Alexander Hay
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alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Alexander Hay
@alexanderhay.myatproto.social
4K followers 3.7K following 4.5K posts
Writer of weird fiction. Querying away. Dank Goblin. NUJ member. That's definitely me in the profile photo.

www.alexanderhay.co.uk
https://alexanderhay.neocities.org/
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1965-9764
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alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Post something random or you’ll have an awful November
The main atrium of a Victorian mansion, shot from the first floor landing, looking diagonally down. Part of the stair case and wooden pillar holding up part of the landing can be seen, alongside the deep red carpet and dark pine paneling featured throughout. We can see a small black coffee table and cream-brown leather sofa on the ground floor, next to the stair case. The sofa has a pleasant light green floral cushion. The ground floor's, err, floor is covered in beautiful geometric pattern tiles. An alcove, next to the pillar can be seen, with a lamp hanging underneath the landing. It has a closed door. To the right, we can see part of the door way, and here the oak paneling gives way to white plaster, small rectangular windows, a white radiator, fire extinguishers and a welcome mat, before a blue main door.
November 3, 2025 at 12:11 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
So, Blackpool's North Pier is bragging about having a full house in its theatre for an audience with... Katie Hopkins.

But then it closes down the comments, just in case.

(FYI: the North Pier is up for sale. It's also where Harry Corbett bought the puppet that would become 'Sooty'.)
A screen capture of a post on the Blackpool North Pier Facebook page. It has a white background, plus a black and grey modern sans serif font. It features three images, all taken within the pier's theatre. In each one, a packed-out house watches far right grifter Katie Hopkins under blue or white (ahem) general lights, plus one mid-range shot where she appears to be reading a large comedy story book while sitting on a chair, in the middle of the stage, and illuminated by a spotlight. Blackpool North Pier's account (featuring, fittingly, an avatar featuring a photo of its main entrance) posted this up 17 hours ago. The post's text says: "Wow what a way to end the theatre season! Another packed out show with Katie Hopkins" This is followed by inane emoji signifying applause and celebration. Other information include 952 combined likes and loves, as well as 124 comments and 25 shares. Naturally, the account has limited WHO can comment on this apparent triumph with the following: "Blackpool North Pier limited who can comment on this post." Which rather says it all, frankly.
November 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Apropos of nothing, I found this panel (from the Crimson Fall comic) utterly hilarious, as I am both dark and depraved. Thanks, @laufman.bsky.social!
A long, close up, rectangular panel from the Crimson Fall comic. It's black and white, and has an art style somewhere between the detailed gothic horrors of Beserk and the cartoony flourishes of Gravity Falls. The panel features our hero, the ever-so-slightly violent Sir Duncross, a large, grumpy bearded man wearing scale or chain mail under a tabard, his hands covered by leather gauntlets. He snarls (a bit like a cartoon bear rendered in the CalArts style, it has to be said) as he jams his bastard sword sideways into the mouth of a corrupted monk, looking like a cross between 1922's version of Nosferatu and Eagle Comic's Doomlord. Blood spurts out of the hell-monk's mouth, its eyes unsettlingly blank. Ironically, it still wears a cross on a chain around its neck, which waves in the air through the force of the killing blow. SFX: GLURP Hell-Monk: Glargh! Sir Duncross: Die, you evil shite! For some reason, I find this hilarious.
September 27, 2025 at 12:11 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
if u see this quote with the energy u bring to bluesky
A close up of an oil painting from the early modern period, featuring a very grumpy tuxedo cat called Trixie. She is noted for breaking into the Tower of London to provide company to her primary feeder, Lord Henry Wriotheseley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton. Painted by John de Critz, c. 1603.
September 16, 2025 at 3:21 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
As fascists march in London, Blackpool continues to disgrace itself in all manner of new and exciting ways.
A screen capture of a Facebook post by "Scotties Got It", a Blackpool seaside shop selling the sort of cheap 'n cheerful paraphenalia you get in such places. These include sun hats, balls, tat, and England flags. LOTS of England flags. The image is a 3/4 close up shot of the shopfront. The accompanying text says: "Stop the boats Scottie’s supporting all patriots who have traveled to London ❤️please keep it peaceful ❤️" Dated: 13/09/2025, 11.31 BST. Original URL: https://www.facebook.com/ScottiesgotitBlackpool/posts/pfbid0WPkB4MLSVqm2SeeSJZ6sj3kFHaAAr4Z9LiUNmLGJL1MB9u3sMZnvqHH5bNct8hcUl
September 13, 2025 at 6:26 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
It's almost as if the Metropolitan Police don't want to offend any future employers. And note who DOES get the Fingermen treatment.

"Police are not using live facial recognition in its policing of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration..."

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
A screen capture from a live thread on The Guardian web site, 13/09/2025, at approx 11.29 BST. The post uses The Guardian's usual modern black serif font, with italics for quotes and bold for emphasis. Red text is used to draw attention to the 'Share' button. White background. The post reads: "Police are not using live facial recognition in its policing of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration which is beginning on London’s south bank, reports the PA news agency. "It said: "'We’re using a mobile CCTV van to help monitor the build up of crowds. Officers have been asked if it’s using ‘live facial recognition’ – we can confirm it is not.' "The live facial recognition technology – which captures people’s faces in real-time CCTV cameras – was used in the policing operation at the Notting Hill carnival."
September 13, 2025 at 10:36 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
The (Britain First-funded) flag-shagging campaign has just reached a roaring crescendo.
A screen capture from the "Fleetwood Nosy Bazzers 2" Facebook group. White background. Black and grey sans serif font, in standard, italic and bold. The name and avatar of the OP has been concealed under lime green. The image is of a horse dressed, somewhat embarrassingly, in a union flag tabard. The poor thing has been stranded on a straggly-looking traffic island, surrounded by signs and sun-parched grass. In the background, on the other side of the road, we see a row of tall bushes and short trees. In the foreground, before the kerb and pavement that rings the island, we see a drain. The horse is impassive, and the sky is drab and grey. Even greyer is the border on both sides of the image. I bet you feel more patriotic already.
August 26, 2025 at 1:46 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
As predicted, there are now voices in the UK clamouring for VPNs to be 'age restricted' (as in, used to screw you out of your personal data). Meanwhile, the kids are all 'accidentally' finding porn, Online Safety Act or no Online Safety Act. Rachel de Souza herself is just being used.
A screen capture from today's (19/08/2025) live politics thread on the Guardian web site. Black modern sans serif fonts on a white background, with some red text and lines. It says: "Exposure to pornography has increased since the introduction of UK rules to protect the public online, with children as young as six seeing it by accident, research by the children’s commissioner for England has found. "Dame Rachel de Souza said a survey found that more young people said they had been exposed to pornography before the age of 18 than in 2023, when the Online Safety Act became law. "More than a quarter (27%) now said they had seen porn online by 11, with some saying they were “aged six or younger” when asked about their first exposure. "The findings follow on from a similar survey carried out by the children’s commissioner in 2023, and de Souza said they showed that little had improved despite the new law and promises from ministers and tech firms. "Virtual private networks (VPNs) can allow users to disguise their location online and de Souza has said the government must ensure children are not able to use these tools to avoid the age-check process. "The government has previously said that while VPNs are legal in the UK for adults, under the Online Safety Act, platforms have a “clear responsibility to prevent children from bypassing safety protections”. "de Souza told BBC Newsnight: "'Of course, we need age verification on VPNs - it’s absolutely a loophole that needs closing and that’s one of my major recommendations. "A government spokesperson said: "'Let’s be clear: VPNs are legal tools for adults and there are no plans to ban them. But if platforms deliberately push workarounds like VPNs to children, they face tough enforcement and heavy fines. We will not allow corporate interests to come before child safety.'"
August 19, 2025 at 12:00 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
This tells you everything you need to know about the 'Online Safety Act'. Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. [Published on a Guardian live thread, 28/07/2025, 14.19 BST]
An excerpt from a Guardian live thread, published on 28/07/2025, at 14.19 BST. A white background with a combination of standard, bold and italicised sans serif black fonts. At the bottom, a share symbol and link can be see, in red. The time of publication and how long ago it was, relative to the time of screen capture, are featured in smaller grey text. The excerpt says: "Starmer says Online Safety Act will not censor Trump's Truth Social social media company "Q: Are you worried the Online Safety Act is going to censore Truth Social, your social media site? "Trump jokes that he does not think that is likely. "Starmer says the act is not about censoring sites. He says the UK is committed to free speech. But children should be protected from things like suicide sites. "Trump says Congress passed similar legislation, supported by his wife. He goes on: "I cannot imainge [sic] him censoring Truth Social … I only say good things about him and his country."
July 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Not that I'm suggesting anything here, you understand.
Two red onions on a white background. The one in the foreground has been halved, revealing the many white and purple layers within. Image used under the terms of the CC0 1.0 Universal license. What happens on tour stays on tour.
July 24, 2025 at 10:38 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
In somewhat related news, Collective Shout's logo, quite fittingly, resembles an anus.
The logo for anti-porn, far right entryists Collective Shout. It's a purple star on a white background, looking very much like an anus. Or Melinda Tankard Reist. One of the two.
July 21, 2025 at 4:28 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Meanwhile, the hype about Sanseito and all that lovely, headlines-friendly xenophobia needs to be seen in context.

True, 7% are up in arms over 'teh evil foreigns', but the biggest issue BY FAR is the economy and the cost of living. It's this which is costing the LDP votes.
A graphic showing the 'Top Issue for Votes', as conducted by NHK News prior to the 2025 elections. In descending order, the concerns are: Price hikes/Economy 48% Pensions/Social Security 18% Children's policy/Decling birthrate 12% Policies on foreign residents 7% Political reform 5% Foreign policy/National security 4% Agricultural policy/Rice prices 3% Constitutional revision 2% Energy policy/Nuclear plants 1%
July 21, 2025 at 12:45 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
This goes hand in hand with a consensus that social media disinformation is a BAD THING, alongside majority support for social media to be regulated, at least during election time.
A pie chart showing the results of an NHK News poll held between late March and mid May, 2025. 52% are concerned 'to some extent' about social media spreading disinformation, while 31% are 'very much' concerned.
July 21, 2025 at 12:25 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Indeed...
The 1984 (7th) Printing of 'Deathtrap Dungeon', the sixth Fighting Fantasy gamebook. This features, perhaps, the best design out of all the editions - a lovely lime green spine and back cover, with a jagged green and black banding at the top of both the front and rear of the book. The front cover also has the classic Iain McCaig image of a 'Bloodbeast', a multi-eyed reptilian slug monster, wallowing in a pool of slime, its many-fanged mouth parting to let a nasty long tonge poke out. The monster is looking over its left shoulder (or whatever counts as a shoulder) and is looking at the viewer in a malevolent, fourth wall breaking moment. In the background, we see the arch of a subterranean dungeon (can you guess which one?) bathed in blue. The front cover also has the book's logo, alongside the usual Fighting Fantasy slogan - "A thrilling fantasy adventure in which YOU are the hero!" The back cover has prices in various currencies, a bar code, an ISBN number, a blurb, and a list of the six FF books published so far at that point, including Deathtrap Dungeon itself. On the bottom of the spine, as well as at the top left of both the back and front cover, we see the Puffin logo, a, err, puffin, representing the children's division of Penguin books. It was, like the rest of the Fighting Fantasy range, the utter bollocks.
July 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Right, everyone - I need you all to stay calm. Something major has happened, perhaps even world-shattering, nay even a new paradigm that may redefine our very understanding of the cosmos...

Yes, dear friends, Lyme Regis Museum now has a Mary Anning Waifu!

#Anime #Dorset #Palaeontology
An anime-style waifu statuette depiction of famed 19th Century fossil finder and palaeontology pioneer, Mary Anning. She has a cute, thick hairstyle with a fringe and a turquoise dress, topped off with a red bow at the collar and white cuffs. She holds a mattock rested on her left shoulder. Her right hand is holding a canvas bag full of slate grey fossils. For some reason, she's simultaneously striking a power pose and balancing on her left leg, but I guess that's a Moe thing. She is flanked by a loyal and cheerful-looking Border Collie, and all manner of fossilised life in the background, including an Icthyosaur, plus two small Pterosaurs fighting over a nest on a Dorset beach. Meanwhile, a HUGE and real ammonite has been placed behind the diorama for added effect. Sculpted by Syun-ei Suzuki, and available to see now in Lyme Regis Museum.
July 19, 2025 at 11:09 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Their design owes a 'debt', shall we say, to the space vampires' final forms in Lifeforce (1985), but their unique traits make them interesting on their own. They even make a cameo in a later 40k rulebook!
An excerpt from the 6th Edition Warhammer 40,000 rulebook (2012), featuring a depiction of the vampire-like creatures which plague the setting. Looking very much like a cross between a bat, a devil and a Dinosaur, the fiend looks dramatic as it crosses its arms, chiropteran wings creating a suitably Dracula-esque cloak effect. The colours used are faint browns, greys and white, with just the tiniest hint of red in the creature's eyes.
July 17, 2025 at 11:44 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
The face I'm submitting to Bluesky for verification.
A picture of my amazing three-legged cat, Manami, gone but never, ever forgotten. She's a cute if rather aloof tuxedo cat, reclining on top of my old MacBook laptop. Underneath them both is a floral patterned rug with an emphasis on red and white. And UNDER THAT, we ca glimpse, on the top left of the image, some pine floorboards. Manami is looking directly at us, imperiously. We have not met her giddyingly high standards. Image copyright, Alexander Hay.
July 11, 2025 at 9:17 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
I always assume this game is really about why your best friend is wearing her Nan's tea cosy as a hat.

#Gaming
A promotional image for the "Life Is Strange - Arcadia Bay Collection", which compiles all the episodes of the game's first 'season' in one easily digestible package. A faintly stylised image, featuring, in the pale background, a flock of birds flying left and butterflies flittering right. The two main protagonists are in the foreground, one looking in the direction of the birds, and the other sort of (but not quite) facing the butterflies but looking at us instead. They both look rather wan and waifish, what a Japanese artist probably thinks alt-teenage girls from America looks like. The girl on the right, who looks rather protagonist-eseque, has neck length brown hair, while her chum on the left has blue and brown hair poking out from the rim of her purple hat, which looks very much like a tea cosy. I'm sorry, it just does. She may as well be wearing an old pair of y-fronts. Anyway, massive spoilers - the MC has to choose between her friend (and more!) and the shit-hole small town they live in. Personally, I'd say fuck the town and run off and be a lesbian. Not sure about the hat, though.
July 5, 2025 at 4:52 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Many moons ago, during one of my web editing gigs (working for some utter shits), I created the following image, fusing two creative commons images to create a handy metaphor for digital humanities. What do you think?

#Art #DigitalHumanities #Hebrew #History
A Hebrew manuscript fading into circuitry. A combination of two creative commons images, the effect created by layering one on the other and then partially erasing the top layer.
June 26, 2025 at 11:18 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Echoes of how Russia treated its conscripts before they invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A social media post from 2022, by Illia Ponomarenko. It features three pictures of Russian conscripts, about to invade Ukraine, living - or rather, sleeping in squalid conditions. And on the floor. Black sans serif text on a white background. Dated 09.13 GMT, 21/02/2022. The text says: "So this is true. This is how Russia treats its conscripts deployed to the Ukrainian border. No food, no places to sleep, no money. At a train station 20 km away from Ukraine."
June 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Personally, I'm impressed, but that's just me.

[SOURCE: www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/this-is...

#News #UK #Syntax #Grammar #Rats #Blackpool
A headline from the Blackpool Gazette website, screencaptured on 29/05/2025, at 21:00 BST. The subtitle is in small, red sans serif text, and says "News". But the main headline uses a medium weight, bold serif font, and it says: "I saw a rat and a man urinating - this bus shelter needs sorting now." White background.
May 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
NORDIC OTTER APPEASEMENT.
Anime chick with light brown hair and an alice band, dressed either for school or the office. She's looking intense, with bared, gritted teeth, her big eyes somehow making the ferocity even more intense. She's holding up a sign which has been Photoshopped over with the following: "Advertise your Bluesky account in 3 words." In the background there is a faintly puce-white wall with wooden fittings and vertical panels occupying the lower half.
May 16, 2025 at 9:55 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
OO-ERR MISSUS! But seriously, this is bad news, both for the UK's farmers (who were stupid enough to support Brexit), and the stomach linings of its consumers.

"US agriculture secretary says she hopes trade deal can be expanded to cover 'all meats'..."

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
A screen capture from a Guardian live thread, 08/05/2025. It is a post by Helena Horton, one of the newspaper's environment reporters. It was published at 17.59 BST, or 12:59 EDT. It features a modern serif font at varying sizes and formats, including bold and italics. The contest says: "The US-UK trade deal includes £5bn worth of agricultural exports. The farming sector in the UK has been very concerned about farmers being undercut with cheap products from the US, which has lower environmental standards for its food than the UK. They say the large beef feedlots in the US outcompete the smaller farms in the UK. "US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters: "'This [trade deal] is going to exponentially increase our beef exports. American beef is the crown jewel of American agriculture for the world. UK ministers have been clear that chlorinated chicken and hormone treated beef will not be included in any deal, but Rollins said she hopes to expand today’s agreement to include “all meats” and that she will be visiting the UK next week to make this point, adding: “There is no industry that has been treated more unfairly than our agriculture industry...'” Note the usual bleating about being a victim, as an added insult.
May 8, 2025 at 5:11 PM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
I shared Moorcock's "Starship Troopers" essay yesterday, and this paragraph is particularly apposite:
An excerpt from Michael Moorcock's 1977 essay on fascism in fantasy, horror and sci-fi, "Starship Stormtroopers". Black serif text on a white background. The excerpt says: "...having clobbered the rival king. This sort of implicit paternalism is seen in high relief in the currently popular Star Wars series which also presents a somewhat disturbing anti-rationalism in its quasi-religious 'Force' which unites the Jedi Knights (are we back to Wellsian 'samurai' again?) and upon whose power they can draw, like some holy brotherhood, some band of Knights Templar. Star Wars is a pure example of the genre (in that it is a compendium of other people's ideas) in its implicit structure -- quasi-children, fighting for a paternalistic authority, win through in the end and stand bashfully before the princess while medals are placed around their necks. "Star Wars carries the paternalistic messages of almost all generic adventure fiction (may the Force never arrive on your doorstep at three o'clock in the morning) and has all the right characters. it raises 'instinct' above reason (a fundamental to Nazi doctrine) and promotes a kind of sentimental romanticism attractive to the young and idealistic while protective of existing institutions. It is the essence of a genre that it continues to promote certain implicit ideas even if the author is unconscious of them. In this case the audience also seems frequently unconscious of them." And Moorcock makes a valid point here, I think. In a sense, Andor is as much a critique of this too.
May 5, 2025 at 8:22 AM
alexanderhay.myatproto.social
Thing is, we've always had vicious, racist, psychotic little scrotes, and blaming it all on smartphones, or throwing in yet another free ad for 'Adolesence' ('Only! On! Netflix!') is not only wrong-headed, but also lets us distort the past.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
An excerpt from the news story, featuring modern sans serif, black text on a white background. In summary, some idiot of a policeman jumps on the bandwagon following a dreadful crime. It goes: "Det Ch Insp Sinski said the boy used two Snapchat names - one which boasted of his punching power and another that referred to using a disguise. "'It was the prosecution case he revelled in his reputation as a hard man and his propensity to violence,' he said. "'So yes, social media did feature in this.' "His concerns echo an ongoing national debate about school-age children's relationships with social media, prompted by hard-hitting Netflix drama Adolescence..."
April 8, 2025 at 7:44 PM