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heldutson.bsky.social
Helen
@heldutson.bsky.social
280 followers 170 following 220 posts
Writing a gothic horror for the True Crime podcasting era
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heldutson.bsky.social
Feeling wistful for the days I was Helen Sadbellend on Twitter.
Screenshot of a tweet from "WFHelen, @HelenGradwell" on 9th May 2020. It reads: Delivery guy: Is this really your name? Me: Yeah? It's not that uncommon? Delivery guy: okay here's your package. The package:" The picture attached to the tweet shows a package addressed to "Helen Sadbellend."
December 5, 2025 at 2:55 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
My bank did its own Wrapped where it was like "you logged into our app 600 times and spent an unusually large amount in October" and I'm just here to say out loud that nobody wants this
December 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
Simply having a wonderful alt text advent. Day four.

This is one wild festive theory we can wholeheartedly get behind. A joy to make it accessible to all! 🌜
A screenshot of a social media post from Ryan George, @theryangeorge. They write: “Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ is about friends practicing witchcraft but then someone walks in and they have to suddenly play it cool.” Attached is a screenshot of the lyrics from the beginning of the song, reading: “The moon is right, the spirits up, we’re here tonight, and that’s enough.” Then, written all in caps: “Simply having a wonderful Christmastime, simply having a wonderful Christmastime.” There’s a red arrow pointing after the word “enough” with text annotating “[somebody walks in]” to suggest the singers were interrupted before launching into “Simply having a wonderful Christmastime” with gusto to deflect from their witchery. There is a Christmas tree shaped logo in the corner which says “Alt text advent” and the image is placed in a white border against a green background with falling snowflakes. This image shows off the alt text of the meme from the previous image, for all to chuckle at. The alt text is placed in a text box against the same green, festive background. This image shows a continuation of the alt text of the meme from the first image, for all to chuckle at. The alt text is placed in a text box against the same green, festive background.
December 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
Anyone else's Spotify Wrapped got them bang to rights? 🤘
A screenshot of a Spotify Wrapped screen showing text reading "50,645 - that's 35 days," in big purple font. Above this we have written "minutes spent asking people to add alt text." So, the text now reads: "Minutes spent asking people to add alt text: 50,645. That's 35 days." A Spotify Wrapped screenshot which was originally a list of top 5 genres. We have changed it to read: "My top accessibility features: 1, Image descriptions. 3, Descriptive transcripts. 4, Alt text. 5, Captions. Number two still reads "Nu metal" because we forgot to overlay an accessibility feature and also nu metal rocks our socks off.
December 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
Guess whose Spotify Wrapped
rnib.bsky.social RNIB @rnib.bsky.social · 4d
Anyone else's Spotify Wrapped got them bang to rights? 🤘
A screenshot of a Spotify Wrapped screen showing text reading "50,645 - that's 35 days," in big purple font. Above this we have written "minutes spent asking people to add alt text." So, the text now reads: "Minutes spent asking people to add alt text: 50,645. That's 35 days." A Spotify Wrapped screenshot which was originally a list of top 5 genres. We have changed it to read: "My top accessibility features: 1, Image descriptions. 3, Descriptive transcripts. 4, Alt text. 5, Captions. Number two still reads "Nu metal" because we forgot to overlay an accessibility feature and also nu metal rocks our socks off.
December 4, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Helen
hansmollman.bsky.social
A Them headline reading “Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell breaks silence on Elphaba’s “Sex Cardigan” A still from The Simpsons featuring Krusty the Clown saying “Sex Cardigan? I thought they closed that place down!” from the episode with the Maison Derrière
December 4, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
Alt text advent, day one.

A classic of the genre, now with alt text to match. 🎅
A meme with text that reads: “November me vs December me.” The words “November me” refer to a photo of a fluffy tabby cat, which has dramatically face-planted onto a bed with plain white bedding, possibly unable to face The Horrors. “December me” refers to a photo of the cat in exactly the same position, but this time the bedding is a festive green with Santa patterns. At least the little mite is trying to get into the spirit of things. There is a Christmas tree shaped logo in the corner which says “Alt text advent” and the image is placed in a white border against a green background with falling snowflakes. This image shows off the purr-fect alt text from the previous image, for all to enjoy. The alt text is placed in a text box against the same green, festive background.
December 1, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Helen
cinemashoebox.bsky.social
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 AM
heldutson.bsky.social
Only smear test appointment they had was on Christmas Eve. Festive
November 25, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Helen
craigabbott.co.uk
Our cat went for a walk this morning.
A door opening onto snow covered decking. Cat paw prints extending about one metre from the door, then circle round and come straight back
November 20, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Reposted by Helen
billee2.bsky.social
I was ~halfway through and loving it so I bought it for my friend and he was loving it. And then I finished it and I was like ohhh fuck what do I tell my friend
November 20, 2025 at 7:13 AM
heldutson.bsky.social
I left a year ago and it certain felt like I'd stayed way too long. I know some of you are still on there and I do judge you a wee bit tbh
scalzi.com John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 19d
I quit the former Twitter two years ago this week, and I am here to tell you that my online life got a lot better for having left it. In two years I've not been tempted to go back, and I haven't felt any penalty in either career or community for not being there. It's nice to be here and not there.
November 19, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Reposted by Helen
adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
TV conspiracies: we’ve hacked their computers but they’ve perfectly cleaned up the evidence!

Real conspiracies:
To: conspirator
From: famous person
Attachment: evidence.png
November 12, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Helen
matteason.me
youtu.be/CPWxExGk7PM?... from 15 seconds your tweet matches the beat perfectly, up to and including the poop bit
Charli xcx - Apple (official lyric video)
YouTube video by Charli xcx
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 2:17 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
Thrilled with this comment despite not being current enough to fully understand it :')
matteason.me Matt Eason @matteason.me · 26d
Welcome back Charli xcx
November 12, 2025 at 2:12 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
Yes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree but also squirrels eat the apples and poop the pips out over an area of several square miles
November 12, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
Okay, so this year's John Lewis Christmas ad featured beautiful audio description for blind and partially sighted people.

And we fully believe this masterpiece of an edit from @bagpuss.org deserves the same treatment.

Enjoy?
November 6, 2025 at 12:45 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
I left Twitter a year ago and it's been really nice. My brain is different now
November 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
For this thread only, the B in RNIB stands for beavers.
rnib.bsky.social RNIB @rnib.bsky.social · Nov 5
And to your photos of actual beavers.
November 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
I don't know if there is an oldest selfie from your phone thing going around but I'm delighted that the oldest selfie in my photos is this, from March 2011.

Posing with my poor injured dog and proving once and for all that MySpace is a mindset not a website
21 year old me posing with my dear old collie dog, Albert, who has a blue bandage on his paw. We're both sitting on an armchair and I am snuggled up to him, eyes performatively closed, wearing a Red Hot Chilli Peppers t-shirt. His expression is suitably baffled.
November 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Helen
rspb.bsky.social
Birds but they get spookier each time. 🎃👻

Enter if you dare...🚪
A black background decorated with gold illustrations of branches, stars, swords, ravens, and tiny ghost shapes. In the centre, bold text reads: “BIRDS BUT THEY GET SPOOKIER EACH TIME.” Two ravens perch on bare branches at the bottom, with candles glowing beside them.
October 31, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by Helen
rnib.bsky.social
Images without alt text 😱
orbette.bsky.social 🎄 orbette 🎄 @orbette.bsky.social · Oct 30
What terrifying thing are you dressing as this Halloween I'm dressing up as acid reflux
October 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM
heldutson.bsky.social
Rubbish post but does anyone know what this is? A pokemon?? I need it for a work thing and REFUSE to use AI
A yellow dinosaur bird type thing, it looks like a baby hatching from an egg, it has a big pink mouth opening, like it's ready for food, and a little orange quiff on top of its head. It waves its tiny wings as it cries out.
October 29, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Helen
weeder.bsky.social
Early humans were online an hour, maybe two hours, per day
October 29, 2025 at 5:06 AM
heldutson.bsky.social
Perhaps you'd judge these folk for putting their Christmas decs up before Halloween.

But I'll follow up with the final result in a few weeks and I promise you will *understand*
A cottage in a row of stone terraces, with Christmas decorations uo including a light up snowman, stars, a wreath, a shooting star and a sign that says "It's the most wonderful time of the year."
October 29, 2025 at 2:28 PM