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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky
@shanaqui.bsky.social
120 followers 49 following 1.2K posts
35-year-old reader, gamer, self-employed worker, MSc student. Ace, enby, Welsh, reluctant collector of anxiety disorders. They/them. I do work for Beeminder, Postcrossing and Taskratchet, but this is a personal account.
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 12h
I'm in the UK. So maybe some kinda age verification bullshit?

2) Some kind of fraud alert is getting set off because I've changed my address twice recently (once to my parents' house during the moving process, then to the new house afterwards).

Otherwise, stumped.
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 12h
I have two thoughts:

1) The purchases aren't NSFW, but might be mistaken for it as the title of one contains the ship name for Shen Qingqiu/Shang Qinghua, "Cumplane" (after their online handles, "Peerless Cucumber" and "Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky" -- yes, I hate it too).
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 12h
I'm not a seller. I don't have a store. It's been a while since I bought from Etsy, but not unduly long. The purchases aren't large transactions or strange for me.
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 12h
Anyone ever been banned from Etsy as a buyer? If so, how'd you get it sorted out?

I had two payments fail (no explanation of why), they cancelled the orders, I tried again, same deal, then they suspended my account. No explanation has been received.
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Reposted by Nicky
octopusgallery.bsky.social
The Octopus Gallery @octopusgallery.bsky.social · 17h
Good news for sewists: the paper pattern company feared lost to bankruptcy has been saved as an independent company.

craftindustryalliance.org/sewing-patte...
Sewing Patterns Rise from DGA Bankruptcy Ashes - Craft Industry Alliance
The “Big 4” sewing patterns are saved. Simplicity, McCall’s, Vogue & Butterick get new life under Rubelmann Capital.
craftindustryalliance.org
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 22h
WWW Wednesday:

The usual weekly update, featuring my thoughts on some of the non-fiction and manga I've been reading, and excitement for the new Juneau Black.

breathesbooks.com/2025/10/08/w...

#booksky 💙📚
WWW Wednesday
What have you recently finished reading? Yesterday I finished both The Genius Myth (Helen Lewis) and the second volume of Love in the Palm of His Hand (Rinteku). The former was alright, but feels l…
breathesbooks.com
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 1d
Yup. After my English degrees, I went on to study biology and then specialise in infectious diseases... Can't imagine what that might be useful for, it's a mystery. 👀
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 1d
Re: the poachers being romanticised rebels in the UK thing I see in my feed but can't reply to or quote:

Only fictional ones. Real ones are poor and thus looked on with contempt.

Source: my family's experiences in Grampy and Dad's generations.

Don't flatter yourself that class isn't at work here.
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 1d
Review - Cackle, by Rachel Harrison: this is a weird mix of cosy and horror, and it works. Not one for those scared of spiders, or some people struggling with depression or alcoholism. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/07/r...

#booksky 💙📚
Review – Cackle
Rachel Harrison’s Cackle starts out feeling surprisingly cosy and familiar: a girl breaks up with her long-term boyfriend (who clearly doesn’t appreciate her enough), and strikes out on…
breathesbooks.com
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 1d
Top Ten Tuesday: Satisfying Series.

An attempt to pick out ten book series I find particularly satisfying... that wasn't difficult at all! /s

breathesbooks.com/2025/10/07/t...

#booksky 💙📚
Top Ten Tuesday: Satisfying Series
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is about satisfying series, so let’s see what I can come up with! The Peter Wimsey books, by Dorothy L. Sayers. At first, Lord Peter seems like a fairl…
breathesbooks.com
Reposted by Nicky
nitou1010.bsky.social
仁灯 @nitou1010.bsky.social · 3d
中秋節🌕
人が来ないところで、お酒を飲むでもなく、ただただ一緒に月を眺めている年もあるでしょう。

#fengqing #风情
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Reposted by Nicky
akipon228.bsky.social
アキ @akipon228.bsky.social · 3d
そっか、今日中秋節か！
全く関係ないイラストでもあげておきます😌男前殿下です😏✨
#TGCF
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 3d
Review - Fence, vol 5, by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad: I continue loving this sport/eventual romance comic. I love the art and the characters are so fun. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/06/r...

#booksky 💙📚
Review – Fence, vol 5
So much to love about the fifth volume of C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad’s Fence! Bobby is adorable, and I love that he gets to be the team manager, and I especially love the relationship bet…
breathesbooks.com
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 3d
Review - A History of the World in 47 Borders, by Jonn Elledge: kinda fun, but I realised quickly that I wasn't really grasping the details enough to explain the geopolitics because it was all so surface-level. Rating: 2/5 ("it was okay").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/05/r...

#booksky 💙📚
Review – A History of the World in 47 Borders
Jonn Elledge’s A History of the World in 47 Borders is very breezy and flippant, and that’s both part of what makes it enjoyable and part of what makes it frustrating. It turns out that…
breathesbooks.com
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 4d
Review - Strange Houses, by Uketsu: weird and fascinating. I found it easier to figure out than Strange Pictures, in part because the images were more obviously related. Fun! Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/04/r...

#booksky 💙📚
Review – Strange Houses
I really enjoyed the puzzle of Uketsu’s Strange Pictures, so I was really looking forward to Strange Houses, and if anything I think I enjoyed it even more. I ended up reading it really fast,…
breathesbooks.com
Reposted by Nicky
csharpwords.bsky.social
Catherine Sharp @csharpwords.bsky.social · 5d
Ever wanted to learn how to stream convention panels? @octocon.bsky.social is looking for new online producers for next weekend (Sat 11th/Sun 12th) and there's still time to get you up and running with some training + free online membership! 2025.octocon.com/online-volun...
Online Volunteers Needed - Octocon 2025
This year, Octocon is running a full programme online on both days of the convention (Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th October 2025), and we need volunteers
2025.octocon.com
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post:

No new books to show off, not even from the library, this week! But the usual roundup of reviews posted and books read.

breathesbooks.com/2025/10/04/s...

#booksky 💙📚
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post
It’s been a quiet week around here, though I’ve definitely been reading! Books acquired this week N/a! A few books I’m interested in are releasing in the coming week, though, so m…
breathesbooks.com
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
Nice way to end up chatting about books more!

Also also it looks really great on my CV that I was on the library committee and was responsible for modernising their catalogue and setting up a YA section and a pop-science section. So that's a good use of a library, if a bit niche. 😅
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
When I lived near a community run and community owned library, I also donated most of my books to them when I was done with them. That may not sound like a service, but I really go through books and I don't need to keep most of them, and then I got to see other people reading the same books.
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
In the past I've also used them to meet new people as neutral ground (e.g. someone I met online), for a quiet spot to study, for photocopying and scanning, to borrow DVDs, and to join a book club.
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
I use libraries for:

1. Access to journals and papers
2. Access to databases and programs
3. Ebooks to read for fun
4. Physical books to read for fun including just browsing for something random and taking a chance on it
5. Magazine subscriptions
6. Printing
7. A place that isn't home to spend time
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Reposted by Nicky
zippyelly.com
ZippyElly @zippyelly.com · 5d
Doing an experiment to prove a point to a family member.

Like and share this post if you feel that libraries are still relevant and useful. Feel free to share what you use libraries for too!
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shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 5d
Review - The Love Hypothesis, by Ali Hazelwood: this ended up being pretty cute and fun, albeit melodramatic in terms of the villain. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/03/r...

#booksky 💙📚
Review – The Love Hypothesis
If I was a bit cautious about Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, it was because of the premise of a grad student dating a professor — obviously pretty dodgy ground. That’s handl…
breathesbooks.com
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 6d
When you write to your energy company to complain about slow handling of an issue, and the person who replies is the person you're complaining about... 😑
shanaqui.bsky.social
Nicky @shanaqui.bsky.social · 6d
Review - The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, by Caitlin Rozakis: my bet is that this is very relatable for parents, heh. It's a fun concept, though the main character got annoying. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").

Full review: breathesbooks.com/2025/10/02/r...

#booksky 💙📚
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