Monica

@keystricken.bsky.social

she/her, President of the Too Many Projects club, has a lot of thoughts about robots. ardentfigments.com

Good news, I just bought the 2027 planner that I know will fix me. Amazing to think that in 2027, I will finally be fixed. In other news, I also bought the ink advent calendar that will ruin me.

I keep thinking: there's people who work in those concentration camps. People whose job is to ensure the children remain caged and hidden from attempts at oversight while they are deported without representation by "judges" that are employees of the executive branch. "We get your bones."

Look, you may not want to hear it, but now that we have all our hard won electoral victories, it’s important to be constructive. All this talk of revenge and blood in the streets, it doesn’t get us something that lasts. You know what lasts? An OSSUARY of ICE AGENT BONES. Let’s create ARCHITECTURE.

Portlanders beware, the Zine Symposium is extra good this year. So many beautiful illustrated stories, daily art challenges, lists, recipes, and on. Vibes are also immaculate. Smith Ballroom, PSU, today and tomorrow!

An overhead photo of a cafe table covered in scattered colorful zines, small to medium size. There are too many to list but names include: Bridge City, Thai Peacock: A Restaurant Review Zine, Snail Mail: Postage Tips and Tricks, and The Tales of Ravioli Man. The photographer has clearly spent too much money.

One time I was at a wine tasting listening to the server describe this newest wine, and I cut in to ask “I’m sorry, I’ve heard of stone fruits before, but what are boulder fruits?” Her: “uh, well, they’re fruits that uh, have a richer, stronger taste than others…” Me: 🫥 oh Me: “BOLDER FRUITS”

A.L. Goldfuss@ghoulpus.bsky.social · 4w ago

FRIEND: we love an appellation wine ME: it's from Appalachia? FRIEND: no, it's from France ME: you said it was from Appalachia FRIEND: it's French appellation ME: *nodding* French-Appalachian FRIEND: no,

It’s fig season and I just ran down the mail carrier with a takeout tray full of fruit, in case you want to know how the “smaller” first harvest crop is going.

A close-up photo of green figs on a branch; the leaves are enormous and could easily be used to cover the genitals of any nude model. Most of the fruit are unripe; there is one single fig drooping on its stem and looking kind of sad and old, which means it is PERFECT and will taste so sweet and good.A zoomed-out shot of the branches of a fig tree showing figs everywhere, infinite figs, a whole world of figs about to ripen and splatter on the ground no matter how many I pick.

Okay yall I’ve just practiced my signature bake again for the Big Portland Bake Show tomorrow and I am PUMPED and READY, come see me at Pix/Can Bar tomorrow and Sunday! Free to the public, this is the schedule:

Schedule for the big Portland bake show! 

Drinks and snacks available inside at Can Bar. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK.
Competition Day 1 (Saturday) Doors Open 9:00 AM
Signature Challenge 9:45AM - 12:00 PM
A single item challenge picked by the judges in which each baker shows off their baking ability, creativity and personality.
Signature Judging 12:15 PM
Spectator Spectacular! 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
12 audience members get chosen to compete in the tent, turning a buffet of ingredients into their own showstopper!
Technical Challenge 1:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Each contestant must recreate a mystery bake chosen by the judges, using the same ingredients and "recipes" given to them.
DJ Action Slacks 2:30PM - 5:00 PM
Technical Judging 3:45 PM
Shake & Bake Happy Hour 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Audience Tent Event 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Announcement of Star Baker 5:00 PM
Competition Day 2 (Sunday) Doors Open 10:00 AM
Showstopper 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
It's up to the contestants to bring their most impressive and elaborate bakes to the tent based on a predetermined theme.
Shake & Bake Happy Hour 2:30 PM - 5:00PM
Live Music: Steve Cheseborough and TRIO ACAÍ 2:30 PM - 4:45PM
Showstopper Judging 3:00 PM
Spectator Spectacular! 3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Award Ceremony 4:45 PM
Find out who takes home the top prize - a 10 speed 6 qt stand mixer!

The helper robots were a webcomic of mine in years long past. I’d like to put them back online some day, but for now they live on in small drawings and marginalia. For REAL artwork, follow *this* lovely person — and wish her a happy birthday!

Crispy-Ghee✨️@crispy-ghee.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Got a birthday card from @keystricken.bsky.social and it included a doodle of my wrinkly faced boy in the corner (with a cute little helper robot assisting him with his jowls). I love it so much

A pen drawing of a wrinkly bulldog with his head being held up by a little cartoon robot, surrounded by a wreath of flowers and hot dogs

Proposing an art trade with my niece was a brilliant move to get me more practice (and more Niece Art). This is our second round of 👍 so I hope I can convince her to try another pose next time. Now to possibly RUIN EVERYTHING by adding an ink wash. It’s getting mailed either way!

Two drawings of a thumbs up side by side, each one part of a card that was/will be sent in the mail. On the right, a child’s drawing in pink marker with an orange border and yellow rays for ornamentation; the fingernails and pad of the thumb are included. On the left, an adult’s line drawing in pen, naturally more detailed, showing a full hand and forearm along with the curve of a watch.

That feeling of frustration when you can’t make your pretty ribbon form a pretty bow, so you just tie a tie. But then you discover that the bottle actually looks amazing wearing a tie.

A small glass bottle filled with dark amber liquid, with a handwritten label of silver text on black paper. A red ribbon with a pomegranate design is wrapped around the bottle neck, and the knot at the base is unmistakably a tie knot.

If I drink more than two (2) lattes I can see time and taste sound, so I loved the Workshop Cafe in San Francisco (RIP) which charged a $2/hour fee for its tables. I could stay long after my caffeine quota was met. I’d love to see this replicated elsewhere.

Andrew Reeves@andrewsshi.bsky.social · 3mo ago

There really does need to be a sort of, "pay the table rent of a coffee and pastry so you can sit around and read a book, hang out with friends, scribble in a notepad, etc." place.

Do not speak to me of "barriers to entry". Every act of creation is slicing out a thin sliver of light from the existential darkness of the human condition. You not being able to pick up a fucking pencil and risk failing does not even register.

I’ve been buried in work and haven’t had time to post artwork and projects like I’d prefer, so I’m afraid today you get some thoughts about AI instead. There are countless excellent reasons to hate genAI. My overpowering reason: it’s always offered in bad faith, and I despise bad faith.

This is true, though in this scenario, we stop that number from growing. We have to prevent them from doing what torturers have done for decades: take their festering sickness with them to police, prison, and “private security” jobs where their victims are even less visible.

Radley Balko@radleybalko.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Even under a best case scenario — Dems take the WH in 2028, ICE and BP are abolished or rebuilt from scratch — we’re still going to have thousands of angry, unemployed, well-armed, MAGA loyalist former immigration cops who have been told for 3-4 years that they’re above the law.

Funny how Multnomah’s DA Nathan Vasquez can’t possibly prosecute ICE for tear gassing children, saying police haven’t brought him a case, but he CAN demand police create all new cases and investigations… when he’d like to throw drug users in jail, of course. www.wweek.com/news/2025/11...

Multnomah County D.A. to Bring Criminal Charges for Failing to Complete Drug Deflection

As of now, people picked up for controlled substances aren’t charged or reported to the D.A.’s office. Nathan Vasquez wants that to change.

wweek.com

I just got tear gassed along with thousands of union members, many of whom had their families with them. Federal agents at the ICE facility tear gassed children. We must abolish ICE, DHS, and we must have prosecutions. I expect to see enforcement of our city code prohibiting the use of tear gas.

It was “baby’s first tear gas” for so many of us, including some literal babies. This crowd looked exactly like the No Kings march, so as you can expect, we saw the gas approaching and thought it was just smoke from the flash bangs until it started burning.

Tim Dickinson@timdickinson.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Today I saw ICE gas little white kids in the streets of Portland with chemical weapons. Imagine what they're doing to brown and black kids in the detention camps

I guess I do think if you participated in the arrest of a five-year-old you are probably just fundamentally incompatible with society. That you are not a safe person for humanity to be around, generally

"what are we going to do with 20,000 ICE agents if we abolish ice" well to start with I think we should all literally spit on them in public for the rest of their lives