Michael Morrison

@rhetoricalreader

Reader, gamer, strongly anti-AI

196 Folgt496 Follower2.203 Posts

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Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Jun 1

From Inside Higher Ed this morning... and, like, if these companies thought their reputation sucks now, just wait til you introduce AI. No better reputation killer than that. Link to article in reply.

A banner headline from Inside Higher Ed reading, "Will AI help revive the stale OPM market."

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· May 19

Last night I finished Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. It is marketed as horror (and horrific stuff does happen), but it is also beautiful. Really enjoyed it and highly recommend even to non-horror readers.

The cover of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. The cover is a vibrant red with the title centered over the whole cover in large, white, medieval style script. In the background is a black ink image of a skeleton wearing nightly armor.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Apr 20

I just finished Beautiful Nights by Nina George. It's the kind of book that gives you a hangover. You don't know what to read next because you're sad that it's over even though it was perfect as it was. I highly recommend it. Just be ready to be happy and sad the whole way. #books #reading

The cover of the novel Beautiful Nights by Nina George. The title is centered at the top in white letters with the author's name centered at the bottom in the same way. The cover image is a blue photo of the sea, with an inset black and white photo of two women's legs sitting in the surf.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Apr 6

I've been learning about photography lately for reasons (I am not a photographer). But I stumbled across the work of Saul Leiter and I was stunned by it. It's rare for visual art to hit me this way. I have no eye for it. But this photo floors me every time I look at it. Red Curtain, 1956.

Red Curtain, 1956. A photograph by Saul Lieter. A picture of a woman and a man seen at a distance through a window. The woman is walking away from the camera and the man toward. But the image is fragmented by the bar of the windows itself in the foreground and the man is seen only from the shoulders down, framed by a triangle of drooping red fabric of the window curtain. The street appears wet and washed out, the people almost monochrome, while the interrupting window frame is warm, gold and red, and shining a little with reflected light. I'm sorry if this su ks... describing this photo is hard.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Mar 22

Just finished Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by @haileypiperfights.bsky.social and it was something else. All the stories are good. The standout for me was The Many Sins of Clara Greenstone, but there's something here for all kinds of horror fans. Highly recommend this one.

A black book cover with the title, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons printed large across most of the cover in a pale green font. The author's name is centered middle right in a white font. Behind it all is a picture of a Teenage girl's face with red skin, horns, and jutting sharp teeth. She has brown hair and an exposed strip of muscle along her jawline and chin.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Mar 22

Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Mar 18

Post a gif of who you wanted to be as a kid. Couldn't find a gif, but more than anything, I wanted to be Alanna. Kinda still do.

Cover of the novel, Alanna: The First Adventure, by Tamora Pierce. In the foreground, a young Alanna stands holding a shining sword in front of her. She is dressed in a green tunic and her red hair is cut short. Behind her, a dark haired boy sits on a black horse, holding the reins of a white horse. Even farther in the distance, the ruins of a dark city jut up into a cloudy sky.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Mar 10

The horrors persist, but I got this in the mail from @chaosium.bsky.social today and I couldn't be more delighted.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Feb 21

Recently finished Tilt by Emma Pattee. It's wonderful. Raw, difficult emotions. Humans coping in the wake of a massive earthquake. Tight and packed with a lot of reflection. Proves that novels don't have to be long to be powerful. Artistic types get a special punch in the gut too.

Cover of the novel Tilt, by Emma Pattee. The title and author's name take up the top third of the cover in a white font. The cover shows a brilliant red sky at the top, shading to blue in the middle and down to the image of a city skyline against the backdrop of a black mountain.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Feb 9

Just finished Polybius by Collin Armstrong. Really solid horror novel. 80s setting, dangerous video game. Good characters. Got to me a little by the end. Would make a great movie. I recommend if you think it sounds good to you.

Black book cover with the title, Ploybius, and author's name Collin Armstrong, in a neon bright pink 80s style font. In the center is an image of a black arcade cabinet with a shining screen.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Feb 2

Just finished Magica Riot: Full Bloom by @magicariot.com Kara Buchanan. It was so great. Delivers on the magical girl action. Lots of strong emotions. Opens the door to future dangers and future joys. Great expansion from the first story. Can't wait to see what comes next. Also, love Jade.

Yellow cover with a stippled orange line of diagonal color running through it. Two girls with purple hair lay in the diagonal. One is dressed in a black corset dress and full length black gloves. The other is wearing a sleeveless yellow dress. Their hands are touching in the center. In the top left corner is the title Magica Riot Full Bloom. At the bottom left is the author's name, Kara Buchanan.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Jan 11

I just finished Bloom Town: Genesis by Ally North. It is a lesbian romance, found-family, western. It has also ruined romance for me forever. Nothing else will ever be this good. It's sweet, filthy, glorious. I laughed out loud. I cried. It was absurdly good. 5/5 stars. No notes.

Cover of the novel, Bloomtown Genesis by Ally North. The cover is white with a yellow gold border. The title and author's name are centered in a blocky black font. Around the words are vines and flowers in green, gold, orange, and red. Hidden in them are a revolver and a snake.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Dec 28

"Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, of Alice in Chains."

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Dec 26

Got this chunky omnibus for Xmas. Excited to read Warlord again.

Cover of The Warlord Omnibus, Volume 1. A red background with yellow comic book fantasy images behind a color picture of Travis Morgan, wielding his sword and gun, and wearing his signature winged helmet.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Dec 14

If you see this, we IMPLORE you to post a picture from whatever device you are using without explanation.

Three handmade wooden shelves affixed to a wall in a bookstore. They are labeled, on yellow tape with black letters, Small Books, Unreasonably Small Books, and Microscopically Small Books. The first two shelves contain ever smaller books. The third is (seemingly) empty.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Dec 13

I just finished The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater. It is a stunning, emotional, whole-hearted work of masterful writing. I can't say enough good things. It is complex and beautiful. Just one of the best books I've ever read. Amazing.

The cover of The Listeners, a novel by Maggie Stiefvater. The cover is a black and white, slightly distorted, image of a hotel maid taking a tray up a spiral staircase, with the title and author's name overlaid in a light blue text.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Nov 22

I don't read much YA anymore, but I was excited to read They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran. It's YA horror, but also a Trans story of growth and change. It's a climate apocalypse story. It's cosmic horror tinged with mercy. It's really, really good. Highly recommend it.

A picture of the cover of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran. It shows a human teen transforming into an ocean being while floating just beneath the surface of water.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Nov 10

Not the most important thing going on... but today is the 10 year anniversary of Fallout 4. It is by far and away my most played game. I figure I'll start a new run in honor of ten years. If I knew anything about streaming/recording play, I'd be tempted. I just love this game.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Nov 7

Just finished Magica Riot by @magicariot.com (Kara Buchanan). Loved it. Absurdly fun. Lovable characters. Unabashed trans joy. Magical girls. With keytars. It is a blast and I'm looking forward to the sequel. And I could get it from Bookshop, so no Amazon needed. Always a plus.

The cover of the novel, Magica Riot by Kara Buchanan. A magical girl modern fantasy. The cover is shades of pink and purple with an image of Claire, the main character in the center.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Nov 3

There were so many. But the one I will always come back to as formative for me is Alanna, by Tamora Pierce. This library cover was a book I read a hundred times and I still think about it often, even today. #booksky #writesky #books #authors #writingcommunity

Original library cover of Alanna the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. The cover shows a young person with red hair holding a magic sword in the foreground. Behind them, another, dark haired person sits on a black horse, holding the reins of a white horse. In the distance, a menacing dark city looms.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Oct 30

Just finished Bunny, by Mona Awad. Enjoyed it well enough. It is a perfect 3 star type read for me. Entertaining and readable, but I'm not really attached or invested. Weird, not quite horror(?). I can see the movie poster in my head.

The cover of the novel, Bunny by Mona Awad. Bright pink cover with yellow letters for the title and a black silhouette of a rabbit standing on its hind legs.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Oct 30

If you see this, post a vampire that isn't Dracula. One super hero vampire deserves another.

A picture of Confessor, a vampire super hero in the Astro City comics.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Oct 18

I just finished sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth. It was beautifully written and has left me raw. I highly recommend it. It punches you in the chest a lot, but it's worth it. I don't know what else to say. Just hollowed out by it right now.

A picture of the cover of the novel, sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Sep 28

#Septopolis 28. Ignore the old name (and my complete lack of artistic skill), but this is the picture I drew of Toree Teerayu when It was used for gaming. I just wanted to show the scale of the city, its districts, and the multiple harbors.

A hand drawn pencil sketch of a sprawling harbor city on graph paper.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Sep 15

So, I just finished reading "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" by Omar El Akkad. I dont have the words or the capacity to understand, to explain how powerful a read this is. I think everyone should read it. It is brutal to read as recent events and more worrying in 2025.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Sep 5

Okay, dopamine hit for the weekend. I got two CDs in the mail today, and honestly, it feels like 1995 all the sudden. Both CDs are albums by The Beaches. And they're great.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Sep 2

I doom post too much. It was nice to come home to a package today with a nifty RPG book inside. I really like the AGE system and I think Modern Age is underrated in RPG discussions. Powers is such a great addition because it's not really about supers - it's for humans who are a bit super. Very cool.

The cover of Powers, a source book for the Modern AGE rpg.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Aug 15

I don't normally enjoy litfic family dramas. It's just not my thing for a lot of reasons. I don't know why I was drawn to this one, but I'm glad I was. Newman's writing is magnificent. I loved this tiny story of a week in the life of a 54 year old mother of two so much. I cried. But also laughed.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Aug 12

I've been participating in this month long exercise in sharing our fantasy pantheons. It's been a lot of fun. Thanks to @professoremily.bsky.social for starting it. I try to look at other people's and give likes. That also means scrolling a lot and... uh... the rest of the news makes me suicidal.

An image showing the list of prompts for the month of August to post about your fantasy pantheons.

Michael Morrison@rhetoricalreader· Aug 9

This is who runs this account.