designatedloveinterest

[designatedloveinterest]

I set myself free from being a writer but you may like to introduce yourself

Hello!

I'm Lee (any pronouns), a middle aged queer writer from the midwest of the US. It's been a bit, so I'm doing another writeblr intro, to find more potential writeblr folks to chat with!

What I write:

- Mostly scifi! I have a bit of fantasy brewing in a collab project, but mostly, scifi.

- Queer stuff. Lots of different types of queerness.

- Community. Both in the group-hugs-and-support variety and the extreme-mess/everybodies-traumas-keep-smashing-into-each-other variety. I have training as a family therapist and am endlessly fascinated by interpersonal dynamics. This is the meat of my work.

- Grounded worldbuilding. My main project right now is near future scifi that diverges from our timeline around 2001. I'm enjoying the hell out of playing the US I know with some very key tweaks that changed society. I know a lot about medical systems, criminal justice systems, and legal systems and like using fantasy and scifi elements to show them as I know them. But like, in a way that should appeal to people who give 0 shits about US institutions.

- Disability stuff. Not that after-school-special shit. I am just tired of characters being generic pretty dolls whose physical attributes don't impact how they move through the world. That means not only writing a variety of different disabilities, but also different bodies. My characters aren't "inspiration porn" or just waiting around for less disabled characters to come save them. They are messy, with a wide array of relationships to their limitations and the things they use to cope with those limitations.

- YA into new adult. Not exclusively, but mostly. I really like taking characters from YA into early adulthood. Not just a standard coming-of-age arc, but the actually moving from a self-concept of a dependent teen into someone with legal responsibility for themselves, jobs, college, etc. Especially when combined with all of the above. I love a nice long character arc with lots of sub-arcs along the way.

What I have out, now.

- I have two books out so far, Secondhand Origin Stories and Names in Their Blood. I'm working on book 3 in that planned 5 book series now, which is currently titled Brittle Idols.

- I have a free monthly newsletter called Shed Letters where I talk about psychology, tech, queerness, storytelling, and the creative process, plus whatever random topic I've been researching for my books recently. Also contains pictures of my three very photogenic cats.

- Newsletter subscribers also have access to a novella I wrote that goes between Secondhand Origin Stories and Names in Their Blood, that's about an fictional AI (the only kind I like) trying to decide on a body for themself.

- I also draw and animate, with my first and still in-progress animation project being a "trailer" for Secondhand Origin Stories.

What I'm looking for

- writeblrs - especially writeblrs that aren't JUST writeblrs. I want to feel like I'm meeting people, at least in some manner, rather than just hearing about a product in process. That doesn't have to mean deep confessions or private information, but honestly I'm not likely to remember you for your writing project alone. Sorry. Please show me what else you care about!

- Bonus points for queer or disabled scifi or fantasy writers.

- I am white for most intents and purposes but I always want to find more AOC who write sci fi.

- Also always excited to meet more YA authors- especially the currently kinda sidelined YA scifi.

- People who care about where society is going but aren't posting that everything is doomed and pointless. I mean you post whatever you want but I don't need that on my dash. That shit is not helping me help.

I sometimes do ask games? It's fun when I have the time. It'd be fun to have more folks to do them with, provided those folks are patient.

Please interact if this has piqued your interest!

[designatedloveinterest]

reblog to give a strawberry to the person you reblogged this from

[designatedloveinterest]

[designatedloveinterest]

CRYING

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This is so wholesome

[designatedloveinterest]

the experience of animal in your house never gets old. fuck yes dude there's an animal in here. did you guys know about the animal

[designatedloveinterest]

I don’t have a job at the moment, but many unions will reduce your fees significantly/let you have free membership if you are unemployed, and there are also retiree tiers for ie nurses unions. So yes, you absolutely can be part of a union when you’re not working!

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[designatedloveinterest]

[designatedloveinterest]

explain your gender in 10 words or less without using boring words like “male”, “female”, “nonbinary”, “masculine”, “feminine” or “androgynous”.

go!

[designatedloveinterest]

I did the thing

[designatedloveinterest]

Knight and midsummer morning Dare to love, dream, and endure despite everything - happy pride and midsummer

[designatedloveinterest]

The ATO unironically has very good info for sex workers wanting to manage their own tax affairs

The Australian tax department everyone

[designatedloveinterest]

The Wait Is Over!

We’ve been (not-so-patiently) waiting to share the news: Bear Cam is officially live for the summer!

Don’t miss a moment! Bookmark our event calendar for upcoming bear-related live events, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky for top bear highlights, fun contests, and exclusive behind-the-scenes peeks.

the explore.org Bear Cam < click

We can’t wait to spend another unforgettable bear season with you!

Never Stop Learning,

explore.org

[designatedloveinterest]

Dedicated to all the Galemancers out there. We are all one with the weave.

[designatedloveinterest]

The Fear of Never Landing is a new album from ambient music band Marconi Union, whose 2011 song Weightless has been described as “the world’s most relaxing song”. Get it on YT, Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.