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series

tending your relationships

the tools tessakin builds for the work of staying close. one practice at a time.

8 of 8 published

1

the tools we use to design our relationships were built for paper.

the poly community has built the most thoughtful relationship-design tools in existence. all of them are pdfs. groundwork is where those ideas become interactive.

Tessakin · groundwork · jun 26, 2026 · 3 min read

2

pulse: one question a day, answered apart, revealed together.

a daily temperature reading for a relationship that's alive. one question. both answer alone. the reveal is where the conversation starts.

Tessakin · groundwork · apr 21, 2026 · 2 min read

3

glimmers: the practice of noticing what went right.

once a week, both people answer the same prompt about what went right. answered apart, revealed together. a record of what's been good, visible when things feel hard.

Tessakin · groundwork · may 2, 2026 · 2 min read

4

embers: going deeper when you're both ready.

on-demand depth practice for romantic kin. intimate questions, answered privately, revealed together. no streak, no cadence, no overdue notification.

Tessakin · groundwork · may 13, 2026 · 2 min read

5

soundings: six dates for discovering whether the spark has roots.

six guided dates. anchor questions you answer privately. conversation prompts you bring to the date itself. a structure for the conversations that matter, at the pace a real connection actually moves.

Tessakin · groundwork · may 24, 2026 · 3 min read

6

tending: a monthly practice for the relationship you're building.

the relationship check-in for when nothing's wrong. eight topics, two modes, action items that carry forward. a recurring structured practice for the relationship you're building.

Tessakin · groundwork · jun 4, 2026 · 2 min read

7

moments: the archive of everything you've built.

not a practice. the record of every practice you've done. every pulse reveal, glimmers exchange, embers session, soundings date, and tending lands here. visible history.

Tessakin · groundwork · jun 15, 2026 · 2 min read

8

mend: repairing our bonds

when something breaks between people who chose each other, the break isn't proof the bond was wrong. mend is a practice for repair.

Tessakin · groundwork · jul 7, 2026 · 4 min read