iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 22/09/2026

As an ESL kid reading fantasy books in translation, I only became aware of the harmful stuff in them after I (a) learned English well enough to read them in the original, and (b) lived in the UK for a while. I often think about how many people will never realise how/why those books perpetuate harm.

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Exactly! He just hated feeling uncomfortable, I think, and deep down he probably knew that there is no way to remove that feeling from the equation.

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It genuinely breaks my brain that a gay cis man said that to me—and that when I pointed out that this work is actively funding anti-trans legislation, he was like "you're just dog-piling on me with internet purity culture speak"... It's such a willfully blind take that I can't take him seriously.

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—but I ultimately feel about it the same way I do about the "SF canon", which is: you don't have to read everything deemed great that came before you (by who? at what time? in what context?) in order to produce work in the space. There's other great work we can read instead.

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Renay⁷ @renay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yeah, that's how I felt when I got rid of all my HP copies and merch. It stung a bit and I was sad for a while, but what she's doing makes me far sadder and angrier, so in the end it was a no-brainer. With Gaiman, I'm a bit sad I didn't get to read most of his stuff before everything that happened—

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Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

Dear short fiction readers/reccers, some Ideas: - seasonal rec lists - themed rec lists (holidays, mushrooms, robots, space, mushrooms, ghosts, timey wimey stuff, mushrooms) - build your own Best Of anthology TOC As always, in the words of @forestofglory.bsky.social, reccing is Critical Practice!

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From Vera's video: "Being a fan of Harry Potter or of anything else [...] does not define you unless you let it. It's always a choice. It's a choice you are continuing to make. And it's a choice that you could stop making." Send this to your HP-pilled friends and family. Let the IP die. [fin]

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Letting the franchise still live in your head and your conversations, even if you are not actively giving her money, perpetuates this idea that your nostalgia is more important than what's happening to trans folks right now, and it's hard to see that in 2026 and not think it's a deliberate choice.

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Like Vera mentions in the video, this particular franchise DIRECTLY funds harm to trans people—there is no debate on this: it's happening, she's said so herself. Queer fans (in the UK especially!) have no recourse; we MUST stand with our trans siblings, loudly and proudly and without conditions.

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The discomfort is a sign of your brain resisting change, and it's inevitable, particularly if you're of a certain millennial vintage—but you must sit with it and push through, because only on the other side will this become so abundantly clear that you'll wonder why you resisted in the first place.

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I've spoken about this at length at various convention panels: how hard it is to entirely excise something that was once deeply important to you, how it might feel like grieving a loved one or even letting go of a part of yourself... The pain is real and indisputable, but it's necessary. Feel it.

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Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 19/09/2026

I've had queer (cis) friends say that they "just want to enjoy the new adaptation uncomplicatedly", but the sad truth is that that is not possible—and never has been. I'll shout it from the rooftops once again: Starve her of oxygen. LET 👏 THE 👏 IP 👏 DIE 👏. Grieve it, then let it go COMPLETELY.

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That's why I haven't jumped in. I got a message from their head of marketing on LinkedIn and he was very sweet, but I had to explain that I don't have the right kind of use case at the moment. If I end up pivoting to something more experimental down the line, I'd love to check it out.

Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 19/09/2026

I can answer that for you! He uses the Nomono Capsule, which uses a proprietary noise cancelling algorithm. I've had my eye on it since it dropped but haven't used it myself.

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Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 19/09/2026

I want this panel NOW, thanks 😘

Tade Thompson @tadethompson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

The message of 'The Revolution will not be televised' is that it will not happen like the TV says it will. The last line of the song says 'The revolution will be live'. Same thing for the apocalypse. It will just happen without dramatic lighting, corporate sponsorship, or paid jeremiads.

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Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

Andrew Knighton @aknighton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Can't recommend this episode enough if you've been following news about AI. It's a clear-eyed look into the human dynamics around the industry, what motivates the most fear-inducing headlines, & how the AI problem might be tackled (actually enforcing existing regulations, for a start).

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Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

404 Media @404media.co · 18/09/2026

It’s easy to see why the AI companies wanted to hide this from the public. The statements are some of the most damning indictments of the ways LLMs were trained, how they work, and the immediate threat they pose to human labor. @jasonkoebler.bsky.social reports. www.404media.co/doom-loop-op...

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Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

ursiday @ursiday.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I'm so excited about the newly described Leopardus tilcayo #cats

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Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 18/09/2026

My husband and I both had weird, semi-apocalyptic dreams before waking up today. Different flavours of apocalypse, but both involved explosions, collapsed bridges, and for some reason, Scotland. We've been watching Twin Peaks so I don't see an imminent connection... kinda bizarre though, innit 🤔

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Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

Tade Thompson @tadethompson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

You should* love books (or movies, or games) the way you love people: with awareness that there are flaws you have to accept, and not be wilfully blind to. And that love necessarily creates a blind spot. Prompted by a post from @hugobookclub.bsky.social [*Notice 'should', not 'must']

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Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 17/09/2026

—for everything (newsletter, portfolio, blog, offering services etc), and I love having total ownership over it all. The free account option works just as well as any paid plans; the only downside is aesthetic as you might have more limited theme options. Genuinely couldn't recommend it more!

Kat Kourbeti @darthj.uno · 17/09/2026

I use my Wordpress.com website which has a built-in newsletter function. No cap on subscribers, you can send out any post which then stays on your blog archive, and they even have newsletter-y themes too now as they're positioning themselves as a Substack alternative. I use mine as my online home—

wordpress.com

WordPress, Your Way

Create your site. Share your voice. Earn online.

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The true lads, if you will.

Ooh I volunteer as tribute

I'd save your legitimate subscribers to potentially move to a different service down the line - having a direct line to your audience genuinely never hurts, however infrequent your newsletter may be.

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For true garbage, there's no better specimen than the Mortal Instruments series on Netflix. It's my go-to when I'm ill and in bed and need to switch my brain off. I'd place 'Invasion' (Apple TV) in the same category. For non-garbage recs: Silo, Widow's Bay, Nobody Wants This, X-Men 97, The Bear

Seconding Long Story Short!

Spoonie Authors Network @spoonieauthnet.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Reposted by Kat Kourbeti

Our starter pack is now full! Thanks to all who asked to join! go.bsky.app/J2RSmFi

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Over at #KneelBeforePod we're doing a catch-up podcast series where we review all the Marvel movies we never got to review in real time, starting with the first #XMen movie! This is a massive point of nostalgia for me as it got me into comics + superheroes as a tween. Links to the episode below! ⬇️

Nice!! We're going to Hong Kong in late April and Japan for all of May. Funny that we'll be in similar time zones on the other side of the world!

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😆 EXACTLY! If I wanted to be a snob I too could say "ugh litfic books are all the same, there's no plot and the language is all flowery and boring" but what would be the point?! I can at least recognise that my dislike of it is my own, and let litfic enjoyers go on with their lives in peace.