iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by David Kinne

Supper Mario Broth @mariobrothblog.bsky.social · 17h

Experimental post: The Duality of Whacka In the Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Whacka can finally be fought, and has a suspiciously specific 108 HP. The game both offers a ridiculously simplistic explanation for this as well as a complex one steeped in Dharmic symbolism.

In Paper Mario, the original version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Super Paper Mario, Whacka was just a harmless whack-a-mole creature that could be abused to get Whacka Bumps, extremely valuable healing items. After being hit enough times, the Whacka goes extinct, teaching the players the consequences of their actions. However, in the Switch version of Paper Mario: TTYD, he instead moves to the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials and becomes an optional superboss with 108 HP.
He is fought at the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials and has to be hit 8 times in order for the fight to activate.
but also
The number 108 is considered sacred by the Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Whacka symbolizes karma for killing him in past games
ring the bell 108 times, per Japanese tradition? The ringing of the bell represents the 108 bonno-defilements of man..
Buddhism holds the view that there are precisely 108 temptations on the path to Nirvana.
Therefore, in order to reach Nirvana, every Buddhist must resist 108 earthly temptations.
With a combination of any of the elements of the above four factors, there are 108 ways with which the karmas can be attracted to the soul.
the earthly temptation to get those Whacka Bumps
There are 108 qualities of praiseworthy souls
Some people think that the human spirit travels through 108 stages, while others believe that enlightenment is attainable with just 108 breaths each day while in Intense meditation,
108 beads to awaken your inner light
Meditators count mantra repetitions with mala beads of 108, (100 counted for self, 8 for mistakes and for those who have not the opportunity to meditate in mantra)
108 breaths to return to your truth
108 mantras to dissolve ego into dever
108 steps from the self to the soul
The Sacred Meaning of 108 Temple Steps
the journey to Whacka is a journey of enlightenment

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Reposted by David Kinne

more mr. spice guy @juniorhoncho.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

you're lost in wilderness. after days of climbing you crest a ridge. while unzipping your bag to get binoculars, your last ten hard boiled eggs fall out and roll away, single file. you watch your eggs fade into the distance. you lift the binoculars. you watch your eggs fade into the distance

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

[About to be banned from another airline voice, addressing entire passenger cabin] Hey it would be a really funny prank on the pilots if we took turns jumping up and down together on the left and right sides of the aisle.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

[Arms folded, sitting in the back of the group. I lean to my neighbor and whisper] They’re not real.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Guriella marketing tactics where people call out to you in public has caused me to develop a flight or fight response to energized greetings

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Reposted by David Kinne

Morbi @morbi.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I think every human being needs to experience a little bit of suffering to be emotionally complete but I also think that suffering should be on the level of "lost an entire weekend to Pooh's Home Run Derby and didn't even win" and not "subjected to inhumane systemic violence"

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Big cartoon thought bubble with edges of the frame being misty. Slight Reverb added to the audio so I know it’s in my head

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Here’s what I have so far.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The piece of media that USUALLY comes to mind first, though, is the zombie from the first couple of screens of Space Quest IV that points and screams at you, getting you zapped by the Droid o' Death.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

When I was very little we had a baby Sierra game called Mixed Up Fairy Tales, and there was an ominous cave in a corner of the map where you are repeatedly warned not to enter and the grubby goblin guy who lives there hypes up that he'll getcha if you don't leave and it got me unreasonably anxious.

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Reposted by David Kinne

headfallsoff @headfallsoff.com · 07/07/2026

BARRET: our cause is lost. shinra will bring the world to ruin. we fought for nothing TIFA: the one man i care about is lying about everything and also tried to kill me AERITH: i'm dead. mayyybe??? CLOUD: i love murder and potentially not existing RED XIII: been getting into queen's blood lately

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Reposted by David Kinne

ric c. @suchminutiae.com · 02/10/2026

I'm back with @mewd.bsky.social for part 3 of Blood Nova on #SavingOften! In which Princess Love discovers a murder most foul, then gets into an argument with a well. youtu.be/oly8RZffbGA

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I finally have a real office at work, which means I finally have a space I can display cursed and creepy looking antique dolls from thrift stores

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Reposted by David Kinne

ari velazquez 🌯 @ari.velazquez.fyi · 01/10/2026

steam: this game you've had installed for two years but never played has an update. we'll download it next week me: no you'll download it right now motherfucker. and i will sit here and watch it download. steam: so you're gonna play it? me: fuck you

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

You could also compare it to a Halloween haunted house attraction. Scares happen AT you, but there is an inherent goofiness to it that people enjoy

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I would compare video game sanity mechanics to the Silly Clowns menu option in Quest for Glory 2. It's a mechanic that exists to opt into outrageous things happening, and you engage in it EXPECTING to be shocked.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

These events might be startling, but you KNOW they are coming because it's tied to a meter on your screen. When you're out of sanity, crazy things start happening. The scares aren't necessary to the story, they're often ridiculous, and you have control over when they happen.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a gamecube game celebrated for its sanity game mechanic. But I would argue it's not really SCARY. When your sanity runs out, you start experiencing scripted jump scares and pranks the game plays on you like pretending to delete your save data.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is rarely atmospheric. It's often arbitrary and random, unless the DM is working hard to tie the sanity effects into your backstory or the campaign themes. But then it's less a mechanic you track with points and more a chance to chew the scenery with your friends.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

YOU might not be unnerved if your character hallucinates bugs, or develops a sudden phobia of doors. But it gives you permission to ACT really silly and goofy as you try to embody your character having big emotional reactions.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So, consider the example of the table top RP game Call of Cthulhu. This is a game where running into scary things increments a counter and causes insanity effects that are rolled on a table. You, as a player, aren't necessarily affected by these sanity effects.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Sanity mechanics in table top and video games are best used for comedy: opportunities for hammy acting and pranks on the players.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Our cats frequently expect us to do something when they don’t like the weather

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Reposted by David Kinne

Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Character designs by Steve Purcell for The Curse of Monkey Island (canceled), dir. David Carson, Lucasfilm

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Reposted by David Kinne

ric c. @suchminutiae.com · 26/09/2026

Back with @mewd.bsky.social for more Blood Nova on #SavingOften! Toxin continues to fill the lighthouse, and also there's an assassin here, so that's fun. Anyway, let's go to the space carnival! youtu.be/lSBOU8-GIf0

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Also the brig is over flowing and there will now be huge up charge for the crappy buffet. I don’t know if I can torture this metaphor enough to cover everything.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I would liken the current American vibe to being a passenger on the titanic and being informed over the PA not to worry because the crew has finished feeding the life boats into the furnace so we can find more icebergs to ram.

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Reposted by David Kinne

weeder @weeder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

God, grant me the courage to change the things I can and incredible new powers to change the things I can't.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Stranger of Paradise doesn’t click with everyone, but I think it’s fantastic. Sparse and campy, but does some interesting things in its back half. Very good official fanfic

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Gerolt and Hildibrand having parallel versions that are identical bothers me, but gets a pass because they are comedic characters and it's funnier if they have a counterpart that has a slight tweak. Extending that out to the main cast doesn't make sense except for spelling it out for the audience.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Also, the tendency towards 'A shard of a person usually looks the same' really bugs me. Like, if a shard of your soul is reborn, its appearance should be dictated by your parentage. It makes sense that Ardbert and the WOL look different. The Ascians can reshape their bodies to fit their memory.

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Reposted by David Kinne

ric c. @suchminutiae.com · 23/09/2026

Good news, gang! @mewd.bsky.social, @sousourocket.bsky.social and I managed to record more Kyrandia 3 tonight! Bad news, gang. @mewd.bsky.social, @sousourocket.bsky.social and I managed to record more Kyrandia 3 tonight

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

His crimes suddenly much more obvious and more difficult to overlook for certain fans.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Had to drive hundreds of miles for work today and noticed at my destination that there was an ant stowaway in the car. Sorry ma’am, you are now unfathomably far from your colony.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Those gamers can discover that a story can be rich beyond concrete surface meaning while still in a mindset to watch YouTube videos to spell out the meaning of every ending in media to ‘solve’ it

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I think a key part of Silent Hill 2’s enduring cultural legacy is that it the setting of the game is explicitly symbolic in a way that invites people who never engaged in literary analysis to try it.

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Reposted by David Kinne

Morbi @morbi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

[as if we've all been talking about this topic before this moment] I think I mostly just dislike that movie Mario is sometimes kind of a mean little cunt for no reason, when he was mocking Bowser's art and attempts at rehabilitation I just felt like "hey. he wouldn't do that"

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

FF being about saving the world made it more accessible to me when I was younger, but the more literate I become the more I realize how much missed potential there is with all the other parts of the story.

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Generally, the core premise of these games being to vanquish an existential threat, mainly serves to spare the scenario writer from needing to write a climax where the character drama, politics, and themes could take center stage.

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Reposted by David Kinne

ric c. @suchminutiae.com · 18/09/2026

Today @mewd.bsky.social and I begin BLOOD NOVA by @cosmicvoidonline.bsky.social on #SavingOften! Reluctant space empire heiress Princess Love REALLY doesn't want to take over the throne... and somebody else doesn't want her there, either. youtu.be/jEUuDz-Hb9g

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Reposted by David Kinne

Jess Morrissette @decafjedi.com · 18/09/2026

Mount Rushmore of Video Game Stories: King's Quest I King's Quest II King's Quest III King's Quest IV

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Reposted by David Kinne

Momodriller @momodriller.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Now that SPX is over, I just posted the first 4 #Pestimonials here to bsky!!! : ) 🐜 Check out my new bug comic!!! @pestimonials.bsky.social

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Reposted by David Kinne

Goggle Bob @gogglebob.com · 17/09/2026

What's that? America should go back to working from home for all jobs that can support it?

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This is true both in terms of compositions and in terms of how behavior as a person

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David Kinne @mewd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This phenotype must be quite adapted to this environment...

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