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penfold

@instrumentalwalrus.com
323 followers 281 following 180 posts

writer of things, stories, & other wordments. no AI, none of the time. he/they. could be Heat Miser. read me at instrumentalwalrus.com/blog.html and/or justpenfold.com/stories. I'm also an editor at @TLDRpress.bsky.social

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Marie Vibbert @reasie.bsky.social · 23h
My two-year Social Media Experiment concludes that you don't gotta do social media at all, actually. Read more: www.marievibbert.com/hows-the-socia…
beautiful white cat in cozy living room with text social media quality control officer
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Mia V. Moss @magicrobotcarnival.com · 22h
I'm over at the ever-delightful @maryrobinettekowal.com's blog today, talking about writing The Heresy of Thieves! maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/my-f...
maryrobinettekowal.com
My Favorite Bit: Mia V. Moss talks about THE HERESY OF THIEVES
Mia V. Moss is joining us today to talk about their novel, The Heresy of Thieves. Here’s the publisher’s description: Vael stole magic from the gods for Her people and put an end to centuries of un…
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 14/10/2026
like toenail fungus, AI is almost everywhere now. I wrote down a few thoughts about it in a blog post: instrumentalwalrus.com/blog/2026-10...
instrumentalwalrus.com
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sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26) @slhawthorn.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Books are neat and my book is neat specifically and if you like spooky books, especially Canadian-set historical fantasy, do I have the book for you! 👻🌊😈 2026debuts.com/book/a-fate-...
2026debuts.com
A Fate Worse Than Drowning – 2026 Debut Books
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 14/10/2026
y'all missing the point so completely, it gave ME whiplash.
static.klipy.com
Ellie Sattler's 'No Idea' Moment in Jurassic Park
Alt: Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) in Jurassic Park makes a 'whoosh' motion over her head.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 14/10/2026
I still haven't recovered from "physical year" for "fiscal year" in dayjob meetings.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 13/10/2026
starting from kindergarten and onward, I couldn't sit still. demonstrated to everyone when class was watching a movie, but I was running my hand around my desk like a horse, and imagining how it would fly. teacher said loudly "maybe let your friend rest and watch the movie?" and everyone laughed.
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Runs with scissors in the dark @tevistickles.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Unpopular opinion:
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Hillbilly Highlander @hillhighlander.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
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Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 09/10/2026
New #WriterBeware blog post: Two artists' decisions to go public this week reveal new concerns at Must Read Magazines, which was the subject of controversy last year over its unfriendly contract terms writerbeware.blog/2026/10/09/m...
writerbeware.blog
More Rights Grabs from Must Read Magazines - Writer Beware
In early 2025, a group called Must Read Magazines acquired a suite of six well-known genre fiction magazines: Asimov’s Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, The Magazine of Fantasy & Scien...
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 08/10/2026
once again, Lyla up a tree. good lord this freakin cat.
Lyla, a fluffy white cat, stuck in the higher branches of an ash tree overhead.
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Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 08/10/2026
More concerning info about rights grabs by Must Read magazines, this time for artwork. Side note: looks like they’re still doing the interminable and not necessarily fruitful negotiation process that writers have reported.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 07/10/2026
news.mit.edu/2026/margare... farewell and godspeed, Margaret. thank you for the moon.
news.mit.edu
Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90
Margaret H. Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died at age 90.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 07/10/2026
Check out Mia talking about her book in Scalzi's Big Idea: whatever.scalzi.com/2026/10/07/t...
whatever.scalzi.com
The Big Idea: Mia V. Moss
A lot can happen when you take a one-thousand year nap, and there may or may not be consequences when you wake up. Author Mia V. Moss takes an interesting look at false narratives and wrongf…
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 07/10/2026
how I arrived on bluesky
static.klipy.com
Kayaker Flips into Water - Failarmy
ALT: Kayaker Flips into Water - Failarmy
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 07/10/2026
I just had my first ever pumpkin spice latte. it was... well. I don't think there will be a second. PSL crew, all yours. enjoy.
static.klipy.com
Pumpkin Head Enjoys Halloween PSL
ALT: Pumpkin Head Enjoys Halloween PSL
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 07/10/2026
@magicrobotcarnival.com good stuff in the mail today, this looks awesome!
Tobi the cat sitting in his chair with his smiley pillow and his new book, The Heresy of Thieves by Mia V Moss. He always dog-ears the pages.
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Mia V. Moss @magicrobotcarnival.com · 06/10/2026
The Heresy of Thieves is out in the world TODAY! Why not treat yourself to a new fall fantasy featuring: 🌈 LGBTQ+ characters/world ⚔️ Battles, sword fights, skirmishes 🍺 Questionable choices 🫂 Found family 🧚 Mythical creatures 🏰 Political intrigues 🕸️ Giant snuggly spooders books2read.com/u/mVdK7J
books2read.com
Available now at your favorite digital store!
The Heresy of Thieves by Mia V. Moss
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Simkaye 🌈 @simkaye.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
anyone else feel like this
A digital illustration of a quetzalcoatlus perched on telephone wires among a flock of crows
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emma burnett @slashnburnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amirite tho
White text on yellow-orange ombré background that reads:
Don't let Al ruin your writing.
It's your writing.
Ruin it yourself.

Amirite
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 29/09/2026
so... black tie and tails?
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 29/09/2026
late sunset colors in middle Indiana
a dark silhouette of trees beneath fiery orange clouds reaching across the sky
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 22/09/2026
Tyrannosaurus xkcd.com/3300/
Comic. [Person with long hair pointing to diagram with Tyrannosaurus Rex standing next to a person.] PERSON: We now believe the primary prey of Tyrannosaurus Rex was these humans who kept standing next to it for scale.
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This aired just the once in 1998 on the live SNL show for which McKay wrote it. It was effectively banned as it never aired again. I wonder why. MEDIA-OPOLY
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AgonyFlips @agonyflips.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
When you're ticked off and a friend sends you something to make you feel better. 🐑🔊
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15/09/2026
some chud interviewing for patel’s FBI: “if anything the goat fucked *me*”
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K.C. Mead-Brewer @kcmeadbrewer.com · 02/04/2026
beyond delighted to share my new story "Even After You're Gone," fresh now with the lovely @bulbregion.bsky.social! check it out 🦇⚡
bulbregion.com
Even After You’re Gone, by K.C. Mead-Brewer — The Bulb Region
Even After You’re Gone — K.C. Mead-Brewer RIPLEY’S CAT IS A SMALL CAT. Here,...
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 11/09/2026
recurring PSA: remember, after you handle hot peppers, WASH YOUR HANDS *BEFORE* YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM. yours in tears of agony, Bernie Johnson
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Runs with scissors in the dark @tevistickles.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Mmmm.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 04/09/2026
mydialect.us/quiz-standar... this was interesting. I had no idea I was from Delaware. (full disclosure: I'm from WV northern panhandle, so it's not crazy wrong, but.)
a USA map showing areas of "most like me" and "least like me" based on words and phrases. Delaware shows closest alignment, followed by south Florida and then USA southwest centered around California. Deep south and upper midwest are least like.
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 03/09/2026
Launchpad xkcd.com/3291/
Comic. [Two large engines on the ground upside-down, with spacecraft pod in between.] PERSON to another person: To reduce the spacecraft’s weight, we’re mounting the engines on the launchpad and having them push the *Earth* away from the *spacecraft*.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 30/08/2026
post your getaway vehicle.
Snoopy on his doghouse (or his Sopwith Camel, depending upon your perspective), which is riddled with bullet holes and smoking after an encounter with his nemesis, the Red Baron.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 28/08/2026
the moon at 90%-ish eclipsed. picture taken by my son with his starter telescope and iphone held to the eyepiece.
the moon, shadowed almost completely except for bright thumbnail on upper left. the shadowed space takes on a reddish tinge toward the lower right.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 25/08/2026
youtu.be/zi_XPQ4tq40 thank you, Dolly. we love you. we will miss you.
youtu.be
Dolly Parton The Story (From Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates The Story) (Audio)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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Mia V. Moss @magicrobotcarnival.com · 25/08/2026
My first novel comes out in exactly SIX WEEKS from Dark Matter Ink, and right now over on Goodreads you can enter to win a signed hardback copy! 💙📚🌈🪐 #booksky #indieauthors www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Goodreads Giveaway promo image, featuring the pink-winged manticore on the cover of The Heresy of Thieves by Mia V. Moss. Notes around the book cover read:
* Magic is in RUINS and so is his HEART
* Giant (cuddly!) jumping spiders
* 90's epic fantasy vibes
* Queer trainwrecks galore
* Yes, the wings are swords!
* God or demon in her head?
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 25/08/2026
Blackwater Falls in West Virginia yesterday, 2026-08-24. loud but kinda soothing at the same time. 62 feet/19 meters high.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 24/08/2026
No cheating. Share the last picture of the sky from your camera roll.
night view of a lake under a cloudy sky with moon glow visible through the clouds
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 18/08/2026
I love Indiana. Nowhere else can you order a house salad light on the onions and come away with three giant fistfuls of onions on a sumptuous bed of greens consisting of a small tomato and a singe lettuce leaf.
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Phil PlAIt @philplait.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Orange you glad I'm here to point out how grocery stores use deceptive optical illusions to get you to buy produce? badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-optical... 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
An optical illusion that’s ripe for the picking
Deceptive package coloring fools the eye
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Uncanny Magazine @uncannymagazine.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
PLEASE SHARE! Writers! Uncanny Magazine will be open for short story submissions from August 24 to September 7! WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR AMAZING, HUMAN-WRITTEN STORIES! www.uncannymagazine.com/submissions/
Uncanny Magazine will be open for short story submissions from  August 24 to September 7!
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TL;DR Press @tldrpress.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Announcing the winners of the 2026 TL;DR Press 1000 Word Herd Contest! 1st place: Midnight Symphony by MM Schreier 2nd: PETE AND FISHER: Tw0 S0ns, in Three Acts by Joanna McLaughlin 3rd: Delivered by Corrie Haldane These 3 pieces floored us. We are proud to publish these brilliant works. #1kwhc
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Mia V. Moss @magicrobotcarnival.com · 12/08/2026
Out today in the Stardust Dispatch: an excerpt from my forthcoming epic fantasy THE HERESY OF THIEVES stardustnews.magicrobotcarnival.com/stardust-dis... #booksky #indiereads
stardustnews.magicrobotcarnival.com
Stardust Dispatch #11
Read the first two chapters of The Heresy of Thieves!
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 12/08/2026
I'm all for writing down dream notes in the middle of the night while things are still fresh, but I just found this from some time earlier this year. ...I have no idea.
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Packy Smith @packysmith.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It’s almost lunch time on a Monday, and I’ve made a command decision. I don’t want do this work thing anymore. Let’s all take the rest of the week off and see how we feel about it next week.
A cartoon goose with a coffee says, “ let’s call it a week guys… we did our best.”
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Runs with scissors in the dark @tevistickles.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I always appreciate it when other people make typos too.
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penfold @instrumentalwalrus.com · 09/08/2026
emergency trip to B&N, and look what's right up front. @slhawthorn.bsky.social
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sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26) @slhawthorn.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I don't want email summaries I don't want youtube video summaries I don't want search summaries I don't want anything made by a water-guzzling liar and thief with no mind, soul, or bigger purpose other than making everything around me worse, uglier and warmer. No amount of pop ups will convince me!
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Sort of Damocles @sortofdamocles.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I hope everyone caught the kayfabing during Blanche: 🤼‍♂️🤼‍♂️ Tillis and Cornyn both no with ultimatums, both cave 🤼‍♂️🤼‍♂️ Collins a no as soon as Rs have enough yes votes 🤼‍♂️🤼‍♂️ Cassidy wavers but caves (RFK redux) 🤼‍♂️🤼‍♂️ Murkowski a no as soon as Cassidy turns yes It's all a game, folks.
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Saganism @sagan.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Dr. Anthony Fauci urges Americans not to accept "Normalization of Untruths".
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 06/08/2026
Over on Whatever today, I'm talking about "AI" and creativity and how, when it comes to learning creative skills, Generative "AI" is rather like the old "Guitar Hero" game, i.e., a really fun way not to actually learn how to do a creative thing: whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/06/g...
whatever.scalzi.com
Generative “AI”: The Guitar Hero of Creativity
So, you’re a person who has decided to embark on a creative journey of self-expression — to make art, in other words. First off, this is awesome! The universe needs more people making a…
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