James Ryan

@jamesryan.bsky.social

1526 Followers 2796 Following

Writer, critic, occasional toruble-maker; interested in-writes SF/F/H, history in general, entertainment/mass media issues and history

(Illo of skeleton in sombrero on a flamingo pool float) SUMMER CHILLS #1 Sunday, 7/26 from 6-9PM HWA NY HORROR READING Charles Barouch James Chambers John Collins Debra Every Amy Grech Gordon Linzer LindaAnn Loschiavo Cool off with some great chills SHADE BAR, 241 Sullivan Street West Village/NYC
Picture of the Liberty Bell in black and white Red, white, and blue text superimposed over the image: America: Love it? DON’T LEAVE IT! We can reclaim it if we keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open. CALL OUT THE HATE! CALL OUT THE LIES! NEVER GIVE IN TO BULLIES! Let’s make them think well of us on our Tricentennial!
Black test on white background: "From out of nowhere, he produced a sickle in his right hand, its curved blade close to a foot and a half long, his grip on its hilt steady. Rhea tried to move, just to bend backwards, but by the time she started he was on her. The point of the sickle entered her left side, going deep. She screamed as he pulled out the blade swung higher. She bent backwards to avoid her head coming off, but felt the tip scrape across her forehead."
Grab of Zendaya at a radio interview, wearing glasses
Trying to explain to someone who’s really into home improvement shows what rewriting your manuscript is like: A few words here and there Just needs a coat of paint and a few decorative touches A couple of sentences rearranged and redone We’re putting a door in this wall and moving the closet over A few scenes need to be added or replaced We’re taking out this wall to make this an open concept floor plan A chapter needs to be entirely rearranged We have to be careful as we don’t want to mess with a load bearing wall Huge sections of the book need to be started over from scratch Carthago delenda est
Two pics from DOCTOR WHO, episodes "Father's Day" "The Waters of Mars" CAP: We're always told that you can't cross your own timeline without thigs going wrong... Pic: Screencap from the video for "Now and Then" with Paul and Ringo interacting with their youngers selves CAP: And yet...
Cap of Rapid Response 47 from 5/11/26, which showed President Trump asleep at an event caught by Reuters and shared by Idrees Ali, saying "He was blinking, you absolute moron" Large type under image: Coming soon: BEADTIME FOR DONZO
Grab of email from GALACTIC TERRORS, the HSA New York Chapter YouTube channel, recommending James Ryan's reading in their library (link to which is in the response to this note)
Still of Leonard Nimoy playing William Bell on the TV series FRINGE
My hand holding up a keycard for Gabriel House in Cork, Ireland
Protest sign: Caption: BATGTLE WEAPONS READY... Symbols: Erars, iPhone, brain, eyes, nose smelling bull crapping, "I Voted" sticker
Altered image depicting President Trump receiving the Grammy from Milli Vanilli (who, for those who might not remember that far back, to 1990, after they received their Grammy for Best New Artists had their award revoked when it was discovered they were discovered to have been lip syncing over other talents' vocals)
Screen grab of headline from nytimes.com: OPINION Thomas L. Friedman To Trump on Venezuela: You Break It, You Own It Jan 3, 2026 Caption under screen grab: Considering what happened to everything else Trump has owned, I feel ^really^ sorry for Venezuela...
TOP: Picture of people doing Santa-Con You better watch out You may want to hide Stay off of the streets For today and tonight Santa-Con is coming around They’re in their red suits Around near and far All of them going Down to the nearest bar Santa-Con is coming around They start around mid morning And party through the night Until they get oh so blotto They become an awful sight… So, you better watch out You may want to hide Stay off of the streets For today and tonight Santa-Con is coming around...
Top row, left to right: Film posters for THIS IS SPINAL TAP, THE SURE THING, STABD BY ME, and THE PRINCESS BRIDE Second row, left to right: Film posters for WHEN HARRY MET SALLY..., MISERY. A FEW GOOD MEN, and THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT Main Caption: I'll have what he's directing.. Lower Caption: Rob Reiner 1947 - 2025
Top of image is crowd getting ready for Santa-Con, over the following set of lyrics to tune of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town": You better watch out You may want to hide Stay off of the streets For today and tonight Santa-Con is coming around They’re in their red suits Around near and far All of them going Down to the nearest bar Santa-Con is coming around They start around mid-morning And party through the night Until they get oh so blotto They become an awful sight… So, you better watch out You may want to hide Stay off of the streets For today and tonight Santa-Con is coming around…
Cover of HOWLING MAD by Peter David (1989, Ace Books) Image of a wolf under a full moon looking aghast as he develops human hands (which pretty much gives where this story is going...)
Top line text: The worst part about elevating his birthday: Image: Waving US flag Bottom line text: We lose Flag Day to him...
Top: "Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of MAGA...?" Image: The Shadow, mystery man character and pulp legend from the 1930s Bottom: "The SHADOW DOCKET knows..."
Black text on white background: 1984 Frankie Goes to Hollywood asks: “Are we living in a land where sex and horror are the new gods?" 2025 Everyone hearing the song answers: “Yeah, pretty much…”
Ad card for Fitz of Writing with interview subject's portrait (mine) on left. Text: New Episode 11/19/2025 Red Jenny and the Pirates... Statues to Silence Raging Gail Horror and Speculative Fiction Depth of Experience History Within the Publishing Industry Feathring: James Ryan #JUSTICE4GORGONS
URL: politico.com/news/2025/11/13/rubios-diplomats-to-consider-obesity-as-cause-for-rejecting-visas-00650810 Headline from POLITICO: "Rubio instructs US diplomats to consider obesity as a cause for rejecting visas" Subheadline: "White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the guidance is an extension of the administration’s efforts to focus federal spending on US citizens." Byline: "By GREGORY SVIRNOVSKIY and NAHAL TOOSI 11/13/2025 02:37 PM EST" Caption: Fat Shaming is now official US policy! FFS... Signature: https://jamesyanfiction substack com
Screen cap in browser of story at nytimes.com (URL at top of pic) of story "Have Halloween Decorations Become Too Scary?" Headline is on the left hand side of the screen, white letters on black background; right hand side of pic shows a clown with sharp teeth and empty eye sockets. (On the page itself, there's a carousel of footage clips that plays in that space.)
Picture of the Mole Man, a Marvel Comics villain best known for being the first foe faced by the Fantastic Four. Artist uncredited.
Cover for TOIL AND TROUBLE by DCL Publications, showing an attractive witch looking in her crystal ball at a handsome man. Cover notes that contents contain stories by Jennifer Patricia O'Keefe, Lynn Hubbard, James Ryan, Cindy Lewis Smith, Juan Christian, and Jae El Foster (who is also credited on the cover as the editor).
Cartoon by Ann Telnaes, dated October 1, 2025: Upside down American flag with Trump lifting up and peering out from the red and white stripes of the flag that cross the entire banner (as opposed to sharing space with the blue field) like a peeping Tom or a burglar chasing the joint before the break in. Caption by Telnaes: "THE ACTUAL ENEMY FROM WITHIN"
Left: Tim Curry as Wadsworth in CLUE Right: Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Screencap of X.com post from Karoline Leavitt Leavitt's message: "Democrats must stop demonizing the hertoic men and women of ICE who are just doing their jobs to keep America safe." Image in post: Shield of DHS dwarfed by message "I STAND WITH ICE" Caption beneath screencap: "After all, they were only following orders..."
Picture of Jimmy Kimmel at the wheel of his car. Upper caption: GET IN LOSERS Lower Caption: WE'RE WATCHING JIMMY KIMMEL TONIGHT! (11:30 PM / 10:30 Central) Pic is based on the "Get In Losers" meme, using a line from MEAN GIRLS from which to build a one-line joke...
Extracted molar, in two pieces, mere moments after being removed by the dentist from the mouth
Caption: Sure, this meme's neat... Image to left: Meme from Tim Hanan with caption: "Donald Trump set to address nation at 2pm today to show everyone he is alive and well" over altered picture of Stephen Miller wearing an ugly Trump wig Caption: But let's REALLY pump it up... Image to right: head with wig from meme shown above, placed upon the body of Louis XVI, the last Bourbon king of France before the French Revolution took place
Cover of GURPS BASIC SET (Third Edition Revised) published by Steve Jackson Games
How it started: <Headline from DEADLINE 2/29/16> "Les Moonves: Donald Trump And Election Attacks Good For CBS, But Not America" How it's going: <Headline from HUFFPOST 7/2/25> "Paramount Agrees To Pay Trump $16 Million In Outrageous Settlement" Was it really worth it, Les...?
Screencap off of justsecurty.org's newsfeed (taken 7/25/25) with opening of story: "The Federal Communications Commission yesterday announced it will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood syudio Skydance after receiving assurances that the new company would be committed to unbiased journalism and would not establish programs related to diversity, equality, and inclusion." Added underneath it in blue type: "That's going to make the next set of STAR TREK spim-offs kinda interesting..."
Storefront for a closed down Forever 21, displaying an announcement that Spirit Halloween will be opening soon
Announcement of additional content moving over to https://jamesryanfiction.substack.com/; this covers the movement of the page listing and linking to opter appearances and presentations, superimposed over a copy of the cover of STATUES TO SILENCE which has written upon it: "LIVE - Shade Bar, NY - July 13, 2025"
Announcement of additional content moving over to https://jamesryanfiction.substack.com/; this covers the movement of the listing of other appearances over the cover of the anthology DRAGON MYTHICANA, where the story "Padre Jorge and the Dragon" appears
Announcement of additional content moving over to https://jamesryanfiction.substack.com/; this covers the movement of the page on RAGING GAIL (both the novel online and the audio reading of it on YouTube) superimposed over a copy of the flag of the ship the "Ragiung Gail"
Announcement of additional content moving over to https://jamesryanfiction.substack.com/; this covers the movement of the page of RED JENNY AND THE PIRATES OF BUFFALO superimposed over a cover of the novel
Announcement of additional content moving over to https://jamesryanfiction.substack.com/; this covers the movement of the page of STATUES TO SILENCE, superimposed over a cover of the novel
Advert card for event: CHILLS in the SHADE #1 Sunday, 7/13 from 6-9PM HWA NY HORROR READING Charles Barouch Rebecca Baum Teel James Glenn Amy Grech Chris Ryan Jim Ryan AND MORE! SHADE BAR, 2421 Sullivan St, West Village/NYC
Screen grab from FISTS OF FURY (1972, Golden Harvest, Lo Wei), with Bruce Lee surrounded by a pack of assailants
Top: Promo for film FAIL SAFE (1964, Columbia Pictures, Dir: Sidney Lumet) Caption on left-hand side: "Yeah, like THAT could ever happen..." Bottom: Top of page from article at TPM headline: Trump Saye He Gave Iran Permission to Bomb U.S. Base in Qatar and... Well, Mostly Crickets?" Caption on right-hand side: "Oy, Jeeze..." NOTE: If you're not familiar with the movie FAIL SAFE, this is a good time to catch up on it. Thanks to the current leadership crisis, a film that started to lose relevance when the US favored missiles over bombers during the Cold War has now found its moment again, which proves that yes, everything is cyclical. Everything...