Rue Sparks (They/Them)

I realized tonight I’m evolving into the stereotypical elderly misanthrope at 38 despite really wanting to like humans.

I might as well make my catchphrase “get off my lawn” and get a cool fedora or whatever we’re supposed to do.

(I just called fedoras cool. My evolution must be complete. Fock.)

I support and share those reasons.

Nothing more badass than a pillow that if alive would murder you in your sleep. It’s giving “Sidhe”

IKR?! Why can’t we have feral goats with dagger teeth without killing off the middle class, poisoning our drinking water, enabling deep fakes that use the voices of our loved ones, and creating surveillance technology that makes 1984 seem tame?

(Rhetorical question. The answer is capitalism.)

Looks to be GenAI unfortunately so don’t feel too left out. It’s not even actually embroidery, it’s a 2D flat print meant to look like embroidery. There’s a bunch of versions from a slightly different angle 🫣

I think even these goats are angry with their own inception. We’re in the darkest timeline

“Wow I’m looking at the NYT top 20 and seeing the same stuff” yeah no shit. Trad pub is doubling down on the same style, themes, and narratives from every book in the last 15 years.

Indie books are more agile and fit smaller niches. Though queer SF/F YA is often broader even in trad pub books

Ah okay that makes sense! I appreciate the clarification, feels like we always hear the controversies except when we’re trying to find them lol

I’m so out of the loop. What is itchio and what’s the controversy??

2025 will be known as the year of “I thought it was an article from The Onion”

I’ve mostly had cornbread with things like chili or barbecue, not buttermilk and greens. In which case sweetness makes total sense. Regional differences are a thing.

“Tell me about a trans book that is under 300 Pages-“

*starts to raise hand*

“-that is not super depressing.”

*lowers hand, pretending I was just scratching my head*

What can I say? I got a lane 🙃

Acrylic marker drawing of a raven

I am late to the acrylic marker party and I’m so ashamed. It’s all the things I love about acrylic and none of the things I hate??

I looked at my purchases & was saddened to see the creator has disappeared. Their shop is on indefinite hiatus.

It happens a lot. Being constantly moving is a hallmark of a creative person, but it also eats us from the inside.

Lack of support for the arts just compounds everything.

A while back I bought this zine titled “Art is Hard.”

It was portraits of all these famous artists from history with quotes of them talking about how difficult it is to create, or that their art sucks.

#Creativity is to never be satisfied, to be constantly learning. It is a double edged sword.

Giving us things we never asked for or wanted and then trying to convince us we need it will go down in history as being the 2010 & 2020s aesthetic mark my words…

Janky text from the "you wouldn't download..." meme: You wouldn't fuck a planet Cover of Terra Flux, a planetary adventure by Dani Finn, showing a mechanical woman with long flowing hair against a retro neon sci-fi background

"There was so much to learn about women, and so little time."

🪐Terra Flux🪐

A mechanical lesbian sci-fi novella about the exploration of planets & women

🤖Robofuckers need apply 🤖

MURDERBOT

X

THE MACHINE MANDATE

X

PSALM FOR THE WILD BUILT

danifinn.itch.io/terra-flux

books2read.com/b/boQL2L

And the winner for the best marketing line in 2025 goes to...

Bookmark titled emotion checker with a list of emotions

Greeting card that says we wish you a merry everythingmas and a happy apocalypse

Greeting card that says: new year's resolutions: eat the rich. seize the means of production, be the whole problem, and drink more water

I am making anti-holiday cards and #neurodivergent / #mentalHealth / #chronicIllness bookmarks because why the hell not at this point.

2025 was a pre-apocalyptic shite show and I'm coming to terms with my own issues with emotional blindness and lack of body awareness.

www.etsy.com/shop/ruesparks

-But books are not a visual media (with the exception of comics.) You’re going to HAVE to tell things.

This advice, like most #writing advice, is good for beginner authors but at some point it needs to be broken. Style, pacing, and innovation determines when you do what, not arbitrary “rules.”

a close up of a man 's face with the words `` now it all makes sense '' written below him . Alt: a close up of a man 's face with the words `` now it all makes sense '' written below him .

Listened to the #WritingExcuses episode on “show don’t tell” & it made me realize why I have issue with the over abundance of this advice.

It was originally coined for silent film, where blocks of text were frustrating for viewers. So you were encouraged to show with visuals, not tell via text.-

Line drawing in black ink against a white background of a male turkey displaying its tail feathers while strutting through a forest scene of dead log, mushrooms, acorns, fallen leaves.

FREE COLORING PAGES!

If you find yourself having to entertain bored kiddies today, you can download a set of 3 free coloring pages including this turkey fellow! (Or you can download for you? Do kids even color anymore? Do adults? I don't know anymore😂)

whistberry.itch.io/bird-colorin...

No one:

Me in my copyright page: So fun fact, the Luddites weren’t really anti ALL technology. They were pro workers rights and evaluating technology based on whether it increased the quality of the product and made workers jobs easier. Funny, huh? I wonder why that would be relevant right now…

I literally just started watching Dr Who in my late 30s this year. I’d only seen an episode or two before (notably the Van Gogh one.)

An edit on ClockApp of 15 got me curious (Midnight) and now I’m going backwards through the run:z

Fav so far is actually Capaldis. Heaven Sent was a masterpiece.

Diagram of the evolution of European helmets

“What kind of #neurospicy are you?”

Me: *researching the evolution of European helmets on a random Sunday*

Copyright page train. 🖋️📖💰

I like mine from "Even If We're Broken" because I felt like I should state the archaeology sites were fake so folks don't go looking for em 😂

I need to update its language to include the clause about genAI that I started adding to my later books.

I created this in #Procreate as a way to sit with it all. Art therapy has been getting me through these especially rough months.

I’ve always used art and writing as a way to cope, but I’m understanding more and how it allows me to identify and learn to process my life and emotions.

Treatment for my hearing loss failed. It’s permanent.

The constant ringing in my ear is likely due to my brain looking for auditory input that isn’t there. It’s may or may not eventually fade.

Sometimes I think about how so much of growing older is learning how to lose.

#artProcess #HearingLoss

Fortunately it’s my high pitch that’s the lost area so far, about 30% of it. But I’m still able to hear speech so the hearing itself isn’t as big a problem day to day than the tinnitus. It’s not exaggerating 24/7, only changing in volume.

That and I just really hope it doesn’t get worse…

Today I found out the sudden hearing loss in right ear, which is also likely a factor in my 24/7 tinnitus, is unlikely to recover. The treatment failed.

At this point I’m just hoping I don’t continue to lose more. Music is to integral to my day to day. IDEK anymore

The fact that they are a real actual thing still blows my mind. The ocean is ✨WILD✨