What’s in the Hole?

Hello hello hello, step right up to the Wyrmhole! It’s been a hot, smoky summer in this neck of the woods, but we’re back at it today with an August issue! We’re following up our short hiatus with a month of recs, riddles, and a very fun little wildcard. If you’ve ever wanted an analysis of fantastical bird emojis from a bona fide bird scientist, now is your time.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

(Also, if you like this issue— share the HOLE!)

Tia Tashiro / August 2026 Editor-in-Chief / Inland Northwest, USA

Recommendations

Tia recs…

The Last God of Talam Dor

M.R. Robinson, GigaNotoSaurus. 2026. 10.8k words.

A prince arrives at a priory hoping to make her ascent to godhood by coming back to life three times. Already a banger idea, and gets better with the complicated relationship between said prince and the priestess assigned to help her through her deaths. This secondary world fantasy feels in the best way like Tamsyn Muir meets Maria Dong’s “Braid Me a Howling Tongue” (another excellent novelette). Great concept and execution; killer last line.

Pak recs…

Assimilation, Through the Ocean Taking Bites from the Moon

Claire Jia-Wen, Baffling. 2025. 1k words.

It's astonishing how much storytelling and heartache fits into this flash. The frame is an extended metaphor for exploitation encompassing a fairytale about a Chinese immigrant family living through the California gold rush. Going into it blind is like getting walloped by a train. Actually forget I wrote this review. Just go read it.

Tina recs…

The Sisters

E.M. Linden, The Dark. 2025. 1.8k words.

Creepy faeries/faerie-like creatures and family angst make for a great read. Feels like a much older story than it is, and watch out for the Sisters…

Carolyn recs…

Oke of Okehurst

Vernon Lee. 1890. ?k words. (It’s a public domain story from 1890, okay?)

I’m going to come back (from my wedding! During my honeymoon!) with a curveball here and rec the best and weirdest horror story I read as a college kid, that has also stayed with me for the last…. (Cringes) I won’t say how many years but it’s been a while. Mixing gender queerness and a Victorian backdrop, Oke of Okehurst / A Phantom Lover is a fantastic twist on an English manor ghost story. If you’re a fan of either Wuthering Heights or The Yellow Wallpaper, this story is for you.

Iz recs…

Crispin’s Model

Max Gladstone, Reactor. 2017. 7.9k words.

I read this story when it was first published, when I was still doing my art degree and I was halfway between deciding whether to apply for a MFA or a JD. That has nothing to do with this story, which is about....well, it's not exactly about the relationship between a model and an artist, but its about how your own depression and myopia might lead you to focus on bringing the Horrors Into The World (literal)

The Best of July Cover Art

August Riddle of the Month

Good Moomins of the Month

WILDCARD

Flame On: An Ornithologist Assesses the Biological Utility of Phoenix Emoji Traits (Or Something Like That)

Those well-versed in the emoji side of the world might know that there is a dearth of fantastical birds among the ranks of typical emoji keyboards. But while we may not see enormous rocs nestled amid the more classic swans, flamingos, peacocks, and chickens of the emoji dictionary, six platforms boast depictions of the true royalty of the mythological birds: the phoenix.

So I asked Dr. K, an expert ornithologist, for her first impression on all six phoenixes. (Phoenixi? Phoenixen?) Let’s get into it!

Emoji 1 of 6: The Apple Phoenix

Dr. K: The Apple phoenix looks like it would eat meat, because it has a curved, strong bill. The feet look really small, though, to catch prey. The proportions are weird… the wings are too low on the body, and the foot placement is off.

TT: The wings are too low?

Dr. K: Wings are like bird-arms, so if those wings were on a human, their arms would be sticking out of their ribs.

TT: Oof.

Dr. K: I give this one a 4/10.

Emoji 2 of 6: Google

Dr. K: This one… ha! This looks like a happy phoenix. And it’s got people feet! laughs. From a realistic standpoint, the legs or the feet don’t really work, but I like the happy vibe.

TT: Is it a meat-eater?

Dr. K: It’s a generalist. It’s all in the beak shape. 5/10, major points off for people feet.

Emoji 3 of 6: Samsung

Dr. K: This looks more hawk-like. It has a more normal eye size than the others. I like this, because I think the proportions are better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have legs. 4/10, because not only does it lack feet, but it lacks legs altogether.

Emoji 4 of 6: Microsoft

Dr. K: Now this one is interesting. The neck is very straight, so it doesn’t look like it totally has a head. The head shape reminds me sort of a cardinal with its crest up. I appreciate the stylization, it just doesn’t look like a realistic bird, because the neck is a straight column.

TT: I notice this one, too, has no legs…

Dr. K: Yes, but I’ll allow it, because it’s a little more stylized than the others. 5/10.

Emoji 5 of 6: Whatsapp

Dr. K: Oh, now, someone took some care with this. So the proportions are odd… it looks a bit dragon-like, because the head’s big and then the body is super super small. So it’s almost… it’s too sinewy, and the wings are coming up like I would imagine a dragon.

TT: What would you say for diet?

Dr. K: Normally they should have strong, grasping claws and a strong curved beak if they’re meat-eaters, so it could eat meat. But it’s so skinny in the body it wouldn’t be a very good flier, because it doesn’t have any muscles there. To, like, fly. 3/10.

Emoji 6 of 6: Joypixels

Dr. K: Oh, now there are some claws. That’s raptor-like. That’s like a hawk or eagle. A little more realistic. Meat-eater. So this one, I think of all of them, I would say the Joypixel is the most or appears to be a little closer to reality, in terms of head and feet. 8/10.

TT: A high score! Okay, so if you were to rank them all in terms of your favorites—not necessarily accuracy, just who you like the best—what would that ranking be?

Dr. K: I like the idea of the stylized Microsoft, but they screwed up the neck. I feel like that’s a problem. For google… this guy looks happy, but the legs are really funny. I just think they were like, “well, we’ve got a bird head, we’ve made the wings, so let’s just put some feet.” The Samsung one doesn’t seem to have legs. So I think for me, my favorite would be Joypixels. Then Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, Whatsapp, and Google, in that order. I like the happy Google. It’s first in my heart, if not my rankings.

TT: Thanks so much for giving this little interview today! It was fire, literally🔥

A parting song from the Editors…

Loneliest Girl - Kacey Musgraves

That’s it! That’s all we got! If you liked our stuff a HOLE lot, share us with a friend! Tune in next month for more shenanigans!