iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12h

I’ve read entire novels that don’t communicate as much about their protagonist as this one paragraph evokes.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12h

Right off the bat, 10/10 opening paragraph. This is why Shirley Jackson is the GOAT.

Opening paragraph to Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle:
“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the deathcup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My therapist: You should choose a daily affirmation. Me: In brightest day, in darkest night, I'll embrace my fear, I'll do what's right. I choose this ring, I choose this fight, In service to this lantern's light.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Look, I am a proud Luddite. But we’re really going off the rails here with folks suspecting everything of being AI, and it offends me as a ‘90s kid who grew up playing adventure games. Y’all just don’t appreciate what FMV adventure games used to look like.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The original Universal monster movies feel a bit silly now, and they certainly added more ridiculous stuff to them as time went on. But the ones that people still remember fondly--Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, The Mummy--they weren't played for laughs. And I think that makes a difference.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

And that's where the Dark Universe goes off the rails. You don't necessarily need them to be super scary horror movies. But what you can't have is Tom Cruise winking at the camera, cracking jokes, and not really taking any of it seriously.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Not all Gothic pieces necessarily need to be horror. Look at Jane Eyre. It's not really horror, but it's still one of the defining pieces of Gothic literature. Gothic romance is a whole other subgenre. And the thing about Jane Eyre is that you're never really confused about what Jane is feeling.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Then take the Dark Universe. I've criticized these movies for being superhero movies instead of horror. But I think we could even go deeper than that. Because there's probably a version of this that could have worked leaning more into dark fantasy than pure horror.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

What Interview with the Vampire gets right is that every feeling is the BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT thing that anyone has ever felt. And sure, one could say that's somewhat childish or unrealistic. But it feels refreshing in contrast to the insincerity that marks so much of today's internet culture.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I think this is part of why something like Penny Dreadful or adaptations like del Toro's Frankenstein or AMC's Interview with the Vampire work while Universal's attempt at creating a Dark Universe for their monster characters really didn't.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Today, rationalism feels long gone, but instead we live in an age of this sort of ironic detachment where everything is a joke or a meme. There seems to be a certain reluctance to having characters who actually *feel* things and let the audience sit with that.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Thinking as we head into spooky season about how much I enjoy some good Gothic horror, and I think we could use a little more Gothic sensibilities today. Gothic literature was in many ways a response to Enlightenment rationalism that says, "Actually, our feelings and passions are also essential."

Is the Cure to Male Loneliness Reading Gothic Literature?

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

We’ve seriously lost the plot on what rights are.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Let’s see what do I need to run Blood of the Dawnwalker? Hundreds of dollars in PC hardware upgrades. What do I need to run Thousand Year Old Vampire? A pen, a notebook, and some dice.

timhutchings.itch.io

Thousand Year Old Vampire by timhutchings

PDF and HARDBACK available. A beautiful, sad, solo RPG about the crush of time and vampires.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Lanterns is a wild show. Imagine you’re John Stewart. You have this shockingly abusive childhood. Years of rigorous physical and psychological training. All to hone you into becoming the perfect Green Lantern candidate. Then you find out that the next guy in line for a ring is freaking Guy Gardner.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

A gaming event with this and Cones of Dunshire would slap.

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Reposted by Mike Godesky

Radical Graffiti @radicalgraffiti.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"No government will ever care about you except for your ability to do work. Talk to your neighbours, care for each other" Spotted in Somerset, UK

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

See? You shouldn’t have *social* anxiety. You should have *existential* anxiety based on the knowledge that the world is a cold and uncaring place that doesn’t consider you at all.

Ad for a card with strategies for helping with social anxiety. Text reads, “WHEN I'M AFRAID OF WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME”
“Most people are far more focused on themselves than they are on me. I don't have to perform calm, I just have to keep going.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

How many times has this happened? You’re reading book, and someone asks, “What’s that you’re reading?” And you hold up the book to show them the cover. Can’t do that on a regular phone. Or they see the cover and go, “I love that book!” And now you’re in a conversation about your favorite book.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Okay, I think the iPhone Duo looks awful. But if we have to have these, ngl, I don’t hate this idea. This whole trend of “reading in public is performative” is dumb and bad. But also, even though it’s a largely solitary activity, there is a social aspect to reading that can get lost on a phone.

Post with an image of a man on public transit reading on an iPhone Duo phone with the book cover displayed on the outer screen. The post reads, “iPhones Duo Performative Mode”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Old enough to remember two years ago when Republicans thought that people getting $3,600 in stimulus money over a year to help with a once-in-a-lifetime global health crisis had ruined the economy. Now the economy is even worse, and they’re just like, “Here’s $5K if you vote for us.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

In the Spider-Man video game, Peter Parker is shown wearing a green and purple plaid shirt. In the language of comic book adaptation costume design, I recognize that this is setting up Peter becoming Green Goblin. I know this because I am a real comic book fan.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

That’s interesting. I went to Walgreens and didn’t have any issues. They just asked when I scheduled the appointment if I had any of those conditions, but no one asked which one I had or demanded that I present a doctor’s note. But maybe they’re cracking down this year.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The most shocking revelation in all these stories about Natalie Harp is the clip showing that there’s actually an entire room full of people who offer input on Trump’s social media posts and they’re not just the impulsive stream of consciousness of one senile old man with no filter.

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Reposted by Mike Godesky

Revolutionary Giuli @giuli.revolutionarygames.co · 18/08/2026

There’s a GoFundMe to support the brave healthcare workers fighting Ebola in the DRC. American dollars go WAY farther there than they would here, so even if you can’t afford to give much, every little bit truly does make a difference.

gofundme.com

Donate to Support Rebuild Hope Africa's Fight Against Ebola in Congo, organized by Sonya Stokes

I'm Dr. Sonya Stokes, an emergency physician based in Californ… Sonya Stokes needs your support for Support Rebuild Hope Africa's Fight Against Ebola in Congo

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I recently watched the movie Columbus, and I’ve been thinking a lot about this scene. Given all the talk recently about the attention economy, I wonder if there’s something to this distinction of attention vs interest. Because then the question is why have people lost interest in reading?

youtu.be

Columbus (2017) Attention

YouTube video by Jon Smith

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

“Not nearly long enough.” 👀

Frame from the film Battleship Potemkin saying, “Impotent rage boiling over.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

There is one obvious solution, and that’s more Green Arrow.

Comic book panel showing Green Arrow telling Green Lantern, “Oh, typical. Control the people and spare the cops.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Okay, well if that’s the case, then the polls still failed to correctly account for what the pool of likely voters would look like.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Even then, last day polling had Hong up by double digits. It might be time to admit that political polls are kind of busted in the modern era. I think many pollsters have struggled with getting accurate samples. When’s the last time anyone answered a phone call from an unknown number?

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I don’t think the open primary is a major factor. Republicans think Hong is a better candidate for them in the general, so if that were the case, it would have benefited Hong more. It’s likely more the establishment consolidating around Crowley and a week of national media attacking Hong.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Europeans: Oh boy, a total solar eclipse, the Perseids meteor shower, and a planetary parade today! Meanwhile, Pennsylvania:

static.klipy.com

Doctor Who: Rainy Scene

Alt: Doctor Who: Rainy Scene

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Betting markets are still garbage for making predictions, but I’m no longer convinced they’re significantly worse than the actual polls. At this point we might as well just switch to Harry Enten reading tea leaves.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Asmongold talking about the trolley problem sounds like the demon from The Good Place being like, “Well, obviously, the dilemma is clear. How do you kill all six people? So I would dangle a sharp blade out the window to slice the neck of the guy on the other track as we smoosh our five main guys.”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

The next generation of kids is going to get really into finance just because banks are the only places left with hangout spots where they can exist in public. Teens will be sneaking out of the house to go hang out at the bank patio.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Passed the outdoor patio at the Citizens Bank, and now I’m wondering why banks of all places have some of the best spots for people to just hang out while actual local communities are like, “No benches! If you have a bench, it has to be as unpleasant as possible or else someone might USE it!”

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Thinking this morning about how much good AIPAC donors could have done with the $30 million they wasted on Islamophobic attacks in Michigan only to still lose.

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Reposted by Mike Godesky

Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I have, with my own eyes, watched my tax dollars in the form of missiles as they hit buildings inhabited by civilians. I'd much prefer subsidizing a grocery story I don't use.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Honestly kind of crazy for the party that lost the Blue Wall twice in the last three elections to criticize anyone else for not being able to win in the swing states.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

That would be understandable for random social media users, but if we’re talking about the political operatives and pundits you see making this argument in the news, it’s kind of their job to know this. So that’s why I come back to, are they being disingenuous or just incompetent?

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

But there’s a difference between thinking that an idea is wrong and thinking that it’s unpopular. Popularity is just a matter of data. Numerous polls show that the public likes most leftist policies. Even if you disagree with those policies, ignoring that reality is just bad politics.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

But the difference is that fascist policies are very unpopular. And socialist policies are very popular. And I can't tell if Republicans who are running with this line are just trying to get in Democrats' heads or if they've actually convinced themselves that these things are equivalent.

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Mike Godesky @magodesky.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A few years ago, Republicans suffered serious electoral losses because they ran a bunch of candidates who were ultra-MAGA freaks that were totally out of touch with the electorate like Dr. Oz. And they seem to be trying to present the surge of leftist Democratic primary candidates as the same thing.

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