Sooner or later, we are all a feast for the ants.

If occurs to me that my relationship with Classic Doctor Who (more correctly known as “#DoctorWho”) has always been changing. I’ve been the kid hiding behind the sofa. The older kid hunting down the novelisations (this stage has not yet ended, to be fair)… 🧵

POV You’re a pedestrian trying to use a zebra crossing in London when tube strikes send all the idiots scrambling for Lime bikes.

POV You’re a pedestrian trying to use a zebra crossing in London when tube strikes send all the idiots scrambling for Lime bikes.

Slightly diminish a book The Lord of the Ring

At last! A Taren Capel #Lego minifigure (if you know, you know). “I had overlooked the possibility of substitution.”

This is about as close to the Holy Grail of Doctor Who novelisations as it gets. One photo. Just one. And then placed far beyond the reach of cats.

This is about as close to the Holy Grail of Doctor Who novelisations as it gets. One photo. Just one. And then placed far beyond the reach of cats.

There’s a guy over on the Other Place feeding Doctor Who production stills into AI and having it animate the gap. I’ve just seen two Yeti run after a dog. Yeti. Run. AI is truly to art what Wikipedia is to wisdom. It has the tools and the facts but it takes more than that.

Thunders Edge: Echoes of Memory by @skullqueen.bsky.social is available now to pre-order. Serving as prequel to the events of the forthcoming #TwilightImperium expansion from @fantasyflightgames.bsky.social, don’t miss this story of survival! books2read.com/TWIThundersE...

How to drive me crazy: make me wait for something that should be simple to resolve. Today, that means: - Waiting for a delivery (1 hour late) - Waiting for documents for a time critical project (5 hours late) - Waiting for an invoice so I know I'm going on holiday next month (1 week late) Yay!

Star Trek heathensim perhaps, but I just don’t “get” Inner Light. It’s perfectly well written, but it feels like a sixties sci-fi short that puts the show on pause for 45 minutes. Not so bad watching as part of a binge, but infuriating if it was that week’s only Trek fix.

On the topic of whether Author A should finish Author B’s story: a) You know how it ends. There was a whole TV show about it. b) Other FINISHED series are available. You don’t have to buy one of mine (though that would be nice). There are loads.

Folks, if you love audiobooks, if you want creators to be able to keep MAKING audiobooks, you're going to have to start... paying for audiobooks. Not subscriptions. Audiobooks themselves. Because Amazon are absolutely intent on paying creators even less. They aren't cheap to make.

We’re getting there. Slowly.

As one does, I have bought an Emotional Support Gowron for the office. When you look into his eyes, anything seems possible.

Fur with an idiot hanging off it.

Trash.

AI content was partially birthed by marketeers too lazy to sell the product they have & instead mask it as a different one that folk will buy with less effort on their part. There is no dividing line between “good but not for you” and “bad” if you don’t make it past the first page/minute/panel. 🧵

“I want to work in video ga—“ Don’t “I wanted to ask you about how to get into narrative des—“ Don’t “I have a job in marketing but I want to switch to games wri—“ Don’t “I’m thinking of switching careers to work in ga—“ Don’t “Do you know a good narrative design cou—“ Don’t

I’m sorry but as a creative you cannot be bending to the whims & will of a demanding audience. Good art will not appeal to everyone & your voice won’t either. It’s supposed to be this way. Anything else runs the real risk of being soulless consumerist drivel. Do yourself the favor & stay true.

Wasn’t what I planned to do today, but the gang’s all here now. #StarWars #Shatterpoint #StarWarsShatterpoint #MaytheForceBeWithYou #minipainter

Serious question: how many TV adverts do we think are now being written by ChatGPT? I’m seeing more and more that only make sense if you don’t actually listen to the words. (This post brought to you courtesy of mainlining The Persuaders and Rising Damp on ITV Retro.)

Today, I *think* that I finally got to grips with a synopsis that’s been bothering me for years. Turns out it’s another “men are awful” plot. But I guess that makes it evergreen. Let’s see if anything comes of it.

This. 110% this. Surviving the AI kleptocracy requires all of us to start respecting other crafts like they’re our own. Actors, writers, translators, artists, on and on… it’s all the same fight.

"A.i." doesn't empower anyone. It strips them of belief in themselves and the power of their own minds and hands and abilities and stories. EVERY KID CAN DRAW. EVERY KID CAN TELL STORIES AND MAKE COMICS. Fuck "A.i." for telling kids lies and making them less-than.

I just spelled "outmanoeuvre" correctly without looking it up. (Shhh, Americans.) Still doesn't look right.

Fantastic Four: First Steps was actually pretty good. (I’m damning it with faint praise because I’ve never really cared for the characters so probably had a low bar going in.) It’s fun, pacy and - importantly - understands that the origin story really doesn’t matter. More like this, please.

"No one will read AI slop novels, they'll be terrible piles of clichés and overused tropes!" Well yeah. There's lots of books like that already, some people eat them up. Publishing professionals have been ADVISING PEOPLE TO WRITE LIKE THIS. Snobbery is our only real defence now.

Unsolicited writing advice, no 1786900: Magical systems don't have to "make sense" any more than religions "make sense." You just need to make your readers believe.

Entirely agree with this. If worldbuilding is the point of your book, more power to your elbow, but the “foundation garment” approach is not only entirely valid, but also (shhhh!) more effective, done right.

100% Anyone who’s been stuck in a room with me for any length of time has glimpsed the horror of a book populated by characters just like me. I’d even argue that the characters LEAST like me tend towards being better for it, as I take greater care with them. Empathy is an important tool.

The Spider-man set for Magic the Gathering is definitely looking a bit half-arsed right now. Not a lot of love for the source material on display (definitely less than the 40k and Doctor Who sets).

I feel like Krennick’s spirit must have got into the digital sculpting program to ensure that he was the BIGGEST FIGURE EVER. Seriously, look at the size of that thing.

As expected, all of that white was no fun at all.

“Somebody has to save our skins.” Still the best.

📖 Next up in #HammockTime this afternoon is “The Lie That Binds Them” by @thetowerofstars.bsky.social, 📘 of “The Soulfire Saga” from @orbitbooks.bsky.social. I read 📕 and 📗 in June and July last year, so don’t want to leave 📘 for too long lest I forget events 😅 ⚔️ #FantasyBooks 🪐📚💙 #BookSky 🦋

My first actually PAINTED wargaming force in… oh… let’s call it 25 years.

"Awwww gosh we just don't know what sells books!" Bullshit; otherwise, everyone would get the exact same marketing (to roll more dice) or nobody would get anything (if nothing works anyway). But there's an awful lot of picking and choosing going on, not guessing. Squid pro row.

I'm looking at the news stories about the FDA's drug approval "AI" and keep seeing reporters using the industry MARKETING term "hallucination" instead of saying that it's faulty, doesn't work, and provides inaccurate information a human would have been fired for. Stop pulling punches.

Starting to think that because society's so used to doorbells having cameras on them that it's collectively forgotten the primary function. For couriers and similar who might be reading this, here's a life hack: 1) You press the doorbell button 2) The house occupant knows that you are calling

Writing with a soundtrack playing for the first time in a while. There's joy to bespoke scores that jukebox soundtracks can't capture. They build on the visuals, creating genuinely memorable moments. Sometimes I just have to stop and listen because I'm back in that moment again. That's magic.

Just dropping this here again for anyone who's interested. #giveaway

I’m thrilled to say that I’m the voice of the Male Fatalist Arbitrator in the Adeptus Arbites DLC of @Darktide40K - Huge thanks to @DamnGoodVoices @fatsharkgames and to @thetowerofstars for all their guidance and support FOR THE LEX!! #warhammer40000 #darktide40k #voiceactor #grimdark #gaming

Beyond the Quiet - watercolour and acryla gouache on Arches 300lb rough paper Painted for Magic: The Gathering's "Edge of Eternities"

A couple of years or so back, I found out that when I first broke in at DC, I was paid less than their starting rate. A couple of weeks later I broke in at Marvel and was paid less than Marvel's starting rate, but it was $5 higher than what DC paid me. So on my next sale to DC, they matched...

Any company that makes a condition of waiving your moral rights does not have your best interests at heart. (Or anywhere in its immediate radius.)

There are many fine examples of how big companies can buy a good idea, ruin it and then move onto the next. But I think Amazon/Comixology is one of the purest examples of a company not actually knowing what the thing they bought was for. Comixology was awesome. Reading comics on Kindle is shit.

Actually, I don’t think I’ll take you up on that offer.