CB
banner
virtualsynth.bsky.social
CB
@virtualsynth.bsky.social
Writer, English PhD, Sci-fi enthusiast 🚀 🏴‍☠️
Pinned
I love when #sci-fi is books 📚
Reposted by CB
We see what you did there, Pluribus.
December 28, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by CB
Carrie Fisher passed away on this day 9 years ago. Forever our princess 💜
December 27, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by CB
Yes 👏 This *entire* thread. As someone who teaches English Lit, I’d argue that AI slopmongers are indeed plagiarists, however.

Presenting work that you did not write as your own is the textbook (MLA) definition of plagiarism, despite the fact that LLMs are not considered authors but tools.
The survey is open to non-members (I am not one) and to readers (who here is not &c.) so I encourage you to share your feelings on the matter. Don't assume that everyone already understands that AI is bad or why! I mean, people *should*, but you could say that about a lot of things.
SFWA members and general SFF community:

In this press release, our Board of Directors apologizes for recent events.

Feedback from writers is strongly welcomed in the survey.

SFWA Members: Write to [email protected] to support our Emerging Tech Committee.
www.sfwa.org/2025/12/22/p...
December 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Yes 👏 This *entire* thread. As someone who teaches English Lit, I’d argue that AI slopmongers are indeed plagiarists, however.

Presenting work that you did not write as your own is the textbook (MLA) definition of plagiarism, despite the fact that LLMs are not considered authors but tools.
The survey is open to non-members (I am not one) and to readers (who here is not &c.) so I encourage you to share your feelings on the matter. Don't assume that everyone already understands that AI is bad or why! I mean, people *should*, but you could say that about a lot of things.
SFWA members and general SFF community:

In this press release, our Board of Directors apologizes for recent events.

Feedback from writers is strongly welcomed in the survey.

SFWA Members: Write to [email protected] to support our Emerging Tech Committee.
www.sfwa.org/2025/12/22/p...
December 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by CB
Preview of the cover for volume 12 of Bullet Points, with stories from @bogiperson.bsky.social , @sljohnson.bsky.social , @deborahldavitt.com , @joshuamannix.bsky.social , and more. Coming January 15. Please spread the word!
December 23, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by CB
Character of the Day: Mace Windu
December 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Was I prepped to write a character who gives Plato the business?

You bet your shiny.

#amwriting #sci-fi
December 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by CB
December 13, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I’ve been using the portmanteau “faschole” in the current WIP, and I think it’s gonna stick.

#amwriting #sci-fi 🚀
December 12, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by CB
From NASA: A new NASA study shows that the Sun has been waking up from a period of low activity. ☀️

Scientists track solar activity because it can affect spacecraft, astronaut safety, radio communications, GPS, and even power grids on Earth. go.nasa.gov/4gnZQyc
NASA Analysis Shows Sun’s Activity Ramping Up
It looked like the Sun was heading toward a historic lull in activity. That trend flipped in 2008, according to new research.
go.nasa.gov
December 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by CB
'Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords' was released 21 years ago today
December 6, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Okay okay, using a generator for a ship name is fine. But y’all are missing out on the best part of creating a ship. As soon as I can aptly name a sentient baddie the Killer Riff, I will do so 😎🎶
Inasmuch as I explicitly model my starship names in the Interdependency series on what Iain Banks was doing in The Culture, my presence in this headline is superfluous; nevertheless I will take it

www.geeknative.com/216328/a-spa...
A Spaceship Name Generator inspired by The Culture and John Scalzi
Need a starship name with a personality? Our generator creates names inspired by Iain M. Banks and John Scalzi, moving beyond standard military tropes.
www.geeknative.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by CB
Ugh, self-determination sucks sometimes.
December 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Just finished a new #sci-fi novel called Titanium & Bone, which follows an escaped synth and a survivalist trekking across a climate-ravaged Northern Appalachia.

Once I finish editing, I’ll truly miss the stray they picked up on the road. Writing her was a treat. 🐕

#amediting #writingcommunity
November 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by CB
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by CB
November 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by CB
I don't know why this idea is suddenly flaring up online so early, but yeah, this time next year, Voyager 1 will be one light-DAY away – meaning it will take light a whole 24 hours to travel between Earth and the spacecraft. For comparison: Mars is a few light MINUTES from Earth!
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by CB
Calling all #BookSky peeps interested in #Sci-fi! If you want space opera done right, drop everything and read Loki’s Ring by @stinaleicht.bsky.social—imaginative, insightful, and deftly paced, the novel reads like the tip of an epic spear. A truly stellar tale told by one of the best.
November 23, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by CB
Introduce yourself with four spaceships.

science.nasa.gov/solar-system
November 25, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Calling all #BookSky peeps interested in #Sci-fi! If you want space opera done right, drop everything and read Loki’s Ring by @stinaleicht.bsky.social—imaginative, insightful, and deftly paced, the novel reads like the tip of an epic spear. A truly stellar tale told by one of the best.
November 23, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by CB
Happy 62nd birthday to Ming-Na Wen! May the Force be with you!
November 20, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Sometimes panoramically but, for the most part, I begin with character and environment—weaving them kinetically to suggest a larger world.

#FiFRevPit #RevPitFiF #writingcommunity #writersofbluesky
Today's prompt! Only three more to go!

When you're worldbuilding, where do *you* like to start?

#FiFRevPit #RevPitFiF #writingcommunity #writersofbluesky
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I raved awhile back about the brilliant short story collection Who Will You Save? by @garethlpowell.bsky.social. I just caught up with his Continuance series, and wow—everything I want to say is a spoiler! Inventive, gripping, and full of ideas, these novels are top-shelf #sci-fi.
November 15, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by CB
All right, that's enough free speech for today.

#TheExpanse
November 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by CB
Ok, but how are the robots going to feel when they find out ‘robot’ comes from the Czech word ‘robota’ which means “forced labor”??
November 14, 2025 at 8:18 PM