R.T. Ester's avatar

R.T. Ester

@shoutoutmapes.bsky.social

215 followers 242 following 669 posts

Anti-imperialist. Fiction writer. Words in Clarkesworld and Interzone. THE GANYMEDAN (Fall 2025 from Solaris Books). Agent: Jason Yarn. You may see a sh!tpost now and then 😅

rtwrites.com

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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House of the Dragon has been firing on just about every cylinder it has this season. It's already a better show than GoT ever was. More confident, smarter editing, more complex characters, more dragons

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Finished season one of Black Sails. What a show

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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The San Saba Songbird

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Thomas Ha's avatar Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social
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Not advice, just idle observation. It's a lot like cleaning. People will say they have secrets and products to do it the Right Way. But for the most part it's a baking soda and vinegar combo and scrubbing really fucking hard. There's no shortcut but to do it and learn the ins and outs of your home.

1 replies 5 reposts 24 likes

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Someone should write a short story where the speculative element is that the temperature outside doesn't consistently climb to 120 degrees

2 replies 3 reposts 23 likes

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Malda Marlys 🦇🦇🦇 🏳️‍🌈's avatar Malda Marlys 🦇🦇🦇 🏳️‍🌈 @aardwyrm.bsky.social
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For a Sunday brunch story, today's rec is @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social's "The Moon Eel Bennett in Conversation with the Astronaut Who Came Back for It" in @interzone.digital. How are you feeling about your various membranes this morning?

3 replies 3 reposts 3 likes

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carlydraws's avatar carlydraws @carlydraws.bsky.social
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Support independent mags, publishers, authors and artists!

It's been my pleasure to work with @interzone.press several times now, and they are always a delight! Publishing the finest human made stories & art.

Here's some of the pieces I've made for them. Combining charcoal, pastel + digital paint

1 replies 15 reposts 38 likes

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Patrick Tumblety's avatar Patrick Tumblety @patricktumblety.bsky.social
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Writing community!

Eirik Gumeny, the incredibly nice and talented owner of Atomic Carnival, is in desperate need of a lung transplant. He’s currently suffering, and can use some help.

His wife has set up a donation page. Please spread the word!

cota.org/cotaforeirik...

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carlydraws's avatar carlydraws @carlydraws.bsky.social
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You can have interzone to read and on the walls too!
Here is my cover artwork for #299, inspired by @boriscrito.bsky.social's incredible story. This and other pieces are available in my print shop, with a special shop wide discount for interzone supporters.

1 replies 12 reposts 22 likes

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Reposted by R.T. Ester

Link is coconut-pilled. 🥥 🌴 's avatar Link is coconut-pilled. 🥥 🌴 @knilirabaj.bsky.social
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“There’s a genocide happening. People are scared to use that word – it is what it is. It’s a genocide. It’s ethnic cleansing. It’s intentional. … We’re not paying attention.”

6 replies 129 reposts 412 likes

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Reposted by R.T. Ester

Scott Santens's avatar Scott Santens @scottsantens.com
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Individuals who received the $1,000/mo or $500/mo payments were more likely to find a stable, full-time job than before they received the basic income. Results showed 45% of participants secured housing, while $589,214 was saved in public service costs. "It's freedom. It's freedom from poverty..."

32 replies 716 reposts 1815 likes

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The Silvered Spherical Ideal Median Voter 's avatar The Silvered Spherical Ideal Median Voter @swolecialism.bsky.social
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oh boy oh boy oh boy you are so fucked dude.

32 replies 80 reposts 476 likes

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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I also think EDM doesn't put up as many barriers to entry as other genres do for both artists and listeners. I once watched a doc where a college radio dj called it the most democratic style of music of something like that

1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes

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IZ Digital's avatar IZ Digital @interzone.digital
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ko-fi.com/izd

If you love short fiction and you’re able, consider becoming the 174th person to support IZ Digital at Ko-fi – every euro gets the zine closer to paying professional rates to brilliant artists and authors like Dante Luiz and Jennifer Jeanne McArdle

ko-fi.com/izd/goal

Thank you ✨🙏🏼

0 replies 20 reposts 25 likes

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Chron.com's avatar Chron.com @chron-com.bsky.social
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A former resident at Texas Children's Hospital has been charged with illegally obtaining children's medical records and leaking them to conservative activist Christopher Rufo in order to prove the hospital was illegally providing gender-affirming care to minors.

www.chron.com/news/article...

6 replies 11 reposts 16 likes

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Same. Another candidate might be Excession but there are also like two other books in the series I still haven't read

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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This one's for the Surface Detail heads on bluesky, of which I'm sure there are many

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Surface Detail is maybe my least favorite Iain Banks Culture novel but I called the character twist/reveal at the end the moment the 'Vatueil' character showed up and I will bring it up every chance I get

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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I think that may have been Surface Detail, specifically the stuff having to do with the simulated hells but it's been a while since I actually read it

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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We're going to keep getting more Three Body Problems until someone comes up with a Three Body Solution

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Even knowing what to expect, this was a bleak viewing experience

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Oh yeah for that specifically you just have to ignore

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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With very few exceptions, I have to hear the same thing from at least two readers before taking any action on it

1 replies 0 reposts 5 likes

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Reposted by R.T. Ester

Kevin Gannon 's avatar Kevin Gannon @thetattooedprof.bsky.social
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The problem isn't that AI can do your job (it can't). The problem is management thinks AI can do your job.

49 replies 1160 reposts 3307 likes

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Indrapramit Das's avatar Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social
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The entire western world constantly mobilising to support, fund, defend this. Drives home how Nazi Germany and their allies were a threat to the west because they were imperial competition, not because of some western moral imperative to stop their genocidal conquest.

0 replies 61 reposts 182 likes

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Blatant mask-off article in Tablet that probably won't move a needle since I don't think the concept of "Palestinian + innocent civilian" actually even exists for westerners who support zionism

0 replies 3 reposts 9 likes

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Reposted by R.T. Ester

IZ Digital's avatar IZ Digital @interzone.digital
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ko-fi.com/izd

If you love short fiction and you’re able, consider becoming the 173rd person to support IZ Digital at Ko-fi – just 1 euro a month, or a one-off donation, helps showcase more work by artists and authors like Carly A-F, Emma Howitt, Giselle Leeb, Eugen Bacon, and many more!

Thanks 🙏🏼

0 replies 7 reposts 8 likes

R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Oh yeah I remember enjoying it. Definitely a good candidate though I'd consider French Dispatch as well for just how good it looked

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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I need to watch at least one thing today that people would describe as a 'visual feast'

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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Oh yeah it's almost always that. I think I might also be conflating it with how Batman's voice sounded in theaters

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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I'm watching Dark Knight Rises and I think it's just that it's been years and I don't remember because it sounds a little like they've softened the sfx on Bane's voice

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R.T. Ester's avatar R.T. Ester @shoutoutmapes.bsky.social
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My contacts came in yesterday and I don't think I've ever seen this well in my life. Everything is coming through in Ultra-HD 24K. Basically I'm never taking these off again. Can't risk it

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Reposted by R.T. Ester

upfromsumdirt's avatar upfromsumdirt @upfromsumdirt.bsky.social
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i read this poem on community radio and the other gentrifying businesses turned their backs on us 😂 — the eyelash stylist came into the store FUMING — $400 for eyebrows. meanwhile, our corner had the highest % of sexworkers in the city and not a single one was welcomed in those shops.

3 replies 10 reposts 26 likes

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Adrian Tchaikovsky's avatar Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social
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Physics/engineer types: what sort of principle/tech is the best bet for floating/suspensor technology (like the baron Harkonnen’s getup or any other kind of hover-chair, floating freight that doesn’t need a rail or something specific in the ground)?

47 replies 13 reposts 54 likes

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Matt Novak's avatar Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social
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The Pentagon ran hundreds of Twitter accounts that lied about the covid vaccine to spread anti-China sentiment in Asia and the Middle East.

18 replies 169 reposts 299 likes

Reposted by R.T. Ester

Shiv Ramdas's avatar Shiv Ramdas @nameshiv.bsky.social
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hague trials needed for the people behind this. Pure evil. Also publish names. We want their names.

4 replies 30 reposts 93 likes

Reposted by R.T. Ester