A Burnt Tongue in Ether Dreams
Please read! Thank you!
The first time I read Edith Bow, I gobbled up her short story. I didn’t even have time to taste it. I had to read the whole story again. She’s … she’s … just holy shit, y’all. She’s amazing.
I still think about Soma’s Reflection. (It’s for paid subscribers. To read it, get a paid subscription to Ether Dreams or buy a copy of the multi-author tribute to the Twilight Zone: The Midnight Vault.)
Edith Bow is soul-mated to Emil Ottoman. He’s amazing, too. Two people who are that incredibly talented co-existing in the same space should result in a planetary explosion. I don’t know why Earth is still intact.
WHY AM I TELLING YOU ABOUT EDITH AND EMIL?
To put it bluntly, they need financial help. This isn’t a GoFundMe plea. This is a “check out the cool stuff you can get with a donation” plea. Learn more about Emil and Edith’s dire situation. Emil’s post is here and Edith’s post is here.
THE GOODIES!!!
EDITH BOW
From December 6, 2025 → March 19, 2026, I am writing personalized, stream-of-consciousness, zero-draft stories to anyone who wants to support my relocation fund or just wants to middle finger the patriarchy.
When you donate, you give me a three word prompt:[ 1 noun, 1 verb, 1 adjective]
I will have to incorporate all 3 into the story somehow, stream of consciousness, zero draft; just how I’ve always done it and how you see it here on this publication (besides very specific niche stories que in The Diary Entries)
You have 2 options here: Be tagged with your publication as a personal anecdote, and I will write whatever it made me feel at the time, that will be completely public.
If you decide to keep it private, I will email you a personalized note on how it made me feel, the post will still go public with your name as [REDACTED] and you will have an email link that connects to the title.
All posts go public, all posts will be free to read.
None of the posts will support bigotry, provide harmful phobics, and be anti anything I ethically stand for; if you give me money and expect me to write hateful diatribe, thanks for the free money, no returns for bigots! If it’s especially Nazi propaganda, my WW2 grandfather’s ghost is standing over you with a rifle to the head and my bloody knuckles aren’t bloody enough.
Tier Options:
$20 → 400 words
$30 → 600 words
$50 → 1,000 words
$75 → 1,500 words
$100 → 2,000 words
$100+ → No word limit + ultra-personal extras
Any number you want where you have issues with systemic oppression and want to middle finger corruption is up to your discretion. The writing project is purely optional.
P.S. I might write over the cap limit no matter what you give me, if I absolutely love the prompt. These limits are for me personally to restrain myself, but I have no guarantees this can turn into a series in the future with just three words. If it becomes a book, you get the book for free with my signature, a note and acknowledgement if you allow me.
EMIL OTTOMAN
The Structure of Generosity
$15 – New Year Letter & Card (also, the best international option)
One Television Sky New Year card
Hand-numbered
Personally inscribed with your name and some Emil static
New Year letter that’s actually a story, not social theater bullshit
One unique page from the long-form story tucked inside
This is the “keep us housed” base. Every one of these matters. And there IS a baked in cost. The first 40 cards are $.35 a pop + $.78 base postage +toner and time.
This is also good if you’re overseas. Because postage has turned into a luxury.
The option for getting the bootleg first book from Television Sky, my first pub, something that BR Yeager’s legendary Pearl Death novella in cards will be classed with.
$35 – Bubble Mailer of Goodies
You get everything above, plus:
A padded mailer stuffed with small, strange, occultly/curated items from my shelves and trinket box:
mini-zines, stickers, weird little prints
oddities that should not go into storage
ephemera that feels like it fell out of another life
I have a lot of obscure shit. You might as well get some of it before I have to pay movers to haul it one more time, because I’m not boxing everything up. And I’m always downsizing. Who knows, you may get something worth a lot more than the package it came in.
$50+ Full Care Package
You get the card + story letter + unique page, and:
A bigger, heavier, weirder package
The more you give, the more I will dig:
strange, rare, or out-of-print books
limited-run objects
odd relics that have lived with me through multiple eras + why they’re important
genuinely valuable, but extremely “what the fuck is this” artifacts
This is “Emil raids his own archive for you” tier. The more you give, the more you get. Give me fifty bucks and I may give you a hatpin I wore while I made a milli on tour, give $500 and you may get a Ghostface Killah Adidas track jacket or the only unsigned copy of Fight Club I own (movie cover, I know it’s the original because it’s unsigned) a short story cut from a notebook. You’re a whale with more money than god? I’ll put PEARL DEATH on the block. (go try to find it for sale, or find a price for one of the original run. People who have this do not sell it.)
How to get one
If you want in on the first 40:
Email: EmilOttoman@gmail.com
Use one of these subject lines so I can keep track:
NEW YEAR LETTER– for the $15 tierthen GIFT BAG– for the $35 tieror GIFT BOX– for $50+ care package (ADD +$10 for a card from my personal collection of greeting cards. yes, it’s a thing. This is in service of. Well, read the one footnote, OK)
In your email, include:
Your name
Your mailing address
Which tier you want
Whether you’re okay with getting something TRULY weird / obscene / obscure in your package
I’ll respond with payment details (PayPal / Venmo / Cash App / Wise, etc.), confirm you’re in, and assign your card number.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I appreciate you taking the time to read this post. If you can give, give. If you can’t, then consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Edith and/or Emil’s newsletters.
