iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I know that the books men read are often directed by misogyny but I do love the implication in this that Men are drawn to certain kinds of books like cartoon wolves to a freshly baked apple pie, pulled in on the wind.

A purple icon that says (heavily paraphrased):

The NYT suggests men should read Sally Rooney to expand their horizons.

But men "naturally" gravitate toward books like Dune. AND THESE BOOKS ARE DISAPPEARING.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

WE HAVE BOOKS! Courtesy of @comicprintinguk.bsky.social 🙏🏿 Even The Stars Will Fall will be heading to you over the next week or so!

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The joy of life is finding crossover between your niche hyperfixations and making memes about it.

Venn Diagram. One side reads "Dragon Ball Z characters" the other reads "potters and ceramicists". the. middle reads "unlocking a new form"

Meme of two arms locked in a Predator handshake. One side reads "Dragon Ball Z characters" the other reads "potters and ceramicists". the. middle reads "unlocking a new form"

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

For Even the Stars Will Fall, we needed a striking design for the fire bird at the heart of the story, and @bimpealliu delivered. Here are some quick ideas she drew up. Grab you copy through our Kickstarter to see this thing fly in live and living colour. www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol...

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

I'm INCREDIBLY gassed for people to hold Bimpe Alliu's art in their hands. Until then I thought I'd share some of her early design explorations. If you want to see her fully realised, just pledge on our Kickstarter to get your copy of Even The Stars Will Fall. www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol...

A series of sketches of a young Black woman. Mainly exploring different traditional African hairstyles and a couple drapes of clothing.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

"Last week's" song kept playing in my head so I decided to write a second verse for it, and changed the lyrics in the chorus. I think it works so much better now. And I can just hear how nice harmonies on the chorus would be #TheSundayProject www.patreon.com/posts/week-3...

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

But have you clocked how gorgeous our logo is, though 👀 Salt & Sister Studio absolutely killed the brief and delivered an iconic piece of design. Become a backer on Kickstarter to get your hands on a physical (or digital) copy of 'Even The Stars Will Fall'. www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol...

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Even The Stars Will Fall is a "Project We Love" on Kickstarter! Find out why here www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol...

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The inimitable @kierongillen.bsky.social had this to say about Even The Stars Will Fall. Back the Kickstarter to get your hands on it. www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol... #KickStarter #MakeComics #IndieComics

An image of the comic book, Even The Stars Will Fall. Alongside the book is a quote from Kieron Gillen: "A confident, rich fantasy world with a Hickmanian sweep and grandeur".

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Not even twelve hours in and we've funded! Thank you so much to those who've backed, and if you haven't yet, now's the time to get involved! #MakeComics #IndieComics #KickStarter

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Comic book mutuals! Let me know if you'd like to read Even the Stars Will Fall ahead of the Kickstarter campaign to fund the print run. Just be warned that if you like it, I might ask you to say so publicly 😈 www.kickstarter.com/projects/fol... #MakeComics #IndieComics #AfroFuture #Kickstarter

The cover of Even The Stars Will Fall. It features a young Black woman in a painterly style, against a bifurcated, purple and white background. The right side of her face (our left) is giving off streaks of flame. The authors 'Akinmade' and 'Alliu' are credited.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I'm launching a Kickstarter to fund the print run of 'Even The Stars Will Fall'. Check the link in my bio to get notified when it goes live. #EvenTheStarsWillFall #Comics #MakeComics #IndieComics #Kickstarter

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Week 31 Drew The Knife. Once I hit 52, you lot are gonna have to tell me which of them are any good. #NewMusic #Original #SingerSongwriter

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

I wrote this article a decade ago. Absolutely mad. medium.com/%40A_King_Ma...

A screenshot of the article "Why I Became That Annoying Black Guy On Your Newsfeed"

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Some marked the wearer as having a special relationship to the spirits. And in all, it spoke to one's relationship to the heavens, and to the great creator. It's just fun to remember that the culture around our hair didn't develop as a defensive posture.

4 black and white photos of traditional Nigerian hairstyles

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

These photos represent just a snapshot of the numerous pre-colonial hair styles Nigerians practised. And they had meaning. They spoke. Not just of tribe and station, but of specific historical events. Some hair styles were specifically worn to honour the Orisha.

4 black and white photos of very intricate, pre colonial Nigerian hairstyles.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

So this is me from a couple of weeks ago, trying to work out The Christmas Song. Season's Greetings, friends 🙏🏿🎅🏿

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Just got Draw Steel in the post. Who wants to play?

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

This the book I've been working on for a while now. It features gorgeous art from Bimpe Alliu, editing & lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and logo design from Salt & Sister Studios. But how do you want it? Do you read digital comics? What platforms? Do you want a physical copy?

A front cover to a comic book done in a painterly style. It shows a Black woman, from her shoulder up. Standing against an abstract, bifurcated white and purple background. There are sparks of flame coming off her face. Her eyes are closed. The title is centred, it reads "Even The Stars Will Fall".

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Here. A hastily done meme to illustrate my point.

The Scooby Doo Mask reveal meme. It shows Fred revealing the ghost to be a man. The text reads:

Horrific world events

People trying to understand what is at the heart of these atrocities

It's white supremacist settler colonialism. Again. Like it always is.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Week 6 I'm just scrolling There was more, but I couldn't quite make the chorus or middle 8 work, so it became a verse and a half. Enjoy.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Week 5: The Reason I Sing Okay! Had to double dip today cos I missed last week. Meant I only had a day for this but I like it. Also, excuse my weird-ass beat-boxing. I could really hear the beat so it needed something in there.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

WEEK 3: WHAT A THING TO BE ALIVE

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

WEEK TWO: THE EMPEROR'S LULLABY. Okay, this one was also quite sad, but surely next week won't continue this morose streak???

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

WEEK ONE: GROWS & GROWS Writing songs again for the first time in like a decade. Going to try and do one a week to force myself out of preciousness. Forgot to make this one rhyme in any way that makes sense. Woops. We'll see what next week brings us.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

But I know Shamini loved it really 😇

The "I Bring A Sort Of" meme format in which a Black man, wearing a Black baseball cap backwards looks out from a balcony or porch onto a screen space.

Text reads: "I bring a sort of CHAOTIC vibe to TTRPGs that GMs don't really like".

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

It is a rare thing for a series to remain so fresh, exciting and just plain old Good for volume after the volume, the way X Factor did. RIP Peter David.

Cover of X-Factor, The Complete Collection. It features Jamie Madrox the multiple man in centre. Then left to right, Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, Richtor, Siren, and Monet. They are in a dark office, shaded by detective-noir style blinds.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

The thing about Maggott is, I love everything about him, but there aren't enough Black X-Men to have a guy be blue when he does some of his coolest shit.

An illustration from a comic showing Maggott, an X-Man who is a Black man with a single lock of white/grey hair and sunglasses. He holds two giant, armoured "maggots" on his shoulder. Art by Terry Dodson.

Image of Maggott in his powered up form. He is bigger and blue.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

I haven't been reading anything for a while, so I'm gonna shout out something old. This book, man. Atmospheric and ever-intriguing. A human study set to the backdrop of the apocalypse. Get on it.

A double page spread (landscape) illustration for the comic boook "The Nice House On The Lake". A lake overlooked by mountains, in a beautiful woodland area. In the top right corner, the lights are on a beautiful, modern house. Think Frank Lloyd Wright but with slightly less natural integration. The text of the book sits on the water at an angle, almost as if they are floating down the river, with reflections in the eater reinforcing that idea. The names of all the creators involved are also present. Including James Tynion IV (writer) and Álvaro Martinez Bueno (artist and cover).

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Just gonna highlight that Something Is Killing The Children immediately came to mind cos part of the key to a great shonen character is you look at it and go "is this the fucking coolest character design I've ever seen in my life?" And Erica Slaughter delivers even in her simplicity.

An illustration of Erica Slaughter, the main character from the comic book, Something Is Killing The Children. Erica is a blonde woman, with huge, neon green eyes. She wears a white tank top, and black trousers, and most importantly a black bandanna that she wears over the lower half of her face. It features a teeth-like design.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I am too late, but I think everyone should read Witch Hat Atelier anyway. The art is unbelievably gorgeous and it's about art as a magic practise, in a way that is just so satisfying. #WeReadsComics

The front cover of the first volume of the manga, Witch Hat Atelier. It features the protagonist, a young white girl with short blonde hair, wearing witches robes (in this world a sleeveless overcoat, white blouse, and pointed conical hat, that has something in common with the western idea of witches, but I think also has an East Asian influence). All this against a backdrop of a quaint european-looking "medieval" village.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Let's get this show on the road 💪🏾

A 1:1 poster for the upcoming production of Road Show, at Upstairs At The Gatehouse. It features the headshots of the 8 actors involved in the production, Reece Richardson, Madeleine Morgan, Oliver Sidney, Folarin Akinmade, Robert Finlayson, Emily Friberg, Rhys Lambert, and Katherine Strohmaier

The poster for Road Show that features information about the production, namely that has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, and orchestration by Jonathan Tunick. The show will be on from the 12th December 2024 until the 12th January 2025. www.upstairsatthegatehouse.co.uk

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 03/11/2024

The herculean effort that went into making these apple cinnamon muffins versus how incredibly mid they are is truly hilarious.

A wooden tray of apple cinnamon muffins, smothered in a toffee sauce.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

Has anyone got the DNDNext playtest material for the sorcerer? Found this snippet of it on Reddit, and it's very much what I wish the flavour of sorcerer was now, but struggling to find a document anywhere. #DnD #Sorcerer

A screenshot of a block of text from Reddit. The text reads:

Sorcerous Powers: At 1st level, you can spend 1 willpower to use the dragon strength power. Additionally, each day, after you have spent 3 willpower, your hands become claw-like and your body grows more imposing. Until you complete a long rest, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage rolls of your melee attacks. Level 4: You can spend 2 willpower to use the dragon scales power. Additionally, each day, after you have spent 10 willpower, you manifest dragon scales that cover large portions of your skin. Until you complete a long rest, you have resistance to the damage type associated with your type of dragon. Suggested Equipment: Chainmail, greatsword, dagger, adventurer’s kit, healer’s kit, and 12 gp

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 22/10/2024

As I look around at companies making incredibly stupid, greedy decisions that will only serve their shareholders for the quarter before making their situation significantly worse in the long term, I think about this interview with Dave Stewart. time.com/5913009/dave...

A screenshot from a Time Article. A question in bold reads: Why Haven't You Gone Public?

The answer: "The question is, why would we? The only Shareholder that we're concerned about is me. Any my whole goal and objective is not all about the money, it's about how we serve our clients better than anybody else. How do we continue to improve, how we invest in a way that's long term, that's 50 years from now, not a quarter from now. Investors in the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ or anywhere else, they're not very patient."

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 29/09/2024

Let's get down to business. Top 3 Miyazaki films.

A poster of the film The Wind Rises by Hayao Miyazaki. It features a young woman in a lush green field, under open blue skies, with big, evocative clouds overhead. She's painting at an easel on a stand, underneath an umbrella that has been attached to its own stand to leave her hands free.

The movie poster for Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki. It features a young girl, wearing a mask pulled back to reveal a stern face, adorned with red tribal paint. She sits atop a giant, wild, white wolf.

The film poster for Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso. We see an anthropomorphised pig wearing an early 20th century pilot's attire in a red plane from the same time period giving a thumbs up to the camera.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 17/09/2024

🎶 give me a number instead of my name 🎶

An image designed by BlueSky that celebrates 10M users. Mine reads that I was user number 512,049, and so one of the first 10%

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 15/09/2024

I love that Kamome Shirahama basically heard this and said "...Yes".

An illustration of the main character from the manga series With Hat Atelier in a giant astrolabe, drawing arcane symbols on a piece of parchment.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 10/09/2024

RIP John Cassaday. I can barely put into words what a lightning bolt Planetary was for me. Not the impact that Astonishing X-Men made. Just amazing stuff.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 04/09/2024

There are lots of cool swords in the world that then get featured in a lot of fiction, and I think Ada and Eben from southern Nigeria (Benin kingdom) should be in that category. Look! How! Fucking! Awesome!

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 02/09/2024

Cannot sleep so instead will share a page of the comic I've been working on with the amazingly talented illustrator and concept designer Bimpe Alliu. It will be out later this year!

A six pan comic book page featuring a young Black woman and person who appears to be wearing a mask and fashioning an object out of strands of ethereal energy.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 15/03/2024

I saw Demi Adejuyigbe do one (1) back flip and it was incredible.

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Folarin Akinmade @akingmade.bsky.social · 21/02/2024

Gimolas fan art 🥺🥺🥺🥺 Check out the artist here: www.tumblr.com/perplexingly #LordOfTheRings #LordOfTheRingsMusical #Gimolas

Illustration of a scene from the watermill theatre's production of Lord Of The Rings A Musical Tale

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