Eren Branch
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rootandbranch.bsky.social
Eren Branch
@rootandbranch.bsky.social
920 followers 590 following 820 posts
40-something neurospicy polyam white queer, any pronouns. Tired. Low on fucks. Writing a space fantasy mecha retelling of wild medieval Arthuriana. (How wild? Four-way makeouts. Medieval literature!) I also write larps.
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rootandbranch.bsky.social
today she eats bonito flakes and raw chicken in celebration in front of my dorky dvd shelf
the same cat, less scrawny, with her face in a blue and white china bowl, absorbed in delight. there are some weeb ass dvds behind her
July 6, 2025 at 11:37 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
ten years ago today, i brought this sweet baby home. she was much skinnier and had an eye infection but purred for me so much right away 🥰
a photo of a very colorful calico-tabby cat. she is sitting in the corner of a room in front of a mirror, a little scrunched up and unsure
July 6, 2025 at 11:35 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
test lighting is finally getting there! look, it’s actual cerritos progress pics
a photo of a hand holding the unpainted nacelle of a model starship, the uss cerritos. there are long stripes glowing a bright diffuse blue and a glowing red cap on one end another photo of the nacelle, showing the back end also glowing blue another photo, this time of the engineering section. the deflector dish glows blue from within behind copper segments a photo of the saucer section of a model starship. large segments glow from within so that once it’s painted, windows can be scraped out to let the light shine through. a few spots glow blue for accents
June 25, 2025 at 2:38 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
uss chaos, california class
a photo of a dining room table strewn with tools, little jars of paint, pieces of a model starship, and general chaos
June 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
the fifth horseman of the apocalypse rides again
the meme where the guy from Scooby Doo takes the mask off the tied up villain. masked is labeled "AI" in scare quotes. unmasked is labeled "exploited labor."
June 3, 2025 at 3:41 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
starship modeling funtimes on hold as i style wigs for a larp (contributing some npc costuming)

been a loooong time since i did anything with wigs. between this and the ship, my dining room table looks like a craft bomb went off
photo of a long black wig stored on a wig head. it’s shiny as if it’s wet, and tangled with leafy strands dripping off the ends photo of a long black wig stored on a wig head. it’s shiny as if it’s wet, and very straight and slick. there are subtle threads of sparkling green running through it. possibly too subtle, but hey, i know they’re there so they’re in the alt text lol
May 30, 2025 at 4:38 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
solid day of working on the cerritos model i’m building for my partner. light blocking done, a lot of bits and bobs painted. a little nervous about the handpaintedness of the transparent stuff (goddd that transparent paint is hard to handle!) but optimistic so far
a photo of a very messy work station in which many parts of a model spaceship are laid out in various degrees of painted a closer shot of some transparent bits of nacelles and the deflector dish
May 29, 2025 at 5:18 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
cooking tonight: green garlic mashed potatoes and sous vide chicken breast topped with braised celeriac in a white wine and cream sauce. meat and veggies from local farms, herbs fresh from the window box
May 25, 2025 at 12:46 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
who knows when i got this except it must have been before 2009. three ninety nine on sale at kb toys
May 22, 2025 at 3:14 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
creative block: day number who the hell knows?

it was very close to finished so i finally got it
May 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
KATSU KATSU

local farmshare pork cutlet and curry with local farm kabocha squash, sweet potato, and carrot
January 19, 2025 at 11:17 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
okay, so because this is what i'm working on right now, have a glimpse of a larp character sheet!

larp comes in a lot of forms. the kind i design focuses on relationships and drama, and players get a sheet that tells them who their character is

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
So you grew up and went to high school and pretended to be a normal girl who had never drawn things in her own blood. You did okay at school, you made a few friends, you carried on. And every time somebody asked you what you want to do or what colleges you were thinking of applying to, you would say you just weren’t sure yet, maybe psychology, because psychology is a safe answer. A normal answer that doesn’t make people ask more questions about the future that you don’t have.
January 19, 2025 at 4:39 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
full house!

(yes, i am playing neko atsume in the year of our lord 2025, i need something to absorb the Horrors)
a full-width screenshot of neko atsume: a cartoon yard full of cats playing with and on various toys, including five on a giant cat tree and four in and around a kotatsu
January 17, 2025 at 8:03 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
GAWAIN DRAG oh my god 💖 gonna have to see if I can find that one!

I just took Gawain at their word from this bit and let her egg crack for this retelling 😀 and I legit didn't even plan for her to be a central character at first, but she just kicked down the door and was like YOOOO. because Gawain ☀️
January 13, 2025 at 7:10 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
HI #bluepit !!

Fun fact: the Old French Arthurian Vulgate Cycle is cooler, weirder, and gayer than you think. No, don't run away! I'm retelling it for you 📖 in SPACE 🌌 with GIANT ROBOTS 🤖⚔️✨

THE SWORD OF A THOUSAND STARS, 140k, #W (in edits) #A #F #SF #LGBT

Here, have a trope graphic in meme form.
It's one of those book trope graphics except it's the meme where a bunch of knights are putting their swords on the round table. In the center of the round table, it says The Sword of a Thousand Stars. The three visible knights are labeled Arthuriana, epic science fantasy, and relationship drama. The many swords, in no particular order, are labeled: Magic giant robots. Love web. Piloting mecha involves mindfuckery. Enemies to lovers. Older protagonists. Psychic links. Past trauma. Messy feelings. Everyone is queer (bi, trans, enby, aro, lotsa flags here.) Bonding thru adversity. Weird space adventures about lost civilizations and planting seeds of life in the dark. The power of LOOOVE (and the ways in which it can—and cannot—heal trauma, isolation, emotional dysfunction, and galactic war.)
January 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
WELL HELLO, YES, me and my dork-ass queer Arthurian space adventures sure do have some quests. look, i'm adapting the Vulgate, Gawain is doomed to quest gayly for Lancelot like every other year

(from The Sword of a Thousand Stars, WIP in edits)

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
“If we knew where they were,” Guinevre says, “I’d offer them a place as a knight. In a heartbeat. Especially given…” “Given that Gall’s probably going to start breathing down our necks?” Gowrie grins, wide and lopsided. “I’ll just have to quest for ‘em.”
January 12, 2025 at 11:37 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
to the end that is the beginning

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
Clarion’s quiet for a moment, sipping contemplatively. “Do you love them? Your captive knight.” “God help me, I don’t know.” She runs her thumb over five white flowers, hidden by the sleeve of her gown. “I’m not exactly reasonable about them. What about you? Do you love your king?” “He was the end of my world,” Clarion says with a wry quirk of his lips. Then his smile softens. “And I love him from the bottom of my heart.” Eglantine clicks her empty glass against his. “To the madness after the end.” “To the end that is the beginning,” answers Lord Clarion.
December 30, 2024 at 4:43 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
only use in the manuscript and late enough that i'm taking just a wee snipped for spoiler reasons, lol

(from The Sword of a Thousand Stars, queer Arthurian mecha space fantasy)

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
At least for the moment, they’ve opened up some of the countless video feeds buzzing across Excalibur’s busy network. Marshal Bedyvana, standing before her tactical board with fierce concentration. King Artur, proud and steady in the golden gleam of his great sword’s cockpit. Lady Eglantine on Malea’s throne, flicking through data. Sir Gowrie, showing no signs of whatever hangover she must be sporting, canted forward in her seat, thunderous and chewing her lip.
December 23, 2024 at 4:03 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
OH HEy that's actually super thematically relevant to one plot element because [spoiler spoiler joyous garde spoiler]

instead lemme share somebody's parental figure Setting Them Up For Success In Love (lol nope.) less joyous but does contain the word

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
But he knows how love is supposed to work for him. Your greatest power lies in love, my fair foundling. So she who raised him had said when he left home. You must have realized that as you mastered your third mark. But the love you need is something greater than simple comfort and joy. Seek a love that challenges you, that tests you. That guides you to greatness. Find somebody who stirs your heart to strive beyond the bonds of your flesh at the mere thought of them. And then strive. Adore them. Be a knight in their name.
December 15, 2024 at 4:18 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
FIVE on the shelf!!
December 14, 2024 at 9:54 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
Quote reskeet this with a photo of your pet when you first got them and now.

Wendy! first photo is from the day i brought her home in 2016. (her eye was already badly infected, and i knew she’d have to have it out. the rescue even paid for the surgery)
a photo of a skinny, very brightly colored calico-tabby cat hunched nervously in a corner on a warm wood floor. she still has her left eye but it’s not in good shape. a photo of the same cat, rather less skinny, loafed next to a ps5 on a red suede couch. the loaf is as long as the ps5. she no longer has her left eye.
December 12, 2024 at 10:06 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
no sound in spaaaaaace (time to Recruit The Criminal and kick off the plot)

(from The Sword of a Thousand Stars, queer Arthurian mecha space fantasy)

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
“I’m going to see about finding us a distraction,” Eglantine says. “Another pilot.” “Who?” her seneschal starts. Then he stiffens, eyes flashing. “No. My Lady. No. You cannot possibly be thinking of—” “He is a pilot. And quite skilled, it seems.” “He murdered my son.” The whole council room falls quiet. The marshal’s orders, as she turns to her console and starts preparing for the retreat, are but murmurs. On the displays ringing the room, the light and color of pitched battle flicker in the dark, silent in the vastness of space. “And I grieve with you,” Eglantine says with care. “You know that. His life cannot be replaced. But if that had not happened, he would be leading the charge today. Let his sword, at least, be stood for in payment.”
December 8, 2024 at 7:14 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
what is a chivalric story, in space or otherwise, without Dramatic Giving of One's Word?

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
The Black Knight laughs and covers their face for a moment, like even this much attention is embarrassing, then waves it off. Then they take a knee before Gowrie. “Sir Gowrie. I will answer this sword’s call. But if I yet live and walk free, I will return to Excalibur within thirty-five days, take up her sword, and do my utmost to protect your king and queen in their battle against King Gall.” They offer both hands, palm up. “On this I give you my word.” Something flip-flops in Gowrie’s gut. Sure, she knows how this kind of oath goes. She’s seen it done. She’s given Artur her hands more than once. But if she’s taken one, it certainly hasn’t been one offered so earnestly by someone like this. She takes their wrists, and their soft fingers curl around hers in turn. “I accept and hold your word.” And she hesitates only a moment. The title is presumptive, Artur will make it official later, but she can’t resist. “Sir Black Knight.”
December 1, 2024 at 6:05 PM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
kitty has expensive taste in pillows
a photo of a brightly colored cat curled up, fast asleep, with her head resting on a playstation five
November 29, 2024 at 2:33 AM
rootandbranch.bsky.social
line share sunday: beam

nothing like tromping across a pitch-black rogue planet for giving time for stories

(from The Sword of a Thousand Stars, queer Arthurian mecha space fantasy)

#queerwriters #WritingCommunity #lgbtqwriters
“There was this old guy,” Gowrie says. “Merle, who helped Artur back when everything started. Found him out of the blue, guided him to Excalibur, backed him up as he unified the wastes. He knew things about Excalibur, the castles, the ancients. Probably knew more than he ever let on. And he could do things. With jump gates, with gravity, with disguises.” “What happened to him?” Eglantine asks, breathing fast from the climb. “He disappeared. Like he’d leave for months at a time doing god knows what, but one time he apparently just dropped it on Artur that he might not see him again and left like it was nothing. I spent a year searching the whole damn galaxy for him.” Gowrie chews her lip. It’s still a bitter, weary memory, trawling for months after a final lead in a region so remote that the jump gates weren’t even fully charted. Nothing like the terror of a blind jump to make something unforgettable. “Finally found this message in the gray reach, saying he was alive but somewhere he could never return from.” In the thin beam of Gowrie’s wristlight, the blue-white of Sera’s boots, where she’s taken lead, pause for just a moment. Then continue.
November 24, 2024 at 10:42 PM