Kyle Aisteach
@badwriter.bsky.social
330 followers 680 following 200 posts
Speculative Fiction Writer
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badwriter.bsky.social
dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social
Highland cattle are famous for their ability to "disco nap". Normally these brief, efficient sleeps will last between three and twenty minutes, deploying a variety of objects as pillows, including moorland boulders, cars or any particularly large dog or sheep who happens to be nearby.
A highland cow having a little nap on a boulder on Dartmoor (ok, it was actually scratching its head)
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
hellitself.bsky.social
We're pleased to announce that you can now download each month's stories in a handy .pdf digest, available on our website at the beginning of the following month. September's is out now, featuring stories by @rachiea.bsky.social @crboltz.bsky.social @deborahldavitt.com and @ktwagner.bsky.social
Downloads – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
hellitself.bsky.social
Today from Hell Itself, the very last of James Ipse's Colm Ramirez mysteries!

hellitself.com/the-case-of-...

Watch for our next story on October 3!
The Case of Kilts: A Colm Ramirez Mystery – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
badwriter.bsky.social
Oh, hi. Got caught up in dayjob drama. What'd I miss?
badwriter.bsky.social
Well, it looks like I have not been taken up in the rap—
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
hellitself.bsky.social
Today's Hell Itself story is a haunting flash piece by Rachel Ashcraft, "Float."

hellitself.com/float/

Look for our next story on September 26.
Float – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
badwriter.bsky.social
"Checks for anachronisms" absolutely belongs on my list. Thank you!
badwriter.bsky.social
Indie writers, publishers, and, well, anyone who puts text out to the public, please continue to have your work actually copy edited. You'll thank yourself later.
badwriter.bsky.social
It's possible that in a few years an AI proofreader will become a useful tool in the copy editor's arsenal*, but the AI is nowhere close to being able to replace a human copy editor.

*ethical objections to how AI is trained a separate discussion
badwriter.bsky.social
So, this just came up in conversation again, so it bears saying publicly:

AI companies are touting their software's utility for proofreading.

COPY EDITING IS MORE THAN JUST PROOFREADING!

Copy editors also check for continuity errors, consistency, style guide conformity, and formatting errors.
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
hellitself.bsky.social
Today from Hell Itself, @crboltz.bsky.social's weird Poe riff, "The Tell-Tale Pump"!

hellitself.com/the-tell-tal...

Watch for our next story on September 19!
The Tell-Tale Pump – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
Hell Itself opened today and released a darkly beautiful story by @deborahldavitt.com, "Reaping Whirlwinds."

hellitself.com/reaping-whir...

Look for our second story on Friday, September 12!
Reaping Whirlwinds – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
Reposted by Kyle Aisteach
deborahldavitt.com
Writers often advise, "Keep submitting that story till Hell itself won't have it."

Well, now there is a magazine called Hell Itself that specializes in those stories that, for whatever reason, don't fit.

My story, "Reaping Whirlwinds," is their first publication!

hellitself.com/reaping-whir...
Reaping Whirlwinds – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
badwriter.bsky.social
Today's Story Bunny:

Most cultures have a legendary "other" race of creatures — whether leprechauns, dwarves, space aliens, or whatever — that they tell stories about.

What stories do these others tell about us?
badwriter.bsky.social
Today's Story Bunny:

Transhumanism has been around for a while now. Will it lead to Neohumanism? What will that look like?
badwriter.bsky.social
Today's Story Bunny:

I'm sure you've heard the idea that our instinctive response to a sudden threat is "fight, flight, or freeze."

We can abstractly describe the collective response to a societal emergency the same way.

How would someone seeking to manipulate the masses exploit that?
badwriter.bsky.social
That's amazing! Congratulations!
badwriter.bsky.social
Today's Story Bunny:

I'm seeing a lot of people talking about metaphorical guillotines these days. (Yes, metaphorical. See yesterday's post before insisting otherwise.)

So, how does a society or community that is genuinely and sincerely opposed to violence deploy the guillotines?
badwriter.bsky.social
Feels like a cheesy way to get a compliment.
badwriter.bsky.social
Until we know the details, I say such fears are justified.