iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I can't get a photo of it because the sun's in the wrong place now, but I had to sit the doll on the end of the shelf I keep smol dog's treats on, which means the cuddly bunny on top was moved too. So now when the sun casts a certain ominous shadow, it looks like Yummy Bunny is ready to shank him.

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He also comes with some decently sized high heels. 😂 The fact he's holding them unaided should tell you a lot about the tightness of his stringing, because they ain't light...

Photo of the cyborg ball jointed doll holding one of his shoe feet. It is large, with a solidly tall and chunky heel, and though it's hard to see from the side, it has a cast replica of his bare foot visible though the transparent resin.

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(This one may be a bit excessive, mind...)

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(I'll add here that although I'm struggling a bit, it's actually best practice for a doll company to send the doll fairly tightly strung, because elastic slackens over time and they don't know how long it'll take for your doll to reach you. It's a bigger faff tightening loose elastic.)

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Because he's so, uh, highly strung, his crest popped off at a funny angle and I'm struggling to get it square again. The most recent attempt sent his hip off to the other side and... I now have a sassy cyborg? Damn, I bought him for the Raiden lookalike, but *really*...

Photo of a ball jointed doll designed to look like a cyborg. He has a dark resin body with a transparent, slightly iridescent jaw, chest piece and cod piece, and a glowing mask (that I will need to remove the batteries from again). He is standing with his chest to the right and his hips to the left and is looking askance at the camera, like he's going "you got a problem with me?"

Also, this is the most tightly string Ringdoll doll I've ever had. I could barely even move one of his arms. He comes with transparent armour, but I'd have to remove his feet to get the lower pieces on his legs and the thought is *terrifying.*

While unpinning the wig from its polystyrene ball: damn this is posh, and also... free pins! Goes to put it on the doll: wait, this has a lace front?? Honestly, it's nicer than most of my spare hair.😭

Photo of a cyborg doll wearing a light blue wig. The wig is neatly styled and has a lace front.

I've collected dolls for several years; only one before has sailed through customs without anyone looking at it properly. This is a three foot tall box. I'm not complaining — exactly the opposite, I'm thrilled — but you could knock me down with a feather right now.

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

If you cast your mind back to the dim and distant start of the year, when I ordered a ball-jointed doll... That's what yesterday's missed delivery was. But the thing is... I didn't expect it because I was waiting for the ransom demand (customs fee letter). I didn't expect it to just... turn up. 😳

Photo of a three foot tall brown box with Chinese hanzi and the word "Ringdoll" on, beside three small polystyrene packages with the same text. Both sit on a small sofa beside several blankets (most of which are smol dog's).

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"Hi Nescafé, I'd love to collaborate!" That's nice. Aside from the fact you're 4,991 followers away from the minimum you'd need... This isn't Nescafé. 🤦

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FieldExplores (Gator Days) @fieldexplores.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Dads Drinking Coffee - Gator Days

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

"Dear Red Bull" You're not messaging Red Bull. Awkward.

Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I got my Guild Wars account reactivated~

Has anyone actually explained what the purpose of a forum is to the DAZ moderators? That they're there for people to discuss things, not for the moderators to go around removing discussions that're perfectly innocuous about management decisions? Bet I know whodunnit.

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FieldExplores (Gator Days) @fieldexplores.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I pretty much binge-watched Goddess Bless You From Death (fun Thai supernatural police drama) so I'm catching up on Light to the Night (which is no hardship; two episodes a day weren't enough). Dylan Wang is just so ridiculously pretty.

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Just Smile (Part 5/5) - Gator Days

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Minimus @minimuslatin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I can't even really justify it as research (St. Ives is where Blake is from in the singer/songwriter story) as it's taking me far too long to write it. Like every other story, really. 💀

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#fabula murina (mouse story) 506 Minimus, Minima et Silvius diem Bellorum Stellarum celebrant (Minimus, Minima and Silvius are celebrating Star Wars day). vis tecum sit! (May the Force be with you!) #starwarsday #maythefourth #maythe4th

Photo of Minimus, Minima and Silvius, the Latin mice, dressed as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Yoda for Star Wars Day.

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

I didn't realise until today it was even possible, but you can get a train from Derby to St. Ives. It'd be so tempting... if I didn't know staying in St. Ives was extremely expensive. 😭

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I usually wouldn't let her do anything like that, and she's a good dog and never tries to bother anything, but the lamb was interested in her and I never allowed her to get near it. They just stood in mutual appreciation; I think the lamb was confused why she was smaller than it. 😅

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Oh! On the way there I saw a hare, which was exciting as I've never seen one in the flesh before. It was bigger than smol dog. 😳 I also saw a mouse run across the path at the nature reserve (smol dog failed to notice both that and the hare), and smol dog got to very politely meet a lamb.

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Walked to Great Wilne, then to the nature reserve at Church Wilne, which smol dog *loved.* Then walked from there to Sawley, stopped at a pub for a drink, then along the tow path to Shardlow and from there to home. About 11.5 miles. She is now a very smeepy pup.

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

The moment I open an anime on Crunchyroll because the splash image looked interesting, only to remember that Gintama has ruined an entire portion of Japanese history for me...

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Smol dog has just hopped off her perch, walked across the room, delicately picked up an insole I removed from my sneaker, and walked off with it.

Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The problem with kdramas and a few fancy cdramas is that I've become spoiled with getting two episodes a week (or a day, in the case of Mobius and Light To The Night). One episode a week of Dorohedoro is painful. 😭

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FieldExplores (Gator Days) @fieldexplores.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Just Smile (Part 2/4) - Gator Days

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

I'm really enjoying We Are All Trying Here and I really like the characters, but I don't feel like it'll end on a happy note.

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The new Metric album arrived while I was out too, so I'm listening to it now I've finished If Wishes Could Kill (surprisingly good). First impressions are good.

She is now very sleepy.

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...and smol dog met a horse up close, which she was thrilled about. (It came up to her on its side of the fence to have a good look at the tiny beast and have a good sniff at her.) We went to the pub on the way back and she was horrible to everyone, as usual. In the end we did about 10 miles.

Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Smol dog and I went for a nice walk to Great Wilne this morning. We now know where it is. (Still no idea on Church Wilne though.) We walked through a field of cows, which was Unpleasant as they were near the gates and they all stood up as we went by ("Yes yes I'm sorry, we'll walk over here...")...

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I did not know Kim Beom was going to be in this and I am THRILLED.

Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Started watching Sold Out On You, and I would be *fascinated* to know which conversation or misheard sentence led to the scriptwriter coming up with 'Matthew Lee' sounding like 'mechuragi' (shortened to 'mechuri' - 'mehchoo ree')... a.k.a. 'quail'. 🤣

It was a very pretty journey, an interesting use of three and a half hours, and I wouldn't mind doing it again. It was nice to find somewhere peaceful.

Photo of a tree that bears a strange resemblance to a standing stone beside an old fashioned overhead power cable. They're both on the edge of a sheep field, next to a little brook. The sky is very blue and clear.

Photo of a small black and brown Miniature Pinscher standing on a clean bridlepath. To the right is a huge orange-flowering gorse hedge (I think) and on the left is a normal hedge. Smol dog is standing side on and staring at me like she's asking, “Wait, are you LOST??” (At this point, slightly yes.)

Photo of a sign on a bridlepath that reads "Derby Nomad Way circling Derby city," which was slightly alarming as none of these places are particularly near Derby...

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Church Wilne, sorry. I DID say I had no idea where it was. Or what it's called, apparently.

Screenshot of the map from my watch app, showing my journey from the end of Back Lane (yes I cut off the journey from my house), to Shardlow canal row patch, and from there a meandering journey around Great Wilne (including one section in a big circle; yes I did know I did that), past Church Wilne (I think I saw the church in the distance) then along a strange but pretty bridlepath that led me to Breaston... where I then goth on a bus, but forgot to pause my watch, oops. There's a little knot of trail where we went over a huge green bridge to cross the railway, which smol dog enjoyed.

Unintended foreshadowing: on seeing a signpost, I said to smol dog on the way, "You know, I don't even really know where Great Wilne is." An hour later, Google Maps puts me somewhere between there and Little Wilne. I STILL have no idea where it is.

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Took smol dog for a walk. I meant to go to Shardlow, walk down the tow path, then go to the pub and walk back. I saw an interesting footpath I'd not noticed before, and the next thing I knew, I was in Breaston and had to catch two buses back home.

Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Reposted by Aphna

I'm making one last push to let people know about this online talk -- sponsored by the British Library in conjunction with their current exhibition on fairy tales. The live stream starts at 7:30 tonight, but if you buy a ticket *before* the event you can watch it any time over the next 7 days.

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Merchant Adventurers’ Hall @merchantshallyork.org · 20/04/2026

Testing out Mousso's new character, ForlornVoid's new hair, JoeLeGecko's new lights and Luthbellina's new straps.

3D render of a white man with long brown hair wearing silvery ribbon straps bound around his neck and chest. He looks down and to the left thoughtfully with his lips parted, both hands relaxed in front of his waist.

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We’re very sorry sir but you cannot bring your emotional support dragon in here.

We are looking at a painting of St Liphardus - a 6th-century lawyer, hermit and abbot in Meung-sur-Loire near Orléans, France. He is wearing bishops clothing including a surplus and mitre and is holding a crook. On a lead is a small knee high green and blue dragon.

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Audible is trying to get me to preorder the new Murderbot book that I... uh, already preordered, and it knows this (I double-checked), but it's still waving its hopeful little flag anyway,

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

On a related note, the ramyun scene in D.P. Deserter Pursuit lives rent-free in my head. It's not bad, it's a very relatable scene where the two mains are eating ramyun in the packet (not cup) and discussing the chemicals in it. It's the first role I saw Koo Kyo-hwan in, and made me an instant fan.

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jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Fuck the blender donut guy. There are much better tutorials and even aside from being an AI shill, he's a creep

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Aphna @aphna.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I'm (more) depressed and not in the mood to cook, so it's jin-jjajang ramyun with the handy warning "Product is very hot after heating" for dinner. This ramen pot is genuinely one of the best things I've ever bought.