How's the New Year, New You thing working out? "I’ve been legally dead for close to three hours by the time they come to get me." Permanent Mark In the sentient city of Expectation that whole idea hits a little different. Find out how at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R on KU, Kindle or in print!

So I said I'd share one of my "in world" things from Bad Sector per week - so here's the one for today. Let's grab some sushi with Permanent Mark. You can read why he chooses it in the book here. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R

FFS!

"Agamemnon – furious, his dark heart filled to the brim, blazing with anger now, his eyes like searing fire." Sounds like a kitten to me! Probably because they made him wear a cheese puff backpack and his entire feline house is shamed.

"It wasn't murder, and if you say it was murder we will kill you, which again will not be murder."

Last night my brain recited "Twist me & turn me & show me the elf I looked in the water and there saw...myself" It's pulled those words from almost 45 years ago & is the incantation spoken by a woman in the form of a brown owl to transform a 7 year old girl into a supernatural household spirit 1/3

"I was happy spending my days keeping the world spick and span, but they made me a weapon, made me murder for money, forced me to fight in the cage..." youtube.com/shorts/ela3o...

Look @radicalhoneybee.bsky.social Cuddy's otters!

Lava lamp is up to some Cronenburg shit!

Watched Dungeons and Dragons:Honor Among Thieves again. It's so good. And that is one pudgy dragon.

I've just spent ages looking through Black Chrome and making a Night Market shopping List ready for our next #CyberpunkRed session. It's been about 25 years since I last did that! Still fits like a fang fist!

I made one those "About The Book" things! It's so squiggly! If it lures you in, you can find the book here in hardback, paperback, Kindle and KU. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R

I've been enjoying myself making in world stuff from the murderous sci-fi identity crisis that is Bad Sector - the first novel we put out as CyNic Stories I'll share one a week til I run out So this one's for Vaughn & her comfort ice cream. You can meet her here www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R

I see the little Mignola shadow goblins are gathering in the corner of the kitchen!

Went out to look for Quadrantids but there were no new messages written on the sky from Nikolai Match on Arcturus (IYKYK) tonight as it was all still pretty blue and light up there at almost 2am. The supermoon/perihelion combination was so bright the moonshadows were as black and sharp as noon.

Wait, wait, wait just a minute here. We're 3 days into the new year and we're already up to Neal Stephensonesque insider trading on the Mad Max resource wars? 1/4 🧵

babe wake up, they're doing insider trading on war crimes

In January 1421 a small fleet of Dutch ships arrived in London. And did they bring the eels? Oh yeah. One ship, belonging to Gerbrand Heykysson, unloaded 400 large eels, 2,700 medium eels, 23,00 small eels, & 6 barrels of salted eels. Also a small sack of feathers. 🗃️🧪

Another data point towards the possibility of me being a hobbit: as well as being short, always barefoot and fond of a good adventure, I have taken to wearing Cy's joggers but with the legs pulled up to just under my knees. Like Bilbo here - perfect! So comfortable and practical

I've heard it's #NationalScienceFictionDay ...so if you'd like a murder mystery punk sci-fi thriller may I recommend Bad Sector by @cydethan.bsky.social It's the first book we put out from CyNic Stories. Follow the link below to get it on KU or in soft or hardcover. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R

Gave myself a fright! Looked out of the first floor back window in the hope it might be snowing. Saw a white rubbish sack (tomorrow is bin day) across the road with a proper monster face in its creases. I know a mimic when I see one. I hope the binmen are careful - but I guess they have wards & such

Preparing the new year venison haunch for roasting so I had to open its little fishnet vest to wrap it bacon and then weave it closed again. In the meantime it has relaxed into the bacon and now fits less well into its fishnets. I feel you, venison, I feel you!

A little eel history to welcome the year! In 1535, Richard Graynfeld wrote Arthur Plantagenet about the fishing in the castle moat, saying: "I pray God send us good stuff of eels." And may it be so with you, too, friends. I wish you all good stuff of eels in this coming year. 🗃️🧪

I haven't done any art this holiday because the Christmas Tree has been sitting in my art corner - so here's a Wax painting from 2021 inspired by the Dev Patel Green Knight. The Promise of Return The first light of the first dawn of the first day of the year strikes... ...and the Green One stirs.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Y'know for years I thought the lyrics of Livin' On a Prayer were "Tommy's got a six string heart" Not "Tommy's got his six string in hock" I still think mine is better. I guess I didn't know the phrase "in hock" when I first heard it OK then...here you go, for New Year's Eve. youtu.be/lDK9QqIzhwk

I wrote a little story about witches, and how not to deal with them. Buy me a cup of tea if you like, or just read it here for free... ko-fi.com/post/The-Hun...

Been out testing my new sundial that @cydethan.bsky.social got me for Christmas. It's so beautiful.

A map of Rohan, Gondor and Mordor with Tolkien's handwriting on the plot notes for The Lord of the Rings, Book V (1944). Tolkien made these notes to coordinate the plot with the map and the phases of the moon. - The Tolkien Estate Ltd; Bodleian Library #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday

Today, reading my GDT Frankenstein book, I learned about The Medusa pendant by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Just look at it! While no one wore it in the movir the blue glass scarab necklace worn by Elizabeth is from the Tiffany archives. open.substack.com/pub/marionfa...

I have watched Return of the King many times over the last quarter century - but it was only today that I noticed Theoden's horse raises its tail and does a big old poo without breaking step as they advance through the flood to Orthanc and the very serious business of the showdown with Saruman!

At this point why not just outsource the whole relationship to AI?

Ah yes, the great not fire of Blackpool 2023.

Watching Two Towers & Faramir musezon the futility of war. Faramir "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is..." (@cydethan.bsky.social "Steve...") Faramir "where he came from..." (Cy "Stevenage...) Faramir "if he was really evil at heart?" (Cy "...stevil..")

Just had an almost 3 hour battle in Demio: Battlemarked! But we are victorious, if bloodied. Exhausted now. Need to lie down and eat scraps of Christmas meat while watching Lord of the Rings with the chocolate and honey candle.

My current favourite activity is cutting chunks of meat from the remains of the Christmas roast for dinner by holding our biggest knife above it like a nazgul, before plunging it down and bringing my entire weight to bear on it as I lever the blade down. So satisfying.

I want this.

Choose wisely, my friends.

You come across a Cybertruck in the desert flipped on it's back, What do you do?

Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again

booty shorts idea

New coat for Nic - the Yule Cat won't be eating me! I'll be holding up the coaches on the Dover Road for the foreseeable.

Merry Jingle Day Everyone! Please enjoy this Victorian Christmas Card🎄

Been playing this all day. It feels so Christmassy. If you have two VR headsets (or remote friends with them I guess) I highly recommend it for co-op. youtu.be/ZYl_a35-JiA?...

OK - it's Christmas Eve and that means it time for the Seals singing Seal youtu.be/G76nKGWRLPU?...

TRUE!

Here is the last of my heated wax "paintings" inspired by Bad Sector by @cydethan.bsky.social Here's a link to buy/download the book if want a bit of murderous punk sci-fi existentialism in your stocking - and to make our xmas wishes come true🎄 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R 14/14 #sci-fi #xmas

One of my favourites.

Since February I've been using heated wax to "paint" a series of pictures inspired by Bad Sector by @cydethan.bsky.social I'm sharing one a day til Christmas Eve. Here's a link - makes your Christmas shopping easier, right?🎄 Or treat yourself - you deserve it www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXCFDL2R 13/14

"One spray to clean them all One spray to degrime them One spay to wipe them all And to their brightest shine them" I passed the test. I will not finish and clean up the mess. It will remain bacterial. Good try, advert, good try - but I am not so easily seduced. (Apologies to Mr T!)