V. S. Holmes is querying
@vsholmes.bsky.social
Dark spec fic, from snarky archaeologists in space to slow-burn gothic fantasy and everything in between | STARS' EDGE: NEL BENTLY BOOKS and BLOOD OF TITANS | Writer for SolForge Fusion
No AI ♿🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ he/they
https://linktr.ee/vs_holmes
No AI ♿🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ he/they
https://linktr.ee/vs_holmes
Pinned
Querying: THE PASSING OF EIR LAHREN, folkloric fantasy + gothic romance inspired by death, sex, and Frisian folklore:
vsholmes.com/eirlahren
Snarky sapphic sci-fi archaeologists:
tr.ee/qD1Wuh
Fantasy with bloodthirsty gods + broken heroes: tr.ee/SW75Ap
Free shorts: vsholmes.substack.com
vsholmes.com/eirlahren
Snarky sapphic sci-fi archaeologists:
tr.ee/qD1Wuh
Fantasy with bloodthirsty gods + broken heroes: tr.ee/SW75Ap
Free shorts: vsholmes.substack.com
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
May as well dive right in.
Did you know that dogs in ancient Mesopotamia also refused to drop the ball?
According to a Sumerian proverb, “The dog understands ‘Take it!’ It does not understand ‘Put it down!’”
Source: cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/34...
Did you know that dogs in ancient Mesopotamia also refused to drop the ball?
According to a Sumerian proverb, “The dog understands ‘Take it!’ It does not understand ‘Put it down!’”
Source: cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/34...
November 13, 2024 at 11:20 AM
May as well dive right in.
Did you know that dogs in ancient Mesopotamia also refused to drop the ball?
According to a Sumerian proverb, “The dog understands ‘Take it!’ It does not understand ‘Put it down!’”
Source: cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/34...
Did you know that dogs in ancient Mesopotamia also refused to drop the ball?
According to a Sumerian proverb, “The dog understands ‘Take it!’ It does not understand ‘Put it down!’”
Source: cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/34...
Dig into this snarky, sapphic sci-fi series today! Dr. Nel Bently discovers her archaeological site is the center of an intergalactic feud. Tossed into high-tech & higher stakes she only has her trowel, her bad attitude, and her (alien) girlfriend, Lin.
vsholmes.com/travelers
#writesky #booksky
vsholmes.com/travelers
#writesky #booksky
January 23, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Dig into this snarky, sapphic sci-fi series today! Dr. Nel Bently discovers her archaeological site is the center of an intergalactic feud. Tossed into high-tech & higher stakes she only has her trowel, her bad attitude, and her (alien) girlfriend, Lin.
vsholmes.com/travelers
#writesky #booksky
vsholmes.com/travelers
#writesky #booksky
Well, my angsty pirate prince x son of their island's marquess seem to be insisting on Lana Del Rey for half these scenes.
January 22, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Well, my angsty pirate prince x son of their island's marquess seem to be insisting on Lana Del Rey for half these scenes.
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
ICE agents pose as utility workers to get inside immigrants’ homes to detain them. The utility company has posted guidelines on how to recognize real utility employees. I have no words!
ICE posing as utility workers to detain immigrants, Gresham lawmaker warns • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, in December received reports of his constituents getting detained by people posing as utility workers.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:15 AM
ICE agents pose as utility workers to get inside immigrants’ homes to detain them. The utility company has posted guidelines on how to recognize real utility employees. I have no words!
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
IF YOU BUILD OVER A PILE OF CORPSES, SOONER OR LATER, YOU'LL BE GRABBED BY THE ANKLE
I feel vindication in a way that is hard to grasp. To FINALLY wake up to this. A few of you reached out to me, and I to a few of you, over the last year. So now it's the best time to talk about this.
Buckle up.
🧵
I feel vindication in a way that is hard to grasp. To FINALLY wake up to this. A few of you reached out to me, and I to a few of you, over the last year. So now it's the best time to talk about this.
Buckle up.
🧵
Five creators who worked on Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast have spent the past year fighting a legal battle against Possum Creek Games and Steve Jackson Games. Neither the tabletop RPG nor their working relationships survived the fallout.
Battle over Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast contracts leaves the book, relationships, torn apart
Creative collaborators clash with Jay Dragon and Steve Jackson Games over unfair treatment.
www.rascal.news
January 19, 2026 at 5:19 PM
IF YOU BUILD OVER A PILE OF CORPSES, SOONER OR LATER, YOU'LL BE GRABBED BY THE ANKLE
I feel vindication in a way that is hard to grasp. To FINALLY wake up to this. A few of you reached out to me, and I to a few of you, over the last year. So now it's the best time to talk about this.
Buckle up.
🧵
I feel vindication in a way that is hard to grasp. To FINALLY wake up to this. A few of you reached out to me, and I to a few of you, over the last year. So now it's the best time to talk about this.
Buckle up.
🧵
Years and years ago I was traveling by bus back to Fredericton, NB in winter. Freezing rain, 17 hr trip, just a nightmare. I got stranded at midnight in Bangor, everything closed + power outages.
Strangers picking up their son took me in, made up a bed, fed me, and drove me back in the AM.
Strangers picking up their son took me in, made up a bed, fed me, and drove me back in the AM.
TIMELINE CLEANSE
When's a time that a stranger helped you in an unexpected, maybe even small way?
When's a time that a stranger helped you in an unexpected, maybe even small way?
January 19, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Years and years ago I was traveling by bus back to Fredericton, NB in winter. Freezing rain, 17 hr trip, just a nightmare. I got stranded at midnight in Bangor, everything closed + power outages.
Strangers picking up their son took me in, made up a bed, fed me, and drove me back in the AM.
Strangers picking up their son took me in, made up a bed, fed me, and drove me back in the AM.
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
convincing you to read THE LORD OF THE WOOD based on the punctuation I used in it
- period [.] 11,550
- question mark [?] 784
- exclamation point [!] 110
- ellipsis [ . . . ] 241
- em dash [—] 700
- parentheses [()] 51 pairs
- comma [,] 8,281
- colon [:] 73
- semicolon [;] 216
- period [.] 11,550
- question mark [?] 784
- exclamation point [!] 110
- ellipsis [ . . . ] 241
- em dash [—] 700
- parentheses [()] 51 pairs
- comma [,] 8,281
- colon [:] 73
- semicolon [;] 216
January 19, 2026 at 11:45 PM
convincing you to read THE LORD OF THE WOOD based on the punctuation I used in it
- period [.] 11,550
- question mark [?] 784
- exclamation point [!] 110
- ellipsis [ . . . ] 241
- em dash [—] 700
- parentheses [()] 51 pairs
- comma [,] 8,281
- colon [:] 73
- semicolon [;] 216
- period [.] 11,550
- question mark [?] 784
- exclamation point [!] 110
- ellipsis [ . . . ] 241
- em dash [—] 700
- parentheses [()] 51 pairs
- comma [,] 8,281
- colon [:] 73
- semicolon [;] 216
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
I pulled up next to one at 10:17am yesterday an snapped a photo. By 10:27 the agents I photographed were in front of my house, along with another vehicle that met them there. It's a 10 minute drive from where I took the photo to my house - so they got the data *instantly*
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
Guys I think they're instantly getting DVS data.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
January 13, 2026 at 1:09 PM
I pulled up next to one at 10:17am yesterday an snapped a photo. By 10:27 the agents I photographed were in front of my house, along with another vehicle that met them there. It's a 10 minute drive from where I took the photo to my house - so they got the data *instantly*
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Reminder that if you are doing ANY sort of mutual aid/support that takes you to the homes of vulnerable people, DO NOT patrol or protest.
I pulled up next to one at 10:17am yesterday an snapped a photo. By 10:27 the agents I photographed were in front of my house, along with another vehicle that met them there. It's a 10 minute drive from where I took the photo to my house - so they got the data *instantly*
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
Guys I think they're instantly getting DVS data.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
January 13, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Reminder that if you are doing ANY sort of mutual aid/support that takes you to the homes of vulnerable people, DO NOT patrol or protest.
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
January 18, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
We’ve been having a hard time balancing the immense need our community requires right now and the internal pressure to keep doing work and sending emails as normal, and at the normal volume.
So we decided we’re not gunna have that expectation anymore.
So we decided we’re not gunna have that expectation anymore.
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
January 18, 2026 at 10:15 PM
We’ve been having a hard time balancing the immense need our community requires right now and the internal pressure to keep doing work and sending emails as normal, and at the normal volume.
So we decided we’re not gunna have that expectation anymore.
So we decided we’re not gunna have that expectation anymore.
Just started "Wake Up Dead Man" for the evening's watch, so far looks like it's gonna be great.
January 18, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Just started "Wake Up Dead Man" for the evening's watch, so far looks like it's gonna be great.
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
A massive "Hands off Greenland" protest is happening right now in Copenhagen to demonstrate against Trump's threats.
"The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy," organisers said.
“Respect for Greenland, respect for Greenlanders, respect for Denmark.”
"The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy," organisers said.
“Respect for Greenland, respect for Greenlanders, respect for Denmark.”
January 17, 2026 at 3:52 PM
A massive "Hands off Greenland" protest is happening right now in Copenhagen to demonstrate against Trump's threats.
"The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy," organisers said.
“Respect for Greenland, respect for Greenlanders, respect for Denmark.”
"The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy," organisers said.
“Respect for Greenland, respect for Greenlanders, respect for Denmark.”
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.
Vehicles that are abandoned due to an ICE detention and towed to the City's impound lot will be released to their owners or a representative at no cost.
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
January 16, 2026 at 11:42 PM
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.
I shared a sapphic short story, some writing stats, and tentative plans for the new year in my monthly update. You can find this, essays on craft, and four free short stories on my Sub or free Patreon!
open.substack.com/pub/vsholmes
patreon.com/VS_Homes
open.substack.com/pub/vsholmes
patreon.com/VS_Homes
The Speculative | V. S. Holmes | Substack
Dark speculative "what-ifs" and late-night ramblings. Also books. Lots of books. Click to read The Speculative, by V. S. Holmes, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I shared a sapphic short story, some writing stats, and tentative plans for the new year in my monthly update. You can find this, essays on craft, and four free short stories on my Sub or free Patreon!
open.substack.com/pub/vsholmes
patreon.com/VS_Homes
open.substack.com/pub/vsholmes
patreon.com/VS_Homes
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Hey Bluesky, do you enjoy reading about
-dilapidated amusement parks?
-bizarre animatronics?
-psychedelic dark rides?
-cults?
-friendship and sisterhood?
If so, you might enjoy my book The Merry Dredgers. If you'd like to learn more, here's a review by Gabino Iglesias:
locusmag.com/2023/06/gabi...
-dilapidated amusement parks?
-bizarre animatronics?
-psychedelic dark rides?
-cults?
-friendship and sisterhood?
If so, you might enjoy my book The Merry Dredgers. If you'd like to learn more, here's a review by Gabino Iglesias:
locusmag.com/2023/06/gabi...
January 16, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Hey Bluesky, do you enjoy reading about
-dilapidated amusement parks?
-bizarre animatronics?
-psychedelic dark rides?
-cults?
-friendship and sisterhood?
If so, you might enjoy my book The Merry Dredgers. If you'd like to learn more, here's a review by Gabino Iglesias:
locusmag.com/2023/06/gabi...
-dilapidated amusement parks?
-bizarre animatronics?
-psychedelic dark rides?
-cults?
-friendship and sisterhood?
If so, you might enjoy my book The Merry Dredgers. If you'd like to learn more, here's a review by Gabino Iglesias:
locusmag.com/2023/06/gabi...
Start my snarky, sapphic sci-fi series today with TRAVELERS. Dr. Bently discovers her pristine archaeological site is the center of an intergalactic feud. Tossed into high-tech and higher stakes she only has her trowel, her attitude, and her badass (and alien) girlfriend, Lin.
vsholmes.com/travelers
vsholmes.com/travelers
January 16, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Start my snarky, sapphic sci-fi series today with TRAVELERS. Dr. Bently discovers her pristine archaeological site is the center of an intergalactic feud. Tossed into high-tech and higher stakes she only has her trowel, her attitude, and her badass (and alien) girlfriend, Lin.
vsholmes.com/travelers
vsholmes.com/travelers
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
PERCY JACKSON X GIRL, INTERRUPTED X THE NOTEBOOK
🐉Retelling myths & monsters
💋Slow-burn
🤬Gritty dialogue
👿Angry women
🥰Found family
💪Strong female characters
☮️Self-Acceptance
#bluepit📖 #OV #DIS #bluepit
Vibes👉 www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#Q #Genreblending #A #NA #F w/ elements of #R & #H
🐉Retelling myths & monsters
💋Slow-burn
🤬Gritty dialogue
👿Angry women
🥰Found family
💪Strong female characters
☮️Self-Acceptance
#bluepit📖 #OV #DIS #bluepit
Vibes👉 www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#Q #Genreblending #A #NA #F w/ elements of #R & #H
FROM THE ASHES PLAYLIST - YouTube
www.youtube.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Kamen Rider X Twilight
The Tragedy of Lancelot: A teenager finds herself protected from a shadowy organization by a mysterious cyborg with connections to her estranged mother. Who is Lancelot and why is he sworn to protect Gwen?
-Mysterious protector
-teenager with anxiety
#YA #Q #R #bluepit📖
The Tragedy of Lancelot: A teenager finds herself protected from a shadowy organization by a mysterious cyborg with connections to her estranged mother. Who is Lancelot and why is he sworn to protect Gwen?
-Mysterious protector
-teenager with anxiety
#YA #Q #R #bluepit📖
January 14, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Hello #PortfolioDay ! I'm Tiff, an illustrator of the historical & fantastical; I have a passion for well researched historical detail.
Lately I've done a lot for ttrpgs & book projects!
I'm available for long & short term projects.
💌tiffany.baxter@btinternet.com
www.tiffanybaxter.com
Lately I've done a lot for ttrpgs & book projects!
I'm available for long & short term projects.
💌tiffany.baxter@btinternet.com
www.tiffanybaxter.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Hello #PortfolioDay ! I'm Tiff, an illustrator of the historical & fantastical; I have a passion for well researched historical detail.
Lately I've done a lot for ttrpgs & book projects!
I'm available for long & short term projects.
💌tiffany.baxter@btinternet.com
www.tiffanybaxter.com
Lately I've done a lot for ttrpgs & book projects!
I'm available for long & short term projects.
💌tiffany.baxter@btinternet.com
www.tiffanybaxter.com
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
DUNE X THE UNBROKEN
Those born with psychic gifts are conscripted into a guild to defend their home mysterious strangers prophesied in visions. Even if it means submitting to a Guildmaster who would rather the city burn than admit defeat.
"Monsters make Monsters"
#Q #BluePit #F #AgentsGuide
Those born with psychic gifts are conscripted into a guild to defend their home mysterious strangers prophesied in visions. Even if it means submitting to a Guildmaster who would rather the city burn than admit defeat.
"Monsters make Monsters"
#Q #BluePit #F #AgentsGuide
January 13, 2026 at 9:59 AM
DUNE X THE UNBROKEN
Those born with psychic gifts are conscripted into a guild to defend their home mysterious strangers prophesied in visions. Even if it means submitting to a Guildmaster who would rather the city burn than admit defeat.
"Monsters make Monsters"
#Q #BluePit #F #AgentsGuide
Those born with psychic gifts are conscripted into a guild to defend their home mysterious strangers prophesied in visions. Even if it means submitting to a Guildmaster who would rather the city burn than admit defeat.
"Monsters make Monsters"
#Q #BluePit #F #AgentsGuide
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
Sterling was hired to kill a witch.
Elias needs the hunter's help to save his forest.
Avery struggles to conceal his love for another man & an awakening strange magic.
And all three are being targeted by a cult.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
Elias needs the hunter's help to save his forest.
Avery struggles to conceal his love for another man & an awakening strange magic.
And all three are being targeted by a cult.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
January 14, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Sterling was hired to kill a witch.
Elias needs the hunter's help to save his forest.
Avery struggles to conceal his love for another man & an awakening strange magic.
And all three are being targeted by a cult.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
Elias needs the hunter's help to save his forest.
Avery struggles to conceal his love for another man & an awakening strange magic.
And all three are being targeted by a cult.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
Reposted by V. S. Holmes is querying
What do a grieving witch, a vengeful hunter, and a closeted gay farmer's son have in common?
When a Puritanical cult threatens their lives, duty, loyalty, and magic collide as they must help each other survive.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
When a Puritanical cult threatens their lives, duty, loyalty, and magic collide as they must help each other survive.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
![Character sheet for Avery Miller, from The Witch of Eden Hollow
The background image is a photograph of a patch of daisies.
Character art from a picrew by crowesn picturing a thin white man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, freckles, and gray eyes.
Character profile: feat. gay pride flag and masc-loving masc pride heart, he/him pronouns
Age: 20
Hometown: Eden Hollow
Occupation: Farmer
Loves: His father and brothers, and he loves his partner, Tristan Lowell
Fears: Being outed.
His life is tied to the Elder Grove. And it's the strangest thing. Plants seem to grow better around him.
Excerpt: Despite his desperate prayers, [Avery] felt more comfort holding onto a tree than he ever did whispering to a figment that everyone insisted watched over him.
As his burnt hand pressed against the bark, his breath caught in his throat. Something pulsed and thrummed under his palm. His fingers began to itch. It startled him, but it also brought him a sense of peace. This was tangible. This, he could believe in. He soothed his thumb over the bark and rested his cheek against the trunk.
"I wish I could stay here for all my days," he whispered, a sad smile on his face. "If only Eden Hollow would ever love me like you do."
He shivered when the thrumming under his palm grew stronger. It was in time with the beating of his heart. Startled, Avery pulled back, looked down at his hand, and removed his bandages.
The burns and blisters were gone.
There was no trace of them, like it had never happened.
In the bottom right corner is an Anti-GenAI symbol](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vf7thetix7bhbeucjxupui2d/bafkreic2ewopti6aqn55zbzfykqo4ribm4rdtvymtvhnmianmhukizz75u@jpeg)
January 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
What do a grieving witch, a vengeful hunter, and a closeted gay farmer's son have in common?
When a Puritanical cult threatens their lives, duty, loyalty, and magic collide as they must help each other survive.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT
When a Puritanical cult threatens their lives, duty, loyalty, and magic collide as they must help each other survive.
"The Witch of Eden Hollow," a 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 queer fantasy romance.
#BluePit📖
#W #A #F #R #TR #LGBT