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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

@ruthejbooth.bsky.social

2.7K followers 780 following 3.5K posts

SFFH Author/Critic. BSFA & British Fantasy Award Winner. Shoreline of Infinity columnist. GSFWC. #SGSAH funded. #StrathLife Queer Neurodivergent Human with Chronic Illness. Stories and more: https://linktr.ee/ruthejbooth

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · Jun 9

New Shoreline of Infinity column out, in which I respectfully explain some of the "AI" issues and why authors don't want wood glue on their pizza.

www.ruthbooth.com/2025/06/hold...

@shoreinf.bsky.social

Shoreline of Infinity 39 cover by Vincent Kings. An abstract piece of dark green lines on a light pink background, resembling a mountain on its side made of organic shapes resembling flowers and other organic matter.

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1h

Thank bot for blessings.

William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 1h

For how can tyrants safely govern home,
Unless abroad they purchase great alliance?

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1h

While I'm here, I'm doing a podcast with Madeline Wahl from The Aviary tonight. We'll be talking about how studying Fantasy has impacted my fiction and other things. Link below if you'd like to know more.

@madelinehwahl.bsky.social

theaviaryliterarymagazine.substack.com

Ruth Booth is a caucasian woman with short unbrushed brown hair, glasses, and wearing a navy shirt. She is sitting on a brown sofa.

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1h

Alas, they never do break pbs together.

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 3h

That's a mighty landmark for the series. Any special plans for C?

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 4h

It's World Mental Health day! This is what looking after your mental health looks like: taking your treatment (meds for me), looking after your body (yoga, walk later), doing chores, and wearing your Death and Vanilla shirt but forgetting to brush your hair. Meh!

#wmhd2025 #worldMentalHealthDay

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 7h

While I realise the petulant toddler has access to nuclear codes, part of me is desperate for any footage of this comedy spoof of The Godfather meets The West Wing.

James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 19h

“I’ll declare war on you if you don’t give me the peace prize” is an incredible bit

Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Hannah Fearn @hannahfearn.bsky.social · 20h

Women, talk to me about jeans. I cannot find a single pair that I like on me anymore. I’m need a petite length (5ft 1in) and am slimish but in my forties and have had 2 kids so there’s a no-longer-taut tum situation. I used to be an 8/10 and now I’m a solid size 11 which DOESN’T EXIST and ugh help

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Ghostly Bree @mostlybree.kitrocha.com · 16h

it really has been amazing how much one person in a frog suit destroyed their fantasy visuals over the past week. this wouldn't work everywhere but Portland, you are doing amazing sweetie

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 16h

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 19h

OMFG yes.

No, I still won't watch Late Night With The Devil.

🎃 Matthew Jack-o'-lantern 🎃 @awalrusdarkly.bsky.social · 22h

"The consumers won't care if it's AI."

Ah yes, horror fans -- y'know, the people who famously ask "Are the FX Practical?!" about literally every movie -- definitely won't care that you're feeding them prompt-generated slop. Good call there.

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1d

To build on this - I live by a busy road and don't have double glazing. Decent earplugs, earphones and headphones can make things much more bearable.

Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 1d

From the research I've seen, despite advances, pollution from helicopters, especially of the type buzzing Portland day and night (at an unnecessary expense of millions)... is pretty bad. It's also important to understand the very real physiological effects of noise pollution. Protect yourselves.

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1d

Might just be the flu jab, but damn, that was a good nap.

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1d

How's that going to get more taxes from the poor and office rent for the rich?

Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · Jul 30

Something I hinged on to get to this what I describe: the Marxian fetishisation of artefacts is so complete in the case of AI that not only do we somehow conclude machines think, but we accept for them to think, speak, draw instead of us, while also thinking these are (expressions of) our thoughts.

extract from page 12 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · Jul 29

I split AI into 3 non-mutually exclusive types (see Table 1 above): displacement (harmful), enhancement (beneficial), and/or replacement (neutral) of human cognitive labour. More later possibly, but see Tables 2 to 4 (attached or here: arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960) for the worked through examples. 2/n

table 2 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960

table 3 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960

table 4 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 1d

*Giant* lesbian wasps. With fractures.

Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Mike Brooks @mikebrooks668.bsky.social · 1d

Since the article itself is paywalled... my new novel is called THIS IS WHERE THE FUTURE BLEEDS, which @losbennett.bsky.social sold to @titanbooks.bsky.social earlier this year. It's a fantasy adventure in a queer-normative world featuring fractured futures, sapphic romance, and giant wasps.

Mike Brooks @mikebrooks668.bsky.social · 1d

www.thebookseller.com/rights/titan...

Titan snags ‘refreshingly original’ fantasy adventure from Mike Brooks

Titan Books has acquired a new fantasy adventure novel from The God-King Chronicles author Mike Brooks.

www.thebookseller.com

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 1d

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 1d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Glasgow SF Writers' Circle @gsfwc.bsky.social · 1d

Fancy a tale that'll leave you shaking 'Down to the Roots'? Check out the reprint of our Neil Williamson's classic tale of Halloween Scotia in The Dark Magazine, available now from the link below.

@neilwilliamson.bsky.social @oldcharliebrown.bsky.social

www.thedarkmagazine.com/issues/octob...

October 2025 - The Dark Magazine

Each month The Dark brings you the best in dark fantasy and horror! Selected by award-winning editor Sean Wallace and published by Prime Books, this issue includes two all-new stories and two reprints...

www.thedarkmagazine.com

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Danie Ware @danacea.bsky.social · 2d

In its early days, Social Media was a wonder.

I made friends all over the world, and learned about their lives

I found the courage to start writing again

I fronted a cult retail brand, and built it up from nothing

We built communities, and they mattered

And then algorithms happened

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 2d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social · 5d

NB This article is taken from Cory Doctorow's writing, so is worth reading, in case you were thinking it'd be pointless Sunday opinion piece handwringing.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 5d

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?

Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and what we can do about it

www.theguardian.com

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 2d

I have a ticket, but no guarantees yet.

Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 2d

Puffin is my guy. Thank you for giving him the fancy I always knew he had in him.

Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

The Oatmeal @theoatmeal.bsky.social · 3d

Let’s talk about AI art.

theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art

A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal

This is a comic about AI art.

theoatmeal.com

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Reposted by Ruth EJ Booth (she/they)

Glasgow SF Writers' Circle @gsfwc.bsky.social · 2d

It's October, so it must be Gothic season! Check out this splendid new queer horror romance from our Heather Valentine, only available on The Pink Hydra.

@thepinkhydra.com @hexthervvv.bsky.social

www.thepinkhydra.com/issues/02022...

The Pink Hydra | Four Flowers in Formaldehyde - Heather Valentine

Four Flowers in Formaldehyde by Heather Valentine

www.thepinkhydra.com

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Ruth EJ Booth (she/they) @ruthejbooth.bsky.social · 3d

"Unforseen circumstances", sadly.

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