iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 2h

A normal amount of scarecrows

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What a New England beach looks like on the first of October:

A rotting eyeless fish carcass in the surf

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And of these, Queers in Love at the End of the World has probably had the longest lasting influence on me. I was a spectator during the early 2010s twine moment but that’s what started to turn some really important gears

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

9 games that shaped me, sorry for center right, I’m just trying to be honest here

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Reposted by Esther Alter

Side Quest Books & Games @sidequestbooks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

My personal GMing manifesto, “Two Encounters, No Good Choices: How to Homebrew a Dramatic One-Shot” is in this one!

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It’s just very weird that a technology that only Quake III dweebs knew or cared about has become one of the most significant society killers of all time

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

You can be whoever the fuck you want

A very sad guy ish entity with a lot of body hair and tiny oval glasses. She’s probably thinking about kerbal space program

A hot dyke wearing hot glasses and a leather jacket who is definitely thinking about going outside and reading a spooky book

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I was invited by my havurah to read a creative interpretation of the traditional meditation of Jewish martyrs. This is what I wrote:

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

without downloading new pics, describe your gender

graffiti on a wall that reads:

ARM THE DOLLS
+
KISS THE DOLLS ON THE FOREHEAD

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Spotted at @portersqbooks.bsky.social ! YOU could but the first Camberville rando to read my story TRIANGLE SIMULACRUM

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

20 year old Esther would say “You’re me??” “but” “…wait” “Does it feel good??” “Hmm” “So if you’re me, then it follows that I want this. I guess.” “Yeah I don’t know, seems weird” “Ok but you’re not, like, into guys, right?” “huh” “Wait!” “(whispered) i get to be a lesbian??????”

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Currently outlining a very unhinged dvar/speech/thing about martyrs for Yom Kippur

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I associate Nightswimming and It’s the End of the World As We Know It with the very formative summer camp I went to as a teenager, and of ghost two Nightswimming is by far the better song, so that’s my favorite

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

to the shirtless guy jogging down the opposite side of the street holding a big American flag who decided to catcall me and then followed up with some transphobia just in case, just an hour ago, exactly 25 years since the towers fell: thanks but no need for the reminder, we can’t possibly forget

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

IT'S HERE. Preorder YOUR BODY IS A FEVER DREAM so you can read good trans horror, including my story TRIANGLE SIMULACRUM

Me, excitedly holding my copy of Your Body is a Fever Dream

TRIANGLE SIMULACRUM
By
Esther Alter

ONE
#
A fucked up centaur thing with tentacles and a beard pries open your door slaps its feet into your house slams you to the floor holds you down looks around the room wide eyes swiveling separately finds a pen uncaps it brings it down to your shoulder presses too hard this is when you scream you can feel a trickle of blood.
And then it’s over.
All the centaur’s eyes look at you. From those eyes down to what passes for its torso, it’s all teeth and esophaguses. The torso is long lines of muscular tissue merging and branching out again: vertices, lines, and just air in between.
The centaur stares at you a tentacle slaps your face another one presses your skin where the pen was, and the pain is a lot. You try wriggling away and the centaur lets you and you curl up into a ball and you assess the damage. On your shoulder the word “ACCEPT” has been written in precise, crisp lines that have been smudged by seeping blood.
Your boyfriend is screaming and then there’s a loud wet crunch and he has stopped screaming.
You look up. The centaur’s long neck is wrapped around your boyfriend’s body and it’s gnawing on his body and blood is leaking out of his body. You consider saying something and then you remember the word on your shoulder so you just watch.
The centaur finishes off everything above the neck line moves one of its gross feet over you and you have an overwhelming sense that a question has been asked that requires a yes/no answer.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The thing about mechas being impractical is that the V-22 Osprey exists. The military isn’t rational. And soulless killers have been doing stupid impractical stuff because it’s cool for about as long as warfare has existed.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

omg they went and did it, they made a cutsey-branded defense contractor startup

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

There’s probably something to be said about the gendered language this guy uses in the longer substack post to describe agents: stoic decision making, self sacrifice, Philip of Macedon, carrying the torch of civilization, etc. But I’m not going to be the one to say it because I’m going outside.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The thing about Seth Moulton is that on the one hand he’s a transphobic weenie who should be bullied like a middle schooler, but on the other hand he’s really interested in high speed rail so he’s potentially recruitable

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma cast a magic spell upon me that made me feel normal. I truly never expected to see anything like it. I cried a lot.

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Reposted by Esther Alter

Neon Hemlock @neonhemlock.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Wow, four hours to go and less than $700 from our second stretch goal! Maybe we’ll make it? 👀 (help us make more tiny books please)

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Buildings are foundational to human societies

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I found an exceptionally cursed job posting and this sentence is going to be burned into my head for a very long time

About Ugraid

Upgraid is an early-stage startup developing a highly specialized AI energy model to read a building's internal systems from space. From skyscrapers to data centers, malls, warehouses, and single-family homes, billions would benefit from system upgrades. We run advanced energy simulations and deliver a ready-to-pitch upgrade proposal for every property that could reduce energy costs, improve health, and create more attractive spaces for humans.

Buildings are foundational to human societies. They are the world’s largest asset class and consume ~40% of energy globally (and generate the same share of greenhouse gas emissions). They shape the way we live, work, play, and interact.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I actually said this at a meeting once when someone was accusing me I’ve bring a glass-half-empty pessimist

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty Game developer: the values of the two cups are unequal because one is 0.5 and the other is 0.49999999 due to accumulated error, also it’s not documented anywhere whether 1.0 is full or empty

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Reposted by Esther Alter

Der Spekter @derspekter.org · 21/08/2026

Finally, we are bubbling with anticipation for the upcoming release of "We Traitors: Bundist Writings on Zionism, Palestine, and Socialism" by Der Spekter editor @eyshe.bsky.social and @nathantankus.bsky.social. Preorders open in the next few days, and we will make sure to remind you once again.

Cover art for We Traitors: Bundist Writings on Zionism, Palestine, & Socialism. Forthcoming from Haymarket Books with pictures of Bundists

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Are there any resources for learning #clang if you already know #rust ?

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I think about this flavor of trans woman all the time. The one who really does think she can sexually identify as a weapon because then there are far fewer choices to make. The one who opts for perceived safety over community, and so is eventually betrayed. She’s familiar. I could’ve been her.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Having finished drafting my second novella (for now) I’m trying to get back into writing and remembering how to write something that *isn’t* devastating to the reader and detrimental to my mental health. I hear there are stories with healthy relationship dynamics and maybe I could write one of those

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Sara S. Messenger サラ @smessenger.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

NEW SARA AND SIMO STORY IN @diabolicalplots.com!!! My first cowritten short story... grotesque chatter between a car and a cougar and roadkill. hazardous POVs. If you like your prose kaleidoscopic, you should read 🤑🤑 we did it @srinivassimo.bsky.social! www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-1...

diabolicalplots.com

DP FICTION #138B: “We Burst Across the Theoretical Gore” by Sara S. Messenger and Simo Srinivas – Diabolical Plots

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Neon Hemlock @neonhemlock.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

We are less than one (1) Club Serpentine backer way from getting QUIET HOURS by Esther Alter added to the novella series! And that means we are SO CLOSE to opening for submissions of queer speculative novelettes.

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

*pickup artist voice* hey babe are you a telephone? Because I want to call you

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Less than $500 until QUIET HOURS is funded. I know that you want to get fucked up by Queer Community horror sooner rather than later, so consider backing the kickstarter if you haven’t www.kickstarter.com/projects/dav...

kickstarter.com

The Neon Hemlock Novella Series | Volume Seven

Novellas and a short story collection from “the apex of queer speculative fiction publishing” —Publishers Weekly

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I want outfits! I want to fluster!

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I rarely consider the opinions of cis men, but the guy working at the wine store complimented my outfit and then got flustered because he didn’t know anything about the wine I was buying and so couldn’t offer an opinion… and ah ok so this is that Good Gender Stuff that everyone’s been promising me

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Esther Alter @esther-alter.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

hell yeah wrote my first flash fiction draft in nearly a year

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Reposted by Esther Alter

kith books @kithbooks.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

LET'S GO!!!!! kith crit: cohort two is open for applications! DON'T SELF REJECT kithbooks.com/cohorttwo

kith crit: cohort two
a grassroots critique workshop for the trans, Crip, queer, and sick

What: a FREE, eight week, needs informed critique workshop beginning at the end of September 2026. In these sessions writers will come together across genres to challenge each other; connect with other trans, Crip, queer, and sick creatives; and develop the skills necessary to support themselves and others through the process of critique.

Who: kith crit is open to trans, Crip, queer, and sick writers of all genres. cohort two will comprise two distinct critique spaces: one general audience; and one transfeminine led, and exclusive. While anyone is welcome to apply, we’re particularly interested in those who have been systemically or functionally excluded from traditional lit ed opportunities. Applications will serve as assertions of eligibility.

How: Send a brief statement outlining the reasons for your interest and a writing sample to wim@kithbooks.com by August 31th.

Accessibility: If you have access or safety needs and want to know if we can meet them, please get in touch. kith’s standing policy is to meet everyone, to the best of our ability, however they come.

for more information: kithbooks.com/cohorttwo

Autumn 2026
wim@kithbooks.com
kithbooks.com

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Reposted by Esther Alter

ayida shonibar @ayidashonibar.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

My flash piece—on crafting the statues of colonisers and toppling them—is now free to read! I'm so honoured and delighted to have this story first published in the Luminescent Machinations anthology by @neonhemlock.bsky.social and now shared through Flash Fiction Online's iconic RESIST anthology!!

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