awesomeness

Both midterms and yoga


Gave three midterms today and I have only graded one. On the plus side, plenty of writing time. I finished my last two fandomgiftbasket stories (to the tune of at least 2500 words, probably over 3K) (there is like one set of prompts I could do but they only want art. I'm not sure I'm good enough for that)



The other good, got two 100% scores on the exam. On the bad I had at least 6 (out of 24) less than 50%. I tell them don't leave the fill in the blanks blank. Give it a shot. I give it partial credit. I might have to start adding 'but think hard if it makes sense' because on the ceruminous glands make this question (ear wax) someone put BRAINS. I...I can't even. And two people on the what is the system called that we use to determine % of the body that's burned (rule of nines) and they said 'nervous system' I figure they cheated off each other because what are the chances two people would independently come up with something that dumb. (I am not pursuing the cheating suspicion because seriously neither got over 40%. doesn't even matter)


And I have two more sets of tests to grade :(



Yoga was well attended (yay), in a terrible room (boo). Hard floors even with a mat was hard on my knees. I could not push up from the floor into downward dog (I can go into it from standing). I handed the standing poses well but since there was nothing to hold on to, I couldn't return to the floor. My leg was shaking too much. I couldn't feel it at all. I know it'll buckle if I try to get down with nothing to hold onto. I had to stand and basically not do the second half of the exercise. So embarrassing. Also frightening was doing the child pose and realizing I can feel whatever the fuck it is in my throat blocking my breathing. I still have about 3 weeks before I see Ent. sigh.



Next week we're moving to a different room, one with chairs so I can either do chair yoga or at least have something to grab onto. This was so much harder than I thought (and I thought it would be hard even though I used to do yoga). I have to look to make sure my toes aren't folded over because I can't feel them. And at the end when I'm telling my parents about it dad's like 'you wasted money on an Amazon mat'


Me - what are you talking about? I've had this thing for years. I've been doing yoga since my undergrad days!

Dad - I've never see you do yoga, (very obviously calling me a liar)



Me - yeah well I have done (I should mail him the old vhs and dvds I have of yoga flows) but I'm thinking I would NEVER let your hyper critical ass see me exercise ever, not even at gun point.



What I Just Finished Reading:


The Cat Who Saved Books - I just didn't get the hype. It was fine but...I've already forgotten most of it



What I am Currently Reading:

Mirage City - the follow up to Lavender House, very different in tone. I would love ALL of the Hazbin fandom (and creator) to read this to see what being gay in the early half of the 1900s was like.


The Queen of Blood - a YA fantasy I've had on my shelf for too many years now. It's not bad so far but yes the first quarter is more dark academia, fit to survive school (eye roll)


Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio - you know why

Lackadaisy vol 2

clean sweep - I think that's the title some romance graphic novel urban fantasy might be decent if not for the icky romance tropes (sorry but alpha males make me want to shoot them in their smug faces, not drop my panties)


What I Plan to Read Next: The Gallery Assistant -got bored with this arc




More comic cons means more news so have some more of the Mighty Nein





and an uncensored trailer that wasn't much different than last night's. I'm still sitting here going why does Beau look so much like Sokka?!?



I posted this a year or two ago (it has a major spoiler if you are unfamiliar with the Mighty Nein) still a great animatic



And I've posted this before. But as I was watching Critical Role, this popped up a few years ago and got me listening to The Mighty Nein because I was so curious after hearing this (I just wished I liked Jester better (don't like Beau at all)

So I found out my friends who do paranormal investigations are doing a public investigation in MY area for once, out on the island in Lake Alma. It used to be an amusement park with casino (the turn of the century dance hall kind not the Vegas kind). There are a few known haunts. I was so excited until I read the fine print. It's at the TOP of the hill on the island which is rugged, steep and does not have a trail to the top. I couldn't make that hike in the daylight let alone in the dark.

I hate that my accident took so much from me. Sigh.

In happier news today was my local library's 50th anniversary at their location plus the opening of their imagination garden. It's a native flower and sound garden. I had to play with the metal flowers and make noise. I might go make more noise. The library had appetizers/desserts plus a local choir (that I hadn't known existed) who sang about 6 songs (not particularly well but they enjoyed themselves and hell, why not?)

CVS, upon me asking why text me to refill scripts and when I get there you tell me it was too early to fill them. WHY TEXT ME?, says and I quote 'we can't control the bot that texts' OMFG

(  rant that includes blood and gore )

So fannish 50 today is going to be ALL kinds of cool shit from NYCC. ... okay cool things that interest me because hey, this is my blog.

I did listen to this for the better part of a year but have yet to see the animation is this S2...3 I don't even know at this point (I don't have prime) but it looks good (did love the gaming sessions)


Don't know if I have other TADC fans on here but here's a sneak peek of S7 (an official one. I don't look at leaks) I do not like where they're taking Zooble/Gangle with the Jax bashing (yes he's a bullying ass but this isn't really better)


This song from Lackadaisy is really good. I do hope to see the animation come out now than Glitch picked it up (kinda, sorta) and I hope I can catch up so I too can be there complaining I wish she'd finish this (but no seriously, finish it)

Speaking of Glitch this is all cool. I will say I only got half way thru both Murder Drones and Gaslight District before I wandered off. They weren't bad but I got busy and only had time for half...but never went back.


And this second song from Hazbin is an absolute banger. If you listen to nothing else in this post, listen to this (also I wanna see her Fall!)


and here are two short videos. this first one is a lot of fun. Look at what they did to advertise Hazbin
in NYC it's so cool


all the new Hazbin merch take away me wallet



Also I got 3 handmade cards today from Cat Scarlet, Flippy and stonepicnicking_okapi thanks everyone they're cool

So I didn't open emails over the weekend because of the con. I open it today and in my two online only classes I have 40 students between two classes. Out of those 40 THREE wrote me to say we can't see the notes for the final unit. I turned that on a week ago sunday and the quizzes were due yesterday. The final on this is due friday.

THREE people out of 40. And they're right. The notes are messed up. I fixed it. I extended the quizzes and the final (the class locks off next week because friday is technically the last day of class) so my question is WHY would you not contact the professor if something was wrong.

And the other stuff isn't working either and IT says it's McGraw Hill who says I'm doing it wrong, you know the same thing I've done for 20 damn years. And btw am doing exactly how they're telling me to do it. screams into the void.

But as for yesterday, I came home to go to Bob Fest vs going to the last day of the con. Honestly I can bump this back to every other year too. I know where all the vendors are and how much more could I use from any of them? Sure the coffee/honey/maple vendors I can always use (as if I can't get it from Kroger, literally in the coffee's case, they're local and carried by Kroger) How much more glass can I get from the glass blower (the answer is a blue bird for mom and a purple one for me) I did skip the jerky (getting too expensive) got the cheese from my cheesemonger.

And I was going to get some bougie boozy jam. How much are these? two for 35$. Sure thing. She sees me with jelly jars in hand. I sneak them onto a shelf and scamper off. You can't scamper with a cane. Lordee no.

I did buy a left handed hand carved spoon with a scraper (which is why it's handed, not that I suspect it matters much) It's walnut and he carves the wood type and date into it. 2012. I was sad for my spoon. It's been going to festival after festival for 13 years and no one wanted it. Poor spoon (which yes that is animism right there) I was going to give it to Dad but I think I'll keep this poor unwanted spoon (I stir left handed anyhow)

I pet some long horns (owned by one of my current students) and came home.

( have some con pictures under here )

And it's music monday. Since it's spooky time let's continue with the spooky music


Another full albumn for you. This is my favorite by Midnight Syndicate


I have always loved these house displays (Im not tech savvy enough to do this) here's one that's a tribute to Ozzy (Locally the rock station is calling this Ozztober)


And for the K Pop fans

I'm not sure this is actually from Franklin (though it sounds like something he'd say. I'd like to do both things)

Went from the con to Bob Evans Farm fest but knocked out about 400 words on my second spook_me story (prompt cannibal)


How is it going for you? Let know and if i forgot you somewhere along the way let me know


Day 12 - cornerofmadness, china_shop, badly_knitted, sanguinity, ysilme, trobadora, luzula sylvanwitch, brithistorian cmk418, chanter1944 goddess47, stonepicnicking_okapi



( other days under here )

It's late. I'm tired and just got a reject from an anthology (boo) but I have a head full of plot bunnies. Let me ask you guys this. What do you do with your wild plot bunnies. Do you immediately start on them? DO you write a little bit of it to get it out of your head and go back to your regularly scheduled work? DO you write down the idea in a file folder (You'll never remember the name of) or just go I'll remember this (and promptly forget)

Or are you like me and do all of the above?

Open Calls

Negative Space 3: The End of All Sanctuary Survival horror stories with a siege, home invasion, or isolation sub-theme

NonBinary Review #43 Carnival theme

38 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for October 2025


From Around the Web

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From Betty

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I still think the “nuts and bolts” belong after the plot description in a query letter

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Why Every Writer Needs an Email Signature Line for Book Marketing


Why Every Writer Needs an Email Signature Line for Book Marketing

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Line Edits vs. Copy Edits: What’s the Difference and Which Do You Need?

When Good Guys are Bad Guys and Vice Versa: Contradictions

My knee is in business for itself and the rest of me is thinking WTF are you DOING? I was over at the con by 10 AM to hear the first of my planned panels. (Here's the funny thing THREE of the four panels I picked out today were all Vitamin H panels) This one was not. It was run by a cute nerdy kid who was SO thrilled to see me as I was only the 4th person through the door and the other three were his friends. (more people did come but the con didn't open until 10 so it's like maybe schedule the panels on the half hour?)

It was about all the literature in Bungo Stray Dogs. If you don't know this anime/manga all its characters are named for literary figures and/or references. He had slides for all the references and did a kahoots quiz at the end. It was a lot of fun but damn I need to reread this (and you know finish it. I trailed off midway)

From there I went to a slasher movie panel (all the remaining ones are by Vitamin H) which was just a blast. Hey they put in Suspiria, Italian horror from 77 (I just learned the other day it had been remade about 8 years ago) After that I had a BIG break with nothing much I wanted to see until 3 pm.

Here I go into the vendor's room unsupervised. I'm thirsty and this asshole convention center has NO water fountains so you have to buy from their concessions (this is not Tsu's fault) which is like 8$ a damn glass so I get in line for Wild Bill's boutique pop brewery because he FINALLY has a zero sugar option. I get up there and the cheapest you can do it for (because you HAVE to buy the 'collector's stainless steel mug') was THIRTY-FIVE fucking dollars. FOR POP! He wanted another 15$ for the lid/straw. Thanks. I'll take my fucking chances and the cooler mugs were north of 50 bucks. And the zero sugar blueberry pop SUCKED. It was SO bad. So I said fuck it, this is like Dana at a buffet. I'm consuming 35$ worth of stuff to offset the rip off pricing. I made a choice 'just be gross about it. Consume all you can. You have insulin. Get the full sugar birch or root beer which are the only 2 pops you like outside of gingerale (i don't like pop. I don't like carbonation) I have a full mug in my fridge right now. It was COMING WITH ME. I drank so damn much pop.

Lunch was a shitty pepperoni roll and pop.

I got a few more gifts for friends. Keep me away from dice. I was really annoyed that I wanted to get Loona (helluva boss) for a friend's daughter and every Helluva boss woman I found from bigger vendors were grossly sexualized. You know the type, gravity defying boobs of doom and barely clothed with tongue lolling out just for youuuuuu. Ugh. I did find her a little keychain. I got dice with little purple owls in them for reasons. But my favorite purchase of the whole con was from
Pink Pig studios who had sweet shippy stuff for Cherri/Pen (the one I mentioned last night) Huskerdust (guilty I bought it) and Vaggie/Charlie but also she was a huge Keith David fan and she did one of Husk in Keith's role in John Carpenter's The Thing!!! Yes it's mine. And I'm obsessed. I told her I am absolutely writing fanfic to this. Husk can't wait for me to find time. Too bad none of my spook_me prompts fit it.

I wander to the hotel to rest up for a bit since I'm done shopping and no panels I want. Open my social media to ALL the Hazbin and Glitch news from NY comic con (will share on tuesday's post) and people have been clipping Valentino's beautiful art of Vox he drew in the meeting and now I can't get it out of my head, he drew Angel too back in the love bombing days. Plot bunnies all over the damn place. Found calls from my brother and Mom (I had the phone silenced). Thought maybe someone died. No. My brother go another kitten. Cute bugger too.


I go to my last panels (grabbing pop before, between and after because dammit 35$) one on Studio Ghibli behind the scenes and one on Youkai (the theme this year) both excellent. I had never heard that Kappa will reach up your ass to grab out your soul. Well then. Or that tanuki have balls that can be stretched out for yards to form tents, blankets, whatever it needs. side eyes Japan hard.

Runs for more pop. Attends the great manga swap and fail at it miserably. HAHA. Honestly I didn't want to swap. I had a bunch of manga. Sorted it last night, left about 6 here because I realize I only had half a set for a few so back home they go. Before it started I asked the traveling manga library librarian, if no one wants this ancient manga (all of it was from 2000-2015) can I donate it to you? YES. Great.

I didn't even have it all laid out before someone swooped up 'you have tactics!!' what do you want for them? I look at her offerings. Nothing, they're yours. She danced off. A young girl sweeps up from nowhere, 'Vampire Knight?!?' I want nothing from that disappointment of a series. Take it from my sight (I said it nicer naturally)

I give my single volume one offs to the library for two volumes of Interlocken and now I'm left with 5 volumes of Venus vs Virus and the only thing I really want is the drifting classroom omnibus but the guy is like no, I have that (meanwhile it was HIS girlfriend who scooped up tactics but whatever dude) I find one guy with some BL stuff and I know who he is, a vendor who is trying to get stuff to take to his stand. Give me these Stars of Chaos light novels for this 5 volumes? no? 2? yes.

I'm now done. I get more pop. Leave and look to go to Fazio's. rated best Italian restaurant in WV. I find it. No one is on the street, park out front. Go in and it was as I feared. I was WOEFULLY underdressed. See, my dress shirt? It got trashed by blue crab/goat cheese cream sauce yesterday. And why I didn't think of putting on my Edalyn shirt/skirt until just now...I'm tired yinz. I'm the only one in a t-shirt (thank god it was the dark blue one you can barely make out). I'm shocked I wasn't turned away. There were kids in black tie (Prom? Nah that's spring. Wedding? Probably)

They had both Negronis and Aperol Spritzs on the menu so I am content they at least know Italian cocktails and the place has no windows (comforting, for reasons) and a diverse menu. They bring a salad (body is going what is this, no it has vitamin K but OMG Italian dressing. Face down yummy) and then give me three pieces of garlic bread sopping in garlic butter/cheese yay for scarpettas! (Wait, bread? AGAIN! You had four slices last night. Your diabetes....shut up and eat the bread). I got the baked manicotti. Oooo good. I got the aperol spritz too (see, T-Shirt girl can afford your cocktails). By the time I leave (I got there at like 630) the line was out the door to get in. At least this waitress wasn't a snot like last time.

Roll on home to have like an hour before the online Abney Park Halloween concert I had bought before realizing I'd be sitting in a hotel room listening.

And guess what I'm drinking. That's right POP (and my blood sugar is 130...go figure)

Have another writing prompt I like that it's relatively generic. Day one of the con has been fun. only 90 words for me



How is it going for you? Let know and if i forgot you somewhere along the way let me know

Day 10 cornerofmadness, china_shop, badly_knitted, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, cmk418, goddess47, callmesandyk, brithistorian ysilme, carenejeans the_siobhan,



( other days under here )

So today I went to my PCP who was horrified by what that surgeon did. He didn't want to biopsy and grade 4 tumor?!? And the radiologist suggested waiting a full year? Yeah, no you need to see a ENT, where do you want to go? Well since I can't find the one my coworker's fiance went to in my insurance, so I said I don't trust the ones at Holzer and after this I don't want to go to Ohio Health for this so, fine send me to King's Daughters (I'm sure I can survive the nuns)

She agrees I need gastro too and I had one of those massive exhaustive spells (that came and went while in the room) She drew 6 vials of blood because she can see something ain't right. This is key to to the title of this post.

I go to the coffee shop having learned from Doc that not only are we getting a Starbuck's (I don't want) we're getting a Tim Horton's!! Poor Spot on Main (my coffee shop) first we got holy grounds this summer and now these so in 6 months more or less we went from 1 coffee shop to 4 in a town of like 6K And Tim's and Starbuck's will do well because they have drive thrus. the other two do not.

I write some. I go to Kroger for hotel snacks. Come home. I'm trying to wake up and the phone rings. It's King's Daughters. OMG how bad was my blood work that they called within 2 hours? Am I DYING?!? No, it was the main one in KY and now I'm seeing ENT in November.

I half assed packed. I washed dishes and somehow it's like 1030pm and I've done nothing else including something I promised students. Sob.


have some community stuff.

gluten_free This community is for sharing gluten-free recipes and resources.

lgbtrainbow a rainbow pass-it-on challenge focused on LGBTQ+ characters from any media

fandom50challenge 50 fannish posts a year.