L.C. Fathom (author)

@lcfathom.bsky.social

616 Followers 290 Following

I'm a scientist, author, lizard person cryptid (she/they) writing books to jam the gears of fascism and entertain its survivors. Book here: https://books2read.com/u/m20jRG Blog and merch here: www.lcfathom.com

An excerpt from a short story titled "The Something" by L.C. Fathom. It reads as follows: There’s something about a human that doesn’t love a silence Something that flinches encountering the dark spaces A young human reaching for a teddy bear A grown human reaching for a lover An old human reaching for a faith A lonely human calling into the cosmos for a response saying “You are not alone”
An excerpt from the novel "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom on an orange background with an image of a man sitting in a prison cell. It reads as follows: I got her point and she was right. I didn’t start this and neither did she. You can’t lose what you never had. No one left alive started it, but we were all perpetuating it by resisting change. I relaxed my shoulders, not realizing I’d been feeling so tense. I frowned in thought. “It’s hard to change. I feel like this isn’t even America anymore! Like I don’t know who I am without what I’ve been told! I knew who I was and what I was supposed to be, what my thoughts and values were, but now… I feel like I don’t know myself at all.”
An image of a story titled "Sentient Dysphoria". The clip reads as follows: "This is not your body, not your home, not your face, and certainly not your life. You don’t know who’s it is or when it became yours. But, here you are now, and you can’t find a way to leave. You’re at a party when you realize you don’t know anyone or even remember what’s being celebrated. You do your best to play along, stay calm. Someone keeps asking you about kids you don’t have and forcing you to come up with convincing lies as answers. It’s exhausting. You have a spouse that you don’t recognize, but everyone greets them with years-long familiarity and acts like it’s perfectly normal when this stranger wraps their arms around you. You start to feel sickened by this. Your spouse knows you well, sees this change, and you both call it a night early."
A classic meme from the r/bald subreddit of two bald men comforting a third who's back is to the camera.
A screenshot from a Word document titled "The Devil's Deal", a short story. The text is as follows: The Devil’s Deal “This is ridiculous! You’re asking humans to make an unwitting choice between eternal life and death without any empirical proof to guide their understanding? Leaving an entire species of corrupt beings, that YOU made, alone to discover the wonders of the universe through faith? Do you even hear yourself?!” God confirmed this, revealing no discomfort at this accusation. “They do not need a guide. The path to life is already written in their very bones and souls. Inescapable and true. A beacon that cannot be unseen.”
Two young men in track suits are doing the Slav squat on a front step while sipping beers.
A meme of Shazam flying and saying to a younger hero "Look what they need just to mimic a fraction of our power!"
The cat Billi from "Billi speaks" standing in front of her word button mat on the floor and pressing "mad" while staring at the camera.
A screenshot from a Word document that reads "What is this space? The human mind is missing, looking for, someone who was supposed to take care of them. At its narrowest point, the space looks like a long-lost friend or parent that broke their heart eons ago. At its widest it almost looks like a god, something or someone very powerful. Humans do talk a lot about gods here or a spiritual identity there that guides them through life, but that doesn’t fit into the whole space."
Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror 11 - 13 April Banner designed by Arden Powell
A close-up image of the words "Quicksaving..." from a Bethesda game.
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
A pictured captioned "This is what newborn foals' hooves look like." The hooves look like they've sprouted clusters of pale, finger-like tentacles.
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
A comic with two panels titled "types of artists". The first panel shows Miyazaki (from Studio Ghibli) painting colorful art while looking literally grey and expressionless. The second panel shows Junji Ito (a comic artist) painting a horrifying black-and-white scene of contorted human faces while smiling sweetly.
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions. The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
A two-panel comic showing "Sci-fi art now versus then" with two artists, each at their desks. The modern artist is struggling with realism in their designs. The mid-century artist is smiling as they make much simpler designs saying "Dude I'm an artist not an engineer. It's just magic." Image credit Joey Jazz.
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
A short passage from a work in progress, as follows: There’s something about a human that doesn’t love a silence Something that flinches encountering the dark spaces A young human reaching for a teddy bear A grown human reaching for a lover An old human reaching for a faith A lonely human calling into the cosmos for a response “You are not alone”
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
A Harry Potter comic by floccinaucinihipilificationa at Tumblr, shown in two panels. Harry and Dumbledore discussing the mirror of Erised, in which Dumbledore sees himself in some sexy fishnet stockings.
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
A screenshot of the https://indiebook.sale/ homepage.
A screenshot of chapter one from Utopia Paradox by L.C. Fathom, which reads as follows: “Why do you think you’re in rehab, John?” I shrugged, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy her without blowing my cover. “Because the state thinks I need it.” She frowned. “You signed pre-trial release papers declaring your willingness and preference to undergo rehabilitation. Why did you choose to be in rehabilitation?” I couldn’t answer that, not without giving away that I was just here to cut time off my sentence. She waited another minute for an answer, but I kept my mouth shut. She finally sat up, sighed, and handed me some of the papers from the table.
A comic by Sarah Andersen with four panels depicting two eldritch horrors discussing how humans are no longer afraid of them and now have a fan club for them.
An rooftop-view photo of your typical busy American intersection with gas stations, fast food, and more all cramped together. Below that is a tumbler post thread about how all of America looks like this once you get off the freeway.
Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror August 23 - 25 Banner designed by Arden Powell
A picture made up of four panels, each one showing trees in one of the four seasons. Spring is labeled "hurry up and wait season", summer is "sweating. weeding. sweating. weeding. oh god why. weeding. sweating. weeding.", fall is "harvest season. it was all worth it.", and winter is "planning season".
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
A close-up of Sokka from Avatar looking pissed-off with his eye twitching.
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
A four-star book review from GoodReads, as follows: "I received a copy from voraciousreaders only. An enlightening and thought provoking book, with a lot of views of inbred prejudice within society. At times can feel a bit preachy, but true history and the chance of retribution and understanding. Well written in a way, you shouldn’t like the main character, but then you see how the new knowledge can change a person even if they don’t believe it."
Book cover for "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think" by Jennifer Ackerman at https://www.jenniferackermanauthor.com/the-bird-way
A bingo card titled "hey my book predicted America's future, hopefully!". The bingo squares are labeled as follows: National human rights protests, LGBTQ+ rights protected, Indigenous land reparations, Complete prison reform, Honest American history education, An overdue constitutional convention, Financial reparations for African Americans, Free college, and Zero tolerance laws for SA.
An American flag themed/colored bingo card with the following squares: Masked American terrorists, Measles outbreak, Political assassinations, Kidnapping for slave labor, Forced labor camps, Military AI, Blaming immigrants for XYZ, Secret civilian surveillance, and Christian nationalist gaslighting.
The cover of "Utopia Paradox" by L.C. Fathom. The bottom says equality does not equal equity. A dark rainbow is the backdrop for the cover logo which shows a figure mirrored on two sides of a circle that are red and blue, inverted in colors. One figure is a black silhouette backlit by red with red chains around his wrists. The other figure is a white silhouette on a blue background with a red over his eyes and around his head like a blindfold. They are looking back at each other, as if contemplating each other or regretting their positions.
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: “Well written, thought-provoking, and while a work of fiction is perhaps a deep reflection of society today.” - Myra McCulloch “I first got to read this as an ARC reader and I thought the whole book was fantastic. I thought the premise of the book where an objectively better America is someone's dystopia was a very original concept. Seeing the character work through this world and have his own opinions, values and beliefs challenged every step of the way was a very eye opening experience.” - MrBBQSmith “Great view inside of the conservative mind and how learning the process of critical thinking can help in unexpected ways. Once I got into the middle of the book I was not able to put it down, to the point when I was reading on the bus and missed my stop. I did not see the ending coming but it hit me in the feels.” – Rachel B. “An amazing look into an angry conservative man's soul -- and how therapy helps him become kind and caring, and changes his world view.” - David R. Yale
The cat in the hat with a baseball hat meme. A child sits on the ground happily while the cat in the hat sneaks up behind him with a bat. The child is labeled "main character" and "I hate you and me and everyone". The cat in the hat is labeled "therapist" and "blame won't help you feel better".
The classic "get in loser" meme of three Mean Girls in a convertible. It reads "get in loser, we're going posting"
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: “Well written, thought-provoking, and while a work of fiction is perhaps a deep reflection of society today.” - Myra McCulloch “I first got to read this as an ARC reader and I thought the whole book was fantastic. I thought the premise of the book where an objectively better America is someone's dystopia was a very original concept. Seeing the character work through this world and have his own opinions, values and beliefs challenged every step of the way was a very eye opening experience.” - MrBBQSmith “Great view inside of the conservative mind and how learning the process of critical thinking can help in unexpected ways. Once I got into the middle of the book I was not able to put it down, to the point when I was reading on the bus and missed my stop. I did not see the ending coming but it hit me in the feels.” – Rachel B. “An amazing look into an angry conservative man's soul -- and how therapy helps him become kind and caring, and changes his world view.” - David R. Yale
A quote from the book Utopia Paradox on a rainbow/grey background, as follows: It sounded—good. Was that wrong? Was I crazy? I shrugged to myself, feeling surprised at my own thoughts. “I never realized how much the law could favor some people over others. It’s crazy how something so small can change so much. I feel better knowing it’s not what I thought it was. I thought that these laws and rights were being changed to… I don’t know. I just thought we didn’t need them. I thought it was all pointless propaganda…” I trailed off and Ellen waited for me to finish before she spoke. “Because they didn’t seem to affect you? It’s easy to be blind to things when we don’t see them as important. Like how we don’t notice if a building doesn’t have entry ramps, not until we’re the ones in a wheelchair who can’t get inside.”
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: “Well written, thought-provoking, and while a work of fiction is perhaps a deep reflection of society today.” - Myra McCulloch “I first got to read this as an ARC reader and I thought the whole book was fantastic. I thought the premise of the book where an objectively better America is someone's dystopia was a very original concept. Seeing the character work through this world and have his own opinions, values and beliefs challenged every step of the way was a very eye opening experience.” - MrBBQSmith “Great view inside of the conservative mind and how learning the process of critical thinking can help in unexpected ways. Once I got into the middle of the book I was not able to put it down, to the point when I was reading on the bus and missed my stop. I did not see the ending coming but it hit me in the feels.” – Rachel B. “An amazing look into an angry conservative man's soul -- and how therapy helps him become kind and caring, and changes his world view.” - David R. Yale
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: “Well written, thought-provoking, and while a work of fiction is perhaps a deep reflection of society today.” - Myra McCulloch “I first got to read this as an ARC reader and I thought the whole book was fantastic. I thought the premise of the book where an objectively better America is someone's dystopia was a very original concept. Seeing the character work through this world and have his own opinions, values and beliefs challenged every step of the way was a very eye opening experience.” - MrBBQSmith “Great view inside of the conservative mind and how learning the process of critical thinking can help in unexpected ways. Once I got into the middle of the book I was not able to put it down, to the point when I was reading on the bus and missed my stop. I did not see the ending coming but it hit me in the feels.” – Rachel B. “An amazing look into an angry conservative man's soul -- and how therapy helps him become kind and caring, and changes his world view.” - David R. Yale
A picture of a red and blue paperclip chain resting on concrete. A single blue link is cut/broken with text above it reading "American nostalgia is a powerful force that can shape generations... or warp them." Below is a block of text on a grey background, which reads as follows: "A young man raised on nostalgia is convicted of a hate crime; now he must complete an educational therapy program and learn the unbiased truth of American history. With his eyes opened, he’s determined to change. But escaping America’s ghosts that are very much alive, in secret, won’t be easy…" Photo credit goes to Jackson Simmer!
A made-up book review for 1/5 stars written by "Becky Apples" as follows: "My friends keep raving about Tiramisu from FiveStar Restaurant so i tried it. I didn’t like it at all and it was so expensive!!! Not worth it at all just for a dumb layered cake. I could’ve made a better mug brownie at home for two dollars. The “famous” layers didn’t add anything to it. I’d give zero stars if i could."
A made-up book review for 2/5 stars written by "Some Rando" as follows: "I started eating Pepperoni Pizza and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I should have know, I always hate pepperoni-flavored things. Shame."
The audiobook cover for "Spirals in Time" by Helen Scales.
A comic/meme of a dog holding a ball with two panels. First panel shows the dog being angry saying "no productivity" as a hand reaches for the ball. The second panel shows the same dog saying "only guilt".
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: If America’s biased political system collapsed under the force of an equal rights revolution, who would be left in charge? We, the people. It’s been decades since then. It’s now 2024 and John, a young man, sees “Old America” as a bygone paradise of freedom. He’s been raised on stories of it told through rose-tinted glasses, being taught to resent, even hate, this new egalitarian America for its liberal ideology. This view changes abruptly when his hate crime conviction lands him in jail, where he must complete an educational therapy program for “societal rehabilitation”. Now that he knows the historical truth, he’s determined to change. But escaping America’s past that’s very much alive, in secret, won’t be easy…
A classic meme of the "disappointed guy". A man in a stadium stand, hands on his hips, looking annoyed/disappointed.
An image of the cover for the book Utopia Paradox on a blue background with an orange text bubble next to it which reads as follows: “It seemed like an ordinary journal. I had no idea what good writing down random stuff in it would do, but here I am, writing in it right now—filling up the pages and realizing so many horrible things about myself. Is therapy supposed to make you feel like shit?” He was arrested and imprisoned for a hate crime he claims was an accident. Now, undergoing therapy for social rehabilitation, John has a choice to make. Will he confront his biases, face the truth about their roots in America's graphic and cruel history, or will he continue pursuing the romanticized America from a past that never was? And, after confronting the past, can John escape from its shadow as it's pulling him in?