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Guess whose Ship-Of-Theseus, repeatedly-upgraded-parts computer finally had parts he doesn't know how to fix die?

Guess who had to drop $900 on a new PC instead of limping along for a few more years because potential tariffs could double the price if he waits?

Guess who ain't buying SHIT or traveling anywhere in 2025 to rebuild his savings and pay off the stupid amount of procrastinated purchases he's got to make recently?

(It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😭)

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MY PRINTER WORKS SO GOOD!!!

(I also have a favorite line art with Nox's most amazing exasperated expression and the caption "that feel when Curt speaks." That's not shown here because, if I remember correctly, it was sent to me privately. But I would like the artist to know I still love it to this day)

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I made a trans author community.

I don't really expect this to go very far, but it's here anyway.

Open to any transgender or intersex writers of original fiction (sorry, no poetry, non-fiction, or essays here).

Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Cozy Fantasy, etc.

For trans and intersex writers intending to publish their work, either traditionally or independently, and want to form a community to help each other out with beta reading, knowledge sharing, emotional support, etc.

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This is just an FYI.

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Hitting a wall with my original fiction. Nothing wrong with it, it just takes a lot more thought and focus on worldbuilding for original fiction.

Also, with everything going on, it isn't hard to see that my LGBT fiction absolutely will be targeted in some way throughout the incoming Presidential administration. I'm still planning how my family will get through the next four years and beyond, and I just can't focus on my original work right now, no matter how badly I want to.

Really considering starting a mindless Twilight fanfic I don't have to think too much on. I have an in-book-timeline, canon-divergent Bella AU and a post-book-timeline, canon-compliant Renesmee idea.

I just feel like I was more active in working on my own original projects WHILE I had a fanfiction escape to work on at the same time.

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Had to drop almost $500 on a laserjet printer and toner cartridges this weekend just in case those promised tariffs do go into affect when Trump is in office.

But also because I needed a printer, and I always said I would never buy another inkjet. And I absolutely did intend to buy an office-grade printer around this price (it does duplex printing, scanning, faxing, copying, etc, and is a full-color printer). I just wasn't ready to do it YET.

All in all, I dropped about $1,000 this week making big ticket purchases I've been putting off.

But now I get to color print and frame the Nox/Liv and Bond pictures people drew (I saved every single one shared with me).

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It has been a ridiculously long week. Can't take a break long enough to breathe without something else happening.

The main bank my new job uses was acquired by a different bank, and the merge happened over the weekend. Despite preparations, things have not gone...smoothly.

It's the month end close. At my last job, we were able to close in a single day because we weren't that big. This company is about three times the size, so the month close takes the first week of the next month. This month's close coincides with the bank merger.

Had a relative abruptly need to go to the hospital at 10pm last night, and drop their dog off here for dogsitting. Fortunately, the relative is okay and back home and resting.

The election. I don't think I need to elaborate.

Now for some less sucky occurrences:

I was out in Kentucky from October 19th through October 26th. My friend's small town has a new craft shop on Main Street, with many different walk-in craft stations. I painted a really nice mug! But their ceramics need to be fired and I had to leave before it was done, so she just put it in the mail to me.

I have realized that my biggest issue with drawing in the last year or two is that I just can't do it on an iPad. My initial drawing surge was done on a tablet, which I gave away to a friend who needed one after I got that iPad. Since things sucked lately, I ordered myself a new one (this is obviously not my art on it, it doesn't even arrive until Saturday):

Now that the close and merger are over and I can calm tf down, I'm about to get started on my nano. I have no illusions that I'll actually finish it in November, but I'm now a lot more settled into my new routine so hopefully I'll keep on working through December.

(An addendum: I did actually already start my Nano, but I'm finding I have a hard time writing it in 3rd person. But I WANT it written in 3rd person. So I may just write the first draft in 1st person, then switch the POV in the final draft. idk)

Is anyone else doing nano? If so, are you posting it anywhere? Link me, I want to read other people's stuff!!

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the plathtic fangth thtay ON during thex

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hi michael!! hope youre doing well :) are you doing nanowrimo this year?

I'm doing very well, thank you! 😊 It's funny you decided to ask, because I was just talking about nanowrimo with someone no more than an hour ago.

The result of this discussion was that I am going to try.

I haven't done any writing in a while. Partially because I've been insanely busy with personal things, but mainly because I got extremely frustrated with my writing. I was getting so bent out of shape over it, I decided to spend 2024 studying story structure and writing methods some more and try again in 2025.

But for nanowrimo, I'm going to try.

I have a standalone vampire novel I started to outline before I burnt out, called Blood Like Sugar, and its companion novel Hate Like Spice (the second one is about some side characters from the first). These are very low-stakes works for me because I have no intention of trying to query them to agents.

I make no promises I'll finish Blood Like Sugar in November, or even that I'll manage to hit 50k words on it. I'm just going to post it here as I write and see if the no-pressure approach can get me back into writing the way I used to when I was doing fanfics.

If you (or anyone) is doing nanowrimo this year, I'd love to hear about your project!

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Linocut print by Pamela Leavey

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you cannot fix that blond man please step away and let the professionals take over

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vampire: My darling, my eternal flame, my heart's joy taken human form... you simply must drink water your blood tastes like shit.

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leave him alone that's my emotional support grumpy middle aged white man with a layered past and zero bitches who's also really good at his job

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you don’t have to match my freak you just have to think whatever’s wrong with me is fascinating and perhaps even sexual

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*talking to a man wearing a suit* are you really going to wear something that sexual in public

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Should’ve been assigned vampire at birth instead of this gender stuff😒

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The unnatural corpse staring at me was an eerie parody of life. Instead of the waxy pallor and sunken features one found in wood boxes at funeral homes, its skin was flush with color and invitingly warm to the touch. Dark irises like black holes were softened by long lashes, and almost boyish features were framed by deep brown locks shot through with strands of gold. Everything about the unholy creature was breathtaking at best and beautiful at worst, nature’s perfect trap to lure in human prey.

Someone pounded on the bathroom door, and I dragged my gaze from the mirror.

“Go away,” I called. “I died.”

“My condolences,” my night manager’s voice was muffled by the thick metal door. “Can you claw your way out of the grave long enough to tell Jerry the bar’s closed?”

I let out a strangled, inhuman shriek, more suited for a dying pterodactyl than the 26-year-old brewpub owner everyone believed me to be. Jerry was a thorn in my side and I was actually pushing fifty, I really didn’t have the youthful patience everyone expected me to wield.

Kiera appeared unmoved when I yanked open the door to my private bathroom, arms crossed as she looked up at me with the fires of Hell burning in her eyes. Clearly, she didn’t have the patience for Jerry, either.

Briefly, I revisited my policy against murdering and eating customers.

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Finally finished my outline for Blood Like Sugar and started writing. I have off from work tomorrow, let's see how far I can get by this Sunday.