S. Phipps
LightNews LightNews
banner
teaquanox.bsky.social
S. Phipps
@teaquanox.bsky.social
53 followers 65 following 310 posts
she/they. "With What Words", a small business focused on Creative Genesis and Consultations for Writing Projects.
BS in Animal Sciences, Equine enthusiast. Curiosity is a Virtue.

(Complete, Editing) Settle No Scores. Queernorm fantasy political intrigue.
Posts Replies Media Videos
teaquanox.bsky.social
Forgive the poor picture quality but I wanted to share this good omen with everyone.

There have not been ring-necked pheasants near this property for many years. Our rewilding is working.

Good things are happening. You just need to put in slow, steady, good-intentioned effort.
A landscape of golden prairie grasses and two oak trees. The sky is cloudless and light blue. An electric fence and t-posts run down the length of the pasture, and to the right of the nearest t-post stands a male ring-necked pheasant.
November 5, 2025 at 10:31 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
A poem I wrote after reading Megan Falley's poem about grief after losing Andrea Gibson. It is moving, and resonated with me deeply.

The grief from losing a spouse, or child or parent, is not the same as the grief of losing physical ability, but the words still rang true to me.
“The End of (my) Rope” Some children are enamored with learning how to tie different knots Most have different uses, but some have mechanical and practical overlap When you learn them dictates how quickly you can put them to use when under duress Gentle fingers do not tie a strong knot Hand-wringing does not translate into a secure boat in rough harbor waters Deliberate motions, unwavering focus, strong base and steady pressure (Put some worn-in gloves on for god’s sake) Don’t you hate when ripple and crest try to tear the vessel from you? Some undulating force moves where you can’t see, you can only imagine Clamoring angrily on the dock while the skiff is tossed here and yon Your counterpart on the boat has wet hands – with sea and blood and sweat The wind whips the gloves, the boots, the hat away They’ve only the end of the rope A good knot extends the fraying braid This is the beginning of the rope again Stained by hands who fought through every motion Take a breath and be patient They aren’t drifting out to sea just yet Decide if you’re a siren’s call, or a lighthouse.
October 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Snippet from my WIP that I was reminded of after seeing this tumblr post.
Tumblr post from andreweatspussy111: there's a pain inside that'll never go away but it's whatever His pain was the path to something better, like always. The satisfaction of wielding it to cut through to someone else's core didn't erode the cold grip it had on his sternum, but it was consolation enough. He let the smile unfurl on his face; she wouldn't know it wasn't for her.
October 7, 2025 at 3:41 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Days One and Two of #tennotober
Tennotober: Concert Tell not tales of waning light, of orb pivoting towards darkness: Listen instead to the concerto of chattering new voices finding the words they need. Tennotober: Triad Can someone hold so much darkness that he needs twice as much light to be balanced? Is there forgiveness for one so tainted with blood and bile and death? Should two souls embody their piety for a chance to save one?
October 2, 2025 at 5:34 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Obsessed. The fuel I need to draft & edit my "two stupid fools playing stupid ol' games".

#writingcommunity
album cover for "Slifer The Sky Dragon" by Will Paquin. An offwhite back ground with scratchy ink drawings, one of a pink cowboy striding toward the viewer with a long outstretched, booted foot. An orange sun hangs above the cowboy, with a black and white mesa behind him. There are catus in the foreground and midground. On the left side, a black square with a white pen drawing of a six shooter blasting the word "hahaha". On the right side, five stacked images of bucking horse silhouettes.
September 29, 2025 at 5:20 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
May 31st 2021
The ghost of what my life was Still has her own room in my house She still wakes up in the morning and gets ready Like any day could fall back into her rut the windows are clean and never shuttered because fear doesn't live in those walls There's always a little bit of dirt on the floor because she came in with her boots on and never left again
September 17, 2025 at 2:30 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Inner Landscape

Inspired by a tumblr mutual's post

#poetry
Home is unfathomable When you say it The word rings like A clarion bell but Does it chime or howl? When sighs signal rest In a desert black as The sky above it Some will cower or flee The deafening wind Driving them Home As washed out sunlight Pours over pastoral hills And gentle psithurism Fills the mind with static I've seen this place before Inhabited by other Whole souls We press hands to Mirrors Wondering why we can't cross over Even when we find Years or seconds later We're looking at it from the other side Home is where the Head Hunger Hope Hurt Heart is
September 7, 2025 at 12:34 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
"On reinvention"
Blackout Poetry
August 30 2025

alt text for transcription
#poetry
ghosts who come back living people who believed Can you imagine what's disappeared? like a ghost one day hanging from the windows then stopped And Who? It Was I "What do you mean it was you?" stunned shock Known your whole life and at the same time you're aware you don't know at all face to face with surprise open eyes The Lights "Understand?" "Yes," she said she couldn't quite grasp she needed a little more time "Give me a minute, please," "Of course," sat in silence, she was Thinking Again
September 2, 2025 at 3:38 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Last leg of the road trip was incredible. Sedona and I40 in New Mexico.
A desert mountainous scene, red sand and shrubs in the foreground and sedentary red and tan mesas in the background. Inrerstate 40 in New Mexico. Shrubs line the road way. The sky is mostly cloudy with a thin rainbow arcing from sky to ground.
August 28, 2025 at 6:24 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Karting and F1 X in Vegas. TONS of fun.
A large LED wall displaying a red banner with formula one racecar that says "F1 75 Las Vegas Grand Prix" A black background with white and red text that says "75 years of Formula 1" A picture of inside the empty pits at the Las Vegas Grand Prix F 1 circuit, that currently has electric karts and track barriers. A white woman with ruffled blonde hair and large round glasses looking smug and worn out, standing in front of a formula one car with the las vegas Grand Prix livery.
August 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Wild horses in the construction zone, what they doin'?
August 22, 2025 at 9:46 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Salmon River, Devil's Churn, North Neptune, Heceta Beach
A shallow, rocky potion of a wide river. It is lined with tall, round pine and hemlock trees. A peek through the trees at a narrow, rocky inlet. The ocean churns violently between the cliff walls. A large area of fog is moving in, though some blue sky can still be seen. A rocky beach at low tide. The ocean waves are strong and a large area of fog is moving in, though some blue sky can still be seen. A grassy dune beset with fog. On the right side of the shoreline, a couple of houses can barely been seen through the fog. The nearest one is tan with a short roof overhang, and next is bright blue with a low grey roof.
August 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
sea lion cave, now with over 60 sea lions!
A tall ceilinged cave with green ocean water and seafoam coming in from a mouth on the right and at the back. Over sixty sea lions lounge on rock formations in the cave.
August 20, 2025 at 4:36 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Very Kira Nerys coded at my cousin's gorgeous wedding.
August 18, 2025 at 2:55 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Took a lovely hike near Mt. Hood this morning.
Pine trees on both sides of the image, with a little blue sky peeking in near the right side. A large waterfall pours down the center. Sun peeking through a stand of pine trees, a waterfall pouring down the right side. A wide, shallow, clear river rolling over a rocky bed. Downed pine trees span the width. A stand of pines is on the right bank. A clear, shallow river running over a sandy bed. Pine trees stand on either side.
August 17, 2025 at 1:35 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Forgive the terrible photo -

I have core memories of staying at DoubleTree hotels on road trips, and eating cookies with my mom. It's her favorite chain hotel.

Now I get to share that memory with my fiancé.
A hotel parking lot after dark, a white man's hands holding pieces of a cookie up for the camera.
August 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Some text redacted for spoilers, but:

Paranoid, dodgy characters my beloveds

#amwriting #amediting
Lysander had to know at least some of the extent of Atenulfo's murky past. He was worried it was going to be a tough sell regardless. "What? Why would he do that?" he asked, looking more concerned now. Dellizar had several ideas he was not going to share with Lysander. It's stressful enough to organize legal agreements without the law breathing down your neck for no reason." There was always a good reason, Dellizar thought.
August 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Mister would look rly good in my wedding guest fit 👀
August 9, 2025 at 2:55 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Inspired by a Tumblr post about realizing the best way to do some things is to do them alone.

It isn't weird to experience the joys of life alone. Being one with yourself is a gift.

#writing #tattoos
On the topic of doing things alone: Every week, I sit down at my altar to clean it out, rearrange things as the energy suggests, cleanse the space, and center myself. Often, the cats join me - they like to participate in my meditation, it's delightful. This isn't something I can do with other people. This is a deeply personal, spiritual practice, and it has changed me at a basal level - for the better. Realigning myself physically, mentally, and spiritually on a regular basis is a form of self-respect that has helped me progress in leaps and bounds in recovery (from numerous things). Several weeks ago was the last "nice day" of summer; one that was cool enough to open the windows in the evening. The house was empty, the golden light of the first few degrees of sunset the only thing keeping me company (besides the cats, of course). While I was working at my altar, absorbed in feeling the moment I was in, a blue jay cawed right into my window. It did startle me. I leaned over to get a better view - the bird was clinging to one of the two narrow oaks right outside of my bedroom. It was gazing in, watching me. It cawed again and stretched its wings out for a moment before hopping to a branch to settle on. It stayed there for several more minutes, cawing again as it dipped into the air to fly away. During this stretch of time, none of the cats hurried to the window to click and call to the jay. They simply relaxed near me as I worked. It felt so intimate. Just existing in my little pocket of the universe, of nature, as the bird was, as the cats were. It was a core moment I won't forget, and it nestled its way into my Hanged Man tattoo. The underside of a white person's left arm. A tattoo in black ink of a feminine figure with broad wings and a blue jay's head is tied up in red rope, completely relaxed.
July 27, 2025 at 10:15 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
A WIP snippet of the Dark Night beat of BOOK II [title redacted].
“Tell me your little story, Valeria,” he whispered, leaning back in. “The Hiltless Sword. A double-ended blade piercing the heart of the wielder and the attacker. Someone willing to push us onto my sword, Dellizar, you bastard, you fucking stray,” She cooed, voice tightening as she spoke, the words like a bow on the wrong angle of a violin's neck. “And I thought you were too cowardly.” She shifted her weight onto her left hip, unable to punctuate her rant with physical dramatics beyond that. Her lips stretched into a taut line. She was not afraid. She was furious. “Over and over and over again,” She seethed. “That fucking card. Every mirror den, every Mother.” She jutted her chin towards her right thigh, strands of her flame-red hair cascading around her face. He knew what she meant; she always wore a holster on her left leg for a stiletto knife. “At least honor my Saint with my death.”
July 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Kalymos Protocol Valkyr

DE did an amazing job on her rework and Heirloom Skin 🥰

#warframe
Valkyr (from Warframe), holding Ekhein (a long hammer with a rounded end). Kalymos the Orokin Kavat stands nearby, watching the warframe. Valkyr (from Warframe), standing in Albrecht's Conservatory. Valkyr (from Warframe), standing in Albrecht's Conservatory.
July 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
A late night snippet of a scene getting added near the end of my WIP. It needs some smoothing but I'm having fun overdoing it.

#wip #fantasy
For a moment, he watched her marvel at the world from the highest perch she'd ever been allowed. For him, the reward wasn't the view - it was the air on his skin. He inhaled deeply, finding a center on this would-be floating platform, the crown jewel of the city, the name of the skyscraper spoken only in hushed tones. This was the concrete pinnacle of his importance; though a normal soul could never fathom why he resided here. The comfort from the oppressive blanket of humidity was the assurance that things in this city would never change. It hung high; even the tallest building would not escape reality. Every evening, the lights twinkled and reflected off the broad glass panes on statuesque buildings, the low rumble of cavorters and commuters rolled over the roads, and the air condensed into a hot amalgam of progress and anonymity. "How do you stay sane here? I feel like the city is going to swallow me whole," she said, having turned back to him while his eyes were closed. He suppressed the urge to smile at her, as her expression teetered on the edge of despair. For someone from a quiet town in the shadow of the mountains, Barretolia was a raucous nightmare of color, stuffed to the gills with bodies and secrets. But that was what he loved about it; instead of concocting the best way to blend in, one just had to be eaten alive to be forgotten.
July 20, 2025 at 5:58 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
If your antique mall has a friendly cat and gaudy carpet, you're doing everything right.
A long haired black cat lounges in the sun on bright green carpet
June 20, 2025 at 3:35 AM
teaquanox.bsky.social
Tomorrow, in Guthrie, Oklahoma - A fun and friendly writer's group meeting!

We'll be talking prose and author's voice, and have time for work on your own projects.

#writingcommunity #oklahoma
An advert for Ardent Scrawl, a writer's group at A Novel Idea Bookshop in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The background is tan parchment lined by flowers and vines, with a picture of an inkwell and a feather pen. the text says "Ardent Scrawl, writer's group open to all, may twenty second from six to eight p.m. at A Novel Idea Bookshop"
May 21, 2025 at 9:54 PM
teaquanox.bsky.social
There is a particular beauty in art, and it is the fact that there are so many shades of everything.

How many shades of blue are in this photo?

And every person you ask will have a different answer, a different description, a different recreation.

This is true for every feeling, too. #amwriting
A photo of the shore of a lake. The shoreline is made of big tan rocks, and the water is orange near the shore because of the iron-rich mud. Further out, small waves ripple across the teal water. In the distance, an island covered in thick green trees. The sky is clear, and a gradient of blues stretch from the horizon to the top of the photo.
May 21, 2025 at 8:04 PM