Matt Dovey

@mattdovey.com

1653 Followers 709 Following

Fantasy/SF writer. Surname rhymes with 'Dopey'. He/him. #ActuallyAutistic & #ADHD • Host for @podcastle.org • Codex member • mattdovey.com

A sheet of paper stuck up by a hotel stairwell. It reads: "Please use Room 101 as a toilet, upstairs first room on the left. Thank you"
A photo of a Henry hoover, with little eyes and a smile around the nozzle, as if that's his nose. (Henrietta variants also available.)
From BBC News's article on Julian McMahon's death, the following three paragraphs: > McMahon also played Doctor Doom in two Fantastic Four films in 2005 and 2007 and later appeared in three seasons of FBI: Most Wanted. > > Dick Wolf, the producer of FBI: Most Wanted, said McMahon's death was "shocking news". > > McMahon was the son of a former Australian prime minister and went on to play an Australian prime minister's role in Netflix's The Residence - one of his recent appearances. "Dick Wolf" is highlighted in the screenshot
I have become acutely, painfully aware of the ableism in the world, the cost it extracts from its victims, and most of all, what an afterthought disability is to a world that just... chooses to ignore it as much as it can: as an inconvenience, an expense that can (regrettably but inevitably) be crossed out, as something not important enough to important enough people to actually bother dealing with. And apart from the day-to-day problems that causes, the logistical problems and access issues etc., what that does is soak in. Internalised ableism is so insidious and pernicious: it isolates you; it leads you down paths of self-recrimination; it undermines and undercuts and steals all your optimism and confidence and hope. And the antidote to that is stories. Either fiction, as we're sharing this month, or anecdotes and feelings and opinions shared between each other that help us see we're not alone, we're not to blame, and there are better ways. It is easy to say that "seeing yourself in a story is a powerful thing", and it is easy to hear it and understand the concept and smile and nod and agree. But my goodness, sometimes it is a freight-train to the heart to experience it. More than once this month I've finished reading a story and been genuinely short-of-breath for the emotional impact it's had on me, for the moments of recognition I've had throughout and the realisation, or celebration, or catharsis at the end. I hope I'm not alone in that. I hope it's done the same service for some of you out there, this month.
A 16-bit style pixel art sprite of a witch on a broom, pointed hat and all, against a red floor, above some statistics at the bottom and, between them, the text: Giovanna resented being assigned Mage at birth, and proudly took up the way of the broom and pointed hat. Her sisters, who claim they want to "protect witches' spaces," have sworn to oppose her and all who fight by her side. Maybe one day they'll accept that anybody can be a Sassy Witch if they truly want to be.
7. All emotions are useful for writing except for bitterness. Good writing requires the consideration of other minds—after all, words only mean something when another mind decodes them. But bitterness can consider only itself. It demands sympathy but refuses to return it, sucks up oxygen and produces only carbon dioxide. It’s like sadness, but stuck eternally at a table for one. Other emotions—anger, fear, contentment—are deep enough to snorkel in, and if you keep swimming around in them, you’ll find all sorts of bizarre creatures that dwell in the depths and demand description. Bitterness, on the other hand, is three inches of brackish water. Nothing lives in it. You can stand in it and see the bottom.
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"We've been speaking to the health service for an inordinately long time - we will now be asking them when they will be updating their advice," Baroness Falkner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Currently the NHS guidance says trans people should be accommodated according to the way they dress, their names and their pronouns. Under the ruling this would be scrapped.
Screenshot of a BBC News headline above a photo of British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer: "Starmer says benefit system unfair and indefensible"
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Stroppa later deleted his post, Italian media said. He later posted that "that gesture, which some mistook for a Nazi salute, is simply Elon, who has autism, expressing his feelings by saying, 'I want to give my heart to you'," he said.
A spam email from Daily Data Dose, with the subject "Elon Musk could help pay for your retirement"
A TV stand in the shape of a yellow plastic robot with a TV for a head, and a chain and padlock around its ankle, as seen in a children's hospital ward
A thank you email for a donation to ALLMEP, the Alliance for Middle East Peace. The text reads: Dear Matt, On behalf of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, thank you for your contribution of $30.96 on 11/10/2024. In such difficult days it's remarkable to get such support. We're working tirelessly to assist our member organizations, and to provide the advice, critical services, protection, and amplification that they need. The Alliance for Middle East Peace has long been committed to scaling the work and impact of civil society peacebuilders, including by unlocking close to $400 million in funding from governments to go directly to the field, while our staff on the ground provides services to our member organizations to increase their capacity, connections to one another, and collective impact. Your support at this vital moment has allowed us to deliver for those members when such needs are greater than we've ever seen, and when our efforts may count more than at any time in ALLMEP's history. The largescale violence has touched almost all of our members in a direct and personal way. Yet our community, based on Israeli-Palestinian partnership and cooperation will be one of the most important assets that can help guide their respective societies out of this nightmare, and toward somewhere much, much better.
A screenshot from an email saying thank you for a donation of £26.30; the photo above is of a doctor helping a small child in a hospital bed. The text below reads, in full: Thank you for your donation Dear Matt, Thank you so much for your wonderful gift of £26.30 to Medical Aid for Palestinians. Your compassion and generosity are greatly appreciated. Thanks to you, our teams can continue delivering medical care and humanitarian aid to people struggling to survive.
An online receipt for a $30 payment to the PCRF, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund
A panel from NAYRA AND THE DJINN, as taken from Iasmin Omar Ata's website and copyright to them. The panel is a single large spread: rendered in pastel colours and a striking, flat style, there are mountains in the background, the sea in the foreground, flames in the centre and on the left, in the shape of flames, a shadow like dark smoke. All four have multiple eyes scattered throughout. The text reads, across four speech bubbles: DJINNS ARE BEINGS MADE OF SMOKELESS FLAMES THAT EXIST IN A DIFFERENT REALM THAN HUMANS. THERE ARE SAID TO BE MANY TYPES OF DJINNS. FROM FIRE AND SHADOW. TO WATER AND MOUNTAIN. DJINNS ARE USUALLY UNSEEN AND UNKNOWN BY PEOPLE, BUT SOMETIMES. THROUGH STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY'LL FIND THEMSELVES ENTANGLED IN HUMAN LIVES...
A frame from the graphic novel Mis(H)Adra, as found on Iasmin Omar Ata's website and copyright to them. A person with shoulder-length length wavy hair is outlined in red, against a black background, facing the reader; their right arm reaches through a yellow pane and becomes full colour, corporeal. To their left, in red text on black: SO STRANGE. There is a string of beads/pearls threading across the panel, with three ceremonial knives also on the string.
Jeff Goldblum, his shirt open, his gaze smouldering
A cartoon image of a young girl celebrating with her arms in the air, with the green Duolingo owl laid on the ground next to her, leaning on its elbow. Below, the text "Perfect lesson! You made 0 mistakes. Unlike in real life."
A screenshot of a donation receipt email, showing the Palestine Red Crescent Society logo at the top, and a donation of $30 from Matt Dovey on the 28th October 2024
A striking illustration of a small child in ragged clothes with a yellow umbrella held low in one hand, churning waves beneath their feet, and a burning olive tree behind them. The child is Handala, the Palestinian icon created in 1969 by the Palestinian political cartoonist, Naji al-Ali. Beneath, the text: "Artwork by Iasmin Omar Ata"
The Palestinian flag, with the PodCastle logo on the left, and some artwork on the right, showing a small child in ragged clothes with a yellow umbrella held low, churning waves beneath their feet, and a burning olive tree behind them. In the centre, the following text: Palestinian Voices A month of stories Karim Kattan Beesan Odeh Sonia Sulaiman Maya Abu-Alhayyat
A Cacodemon, from the original DOOM game
A shot of the aurora borealis, with a faint pink glow in the upper half, a green band across the lower third, and a silhouetted tree in the centre
A puffin tilts its head to one side to scratch with a foot
Screenshot of a news article, saying: "It's the perennial "cocktail party problem" - standing in a room full of people, drink in hand, trying to hear what your fellow guest is saying. In fact, human beings are remarkably adept at holding a conversation with one person while filtering out competing voices." The second sentence is highlighted.
A wide angle photo of a cavapoo puppy sat on my lap, looking at the camera, with my work laptop just visible in the background
A photo of two cavapoos, with text above "Just found these two dogs in the car park at [redacted] wildlife park. Came from [redacted] direction. Staff are looking after them, please contact [redacted] if they’re your dogs or if you know who the owners could be."
Thank you for submitting your claim. Our agents will take great care of it and keep you posted on its status in real time through this portal. Please note that dependent on the claim severity it may take longer to process. Be assured that we are doing our upmost to settle as quickly as possible. "doing our upmost" is highlighted, as it's a copy error for the phrase "doing our utmost"
A photo of a blonde white woman wearing a sky blue blouse and with red lipstick. She stands in front of a green-tiled kitchen in a 1950s style, with copper pans hanging from hooks, and shelves full of ingredients in glass mason jars. A small white square bears the text "M&S | Daily Mail Inspirational Women Awards"
The top two headlines on the BBC this morning. The top one reads "World breaches 1.5C warming threshold for full year". The second one reads "Labour ditches £28bn green investment pledge".
A screenshot from the Glasgow 2024 website stating "You're going to WorldCon!" and listing 2 Attending Adult Memberships (and accompanying 2024 WSFS Memberships) for Matt Dovey and Claire Dovey
We are unable to deliver your package You're a burden on your family (sorry)
A picture of Black Philip from The VVitch (2015). Black Philip is a black goat with curled horns, seen here in a wodden stable with hay on the floor and a white goat out of focus in the background.
A screenshot of "Bugalugs Soothing Ear Cleaner", with a picture of a cartoon dog on the bottle, and a speech bubble saying "tested by humans NOT on animals"
A plate of cooked Lincolnshire sausages
A photo of a sign on a whitewashed brick building. The sign, in blue text on white background, says " Publishing Works"
A Japanese macaque has his hands around a man's head, holding onto his hair, as the man is partially submerged up to the nose in a hot spring. The monkey's expression suggests regret, but otherwise no particular effort or strong emotion. The text around the image reads "Hitman monkey finds no joy in his job".
The title screen of the British TV show Threads (1984), which was about nuclear apocalypse
A screencap from Society (1989) showing the Shunting, where a group of people physically deform and meld with each other
An image of Thor from the 4th Avengers film, holding Molnjir and declaring "I'm still worthy!"