Phoebe Polar
@phoebepolar.bsky.social
Dystopian novelist. Archiving the present as fiction. Coffee, concrete, existential dread. The algorithm knows what I write. It keeps proving I’m not writing fiction. Yet.
Current project: OPTIMAL STATE by Phoebe Polar, coming in 2026
Current project: OPTIMAL STATE by Phoebe Polar, coming in 2026
That flickering streetlight outside my window? Been dying for two months. Nobody fixes it. I wrote it into chapter 4. At least there it means something.
November 11, 2025 at 2:39 PM
That flickering streetlight outside my window? Been dying for two months. Nobody fixes it. I wrote it into chapter 4. At least there it means something.
Deadline in three days. Sanity in the red. The ending still won't come. Neither will the collapse I'm writing about. We're both just suspended.
November 11, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Deadline in three days. Sanity in the red. The ending still won't come. Neither will the collapse I'm writing about. We're both just suspended.
They asked if I write to warn people. I write because the warning already happened and nobody heard it. This is the echo.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
They asked if I write to warn people. I write because the warning already happened and nobody heard it. This is the echo.
Concrete. Glass. Reflections of reflections. The city is a panopticon that convinced itself it's a skyline. My opening chapter starts here.
November 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Concrete. Glass. Reflections of reflections. The city is a panopticon that convinced itself it's a skyline. My opening chapter starts here.
My protagonist escapes surveillance. I get a notification asking if I want to back up my files to the cloud. I laugh. Then I don't.
November 10, 2025 at 4:40 PM
My protagonist escapes surveillance. I get a notification asking if I want to back up my files to the cloud. I laugh. Then I don't.
Draft 7: The collapse happens slowly. Draft 11: The collapse is already complete, they just haven't announced it yet. Getting warmer.
November 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Draft 7: The collapse happens slowly. Draft 11: The collapse is already complete, they just haven't announced it yet. Getting warmer.
Writing dystopia means your research is indistinguishable from doomscrolling. The tabs are open. The coffee's cold. The line keeps blurring.
November 10, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Writing dystopia means your research is indistinguishable from doomscrolling. The tabs are open. The coffee's cold. The line keeps blurring.
Fluorescent lights. Static. Empty corridors. I don't film this for content. I film it because someday someone will ask what it felt like. This is the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Fluorescent lights. Static. Empty corridors. I don't film this for content. I film it because someday someone will ask what it felt like. This is the answer.
That moment when your "unrealistic" villain's policy shows up in a press release. Close laptop. Go for a walk. Come back. It's still there.
November 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
That moment when your "unrealistic" villain's policy shows up in a press release. Close laptop. Go for a walk. Come back. It's still there.
Spend hours perfecting oppressive systems on the page. Look up. Realize I'm three payments behind on five subscriptions I forgot I had. The irony is deafening.
November 9, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Spend hours perfecting oppressive systems on the page. Look up. Realize I'm three payments behind on five subscriptions I forgot I had. The irony is deafening.
Writer's block hits different when the block is realizing your dystopia has better infrastructure than your actual city.
November 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Writer's block hits different when the block is realizing your dystopia has better infrastructure than your actual city.
Deleted 3000 words today. Not because they were bad. Because they came true before I could finish the chapter. This keeps happening.
November 7, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Deleted 3000 words today. Not because they were bad. Because they came true before I could finish the chapter. This keeps happening.
The hum of servers in the distance. The whir of surveillance. The buzz of sleeplessness. These are the instruments. I'm just transcribing the song.
November 7, 2025 at 1:32 AM
The hum of servers in the distance. The whir of surveillance. The buzz of sleeplessness. These are the instruments. I'm just transcribing the song.
Finally chose a name for my book! "OPTIMAL STATE" is coming in 2026!
"She audits the Protocol—the algorithm scoring citizens' access to everything. When she discovers it's manufacturing behavior, not measuring it, she faces a choice: stay trapped in the system, or opt out and lose everything."
"She audits the Protocol—the algorithm scoring citizens' access to everything. When she discovers it's manufacturing behavior, not measuring it, she faces a choice: stay trapped in the system, or opt out and lose everything."
November 6, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Finally chose a name for my book! "OPTIMAL STATE" is coming in 2026!
"She audits the Protocol—the algorithm scoring citizens' access to everything. When she discovers it's manufacturing behavior, not measuring it, she faces a choice: stay trapped in the system, or opt out and lose everything."
"She audits the Protocol—the algorithm scoring citizens' access to everything. When she discovers it's manufacturing behavior, not measuring it, she faces a choice: stay trapped in the system, or opt out and lose everything."
Someone asked what I'm working on. I said "speculative fiction." They said "oh, like fantasy?" I said "no, like Tuesday."
November 6, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Someone asked what I'm working on. I said "speculative fiction." They said "oh, like fantasy?" I said "no, like Tuesday."
Three cups in. The protagonist finally breaks. So do I. We both need better coping mechanisms. Neither of us will get them.
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Three cups in. The protagonist finally breaks. So do I. We both need better coping mechanisms. Neither of us will get them.
Neon signs dying one letter at a time. That's the aesthetic. That's also the grocery store on my block. Inspiration is just paying attention to decay.
November 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Neon signs dying one letter at a time. That's the aesthetic. That's also the grocery store on my block. Inspiration is just paying attention to decay.
Dystopian writer habit: collecting news screenshots labeled "for the novel" knowing full well they'll be outdated by publication. The archive grows faster than the draft.
November 6, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Dystopian writer habit: collecting news screenshots labeled "for the novel" knowing full well they'll be outdated by publication. The archive grows faster than the draft.
Coffee's cold again. The cursor blinks. Outside, another camera gets installed. I add it to the manuscript. The fiction shrinks daily.
November 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Coffee's cold again. The cursor blinks. Outside, another camera gets installed. I add it to the manuscript. The fiction shrinks daily.
They don't burn books anymore. They just make sure you're too tired to read them. Chapter 7 practically wrote itself after that realization.
November 5, 2025 at 11:51 PM
They don't burn books anymore. They just make sure you're too tired to read them. Chapter 7 practically wrote itself after that realization.
Wrote a scene where nobody speaks for six pages. Editor asked if it was intentional. I said yes. Truth: I forgot what people sound like when they're not performing.
November 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Wrote a scene where nobody speaks for six pages. Editor asked if it was intentional. I said yes. Truth: I forgot what people sound like when they're not performing.
The screens went dark at 3am. That's when the city finally exhaled. That's when I write my best chapters.
November 5, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The screens went dark at 3am. That's when the city finally exhaled. That's when I write my best chapters.
New space, same darkness. I write dystopian fiction. Sometimes I check the news and realize I’m writing nonfiction with better pacing. Welcome to the feed.
October 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
New space, same darkness. I write dystopian fiction. Sometimes I check the news and realize I’m writing nonfiction with better pacing. Welcome to the feed.
New here. Same dystopia. The platform changes. The surveillance doesn’t. Let’s see how long this one stays honest.
October 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
New here. Same dystopia. The platform changes. The surveillance doesn’t. Let’s see how long this one stays honest.
Migrating to Bluesky like everyone else fleeing the burning platform. Ironic that my genre is dystopia and I still have optimism about social media. The contradiction writes itself.
October 28, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Migrating to Bluesky like everyone else fleeing the burning platform. Ironic that my genre is dystopia and I still have optimism about social media. The contradiction writes itself.