iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Maddie Block

Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The literacy crisis is not just referring to people's ability to literally read and write. It's also people's inability to read for context. I've been a public educator for over 20 years and I have never, ever seen it this bad.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

All anyone in my office wants to talk about is the Elizabeth Holmes/Nathan Fielder documentary trailer and I'm not mad about it

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Coworkers: What did you do this weekend? Me, a liar: Oh, just hung out with some friends What I really did: watched Obsession (I don't enjoy horror movies) and got so scared I cried and couldn't pee by myself for several hours

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I had a filling appointment today, but my dental office scheduled it wrong and set it as a cleaning, so I was like "I was literally here 3 weeks ago and you guys told me I have a cavity and that I was getting a filling today, which you also already charged me for" and they were like "no we didn't" 🫠

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Okay I get the Barcelona hype now

A woman in a pink floral dress looking at the Sagrada Familia at night

A human tower in front of the Sagrada Familia

A couple posting in front of the Sagrada Familia

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Took the day off today so I wouldn't be stressed packing for my Barcelona trip, and got up early to do a workout class, splurged on a mani/pedi to be beach ready, and got myself my favorite latte so I kind of feel like a dog having a good last day before getting put down

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hell yeah man I'll drink a large cold brew at 6:30am at the airport on an empty stomach right before my flight what could go wrong

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The only thing getting me through the work week is knowing that in ~10 days, I'll be sitting on a beach in Barcelona 🍹

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Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com

imaginationlibrary.com

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Got my 10th rejection today, so I suppose that's something of a querying milestone for my book. So far, since I started querying at the beginning of July, I've queried 35 agents, gotten 1 full request, and now 10 rejections. Onwards and upwards! #AmQuerying #WritingCommunity

static.klipy.com

Thomas Durant Durant

ALT: Thomas Durant Durant

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Me when a coworker makes a mistake at work: It happens, no worries at all! Me when *I* make a mistake at work: I'm the stupidest person to ever live and I deserve to be paraded through the streets and publicly shamed

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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Part of the reason a lot of super rich people are so awful is that when normal people get an absurd amount of money, they immediately start looking around for who they can help.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

This should not have to be said, but not every story about the Korean American experience is going to be exactly the same as Crying in H Mart and it feels a bit microaggression-y that the feedback I got in a rejection from an agent is that my book needs to be more like Crying in H Mart 🤔 #AmQuerying

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Not the point of the House of the Dragon season finale by any means but it did make me want to get back into embroidery

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I know this is such a minor complaint about The Odyssey but the American accents kind of took me out of it. I was half expecting Matt Damon's Odysseus to stop at Dunkin after tricking the Cyclops #wickedsmaht

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I taught my boyfriend that viral German TikTok song "Gut Genug" and now he won't stop singing it and all I hear from the kitchen as he's making coffee is DU BIST GUT GENUUUUUGGGGG What have I done

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

One of my coworkers declined a meeting invite, so I sent her a message asking if there was a time that worked better and she was like "no sorry, I won't be here that day, I'll be at a funeral" so I offered my condolences and she goes "it's fine, my grandma died and tbh I didn't really like her" 😂

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Still riding the high from seeing BTS at Metlife this weekend 💜 #ARMY

A woman in a white shirt at a stadium before a concert

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Okay so turns out having the posture of an overcooked cocktail shrimp is starting to cause actual problems because tell me why for 2 days now I've woken up with the WORST back pain of my entire life 🙃

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

A little after lunch nap should be allowed at work imho

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Beach, piña coladas, pastries, Korean handrolls... not a bad weekend! ☀️

A pink box full of raw fish for Korean handrolls

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GinaDobsonBAB @ginadobson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

After my abuser turns my miscarriage into a murder charge, I’m thrown in jail while a manipulative DA uses my case for exposure. Branded the “Murdering Mommy,” I'm given an impossible choice: Risk everything to prove my innocence or plead guilty to be free. #Questpit #Q #NF #M

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Suzy A. Win @suzyawin.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

A martial artist must weave scarves for her brothers, and questions her existence when she discovers she's a creature she loathes and one a sorcerer seeks to experiment on—a destroyer of her homelands. 🦢 The Six Swans loose retelling 🇲🇲 Lethwei MC ⚔️ Ares-inspired ML 🧚and faes! #QuestPit #W #F #SFF

first- some star flowers
second - an extreme close up of a asian girl's face
third - bandaged wrapped around an arm
forth - geese flying from the water
fifth - a guy and a girl sitting together on a hill
sixth - a torso shot of a woman looking around
seventh - a girl with a flower crown
eighth - dirty bare feet
ninth - a head of a marble stature stuck in some vines

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Anna Deh-is editing✍️ @annadehwrites.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

NOSFERATU X MONSTERS INC After a ritual gone wrong lands a horror fan in a terrifying house of monsters, she must partner with her own sleep paralysis monster to find a way back home. He’s a nightmare in more ways than one… But so is she. #RevPit 2026 winner #questpit #YA #A #horrormance #H #R

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Elise Betz #amquerying and seeking representation @elisebetz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

THE SUN DIAMOND PRINCESS & THE BLIND ASSASSIN #questpit #Q #A #RF 👸Bi-racial #BIPOC FMC 👨‍🦯Blind #Disabled MMC 🛌One bed at the shepherd's hut 💔Triangle between love and duty 🌲Pining, slow burn 🌶️Spice 💍HEA with a wedding

Moodboard.
Text in central square:
The Sun Diamond Princess & the Blind Assassin
106K Adult Dual POV Stand Alone Romantasy by Elise Betz

Images: Windswept tree by a grray rocky coast, character art of Myra and Arzhang standing face to face, Rocky coast of warm, eastern Mediterranean city by blue waters, Castle across a long bridge, a carriage followed by armed men on horseback, character art of Arzhang pinning the emperor down with a knife to his throat, character art of Princess Myra in a shredded white gown with a sword/cane, holding hands with Arzhang in court dress and the emperor standing behind them in formal military blue dress, character art of Princess Myra in her leather breastplate sword practice gear.

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Mike Mizov @mikemizov.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

HE SAVED THE KINGDOM ONCE. MAYBE HE SHOULDN’T HAVE. Disgraced Grand Inquisitor Wynsten is hired to find a missing ambassador. Instead, he uncovers forbidden magic and a conspiracy rooted in the blood ritual that made him a legend and ruined his life. #QuestPit #Q #A #DF #MY

INQUISITOR FOR HIRE

ADULT DARK FANTASY NOIR · 93,000 WORDS · MULTI-POV · STANDALONE

Once Rysia’s feared Grand Inquisitor, Wynsten now catches adulterers to make rent. When he is hired to find a missing ambassador before an uneasy peace collapses, the case leads him through forbidden magic, vanished daughters, and a conspiracy tied to the royal blood ritual that made him a legend, ruined his life, and fused the empire’s worst secrets to his chest.

A MISSING AMBASSADOR.
A DISGRACED LEGEND.
A KINGDOM ROTTING FROM WITHIN.

OPENING LINES

“The heretics had nowhere left to run. Wynsten had made sure of that.

Months of blood and smoke had led him beneath the Sovereign’s castle, into the old mines carved through the bedrock. A stronghold under the heart of the kingdom.

These apostates would face justice here or burn.”

Twenty years before he became an investigator for hire, Wynsten stopped a ritual fueled by Rysia’s own royal blood.

A FANTASY INVESTIGATION WITH TEETH

THREE TOUCHSTONES. ONE DECAYING EMPIRE.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan - Institutional rot and compromised justice

The Tainted Cup - a secondary-world mystery engine

Chinatown - slow-burn corruption and a poisoned victory

INSIDE THE CASE

A dark-fantasy noir for readers who want the mystery and the damage.

A post-conquest secondary world inspired by the Crusader states

Fallen hero / disgraced legend

Missing ambassador

Forbidden magic

Secrets beneath the city

Corruption at the highest level

Reluctant found family

Power no one understands

Morally gray choices

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

My mother was sent away from Korea as an infant. 50 years later, I returned to search for what we lost. WHERE THE TIGERS DIED explores the predatory adoption industry that erased my family's history and my attempt to reconcile with a homeland that feels both foreign and familiar. #QuestPit #M #Q

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I got a Slack message at work from someone on the payroll team whose last name is Hightower reminding me to approve my direct report's time card, and I was so tempted to respond "I've bent the knee to Rhaenyra, the rightful queen so I will not be taking orders from the usurpers"

static.klipy.com

Rhaenyra Targaryen: Bend The Knee - House Of The Dragon

ALT: Rhaenyra Targaryen: Bend The Knee - House Of The Dragon

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Tonight's been an emotional roller coaster. I got a rejection from an agent I *really* thought would be a good fit for my book, and ngl I cried. But right after that rejection, I got a lovely message from an old friend who I hadn't heard from in 2 years!!! And it was like no time has even passed!

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Colin Dickey @colindickey.com · 22/07/2026

Please stop arguing about the historical accuracy of an adaptation of a book that has a cyclops and a couple of witches and some giants. I’m begging you.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ocasio-cortez.house.gov · 22/07/2026

Tomorrow, the House will vote on the NDAA, which includes a provision to merge parts of our military with the IDF. This amendment is an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy. Every member of Congress must vote NO.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Kimchi, galbi, and seasoned bean sprouts from scratch for dinner 😋

A dinner plate with kimchi, white rice, bean sprouts and galbi

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Just got another agent rejection, which is two in one day, and brings my grand total up to 3 rejections out of 13 queries so far since I started quering a couple weeks ago. Obviously rejections are disappointing, but still trying to stay optimistic! #amquerying #writingcommunity

static.klipy.com

Winona Ryder Hot Ones

ALT: Winona Ryder Hot Ones

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Spain deserved to win purely because every video I've seen of Lamine Yamal and his younger brother is the cutest thing I have ever seen 🥺 #worldcup #fifa

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Queried an agent about an hour ago and just got a form rejection. On the one hand, it's nice to get a quick answer, but on the other hand... damn, was my query THAT bad? 😂

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Just made a very large batch of kimchi and I forgot I didn't have disposable gloves before I started making the kimchi so now my hand skin feels spicy

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Bereket Writers @bereketwriters.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This month we’re excited to have memoirist @maddieblock.bsky.social hosting ✨ New to Bereket? This is your invite to come say hi! When? Sunday, July 12 at 3 pm Eastern Time 🔗 Sign up via the link in bio or at bereketwriters.org/social-hour.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I didn't have high expectations for Beacon: Dia but this is honestly one of my favorite art museums in New York now!

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

EVERYBODY SHUT UP AND PRE-ORDER MIKE'S BOOK RIGHT NOW (I beta read this and absolutely LOVED it)

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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

It is really fun to live in NYC right now. The Knicks won and our mayor is basically a Disney character who just jumped into a pool with a bunch of kids and we had a ridiculously good pride and it’s hot and humid and that sucks …

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I'm going to need several business days to recover from the new episode of House of the Dragon

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The Mouthy Renegade Writer @mouthyrenegade.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Plus, they make it so many never open their own businesses due to the insane cost of health insurance for the self-employed. What a scam.

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Seeing the Scottish and Iraqi soccer fans in Boston, the Japanese fans in Dallas, and the Moroccan fans in NYC all having the time of their lives interacting with locals and discovering Dunkin and Taco Bell gives me hope that maybe Americans as a whole are not the problem and it really is just Trump

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Brb plotting my escape to Canada 🇨🇦

Two women posing in front of Lake Ontario

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

It's been 3 days since I saw Lorde perform at Gov Ball and I miss it already 😔 severe case of the post-concert blues today

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Maddie Block @maddieblock.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Hey so this is a weird response to Marjane Satrapi's death and not the first post like this that I've seen. Call me crazy, but unless you are a family member or close friend of the deceased, why do you want to know how someone died? It's so parasocial and disrespectful.

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