the one who waffles about gender and stuff

go on an aimless bike/ride/walk - move your body, do it for as long as you feel like it, discover new places near you weather that is a frog or a cafe

watch a new movie/read a new book/listen to a new album - get inspired, excercise having opinions and longer attention span, break out of consuming content and make a choice about what you want to expirience

create something in a medium i haven't used in a while - get out of a habit, rekindle a flame you haven't been upkeeping, making a friendship bracelet counts

go have a fun new drink/snack - arguably most important, have a little treat without rush, slow down and focus on physical sensations, treat yourself in a way that isn't landfillcore

meet with friends and/or go to a place where you meet strangers - human connection is good for you, (maybe some casual sex if you like that/try something new with your partner)

make some bad art - create for the sake of creating without any expectations

play an instrument - this can be anything that makes you reach a kind of flow state

go see something you haven't yet - get to know the cultural/geographical map of your area, this includes events, places, or just anything that makes you go out of your way to expirience something new, can be like a viewpoint or it can be a museum exhibit, anything you find cool

recently finished the first six of crows book and wanted to draw my little misfits 🐦‍⬛

pictured above: thing 1, who constantly finds new & astonishing ways of engaging people in conversation,, and thing 2, who’s in possession of a social battery in the negatives & needs to be reminded to fix her face

insp by a photo of david bowie & iman!

Oh, this could fuck severely.

Imagine CJ taking Sam's place as Mallory's potential love interest? Sam is still there, of course, but as an observer (who might flirt with Mallory but it's mostly to light a fire under CJ's ass that the woman has other options and CJ might want to stop dragging her feet?) Get rid of the Laurie subplot (or keep it if you want...) and get rid of CJ not knowing who Mal was, at first--she had to have known her during the campaign. They hung out, were friends. But then she shows up with her class for the tour and there's a spark there, one that CJ is content to ignore, at first, but then...wait, is Mallory McGarry O'Brien flirting with her?

And maybe CJ had to write a position paper (or the non-law school equivalent) of school vouchers that someone digs up and Mallory hears about it? Or a quote surfaces from the campaign that is damning out of context? And they bicker about that because Mallory is a teacher, how can CJ argue for vouchers??

Leo obviously has less influence over CJ's schedule than he does Sam's, but that doesn't mean he's not going to try to razz her about the fact that she might be going out with his daughter using his Kennedy center tickets that used to be his and Jenny's. And part of it is because he's so very protective of his daughter but he's also protective of CJ and he knows how subtle they have to be about this and this is one of the first times Mal has shown real interest in a woman and so he wants CJ to have to fight a little for it, he wants to make sure CJ is serious and not just flirting to flirt. He wants to know that CJ means it, because if this goes anywhere, it's going to be tough for all of them but for no one more than CJ and Mallory.

And maybe they do make it to the opera or maybe they go have bad coffee somewhere, maybe Leo does take them for dessert and he goes home and they close the place down talking. Maybe they share a cab home and CJ walks her to the door and it's so late and dark out she feels safe with kissing her at the door, so soft and tentative.

Maura shrugged. “Who knows?” she said. “Who cares, so long as we make them regret it?”

Kalasin smiled. She sat forward a little, and rested her drink in her lap, cupping Maura’s cheek with one hand - cool from the cold earthenware, soft from cream of roses that Maura could still smell on the air, ink-stained from her work. “You’ll be assigned to escort them to the border, won’t you?” she said. “When this charade is over?”

Weekly Bookish Question #475 (January 11th - January 17th, 2026)

fix ur sleep schedule

read fucked up books

watch fucked up movies

dance in the kitchen

learn one hard truth

drink more water

say no faster

let people misunderstand you

leave earlier when my intuition whispers “girl…”

learn a dead language

learn restraint

learn indulgence

refuse emotional illiteracy

FOLLOW JOY

Song of the year?

Album of the year?

Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Movie of the year?

TV show of the year?

Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Favorite actor of the year?

Game of the year?

Best month for you this year?

Something that made you cry this year?

Something you want to do again next year?

Talk about a new friend you made this year

How was your birthday this year?

Favorite book you read this year?

What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

Post a picture from the beginning of the year

Post a picture from the end of the year

A memorable meal this year?

What’re you excited about for next year?

What’s something you learned this year?

What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

Favorite place you visited this year?

If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?