iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 3h

Well the hotel has a nice view of the Clyde

A curving bridge across the dark nighttime waters of the Clyde river and city lights beyond

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 6h

Yes! Oh, that’ll be great to hang out in person after all these years!

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 8h

No agendas, just have fun with interesting conversations :)

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 8h

You doing Eastercon next year?

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 10h

Part of it is that it just takes time and showing up to start making those human connections.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 12h

Oh yeah, I’ve got twenty years of similar events under my belt, I’ve already gotten a couple meet ups agreed to later after wandering the dealer room :)

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 12h

I solve it by going to interesting panels and being open to the randomness of the world. It’s not something you can force. Just be amiable and enjoy it. There’s always a book and a hotel room at the end of the:)

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 12h

New writers often tell me it’s very scary and isolating going to a conference or a convention without really knowing anyone. I get it. It’s like that first day in a school where you don’t know where to sit in the lunch room. I an in exactly the same position at a new event like this to me :)

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 12h

Squinting due to a moment of direct Scottish sun in the face.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 12h

Am bouncing aimlessly around British Fantasy Con. Lunch first at the bar and then I’ll haunt the corridors and panels. Nice to be back around books and overhearing bookish conversation. Met the nice people managing the Flame Tree Press table which has an anthology with a story of mine

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I came in at the tail end of that, and yeah, a bygone era

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

That’s like the saddest fucking thing I think I’ve ever seen

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Reposted by Tobias S. Buckell

Marina Lostetter @marinalostetter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I'll take a man who goes into battle screaming "Is that my cow???" over this example of parental abnegation any day.

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Reposted by Tobias S. Buckell

Marina Lostetter @marinalostetter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Sam Vimes would NEVER.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I’m grateful I got my hat trick in but they’re now off the list now. Fucking hell.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Their best bet would be to adopt a standard contract they use for everyone and stop trying to shove rights grabbing contracts at every new artist, and publish it openly on their site. Odds that they will? 🤷‍♂️

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This stuff made sense when people were paid fantastic freelance rates. $1-2 a word, and so on. But we are not backing those days, and fiction artists depend on controlling their rights for resale to eat. So now we are all at odds.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

and there are corpo lawyers just likely guiding all this who have no idea how the fiction IP world works. It’s a very different legal world, I think. And they are assuming expertise transference.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This is almost a word salad. people who are shocked that Must Reads has been in publishing business for years and seems out of their depth; the freelance world, historically it used to pay vastly more and work for hire dominated. They are likely unused to rights-savvy artists and are flailing.

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Reposted by Tobias S. Buckell

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I'll try to remember, I'm usually horrible at doing that

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I haven't been to a con or professional event in... quite a while.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Even though I'm teaching out a last class and no longer a full time prof at my university, I still have access to professional development funds I didn't use last year, so I can cover membership and a hotel from that and get reimbursed. Woo hoo.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Okay, it is working out for me to be at the British Fantasy Con in Glasgow this weekend, so I hope to see some of you all there. I'll be wandering around looking somewhat out of it lol

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My big fluffy cat who is normally like “can’t touch” and shows affection by sitting juuuusssttt out of arm’s reach is currently sprawled across my feet on the couch and snoring, so I guess he has had along day?

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Of all the indignities these past weeks, I sprained my left pinky hauling 50lb suitcases about and I’m having to hold it out like the most pretentious person ever so I don’t aggravate it. Lots of ice and anti inflammatories. But my tea drinking game is -down-

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I’m going to try to make it Fantasycon this weekend. Have some loose ends to tie up today then I’ll sit and look at how to do that.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Yeah, from a location point it made the most sense. The other place had free heat, but was Perth, so further away for the job hunt. A tough call. Really tough. But Stirling worked best.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Yeah, very few applications went through. Tried 30 places and 2 got back to me. But we have a place. We move on the 21st. living out of suitcases for another two weeks but we are lucky and grateful to be taking the next step

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I actually agree with them in modern times far more often than not tbh, particularly of late. There a couple big chasms, but more bridges than not.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Trying to teach a virtual undergraduate class when going through all of this has been an exercise in 'what did I say last week, because that feels like two months ago?'

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm not seeing lecithin in everything, I wonder if that's a trigger. So interesting.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This is the hope, it allows us to look at both for job searches/opportunities.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

centrally located, to help with job searches, and well sized for all the amenities we've never really had access to without long drives. Another reason I hope this works out.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Yes, after a bazillion applications (why put pets considered when you right away eliminate me for it) and so much documentation it was easier to buy a home, we've found a place in Stirling. We get to move in on the 21st.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thank you! Hanging in there, once we get into our new place and can settle in more, things will improve markedly. It's just a case of waiting to get the all clear.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Updated my bios to reflect that I currently live in Scotland. A 'whoa' moment. Because we're still in a temporary place and living out of suitcases it doesn't yet feel like it, so it feels weird to write it down. It'll be challenging rebuilding a social network at 47, but I hope this works.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Yeah, it's like the cilantro thing, but I don't have it for cilantro. I don't mind, it's probably great for society at large, it's just a shock to find artificial sweeteners in water with a light splash of fruit, I'd just expect there to be some fruit in it, so I've quickly learned to read first.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I've been drinking carbonated things, I've been eating candy bars, I've been eating spicy foods, all of which I usually pay a price for. I did all three yesterday and was fine!

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Yeah, I didn't think to look because last time I was here I was drinking full sugar sodas when I did get them.

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I want to write an essay over how different existing here feels in terms of that boot to the face feeling, but I want to wait more months to make sure I'm not grass is greening things. But let me just say, having a 30 day cooling off period on a used car purchase left me so confused and amazed...

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Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I haven't popped into the newsagents, the little convenience stores and smaller sections mostly seem to be sugar free options around here in Kirkcaldy, but I'll be curious to see what the selection is in Stirling in a couple of weeks time when I get stuck in over there.

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