One of my earliest and most enduring academic role models, wonderfully portrayed by Sam Neill. I never became a palaeontologist, but I doubt I’d have had the career I did without this performance.

Through heatwaves and colds and other real life things, I have finally finished the third of my punk Celestians - Sister Nix Vadra of the Flayed Man. Pretty happy with her shield design! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting #adeptasororitas #sistersofbattle

At the end of the term I asked my college creative wriing students to submit anonymous thoughts on AI. No real surprises: Mood ranges from resignation to despair, capitulation from embittered erosion of standards to total, feelings of betrayal from deep to furious. 1/

Got the second of my punk Celestians finished! Sister Hocusa of the Lighthouse joins Sister Erinna of the Blind Raven in my Inquisitor’s squad of elite bodyguards. Three left to go! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting #sistersofbattle #adeptasororitas

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: pluralistic.net/2026/05/27/u... 2/

This needs too be normalized at conventions.

Got the first of my punk Celestians painted. Going to aim for a different design / totem from my homebrew lore on each of the shields (the Superior has the Blind Raven). #nerdlings #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #adeptasororitas #sistersofbattle

Lord Inquisitor Fabian “Farsight” Kadath of the Ordo Xenos. A character who’s been living in my head for 20+ years, about to get an upgrade. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #inquisitor #inq28

Inquisitor-Canoness Leda Jiangton of the Ordo Hereticus. Group portrait with her students Mariel West and Anathem Haight. West is a very minor conversion of Captain Sargotta (new legs!), but feels very inquisitorial! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

“Contact with the Lapis Magpies has now been declared a mark of heresy” With the Truth Seeker done, I’ve finally finished my Deathwatch squad (and a display base to boot!). Backgrounds by @handiworkgames.bsky.social! #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting

“They were seen at Mons Angelus, voiceless, shielding the XIVth from the Magus’ Corsairs. And on Callis, in the tunnels of the Brotherhood of Life…” Finished the Light Bringer. Just 1 left now! #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

Here’s an update on Operation Turn Huron’s Lads into a Legionaries #killteam. Still got some Sororitas and Deathwatch to finish before any of my heretic scum get paint on them, but I’m happy with these guys so far! #nerdlings #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #accidentaldoomguy

I’ll have to re-sculpt the sole of his boot, switch out every arm / weapon, do some tricky head swaps, and trim down all the scenic bases, but after all… why not? Why shouldn’t I turn the Huron kit into a Legionaries #killteam…? #nerdlings #miniaturepainting #seriouslysomebodystopme

Kill-Team Owsla reporting for duty! Captain Coriander leads seven fearless Buns With Guns, Mint, Rosemary, Sorrel, Pepper, Parsley, Basil, and Marjoram, who also controls the recon drone, Umami. @badsquiddo Bunnies with GW parts and conversions. 1/5 #Nerdlings #KillTeam

“And when he heard the first whispers of the Magpies’ fate, Inquisitor Kadath wept. For he knew that his own star would wane, and that the greater danger would be forgotten.” Tome Cleanser done. 2 Lapis Magpies to go! #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

“When they returned, the Webway had coated the Magpies’ void-black armour with stardust, and had shown them for what they truly were. Damned.” Taboo Breaker and Mind Hunter finished. 3 to go! #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting

Finally putting my #librarian / #informationliteracy hat back on to flag up two fantastic new episodes of the Chatting Info Lit podcast, produced by the #CILIP @infolitgroup.bsky.social New Professionals. on.soundcloud.com/LR07R52qy3Kq... on.soundcloud.com/z96gGMQiB2Ln...

The first actual space marine I’ve painted in… maybe 20 years? A Deathwatch Demolisher, on secondment from the Lapis Magpies (they specialise in finding and destroying forbidden knowledge). 1 down, 4 to go…! 😬 #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings #deathwatch

Saint Nimue, Carrion Hawk of the Maelstrom, patron and protector of the Chantry. Or, “What if I made a Legion-of-the-Damned-inspired Elden Ring boss and then made her the crux of my entire army?” #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting #sistersofbattle #adeptasororitas

Been easing back into painting after an injury, but in the meantime, here are the Radical Inquisitorial Agents I simply HAD to build using the new Necromunda hangers-on box. Particularly fond of the tome-skull using a guy as a walking lectern… #killteam #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #nerdlings

Had an intriguing editorial discussion recently: how did people in the past talk about 'minutes' when they didn't have watches or standardised times? How does that affect your thinking? Come down an Elizabethan/Jacobean rabbit hole with me. 1/

The Order of the Shrouded Lake, protectors of a mystical lake and chapel where rumour has it the emperor manifested his will in the form of a watery spirit emerging from the lake with a sword and grail... #adeptussuroritas #40k #40kcommunity #warhammerpaining #40khobby

Now the one I am most proud of: The Icon bearer. The banner is made of greenstuff, a sorcerer's staff and the flame icon + some random shit. I tried some freehand, aside the warband icon decal. Hope it's recognizable. #nerdlings #miniaturepainting #wordbearers #thousandsons #lorgarwasright

Anyone walking through the car park behind the Castle Marina #PremierInn in #Nottingham this winter, be aware that around the first corner there is neither grit nor lighting (!) to prevent slips on black ice. Looks like I won’t be doing any hobby stuff for a while.

Sister Bedelia Briar. The idea behind my Inquisition / Sororitas army is basically “What if an order of Battle Sisters was just the witch coven from ‘Suspiria’ (2018)?” Alternatively, it’s Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ IIIN SPAAACE. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

I was in my middle teens when GW’s #54mm game #Inquisitor was released. I loved the aesthetics, the tone… It was a lightning bolt of inspiration that cemented my interest in #warhammer40k and informed much of what I did for the next 25 years. #warhammercommunity #nerdlings #miniaturepainting

Finally finished! My Sisters of Battle / Ordo Hereticus rogue trader entourage: Governess Vespers with her personal attendants and voidswomen. The crew of the Chantry of Saint Nimue of the Order of the Blind Raven. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #killteam #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

Ok, the “canid” is finished, now I just have to paint the voidswomen… #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #killteam #nerdlings

Sometimes even the black ships of the Inquisition need a captain… Chantry Governess Ingrid Vespers, with her personal entourage - Maester Navitas, Rejuvenat Sister Morigan, and Featherlight. #warhammercommunity #warhammer40k #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

Featherlight, a kitbashed Death Cult Assassin for my Ordo Hereticus-aligned rogue trader entourage. A nightmare to build, but so much fun to paint! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting #nerdlings #killteam

Everybody’s talking about a recent album that’s lyrically overwritten, very well-produced, and full of catchy pop ear worms. And whilst I am admittedly late to this party, I can confirm that Salt by Half Moon Run is *exceptionally* good.

Finished up my Novitiates squad / #killteam. Not as happy with the paint job on these, but I was going for a Stanley Kubrick vibe with the gold masks! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting

I am (self-evidently) very interested in language. And also in technology. From that perspective, the rise of LLMs has created many new things for me to think about. One is: why is it that certain very small clusters of words are *clearly written by an LLM*? What is the quality of that writing?

Sharing this on behalf of my sister, who is the strongest person on the face of the Earth. www.justgiving.com/page/eleanor...

I’ll be back to posting library and Information Literacy stuff soon, but in the meantime here are some more of my witchy Sisters of Battle. The warp ghost and punk Celestians were a lot of fun to build! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting

When you choose what you think is a good colour scheme for your Eversor assassin and then your GF walks in and says “Why is he dressed like Spider-Man?” ❤️ Anyway, here are some pictures of Spider-Man. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting

Is my Inquisition #killteam slowly turning into an Ordo Hereticus / Sisters of Battle army? …Yes. Did I try to paint a tiny picture on each backpack screen? …Also yes. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #miniaturepainting

‘The Voice of Beyond is always saying “Ph’nglui mgl’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”’

Off to see the @theswellseason.bsky.social tonight, having been a fan of Glen Hansard and the Frames for 20+ years. With everything going on at work, if they play ‘People We Used To Be’ there’s a very real possibility of tears.

Finished my #KillTeam… …Started working on their boss. #Warhammer40k #WarhammerCommunity

Can very much recommend joining the @infolitgroup.bsky.social New Professionals. For me, one year into my academic library role, it was such a phenomenal opportunity. Please do apply if you’re interested, or share if no longer eligible! 😁 #InformationLiteracy.

For a bettir future we need poetrye, creativitye, historyes, love of language, dreames, dialogues, new storyes, & intellectual curiositye. We must fund & expand higher educacioun yn HEART: H umanityes E thiques A rtes R hetorique & the crafte of T eaching

First three Inquisition #killteam minis done (apart from their bases): Pistolier Alt Ecco, Enlightener Corvus “Candle” Wax, and an arco-flagellant gun servitor. #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity

I long to be as chill as this bunny #bunny #bluebell

It's @alisonhicks0.bsky.social in the Guardian! You should never have needed to write this. But well done 📚 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

MPs being (rightly) recalled over the 2,700 jobs at risk in British steel, while 5,000 university jobs are actively being cut this year with a further 5,000 jobs under threat and very little intervention is... interesting. Academia is also an industry in collapse. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1393...

If you’re a new professional or attending LILAC for the first time, head over to the First Timers and New Professionals Breakfast! It’s taking place each morning of #LILAC25 before sessions begin on Level 3 of the Centre for Student Life (CSL).

After two decades out of the hobby, I’ve been distracting myself from upheavals at work by building an Inquisition #killteam. Miniatures are the perfect decompression activity! #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity

In the new episode of Chatting Info Lit, I blur the host / guest line to talk about AI literacy teaching in Higher Education. The brilliant @evetagg.bsky.social prevents it from becoming a rant. Find the episode on SoundCloud, Apple, and Spotify! m.soundcloud.com/chatting-inf...