Lauren Brian @lbrianwrites@computerfairi.es

I can't shake the feeling I'm still writing trash, but I'm doing it and who knows, maybe it'll be trash that will catch on somewhere.

I probably won't get in, but y'know, I thought I'd stop writing after my ex. What good could I possibly be as an author, as inferior as they always said I was, without them to tell me how to be a real person.

I have now applied to three different writing places with things I wrote after they left, my own "broken and unreadable" (their words) stories, that I composed without my ex (who told me such a thing would be impossible, if I wanted to be a "real" writer)

I've been thinking about how when I was with my ex, they constantly "encouraged" me to write, and I ended up with next to nothing because their encouragement was designed to keep me controlled and working for them and their writing.

Thinking about the "Everyone is beautiful and no one is horny" issue again today. It's a valid critique, I just wish there was a way to articulate why it also makes me a bit sad. I feel like it's conflating lack of chemistry and lack of narrative space to show character with "horniness."

Somehow, my 20-follower, private birdsite account got softlocked? I tried to retweet and it said I'd "reached my daily retweet limit" and I tried to post and it said I'd reached a posting limit. I don't see signs I've been hacked, so I am very confused.

I've been using a 3M Aura this week to try it out I'm a bit surprised. My fabric+KN95 mask filtered out a BUNCH more smells than this one does, and even with a good fit, the Aura fogs my glasses slides around my chin. It's better than the KN94 bifolds that would scratch my neck raw at least.

Well, I ordered some more masks to maybe upgrade from my current fabric+KN95 combo, but it's hard to beat custom-fit, hand made, natural fiber for comfort.

Well, Capricon's decision to move downtown has influenced my decision to skip it this year. Travel to the 'burbs is manageable and the prices are lower for staying over; downtown commands downtown pricing and travel is exponentially worse. It's no longer worth it.

I am revisiting the idea of kitty Prozac for Cat3. I'm not having luck finding a home for her and keeping her restricted to one room indefinitely is not good either.

G3 Draculaura is such a standout doll, I'm thinking of getting back into Monster High...