As I gave Henry a final farewell scratch, he reminded me of the other needy animals. “I’ll be right back!” I sprinted to our shop and back. “Here, I know you can use these,” I said, and handed over an armful of dog treat bags to Ms. Nguyen. She graciously thanked me, and my cheeks ached. I entered our bakery with a spring in my step—When had I last felt so good? Felt up to helping?—but then I saw Sophia. I froze. My smile dissolved. Sophia, my big sister, leaned against the front of the counter, and shook her head with a scolding tsk, tsk. “You remember some of us need to sell things to make a living, right?” she asked. “Or did you abandon all responsibilities when you became unemployed?” I winced but held my ground. “They’re for the animal shelter dogs! It’s for a good cause.” Sophia waved at me dismissively. “You and your good causes. Always wanting to help and save everyone and everything. It’s impossible, you know.” I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. “At least I care,” I muttered.

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "step."

From my recently revised Ch 1. Open to any thoughts/feedback on how it sets the tone for Lexi's character. Thanks!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #zoo #empathy #alienzoo #scifi #grieving

I walked back towards the living room but paused at the large pinboard. They seemed to all be assorted thank you notes. All from patients? Some included pictures of people. Based on the visible wear and yellowing, many must have been quite old. There were maybe… hundreds? “Some of my favorite notes,” Damien ambiguously explained, now standing by me. “You’ve helped so many people,” I said, in quiet awe. “For such a long time.” “And there are always more needing help,” he whispered with odd resignation. So much like Joe, in a strange way. The animals need taking care of, Joe’d said, before later collapsing that day, exhausted. Both caregivers of a sort. But Damien… I spared the pinboard another glance… had carried that burden for centuries, if not longer. Without another word, Damien turned and headed through the dining room and into the kitchen, both of which were small, open rooms off to one side of the larger living room.

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "marathon."

Going with ✨vibes✨ for Damien, the dedicated healer.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #zoo #empathy #alienzoo #scifi #healing

Great question, Charlie! And nearly impossible to achieve😅 My attempt:

Lexi: They spoke out against injustice, and it cost them everything- now, alone but healing, they're determined to "make a positive difference" in the world without losing it all again.

#AwesomeCharacters
(1/3) #alienzoo

My nature is something I’ve spent my entire existence fighting against, he’d told me in the bakery. Fighting the power within him. Fighting the harm he feared he might cause. Not again. What demons did Damien still carry, never forgetting, never forgiving? I did want to pity him. But he didn’t want pity. Pity doesn’t help someone heal from trauma. It weakens agency. And for Damien, it would undermine his immense inner strength. The strength he’d needed to just survive. How could someone like Damien… truly heal?

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "fight."

We get more of Damien's backstory today.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #vampire #zoo #empathy #alienzoo #scifi #trauma #healing

Chapter 24: Apollo “So, you’re saying we’re infected with an alien-vampire hybrid virus that causes telepathy?” I stared at Apollo, boggling. Trying to wrap my head around the staggering situation. “Essentially, yes. And it’s extremely contagious between humans,” Apollo stated matter-of-factly, in only the way that a trained medical professional can stoically deliver shocking news. He stood there, his greenish yellow tendrilled hair forming a glowing halo around his head, while crossing his two sets of arms in custom-made white medical scrubs. But I managed to catch a flash of white. Danger? Concern? I continued gawking at him, probably in a mild state of shock, trying to process our entire conversation.

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "chapter." Claimimg vibes 😂

Just an alien-vampire telepathy virus threatening to infect humanity.👽🧛🤣

I'm curious though - would *you* embrace telepathy? 👀

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #vampire #zoo #empathy #alienzoo #scifi

No. Even if Lexi offered, Damien could never take it. Could he? How could he be sure he’d stop, before causing irreversible harm? Could he trust himself? To not lose control again? It had taken far too much effort for him to control himself on the ship. That was failure enough itself. He’d need to better prepare if he dared return to New Atlantis. What was the point of even pursuing such a… bond? Damien knew too well how friendships with humans always ended; loss, pain, and being alone. With a tinge of something that he refused to name for fear of longing for it, Damien hoped that Lexi would somehow build the new home, connections, and “found-family” that they clearly wanted. Or at the least, he hoped Lexi would take care of themself. Yes, Damien was very much looking forward to being home. While no sunlight penetrated the ship’s walls, he could still feel the sunrise, the sun’s oppressive presence at the horizon. Lulling him to sleep, as it did every day. Almost impossible to fight. He closed his eyes, his thoughts swirling until he found transient peace. But little did Damien know that his house-sitter had brought an unexpected guest. Another being in need of healing. One who, like Damien, needed friends more than they realized. Though Damien would have been the last person to admit it.

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "pursue."

Damien returns home, after the team fails to evacuate a planet being sucked into a black hole.

The only chapter from Damien’s POV.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #vampire #zoo #empathy #alienzoo #scifi

Indicating the bread, Damien explained, “I baked it yesterday. It’s great for dipping.” “Your own sourdough starter?” My eyes widened with wonder. Because, of course, sourdough bread, and the microbial starters people cultivated to bake it, had existed since ancient times. For millennia. Damien grinned. “I recently purchased this particular starter from Boudin, the historic San Francisco bakery,” he said, pointing to a small jar on the kitchen counter. “It’s claimed to be the oldest continuously used sourdough starter; in use since the mid-eighteen hundreds. Quite impressive.” I smiled, surprised to learn that Damien didn’t use a personal relic to bake his bread. “My own much older starters are currently all in temperature-controlled storage,” Damien smirked. And this time I rolled my eyes.

Sharing a bit of of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "counter."

Just folks boasting about the age & credentials of their #sourdough starters, as they do, in my #scifi story about an #alienzoo. 😁

All true facts, btw.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #sff #alien #zoo #empathy #baking #bread

Sharing the mini prologue of my novel for today's #WIPSnips, "walk."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #alien #zoo #alienzoo #hopepunk #neurodivergent #empathy #solarpunk #baking

Also, I'm in this 🌟live write-in🌟 for the next while - feel free to hop in!
bsky.app/profile/jaxw...

But I didn’t want to get distracted, and charged onward. “Even if that’s the case, Damien, I haven’t seen you afraid of anything. Not anymore,” I continued. “Except for… me. I scare you. I saw it in your eyes, just before you invited me inside your home. Why are you afraid of me, Damien?” Damien rubbed his forehead and then gave a weary sigh. “Because I like you, Lexi,” he said, shifting his position to hold my eyes with his, which glistened in the dim light. “And that terrifies me more than anything else. Because the more time you spend around me, the greater the risk of us both getting hurt.” Damien shook his head. “I know that from the outside I appear as though I have everything figured out. But the truth is, even on my best days, I’m barely holding it together. Always one potential slip away from… horrific failure.”

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "hurt."

Just exposing some vulnerabilities.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #alien #zoo #alienzoo #neurodivergent #empathy #vulnerable

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Lexi?” Athena queried, sounding rather serious. I turned to face her, taken aback and undoubtedly showing it. “Of course you may,” I answered. But why would this shape-changing alien want to ask anything of me, a boring, ordinary human? “Why do you want to work with us?” Her tail twitched and she fixed those fiery, red eyes on mine. I paused. I hadn’t expected the question. Which was probably silly of me, since it was a normal job interview question. But nothing about our interactions had ever been normal. “I… I kept thinking of the alien animals—the alien creatures. It’s so incredible to think that I could see for myself what alien life is like.” Then I blushed, realizing I had also just described Athena. “I mean,” I stammered, continuing, “the ones that have lost their homes somehow. It sounds like they have nowhere else to go, right? I just want to help, to make some sort of positive difference. They need help, don’t they?”

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "serious."

Just a standard job interview question: Why do you want to work for us... at our alien zoo? 😁

Happy Friday!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #alien #zoo #space #planets #alienzoo #neurodivergent #jobinterview #empathy

Just like she’d managed her family’s budget, after her father had passed and she’d slipped into the position of helping her mother—who worked several part-time jobs—with raising her three younger siblings. Olivia wished she could have taken some college, as Lexi had, but it was beyond her family’s means. She’d even tried other retail jobs, ones that paid more. But her social anxiety took too great a toll. She’d always had trouble remembering people, even regular customers—she figured she was just one of those people who was bad at that sort of stuff. But then recently she’d learned that she, in fact, had a neurological disorder. It was genetic; shared with her mother. And it made it nearly impossible for names and faces to stick in her mind, as hard as she tried. She and her mother both had prosopagnosia, or “face blindness.” And while it was nice to have a name for their condition, there was no treatment. And it made her anxious to be in public. Because in

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "position."

But it's really about #priviledge and a #neurodivergence I share with Olivia, #faceblindness (or #prosopagnosia). Olivia's POV.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #alien #zoo #space #planets #alienzoo #neurodivergent

“Olivia, I was scared too,” I confessed. “In fact, I was terrified.” “But you seemed so confident.” Olivia stared at me, narrowing her dark brown eyes. “Like you just knew what you were doing. So calm and collected.” “I didn’t feel confident. I felt a mess. I just kept… moving. One step at a time. Doing whatever small thing I could. If it weren’t for Damien, I would have been useless.” I thought of him, endangering himself wrestling the tentacle-roots to save the Atlanteans he despised.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "confident."

This is far too close to how I feel in real life all the time. 😅
(Except for the tentacle-roots. 🤣)

Ah, the facade of confidence...

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #alien #zoo #space #planets #alienzoo #leadership

But Hippocrates didn’t judge Plato too harshly; times had been even harder for him than for most of the Athenians after their devastating defeat by Sparta in the gruesome Peloponnesian War. Because for Plato, the resultant political turmoil and atmosphere of uncertainty had also tragically claimed the life of Socrates, his beloved teacher, and… so much more. Socrates, who had “corrupted the youth” by encouraging them to become critical thinkers; to question the gods of Athens and their own leaders. Much as Hippocrates himself had often done. And Hippocrates, as a dedicated, lifelong healer, couldn’t help but feel some guilt related to the unjust death sentencing of Socrates, which, but for the twist of fate, could have been his.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "perish." Going with vibes.

Today for my story about an #alienzoo, we get some historical fiction! All as accurate as possible...

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #space #planets #priviledge

Because, at the end of our final planning meeting, one of countless others I’d led over the past week, as I’d rallied our team leaders and looked at them all gathered around me—appreciating how far we’d come, and so quickly—I’d realized that all of them, even Damien, had become utterly committed to ensuring our mission would succeed. He’d never even actually said he was coming. But he didn’t need to anymore. Damien wouldn’t be leaving my side.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "commit."

Guess who almost dies on the upcoming mission to evacuate a doomed planet? 😭😅💖🔥

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo #space #planets

The day had been a crash course on questions I should have asked before accepting a new job, particularly from aliens building an intergalactic zoo. Questions such as: So, there’s some automated, high-tech way to clean the creatures’ enclosures… right? The surprising answer to this question led to yet other questions. Questions such as: But how much excrement could a hopping herd of cat-sized, mop-marshmallow-like critters produce anyway? (I really should have known better; I’d worked at a pet store, after all.) Or questions such as: Wait, there are how many of them currently crammed into small quarantine cages, because their permanent exhibits haven’t even been constructed yet? Yes, I learned much from Joe, my grumpy new boss, during my first day working at the Intergalactic Wildlife Sanctuary. Manual cage cleanup had become my first “duty” (too aptly labeled), specifically in the Earth Department, which right now solely consisted of creatures in Quarantine. But I’m jumping ahead a bit.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "current."

I'm supplying zero context here because I think this snip speaks for itself pretty well. 😅 Hello, fellow #pet owners!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo
#pets #wildlife

Sophia reluctantly agreed to take care of my terrariums. As much as my sister gave me a hard time, I trusted she’d be responsible with the rescued critters. For one last time, I watched Poseidon, who I suspected Sophia secretly liked; she’d told her friends the story of the giant hermit crab who’d been discovered abandoned on the side of a busy Rockton road and turned into the pet store. Poseidon climbed up a branch and prodded at a twiggy bit with his claws. He’d undoubtedly been born in the wild—too challenging to breed the critters in captivity. I still wished pet stores didn’t sell them. How could his cage even compare to the original home he’d lost? But at the least I’d tried to give him the best life I could.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "climb"

Any other hermit crab fans out there? (This is actually based on a true story!)
Or animal lovers in general?

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo
#pets #petstore #hermitcrabs

And in the middle of the living room, a solid-looking wooden coffee table sat surrounded by a well-loved sofa, a matching armchair, and a television. I wasn’t sure what surprised me more—the… woman?... whose ears were the cutest little triangles of reddish-brownish fur, tipped in black, poking out of the top of her head of similarly colored, short straight hair, who languidly lounged on the armchair yet watched me with an inviting smile and a distinctive predatory precision in her amber eyes—or the image on the television screen. I stared at the familiar picture of one of the puppy-plants. My video. It was on pause, right there, in Damien’s apartment. I guess he watched it. “We can talk about that later,” Damien said, reappearing from wherever he’d gone. I swallowed hard. Just how much scolding was I in for?

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "table."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo
#kitsune 👀

The massive serpent, looking down, locked its penetrating black-slitted green eyes upon mine, tongue flicking. I’d never had a pet snake, but I knew from my experiences at the pet shop that I was being… somehow evaluated. And I hoped I passed the examination. But apparently, I didn’t. Because then the snake coiled back its head and hissed with such rage that I felt its fury crash against my being, like being struck by a mental tidal wave, urging some primal part of me to curl up and hide. But somehow, I remained sitting on the sofa. And then it unhinged its gigantic jaw. As I stared into a yawning abyss with glistening fangs, I thought that, looking on the bright side, if the snake ate me at least I wouldn’t have to face Damien’s scolding.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "lock."

TW: Giant snake
In the living room. (Before yesterday's snip.)

May be biased, but includes one of my fav sentences.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo #snake
#dragon 👀

“They will not hurt you,” I heard Damien whisper to the snake with surprising force, while continuing to stroke her side. “Yes, they are human. But they are different. They would only want to help you. You are safe here.” And the snake, a little bit at a time, lowered her head, until it came to rest on the coffee table in front of me. Next to the package from Apollo. Of course, what Damien had said was true; why would I ever want to hurt such a remarkable creature? I would only want to help it. And at the same time I knew that I, and my response, were different too. Most people

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "low."

TW: Giant snake
In the living room.

But fortunately Damien’s good with assorted creatures.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo #snake
#dragon 👀

The plaque contained a standard version of the Hippocratic Oath. It described the solemn promise taken by medical professionals to keep patient information confidential, to use their knowledge and skills solely for the benefit of people, and to avoid any harm or wrongdoing of patients or other people. Then I stared in disbelief at the name. I heard Olivia gasp next to me, but I was still just… staring.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "benefit."

Today in our alien zoo, we get... the Hippocratic Oath.

But possibly the name at the bottom of the plaque is not just "Hippocrates."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo

Even more than usual, he’d felt like such an outsider. The entire adventure of going to New Atlantis had put Damien in a foul mood. It was as though ancient scars had been reopened into fresh, raw wounds. Nothing had riled him so much in ages, not like the Atlanteans. Athena, who strived—went through the motions—but still failed to empathize with the humans. Still seeing them as tools instead of partners. He wouldn’t deny that it had been… interesting. But far too risky. Yes, it would feel good to be home again. Back to his regular obligations, predictable routines, and a normal sense of stability and safety. Where he was in control. Hopefully his house-sitter had maintained his status quo in his absence; she could be troublesome but was usually reliable.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "home."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo

“I… uh… where did everyone go?” I sputtered. It was all I could manage. “Oh, the other humans? I think they all scattered into the night. Mostly screaming.” She explained this all matter-of-factly, still smiling in her friendly, calm way. I gaped at her, stunned by her blunt explanation. But she was… an alien. (Some small ADHD part of my brain noted that, being an alien comprised of unknown biology, she may not consider herself a “she” in any way that humans would use the pronoun, but I didn’t think that now was an appropriate time to ask about preferred pronouns.) And… aliens had somehow shown up on Earth, created islands practically overnight, and next they planned to create a zoo the size of a small continent. To house alien creatures. Why was I still here? Shouldn’t I have run away too?

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "calm."

Yesterday someone around here brought up alien gender issues, so this scene came to my mind for today...

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo #aliengenderissues

“Listen, we need people like you,” she said, her eyes boring into mine. “People who care. People who want to do the right thing. Would you think about joining us at the wildlife sanctuary? I’ll be back tomorrow.” With that, she turned and left. My parents and sisters emitted a collective sigh of relief from behind me. Athena hadn’t threatened me. She hadn’t begged. She’d given me a choice. But Athena had seen something in me that I hadn’t seen in myself in a long time. Something I’d… loved about myself once. But I didn’t trust it anymore because it’d only gotten me in trouble. And because Athena had so thoroughly seen me—that is what shook me to my core, more than her scales ever could. I would re-run this interaction in my mind countless times later and still be unable to say how or when exactly it happened, but somehow, even before the door closed behind her swishing tail, I knew she’d already won. I was going to work at Athena’s alien zoo.

Almost didn't post today... b/c most of my "resolution"s are spoilers, so...

For today's #WIPSnips, I'm going with *vibes* from an early chapter of my #hopepunk novel.

What does it mean to "do good" anyway?

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #solarpunk #zoo #ethics #alien #alienzoo

An alien walked into my family’s bakery and bought banana nut muffins. Six of them, to be precise. She paid in exact change. Then she offered me a job. It would have been reckless to accept it. But I did. And it changed everything. Just the morning before, my life had been normal. Well, the new normal for me.

Happy New Year! Wish you all the best possible 2026!

For today's #WIPSnips, "begin," I'm going with *vibes.*

Inspired by @jimthevampire.bsky.social 's post yesterday, I'm sharing my #hopepunk novel's mini prologue.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #solarpunk #alien #zoo #bakery #alienzoo

# Now, mid-morning the next day, chaos reigned at the bakery. But staying open had turned out to be a shrewd business decision. Because of the unprecedented flood of panic-buying customers, we’d already sold out of our typical loaves, and many of our sweeter baked goods as well. People anxiously grabbed any and all essentials in their rush to be prepared for the ambiguous unknown. And while at it, they impulsively purchased comforting treats too. Nothing like a slice of chocolate cake to help cope with the unexpected arrival of aliens and potentially the end of the world.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "end."

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #animals #alien #zoo #bakery #alienzoo

“Another late night, huh, Lexi?” Sophia asked, glancing down at me as she tossed the newspaper on top of my displaced books. It lay open to some blurry greenish aerial pictures. I nodded. “Yeah, playing Eco-Sim. I found a new type of alien creature. It was photosynthetic, so I moved it to a sunny spot, and it perked right up.” I swirled another morsel in the golden puddle, brightening as I relived my virtual adventure. “Then it caught a virus, but I didn’t notice since it didn’t look sick. It just acted weird…” I trailed off. “Uh-huh,” Sophia said, as her gaze drifted to the images in the paper, brows furrowed. I sighed, since apparently, I couldn’t even compete with a newspaper. Who even reads those?

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips, "sun."

Lexi certainly isn't staying up late playing video games as mild escapism, to avoid her current life reality...

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #solarpunk #videogames #photosynthetic #animals #alien #zoo #alienzoo

“I want you to leave, now.” I walked past him to the front door, opened it, and held it open, refusing to budge until he walked back through it. Awkwardly standing my ground. “Fine, fine. Oh, and one other thing—you know you’d always be welcome back at the pet store,” Tyler casually said. “And your friends miss you too. Especially Olivia.” I winced, Tyler’s words stinging so much he might as well have slapped me. Olivia, my best friend; just her name made me ache. We still hadn’t spoken since the scene. Maybe she blamed me for the falling out. But what hurt most was that maybe… just maybe… she was right to. Could I have handled it better, somehow? But what did any of that even matter anymore? I blinked hard to hold back tears. “Get out!” Without another word, he backed away through the door. I slammed it shut. They’re not my friends anymore. Though my anger didn’t dull my pain. But what choice had I had? While I’d probably still have my friends—and my old easy life at the pet store—had I stayed quiet, kept my head down, and played nice, I couldn’t have kept it up forever. That wasn’t me. And I didn’t want to become someone I’d despise. I’m going to a better place. Hopefully.

Sharing a bit of my #hopepunk novel for today's #WIPSnips. No clobbering at the alien zoo, but we do got some slap'n.

Gonna wash that man right outta my hair.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #scifi #sff #hopepunk #alien #zoo #alienzoo
#breakup #quit

Welcome to the Xenarium Listen to The Books of Thoth on RedCircle

Episode five of The Books of Thoth has arrived. Explore the wonders of the cosmic wilderness right here on Earth. We’re going on a tour of the Xenarium: an indoor alien zoo. redcircle.com/shows/the-bo...

#AudioDrama #BooksOfThoth #SpeculativeEvolution #Aliens #AlienZoo #FictionPodcast

Back in class we had to design aliens and I did a little alien dog
So this is the Emperor Hetzen
He was really fun to design and draw!

#alien #Alienzoo #aliendog #collegeassignment #ConceptArt

Samantha van Leer on Why Kids Love Sci-Fi and Alien Dogs Kicking off a new middle grade series about alien zoos and life as a teenager, the author talks about her inspirations and goals for reaching young readers.

➡️ Read more: buff.ly/ojvNXFF

#SamanthavanLeer #TheExtraterrestrialZoo #AlienZoo #ReadingCommunity #BookLovers