iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 19h

It is wild that Black Clover could be the best shonen anime of all time, but the start of that first season was so rough that the vast majority of people I know dropped it after a few episodes.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 02/10/2026

Pissing my votes away, but standing by what I believe. #deadlock

An image from Valve's moba shooter Deadlock. It shows a team with a ballot box and snacks. There are 5 stickers on the wall of the character Solomon, representing 5 votes for him to be released. In the foreground is the character Apollo, a red devil man with a rapier.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 01/10/2026

It is hilarious that everyone you talk to just understands that Rat King will win the deadlock character vote. We only wonder who will get second place.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026

Inject Solomon's design directly into my veins!

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026

I'm being reminded that Secret of Mana and Chrono trigger should be on here. Man it is hard limiting it to 9. I tried to find games that relate to my love of tactics and strategy (the first two), my love of cooperative games (FFCC), and being a terrible manchild (LoL).

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026

Time to do that whole My 9 Games trend so I can age myself. But it was a fun experiment to think about what video games made me like this (derogatory) and what games I enjoyed but they probably didn't change me noticeably. Runners up: Homeworld Pharaoh Shogun: Total War Super Mario RPG Sim City

A image titled 'My 9 Games' with games in a 3x3 configuration. Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle 64, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, League of Legends, Earthbound, Warcraft 3, Super Mario 64, Kirby Superstar, and Bubble Bobble.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 25/09/2026

A reddit post made me realize Riftbound has no tutors? What is it with these card game designers just hating on like, basic aspects of card game design? No wonder Purple was always so OP, they had all the card draw so they actually got to play their deck.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 22/09/2026

Without spoiling anything, it was joyous enough to ride the train to our final destination, sitting on the edge of the car and watching the orbit as everyone chatted together, doing a puzzle on the way because why not, and waving goodbye before logging off for good. Big Walk is unique

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 22/09/2026

I got to be there for the finale of the friend group's Big Walk save. Going through those final puzzles was such a moment, and then you get a touching conclusion. That game really is built from the ground up to make you connect with people. Absolutely beautiful, Goty.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 18/09/2026

Last 4 RPGs I've played Cosmere RPG CAIN Microscope Panic at the Dojo!

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 17/09/2026

I'm feeling very digestible today, Very plump and chewy, No thorns, Ripe for the knife, I'm sorry Ancestors, You died for more Than I can grasp. But... #wip #amwriting #poetry

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 17/09/2026

Waiting for mine to come in the mail. I'll just read my PDFs until then.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 17/09/2026

Fire Emblem and WoW Forever are going to steal all the playmates I would have for Endless Legend 2, and that's just unfair. youtu.be/nxd9XvHiqJo?...

youtu.be

Saiadha's song (Main theme) Official Music Video | ENDLESS Legend™ 2

YouTube video by Endless Universe

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 17/09/2026

Honestly, more Americans need to hear what he said and take it to heart. When you Disrupt other countries, expect to breed radicals.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 16/09/2026

The topic was how weird men are toward women, especially when the woman is cooler than them.

A discord screenshot that says: "Most men operate on the idea that their wife will be like a jrpg boss you can recruit.
They will be hype and awesome while you chase them down, and then become demure and lame when you have them under your thumb. Lol"

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 15/09/2026

I never joined the backerkit for Fires of December. I'm going to be behind on Cosmere knowledge for MONTHS! Brandon forgive me.

static.klipy.com

Worried Kermit the Frog

ALT: Worried Kermit the Frog

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 14/09/2026

I don't know what to do this season of pokemon. I feel like there are too many checks that have to be covered and it is a little miserable. I used to play to beat Charizard and Floette with coverage for rain/arch, but Golisopod is like... The final straw. That pokemon droideka is a monster!

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Reposted by Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀

making-friendos @making-friendos.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

I had a dream last night that I invented a new character that was just a kiwi bird wearing jeans but everyone got really excited when they saw it like "OH HELL YEAH IT'S THE PANTS BIRD"

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Reposted by Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀

David Atkinson @davidatkinsonpoet.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I've been posting a daily poem for just over a year In celebration I'm sharing the 10 most popular poems of the last 12 months In 1st place we have Noor Hindi ‘Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words’ – Robert Frost #poetry #poemofday

Poem - 'F**k Your Lecture on Craft My People Are Dying' by Noor Hindi

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 10/09/2026

All of that to say, Happy Kirkiversary. Couldn't have happened to a better guy, but hopefully he is reunited with more friends sooner rather than later. Stay Woke, Protect your neck.

static.klipy.com

Lee Moriarty & Janai Kai Interview

ALT: Lee Moriarty & Janai Kai Interview

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 10/09/2026

Or extend an olive branch. There are techno fascists and grifters in our faces constantly admitting out loud that they want to let our world burn and they wish to profit from the suffering. Mock them, hate them, and let people see your hate. It isn't cringe or rude, it is human. You are not divine

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 10/09/2026

I had an essay in the works about how Leftists need to learn to stop being nice to those who have earned cruelty. I feel like the best lesson to learn from the right is that you shouldn't show kindness to someone who vocalizes wanting you dead or destitute. You don't have to hand it to them,

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 09/09/2026

I'm ready for new Metroid. I feel vad because after years, I had zero interest in Metroid Prime 4. But Ravenous immediately made me go sicko mode.

static.klipy.com

Sickos Haha Yes

ALT: Sickos Haha Yes

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 09/09/2026

Nothing required Kirby to look this dope, the design team just woke up and said 'we need Kirby to look as cool as he ever has.'

Kirby from new game Kirby the world beyond, wearing a big green hat from his sword copy ability, wielding a glowing sword three times larger than himself, kirby is glowing with energy and has an x scar across his cheek that is also glowing.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 08/09/2026

But the vibes were indeed off, and I didn't like how often I found myself joking about Pax dying, or showing signs of dying. I would love to be wrong. The tabletop half of pax alone is worth continuing the show imo, I could spend four days doing tabletop freeplay with friends.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 08/09/2026

I imagine some of this isn't the fault of Penny Arcade or the folks who make PAX happen. You can't force big companies to come or to have games to show. I'm always happy to see the indies get featured and there were plenty on display. The loot box booth was pushed to the fringe as it deserves...

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 08/09/2026

We cruised around, had a blast looking at Artist Alley, killed time playing Fort by @leder.games (which we brought ourselves), and spent way too much money at the Aggrocrab booth. Bought a book on herbology. Saw a preview for Folding Ideas. Ate cookies. Then it was pretty much done.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 08/09/2026

Pax West 2026 was... Fine. It is amazing to see so few big companies use it to show off upcoming games. Unless you were really worried about Silent Hill or Among Us Story, or NIS games, there wasn't much to try. Lots of booths were in the same place they've been for 5 years, the same games sometimes

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 05/09/2026

Baby Bulba enjoyed cosplaying on the first day of #paxwest. We got to meet actual @aggrocrabgames.bsky.social @landfall.se devs and they heard our story of Peak's final level sending us into labor. Such a great people, thank you aggro crab/landfall!

Baby bulba in his Peak cosplay, which includes a sash with badges and a red crab hat, hanging out with his toy crab.

A Peak dev on the floor handing the baby a Bing Bong plushie.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 31/08/2026

Now, mysteriously, there are lots of social media posts that get mad at 'just calling everything slop' and how the term is watered down and misused and how we need to categorize slop specifically or stop using it. No no no, the enemy is squirming, don't let up.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 31/08/2026

Imagine you hinge your company's future on some generative AI no one asked for and customers vaguely hate, but they are still using at a good enough rate. Then some teenager calls it AI slop and now your whole business model is attached at the hip to a generic term for low quality spammed bullcrap.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 31/08/2026

My conspiracy theory: there is so much discourse about how '-slop' as a suffix is overused and doesn't have meaning and is misused, because new products being called Slop is pissing off all the right people in the tech/corporate world.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 31/08/2026

We went to the #VPL used book sale and I decided to look for any sci-fi worth picking up. I found a couple of short story collections, hopefully there are a few gems inside. #booksky

Three books sitting on a wood floor. 'The Year's Best science fiction & fantasy 2013', 'Analog science fiction magazine' from like 2013, and 'Future Fables and Strange Stories'. They were all purchased used so they are beat up a little.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 28/08/2026

For those who fled Substack like me, finding out a guy who helped fund it quotes one of the first fascists when dreaming about his company's goals. For those who have been wary about Airbnb and gig taxis, those industries were the start of social disruption. It all feels so blatant, they hate us.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 28/08/2026

Maybe I should have tagged #booksky. I appreciated how thorough Gil was. I've read or listened to plenty about these billionaire losers. Especially Thiel, Vance, and Musk have all been covered on lots of podcasts. But some of these others were news to me. So many companies & brands are compromised.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 28/08/2026

I finished listening to 'The Nerd Reich' by Gil Duran and... phew guys we are in trouble. Not because it is impossible to right the ship. But because doing so will require convincing your average American that we should help normal people instead of rich businessmen. So yeah... we are boned.

A picture of the book The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Duran. The cover is red with large black font. Below that it says An Instant New York Times Bestseller.

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Reposted by Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀

Some More News @somemorenews.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Hi. On today's episode we talk about movies. Specifically, the changes in Hollywood now that "Obsession" and "Backrooms" were big hits while the new Star Wars flopped and why the Right is so bad at just watching movies normally. Link: youtu.be/XPHrx7HnEnU

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 25/08/2026

Two of my favorite creatives working together.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 25/08/2026

I'm listening to The Nerd Reich and it really is just a series of punchable guys being detailed, and each time you wonder why they haven't met their own personal Luigi. But Marc Andreessen looks like a comicbook villain on top of quoting the fascist manifesto in his own manifesto. Like... Seriously

A photo of marc andreessen, emphasizing his cone shaped skull and dead fish eyes.

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Reposted by Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀

Caitlin Yarsky- PROMETHEUS GRAFT #1 FOC 11/02!! @caitlinyarsky.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Art people! Found a new reference source called angleref.com, you can rotate a skull and see tons of faces at that angle. I’m sure there’s more to the site but how cool is that? Happy drawing :)

Screenshot of Angleref.com showing many faces at a specific angle for reference

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 23/08/2026

I'm old, but let it be known that I absolutely despise thunder. Just, existential terror like a dog and fireworks. This thunderstorm is right on top of us, it may as well be inside.

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Marshall 'Merdle' Cain 🐀 @merdle.blacksky.app · 20/08/2026

I know why it happens, but it is funny how many thrillers or dramas include a bombshell woman risking everything for a middle aged guy she literally just met. Think about how often the main character man ends up followed around by a lady who has no real connection to anything he is doing.

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