As many of you may know, I started a Substack awhile back, essentially for the angry political writing I've heretofore done on Twitter, because who knows how much longer Twitter will be around. It's settled into basically an essay when I get mad at the world and have enough mental space to put it in words, and then a follow-up under the paywall to say things I'm also mad about but don't have the energy to fight about with the internet at large and its army of sea lions.
For the most par...
2023-06-15 16:41:15 +0000 UTC
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Something a little different this month: please do not eat these!
Although they do look delicious.
Got a whole bunch of broken crayons lying around? If you have or live near a kid or are a visual artist of some kind, I know you do.
They can have a new life! Bastian asked if I would make him iconic drag queen Yvie Oddly's crayon/crown dress and I said uhhhhhhh probably not though and it suddenly occurred to me that melting them down into fun color mix versions was total...
2023-05-25 18:33:09 +0000 UTC
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We have just barely held on to the patron-count to keep Audiography going for another month (though possibly not next month, we lost many at the end of April) and th eRebirth playlist was SO GOOD, I'm very excited for May!
I thought we'd go a little abstract this month--the theme is the color pink. Which is by far not my favorite color, but because spring and brightness and things that are not grey.
Plus green is too easy, and despite it being my birthday tomorrow...
2023-05-04 17:30:01 +0000 UTC
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The Problem of Problems: What Is a Story?
I’m almost five years into this gig, and I have to say, parenting is a beautiful, precious, golden jewel of magic and love and time…wrapped in almost infinite layers of total fucking bullshit. But one of the wild things about it, one of the things that would definitely be in the magical precious golden jewel column if you didn’t have to do it over and over and over and over and OVER again, is explaining the world to a litt...
2023-05-04 16:21:42 +0000 UTC
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Firstly, I apologize for how long this took to pull together--my brother got married in California and then we were doing the family visit tour the last two weeks and I have been STRUGGLING to manage everything and not literally physically lose my child in the madness.
Also, I can barely move my hands because carpal tunnel is not a huge fan of carrying All the Luggage over multiple states, go figure.
BUT! It is here! There were two tracks I couldn't find: The Phoenix by Julia Eckl...
2023-04-26 18:19:38 +0000 UTC
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Well, I wanted cumin lamb noodles from Xi'an Famous Foods in NYC but I DON'T LIVE IN NYC DO I and also on an island you kind of have what you can make after a certain hour.
And I did not have lamb.
Or noodles.
So I wondered what would happen if I just did the whole recipe but with what I did have--and the answer is awesomeness. I'm sure it's not remotely authentic but it was delicious and warm and cumin-y and I'm not at all sorry about it. NYC will be there when I get there ...
2023-04-05 21:30:30 +0000 UTC
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Here are the options for this month's fully-canonical postcard from a Valenteverse character!
What's our poison?
2023-03-29 14:46:38 +0000 UTC
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Yaaaay! We have crossed the patron-count goal to bring back some old rewards! RETURN OF AUDIOGRAPHY!
For those who haven't experienced this part of the Laboratory, here on Audiography I post a theme every month and you post up to three of your favorite songs that fit the theme, however you interpret it. It can be an oblique personal connection for you or lyrics or title or band backstory, as long as YOU think it fits, it does. No rules about genre or era or content. Just a kickass theme...
2023-03-16 16:14:37 +0000 UTC
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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a civilization in possession of a good fortune, must replace all organic workers with AI as soon as possible, which will definitely never ever cause any problems whatsoever.
Perhaps there isn’t any point in writing this at all, now that the robot singularity has come for us wordfolk at last. Why should I labor over the expression of my own individual thoughts and angst over my comma choices when I could simply pull myself up to the cold blu...
2023-03-01 18:57:42 +0000 UTC
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I MEANT to show you such a nice photo of this AMAZEBALLS goop all pretty on prosciutto and toast but that up there is all that's left 24 hours after making it. It's THAT good.
And it's dead easy to make, even for quick jam, which is itself an entire category of dead easy to make goop.
I'm making more tonight. Kind of plan to have some on hand always for awhile. I have yet to find anything, sweet or savory, that it doesn't improve. Last night I had it with roasted vegetables ...
2023-02-15 17:47:05 +0000 UTC
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Good afternoon, cozy folk.
So here in this, the Year of Our Last Fuck Given (and Last Pipe Burst!)2023, I want to get a little more organized with Patreon and my schedule so that I can feel less like I live in a constant tsunami of failing. Thus! Some changes! All beneficial and aiming toward getting you more of what you're here for.
The big one is that, as of right now, until/if we reach the patron count for the extra rewards (playlists, character postcards, media reviews) to ret...
2023-02-07 17:41:12 +0000 UTC
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Hello, wonderful people!
This is your monthly community discussion post, wherein you can leave comments about life, the universe, and everything, and discuss each and every one of those all together.
But it is also the monthly "come to the Discord" post where I give out a fresh invite to all the new patrons (HELLO NEW PATRONS!) and beckon you to join us on the amazingly lovely Discord server where the Cozy Cult (ask in the lounge, someone will explain) assembles to recreate ...
2023-02-07 15:23:33 +0000 UTC
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I thought we’d get back to basics in this, the Year of Our Cruel ChthonicTrickster Overlord Twenty and Twenty-Three and talk about one of those bedrock skills that get overlooked because, when you do it right, it doesn’t seem such a hard feat of genius and blends right into the infinite tapestry of one’s squabbling nobles and/or sad robots.
Naming all those assholes and also their dogs, hometowns, swords, ships, kinks, hairstyles, ballet moves, forks, exotic medical conditions, an...
2023-01-31 17:27:29 +0000 UTC
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Hello, everyone! (And an extra hello to many new people!)
Here is the awkward embarrassing evergreen-ly weird and cringey post where I tell the internet what I had published last year that's eligible for various awards this year.
If you nominate for these things, please consider giving this stuff a look! If not, please consider doing so, many SFF awards, like the Locus, are free to nominate and vote, and many more require a simple small fee or membership at a convention or in a gr...
2023-01-26 15:51:56 +0000 UTC
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Now, I am aware strawberries are not exactly in season here in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere they're AMAZING this year. Bastian practically lived on them while we were visiting Oz-family. If you're on the equator's hat, save this for summer or use frozen strawberries to make sure you get enough fruit-flavor in the winter.
Combine that with his new favorite book Wombat Stew and he started begging for "strawberry stew" which is not exactly a thing? But not exactl...
2023-01-23 22:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Note: This is cross-posted from the paid tier of my new Substack. I am now aware Substack has issues, but not yet able to untangle that from the issues Patreon has when I'm wholly unwilling to leave Patreon despite its problems. So I've cross-posted this here for those of you who don't want to involve yourselves with Substack, which I fully understand. With the tire-fire of Twitter, I'm experimenting with other platforms, not committing to anything yet--except Pa...
2023-01-03 02:23:32 +0000 UTC
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Hello beautiful, wondrous new people just come in from the cold and around the internet.
This is technically your monthly community discussion post, to fill your Boxing Day with a safe place to talk about anything.
But these days, we mostly do that on the Cozy Cult Discord.
Chat in the comments here or come join us in our secret clubhouse where the internet is always the way it used to be...
See...
2022-12-26 14:43:36 +0000 UTC
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LOOK, in our house we have to have cake in the morning now because MISTER MAURICE SENDAK put that thought in the head of my son with his STUPID BRILLIANT BOOK In the Night Kitchen.
This one is another recipe from the Worldcon COOKATHON that JUST KEEPS ON GIVING.
But this? This is the best morning cake. It's so light and moist and juicy, and it tastes like what I always thought grapefruit SHOULD taste like, instead of...uh...I don't actually like grapefruit? It tastes like...
2022-12-22 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Posted & cross-posted publicly, maybe be distributed freely anywhere with credit.
I’m just so angry.
It’s been boiling and bubbling (and toiling and troubling) for awhile now. Not just since a spoilt, sadistic emerald heir stole—and yes, I am using that word; I’m using it deliberately and with fury aforethought—Twitter out from under the people who created it and made it the “town square” that so many seething gargoyles want to contro...
2022-12-22 10:18:07 +0000 UTC
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Lucky us, we get another original cocktail with original art from Kris McDermott, inspired by a story from the Valenteverse!
Kris is the creator of MANY AMAZING THINGS BECAUSE OF HOW SHE IS AMAZING, but you may remember her from all the Valenteverse original t-shirts and other merch as well as her own fantastic snarky designs.
And she has blessed us with another epic chapter in our gr...
2022-12-18 14:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Those of you who have been subscribed for the better part of this year, or are active on the Discord, or have seen me at any public event in the last 12 months are probably aware that I'm working on a Super Sekrit Project I am Not Allowed to Name Under Penalty of Death-by-Lawyer.
No, I'm not going to tell you what it is now. I am still Not Allowed.
I can say it's a massive project. The way it's looking at the moment, it will consume at least the next two years of my life,...
2022-12-17 05:37:42 +0000 UTC
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Well, see, we were going to do this whole thing with Deathless this year to mark the...11th anniversary as we couldn't swing it in time for the 10th and thought it was funny in our own weird way to have an 11th anniversary anything.
But then Russia became a thing no one felt great about and we shelved the idea for what I expect is probably ever.
Which means I wrote this whooooole new story in the Deathless universe and never got paid and it's probably not going to be i...
2022-11-30 17:30:02 +0000 UTC
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SO.
Bastian's school is called Peaks Island Elementary School, which is abbreviated PIES, and everyone calls it that. They have a big fundraiser around Thanksgiving called PIES FOR PIES. Parents make a bunch of pies and people all around can buy them and claim them and pick them up Thanksgiving morning.
SO CUTE LAKE WOEBEGON WOULD BARF RIGHT?
Well, the rule is supposed to be just plain pumpkin or apple but I can't do plain or I will literally die, so I cleared permission for...
2022-11-30 16:12:52 +0000 UTC
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Here is your post to get to know each other and discuss whatever's on your mind this month!
No subjects barred, just be nice. BE COZY.
And remember, you can always come dish with the kids on our beautifully-moderated Discord server any time.
Here's an invitation!
2022-11-04 18:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The hits from the epic Worldcon Haus of Friendship pre-game just keep coming! (Ie, the week before Worldcon when my lil nerd coven gathered to cook a stupid amount of food and cackle at the moon)
Now, I love garlic. Do you love garlic? Sure, everyone does. Except people who are highly allergic, like my partner. And people who just don't love garlic which is fine, everyone makes their own choices in this vale of tears.
But I love garlic.
So the amount of garlic in this ...
2022-11-02 17:55:21 +0000 UTC
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Now that I’ve put you all through months of me rambling about Farscape and 90s television and my celebrity crushes, I thought I’d get back to what’s written on the frosted glass door of this place in noir detective font: HEY GANG LET’S WRITE STUFF GOODER.
And after five years with such admirable and excellent Hobbits, I thought I would finally give it up.
You know. It.
That thing everyone’s looking for when they go to workshops or buy books on craft or go ...
2022-10-11 17:55:46 +0000 UTC
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Before I say anything more, I want to assure you I asked his permission to share his story with all of you and he gave it. We all about consent in this house.
Today, Bastian, for no reason I can comprehend, decided to be an entire adult. Four years of trying to work while parenting and not doing amazing at that turned into him looking up at me with huge eyes and solemnly saying: "Mama, you said you have to work today. Do your work right next to me while I watch Jack Skellington. It's ok...
2022-10-07 23:13:04 +0000 UTC
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What happens when four Golden-Girls-But-Young(ish)-And-Vibrant friends who haven't seen each other all together since the pandemic started use Worldcon as an excuse to take an extra week off to live in a house where people are ALWAYS POLITE and also ALWAYS REAL because IT WAS NEVER A CONTRADICTION?
WE COOK, MY CHILDREN.
Oh, how we cook.
Usually it's just me and my obsession with making a Spirited Away amount of food for my loved ones. But all four of us are Pretty Into...
2022-09-29 16:00:09 +0000 UTC
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I have been asked so many times to post my con schedules here on Patreon…but ADHD is just a festive gift basket of trash and I can never hold it in my head long enough to execute that ye olde executive function.
BUT NOT TODAY, BRAIN CHEMISTRY SATAN!
Here’s where you can find me throughout the con, and please DO find me! Don’t forget to tell me who you are as I only know some of you by username and not badge name. I can’t wait to see those of you who made it out to Chicago!...
2022-08-31 16:43:52 +0000 UTC
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The second installment in our surprise bonus series in which the wonderful and absurdly talented Kris McDermott (who designed everything in the merch shop!) designs a cocktail recipe based on something from my work and makes it look SO PRETTY!
This month is a variation on the classic aviator from Radiance, Destiny Punch!
2022-08-31 16:40:01 +0000 UTC
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