iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Last night my 5yo daughter watched Dragon Ball's first ever beam battle (Goku vs Jackie Chun), and as their kamehamehas exploded against each other she ran to my lap worried about what might happen. Kiddo, just you wait. (Early low-stakes Dragon Ball is my favorite Dragon Ball, though.)

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I never had any luck with the cry themselves to sleep strat. So I just rocked them a long as they let me. I still rock my 5yo to sleep sometimes.

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This was a pretty good anime season. New highlights for me were: - Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia - Draw This, Then Die - Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You All very different shows whose episodes I looked forward to for different reasons.

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Well alright then. For your consideration: Here's Twyla, an ambitious lady aiming to do whatever it takes to run her city. She's associated with crown ornaments and the color blue. And then there's April, a woodsy witch who likes to decorate her hair in flowers (which usually just looks a mess).

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/09/2026

Difference in leadership, perhaps? Woody just wanted to be played with and treasured; never worried about Andy, just desperate for his affection. Haven't seen 5 yet, but I can imagine Jessie caring more about Bonnie, perhaps to excess.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 23/09/2026

In terms of vibes, I'm actually fond of Holland America. It's fairly low key, which I found relaxing. Very different from any of the ones you were on. No karaoke, though, which is a bit of a shame.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/09/2026

I just read my kids the Freedom chapter of Wayside School is Failing Down--the one where Myron is given the choice to either be Free or to be Safe. That chapter stuck with me as a kid. When I later created a pantheon for my D&D setting, it heavily influenced the strongest of my evil deities.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 19/09/2026

At least the lines are short

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 19/09/2026

Fields of Mistria has been feeling that way for me.

Lauren the Flute @laurentheflute.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Reposted by Charlie Verdin

This guy is incredibly cool in general, and I feel like this video sets a great example for how to shut down assholes without falling into defensive patterns that might cause harm to other people. I don't click on videos but I'll make an exception for him and his wife and I've never regretted it.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 16/09/2026

Uh oh, I found my stash of old packing slip scans. I feel a terrible urge to share my wife's artwork.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 16/09/2026

We need a label that says "DO NOT BEND, OBVIOUSLY JFC"

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/09/2026

As a little break from Sailor Moon, no less.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 14/09/2026

Even if you're a "model" furry--a straight, cis, buttoned up white family man with kids, a wife, a mortgage, two cars, and abs who also happens to be a furry... Even then, the same people who want to eliminate queer people from society want to eliminate that part of you.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 13/09/2026

The polite thing to do is take the compliment, so that's probably the best default. Self depreciation is my natural state, but I'd like to break the habit.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 13/09/2026

I swear sometimes these sunsets look fake.

Photo of a sunset with pink clouds in front of purple clouds next to orange and yellow clouds and blue sky.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 12/09/2026

Delayed reading lessons is normal in Waldorf schools, which I assume she's in given her singing "For the Golden Corn" at meal time. It is stressful, as someone who remembers reading books in kindergarten. I'm trying to trust the system, but I can't help but try to teach reading basics at home...

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 12/09/2026

Oh yeah, to be clear, my experience was mild. People usually chilled out if I explained I was of native descent. Actual Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent didn't have that privilege, and that sucks.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 11/09/2026

I was taking a bus trip back in 2003, and one of the other passengers was staring at me. Eventually they asked, "hey, you're not going to blow up the bus, right?" Post-9/11 was an uncomfortable time to be ambiguously brown.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 11/09/2026

I'm very aware that I was just being a stick in the mud.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 11/09/2026

My kids were playing Made You Look. "Look at that!" The other looks. "Haha, you fell for it!" They weren't tricking each other. Not really. They were taking turns. Still, I told them that it wasn't a good game. You want people to trust what you're saying! Don't laugh at people for believing you!

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 05/09/2026

I think, especially in 2002, it was probably very relatable to be grappling with fundamentalist prejudices and slowly, steadily learning to overcome them.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 05/09/2026

As much as I have come to appreciate the beauty of the desert, it's really hard to beat the water + trees + mountains combo.

There are several classes that I haven't played simply because I haven't figured out what I want to explore about it yet, as well as classes I don't think I'll ever stop exploring. FF4 for prompted me to think about class systems this way before I really understood the concept of class systems.

I do take a similar approach to D&D, though. When I get to be a player, I'm more interested in exploring what it means to be a class than I am in exploring the mechanics of that class. What kind of person ends up like this? What makes the class interesting? Can I explore it from a surprising angle?

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Rooting abilities this way helps make classes feel less like game mechanics and more like a natural aspect of a character. Which makes it kinda funny that my favorite Final Fantasy is Tactics. Squaring that (heh) would require an entire essay to explore.

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To be clear, I think it's weird when characters can change their class as one would change clothes. FF4 was awesome because character classes were informed by the story. Why is Cecil a Dark Knight? Because he spent his life training as one. Why is Edward a Bard? Because he's a sappy princeling.

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Oh, I forgot about that one! I never played FFX, but I do remember you showing me the transformations in X-2.

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FF5 a downgrade from FF4 in several ways imo but, man, the unique battle sprites for every job for each character is so cool. I like seeing how each character's style and personality is reflected in each class. I don't recall many other games doing that again until Octopath Traveler.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 03/09/2026

I recently finished the original Final Fantasy for the first time. I appreciated how very influenced by D&D it is. Kinda. As a DM, though, it hurt to go through the later part of the game tearing through legendary D&D monsters like paper. My darlings posed no threat to me at all.

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I'm not aware enough of most concept artists, so the only ones that come to mind are the ones I've interacted with--Temmie Chang and Gigi D.G. from Undertale/Deltarune, as well as Scott Campbell and Nathan Stapley from Double Fine.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 03/09/2026

I'm an old, so I was an EB fan before I had Internet. When I got Internet I tried Earthbound. Com, but it was not what I was looking for, so I tried Earthbound. Net. That site eventually became Starmen. Never ended up at Homestuck, but was very aware of it.

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Reposted by Charlie Verdin

Double Fine @doublefine.com · 31/08/2026

🚨AMNESIA FORTNIGHT 2026 KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN IS LIVE 🚨 Help us keep making weird and wondrous games; 26 amazing game pitches await your votes, and in the end, one prototype will emerge victorious! The fate of THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE is in your hands! 🌌 www.dfaf2026.com

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 31/08/2026

I appreciate this, as an employee of a legitimate seller of quality gaming apparel who spends a fair bit of time shutting down scam/bootleg sites that try to imitate us.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/08/2026

Laura has been spending a bunch of time creating stained glass imagery of my homebrew D&D pantheon. Imagine creating something and then someone else likes it enough to make at about it. It's the most gratifying thing.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 29/08/2026

I managed to find some close friends as an adult. It's definitely harder. You have to be ready to impose--invite people out, and make an effort until it starts to feel effortless. Most people are lonely and will appreciate the effort, especially if they're also introverted. It's hard but worthwhile

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/08/2026

Or alternately, you make up someone that everyone falls in love with. Sometimes that was supposed to be the villain, and now you need a new villain because you can't bring yourself to make the party kill their new husband/waifu.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/08/2026

I neither avoid nor entirely focus on politics here. It's just part of life, so it comes up. I do avoid reading replies to posts from people with large follower counts, though, since that's where you see a lot of toxic discourse. The format lends itself to toxicity, even if it's not as bad here.

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/08/2026

I don't think I was particularly ready for that responsibility at 13.

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Reposted by Charlie Verdin

Double Fine @doublefine.com · 27/08/2026

To honor Tim Curry's memory, we are making Brütal Legend FREE on Itch.io, for 666 minutes: itch.io/s/199277/the...

itch.io

Brütal Legend | The Tainted Coil shall rule forever! by Double Fine Productions

A sale by Double Fine Productions, 100% off Brütal Legend

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Reposted by Charlie Verdin

Alissa Wilkinson @alissawilkinson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I think about this a lot. It can be hard to remember sometimes but once you’re in the habit it becomes automatic. You could spend your whole life complaining about little things other people do but it’s way more fun to compliment people

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/08/2026

Sorry, no offense to today, but I'm still processing yesterday. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw_C...

youtube.com

Dolly Parton - Stairway to Heaven Live

YouTube video by CharmedHourHauntedSong25

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Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/08/2026

Sure thing! I hope they inspire something in you.

Brown-haired girl in a blue dress with skull earrings looking thoughtful.

Scruffy, lanky blonde fellow holding a violin.

Sharp-eyed lady with a big hat smiling in a vaguely evil manner.

Dark-skinned, bespekled gnome with short-cropped hair concentrating on generating a flame in his hand.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/08/2026

Sideways Stories from Wayside School and its sequels. It was the first book I remember feeling compelled to read aloud to others in the hopes that they enjoyed it as much as I did. They did not, but I appreciate them for listening nonetheless.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 25/08/2026

It takes approximately 30 seconds to sing the chorus of Jolene. Remember that next time you're washing your hands.