iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 15h

October playlist day 5! It is easy to dismiss Swans as -a bit much, really- but their intensity, intentionality, and songcraft is remarkable. Unconstrained by the implied limitations of the form; unconcerned with commercial viability. My favorite albums are from when Jarboe was part of the band.

youtu.be

Swans - My Buried Child

YouTube video by SWANS

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Either the tick-tock crocodile from Peter Pan or that spooky goat-lizard-creature muppet.

A blue muppet that looks like a combination of a goat and maybe a bearded lizard. “Uncle Deadly,” apparently.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

October playlist day 4! "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices" is exactly that: entrancing vocal performances of folk songs that touched a generation-plus of other musicians, including a huge proportion of the 4AD catalog like DCD. DM's "Enjoy the Silence" also samples some of the chorals from this song.

music.youtube.com

Sableyalo mi Agontze (The Bleating Lamb)

YouTube video by Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares - Topic

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Absolutely agree. And I think the newer stuff has a bit more overt Cure influence.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

October playlist day 3! Music is influenced by the music that came before it, and the guitars in this excellent Turkish band's song live at the intersection of Bauhaus and Peter Hook. The "Tubular Bells" help give it a spiky high note above the grasping low end that wants to pull you under.

youtu.be

She Past Away - Ritüel (Official Audio)

YouTube video by ShePastAway

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

October playlist day 2! Covers are tough, and need to put their own spin on a song good enough to bother covering in the first place. This one does a great job of making a somewhat sinister song ("Let me steal this moment from you now") deliver on the haunt it teases, aided by bombastic drums.

youtu.be

Running Up That Hill

YouTube video by Faith And The Muse - Topic

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

October playlist day one! This first song is the quintessential Vampire: The Masquerade song, nuanced and sublime. It's about longing and the ache of parting, but also sirens lure sailors like vampires lure prey, and vampires also imply history, to which the Greek theme alludes. youtu.be/HFWKJ2FUiAQ

youtu.be

This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren (Official Video)

YouTube video by 4AD

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

As a lifelong layerer, my soul rejoices. Now if only I lived somewhere that wasn't 85 degrees in December.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Disappointed in myself for not buying more halloumi when it was on sale last week.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

holy dingoes look at the glaze on those beets

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's one of a handful of movies that the kids and I will drop what whatever we're doing and settle in to watch it together.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

There's a line from Le Carré's intro to "Smiley's People": "[T]he quest for intelligence took on at its worst an almost mythic form, with the spies not so much required to report the truth about the enemy as paint him in a form monstrous enough to keep the alarm bells ringing for all eternity."

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

No, seriously, this is a remarkable movie. Watch it this Halloween season, I suggest!

youtu.be

THE SAVAGE HUNT OF KING STAKH Trailer

YouTube video by Deaf Crocodile

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I did a piece on The Savage Hunt of King Stakh for an upcoming collection of essays on film. It joins my pieces on Streets of Fire and Freejack! KS campaign starting soon, here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/gho...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Cinematic Obsessions

Reflections on Cult Films that Broke the Rules

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I feel bad for falling prey to the production but damn if the Traitors doesn’t always make me wonder if these people are really squirrelly at their day jobs.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Kind of? But the call to action has never been "save the world" with WoD, it has been "Find your place and make something lasting in a world of secrets," and the characters' own morality comes to the fore with what they attempt to construct.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Potentially so. However, the we were initially doing CoD, there was a strong undercurrent of toolbox-style presentation in the games community, and I have also always been an advocate of "roll your own," so initial efforts (at least with Vampire) approached from that direction.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is part of what made the World of Darkness a success: The proposed fantasy is very straightforward and enticing. There’s a secret world of supernatural power and influence — and you’re in on the secret.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today is gray and cool and I found a sweater I like but I realized that I would never wear it as an actual sweater and would only ever wear it draped over my shoulders or tied rakishly as a scarf.

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Reposted by justin achilli

RS Benedict @rsbenedict.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

this--THIS--is the truest recession indicator

Sticker on a cooler at a convenience store advertising Arizona iced tea cans at $1.50 each.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Listening to Dirty Three while making lunch and this is the most harrowing ravioli I’ve ever prepared

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It's never a pleasure to have shingles.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Man, why is even autocorrect getting worse.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Probably too expensive to be practical, especially at a level of comfort that bespoke planning implies, but also wanting to capture a thrill of (re-)exploration w/ curated events, that type of thing. Elevating the ambiance beyond skirted tables in shared ballrooms at convention centers.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Have been thinking about lifestyle game events (conventions, site games, LARPs, etc.) and how difficult it might be to stage themed one-offs at places like Hashima Island, Kymlinge T-bana, etc., where the abandoned site could be part of the event.

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Reposted by justin achilli

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

After the arrests of powerful men across the world, you might be asking why the US has so much trouble holding its leaders accountable for lawbreaking. Since Nixon, all three branches of government have worked hard to ensure they can break the law with impunity www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

How America Chose Not to Hold the Powerful to Account

Our national project of elite impunity

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Gave my mother one of my books once and suggested she put it on her shelf but never read it.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Gamedev is in tough times right now but sometimes you can find simple joy in the patch notes and bug reports.

A bug ticket titled “Chimera no longer bends over to vomit.” The bug is labeled MUST HAVE, indicating significant priority.

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justin achilli @jachilli.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Tomorrow is #freeRPGday, but I'll tell you what: Today, tomorrow, and forever you can have the Our Brilliant Ruin RPG PDF totally free over at @drivethrurpg.com. Upstairs-downstairs class conflict against a backdrop of existential horror! www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

drivethrurpg.com

Our Brilliant Ruin Roleplaying Game - Studio Hermitage | DriveThruRPG

Your story of decadence and doom awaits in a world of rust and ruin. Discover your faction. Confront the Ruin. What will you do with the time you have left? Our Brilliant Ruin explores human drama and...

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