iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 20/09/2026

There's nothing like autumn in the foothills. I found bear tracks as I headed down to the river, too.

On a cloudless day, a river with a rocky shore, cliffs rising from the banks pine, trees growing on the steep slopes

Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 01/08/2026

Funny thing: that largely critical review by a translator and scholar of the text (Emily Wilson) that's been widely quoted emphasises the original poem's adaptation status multiple times. ("An Uncomplicated Man." Emily Wilson, London Review of Books.)

The Homeric epic was already an adaptation. The poem used a relatively new technology – the written alphabet – to rework existing mythical traditions, reshaping the story of a veteran’s homecoming to resonate with the complex concerns of Greek-speakers in the archaic period, an era of migration, colonisation and urbanisation. Some

From https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n14/emily-wilson/an-uncomplicated-man

Adaptations needn’t and shouldn’t follow the original with anything like the exactitude of a translation. Some of the best radically transform or resist the source material, providing what Harold Bloom called ‘strong misreadings’ of their ancestors. The most memorable

The costumes, armour, boats and architecture are a mishmash, which is in keeping with Homer’s poem – itself drawn from many generations of storytelling and incorporating bits and pieces from different eras, dialects and traditions. Linguistically, too, Homeric Greek is a composite – although it is always metrical poetry, not language anyone ever actually spoke. Despite the manufactured online outrage, there is nothing inherently wrong with the movie’s attempt to approximate contemporary American speech. If you’re

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 28/07/2026

If you see this, we IMPLORE you to post a picture from whatever device you’re using without explanation.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 24/07/2026

Inspired as I am by the niggling idea of the Gothic involving a search for a lost medieval past, I tracked down a copy of the gorgeous book The Gothic Revival by Chris Brooks.

An art book open on a table, featuring the rich interior of St Giles' Church un Cheadle, Staffordshire (1841-6). The sanctuary appears on the left and a decorated doorway appears on the right (items 139-140). Chris Brooks writes that Pugin's Decorated style "combined cultural expressiveness, strong architectural forms and a bold handling of space with ornamental elaboration – naturalistic carving, rich mouldings, inventive tracery design, gorgeously patterned textures."

Another spread from the art book, this one looking at William Butterfield's 1849-59 project of the All Saints' church on Margaret Street in London. This is an example of High Victorian Gothic, veering away from Ruskin's natural forms and hues and into an industrialised ideal. Chris Brooks writes, "Butterfield's patterns are hard-edged, geometrically precise... and his material textures assertively artificial: mass-produced bricks and tiles, marbles mechanically polished to a mirror-like sheen. All Saints' connotes the industrial regime: in its finishes; in the compositional discipline that yokes constituents into a corporate scheme even as it emphasises their separateness; in the logic of Butterfield's industrially processed materials; in the way perfect surfaces and symmetrical shapes evoke the machine."

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 23/07/2026

Post your last two brain cells

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 21/07/2026

I've come across this before, but every time it's mind-boggling because:

A screencap of Hbomberguy on YouTube saying "Foreshadowing is a literary device—" The first two words have been struck out with new text, so it now reads, "Characters are a literary device—"

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 21/07/2026

It's funny that in the Thrive report the article is linking to, publishing is really just mentioned as an outlier. The report overall is actually advocating for more training in "AI" based on the high adoption rates in industries outside of publishing. creativeaccess.org.uk/app/uploads/...

Screenshot from the report: While admin tasks remain the dominant use case overall, AI is increasingly being
incorporated into creative workflows, most significantly in film, TV, radio and audio production (42%) and PR, marketing and advertising (40%). In contrast, publishing reported the lowest use (6%), reflecting ongoing concerns around copyright and
authorship.¹

Screenshot from report: Number Five: Adopt AI equitably. Rates of AI adoption rose rapidly this year without equitable access to training and support. Employers and organisations choosing to embed AI into their processes
should prioritise placing inclusivity at the heart of these efforts to prevent staff feeling “left behind” or lacking confidence, and avoid replicating inequalities across the sector. Subheading: Train and upskill staff. Organise and attend staff training and support on how to use AI inclusively
through our open workshops

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 25/06/2026

> cold crossed by an old wood stove > holding pattern, fabric smoked I'm excited to announce that my poem, "retail her," has been published in today's episode of the 4Lph4num3r1c podcast by @zoeticpress.bsky.social!

The text "retail her" appears with an author photo of Kaiden Alderling, along with the official name of the Alphanumeric podcast, 4Lph4num3r1c2.0

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 20/06/2026

Advertise your Bluesky account with a Simpsons image.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 17/06/2026

I'm just using Word for creating a final file when submitting. Which is good! Otherwise, I might die of laughter while in the middle of a writing session. Look at my bear arms, friends. 🌈

In Microsoft Word, "over my bare arms" (B-A-R-E) has been underlined with the grammar suggestion to use B-E-A-R instead.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 10/06/2026

I had that happen with "invidia" lately. You know, the personification of envy (in some cases, the evil eye) chewing on others and herself and creating her own torment?

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 26/05/2026

Pass it along - please let it see your pfp in its full sized glory.

A crow cawing, beak open in a way that frames the eye of the blond guy with chin length hair and green eyes, wearing a Victorian-style white dress shirt. The scene is framed by ivy. The digital painting is done in a relatively realistic style, but the pastel brush gives it an impressionistic look.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 23/03/2026

Listening to some Go! Child because Iove Ruinous so much and I bet they have some bangers. open.spotify.com/track/4VlfRv...

Lyrics: Once full of mercy, full of love, you fear just what I have become / You know I'd walk a million miles to set your world on fire

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 13/03/2026

1. Impulse purchase 2. I love this book but it has been a long time since I read it 3. I have been wanting to argue with people about the moral of the story but I need to read it again before I do that 4. Serendipity!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, an edition with gold leaf stamping and edges

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 13/02/2026

I'm waiting for confirmation before I say anything publicly, but a paying market accepted one of my poems for publication! Yesterday evening was dedicated to finishing a self-portrait I was working on so that I could use it for a headshot. I'm quite proud of this digital painting.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 03/02/2026

I just read "Wolf Moon, Antler Moon", a 2025 novelette by @acwise.bsky.social, and it's exactly the kind of dark, small-town modern fairy tale that I love reading the most. reactormag.com/wolf-moon-an...

The text reads, "'I need to protect people,' Merrow says. 'I'm not sure I can do that without a heart.'"

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 31/10/2025

My nb witch swag for Halloween

The side of my head, wearing a delicate lace and velvet hood in black, with purple hair peeking out from underneath, in front of a natural stonework background

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 24/10/2025

Oh, that sounds lovely. In a cosmic horror, pain-filled kinda way (affectionate)

ALL THE STARS DIE
by John F.D. Taff

"A powerful and original take on
cosmic horror that, despite revealing
the dreadful darkness beyond the
stars, remains richly and] painfully
human, bound up in suffering, loss,
and regret."

Brian Evenson, World Fantasy Award-winning
author of Song: for the Unraveling of the World

OCTOBER 28

Background image is of a pained/screaming face in the clouds

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 22/10/2025

Take a walk through "Far to Fall", appearing in the Harvest Harmonies 2025 Zine/Contest from @choeofpleirnpress.bsky.social www.choeofpleirnpress.com/harvest-harm... #alderwritings #poetry #poetrycommunity

The poem "Far to Fall" by Kieren Alderling over a mountain background: September died with smoke in the air / A lush billowing, provocative red caps / Sheltering the jagged peaks / Autumn dawns yellow and cerulean / Swirling aspen, those leavings bleached / Peroxide-blond over mountain streams / Cotton is strung—hanging—stratospheric / A mirror, for wardings over doors / Observed between branches from the overhang / Scree crunches under boots and whorls / Called away, tumbling down the side / Satisfaction in the upset. /end The text around the poem reads "Harvest Harmonies 2025" by Choeofpleirn Press. The mountain includes a scree field with aspen forest around it, and red clouds above.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 09/10/2025

Very excited for the new book from @hironennes.bsky.social (I adored Leech)! I picked up A Murder of Prose by local author Scott Charlton Paul while I was at Owl's Nest Books in #yyc, because I love crows and also puns.

Two books side by side: The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes, with an oroborus-style centipede eating its own tail, and A Murder of Prose by Scott Charlton Paul. Brown leather backdrop.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 30/09/2025

On possession: "I understand now. The devil taught me; I am the devil, so I was my own teacher. I accept the consequences." I woke up in the middle of the night and tried to read a new book to get back to sleep. I have now read half of Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera in one sitting.

Rakesfall book cover, by Vajra Chandrasekera, with a pink cover and an animal skull, and the tagline: "Will you follow me to the end?"

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 11/09/2025

I just found out that @hironennes.bsky.social has a new book coming out in October, so guess what I'm preordering! Leech was such a phenomenal journey through the mind of a character that was both becoming and unbecoming due to isolation from its larger self...

The Works of Vermin book cover, by author Hiron Ennes, with pull quote "I will follow this author anywhere.” from Gillian Flynn, NYT bestselling author if gone girl. A centipede or millipede surrounds the title in a circle, and a dreamlike greenish backdrop uses floral and geometric shapes to frame the image.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 04/08/2025

"This was too much to process. What was this human woman’s game? Was she teasing her about her injuries and her new helplessness? Shesheshen had to get out of here." My precious, precious monster. Get loved, idiot.

The woman cast her eyes down, which made no sense. There was no tactical advantage to taking her eyes off of Shesheshen. “Uhm. I’m sorry if I offended you somehow. You were badly hurt.” This was too much to process. What was this human woman’s game? Was she teasing her about her injuries and her new helplessness? Shesheshen had to get out of here.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 04/08/2025

I am CHARMED. "The notion of someone trying to heal her like a person was alien. It couldn't be trusted."

“I gave it the best splint I could. You have some unruly bone structure. It will heal, though.”

Shesheshen kept struggling with her splinted arm. She could re-spool that flesh into her body—there was no way the pulverized stones inside were going to heal like a mammal’s bones would. The notion of someone trying to heal her like a person was alien. It couldn’t be trusted.

Book cover "Someone you can build a nest in" by John Wiswell, illustrated in eerie red under a yellow moon, with the shape of a dark witch with a cloak and tentacles behind a young, solidly-built young woman carrying a lantern. Chains, skulls, bear traps and other spooky items line the edges.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 18/07/2025

You know how you finish a trip and are already looking forward to the next adventure? Definitely that for me. I'm looking forward to being home for a while, too, though!

The view of the wing of an airplane out the window, with a view of the area around London, UK spread out below.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 08/07/2025

We also stopped in Exeter. Sadly, I did not get to see the mechanical sculpture at Exeter Phoenix at the right time for it to be moving...

A mechanical phoenix on top of the entrance to the arts space Exeter Phoenix

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 08/07/2025

A quick wave at Stonehenge* as we go by! Not stopping there this trip. *from the passenger seat

A photo of Stonehenge in England as viewed from the road. People walk around the historic location in a ring surrounded by ropes. The sky above is cloudy, with a dramatic burst of clear blue to one side of the stone ring.

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 03/07/2025

Big fan of this hawk I met near the wildlife park in Keswick, England. The stories from her handlers really make her sound like a cat, personality-wise.

A Harris hawk perched on a sign in front of greenery. The sign has arrows pointing to "The Lake", "Channel Walk" and "Wildlife Park"

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Kaiden Alderling @alderling.com · 11/06/2025

If my profile pic looks weird, it's because I doodled it in an hour or so. I might make another one!

A person with green hair and fair skin wearing a white shirt and blue tie. Signed with "Kiernan".

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