iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

To our listeners and to those who have supported us thus far, you have our deepest gratitude. We thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope to be with you again soon.

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Until then, if you would like to listen to the episodes in our backlist, you can easily find us on well-known platforms, as well as some not-so-well-known platforms. Please reference our Linktree in the bio.

100

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Hello, Eli here. We will be on a hiatus for an undetermined amount of time due to a family medical emergency.

111

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Please direct your attention towards Ep 5: Flee into Mommy’s Arms, in which we center Yin Shan Meng Tan—a 2013 manhua created by Zhang Jing (张晶)—and discuss classism, literal author self-inserts, and mommy issues. Check the Linktree in our bio for other platforms! www.patreon.com/AttentionEls...

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere 5: Flee into Mommy’s Arms | Attention Elsewhere

Please direct your attention towards ep 5: Flee into Mommy’s Arms, in which we center Yin Shan Meng Tan—a 2013 manhua written and drawn by Z

011

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The same goes for the Yin Shan Meng Tan episode. The audio recording is all done, but it still needs a little longer in the oven before we can release it into the wild.

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

It's been a bit since we lasted posted, and it's likely going to be a while longer as one of our two co-hosts is currently moving to a different continent to start their masters in Film & English. We'll be back to our (un)usual programming once they're settled.

111

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

And don't forget to read the extras, too! They might not be set within the world of YSMT, but they're just as important—if not more so—than its actual, textual narrative.

Zhang Jing's persona poses with the characters from her various manhua, including Ah Jiu and Yu Ji

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Interested in reading along with the show? You still have time to finish Yin Shan Meng Tan before our episode. But don't wait too long... With over a 100 chapters, varying levels of translation quality, and a richly layered narrative, YSMT demands both time and attention to properly enjoy.

Ah Jiu holds an open umbrella over Princess Yu Ji's head.

110

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

Lady Emily ☄️ @ladyemily.nebula.tv · 01/06/2026

Ah, Kamille. It's the first day of Pride Month. You know what that means.

16432119

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

artemis, scary boss of stop caring @stopcar.ing · 01/06/2026

It's pride month. You should support small time videogame criticism from the margins, especially if said website is ran by a trans woman. Ahem, anyways, please consider donating or subscribing to Stop Caring www.stopcar.ing#/portal/supp... www.stopcar.ing

02716

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Like what you hear? Consider sharing our podcast with your friends, family, and mortal enemies, and/or supporting us over on Ko-fi:

ko-fi.com

Support Attention Elsewhere

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Happy Pride Month! If you’re thirsting for some robust media criticism and analysis from a pair of delightfully queer co-hosts, then you’ve come to the right place. Not everything we cover is queer, but the way we talk about it—it might as well be:

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere

Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

100

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

If you enjoyed our episode on 'Heaven Will Be Mine'—a game in which space is characterized as both playground and battlefield for its young cast—then we strongly recommend you read Asterisk Magazines' recent interview of Jon Peterson in which he traces the evolution of wargaming throughout history.

"There is an interesting distinction between what the actual professional military people want out of these games and what they find successful in them, and the kinds of things that hobbyists pursue in wargames."

111

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

If you're interested in following along, be warned: There's no "official" English translation. But there are a variety of scanlations (of varying quality and completion) available online. We'll leave it to you to find the one you like the best.

110

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Though better known for Ayeshah's Secret and Aisha, it is her Tang Dynasty epic that has caught our attention for its nested narrative structure, metafictional elements, and intersectional politics; all of which you can hear more about at the end of Attention Elsewhere Ep. 4: The Genre is Empire:

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere 4: The Genre is Empire [Signalis] | Attention Elsewhere

Attention Elsewhere 4: The Genre is Empire [Signalis] by Attention Elsewhere on Patreon. Join Attention Elsewhere's community for exclusive content and updates.

110

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Next episode: We'll be covering Zhang Jing's manhua, Yin Shan Meng Tan (or: Dream Talking in the Hidden Mountain) (2017-2020).

110

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

Bullet Points @bpmonthly.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

"if marathon offers anything to say about the human condition, i don't think it's to be found in the cutthroat attitude players adopt with one another ... yet i feel like i've grown to understand people more by playing it." @goosepimple.moe on Marathon, up now bulletpointsmonthly.com/2026/05/20/w...

315147

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

It's focus, of course, is Bungie's Marathon, but much of its content could just as easily be applied to Signalis, which, similarly, is preoccupied with the relationship between its characters' artificial bodies, empire, and an enduring desire for physical connection between the self and the other.

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

If you've enjoyed our coverage of Signalis, we strongly recommend that you check out Grace's article, 'Older Than Empires, As Deep As Death':

100

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

Bullet Points @bpmonthly.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

"The Runner is from an empire, of a kind, but of no nation in particular. Home is nowhere." @gracemachine.bsky.social on Marathon, up now. bulletpointsmonthly.com/2026/05/13/o...

16941

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

Baxter @cosmicspooks.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

The outline of a corpse, a rotting city, a truth hidden below the earth, a crime that keeps happening. Join me in exploring Yuji Horii's metaphysical, purgatorial masterpiece, The Portopia Serial Murders! www.tsundokudiving.com/talking-game...

tsundokudiving.com

Talking games | The Portopia Serial Murder Case

Purgatory made digital.

220759

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

LEADER. GOD. MOTHER. On this holy day, we worship at the feet of Mother Falke, Protektor Commander of S-23 Sierpinski Facility. We thank her for all she has done for us, the sacrifices she has made, and most of all, we thank her for stepping on us.

Signalis' Falke awakens from one dream to another... Ready to kill and replace Elster

020

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

artemis, scary boss of stop caring @stopcar.ing · 29/04/2026

www.stopcar.ing/post-punk-sy... New Stop Caring essay, from yours truly. On violence in video games and real-life, the conditions and limits of sympathy, and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

stopcar.ing

Post Punk Sympathy

And critical support for the pervert's revenge.

1111750

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

In our second (and final!) Signalis episode, we discuss Adler who has plagued—and charmed—us since pushing poor Elster down the elevator shaft. Best read as a foil to Elster, he is both perpetrator and victim—his fate decided by compulsory heterosexual desire and Ariane's fading dream.

Adler shoves Elster into an elevator shaft

Adler looking hot af as he says, "You shouldn't have returned." What a monster.

021

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/01/2025

Worm Girl - who you might know for her deep dives on the Fear & Hunger games - picks apart every last fragment of Signalis, which is still one of the best survival horror games of all time. Y'all should follow her at the very least.

38612

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Attention Elsewhere Ep. 4: 'The Genre is Empire':

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Attention Elsewhere Ep. 3: 'Would James Sunderland Approve?':

Adler looking relatively normal, other than the big-ass knife through his eye

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

And if you like what we do here, consider sending us a couple bucks on Ko-Fi! It keeps us well stocked on actual, no-really-we-need-it, coffee.

ko-fi.com

Support Attention Elsewhere

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Please direct your attention towards Ep 4: The Genre is Empire, in which we center Signalis—a 2022 survival horror game developed by rose-engine—and discuss incest, the Rule of 6, and Adler. Part 2 of 2! Check the Linktree in our bio for other platforms!

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere 4: The Genre is Empire [Signalis] | Attention Elsewhere

Attention Elsewhere 4: The Genre is Empire [Signalis] by Attention Elsewhere on Patreon. Join Attention Elsewhere's community for exclusive content and updates.

141

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

m @maekl029.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

I have no explanation for this one. You just have to feel it

A colored drawing of 8 Eules in the Nurse Station in S-23's hospital wing. 7 are huddled around a computer which is playing the Vocaloid song "Magnet". The 8th Eule watches from the side as she takes her eyes off of her computer work.

312482773

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

In Ep. 3 we examine, not just Signalis' artistic influences, but its historical influences too: Its world draws aesthetic inspiration from both Nazi Germany and the Soviet-controlled GDR, while its narrative and themes subvert or directly refute their fascistic ideology, rhetoric, and actions.

A propaganda poster found in the world of Signalis. It shows a FKLR (Falke) unit holding a Eusan flag (which looks *very* similar to that of Soviet-controlled East Germany (or the German Democratic Republic).

010

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

We're almost ready to release the second (and final) part of our discussion on Signalis, so get caught up by listening to the first part here:

021

Reposted by Attention Elsewhere

m @maekl029.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

A fake YouTube video titled "[ASMR] Storch beats you with a stun prod to help you sleep (wholesome)". The thumbnail drawing is Storch standing over the camera, swinging a stun prod

623078

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

In the first of our two episodes on Signalis, we discuss how, by featuring subtle and prominent references to—and direct use of—many famous paintings, novels, shows, films, and other games, Signalis' form comes to mirror that of the narrative with the blending and blurring of lines between subjects.

Isle of the Dead (Die Toteninsel) by Arnold Böcklin (1880)

The Shore of Oblivion by Eugene Bracht (1911)

Major Motoko Kusanagi comes apart as she attempts to rip open a tank hatch in Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Echoing the scene from Ghost in the Shell (1995), Elster's arm comes apart as she tries to gain entrance to the Penrose (within which is Ariane, dying in cryo)

111

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

And if you like what we do here, consider sending us a couple bucks on Ko-Fi! It keeps us well stocked on actual, no-really-we-need-it, coffee.

ko-fi.com

Support Attention Elsewhere

010

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Please direct your attention towards Ep 3: Would James Sunderland Approve?, in which we center Signalis—a 2022 survival horror game developed by rose-engine—and discuss the GDR, collages, and mac and cheese. Part 1 of 2! Check the Linktree in our bio for other platforms!

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere 3: Would James Sunderland Approve? [Signalis] | Attention Elsewhere

120

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

It's *always* a good time to (re)play Signalis, and with our next episode (and a delightful, if very spoilery, discussion) on the horizon, you've really got no excuse to keep putting it off. So ignore your backlog; play Signalis; and come listen to the podcast once you're done!

A STAR unit from rose-engine's survival horror game Signalis says, "...an Elster unit?"

121

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

In preparation for our next episode on Signalis, we are reading Robert W. Chambers' 'The King in Yellow.' While we won't be discussing it in-depth, it's far from a throwaway easter egg. Rather, it serves to expand and complicate both world and narrative of the game.

A copy of Robert W. Chambers' 'The King in Yellow' found within the world of rose-engine's Signalis

010

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

You can listen to it, and our second episode (covering Baalu Girma's, 'Oromay') over on our Patreon or wherever else you get your podcasts. And hey! If you like what we do here, considering sharing our episodes with your friends and family or throwing us a couple bucks on Ko-fi; both really help!

ko-fi.com

Support Attention Elsewhere

010

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

While you wait for the next episode of Attention Elsewhere, consider giving our backlog a listen. We've got two great episodes, including our debut in which we covered the visual novel, 'Heaven Will Be Mine,' by Pillow Fight and Worst Girls Games.

patreon.com

Attention Elsewhere 1: Baby's (Second) Visual Novel | Attention Elsewhere

100

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/AttentionE... Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/attentionels...

000

Attention Elsewhere @attentionelsewhere.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

ACHTUNG! We're not quite ready to release it, but in our next episode we will explore the corrupted depths of Sierpinski S-23 and twisted, fragmentary memories of its many denizens in rose-engine's 2022 survival horror, Signalis.

The replika unit Elster stands at the bottom of a red pit. The stairs behind her lead up to the snow-covered surface, while a hole in the wall leads deeper into the facility.

011