iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

In 1920, figure skater Theresa Weld was the first woman to do a single Salchow jump at the Olympics, but she was reprimanded by the judges because it caused her skirt to fly up to her knees and was therefore considered indecent.

Vintage photo of Theresa Wells, smiling and posing in ice skates and a dress slightly longer than knee-length.

161

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I've got one. Klinefelter's syndrome

A calico cat peeking out of his little den

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Reno peeking out of his little den

A calico cat peeking out of a cat tree cubby with a funny look on his face

021

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

No cheating. Reskeet with the most recent picture of your pet.

A fluffy calico cat lying on a package of toilet paper like it's a bed just for her.

A short-haired calico cat hiding inside a cat tree surrounded by toys

011

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Reno's face after being told not to chew the Christmas tree

A calico cat making a face like "are you kidding me, human?"

050

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

I don't usually post stuff like this, so mega trigger warning, but this guy...

Ahhhhh @nerdjpg.com
Joined Apr '23
Bluesky Elder
If I'm being entirely honest my view of how many men are abusers shifted dramatically when that 70 yr old French woman in a small town realized her husband was drugging her and like 50+ men within a 15 mile radius had assaulted her w/o her knowledge and this was just happening in the open on the web

R. Stephen Browning @rstephenbrowning.bsky.social
Joined Nov '24
Follow
So the husband videoed each of the now 72 men who he invited over during those years to rape her? It obviously happened, but isn't it odd that she never seemed to realize she had been raped while she was asleep...72 different times?
November 18, 2025 at 7:41 PM

080

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Labelers being accurate in predicting personality type once again. It's like horoscopes except true.

1150

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Who’s your favorite reoccurring (that is not part of the regular cast but kept showing up) sitcom character?

Jean Ralfio and Mona Lisa Sapperstein from Parks and Recreation

Lucille Austero from Arrested Development

031

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Also, also! Panthers are more than one thing. Black leopards, black jaguars, and regular-colored mountain lions are all panthers. There can be a regular leopard and a "black panther" as siblings born in the same litter.

Three tiny leopard cubs. One is black and the others are yellow with black spots.

Two leopards, one black and one yellow with spots. The yellow one is grooming the black one.

041

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Quote this with your reaction to getting left behind during the rapture

A girl grinning and giving a thumbs up alone in a candy store

020

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

I'm enjoying this labeler, though

Screenshot of the above quoted tweet with labels for anti-Black racism, liberal apologia, gloats over harm, trans scapegoating, transphobia, denies U.S. genocide role, joined November 2024.

1140

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Play something like Brick Breaker or Bubble Pop, that goes rapidly from side to side.

020

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I think? It's hard to tell. This is eyelet lace.

000

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Like this but I think the wheel is much wider, like a car tire almost.

Man riding a gas-powered standing unicycle

110

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Post a picture of when your pets were little

Two calico kittens cuddled together. One is tossing her head back dramatically.

A calico kitten dangling from the raised foot of my sister sitting in a chair.

130

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Everyone should just post wedding gowns that are better than Lauren Sanchez Bezos's and we can enjoy looking at them like it's Oscars night. I'm bringing Audrey Hepburn and Lily Allen.

Audrey Hepburn and her husband. She's wearing a white chiffon calf-length dress with a voluminous circle skirt, a wide waist sash with a soft bow in the back, a high collar, and soft leg-o-lamb sleeves that are puffed at the top and tight below the elbow. She's wearing white gloves and a modest wreath of white roses as a crown.

Lily Allen standing on a city sidewalk with her groom. She's wearing a short off-white coat dress that hits above the knee. It's double-breasted with black buttons and a narrow belt. It has a bateau neck with a slight v at the front, and short sleeves. Her hair is styled in a 1960s-style small beehive bun with bangs, and she has a voluminous two-tiered fingertip veil, and a small bouquet of peach and coral roses.

030

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

I was being nosy and wanted to see the full thread and him being yelled at, and ran into this hilarious landslide of blocklists I had to keep unblocking like Russian nesting dolls to be able to see his posts. It wasn't worth it. I never learn.

Adam Sessler again after I unblocked the next blocklist. Now it says he's blocked by "Matty Glassy Ass followers" a blocklist for followers of Matt Yglesias.

Sessler again but now it says user blocked by "Blocklist: Bigots, edgelords, creepers, other"

040

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Update: Tilly really loves two things right now: The new rug my sister got for her birthday, and this bone that belongs to the dog.

A long-haired calico cat blissfully cuddling with a large piece of cow rib bone on a light velvet rug

The same cat in the same position as before, now with a short-haired calico cat on the rug in the background, grooming

000

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Is it Saturday? I heard we you're supposed to post cats on Saturdays Tilly and Reno. For short, Miss Tilly Milly Meow and Be-Bop-a-Reno-oh-Reno-Bambino-Banana-Fana-Feeno.

A long-haired calico cat lying with her hind quarters on one cat tree, her front half on another, and her belly sagging in the middle.

A short-haired calico cat rolling around on a cat tree and looking exceptionally cute while taking a break from evil-doing.

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

If you see this, post an image you have saved because it made you laugh. This medieval illustration of a lady being taken to hell, but it just looks like she and her two demon husbands are standing on the front porch of their hellmouth politely waving goodbye to guests.

A medieval illustration of an elegant young lady in a long pink gown with elaborately braided hair being escorted into the mouth of a gigantic, fire-breathing beast by two very gentle and solicitous demons. The demons are covered in hair, have horns, and one has a face for an ass. The lady appears to be waving and has a calm expression.

151

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

JD Vance has been on here for an hour and has only been blocked by 18,322 people. Can we get him into the top 20 in the next 20 minutes? I at least want to see him surpass the Brazilian Taylor Swift updates. Can we get him more blocked than dril within the hour? To the top by midnight?

Screenshot from Clearsky showing JD Vance's account and that it is blocked by 18,322 accounts

Screenshot from Clearsky showing the top 20 blocked accounts.

Top 20 Blocked
last 24h
jessesingal.com
80,418
nowbreezing.ntw.app
62,898
brianna.bsky.social
60,962
mcuban.bsky.social
48,742
felipeneto.com.br
44,288
killwxve.bsky.social
36,074
krassenstein.bsky.social
35,636
taromagico.bsky.social
34,577
dril.bsky.social
30,783
ousafadenha.bsky.social
29,868
muellershewrote.com
28,739
updateswiftbr.com
28,258
eisinceraa.bsky.social
27,101
joncooper-us.bsky.social
26,963
nytimes.com
25,553
mattyglesias.bsky.social
25,304
TODAY
SAY usatoday.com
24,056
TSBR taylorswift.com.br
23,981
mmpadellan.bsky.social
23,855
thegodpodcast.com
23,847

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Bad comic I made after trying to explain the word "ain't" to someone and the arbitrariness of the rules of languages in general.

Comic titled: Samuel Johnson creates the dictionary. Panel 1 has a list of English contractions. Is not = isn't, are not = aren't, etc. Panel 2 has an 18th century oil painting of Samuel Johnson looking serious. Text reads "very good." Panel 3 shows the list of contractions stamped "approved." Panel 4 reads "am not = ain't." Panel 5 shows an 18th century oil painting of Samuel Johnson peering intensely at a document. Text reads "there's no i in am." Panel 6 shows the word "ain't" stamped "not approved." Panel 7 reads "will not = won't." Panel 8 shows Johnson saying "very good" again. "Won't" is approved. Next panel shows a group of stick figures talking. They say "he ain't gonna do it." "I ain't done anything." "That ain't true." Johnson peers intensely at them and says "you're using that word incorrectly." The stick figures say "you said we ain't allowed to use it at all." Johnson responds "That's true. Stop using it." The stick figures respond "Ain't nobody gonna tell us what to do." Final panel shows an 18th century oil painting of Johnson looking disgusted and perplexed.

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

If you see this post a flower 2 years ago I got this rose named Miranda Lambert (I don't know anything about her as a musician or person, but it's a good rose). They since renamed it Legend of Rossi, I think because the end of a charity partnership. I had no idea you could just grow roses like this

A huge, spectacular rose on a bush, with a hot pink color that seems to almost glow.

Another blossom of the same rose that looks very large next to my hand.

Another of the same rose cut and sitting in a Coca-Cola glass on a shelf.

Three of the same large blossoms on the rose bush.

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Some gigantic roses I grew without knowing they were going to eventually turn out this amazing. I hope you feel better fast!

A very large hot-pink rose growing on a rose bush.

Another very large hot pink rose, larger than my hand, which is holding it toward the camera, along with a car key because I was already holding it and it made for convenient size comparison.

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

I feel like the ones doing the breaking are not headed towards the "oh no" stage at all.

Same webcomic as posted by OP, but modified. In panel 1, a figure in a room full of tables and shelves of items says "I want things to be different." In panel 2, the figure smashes everything with a baseball bat. In the normal version of panel 3, the figure stands amid the wreckage and says "oh no," but here the head from the "Sickos" guy from another comic is pasted over the figures face, leering at the wreckage, saying "Yes... Ha ha ha... YES!"

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

One thing we should have more of in modern times is businesses with signs shaped like what the business is about.

A wrought-iron sign for a tailor shop shaped like a button with a threaded needle stuck through it.

A sign on the side of a building shaped like an open book hanging from an iron bar. An iron blackbird is perched on the bar, peering at the book

An iron frying pan attached to a restaurant wall. There's a white and yellow fried egg sculpted in the pan.

A sign in the shape of a woman's arm and legs wearing high heels, a garter, and a bracelet sticking out from behind a curtain. The hand is holding a champagne glass.

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

This just popped up in my photo app's memories. 3 years ago today, I ordered groceries from Walmart, including a dozen eggs, and these are the eggs they gave me.

A styrofoam egg carton that looks exactly like an ordinary egg carton, but it says "chocolate covered marshmallow eggs"

The open carton, indeed filled with chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. One is missing because I ate it, because even though that's not what I ordered, hey, candy!

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I went to block him and found he's on a block list I subscribe to, so that's cool

240

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only.

Mary Poppins flying over London with her umbrella and carpet bag

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

I don't remember who maintains this labeler or know how to figure it out, but I love it. Does anyone know, if no labels show for a given politician, does that mean they don't receive contributions from organizations, or just that the labeler doesn't have info for that individual?

U.S. Representative Al Green
@algreen.house.gov
No funding sources shown
Skeet reads:
Last night I stood up for those who need Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Democrats will never abandon the fight to make sure every American has a safe, healthy, and financially secure life. #ISaidWhat Said
March 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM Everybody can reply

Attached photo shows Representative Green during last night's presidential address standing, shouting and pointing his cane handle at trump and j.d. vance.

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat
@bennet.senate.gov

Labeler shows funding sources:
Blackstone Group
Lawyers/Law Firms
Retired Donors
University of Colorado
League of Conservation Voters
Securities & Investment

Skeet reads
Trump's plan to cut taxes for his wealthy friends is an insult to the American people. It's time to get serious about tackling our deficit and creating an economy that works for everyone.
March 4, 2025 at 7:55 PM Everybody can reply

Senator Tim Kaine
@kaine.senate.gov
Labeler shows funding sources:
Covington & Burling
JStreetPAC
Lawyers/Law Firms
Retired Donors
League of Conservation Voters
Securities & Investment
Skeet reads
Heartbroken about the aviation disaster near DCA, and continuing to pray for those impacted and for the first responders. I'm gathering more information from local officials, the FAA, and the Army and will be pushing for a thorough investigation into what happened.
January 30, 2025 at 4:23 AM Everybody can reply

Congressman Donald Norcross
@norcross.house.gov

Labeler shows funding sources:
American Israel Public Affairs Cmte
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Building Trade Unions
Conner, Strong & Buckelew
Lawyers/Law Firms
Real Estate

Pinned Skeet reads:
Hi Bluesky! I'm Congressman Donald Norcross, a union electrician from South Jersey who is a voice for workers in Congress. I believe the best social program is a good-paying job, and will always fight to put workers and their families first.
January 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM Everybody can reply

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

When the picture *technically* goes with the headline, but there's something extra that the text doesn't really cover.

A medieval painting of a woman wearing a shift, which is a nightgown-like undergarment, and sitting calmly on a bed, holding a bloody knife. A man is tucked into the bed behind her and appears to be dying from a stab wound. The headline reads "Medieval female underwear - women's underwear in the middle ages. What did medieval female underwear look like? Did they wear a bra? What about underpants?"

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Yes, but not for federal employees working against this administration if it causes the slightest risk they'll be fired.

Call for general strike and shutdown beginning on March 15th

000

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Everyone is saying this, and I'm so on board, but I haven't seen one single person mention one single specific demand.

#SHUTDOWN315
BEGINS ON MARCH 15TH MAKE IT LAST UNTIL THEY BREAK Total Shutdown
ON MARCH 15, 2025, everything stops.
No work. No shopping. No travel. No compliance.
From the cities to the countryside, we shut it all down. They cannot ignore us if the entire nation stands still.
This is not a strike. This is not a protest.
This is a SHUTDOWN.
Together, we will freeze the system until they listen. The power is in our hands let's use it.
ON MARCH 15, 2025, THE COUNTRY STOPS. THE CHANGE BEGINS.
People's Voice

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I've seen everything from 3 days to indefinite

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

This is going around. I want to find out what the specific demands are, though. I'm not seeing that anywhere.

110

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

There's this. I would like to know what the specific demands are, though.

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

What are people saying the specific demands are, here? What do you think they should be? Humor me, here. Let's act like we're planning this for serious. I say to the two people who courtesy-like my skeets sometimes. What do we want?

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I thought everyone was saying March 15th (but I also heard 3 days to three weeks. This version basically says indefinite?)

Hashtag SHUTDOWN315
BEGINS ON MARCH 15TH MAKE IT LAST UNTIL THEY BREAK Total Shutdown
ON MARCH 15, 2025, everything stops.
No work. No shopping. No travel. No compliance.
From the cities to the countryside, we shut it all down. They cannot ignore us if the entire nation stands still.
This is not a strike. This is not a protest.
This is a SHUTDOWN.
Together, we will freeze the system until they listen. The power is in our hands let's use it.
ON MARCH 15, 2025, THE COUNTRY STOPS. THE CHANGE BEGINS.
People's Voice

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Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

The other is supposed to be March 15th. Sorry, I forgot to post the thing with the date on it. This one is sort of connected to the one that's asking for sign-ups, which was estimated for March 15th, but I think people are just doing it, independent of the sign-up one.

A call for a general strike and shutdown on March 15th.

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Anyone want to see Tilly chasing a toy way up high, half hanging out of her sky box thing, and scaring the crap out of me just a little bit?

A cute calico cat halfway out of a hole in a wooden box attached to the wall above a door, reaching for a rainbow toy on a platform a foot away.

020

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Thanks for the reposts, but it might do more good to share the original post instead of my quote-post, because you can't see the original message in a double quote-post.

010

Laine Ballou @laineballou.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

If anyone's curious about how it's going on Rednote, no, China has not recruited Americans into joining the CCP, and no, Americans haven't capitalism-pilled Chinese netizens. Instead, we seem to be unintentionally radicalizing them into a movement to rescue us.

您有哪些问题想问
美国人,但一直
不敢问?
(What are some
questions you have
for Americans but
have been too
afraid to ask?)
Do you have any questions
for Americans? I hope that translation is right, I don't
speak Chinese
你有什么问题要问
美国人吗?

Let's chat! Do you have any
questions for Americans? ...

Any questions you may have for
Americans? Since
you are all so kind
and welcoming, all
respectful

I'm American. (Florida)
Ask me anything!
我是美国人。
有什么问题就问我吧!
questions
answered

你们有什么问题想问美国人吗?由于你们都如此友善...
Ask an American Questions!
#tiktokrefugee #english...
Chinese friends, i would love to hear about some American stereotypes you guys believe in!, # 中国朋友们,我很想听听你们相信的一些美国刻板印象! I will make sure to answer all your questions about America but I also want to hear what you guys are taught or think about us and I can say wether its true or not I will definitely answer all
your questions about the United States, but I also want to hear what you are taught or what you think of us. I can say whether it is true or false.
UUU
W

(Questions from Chinese Rednote users)

Americans have free medical care

Is it true that medical care is free?

I heard that the United States has a lot of holidays? Half of the year is spent on vacation and traveling. Is this true?

Someone told me that you can buy a large villa by washing dishes in a restaurant in the US for three months

I heard that you never do work-related things on days off, and you never reply to work emails or answer work calls on holidays. Is that true?

"American companies value their employees' life time. Americans only need to work 8 hours and have a normal rest on weekends to support their entire family and travel. Companies are afraid of being sued by employees and prohibit them from working overtime. If employees are forced to work overtime, the union will prevent it and increase employee benefits and wages." Is this true?

Americans have big houses, cars, pets, maybe a few kids, the best education in the world, the best healthcare in the world but very cheap, generous pay for working 6 hours a day, and more than one trip per year. It's like heaven

The widely circulated America on the Chinese Internet: free medical care, free education, easy work, drinking coffee, listening to music, no physical labor, a maximum of 40 hours per week, exceeding the company will be punished, and you are not allowed to be disturbed during non-working hours, and you have a lot of vacations and psychological counseling. The government will provide cash, food, and shelter to the people. Americans are very studious, they don't play with their phones when taking the subway, they read books and study. People only need to work for a few years to buy a big house, and some people even have their own farms. This is what we hear about America

(Replies from American Rednote users)

If that is what they are saying about Americans, they are lying to you. A lot of us work multiple jobs and cannot afford to buy a house. A lot cannot even afford to rent without having another person sharing the bills.
Maybe in the 1970s but now you can work 2 office jobs and still live in your car!

No. Most of us can't afford to go on vacation. My boss couldn't use his 2 weeks vacation at the end of this year because they wouldn't allow him. He lost his earned vacation time.

Not true at all. Most Americans are one surprise bill away from homelessness.

We'd rather uber than take an ambulance

We are not rich. We are all on survival mode. Work to pay your bills

: I took amoxillin meant for fish tanks and used antibiotic ointment available for regular purchase

No. Most people have to work more than 1 job to even survive. We can't rest on the weekends as we have to work our second jobs. We are forced to work over time all the time, even on salary. Such as teachers. They're never off.

No way lol you are lucky if you can afford rent washing dishes, wouldn't be weird to be living out of your car or something

Not true at all, a lot of us live just above the poverty line.

In my town it is very cold and snowing, they're sleeping in tents by railroad tracks

no,l chatted with an American girl,half of her sallary,cost to rent an apartment

i wish.. 3 months of washing dishes will get you a single bedroom apartment and bread. that's it

I wash dishes and I can't would be homeless if I didn't live with my parents

You really can't, and with our insurance companies denying life saving measures, it maybe cheaper to just die if you get cancer or something like that

Has speaking to Americans on this
app changed the
way you see us?

(Replies from Chinese users)
We thought we were doing badly, but
we talked to you about all aspects of life and work,
and some of us even wanted to donate money to
you

It seems that ordinary workers in our two countries really share the same suffering.

60k homeless people?
OMG it's so terrible
where do they sleep?
just on the ground outside?

Ok I see. It seems
that Americans don't live easily either
We are all struggling for lives

It turns out that the lower class
people here and in the United States are all the same as
cattle and horses [laughing and crying R]

Do you
think USA
have
worker led
revolution?

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