iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 3h

I may be part of a niche audience that LOVES digging deep into syntax. I loved it. This book felt like taking a seminar on King with a focus on editing. You get a glimpse into the conception of some of his early books and how they changed for publication. #booksky #31booksin31days

A graphic with a dark purple watercolor background, with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots. It has a tiny picture of the cover of Monster in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks

It says:
piedpipercall's October 2026
31 Books in 31 Days*
Day 3
Nonfiction?
More likely than you'd think.
*Michaela will most likely fail this challenge

A graphic with a dark purple watercolor background, with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots. It has a larger photo of the cover of Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks.

It says:
"After Caroline Bicks was named the University of Maine's inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in literature, she became the first scholar to be granted extended access by King to his private archives, a treasure trove of manuscripts that document the legendary writer's creative process- most of them never before studied or published. The year she spent exploring King's early drafts and hand-written revisions was guided by one question millions of King's enthralled and terrified readers (including her) have asked themselves: What makes Stephen King's writing stick in our heads and haunt us long after we've closed the book?"

A graphic with a dark purple watercolor background, with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots. This has a smaller photo of the cover of Monster in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks in the top left corner.
Five gold stars.
It says:
Warnings:
Graphic: Bullying, confinement, death
Moderate: Gore, Physical Abuse, Violence

Several times, while reading, I had the thought, "This is such a literature major book." The author is a literature professor, so that makes total sense. I'm not sure that the average reader delights in learning about single word changes between drafts of a novel or loves to dive into syntax and prose quite like English majors.

Even if others won't have the same sense of giddiness that the author or I would when looking at these line changes, it still offers something that we don't often get: a look into the writing process of one of the biggest authors of our time. I think most people believe novels are born whole cloth from the mind of an author; inspiration strikes and words appear on a page, little changing other than edits of spelling or grammar. What most people miss are the rounds of structural editing between that initial draft and what the book eventually becomes.

TLDR; This is a great read for fans of King, but especially for fans of the craft of writing in general.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Can it be considered still going strong when it's only been two days? On StoryGraph I gave it 4.5 stars, but I'm opting to use whole stars for the graphics, and it leans toward five. I can't wait to see what @ghohmeyer.bsky.social thinks of this one when we chat next week. #31booksin31days

A graphic with a textured red background with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots.

It says:
piedpipercall's October 2026
31 books in 31 days
day 2
Feminist Fairytale retellings but make it modern and group therapy
*Michaela will most likely fail this challenge
It has a small image of the cover of How To Be Eaten by Maria Adelman

A graphic with a textured red background with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots.

The top left has a larger image of the cover of How to be eaten by maria adelmann

It says:

"In present-day New York City, five women meet in a basement support group to process their traumas. Bernice grapples with the fallout of dating a pyschopathic, blue-bearded billionaire. Ruby, once devoured by a wolf, now wears him as a coat. Gretel questions her memory of being held captive in a house made of candy. Ashlee, the winner of a bachelor-esque dating show, wonders if she really got her promised fairy tale ending. And Raina's love story will shock them all."

A graphic with a textured red background with a sketchy white rectangular border with oblong white dots.

A smaller image of the cover of How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann.

5 black stars

It says:
Warnings:
Graphic: Body Horror, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Self Harm, Sexual Content, Toxic Relationship, Eating Disorder
Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment

I think some people might take issue with the ways that this book maintains the fantastic elements of the original fairy tales in what is otherwise a very dark and gritty modernization. I am not some people. I think that choice allows for readers to ask whether those fantastic elements are psychosis, minds desperately trying to cope with trauma, or simply magic. I think each of those readings is valid and adds to the theme of the text.

This book asks the reader to interrogate the way in which both the media and "the audience" (both in the story and the reader themselves) commodify women's trauma. It was especially poignant to read following the news cycle this past week. It is a hard read in a lot of ways, but a poignant reminder that survivors live on to see how others view their story, and that can be just as, if not more, traumatizing.

I have so much to say about this one; luckily Gretchen and I will be doing a full joint review next week.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Started my #31booksin31days challenge by reading an ARC I missed (well, soft DNF'd it at ~20%) back in May. I was frustrated for most of this book, but it's hard to tell how much of that is my own weariness with gothic horror and how much was the book itself. #horror #booksky #gothic

Dark brown rough paper texture background with a white sketchy rectangular border with regular ovular blobs along it.

The top left has a cover photo for She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang. It is primarily red with black text, and has a branch of a mango tree with two rotting mangos dripping dark liquid. The closer of the two mangos also has a large black bug sitting on it.

The rest of the space is covered in text that says:
"Avery and Carlos Tam have built their lives on logic, not legends. Carlos, the host of a hit reality show that exposes paranormal hoaxes, has made a name disproving the supernatural. But when they travel to his ancestral home in the Philippines, darkness clings to every corner. The mirrors are shrouded. The housekeeper won't stay in the house alone. And no one will speak of the tragedies the family has seen. Some inherit memories, others inherit monsters."

The same dark brown rough paper texture background with a white sketchy rectangular border with regular ovular blobs along it.

The top left has a slightly smaller cover photo for She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang. It is primarily red with black text, and has a branch of a mango tree with two rotting mangos dripping dark liquid. The closer of the two mangos also has a large black bug sitting on it.

The text on this states:
Warnings:
Graphic: Infertility, Suicide Attempt, Car Accident
Moderate: Greif, Body Horror, Child Death, Dead Animals, Insects
Minor: Murder, Death

3 stars

Was it a bad idea to start this challenge off with another gothic haunted house story when I just made a video where I talked about being burnt out on gothic haunted house stories? Most certainly.

Would this have been better if I was excited for the subgenre instead? Maybe? The author made the choice to hide something for plot twist reasons that left me thinking there were major characterization issues for most of the book. Knowing why doesn't take away how frustrating that experience was, unfortunately. Outisde of that it was a decent haunted house story.

If you enjoy encroaching infestations, seances with a touch of possession, and oppressive generational trauma, then this is worth a read. -Michaela

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I miss making little review graphics as I did for my rainbow TBR challenge. So, while I'm endeavoring to read more books in a month than I have in years, why not add more to my plate by sharing my thoughts with you? I'll tag the posts with #31booksin31days so you can mute me if I clog your feed.

A graphic with an orange watercolor background, a white sketchy rectangular border with regular ovular blobs, and white text that says:

piedpipercall's
October 2026
31 Books in 31 Days*
I've been craving a creative outlet. One way to do that is to turn my mini reviews into fun little graphics. Hopefully you enjoy my endeavor to catch up on my annual reading challenge and get some recommendations along the way.
*Michaela will most likely fail this challenge

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If you've been feeling unbridled rage at people who have so much wealth and power that they can do heinous crimes without consequence, may I suggest giving this a read. I'm feeling much more regulated now. (☝️ It is incredibly violent, reader beware) app.thestorygraph.com/books/ae2b75...

app.thestorygraph.com

Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson

The Menu meets Ready or Not in this dark tale of opulent luxury and shocking violence from the Ne...

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Our Cut of Salt is a strong debut from a Palestinian-American author to keep an eye on. I just wish I wasn't so burnt out on gothic horror; there was some real potential here. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #booksky #horror #historicalfiction #gothicfiction #hauntedhouse youtu.be/La4kNB700f0?...

youtu.be

When the land is soaked in blood, of course it's haunted? | Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm Review

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm going to try to read a book a day in October... for absolutely no reason whatsoever. 😐 I will almost certainly fail this challenge, but I have to reach that goal somehow. If you have any short/unputdownable book recs: gimme 👇. Bonus points if they are speculative, spooky, & queer. #booksky

A screenshot of the reading goal and finished so far this year graphs from the social reading and tracking app Fable. The yearly goal is represented by a flower missing half of jts petals stating that 26 of the 52 book goal has been read. The app is suggesting a page goal of 15.6k pages but that goal has not been set. The second graph is a bar chart showing how many titles were read each month of the year. With the exception of March and September, two vastly productive reading months, none of the months have more than 3 books read. August has 0. It was a rough mental health month, ok. Don't judge me.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Went to the brand-new library that opened in a nearby city. It is heartening to see the new technology: RFID checkout, conveyor self-sorting returns, a makerspace, and a recording studio. It was lovely to see a city gain such a huge community space in an age when so many are underfunded.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Huge spread of genres in this month's Reading Round Table. I brought the new novel from the writer behind The Magnus Archives, @ghohmeyer.bsky.social talks about her second favorite wife of Henry VIII, and, of course, a book about pooping 🤷‍♀️. #booksky #bookishpodcast youtu.be/IZGq2rzvFzQ

youtu.be

From Tragic Queens to Sweltering Summer Horror | Reading Round Table #36

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If you have the chance to go see Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma you should do the thing. Oh boy, that was a fun watch. I can't wait to get a blueray version so I can watch it an really digest some of that imagery.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Went to the regional fair today (fourth largest in the US apparently?). So many really lovely quilts were submitted this year. Highlight of the food for me: A slice of pickle pizza. It was so good that I immediately checked to see if any of my local pizza shops make one (they do! 🙌).

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Somehow, some way, @ghohmeyer.bsky.social and I managed to read the same book! #booksky This time we return to a #cozyfantasy world that we absolutely adored last year. We ask you seriously: HAVE YOU MET LARGE FRANCIS OF BUILDING? youtu.be/XqbfukwoYXU?...

youtu.be

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher Review | Have You Heard of Large Francis of Building?

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I have read the thing now. I wish I had not. IDK why I thought it would get better. I doubt this thing would have made it past querrying on it's own merit.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

There is no greater feeling than stumbling upon a new favorite book of the year at the library. I went in knowing only what the dust jacket told me, and after reading it, I think it would have been even better to go in completely blind. #booksky #scifilit #debutnovel youtu.be/USW2_qqD-rg?...

youtu.be

It was still a 4.75 star novel, so I can't complain (or can I?) | Sublimation by Isabel J Kim Review

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

<- not a romantasy fan generally, but I read the entirety of Daggerbound (T Kingfisher) in one sitting, giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. It's silly and lovely in all the best ways. It's such an interesting world, full of delightful creatures and horrible humans. I would die for a gnoll.

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Reposted by Michaela

These Exquisite Nightmares @exquisitenghtmares.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I just got off the phone with the Buffer Drothers and they said if we get a few more zine orders, Eddie will return as Kas and show hole right outside the Bradley's Big Buy.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Every time I have a day where I'm surprised at my productivity I can link it back to having a black tea in the morning. It's like stimulants treat ADHD or something. Unfortunately as a migraine sufferer I fear the caffeine withdrawal headaches would kill me if I used it regularly to self medicate.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Slightly late in posting this ... mostly because it took 10 hours to edit this (because it was almost 2 hours of productive conversation, so the cuts came in the form of ~1000 1 to 2 second pauses). We celebrated #witmonth last month and found some great reads #📚💙 www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ka...

youtube.com

From Sex in a Cemetery to Japanese Neurodivergence | Reading Round Table #35

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I crawled out of my PHM hole to have my heart obliterated by an unfinished steddie fic that hasn't updated in 9 months. Honestly, it's so good I would recommend reading it even if it never gets updated. Vampire eddie and Steve who lives on a homestead out west. archiveofourown.org/works/669626...

archiveofourown.org

catacombs - Chapter 1 - spare_time - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

My mother does not understand why people find The Wicker Husband™️ attractive. So I, like any good demisexual, attempted to explain the split attraction model to her. This did not go well: "Well I guess I'm just shallow." Me:

static.klipy.com

Steve Harrington Um

ALT: Steve Harrington Um

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Wooo! Brand new #bookish #podcast episode just dropped. Plus! Our friends picked the books that we will be reading for our buddy reading challenge so you get a sneak peak of an upcoming video/s #booksky #horror #lgbtqlit #biography youtu.be/9dpGnLdPl8I?...

youtu.be

Buddy Reading Bracket Finale | Reading Round Table #34

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Part of the joint reading challenge that @ghohmeyer.bsky.social and I do together included having the folks who join us for reading roundtable vote through brackets and pick a book for each of us to read. And nooooow ... I have to read and review a poetry collection.

static.klipy.com

Kermit The Frog Says Nah

ALT: Kermit The Frog Says Nah

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The free video editing software I've been using for a decade finally died, so I had to learn a new software for this one. (8+ hours of work) My book this month is a #queer #horror #weirdlit book that I loved, but is grossly misunderstood. #bookishpodcast #booksky youtu.be/YBrLpXze6Go

youtu.be

More Books Than We Have Ever Brought at One Time | Reading Round Table #34

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Tell me why I perked up like a dog who heard one of the ✨️special words✨️ because Out of Touch was playing in the wild. Pavloved myself into Hall and Oates making me think of peak Steddie Summer vibes.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Being chronically ill is bullshit. What do you mean my everything hurts because I: 1. Hung out with my sister (at home) 2. Made sandwiches for lunch 3. Took clothes out of the washer and hung them to dry That's a normal ass day, but I didnt lay horizontal enough, so now my bones are angry.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Here's to 32 🎂🥳 Hopefully it's a good year. Got a break from the unbearable heat and soothing rain, which I'm choosing to believe is an auspicious sign. Plus, I made molasses cookies yesterday, which I haven't had since I was a child (when the grandparent who used to make them for me passed)

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Fuck me. (The temperature inside my home is 91 with an A/C running) Weather app tells me it feels like 103 with the humidity. If anyone needs me, look for the human puddle. (We have an old house in New England designed to keep the heat in, so it will hold this heat even as it cools outside)

A photo of a thermostat stating that it is 91 degrees Fahrenheit

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

I've read multiple PHM fics where people use the word "thrill" when I think they meant to use "trill". MULTIPLE, as in closing in on double digits. It's happened enough now that I'm wondering if I'm dumb, and there has been a secret hidden sound meaning to "thrill" this whole time.

static.klipy.com

Side-eye Chloe Meme

ALT: Side-eye Chloe Meme

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

My anxiety the past week has been insanely high for no discernible reason. How do I tell my body that I'm allowed to be in my own living room. I'm allowed to exist in my home. I'm allowed to talk to people. No one is mad at me. There is no one here to yell.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Did I just buy a used book that I have a free e-arc copy of? Yes. Yes, I did. Did I also DNF that e-arc after the prologue because it was painfully lacking in editing. Also yes. Buuut ... now I can make a video about how the trad pub industry thinks books for young women don't require editing.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I have made a mistake. I made a delicious Italian grinder bean salad.... but I don't have any crusty bread to eat it with! All I have is a sad dry wrap 😔

The aforementioned Italian grinder dense bean salad in a clear glass mixing bowl. Including various dried meats, mini mozzarella balls, garbanzo beans, butter beans, red onion, and pepperoncinis.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

New roundtable*! Woo! I loved the short story collection I read for this one and need people to talk to me about it in the comments. (Please and Thank You) I had so many thoughts. *please ignore that this was meant to come out during AAPI month 😬 youtu.be/KGmnH05gx6k?...

youtu.be

A Diverse Selection of Speculative Reads | Reading Round Table #32

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Aw, rad. Got a huge wave of lightheaded/dizziness out of nowhere and was immediately informed there's a tornado watch for my area for the next two hours. Fuck you migraines. Fuck you barometric pressure. I did not choose to be a human barometer, it's detrimental to my health, I'd like to opt out.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Slowly making my way through Taiwan Travelogue but the audio book doesn't include the footnotes! You can't just ignore the footnotes! Here I am pausing to read them on my own. (Do not ask me how to seamlessly integrate footnotes into an audio medium... that is above my paygrade)

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

This video has been literal years in the making... As fans of Katee's (we've cummulatively read & reviewed more of Katee's books than anyone else's at this point) we wanted more. #bookreview #seriesreview #booksky youtu.be/-XSZ6k4zo0Y?...

youtu.be

Katee Robert's Shattered Gods (& Dark Olympus Series) Review | Betwixt the Books

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

It might be ace of me to say this... it is pride month, so deal with it... but I am having such a good time with the deluge of platonic fics about Grace and Rocky in the PHM fandom. It's just nice seeing platonic soulmates being friends and queer platonic life partners, you know? I'm eating it up.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Everyone say thank you to @ghohmeyer.bsky for editing this guy because I am on week three of more Migraine days than non Migraine days and couldn't look at screens long enough to do it. (Thoughts on the new thumbnail format/logo? I think I did alright) #bookishpodcast #📚💙 youtu.be/A8ncjadXz6A?...

youtu.be

Queer Horror and Weird Twins | Reading Round Table #31

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Been trolling through the Project Hail Mary fics and it has really driven home that any time my (or anyone's) brain says that they shouldn't write a fic because other people already have is sooooo wrong. I have read ~20 fics where Grace breaks down about being a coward to Rocky and I'd do it again!

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Do you ever read something and it just hits something so true that you can feel it resonating through you? You just have to sit there with it and be horrified or shocked or whatever muttering, "What the fuck." Over and over. I need to get a physical copy of this short story collection RIGHT NOW.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

What's the over under on my husband being disgusted by my white girl crimes. (I had tortillas, rice, black beans, and cheese but no enchilada sauce (nor the correct dried chillis/chilli powder to make my own... but I did have a can of hormel chili... you see what I'm getting at here...)

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Thinking about the cold open on Hannibal season 1 episode 2 and how the tracking shot over the mushroom garden (iykyk) is such a perfect horror shot. It's silent, looks normal upon first glance, beautiful even, but then little things start sticking out to you as wrong, and then you see a human hand.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

My husband after asking me to show him how to find fics on AO3 for the first time: "They aren't getting their relationshop right. I'm just going to have to write it myself." Me watching a canon event happen.

static.klipy.com

He He Raccoon Laughing

ALT: He He Raccoon Laughing

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Woke up with a migraine... unsurprisingly, it's raining. 🖕🖕 barometric pressure.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

My anxiety has me backed into a corner with 50 rusty sharps pointed at me... Does anybody have any fluffy fics I can read to calm my nervous system? I need something sweet desperately.

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Just watched the trailer for Pizza Movie ... because I had no idea wtf it was (genre? plot? literally anything?) And ... I'm not sure I know any more than I did before but I sure did watch stuff happen... existential comedy horror? Maybe? I feel like it went in one ear and out the other.

media.tenor.com

a close up of a cartoon girl with pigtails and a red shirt

ALT: a close up of a cartoon girl with pigtails and a red shirt

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I somehow convinced @ghohmeyer.bsky.social to read her first fanfic... but before she can do that, we sat down together so I could show her how to find the fic she wanted to read. We figured there would be other folks who get overwhelmed with AO3, so join us to learn together! youtu.be/C_Rvtxq4vc8

youtu.be

AO3 101 With Someone Who Has Never Read Fanfiction

YouTube video by Betwixt the Books

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Michaela @piedpipercalls.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Was feeling anxious, so I broke out my granny hobby. Highly recommend having at least one. It's definitely more fulfilling than doom scrolling.

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