discovery drafting my novel is going great!!

ICYMI: my short story, "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I", is out now at @lightspeedmagazine.com!! it's got gender feels, giant robot birdwatching, and pondering who you are now after your toxic ex screwed over the whole planet. it's a quieter, more introspective piece and I'm proud of it 🥺💜

val - V.M. Ayala 🏳️‍🌈@spacevalkyries.bsky.social · 6d ago

it's short story dayyy!! do you want a slightly pensive story about change, giant robot bird watching, and a toxic ex that left you behind in the ruins of civilization? read "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I" over at @lightspeedmagazine.com ✨ 🪶 www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/if-a... 🪶

this is distressing. as a disabled streamer, my small income from twitch is a big deal for me. hope there's enough outcry to get them to not do this. if not??? I'm honestly not sure what to do, and many people (especially marginalized streamers) will be in a similar situation. fuck this. fuck AI.

Zach Bussey 🍁@zachbussey.tos.gg · 5d ago

Twitch and Amazon are apparently planning to use streams to train Generative AI. Multiple sources tell me it will be announced in the coming months, despite some internal friction against it. Creators may be able to opt out of some training data.

ICYMI: my short story, "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I", is out now at @lightspeedmagazine.com!! it's got gender feels, giant robot birdwatching, and pondering who you are now after your toxic ex screwed over the whole planet. it's a quieter, more introspective piece and I'm proud of it 🥺💜

val - V.M. Ayala 🏳️‍🌈@spacevalkyries.bsky.social · 6d ago

it's short story dayyy!! do you want a slightly pensive story about change, giant robot bird watching, and a toxic ex that left you behind in the ruins of civilization? read "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I" over at @lightspeedmagazine.com ✨ 🪶 www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/if-a... 🪶

it's short story dayyy!! do you want a slightly pensive story about change, giant robot bird watching, and a toxic ex that left you behind in the ruins of civilization? read "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I" over at @lightspeedmagazine.com ✨ 🪶 www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/if-a... 🪶

If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I - Lightspeed Magazine

Green Plumed Orbital Line A; viridis metamorphos A Common sighting; Flies along the forty-fifth latitude every 12 minutes Traveler’s addendum: Last functional line along a northern latitude; southern ...

lightspeedmagazine.com

space birdwatching! forced obsolescence! growing as a person! hacking your own body parts! I really enjoyed this one <3 <3 <3 would recommend!!

val - V.M. Ayala 🏳️‍🌈@spacevalkyries.bsky.social · 6d ago

it's short story dayyy!! do you want a slightly pensive story about change, giant robot bird watching, and a toxic ex that left you behind in the ruins of civilization? read "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I" over at @lightspeedmagazine.com ✨ 🪶 www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/if-a... 🪶

new Mini-Space is full of every convention and event attended in July (Readercon, Lavender Con, etc.), as well as virtual upcoming conventions I'll be participating in—like Flights of Foundry! also!! MY SHORT STORY CAME OUT TODAY. pls enjoy (public post!) ✨ www.patreon.com/spacevalkyri...

Mini-Space #40: all the things from july + short story day!! | spacevalkyries - V.M. Ayala

Topics covered in this Mini-Space: July conventions and events, upcoming virtual conventions, short story release day!!, and some speculativ

patreon.com

it's short story dayyy!! do you want a slightly pensive story about change, giant robot bird watching, and a toxic ex that left you behind in the ruins of civilization? read "If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I" over at @lightspeedmagazine.com ✨ 🪶 www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/if-a... 🪶

If a Discarded God Can Change, So Can I - Lightspeed Magazine

Green Plumed Orbital Line A; viridis metamorphos A Common sighting; Flies along the forty-fifth latitude every 12 minutes Traveler’s addendum: Last functional line along a northern latitude; southern ...

lightspeedmagazine.com

so I'm reading parable of the sower for a class for the first time ever and GOTTA SAY it's unnerving as fuck to live in 2026 and see the 2026 in that novel and some of it is just eerily accurate. (not all of it but MORE OF IT THAN I'D LIKE).

Did it 👍 (eventually) [ #cuteart #illustration ]

does anyone else post-convention replay back everything you said and anxiously go "oh. oh no, why do I say words??" which is to say: I'm home and lavender con was amazing!! the queering scifi and building fantastic worlds panels in particular inspired me to keep writing my queer af scifi stories 🌈

at this point I notoriously pick a food spot every convention to eat and just go there a million times. for Lavender Con it’s a bagel place named Call Your Mother 🥯 ✨

making my way to DC for lavender con day 2 🌈 yesterday was so fun!! I’m excited for more queer panels and insight and seeing lovely folks todayyyy ✨

heading to lavender con in DC today! if you're attending the con or are in the area say hiiii!! 🌈

I find tracking word count progress helps, so I've been giving myself monthly goals for discovery drafting in college: 3-5k words! achievable, helps keep motivation. except sometimes I forget to log progress then have one (1) point that's like "6k words written!?" on the graph. powerful ADHD dot 😂

*banging pots and pans once more* HI YES OTHERSIDE ISSUE 3 SUBMISSIONS CLOSE TONIGHT—dear queer writers and poets, you have six-ish hours to send us your short stories and poems!! don't worry if you can't submit this time, we open again in october for our final (and themed!!) issue of the year ✨

OTHERSIDE@othersidespec.bsky.social · 2w ago

Queer authors, today is the FINAL DAY to submit your speculative fiction and/or poetry for Issue 3! Spread the word and send your work our way—we can’t wait to read it! 🪐 Guidelines: othersidespec.com/guidelines/ 🗡️ Pay: 8 cents/word, $50/poem 🌈 Deadline: July 21st, 11:59 pm Eastern

I love you Jimothy 🦝❤️ [ #cuteart #illustration ]

Of course, we also love Jimothy here in Canada! (And of course, I also had to draw some fanart) 🦝 #art

happy birthday to me 👵🎂 AND happy birthday to final fantasy x 💖

hi yes this is happening nowww! I'm excited!! come hang out while we talk about my three or four careers in a trenchcoat, including TTRPG APs, fiction writing, OTHERSIDE, and also probably giant robots because I'M ME ✨

Find Out Productions@findoutproductions.bsky.social · 2w ago

Now live with Fuck! A Roundtable with special guest @spacevalkyries.bsky.social 🔴 twitch.tv/findoutproductions Talking #ttrpg, Actual Play, @othersidespec.bsky.social and all things narrative! Also with @sirenmademodules.bsky.social @wizardstyles.bsky.social @drbubblesphd.bsky.social

Delighted to be chairing the Otherwise Award jury this year. To recommend works to the jury, the form is here: otherwiseaward.org/2026/07/intr...

Introducing the 2026 Awards jury « Otherwise Award

The Otherwise Motherboard is pleased to announce the Otherwise Awards 2026 Jury: The jury is now considering works for the 2026 Awards, and will announce its decisions by late May 2027…

otherwiseaward.org

jumping on the jimothy train

getting to hang out with friends in DC yesterday and meet @wiswell.bsky.social at his book event was so great, I’m still beaming. between that and readercon last weekend AND lavender con next weekend? I’m so glad, it’s been nice to see friends and make new acquaintances so much this month 💜

i love jimothy

new cryptid just dropped

hrghrg oh, I see the wildfire smoke has made its way to northern virginia. my asthma isn't bad, and triggered by very specific things... like smoke. I haven't felt this wheezy in a minute omg 😭

me, last semester: I wish these english lit classes required longer essay lengths. give me higher wordcount minimums!!! this summer class as the monkey's paw curls: hiiiii 1900 word minimum right heeere me: not like this, not right now, not when summer is so hectic, no wait— summer class: :)))))

every time I think I'm not chronically ill/fatigued, I do something like a convention and then end up sleeping for two days straight afterward which is to say hi I am slowly reforming into a person-shaped goo again, I may still need several more naps 😂

made it home from readercon (fiancé and I drove and took our time). it was such a great trip and I got to spend time with friends and also met so many lovely folks, all of whom I absolutely forgot to take pics with—but I definitely want to go back next year. it was such a fun and chill experience 💜