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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 4h

Mmmm, rice. And mmmm, cute people dispensing dubious flirting. #WIPSnips

“Hey, can I come sit with you guys at lunch?” he asked. “I wanna get to know my team.” He grinned, seeming very proud.
“Good idea,” Minnie said. “I’ll introduce you to Ari. Amber’s got an errand.”
“I’ll probably come right back,” she said.
They entered the hallway and it was again too difficult to hear much of anything. Holden tried anyway. “So is the group up to four now?”
“Yeah, just us three and Ari,” Amber said, unfazed by the hall noise. “That’s what I’m off to talk to Rochelle about, though.”
Holden’s eyes widened. “Rochelle? The redhead lady from the top fighters?”
Amber’s smile almost disappeared her eyes. “That’s her.”
“Whoa. You really think she’d go with us?”
Amber’s mirth dimmed as she looked down at Holden. “Maybe. Ya know, she’s great but she’s also just a person.”
She’s just a person. That phrase seemed so accurate suddenly. No matter how good their skills were, everyone here was just a person. It wasn’t ridiculous for someone like her to propose to the best fighters and stand a decent chance of getting them.
Holden and Minnie went through the line and both ended up with turkey and rice. There was a surprisingly small pan of cheesecake waiting at the end of the row, and Minnie suspected it would be gone before Ari got there, so she grabbed an extra slice for them. Minnie led Holden to the part of the first long table where Ari and Amber tended to gravitate, and they sat on the bench together. He smiled at her pleasantly but seemed too interested in the food to bother immediately with chatter. She could get used to this.
Ari did come and join them a short while later, and Minnie made the introductions while placing one of her slices of cake in Ari’s bowl.
“Cheesecake! Where the heck was this?” they shrieked, eyes shining.
“I knew they’d run out so I got you one.”
“Agh! I could kiss you.” They immediately started eating the cheesecake first and winked at her. “Just kidding. Unless. . . .”
She let out her breath and looked away. Was this pr…

Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Karma is a concept, but now, also a character! I'm happy to say the Longer Worlds anthology bought my novella KARMA IS DEAD. I don't have details on its release date yet but I hope you'll want to meet my little gay ghost nerd. Here's my vanilla flower cupcake. (I get a cupcake when I sell a story.)

Photo of author Julie Sondra Decker with a cupcake on a plate in the foreground. Julie is a white woman with short blond hair with bangs, in pigtails, with pink streaks in the hair, blue eyes, light skin, and a smile. She wears a black t-shirt. The cupcake is on a flowered plate and has a silver wrapper. The frosting shows an orange flower with a brown center on top of white frosting. The background shows a house with bushes up against the windows, with small white flowers and purple flowers growing on the bushes.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Every interaction with these two is a firehose of really weird sincerity, even though they're basically rivals at this point. #WIPSnips

“I could hear the layers in every word you said. You don’t apologize for who you are. And you shouldn’t. I really like you.”
They were now quite far behind the group, with him matching her small stride easily. He stopped in front of her as they rounded the corner to the lunchroom.
“Are you still trying to get me on your team?”
His charming face relaxed in an easy chuckle. “No. You should try this on for size at least. Find out for yourself if you like leading.” He sobered a little. “But make sure you’re honest about it. It’s not just about if it’s for you. It’s also about if you’re for it.”
“Why are you acting like my failure is inevitable?”
There went his eyes, crinkling in that natural smile again. “I’m not. Those words are for me to remember too. Just like you, I’ve never done this before.”
She was silent at that, and he listened to her silence.
“So tell me,” he said, leaning against the wall. “What’d you like about my speech?”
There was no reason to deny that she’d liked it. She had.
She thought about it for a moment.
“I liked,” she finally said, “that I believed you.”

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Just saw a video called "How to throw your baby safely." It involved a dad teaching parents how to . . . throw a baby safely. Not sure what I expected. Cute little yeeted babies.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Here we have "contract" as the word of the day. Sometimes this protagonist comes across as manipulative when she's basing actions on hidden information. Her instincts are kind of weird. #WIPSnips

Honor put the contract up against the wall as a surface and signed the fifth blank. He scanned the roster when he was through.
“I’m not the last on the list,” he commented, handing the page back to her. “The team still isn’t complete?”
“I have someone in mind. I should be picking up her signature later.”
“Got it,” he said, relaxing. “And . . . thanks. I just want to say. You won’t regret having me along.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
He didn’t seem to mind when she added no polite departing words and slipped into her classroom. Her instincts were telling her to keep it chilly with Honor. He needed to think she was a little mean as well as shrewd. It was the only thing keeping him listening to her.

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Lily Lachance 🏳️‍⚧️🚀✍️ @lilylachance.com · 03/10/2026

Release Day!! 🥳 My first-ever novelette, "Have Hands, Will Hench," is out with foofaraw! It's a tale from the POV of an indebted henchman. A fable of a mad supervillain boss. A tragedy of unaffordable healthcare... 🥲 Buy it here or wherever you get your books! 😌 foofaraw.press/have-hands-w...

Synopsis screenshot:
"In a world... ravaged by global warming and wars, Banana Brian is forced to take a job as a supervillain's henchman to pay off his student loans. In order to survive, Brian must find a way to pay off his giant debt, avoid kleptomaniac henchmen, find shortcuts to freedom, and avoid getting killed by rampaging amoral superheroes, the supervillain's brutal enforcers, and a nasty infection he got from a cut..."

Cover for "Have Hands, Will Hench" by Lily Lachance. A bearded man with a red wristband looks into his reflection in a cup of coffee, with a banana lying nearby.

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LGBTQReads @lgbtqreads.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Fave Five: New Sapphic Paranormal Romances, 2026 Edition Happily Every Afterlife by Emma R. Alban With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling From Hell, With Love by Bryce Oakley Horny by Lucy Lehane Vengefully Matched by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff Bonus: These are all Adult, but in YA, check…

lgbtqreads.com

Fave Five: New Sapphic Paranormal Romances, 2026 Edition

Happily Every Afterlife by Emma R. Alban With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling From Hell, With Love by Bryce Oakley Horny by Lucy Lehane Vengefully Matched by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff Bonus: These are all Adult, but in YA, check out Charmed and Dangerous by Shelly Page

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If anywhere near as many people boycotted all-you-can-eat buffets over the supposed sin of gluttony as people who boycott Pride events, you'd see all the buffets go out of business.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"Injury"? Ooh boy. This poor gal doesn't know what to do. (For reference, she is 4'6" and the other person in this scene is 6'4". This is both scary and kind of hot.) #WIPSnips

Rocky jogged up to her, a pleasant smile on his face. “What’s up? I was about to wrap up here but I can help you with some new exercises you could probably handle. I looked up some stuff. You want to try?”
Her mouth opened and words fell out. “You ‘looked up some stuff’? For me?”
“Uh. Yeah. I just, if you wanna get stronger, I thought it’d be good to try stuff that’ll be safe for you to start at the beginning. I—kinda don’t remember being a beginner. And I’ve never been small.” The pink across his cheeks got a little redder. “Can I show you?”
She shook her head. “I can’t lift today. I hurt my hand earlier and I can’t really grip.”
Concern widened his eyes as he stood in front her, this mountain of a man with such a soft look on his face. “Oh. What happened? Let me see.”
She wordlessly offered her hand, where the bruise was still marking its territory. She wasn’t prepared for it when he suddenly crouched down next to her and touched her hand, examining it. The explanation of the injury died on her tongue as her mind went white. Why was this so mesmerizing? Rocky’s thumb was so big against her palm. It was surreal. How did he exist? How had nature built a person on such a scale?
“Looks like it hurts. But you’ll recover,” Rocky said. “You’re tender, but I’m sure you’ll toughen up soon. Hmm, your hands look like they’ve had an easy life.” His thumb slid across her palm and up to her fingertips. “So smooth.”
Minnie tried to avoid showing on her face that she was quietly dying. She couldn’t think of anything to say, but at least she didn’t pass out.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit The Kinfolk are an endangered species, and it's humanity's fault. Kamber and Joanne are LITERALLY from different worlds; they shouldn't even like each other, much less...whatever these feelings are. But if she refuses to be with a boy, Kamber's family line ends with her....

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Human hubris nearly destroyed the Kinfolk during colonization. Now, 600 years later, Kamber's crush on Joanne makes no sense. Isn't being gay a human thing? Dedication to the Goddess renders fertility as a duty. How can she justify dating a girl when her people are endangered? #YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Kamber, a daughter of the Kinfolk, has been taught to be wary of humans for good reason. So why does the new girl have to be so hot? Joanne is amazing, but Kamber's family keeps matching her with Kin boys. The truth matters, and Joanne can only tolerate being a secret so long. #YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

To-do list: 1. Achieve perfect daughter status 2. Prepare for adulthood rites 3. Date a parent-approved boy (...Ew) 4. Ensure the next generation of our people (...Ugh) 5. Ignore the cute human girl in homeroom 6. Definitely don't kiss her 7. ...Definitely...don't.... #YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

On the one hand, Kamber's not supposed to date humans. She has a Goddess-given duty to preserve her people's ways and ensure the survival of the next generation. On the other hand . . . that new girl in school is REALLY hot. #YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Not much in my current WIP about "guard." So have some people talking about getting their asses beat in sparring class. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WIPSnips

“At least it’s not my better hand,” Ari said, seeming awfully bright for someone who was injured.
“Is it broken?” asked Minnie. Her silly bruised pinkie finger hurt louder.
“Probably,” said Ari. “My own fault. I was sloppy guarding. Had my hand right over the top of the staff in the path of my sparring partner’s. He cracked me right across the knuckles.”
Minnie felt a weird ghostly pain go through her body when they said that. This was a much more serious injury than what had happened to her, but Ari was just going about their day like this was fine.
“I got hurt in class today too,” Minnie volunteered. “I got knocked down and . . . fell on my hand.” She carefully displayed her bruise.
“Ouchie,” said Amber, reaching over to touch her hand tenderly like she had Ari’s. “What is it with hands this week? Mine just healed and now both of you busted yours.”
“I’d better not be next,” said Holden. “All my best skills need both hands.”
“I know it’s gonna get in the way during the adventure,” said Ari. “I’m sorry. I’ll do my best anyway. I can still carry heavy stuff and do most things.”
“That’s good,” said Minnie softly. “We’re counting on you.”

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Kamber should hate the humans who almost destroyed her race 600 years ago. But now that she's gone from despising Joanne to kissing her instead, she must reconcile her fertility-obsessed Goddess spirituality with loving a girl--even though her family is an endangered species. #YA #SF #LGBT #DVpit

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Hello folks! For my new pals, just wanted to give y'all an updated intro for my pinned! You can see everything I've published and updated stats on what I'm working on at my website, juliesondradecker.com .

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

From a novella I'm hoping to place with a small press sometime soon! Six adventurers on their first real quest: to get their magic powers. (But only 5 of the 6 will be granted one.) Other shenanigans make it less than straightforward. Whoop. #queerwriters #writingcommunity #lgbtqwriters

Bauer tapped the end of his pencil on the table. “Amber. Why’d you leave your bed in the middle of the night?”
I put my teacup down too loudly, unrepentant. “’Cause there was a hot girl down the hall. I was in Rochelle’s bed instead. Get over it.”
Rochelle didn’t blush or react with her face, still slowly coming to wakefulness at the table beside me, but she put her arm around me to back me up.
I cast my gaze around the table, meeting each pair of eyes once. “We’re together.”
Ari let out their breath. “Well I’m glad one of you finally said it.”
“What they said,” added Bauer. “If you thought you were being slick, you weren’t.”

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Yay, thanks for hosting #LateNightWrite, this was cool. My first time. I'm starved for writer talk and it's hit a critical point. About links: author hub in bio but if the story I mentioned about the woman with agoraphobia sounds cool, it's free to read. www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/pandoras-box

timelesstalesmagazine.com

Issue #2: Pandora's Box

Short story retellings of the Greek Myth Pandora's Box.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Hrm. My first published short story was about a woman with agoraphobia, and the point of the story was that she didn't have to confront it unless it was on her terms. Current WIP's MC isn't afraid of talking, but dislikes it, and sometimes loses her speech ability if she overdoes it. #LateNightWrite

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Oof. Someone at a panel once heard me talk about process and commented "You must write fearlessly." That part's true, I guess? But editing? Woof. I've overcome my fear of reducing word counts after learning it's possible. Once took a 171k MS down to 115k, and a 197k MS down to 120k. #LateNightWrite

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Good evening, #LateNightWrite! I sold my first book in 2014 but it was nonfiction. SF/Fantasy is where my soul lives. I'm querying a f/f YA SF and submitting heaps of short stories (sometimes successfully!), and my WIP is an adventure fantasy (series potential?) with some complicated queer rep.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Harrumph. Looking at the still-outstanding stories I have out on submission, there are NINE instances of publishers not replying by their stated response time. I can pretend that's a good sign that maybe I'm still being considered, but in actuality, we're probably just all overwhelmed and exhausted.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

My mother--whose only consistent trait was her inconsistency--used to sometimes read drafts of my books and return them to me with "BORING" written across pages. And then she once told me she was procrastinating on reading my latest because "If I hate it, you might stop writing." HA HA HA HA HA HA

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It's so, so odd that so many transphobic people are offended by being called transphobic. They often default to insisting they Just Want Trans People To Be Safe And Happy (by "recognizing" that they're just mentall ill apparently), then every other post is "WOMAN IS ACTUALLY MAN. MAN MAN. MANNYMAN."

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Dangit, I almost made a Steven Universe joke in a thread and then realized probably nobody would get it.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I don't respond to short story submissions calls very often. I've done it a total of four times in my life. (Three of those are published. One is awaiting a decision.) I am considering rewriting a shelved short story to respond to a submissions call. I wonder if I will actually get around to it.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Heh yep, one of mine's in the "Sexuality Ethics" collection and it's probably got the funniest title they've published

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I cut 1,000 words out of a short story to slide in under a word count cap. And often, when I am forced to do this, I like the sleeker, tighter version better, and think "that wasn't so hard!" This time? Nope. The longer version's better. But having the opportunity is worth a try, I guess.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I got my very first scam e-mail for VOICE-OVER WORK! I am very new on the scene in voice-over and I didn't even realize of course we would get scams in this field too. I can't believe I actually got one! I feel so legit.

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Hillary Monahan @hillarymonahan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If you are a dem willing to throw trans people under the bus BEFORE THE PRIMARIES EVEN HAPPEN, you are NOT an ally, you are NOT a good person, you are a walking talking self interest and unwelcome here. LGBTQIA+ with the T. Emphatically. Forever.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick @ryanfitzpublic.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My new book Ace Theory arrived on my doorstep yesterday, just starting to make its way into the world. It’s a book-length essay in fragments about asexuality and compulsory sexuality. I hope you’ll give it a look.

A full box of the book Ace Theory, just unboxed

The cover of the book Ace Theory: An Essay in Fragments About Asexuality

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Reposted by Julie Sondra Decker

Linsey Miller │ editing The Alchemy of Lies @linseymiller.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

prepping for the launch of another book is going great

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Very tired of the genre of "discussion" that sounds like "We really need to bring down the temperature of political discourse!" from people who think the solution is to remove speech rights from the other side.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Me [applying for something]: Ooh I have to attach the file now. Me: [Initally accidentally attaches a scan of a mammogram order] That would have been an . . . interesting day in their office

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I'm so confused how anyone is still saying "wheelchair-bound" and "confined to a wheelchair."

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

And now silly illustration 3 of 3 where I came up with a fun way to compare character traits. Venn diagram! These two provide a lot of the lightheartedness in the story and they are both SO much fun. Have you ever been too gay for a conversation? Amber has. ;) #writingcommunity #booksky

Character comparison illustration between characters standing in front of a Venn diagram representing their traits. Illustration is labeled ARI vs AMBER Queer Goofball Squad. A pen drawing of Ari on the left pictures them as an average-size androgynous-looking person with brown skin and short curly hair (with a little bit of gold on top), standing with crossed arms and a calm, satisfied expression, wearing a green short-sleeved shirt with a seam down the front, greenish-brown pants, and brown boots. A pen drawing of Amber on the right pictures her as a slim woman with tan skin and messy blond hair in very sloppy pigtail-buns, with a wide grin on her face, standing jauntily with one hand up toward the left like she's presenting, wearing a short-sleeved diamond-pattened blue shirt, a cream-colored long skirt, and dark blue slip-on shoes. Various color-coded traits are listed for the characters, with traits they share represented in the overlapping section of the two Venn diagram shapes. The shared characteristics are Humor, Can't cook, Peacemakers, Reasonably strong, From poor families, Taller than average (5'11"), Average combat abilities, Foul language = yes, Charismatic, and Excellent at friendship. Traits for Ari on the left are Chill, Excellent fine dexterity, Gentle teasing, Dislikes competition, Great balance, Sweet tooth, Low maintenance, Subtle, Patient, Hair = always cute, Good diplomacy skills, Good with arts, Androgynous hottie aesthetic, Pansexual, Doesn't get along with their parents, Musical voice, Calculates risks, and Talented artist and calligrapher. Traits for Amber on the right are High energy, Uncoordinated, PUNS!!!, Good sport, Clumsy, Hungry for whatever, Blunt, Mysterious allergies, Hair = always messy, Short attention span, Good memory skills, Good with plants, Farm girl aesthetic, Lesbian, Never knew her parents, LOUD AF, Barges in fearlessly, and Sloppy handwriting.

Pencil sketch of just the two characters in the previous illustration with sketch lines visible.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

If it helps you understand who I am as a person, I once downloaded two "to-do list" apps to figure out which one I liked better, but couldn't decide for a while, so I used and updated both. And both apps had "figure out to-do lists" on them as a to-do list item.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Here's silly illustration 2 of 3 where I came up with a fun way to compare character traits. Venn diagram! I'm not great with proportions so I look at references, and damn it's hard to find non-cringey stock poses of plus-size people. Anyway here's my story's badass twins. #writingcommunity #booksky

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Ever stayed up until 6 AM writing a scene where your character is tired and burned out? As a sort of method-writing? I dunno, I would never do that. Sounds awful. *nods*

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I came up with a fun way to compare character traits. Venn diagram! And I am amused that even with my straight characters they have descriptions like "Straight but never say never" or "Straight but who has the time." I did a few of these because I am silly. #writingcommunity #booksky

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Ayo @darrylayo.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Transgender people deserve to have a nice life. That is the entirety of the argument. If you disagree, you’re saying that you do not believe in liberty or justice for all.

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Claudie - Buy Nerezia While I Vacation ;) @clh2oars.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I understand that asexuality and aromanticism are primarily defined as an absence of attraction, but I cannot overstate how the lack of attraction is *a presence in my life* that shapes how I interact with the world

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I'm pretty cool but I am also scary in maybe seven or eight ways

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hmm. I am lonely for writer talk again. I wanna talk to other writers about writery stuff. I am having a moment.

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Julie Sondra Decker @juliesondra.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Another cringey asexuality story involving me: Sensationalistic title about virginity, rewritten in first person by a British person without my consent, bubbling that I'm just like everyone else and ~love~ a night on the town in heels and a dress. ??? juliesondradecker.blogspot.com/2014/03/word...

Magazine headline reads "I'm a 35 year old virgin" in red text. A caption says "And incredibly, Julie Sondra Decker, 35, says she NEVER wants to have sex..." Several photos and captions like "GROWING UP ASEXUAL" are interspersed with text that is too blurry to read.

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