iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 7h

I avoid it as much as I can, though Royal Road is an Amazon thing, and I still buy Audible books to support my favourite authors. This is all it has in my "shopping preferences" page. The Sizing and Pet drop downs are empty.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 04/10/2026

I'm not into anthro art much, not hate just not my thing, but I have been a rat dad for many generations of boys. If you think you're drawing rat sacks, and worry that you're making them too big and it's unrealistic, you're still drawng them too small. Look at this little guy asleep on his balls:

A golden furred rat asleep using his testes as a pillow.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 01/10/2026

#WhimsicalWriters The best part of LitRPG is that good ones are 95% whimsy by weight.

He rolled up his sleeve and scrolled idly through his stats. It was the closest thing he could do to doomscrolling inside the game. He found that his skills were climbing slowly, and a few new ones had developed. There was an overarching Ranged Weapons skill that was broken down into mutiple subskills, first into Close Range (0 to 50m), Medium Range (50 to 250m), and Long Range (250m+) and then into the various weapons he'd used at those ranges. Crossbow marksmanship appeared under all three, of course, but Improvised Weapon (Thrown Rodent), only showed up in the Close Range subskill.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 29/09/2026

This is the first NON AI image I've seen of Brendan Fraser in the new Mummy film.

Brendan Fraser reprising Rick O'Donnell in The Mummy 4

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 28/09/2026

There's some discussion here at the moment about bawls, which are surprisingly still available at my local servo and I had one last year, but the one I miss was from about 2000 called Burn. I can't find the Oz version, which had no writing - just the flame on a black can.

An energy drink can called Burn. It has a flame on a black background.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 18/09/2026

I got what you mean. Typos are how we know we're human. Also...

"I can do all things through spite, which strengthens me." Cross stitch image.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 15/09/2026

This is why you don't let Ubisoft render your bathroom.

A bathroom, but the style is a garbled mess of weird geometric shapes and tiles.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 15/09/2026

What I Did On My Holidays (GNU Sir Terry). I got the geometry right, now to fix the print itself. There's one crack you can see, and more you can't.

A 3D printed hub made of black PLA with a bicycle disc brake caliper.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 07/09/2026

I moustache you a question, are you having a happy birthday?

A happy birthday boy with big yellow glasses and a moustache, with his birthday card, featuring a meerkat with yellow glasses and a moustache.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 07/09/2026

One of three new marsupial species discovered recently in Australia, the Kultarr is generally considered too small to kill a human. Don't get me wrong, they WANT to, they'll TRY to, this is Oz after all.

“Antechinomys laniger [the eastern kultarr] is currently listed as endangered in New South Wales, but it is not listed federally.”

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 02/09/2026

Here's a screen of the Orca Slicer output, in case there were any doubters.

A screen grab of the settings for an upcoming print.

Total Filament: 74.57 m 224.20g

Model Filament: 73.23 m 220.19g

Cost: 4.48

Prepare time: 16s

Model printing time: 8d5h47m

Total time: 8d5h47m

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 01/09/2026

I'm using settings from this guy who builds battlebots: hackaday.com/2026/04/25/s... It's for the hub on my e-quad.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 23/08/2026

Here they are, in case you were wondering.

A furnace made from junk, smelting aluminium in the back yard on the grass.

A 3D printer made from recycled DVD player parts

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 22/08/2026

Claratyne: Hey can I copy your homework? Matt Dinniman: Sure, but don't make it obvious. Claratyne:

The advertisement for Claratyne allergy medication, featuring a very sad looking cat.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 21/08/2026

I've hunted all over this hotel and I can't find my room.

A hotel keycard for the room number 404.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 21/08/2026

I don't really do Big Chunks Of Stats or Character Sheets in my LitRPG. The characters still check on their skills when there's an important one though.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 21/08/2026

I gotta love being an author some days. This is my "office" at the moment.

A view of my workplace today, a very upscale pub with a fireplace.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 19/08/2026

The Fastest Path to Me Never Using Your Product.

OnShape, a cloud based CAD vendor, proudly announcing that they have no morals, ethics or empathy by promoting the plagiarism machine.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 14/08/2026

I have found a relic of a bygone era. How would you explain this to anyone born in the last ten years?

A Telstra phone booth in a lake side park.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 14/08/2026

The life of a LitRPG author, seamlessly merging real life trauma with a scene from Seven Psychopaths (2012) with Peter as Christopher Walken.

"Hey," he was poked again. "I saw you coming out of grandad's shed."

Shifting his attention from the online to the real world, Peter looked to his left. His youngest cousin was there, looking like she'd found the secret key to Fort Knox's back door. "And?"

"And I don't feel like doing the dishes anymore. You're going to do them for me until we go home."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no."

"Why?"

"I don't want to."

"But I'll tell Grandma."

Peter shrugged. "I don't care."

"But.." she stammered. "But, that doesn't make any sense."

"Too bad," Peter shrugged again.

"I'll tell her you hit me too," she tried another tack. "She'll believe me."

"You won't. There's no mark. No proof."

"I can just hit myself. It doesn't even have to be a bruise."

"Tell her then. I'm going back to my schoolwork."

"Yeah... well... Mum says your dad isn't even going to fight for custody. He doesn't love you."

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 13/08/2026

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

Chapter 42

Peter laid on thy for, contemplating the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 12/08/2026

I've blocked the slopmonger, but also reported them to the AI labeller. Do as you will with this info.

A slopmonger pushing genAI bullshit whining about their "content" getting stolen. Hypocrite.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 12/08/2026

Fourteen years ago today, I married the love of my life.

Two people in Steampunk outfits and white umbrellas smiling like goons. It's Patrick and Vanessa Charlton-O'Shea on their wedding day in 2012

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 11/08/2026

I'm feeling a little called out right now.

Author Patrick Charlton-O'Shea in a black jumper and a black hat, signifying they he writes fantasy. He also has driving goggles on, to show that at least part of his story is Steampunk.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 11/08/2026

With LitRPG, old memes meet new and the synthesis is greater than the sum of the parts:

"I think these new ones are a fire suppression system, not an active defence measure," Pham explained. "I'm about sixty seven percent sure this is a missile construction line. That could go up another two points if I could read whatever's written on this da...ang console."

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 10/08/2026

I have decided to try something terrible. My own take on the Hard Rated Fanta, it's Berocca and home brew bourbon.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 10/08/2026

Kick it over and leave the appropriate reminder.

This is not a place of honour sign, left at the site of nuclear contamination.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 09/08/2026

I'm pretty proud of how many references I managed to cram into this chapter. See if you can spot them all. #LitRPG

"Not dead!" Dani yelled.

"I'm fine!" Pham added. "Nearly got the door."

"Squeak!"

Peter waited a painful moment. "Warren? Warren? Anyone? Beuller?"

"He's not respawning, but he's not moving either!" Dani yelled. "And I'm not going over there to find out until you do something about that other turret."

Peter closed his eyes for a brief second. He was gathering his willpower when Pham interrupted his thoughts.

"Peter, can I do something that will probably make you very mad but will definitely save us?"

Breathing through the pain, Peter levered himself to his knees and peeked over the belt. Chad's crew had taken more critical injuries, their buddies dragging them out of the line of fire to be healed at the back line, but also destroyed another turret. He judged that Chad would likely have enough people to get through the remaining four turrets as long as he didn't care how many died. He wasn't sure how determined they were to follow suicidal orders, but with the spupport crew managing to keep a significant number alive he guessed they were likely to give it a red hot go. "How mad are we talking?"

"If it goes wrong you can send me to the respawn point the hard way. But I'm certain it'll work."

A stray round punched through a loose fold of Peter's armour. It didn't hit him, but it did rip his leg out from under him, bouncing his face off the metal in front of him. A curse word emerged from his throat to be turned into a tyre screeching. Holding his bleeding nose he pulled himself up again. "Fide. But whadever it is, l'be holding you to thad."

Rather than answer, Pham picked up DB and threw him at the remaining turret. "Kobe!"

"SQUEEEEEEEEK!" DB screamed as he flew through the air. Rounds whipped past his tiny body but the turret couldn't lock onto his fast moving form. DB struck the turret where it emerged from the roof and clung, swiftly climbing into the ceiling space.

For a long moment nothing happened. Rounds kept coming down range at Peter and Chad's crew kept making gains on their position and Peter's anxiety grew by the second.

Then there was a bang that echoed over the already earsplitting noise. The turret separated from the roof and riding the spark and steam spraying mechanism was DB, looking for all like a mad cowboy riding a nuclear weapon.

As he fell he slauted with one of his butter knives. Peter marvelled until the turret hit the floor with a crash and parts sprayed everywhere. DB grabbed a glowing piece of circuitry in his teeth and bounded his way through the mess to where Peter was crouched.

Picking up his ratty buddy, Peter cradled him to his face, incidentally smearing blood in DB's fur. "I'd thoughd joo were deab, buddy. You're amazig."

Rather than stand immedately, he scrabbled his way to where Pham was just tying two wires togheter and Dani had dragged Warren over by the helmet. Peter put DB down and helped moved their armoured friend. The door whooshed open and they all piled through into the next room. Pham yanked on a cord and the wires tore out of the control panel and causing the door to snap closed again.

Pham faced Peter sombrely. "I hope you know that was the only way we were getting through, but I am sorry."

Peter put his hands on both of Pham's shoulders and looked him deeply in the eyes. "Pham. I forgive you."

Pham's eyes opened very wide very suddenly and he fell backwards clutching his foot. There was a butter knife protruding from the top.

"DB might take a while to come around though."

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 07/08/2026

You couldn't waterboard this info out of me, and they're proud of this? Are they also proud of the skid marks they leave on the carpet?

A part of an email from Dropbox, somehow proud of being associated with Claude and ChatGPT, instead of ashamed as they should be.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 05/08/2026

Fuck you Google, I'm STILL not going to use Gemini.

We're writing to let you know that the Google Assistant on your mobile device is being discontinued, and Gemini - our next-generation AI-powered assistant – is now the assistant experience on Android.1

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 01/08/2026

I miss these little guys. Rats only live for three years, but they pack so much life into that short time.

A black rat, a white rat and a hooded grey rat in a cuddle puddle.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 29/07/2026

Perhaps it's time to log off for the day, Bob.

The cover is a book featuring a man looking forlornly into a mirror. It's titled "Did I Just Argue With A Joke?"

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 29/07/2026

Starting my most ambitious print yet. Pray I do not end up with spaghetti.

A picture of the expected print time ACS filament use. It reads 1 day and 1 hour, 120m and 360g of PLA.

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 28/07/2026

Ok, turns out it was PSO2. I was able to play a little bit by using a VPN, but I've deleted it to play other games.

A screenshot of my months Nintendo Switch showing Phantasy Star Online 2

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Patrick Charlton-O'Shea @aesonique.itch.io · 23/07/2026

You better BELIEVE I'm going to mock and deride these wankers. We don't need slopmongers polluting LitRPG. Take your plagiarism machine elsewhere. Or better yet, reprogram it with an axe.