holiday, but I always like to take the time to stop and think about the things that got me through the year. And on that note: (I promise this thread won't be long.) 1/?

"Let's stay inside and drink honey tea. :("

My actual fave line is the very last part, but the context was kind of necessary #FaveLineFriday

I was meant to go to the Union Square Holiday Market this weekend, but yesterday had me running all over Brooklyn and Queens, and today is windy af and cold (and also, I just woke up). So on tabs for today: staying in, watching holiday movies with Beenjamin, and figuring out this ballad.

Ian is not having a good time #FaveLineFriday