C.L. McCartney

I guess it's Prime Day(s) again, so here are some options if you'd rather not help Jeff Bezos grow even richer. 🧵

First, a couple of Starter Packs of Indie Bookstores to support. (If you are or know of an indie bookstore w/ a Bluesky account that's not listed, let me know.)
go.bsky.app/DZdrHhm

⬇️⬇️⬇️ 💀🖤🙏

POLITICS COMMENTATOR, 10 AM: Looking at electoral polls this far out from a general election is a complete waste of everyone's time.

POLITICS COMMENTATOR, 2 PM: Bloody hell, look at this new poll, it's mad.

The truth of this. Eesh.

unfortunately there is no way to be so crystal clear that someone can't wilfully misinterpret you, the moment you put pen to paper to say "weekends are great" you almost guarantee that someone is going to come at you 10 years later screaming "you said paprika vampires are real so I killed my uncle"

Just as well they weren't making reference to King Cnut.

Breakthrough! Spent a couple of hours walking around Tower Hamlets Cemetery yesterday, dictating into my phone, and 'wrote' 2,500 words of a new story.

Chalking up a victory in my eternal 'editing V writing' struggle.

Oh my God this.

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

OTHERSIDE Kickstarter art. Text says OTHERSIDE Kickstarter LIVE NOW! over our purple and banner art with the Wanderer, a small figure on floating rocks, on the right.

WE'RE LIVE! AND WE ARE SO EXCITED! Back now to support a new magazine of speculative fiction by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists! Snag some amazing rewards, including discounted subscriptions! Support queer art! And help us SMASH DAY ONE!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

And I want trans men to be safe. And non gender conforming lesbians and gay men. And the proudly butch and the proudly fey. The problem for ALL of us are predators who do not need to “pretend to be women” to commit assault. Transphobia rots your brain.

100%.

I started a rewatch with the bf the other week (first time for him), and it was so damn WEIRD to watch Sarah be normal during the opening of the pilot. Lol

Sarah Palmer looking rather deranged.

There's some fantastic sound design in this ep. Mike sits in the hotel lobby amid a sound almost like fireworks, which is in fact dozens of feet and guests bouncing balls.

Then later with Sarah, the record turntable spinning and spinning at the end of the track.

A fully adult Nadine with her trademark eyepatch, dressed in a Cheerldear's outfit.

I keep forgetting the 18yo/super-powered Nadine plotline and then being confused/creeped out all over again.

One of the iconic shots from The Shining of Danny riding his trike around the Overlook Hotel. He faces down a long corridor with two identical girls in blue dresses standing at the end.

Also, it feels like there's an increasingly apparent Stephen King/The Shining influence on proceedings. Complete with remote hotel.

The Xenomorph bursts from kane's chest in Alien.

But yeah, this all feels like the slow blossoming of this show into full on supernatural horror.

Horror that bursts out of the soap opera pastiche like, well.

MIKE takes control of his one-armed host and explains the secrets of the Twin Peaks universe to Harry and Coop.

Well this was really one of my favourite bits of the show so far. MIKE is creepy as fuck.

And the idea of BOB as a personality or an aspect of the killer that only "the sensitive" can see is (assuming its true) a clever solution to what's going on.

David Lynch, in character as FBI agent Gordon Cole, pointing at his ears to indicate that he's hard of hearing.

This is possibly my favourite director cameo ever.

That being said... I feel like having Shelly's murderous psycho ex living in the house with them, allegedly comatose, has brilliant horror potential.

Other trans writers on here are taking the opportunity to push their books atm so I thought I'd stop worrying about looking opportunistic for a moment and shill the trans cyberpunk noir mystery I originally drafted in 2019. The world is vastly and grimly different than it was back then. 1/2

a canceled streaming subscription is easily converted to several spec fic magazine subs on patreon and similar services, some are as low as 1-2 bucks. the more you know.

I think the reality is that cyberpunk exactly describes the current moment. We got exactly the future cyberpunk predicted in the 80s. Actually, the only thing we didn't get is the aesthetic.

Lyam and I were saying exactly this.

Do you have a lot of annoying admin tasks or household chores you need to accomplish, but never seem to find the time for? Then may I suggest: setting aside a day to do nothing but write, you will be amazed at how many such tasks you can accomplish.

...
OHHHHHHHHHHH.

Leo sits unmoving in a chair, eyes closed, head slumped forward, drool falling from his lips.

You write a pilot before you cast, but the longer a show runs, the more you write towards an individual actor's strengths, ya know?

A catatonic Leo sits in a chair, as someone talks animatedly behind him.

Given the actor's aforementioned "block of uncarved wood" qualities, I can't help but agree with the creative decision to put him in a catatonic state.

The actor really captures that absence of charisma or personality. 😶

Harold holding a garden fork to his face, the prongs digging into his cheek, and looking very much not ok.

Hoo, boy. Harold is a lot isn't he?

Strong "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE" energy coming off this betrayal.

HK character who moves silently, with martial arts skills. Taciturn, gnomic, Native American character with tracking skills and throwing knives.

The racial aspects of this show have not aged *super* well.

Nadine lunges for the camera, mouth contorted in a shout.

Did Nadine just rip off the fridge door? Is she a superhero now?