iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 25/08/2026

If I was rich, I would totally run a free workspace with power tools and comfy writing chairs and kilns and sewing machines and coding workstations and sturdy desks and a big 'Come MAKE THINGS' sign. Full of writers and cosplayers and carpenters and potters and coders and and and... *wistful sigh*

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 25/08/2026

Once they finish the new library by me I might see if I can lead a 'come work on your projects with other people also working on projects. quiet folks this side, chatter this side' group 😂

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 25/08/2026

I'm trying to find ways to be more social, but I'm trapped in this odd limbo. I just enjoy -doing- my hobbies, I'm not driven to get better at them, but that seems to be the point of the groups/gatherings I can find. Writing, art, coding-- I just want to geek out and make stuff with friends. 😭

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 27/03/2026

My life has been a bit tetherless while I've been 'on vacation' between contracts. I need the structure of a job to get anything done efficiently 😅 I have so many plans!!

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 27/03/2026

Today is my first day officially back on contract and I'm sitting here waiting for the email to come in so I can start onboarding... This is like the night before the first day of school! 😂🙌 (And yes, I have all my 'school supplies' lined up on my nice clean desk ready to go 🤣)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 22/03/2026

Every so often I ponder giving up on social media since I'm horrid at it. At the same time I feel like I should be scheduling time for it instead... there's so much cool/pretty/interesting stuff! 🤔 I'm too good at forgetting the rest of the world exists... an antisocial hibernating turtle fr. 😅

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Edmonds Scanner @edmondsscanner.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Deep down, aren't we all the same? Don't you feel your time would be better spent shambling through mossy forests, or haunting the parapets of a crumbling cliffside castle, pining for the return of your betrothed, who is lost on a storm wracked sea?

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Sagebrush @sagebrushstuff.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Did everyone get enough tasty treats over the holidays? We seem to have a leftover sugar cookie on this Whimsical Horse Wednesday! 🍪😋 #modelhorse #stonehorses

A photo of a Stone Pebble sized drafter called Iced Sugar Cookie. The base color is like a cookie, with white icing like marks dripping down from the back. The mane and tail are pink. There are some sprinkles on the back, and a gingerbread man cookie painted on the side. Two hooves are white with green stripes, and the other two are white with red stripes.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 09/01/2026

I had waaaaaay too much fun using it as a checklist of 'ooo, I remember that!' 😂

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 09/01/2026

Annnnd the unit tests found bugs, so time to fix those and then do more doodles I suppose! 😂

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 09/01/2026

So... In my defense, I am waiting on unit tests to finish running. 😂 It's not quite right, but it was fun! 🎉🎨 (5 min pencil sketch of a White-Bellied Go Away Bird + Ring-tailed Lemur pseudo-gryphon, because... reasons.) ((Very very good reasons!)) (((I need to dig out my prismacolors...))) #art

5min Pencil sketch of a White-Bellied Go Away Bird and Ring-tailed Lemur pseudo-gryphon

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 09/01/2026

...I have the sudden urge to gryphon this bird with something 😂 (That whole look is too awesome!)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 09/01/2026

Today's WIPSnips is 'table' and I went 'this one is easy!'... and then it wasn't. 😂 The only writing that word is in is finished fanfics from years (decades) ago or WiPs I've posted before. I was hoping for something new! ...I wonder if this means I need a new WiP. 🤔 (Too bad code doesn't count!)

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Edmonds Scanner @edmondsscanner.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Your daily fortune: When sending wishes, always send your best. But you can send your medium and mediocre wishes along too, because times are hard.

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Litterbox Comics @litterboxcomics.com · 06/01/2026

NEW COMIC: Diet Buddies (inspired by our new puppy)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

He dug many holes (bucketloader) and was a friendly doofus (buckethead). 😂 So his full name is: Sir Buckethead the Gallant He's a bit scary looking, so I named him something silly so when I introduced him to folks they'd laugh and relax. He's older but still a friendly doofus! 😂

A photo of Bucket, a tan American Bulldog/Lab (we guess) cross a few days after adoption from the pound. Estimated to be about 8mo old. (He's now 9+)

The current frosted snickerdoodle dog! (9+ years)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

There are some games genres I enjoy that I'm beyond horrid at playing... so I watch entertaining play-throughs by other humans instead. (Sometimes they don't play any better than I would, but it's funny and not infuriating when it's happening to someone else. 😂) No robots needed!

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The Hermit of Everything @hermiteveryday.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Cat and I have a cold so we are cuddled up together watching English murder mysteries. He says the human did it…I think he’s right.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

He was still nervous but relaxed enough at the end to let the vet get behind him and skritch his butt! Where shots go! He even gave the vet and vet tech medium-sized wags! They have the time to go slow with him (and they -want- to) and I just... there are no words for The Happy I have right now. 😭

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

Bucket has survived the new vet! 🎉 Today he got pets and treats and a physical (with no growling!!) and nothing else. I got the heartworm meds for six months so we'll have time to work him into tolerating bloodwork and shots again. Back in a month for more vet snuggles & bloodwork (hopefully!)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

The old vet got bought out by VCA who then got bought by Mars... and yeah. Roughly 2.5 years ago the new staff stopped being able to work with him without sedation, which takes him four hours to wake up from. (I'd sit in the car in their parking lot with him.) So, new vet, new hope. Wish us luck! 😰

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 06/01/2026

Doggo has an appointment with the new vet at 1pm. They're supposed to be good with anxious dogs so I'm hoping to the high heavens that they'll be able to work without sedation. (He's 9ish, 100lbs, dosed up on Acepromazine and TraZODone, and will be wearing a muzzle.) He's chill, I'm trying to be. 😅

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Eminelin @eminelin.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

lil Alexstrasza❤️ #worldofwarcraft

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The Hermit of Everything @hermiteveryday.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Are you looking for magic? Have you put it down somewhere, placed common sense on top of it by accident. Do you remember how it hummed, if it shone for you and beckoned? Can you think of a happy thought? It can be the smallest thing, like stars balanced on your fingers… #thingstowriteabout magic

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Edmonds Scanner @edmondsscanner.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Your daily fortune: Slow down and don't race through life, or you may miss some cool weird stuff hiding in the shadows.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 05/01/2026

More model horses in the feed is always a win! 😁🎉 ...although now I'm curious how many palominos are cantering along your shelves! 🤔 (I've got a passel of dilutes, but not sure how many actual palominos.)

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Sagebrush @sagebrushstuff.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

I already have Whimsical Horse Wednesday, but what if I added PaloMonday? 🤔 #modelhorse #stonehorses

A photo of a Stone model horse on the Remington (running stock horse) mold with the standard tail and standard short mane. He is a design-a-horse in sooty palomino, 2025 overo, 2025 wide blaze, right hind sock, and blue eyes.

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Dinosaur Comics! @qwantz.com · 05/01/2026

wait, i ALSO have to forget all my old acquaintances? BUT THEY WERE SUCH A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST FOR ME www.qwantz.com/index.php?co...

T-Rex: It's a new year! And, as is tradition...

T-Rex: ...it is also a NEW ME.

Dromiceiomimus: Oh that's too bad, T-Rex! I liked the you I already knew, but I guess it HAS been getting to be that time.
T-Rex: Yeah, I liked the old me too! But new year, you know. I don't make the rules.
Dromiceiomimus: Yeah, these are the terms we all live under!

Utahraptor: So what are you thinking - a relaunch? Reboot? Retooling?
T-Rex: I'm thinking: FULL REBOOT.

T-Rex: There will be parts you recognize, but many of them will be updated and different, portrayed by actors you don't recognize. And there'll be cheeky little nods to the old me, but in a winky way. Oh! And maybe the old me will come back as a cameo, but now playing my grandfather or something.

Off panel: Honestly, this doesn't sound nearly as good as what we already have.
T-Rex: I know, I know!!
T-Rex: But it's a NEW YEAR, and idioms have TOO MUCH POWER!

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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

A back-to-work cartoon for @newscientist.com

Two scientist walk through a lab. One is saying:
"I am a scientist, Martin. My observations must be meticulously documented, rigorously analysed and objectively verified. Haste is the enemy of wisdom!"

The other asks:
"But could you share a preliminary appraisal of your general thinking?"

The first replies:
"Well, if you insist on a crudely reductive answer, then, yes, I had a nice christmas."

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 05/01/2026

And this is why I am incapable of getting any -actual- writing done in a timely manner... sigh. Worldbuilding, gogogo! (Also, interclass Herbology lessons ftw!) ((The copper kettle was created in transfiguration))

Screenshot of a spreadsheet with a partial lesson plan for Potions, Year 1

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 05/01/2026

I am assuming my curse is genetic then, as my Dad is also a older-earlier riser. My Mom got a new kitten this year, so she has no choice in the matter. 😂

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 05/01/2026

The older I get the easier it is to get up early and (oddly) the more likely I am to get something creative done in the morning (vs at night). This is a talent I could have used when I was younger, so I'm a little miffed. Ah well, getting older is always better than the alternatives, so onwards! 😅

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maru @koyamori.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

manta ray #art

a manta ray cape
fish flock to scavenge its surface

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

On a good note, I can resurrect my old dual-boxing account to get the guild dungeon achievements once I hit that point. But it means I'll need to level some alts there... 🤔 Ah well, that's a future me issue! 😅 (And yes, I do have a spreadsheet or twelve to track all the alts... 😅)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

New year's resolution to get back on the treadmill and check off the guild-of-one achievements is a go! 1.5mph in 15 minute chunks means I'll get all my alts to 80 slooooowly but surely. (Did I forget that it's an Alli guild and level some of my Horde alts first by mistake? Why yes, yes I did. 🤦‍♀️)

Picture of a treadmill with a wall mounted computer monitor showing the World of Warcraft launcher and a spreadsheet.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

I swear the random things I learn on Bluesky just boggles the mind some days... 🤯 (I have no idea when this new knowledge will be -useful- but I am 100% going to deploy it in random conversation forthwith!)

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SAHASA 🐙🪸 @sculptedreef.com · 04/01/2026

🌛🐙 Evander the Starry Night Octopus 🎨 Sculpted from poly clay 🐙✨ #ArtistsOnBlueSky #Art #ArtYear #Artists 🦑🐡

A hand sculpted octopus depicting the species Callistoctopus luteus, also known as the Starry Night Octopus. A reddish octopus with white spots.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

The covers in your December read pile are gorgeous! Hopefully things dry out in the basement soon and congrats on beating the book-a-week reading threshold for 2025! (I haven't managed that one in years 😅)

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

The less fun side of a micro-micro-business is dealing with accounting procrastination. (In my defense, I sold almost nothing last year, but income is income.) ((Woo?)) So time to figure out the 2025 financials, onwards! (This old Camera Angles strip seems apropos... 🔥🤦‍♀️🔥)

A comic panel where a stick figure Author is fighting a stick figure Plot Dragon for control of the fuzzy little plot.

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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

A new year cartoon for @theguardian.com books

Title: The five stages of coming to terms with an over ambitious reading resolution.

A couple sit up in bed reading. The woman speaks and her partner is silent.

1. Denial.
"No, Finishing a book every 2.75 days is not absurd!" She scowls.

2. Anger.
"Why are these books all so long!!!" She looks fuirious.

3. Bargaining.
"If you read a book and tell me about it, that counts right?" She looks at her partner pleadingly.

4. Depression.
"All joy has fled yet my failure persists!" She is sunk in the covers.

5. Acceptance
"Being at one with the art is all that matters" she says as she reads.
Then adds "And next year I'm going to be at one with so much more art!"

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The Whimsical Muse @whimsicalmuse.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Call me old-fashioned, but I truly believe that exploring the catacombs together with torches in hand beats “dinner and a movie” any day of the week.

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Litterbox Comics @litterboxcomics.com · 03/01/2026

A comic about feelings! Now with previously unreleased BONUS panel! 👇

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

Remembering that hobbies don't -have- to be 'side hustles' is a constant fight for me. 😅 But this gave me another goal for this year... Trying a bunch of new stuff and having fun being bad at things! 😁🙌

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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

I say this often but it bears repeating: if you make your money from creating art then you NEED to find an art or craft where you just do it for fun and don't try to be perfect or make any money from it, and when anyone tells you to monetise it you say 'No', because otherwise your soul will die.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

I -almost- have the next chapter of An Ode to Normal done and today's #WIPSnips lined up well with a silly convo from an earlier chapter! 😁 (And I am on team-Slinky, Spots is just species-ist)

A screenshot from a silly conversation in a Harry Potter fanfic that uses the word Home.

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

But this means not only do I have to find a way to get them all into AO3 without spamming the heck out of folks... I also need to do a serious revamp of my website to properly archive them. So, Wordpress coding projects away! 😂

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Martha Bechtel @martha.net · 04/01/2026

One of the projects that I wanted to work on this year was cleaning up (and properly backing up) my writing archives. To give you an example of this chaos, I have just shy of 600 fanfics (mostly drabbles) scattered about and unknown horde of non-fanfic that's even less organized.

Screenshot of a Google Doc showing my current fanfic list (incomplete)

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Sagebrush @sagebrushstuff.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The final Whimsical Horse Wednesday of 2025 is a lovely unicorn mare and foal pair. #modelhorse #breyerhorses #unicorn

A photo of a Breyer unicorn mare and foal pair, Hyacinth and Wisteria. The mare is a deep shimmery purple pinto with gold horn and hooves. The foal is a lavender pinto, also with gold horn and hooves.

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Vyrosk Artworks @vyrosk.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

had some great dramatic sunlight today and took some photos for funsies :D #art #modelhorse #sculpture

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