iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 6h

I bought Purgatory Dungeoneer at release and am consistently in awe at how much game there is to it. It's a constantly evolving battle puzzle designed for the people the sickos think are perverts, and it's incredibly charming to boot.

The equipment vendor explaining that slimes can't equip things because they don't have anything to attach it to.

2103

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A friend posted that meme about how every hobby is actually four hobbies, and running my whole deal through the matrix has actually been incredibly insightful and only a little depressing

Doing the hobby: Painting miniatures, old tech magazines
Doing the gear: Weight training, fucking with synths, fountain pens/journaling, making zines
Discussing the hobby: Listening to music, genre fiction, tabletop games, fighting games
Discussing the gear: Playing retro games, 3d printing

0153

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Please join us for what may be the single most in-depth examination of the differences between Flying Dragon and Virtual Hiryu No Ken in the English language so you too can mourn the absence of KEVIN

Kevin, a rootin tootin cowboy from Virtual Hiryu No Ken on the PS1

0155

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Real quick, what the fuck are we even doing here?

A listing for a machine translation of Phantasy Star Iv, a game that has had a very good human translation for the last 32 or so years.

1310418

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I live in rural Texas. I shop at a Texas-based grocery chain. This is the first thing you see in there. Until yesterday, i had no idea who this person was because even here most public places don’t play country music and also I am 41 and would just listen to Rival Schools all day if I could

A display for Bum Energy, an energy drink endorsed by Ella Langley with a poster and a quote of hers on a little Texas sign board.

6331

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

more screenshots, mostly of me trying to see what I can get away with in the shader space when it meets Bluesky’s compression

3202

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Simple 1500 Series vol.056 - THE Sniper is not actually a very fun game to play but it does play a full opening animation before every level and I think that’s beautiful

0269

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

GLORIA SHILVERVERG would be such a beautiful name for a baby girl.

A screenshot from the opening fmv of Simple 1500 Series vol.056 - The Sniper featuring beloved series antagonist GLORIA SHILVERVERG

030

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Just look at these names and try not to feel something.

716656

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I am no longer an ~aesthetic screenshot~ account for several reasons, one of which is I simply don’t play a ton of games outside of Doom anymore and I have an account for that. But I did get my Retroid Nova in the mail today and i can feel the itch

Opening of Gungage stage 2, where the delightfully named Wakle Skade says “I can feel the existence of beasts here” while surrounded by giant hellish maggots.

THE Tennis from the Simple series, where two hideous pre-rendered homonculi play tennis on a pre-rendered green

The first stage of Einhander where your ship is blasting through a futuristic cityscape full of neon signs, prominently featuring one that says ITS ALL NEW! COMBAT

A shot of the skybox in the first stage of Disrupter, an early first person shooter.

3967

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My 10 year old needs his own room and I have made enough mistakes with my first resin printer that this weekend will be its last hurrah. It’s a little sad but also I have printed more miniatures than I may be able to paint in my lifetime

My printer stats. I’ve done 121 prints with 23.2 liters of resin over the last year and a half.

190

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

You don’t need to use genAI to make nightmare food when our friends in Eastern Europe are out here creating gigantic burritos stuffed with the final level of a Contra game

A close up of one of the photos in the quoted post where someone has a huge “burrito” that appears to be two possibly unwarmed tortillas vomiting forth a bunch of vegetables in a way that looks like a putrid biomass, each skewered by a cocktail stick.

5492

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I am genuinely obsessed with how close these people let Nathan Fielder get in virtually every shot of this trailer. The first documentary shot entirely at kissing distance.

Nathan sitting on one side of the bed while Elizabeth Holmes’ husband stroked her leg on the other.

Nathan Fielder standing a tight 18 inches away from Elizabeth Holmes’s husband in a way that suggest the latter can be pushed against the fridge and be taken to makeout city

Nathan Fielder staring soulfully in Elizabeth Holmes’ eyes less than a foot away.

5567

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Don’t talk to me, my son, my son, my son, my son, or my son ever again #miniatures #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

A fuller 32mm chaos warrior also done up in Nurgle Green standing in front of the strip of 10mm Warmaster scale warriors detailed below.

0312

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I’m not the biggest fan of speed paints but I wanted to try something new so I spent an hour or so between calls painting extremely tiny Nurgle warriors with a limited palette this morning. #miniatures #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

The front of five 10mm scale chaos warriors done up in Nurgle Green on their plate mail and shields. They are attached to the top of a pill bottle with poster putty

The backs. I’ve given them crimson capes and shaded white fur collars. The spray paint I used to prime them clumped but it gives them a pleasant snowy effect.

The six paints I used:
Vallejo Color Xpress Templar White
AK QuickGen Crimson Red
AK QuickGen Ochre Green
AK QuickGen Dark Leather
AK QuickGen Space Green
Army Painter Plate Mail Metal

1121

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

An incredible juxtaposition from the letters section of EGM issue 150

A picture from the previous letter depicting the band Journey in the early 80s (five men with incredibly feathered hair, mustaches, and so much denim) right above the header for the next one titled “Desperately Seeking Hentai”

03911

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Yeah man nailed it, that’s Mickey alright.

A rancid GenAI thumbnail with an extremely cursed cartoon mouse

040

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I love the implication in this updated version of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret that God is actively responding to her, presumably leading to her adopting the name Margaret D’Arc and causing the dreaded English to abandon the siege of Orléans

A newish copy of Are You Thete God, It’s Me Margaret where the title is presented like some text messages and God is currently texting back

2348

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Once again you’ve embarrassed yourself by showing up in a singlet when i was clearly inviting you over for some tag team Russell-ing

A DVD of Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe and Tombstone starring Kurt Russell

4469

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The original cover art to power metal band Attacker’s 1985 debut album “Battle at Helm’s Gate” compared to the 2001 CD release is a true “we used to live in a real society” moment. (neither of them actually depict the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but at least the new art took place a book earlier.)

The original 1985 album where an enthusiastically airbrushed barbarian is fighting a four armed pterodactyl demon thing while a wizard demon poses dramatically on the background. Everything has My First Warhammer faces

The 2001 CD rerelease, which at least uses more on theme fonts for the title but is just a painting of Gandalf fighting the Balrog.

1112

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I’ve been enjoying Pokémon Ghost Grey, a rom hack that uses Pokémon as a springboard into its own narrative puzzle box. It’s a little too irony poisoned at times but that also leads to some extremely solid jokes.

My character shopping at a self-service Pokémart. I have the escape rope selected and the description reads “A long rope. Can be used to escape anything. However, it can only be used once.” which has different implications given that the sprite for it is now a noose. The rest of the items are all either candy or abusable real world pharmaceuticals.

15411

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

If you were to ask me what movie this gif is from, “Somewhat Remembered Children’s Film Beethoven” would not be in my first 100 guesses

44311

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

There is nothing more beautiful than an entire group chat remembering what the plot to Beethoven actually was at the same time

The Newtons take Beethoven to veterinariar Dr.
Herman Varnick for a routine medical exam, unaware that he is secretly involved in unethical animal experiments and is seeking large-skulled dogs to test ammunition on. Dr. Varnick tells George of a supposed mental instability among St. Bernards that makes them potentially dangerous and violent, advising him to watch Beethoven closely for any sign of viciousness. Later, under the pretense of doing a follow-up exam on Beethoven, Dr. Varnick visits the Newton home. After applying fake blood onto his arm and Beethoven's nose, Dr. Varnick repeatedly hits Beethoven until the dog retaliates, unaware that Emily saw him. When the rest of the family comes outside to rescue Dr. Varnick, he claims that Beethoven

06117

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

That’s the David W. Bradley Difference

DWB, a white dude with a feathered mullet and pushbroo mustache posing thoughtfully in front of a lightning bolt

120

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I’ve always known i am exactly 1/13th as important as Barack Obama. I bet that dork doesn’t even have a favorite Wizardry

Me on the top 38 influencers voting list at no. 3132 with two votes

Former President Barack Obama at number 336 with a measly 26 votes

2201

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I had to dig up my Spotify account for this but 12 years ago I set out to find every distinct version of Two Princes on Spotify and you can guess what part of the title “Twenty Eight Princes, Two Princesses, and One Teen Pregnancy” ApologetiX contributed towards

A Spotify Playlist that has all distinct versions of Two Princes I could find in 2014. Christian parody artists ApologetiX parody “Too Pregnant” is track number two

1110

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

There are cathedrals (people remembering that Cyclops is supposed to have a giant dump truck ass) everywhere for those with eyes to see.

Cyclops doing his taunt in X-Men vs Street Fighter, where he sticks out his giant dump truck ass.

A video of someone painting the Cyclops mini from Marvel Crisis Protocol wheee he has a giant dump truck ass

0284

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

@videogamebeach.bsky.social here’s a good beach for you from Dragon Quest VII Reimagined for the Switch 2. Feel free to use it if you would like.

The Dragon Quest VII protagonist (a small boy in a green hood beanie and tunic) standing in the gently lapping waves of Rainbow Cove, presumably named for the rainbow reflection of the sun upon the water.

56611

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Using violent video games to confront the late-August Texas sun in a healthy way

0303

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The Power of Salad and Milkshakes is a 2002 documentary about the noise rock band Lightning Bolt that is an essential resource for this type of person. Just an absolute crush of people letting their bodies and brains get obliterated by sound

1110

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Giving myself a 45 because artists I am annoying about are marked in pink and should count double against me.

160

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Trying to figure out how to put a Sega Saturn at half mast

The cover art for Frankenstein: Through The Eyes of the Monster Starring Tim Curry where he is looking at you smugly in a lab coat.

4358113

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I am losing it at the flavor text they give to all the countries the app is currently available on

United Kingdom
A long tradition of open public debate and one of FRACT's earliest and strongest user communities.
Canada
A country that balances individual freedoms with a respectful public discourse.
Netherlands
Recognized for its open internet culture and forward-looking approach to digital society.
Germany
A strong commitment to privacy and one of the world's most trusted legal frameworks.
Ireland
A global technology hub where innovation

110

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

A friend asked for kid friendly guitar pop suggestions and that Prousted me back to the Powerpuff Girls: Heroes and Villains album featuring 45 minutes of bespoke songs by 90s/00s power-pop heavyweights (including multiple Elephant Six artists!) and it’s a real “we used to be a real country” moment

The cover of the CD featuring the Powerpuff Girls dancing. Also a bunch of random katakana on the side as was the fashion at the time.

The track listing, which is preposterously stacked
THE POWERPUFF GIRLS GO MONKEY GO - Devo
PRAY FOR THE GIRLS
SIGNAL IN THE SKY (LET'S GO) - The Apples In Stereo
WALK & CHEW GUM - Opticanally Yours
BUTTERCUP (I'M A SUPER GIRL) - Shonen Knife
B.L.O.S.S.O.M. - Komeda
BUBBLES - Dressy Bessy
FIGHT THE POWER - BIS
DON'T LOOK DOWN - The Sugarplastic
THE FIGHT - Cornelius
FRIENDS WIN - The Bill Doss
THE POWERPUFF GIRLS THEME - Bis

97313

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

My therapist: Anime Gary Busey isn’t real, he can’t hurt you. Anime Gary Busey:

Prince Kiefer from Dragon Quest VII Reimagined on the Switch 2 m. He has the wild hair, eyes, and chin of a young Gary Busey

1469

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Completed a very large, very gross, and very pink little guy today, which also is the first time in a year and a half in the hobby that I have actually painted nipples. #miniatures #miniaturepainting #nerdlings

A chaos daemon from StationForge that is a massive bloated pink thing with rhino beetle horned, a long gross tongue, harem pants, and lots of big hoop piercings on its neck and nipples. It’s holding a big bronze mace with some verdigris weathering and its other hand is a bright red crab claw

0324

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Looking forward to being $20 poorer and one Deathlord franchise richer

The Apple II cover of Deathlord which looks like a metal album cover from the mid-80s with a giant metal demon surrounded by flames and what looks like piranha goblins

1171

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

We did not name ourselves after the MOVIE The Devil Wears Prada, we named ourselves after the BOOK, which we DID NOT READ

Despite speculations that the band named themselves after the film of the same title, the band was in actuality formed before the film was released.
They have explained that their band name is based on an anti-materialistic mindset and derived their name from the novel The Devil Wears Prada. At the time of naming the band, the members assumed that the novel included anti-materialism as its moral, until later discovering that the novel did not feature this as its message at all. Despite making this mistake, the band members refused to change the name and decided that they would create a new, non-materialistic definition indicating that at the Last Judgment, God will not look at people's possessions.

15413

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Ed Edd n Eddy is a bit after my time but the story bible is worth tracking down because it has the exact same tone as an early aughts World of Darkness splatbook

Ed, Edd nEedy
Character Description
Eddy
Exhibitionist.
Megalomaniac. (quote from his report card)
Eddy is the unofficial leader of the trio.
He's always got a plan, a stunt or a weird noise.
Eddy's the "class clown". He loves showing off. He loves being the centre of attention-
- no matter how stupid the reason is.
Eddy is the only kid in his grade to have been expelled for a whole week from school.
It was his turn to set up the video for science class. He switched "Our Friend Yeast", for a video he "borrowed" from his parent's room.
Before Eddy's brother went....away, he enlightened Eddy with the "legends" of the neighbourhood. Eddy knows where all the abandoned tree houses are, which sewer pipes are safe to spelunk, and the secret recipe for the "El Mongo Stink Bomb" (it's been in the family for years.
He's the one who is most able to pretend that he knows it all...and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him.
His genes are working the fastest.
Eddy's Dad is constantly concerned that Eddy may grow up to be a ...figure skater.
Eddy's Mom never believes his little darling was involved in such a heinous act.

5466182

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

What if I pivoted to an extremely 2022 style ~*DooM EnginE AestheticS*~ account as a lark?

Sunlust MAP28: Maelstrom by dannebubinga and Ribbiks. An ominous island of green jade floats in the void, centered around what appears to be a flow of slime originating from the sky and coming down in a conical waterfall? slimefall?

2221

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

An extremely funny inversion of this is the Dragon Ball GT game that came out in the US before DBZ started airing with an extremely limited print run spiked in price, but it of course crashed on reprint to the point that even the original printing has only barely outpaced inflation

The original Bandai printing selling CIB for $239

The later Atari printing selling CIB selling for $35

060

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

If anyone is heading back to 2001, note that a copy of Shadow Tower has a better ROI than an ounce of gold bought at the same time

A zoom in showing Shadow Tower on sale for $24.99

The price charting page showing a used CIB copy going for $605.38

79828

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I have no idea what this is from but I similarly think about this random manga page about Yuri Horii and his friends absolutely losing their mind when they saw Wizardry on an Apple II for the first time at a trade show almost constantly.

A scan of an untranslated manga of a bunch of guys dressed in early 80s drip wide eyed and shouting as they push through a crowd to see a demo of Wizardry I in play

38421