iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 20/09/2026

Toss up between King's Quest and Simcity for me. These two solidified my love of single-player PC games, which is still going strong ~40 years on.

Screen shot of the original Simcity game, featuring an industrial area with several police stations and a large park.

Screen shot of King's Quest. The main character is standing in front of a castle.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 11/09/2026

Haha alt author photo. Excellent hair. Eyes too shadowy.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 31/08/2026

I spent a few hours goofing around searching for old sci-fi novels and Nintendo games this weekend at the Stittsville Flea Market. They're closing down at the end of September and I'm sad because places like this are disappearing. Truly "one person's trash is another's treasure."

Three NES games (Wrestlemania, Adventures of LInk, and Ice Hockey) and three vintage science fiction novels (Endworld, Robots of Dawn, and Gate of Ivrel) neatly arranged in two rows.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 31/07/2026

Replaying Ghostwire: Tokyo. What is up with the "dead partner in my head" trope in games? (Same deal in Cyberpunk2077) Maybe the "not me" draws you more into your in-game avatar as having its own existence?

A video game screenshot of a handsome Japanese young man whose face is partly covered in a misty shadow. Another slightly older man is standing close behind him wearing the same clothing. They are in an empty, rainy downtown side street at night.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 09/07/2026

Brb, getting Anna Maria Mozart hair.

An 18th c. painting of an aristocratic woman with very large rectangular hair, roughly a foot across. A ribbon is tied around the top, like a headband.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 26/06/2026

And now a welcome, delightful glimpse of blue enters the picture.

A picture of the sky taken from a three seasons room. There is a sliver of clear sky amidst clouds.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 26/06/2026

Ottawa feels tornado-y right now.

A picture of a looming storm cloud shot from inside a three seasons room.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 12/06/2026

And where, specifically does this dude get the dopest pants that ever were worn?

A stylish man sitting in a chair, wearing incredible silk pants with images of paintings on them.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 06/06/2026

Don’t touch every single one except for that one…

Eight barrier posts at an underground railway station. All posts except for one have a do not touch decal on them. Why?

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 04/05/2026

Don't worry folks, crisis averted. I finally got off ass and walked out to buy some coffee. Nature will heal.

A cup of coffee on an intricate metal table.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 04/05/2026

I’m eve wearing my France 🇫🇷 shirt for the occasion.

A man’s chest and shoulder wearing a very striped shirt.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 24/04/2026

My kid has convinced me to do a Hot Ones challenge with him (Veggie wings, and no, vegetables do not have wings). Here’s the lineup. I’m stoked (and a little scared).

A row of six different small hot sauce bottles on a dining room table. They are of progressive hotness from
El Yucateco on the left to Blair’s Mega Death on the right.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 18/04/2026

Okay maybe not the end end. I was shocked to learn that there is photographic evidence of Chopin's existence, and he looked like one dour, dejected fella.

A grainy 1800s photograph of Chopin. He has a facial expression that is somewhere between confused and annoyed.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 25/03/2026

Mr. Silly is the tenth book in the Mr. Men series by Roger Hargreaves. It has been published in 38 languages, and Hargreaves has identified Mr. Silly as his favourite Mr. Man.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 13/02/2026

@jeffsomers.bsky.social I saw one of your articles in the wild today, on the auto-generated news feed that pops up in my Firefox tabs. I clicked did a double take when I saw who wrote it. A useful read!

A screen capture of a web page featuring an article on turning your attic into storage space.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 03/02/2026

Could this be it? The foolhardy beginnings of another manuscript? Inspired by Frederico Faggin, I am now pondering consciousness-space (c-space) as a site of extra-digital resistance. Why/how publish anything when the muse continuously bombards me with this stuff? #AmWriting #AmNOTWriting

Several cryptic bullet points alluding to themes for a sequel to the novel Gods of a New World by Ryan Melsom.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 05/01/2026

I played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Games over the holidays and it was deeply inspiring. Exceptionally beautiful art, mind-blowing narrative, amazing music, stunning game play... the list goes on. It was one of those games that regrounds your love of gaming.

Five characters surround a mysterious crouching figure. In the near distance there is a wall of gigantic molten swords surrounding the scene.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 19/12/2025

Would love some support for Gods of a New World, my first sci-fi/cyberpunk novel! It's a wild, near future thriller that imagines what happens when trillionaires with super-intelligent AI at their disposal decide they don't have enough power. 🪐📚

Cover of Gods of a New World by Ryan Melsom. A man and a woman are walking through an abandoned city in the twilight.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 04/12/2025

Shopping for that special geeky someone? Nothing says "I love you quite" like a near-future thriller where AI "gods" are threatening to hijack reality. Support a small 🇨🇦 press and the big dreams of an aspiring writer! #BookSky #ScienceFiction #Cyberpunk 🪐📚 shadowpawpress.com/product/gods...

Cover of Gods of a New World by Ryan Melsom. A man and a woman are walking through an abandoned city as the sun sets in the distance.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 24/11/2025

Why not support a small press and give the gift of mind-bending AI apocalypse for the holidays this year #Booksky? Who wouldn't want to read about average people taking on trillionaire "gods" these days? #sffh #scifi #cyberpunk 🪐📚💙📚

Book cover of Gods of a new World by Ryan Melsom. A man and a woman are walking together through an abandoned city.

Author Ryan Melsom standing with his arms crossed and slightly smiling.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 19/11/2025

My experiment to improve the accessibility of my writing has begun! I’m at the airport reading my first ever James Patterson novel. First observation: short chapters that always end on a cliffhanger (big or small). #WritingCommunity #amreading #BookSky

Cover of the thriller novel Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 19/11/2025

Customers who bought my AI post-apocalypse novel also bought… decaf coffee??? Oh wait: I get it! The action is just so intense that they can’t drink caffeine while reading or their minds will explode. 🪐📚

An “also bought” Amazon advertisement for decaffeinated Kicking Horse coffee.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 15/11/2025

Currently reading this gem by Canadian sci-fi whiz Don Miasek while the kiddos are I karate. Fun, gritty, immersive, and super well written! #amreading #BookSky #sffh 🪐📚

Book cover of Pale Grey Dot by Don Miasek.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 17/10/2025

I was THIS CLOSE to talking apocalypse on the CBC today. I guess I’ll just have to drown my sorrows in CBC flavoured coffee. 🥲☕️

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 25/09/2025

#YOW here I come! It’s been a lovely week in Saskatoon but I am ready to be home.

A small airplane on the YXE tarmac at sunrise.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 15/09/2025

I present to you The Johannine Logos of @bsky.app, built from a winding Q&A with ChatGPT. I particularly like a "new dawn, a different light, a place to breathe again." Feels like that at least sometimes.

Screenshot of a ChatGPT text response to the question "What is the Johannine Logos of Bluesky?".

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 15/09/2025

First time finishing #PhantomLiberty last night. Went all the way down the rabbit hole with this one, fully aware I was going to get screwed but just too compelled not to find out how. Worth it! #Cyberpunk2077

Character So Mi, aka Songbird, from the Phantom Liberty expansion to Cyberpunk 2077. She is standing on the top balcony in a luxurious ballroom.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 15/09/2025

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson! It's a travel week, so I'm hoping to get some good time in on the plane(s). #Amreading #BookSky 🪐📚

Cover of the novel Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 13/09/2025

I'm super pleased to see that Gods of a New World just broke the top 100 in the #cyberpunk genre on Amazon.ca. This puts the book in the ranks of unthinkable names like Philip K Dick, Neal Stephenson, and Isaac Asimov. Like... Whaaa? #WritingCommunity #booksky 🪐📚💙📚

Amazon listing for cyberpunk novel Gods of a New World by author Ryan Melsom, which includes an indicator that it is ranked #94.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 12/09/2025

Love seeing another writer's spreadsheet. The color coding is a revelation. Here's mine. I'm so close to being done this one! #writingcommunity #amwriting

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 12/09/2025

Today's #WIPSnips word is "half", which shows up a surprising number of times in my WIP. In this case, the passage containing the word describes Marci, a woman who has been transformed into a squidlike creature through extensive cybernetic implants. #WritingCommunity #cyberpunk 🪐📚

Text from a work in progress by cyberpunk author Ryan Melsom. The passage describes Marci, a woman who has been transformed into a squidlike creature through extensive cybernetic implants.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 10/09/2025

Hey, Gods of a New World was selected as book of the week on Book Bale. If you’re a subscriber (or just really love insanely good books), check it out! #BookSky 🪐📚💙📚

Promotion poster for Book Bale’s book of the week sale featuring Gods of a New World by Ryan Melsom.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 10/09/2025

Been a while since I've done #WIPSnips, but I recalled a distinct reference to today's word "pressure". As the three main characters descend through a massive futuristic pit-city, Janella, who has certain mystical ties suddenly vanishes, stranding the other two 333 floors down. #WritingCommunity

Page of text from an unnamed manuscript by author Ryan Melsom.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 26/08/2025

Without downloading any new images where are you mentally?

Picture of a store sign that says hot dog for hot people.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 25/08/2025

I've been playing Cyberpunk 2077 again, and photo mode is just too fun not to mess around with a bit.

Character from Cyberpunk 2077 in a futuristic business plaza

Character from Cyberpunk 2077 posing in front of a dilapidated ferris wheel.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 21/08/2025

#WIPSnips time! Today's word is "shout" @wipsnips.bsky.social, and in my work in progress, it has to do with the shouting of advertisements along the central column of a massive in-ground city. 🪐📚 #WritingCommunity

Text from a Word document, shared as part of a daily work in progress hashtag.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 14/08/2025

Had to try this out! 🪐📚💙📚. 🤖 Cyberpunk thriller 🧠 Mind-bending 🤑 Trillionaire gods 📎 Artificial super intelligence 🧦 Unlikely allies 😶‍🌫️ Secret Atlanteans ☸️ Buddha's birthplace 🦿 Cyborg battles 🌍 They go everywhere 🛸 Everywhere 🤬 Too many swears, according to mom 🍁 Canadian made! #WritingCommunity

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 14/08/2025

Today's #WIPSnips word is "enemy", and here's mine! Don't you just hate it when alien entities control your reality at such a fundamental level that they barely even recognize you as existing? Maybe hints of 1984's Emmanuel Goldstein tucked away in there... "enemy" as a tool of control. 🪐📚 💙📚

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 07/08/2025

Saw my book in the wild for the first time today. Eeeeeeeee!!!!! #booksky 🪐📚💙📚

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 07/08/2025

Hellooo @wipsnips.bsky.social! Here's my #WIPSnips contribution for today's word, "frequent". What would you be doing if the world was starting to decohere at the fundamental level? Ethan decides to watch TV :) #WritingCommunity 🪐📚

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 30/07/2025

The #WIPSnips word of today is "balance". My current WIP contemplates a world that has gone so badly out of balance, the only escape may be a retreat into alternate realities/dimensions/spaces... This one's a bit of a mess, but some of that's intentional. @wipsnips.bsky.social #WritingCommunity

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 30/07/2025

A good solid 50% of my book is on the front page of sci-fi/fantasy at Chapters-Indigo. I'll take it! #scifi #cyberpunk #booksky

Imgaes of new and trending book covers on a bookseller website. the one on the farthest right is about 50% cut off, but it's clear it's Gods of a New World.

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 28/07/2025

"Trash" has shown up 7 times in my work in progress, so far @wipsnips.bsky.social. I swear this isn't a reflection of the book's content 😅. I mean, well, it literally is, but hopefully not in the larger, uh... #WritingCommunity #WIPSnips 💙📚

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Ryan Melsom @ryanmelsom.com · 27/07/2025

How about a Mandrill? It sounds like you’ve been having a brutal week. Here’s to a good one next.

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