Redundancy tweet: silver lining edition. Shortly I'll be able to use my many years of experience FOR YOU!
⭐️Journalisming! 15 years writing banger reviews, cool interviews, irresponsible columns
⭐️Mock reviews! Puzzles, horror, indie weird/cuteness, RPGs? I'm your gal.
1/3
God liking video games is so depressing. Like if I see someone wearing a tee of a band I like I go 'oh cool, a potential new friend!' and if I see someone in a video game tee it's like 'ok 50/50 this is one of the worst people I will ever encounter in my entire life'
Late to everyone talking about Conan O’Brien but want to remind everyone that he has the greatest accolade achievable by man: he wrote the Marge vs. The Monorail episode of The Simpsons
To be clear this isn’t about gamers being annoying (I am a gamer and am very annoying) it’s about how the industry has, over decades, given more ground to racist and misogynist elements so they now make up a not insignificant portion of the thing I dedicated my adult life to
God liking video games is so depressing. Like if I see someone wearing a tee of a band I like I go 'oh cool, a potential new friend!' and if I see someone in a video game tee it's like 'ok 50/50 this is one of the worst people I will ever encounter in my entire life'
@VanityyFox
the starting premise of this tweet is that *I* really like video games (missing comma aside). I’m sad that it has become a culture war hobby.
@RottenInDenmark
I’m the dep ed of RPS and like, yeah? We’re not obligated to host any freelancer’s views *at all* about anything?? At the time the editorial team was majority cis women. It is now, too - our EIC, reviews ed and me all are.
the platonic ideal of the UK is that time a decade ago when someone on Tumblr asked what 'cheeky Nando's' means, and people responded with perfectly cromulent, but increasingly indecipherable-to-americans, answers
The sudden escalation of transphobia over the last few years is textbook moral panic, and if you think of yourself as left wing or feminist and aren’t extremely sus of how it’s manufactured then lol no you aren’t
Don’t get me wrong, thrilled that the tories have collapsed, but I fear now comes years of Starmer’s Labour doing nothing to help regular people, while the Tory right and Farage form a racist megazord for 2029
I’m terrifically bad at self promo but here is me with my new best friend Zoe Ball - listen out for me and Grave Expextations soon on her lovely breakfast show as part of the Radio 2 Book Club! Also on BBC Sounds x
TV production companies: make a million quid by commissioning one of those 'friends travelling to places in a humorous vehicle' programmes where Michael Sheen drives David Tennant around in a mini and makes him look at Wales
Happy UK book birthday to me! Grave Expectations is out *today*, featuring:
- ghosts
- murder
- more ghosts
- being tired
- an enby bestie
- weird posh people
- a dildo
- a BBC Radio 2 Book Club sticker!!
Buy it now from your favourite bookshops
#GraveExpectations
@bethwritesstuff
@RMTunion
When I was a teen I was in London, miles from home, I was frantic trying to get the last train back home from Paddington. Was short the fee by a couple of quid and the ticket staffer covered it himself and told me to just run for the train <3
@_celia_bedelia_
'okay but what would you do if you had a miscarriage in the public bathroom and your phone was out of battery and there was no toilet roll in the stall and as you sat down your pants split all the way in half WHAT THEN HUH'
@jessiegender
No one may compare anything to 1984, or describe anything as Orwellian, without first turning in a 5k word sourced essay on the goddamn book
I'm bloody bored of every vaguely inclusive tweet on here being piled on by Union Jack accounts going 'I identify as a squirrel lololol' like oh yeah, and have you tried identifying as someone your kids want to talk to?
Laurence Fox is very genuinely concerned about women being sexually assaulted and is respectful of women and girls in this country, btw can anyone tell me why he was shitcanned off GB news??
Thank you to everyone who has replied and messaged me to say lovely supportive things, inside the industry and out. Please continue to support everyone at RPS, they are lovely, talented, hardworking people and RPS is very much alive with them
My friend: Alice please we’re trying to have a nice time
Me: [slamming fist on table] 2004’s Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman does not adequately explain the logistics of Dracula fucking!! !
Went to my local
@easons
store in Cork only to find they’ve got a FANTASTIC window for Grave Expectations. What a beaut! And the staff are absolutely lovely (you can now find some signed copies in there) x
4 separate biopic films are in the works about each member of The Beatles to all release in theaters in 2027.
Sam Mendes will direct each film which will be interconnected stories, one from each band member’s POV.
(Source: Deadline)
Rare day job tweet for video games industry people: APROPOS OF NOTHING, we wanna write about a load of alt. witch/wizard/magic themed games in Feb, as well as highlighting games by trans devs. If your game fits either/both get in touch: alice dot bell at rockpapershotgun dot com
V. stoked to reveal my new book, out in the UK in May from
@CorvusBooks
and on
@NetGalley
now! The gang are BACK for a terrible holiday, ft:
- ghost pirates
- ghost smugglers
- a cowboy
- eating chicken (still)
- murder!
Pre-order
#DispleasureIsland
from
@Waterstones
and
@easons
!
#DispleasureIsland
is out today! This has probably my favourite character I have ever or will ever write in it, I think. Also awkwardly fancying boys, pirate treasure, and bad murders! Please make sure it sells more than Liz Truss's stupid book or I will never live it down xx
My new book is out on Thursday! This is exciting and I’m v grateful to anyone who has read either of my books or reached out to say something nice. But on Thursday I will not be around lots cos last year when Grave Expectations came out I had what doctors call a massive freak out
Today is my birthday. I am 34 entire years old and not really any better at life than I was on day 1. if you can, pls do me the solid of doing a little good deed today (donate to charity, tear down a T*RF sticker, wish your neighbour a very nice afternoon with sincerity)
Hello remember that Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual coercion, sexual assault and rape by several woman and as fans (and authors, even if not sci-fi or fantasy) we should not forget 👍
And finally:
⭐️Books! I write murder mysteries. Consider buying one, and sub to my newsletter :)
Everything at competitive rates and with a winning smile, and at least one (1) joke provided free. Contact me about your cool projects today!
This week is
#AceWeek
- a time to raise awareness and understanding of the asexual community. So here’s a shout-out to all of our asexual volunteers and members – thank you for everything you do in Girlguiding.
guess who has two thumbs and the draft of her second book accepted!!! ! More Ghost Gang/the ABCS (which a clever reader pointed out is the gang's initials) coming atcha next year x
⭐️News Shifts! Do you need extra help for holiday coverage or games shows? I'm there!
⭐️Game writing! Scenarios, descriptions, flavour text, particular flare for dialogue.
⭐️Editing! I can lovingly kick work to pieces and help you build it back even betterer
(2/3)
It’s my birthday! I’m going to build a bookshop that I can force to stock my book.
As a little present to me I’d like it if you did something nice for someone today!
(If you can’t be nice you could just pre-order
#GraveExpectations
)
Semi-regular reminder that Calvin Robinson is a failed video games journalist and should not be treated as a serious person by literally anyone at any time.
Thing about genAI art defence that gets on my wick: you DO have the means to express yourself if you want to! You can scribble how you feel with a pencils and paper! It might not look as good as someone who practiced for years but if expression is your goal it is in reach
Anyway today I played the demo of a game about a duck detective called Duck Detective and the first thing he said was like “I’m a newly divorced duck.” How dare you ask if video games are art.
@speakoutsister
I’ve said this before but hospital wards aren’t meaningfully single sex when porters, cleaners, doctors and nurses, and visitors to other patients who are men are in and out literally all the time! It’s ridiculous to act like they’re some sacred feminine space
My new book is out on Thursday! This is exciting and I’m v grateful to anyone who has read either of my books or reached out to say something nice. But on Thursday I will not be around lots cos last year when Grave Expectations came out I had what doctors call a massive freak out
Also just realised there’s a good chance many of the streamers commenting on this were in fact literal children when G-gate was happening so that’s cool for me
Thought it was fine to interrupt the snooker, also think this is fine. We don’t get to go “no, but not _my_ toys!”. Whole point is it’s bigger than a Tekken tournament.
(Should have done it on the Friday or Saturday when there were more people/press)
🚨 THIS ISN’T A GAME: Just Stop Oil Disrupt UK’s Biggest Gaming Convention
🦺 3 supporters of Just Stop Oil have disrupted the winners final of Tekken 7 at
#EGX2023
, covering the equipment in orange paint.
🖋️ We’re fighting for our lives. Join us —
Writers who use AI aren't fucking writers, if you 'don't particularly care' about descriptions in your book then I don't particularly care about your book. Jennifer Lepp: get the fuck out of my genre. Full offense. FULL OFFENSE. "AI assisted" my arse.
My extremely late take on that IGN video is that it complains about AAA games needing to raise the bar, specifically mentioning Diablo 4 and Jedi Survivor, and IGN gave both Diablo 4 and Jedi Survivor a 9/10
If Rowling believes that someone assigned female at birth is in fact male because of elevated testosterone levels then one must wonder logically what the fuck is her beef with trans women
For some absolute clarity, I’ve not been immediately laid off and am going through a (two week) redundancy process at my current employers in Ireland - but I’m not an employee of the company that now owns RPS, so I just… you know… don’t work at RPS now.
I forgot I hadn't actually officially said anything about this, but yes Corvus have very kindly agreed to allow me to write a few more of Claire and Sophie's adventures! Book 3 up next, currently shaping up to be very silly.
@speakoutsister
Also studies show the (vast!) majority are perpetrated by someone the victim already knows, not a stranger in the toilets. But they don’t talk about that cos it doesn’t support their bigotry.
End the tyranny of starting video game reviews with 2-3 paragraphs describing an in-game incident first person present like the opening of a shit novel, before starting to actually review the bastard game
Jumping on
#AuthorsOfTwitter
because am one. Hello I’m Alice Bell, I write modern cosy/cozy crime mysteries with swearing and haunting. Grave Expectations is out in May, it is sort of Knives Out x BBC Ghosts. I can’t find my author photos so here is me face down in a big beanbag
imagine being a 'creative' and proudly being such a small-minded little creepoid. I hope this group proudly wear merch at events so I can give them a wide birth, tie their shoelaces together, unscrew the caps on their salt shakers, etc.
A publishing network for those “concerned about the impact of gender ideology on our sector and wider society” launched today for publishing professionals, authors and creatives 👇
I like how the replies to a hit tweet used to be a roll of really funny jokes, and now it’s like being cornered at a family BBQ by 1000 of the unfunniest divorced uncles on earth
My
#duvetknowitschristmas
entry is a quiet classic. Contents of this room includes a folder marked “receipts 05”, a copy of Country Living from 1998, and a book called Princess Mary’s Gift Book, which I daren’t open.
Fab time signing in
@WaterstonesCrk
- bonus pictures of me and
@mytholder
(started reading The Sword Defiant already!) trying to work out, in real time, how to take photos with over a foot height difference…
@DragonCobolt
@Q_Review
skinhead covered with nazi tattoos: [obvious gurning rage face]
Tim Roth: “thass concealed contempt that is; ‘e looks down on anyone who ent white”
Feds: tim roth you are a sexy genius here is a million dollars
Incredible show.
Drove from Cork to Wicklow this week and there are *so many* huge, artificial forests of sitka spruce along the way. Wouldn’t have known what they were if someone hadn’t recommended following Eoghan.
Ard na Caithne, or 'High Place of the Arbutus Tree'.
The forests are long gone now, just like almost everywhere else on the Dingle Peninsula.
So often in Ireland, place-names are not just shadows of an immeasurably richer ecological past, but a sign of what could return.
These arrived yesterday and I instantly lost them, so the real rosette should go to my partner who searched through the bin so my jacket could look this good
Keep forgetting my book Grave Expectations is out in less than a month (!). An cosy murder mystery but with ghosts and tired people eating chicken. Now with even more BBC Radio 2 Book Club!
Sign up to my newsletter and get the first chapter freeeeee! -
GANG everything is terrible, but if you have any energy left over it behooves me to say I have a book out in May, which at least two people have read and enjoyed. Displeasure Island is a murder mystery caper with ghosts, pre-order to getcha copy in May!
*three* more women have come forward with allegations against Neil Gaiman, one on a podcast about survivor stories that is hosted by a non-binary person. How are you going to invalidate _her_ story by saying it’s a terf podcast with an axe to grind?
I'm annoyed that I won't get to finish out my game of the month this month, 'cos I made everyone at RPS play Deathbulge and they all liked it cos it rocks
Got in an argument with my dad today because “he hasn’t looked into it” but he’s absolutely sure that trans children in the uk were getting rushed into surgery/trans women are ruining sports/trans rights are harming women because people are talking about it, therefore…
Already seeing some v. stupid commentary from actual adults about the Gaiman allegations. It is 2024 and I'm seeing analysis on how upset or traumatised a SA victim should 'sound'. Whatever you think of Gaiman: come the fuck on.
I know people say it often but it really is the nicest thing when you take the time to say to someone you liked what they made. I got a nice DM yesterday and it was the best thing that happened all day