iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I tried to sell a set of workout routines based on rigorous walking exercises, but nobody signed up up for my One Million Step Weight Loss Plan

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Watched #3 on Edgar Wright’s list: Safety Last!, was great. It felt like watching a live action cartoon that was vastly creative with its visual gags right from the opening shot, with a series of fun hijinks that culminated in an absolutely perfect finale.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Played through Halo: Campaign Evolved, was alright. It didn’t necessarily feel like an “evolved” campaign, as much as it felt like I played through Halo with better graphics, plus some quality of life additions. The bonus missions were a solid addition to the experience.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Watched the 1967 Yugoslavian film Skupljaci Perja. It was an interesting dive into gypsy culture that was surprisingly funny at times. It’s mostly a slice of life tale about a goose feather dealer that dresses like Tony Montana, part love triangle, plus a bit of culture clash.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Watched #2 on Edgar Wright’s list: Nosferatu (1922), was interesting. It suffers most from me being someone who’s seen so many adaptations of Dracula that this is too familiar, though its shots of the plague towards the end and coffins carried through the streets were haunting.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Watched Mortal Kombat II, was alright. It suffers from heavy exposition and fights with obvious winners, some filmed entirely in front of green screens, but the fights are fun to watch, helped along by its full acceptance that its fighters can just do cool special moves.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Started watching Edgar Wright’s 1000 favorite films with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, was good. It’s the first silent film I’ve seen, and what stands out are its surreal set pieces that create a sense of unreality long before the twist, and the excellent shot of the waking Cesare.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Watched The Devil Wears Prada 2, was bland. I felt nothing watching it, like I had just consumed content that steered itself around anything meaningful to say or interesting to happen, occasionally glancing at depth and then moving on.

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Reposted by Nick Vracar

Anna Tizard, Exquisite Corpse Wizard 🌀🫖✍️ @annatizard.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Tomorrow's Brainstoryum show has a new, snappier format with all the hilarity & "Oohs" coming up sooner. Thanks to @nickleevee.bsky.social @quantumfairy.bsky.social @raymonds-towers.bsky.social & others for making this an amazing, story-packed & freaky-idea'd show! Tune in! 😊✍️ #writing #vss365

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Wrote a blog post about Sony’s announcement to go all digital. It comes across as a choice of convenience that raises a lot of issues with ownership and preservation, with systems that aren’t built to offer a permanent digital library. nvracar.wordpress.com/2026/07/12/l...

nvracar.wordpress.com

Let’s Talk About Sony PlayStation and the Death of Physical Media

Early this month Sony had made a couple announcements in regard to their physical and digital marketplaces. The first wasn’t particularly surprising: it was the closing of their digital storefronts…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Played through the original Xbox game Black, was okay. Its emphasis on destructive environments and the heavy impact of its gunfire help to make up for your slow movement speed and a story that’s largely modern warfare gibberish.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

While playing the game High On Life I found it has the entire film Tammy and the T-Rex in game, and it was a trip. The 1994 film with Paul Walker and Denise Richards is like Robocop, if the mad scientist wanted to put a brain in a robot dinosaur. Completely bonkers, never boring.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Wrote a review of True Detective: Night Country, was okay. It has interesting ideas, characters, and performances that are buried beneath an excess of subplots and a constant need to rush the story forward, embracing the thrill of it over nuance. nvracar.wordpress.com/2026/07/04/t...

nvracar.wordpress.com

True Detective: Night Country – In Review

In the northern parts of Alaska, near the border past the Arctic Circle, there is a town called Utqiavik. Every year, due to its position so close to the north pole, it experiences over sixty days …

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Played Mixtape, was great. It’s like a song: it won’t start until you press play, and once you do it’ll play out on its own. Your enjoyment of the song depends on how much it vibes with you, and how willing you are to dance along to its music. nvracar.wordpress.com/2026/06/28/m...

nvracar.wordpress.com

Mixtape – In Review

The opening track for this review is “Crockett’s Theme” by Jan Hammer, from the soundtrack to Miami Vice. Its classic synth is calm and relaxed, while still maintaining an energetic spirit to its m…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Wrote a blog post about the Tex Murphy game Under a Killing Moon and the Kickstarter campaign for its remake. The original always felt dated, because I didn’t play it when it was new, but a full 3d remake with 2K video? I can’t say no to more Tex. nvracar.wordpress.com/2026/06/21/u...

nvracar.wordpress.com

Under a Killing Moon Returns

A long time ago a friend of mine showed me a video game. It was a brief trip into the wing tipped shoes of PI Tex Murphy, exploring his apartment at the Ritz Hotel and the street beyond. It was a r…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Tonight’s music to write to: lofi beat covers of the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack (or at least the parts of the soundtrack that lend themselves toward a more relaxed vibe, versus the parts of the soundtrack that are sheets of metal scraping together). youtu.be/qUWWgQ-zTMw?...

youtu.be

Silent Hill 2 but it's lofi beats | No AI

YouTube video by bits & hits

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Did you know I have a number of hidden talents? I’ll show you them once I find out what they are.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Went to see I Hate Hamlet @theatretallahassee.bsky.social, was a lot of fun! It was a fast paced comedy that was less about someone hating Hamlet and more about an actor struggling to gain the resolve to attempt the challenge, and to live with the result. nvracar.wordpress.com/2026/06/08/i...

nvracar.wordpress.com

I Hate Hamlet – Theatre Tallahassee – In Review

Do you hate Hamlet? Have you no love for the bard, the classic playwright whose work has been performed for hundreds of years and will undoubtedly be performed for at least a few hundred more? Woul…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Played through Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, was great. It’s a fun return to both Peter Parker and Miles Morales that’s less repetitive than part one. Its plot is an interesting adaptation that surprised me with its changes, while still being an excellent Spider-Man story.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Played the Adventure Time DLC for Power Wash Simulator 2 despite having never seen an episode of Adventure Time (I have played one of the video games). It’s a very colorful pack of levels that has you play an in-universe washer, rather than the protagonist of the main game.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

I participated in a short story reading over at local bookstore The Midtown Reader, and it was a fun time! The theme of the stories was “sunshower”, and it was an enjoyable challenge to write, and interesting to see what the other two authors did with it.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Read an article by @annatizard.bsky.social about the game of exquisite corpse. Her discussion of my own contributions reminds me of how I was going to name a book The Ordinary Extraordinary, and how I’ve developed that theme over the years. spotlightindie.co.uk/2026/05/11/g...

spotlightindie.co.uk

Guest Post – Anna Tizard

Anna Tizard looks at an age-old problem for writers – how to write something truly original…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Played through Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, was good. While I didn’t care for the new paladin and warlock classes, I did find the story to be an interesting and surprisingly complete resolution to the Diablo 4 story, tying up practically every subplot and character arc.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Finally got my copies of my book, and straight onto the bookshelf they go. I’ve already read the book a dozen or so times, at least half of those times just last month. I’ll probably pull it out again when it comes time to plan the sequel, to remind myself what happened.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

My book is now out! The first edition of These Lives That Bind Us is available on Amazon via Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover! Like Silence of the Lambs set in a community college, it tells the story of a young woman who’s lost the ability to use magic, on the trail of a killer.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Did you hear about the cowboy artist that could paint a portrait of a person in less than a minute? Some say he was the fastest draw in the west…

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Here is the cover (and back cover) of my upcoming self-published book, by the immaculate ArtoftheTinMan! I might make some minute adjustments (the Amazon Cover Creator isn’t that easy to use) and redo the blurb to fill in the white space, but everything else is gold. Out 3-28!

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, was interesting. It’s a kids book with dated slang that elevates its whimsical fantasy with a splash of science fiction. This might be one the oldest pieces of fiction that explains traveling through wormholes by folding something.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

It’s been a long while coming, but now is the time: I’m self publishing my book. It is titled These Lives That Bind Us and is a contemporary fantasy thriller, like Silence of the Lambs set in a community college plus magic. It’s set to be published in two weeks: March 28!

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Watched Song Sung Blue (2025), was a really good drama about the tenuous grip of the intangible, the pursuit of the freedom of artistic expression under the weight of capitalism, all to the tune of a Neil Diamond playlist. Hugh Jackman was excellent in it.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Played Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, was good. It’s a fast and chaotic shooter that visually styles itself retro, but mechanically it’s closer to Doom (2016) than classic Doom.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Watched season 5 of Stranger Things, made for an excellent resolution to a story that does an admirable job tying together story threads, while giving a strong epilogue to its plethora of characters. If the show kept going on the cast would start to look like Too Many Cooks.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Finished Stephen King’s book of short stories If It Bleeds. Rat was okay, a horror spin on literary struggles. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is light horror buried in nostalgia. The Life of Chuck is beautiful, and the title track If It Bleeds is an excellent Holly Gibney tale.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Got a platinum trophy in Crow Country! I normally don’t chase trophies or achievements in games (this is my third platinum), but Crow Country’s S-Rank had gentler requirements than most, and my first playthrough unlocked a grenade launcher with infinite ammo. That helped a lot.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Played through Crow Country, was good. Its horror plot about a girl in search of a missing enigmatic billionaire blends retro 3D with design choices reminiscent of classic Silent Hill. Combat is slow and clunky and traps feel cheap, but the characters and story are worth it.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Played through Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion, was okay. It’s a short game with shoddy shooting that’s the worst of the N64 trilogy (not the worst Turok game, though) that still manages a surprisingly weird sci-fi plot with some pretty good boss creature designs.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Played through Stray, was okay. The game where you play as a cat who must escape a city of robots and monsters is a visual feast but mechanically average, offering little depth to its rigid gameplay systems.

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Reposted by Nick Vracar

Anna Tizard, Exquisite Corpse Wizard 🌀🫖✍️ @annatizard.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Today I am PROUD to read aloud some (ahem!) *incredible* stories & poems from the talented: @nickleevee.bsky.social @madp03t.bsky.social @quantumfairy.bsky.social Paul McMillan & Alessandro Bozzo.⚡️✍️ Thanks for making ep. #99 of Brainstoryum amazing! 😍 #vss #writingcommunity #podcast

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Read The Novus Quandary, was great. It’s a fast paced collision between two eras of sci-fi that’s part a suspensful thriller in space, part galactic mystery that’s epic in scope while still managing to keep itself engaging with its plethora of interesting, dynamic characters.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Probably one of the most surprising things about Power Wash Simulator 2 is its end credits song, an excellent song that sounds like it belongs in a 2000s era romantic comedy, played in a montage after the protagonist comes to accept their shortcomings. youtu.be/1LymSmqP8do?...

youtu.be

Let It Flow - Power Wash Simulator 2 Ending Song *spoiler free*

YouTube video by nick leevee

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Went to see Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? at Theatre Tallahassee, was well done. The acting was among the best I’d seen on that stage. It has less of a plot and is more a character piece, with long conversations that circle around the truth, slowly approaching it inch by inch.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Played Tomb Raider (2013) again, still one of my all time favorites. While its villain is cartoonish and your allies never get proper development, the adventure Lara goes on is like Die Hard on an island, a fast paced ride that doesn’t stop until it’s suddenly over.

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Reposted by Nick Vracar

Anna Tizard, Exquisite Corpse Wizard 🌀🫖✍️ @annatizard.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

In today's Brainstoryum #podcast, I am PROUD (blushingly chuffed!) to present stories from the massively talented: D.Krauss, @nickleevee.bsky.social @jenthorne.bsky.social @quantumfairy.bsky.social Paul McMillan & Sophie Desaules 🙏✍️ #WritingCommunity , you rock! www.annatizard.com/brainstoryum

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Played Saints Row (2022), wasn’t all bad. Its production is undercooked and its design feels dated, like playing a shoddy remaster of a much older game, but eventually I warmed up to its story and characters, and by the time the gang sings Love Shack karaoke it was a fun time.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

I think I’ll make one resolution for the upcoming year: read more books. I read probably two books this year. Those are rookie numbers! I’m thinking twelve books for 2026. Got any book recommendations? I already have one out of twelve picked out.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Watched A Christmas Story, was okay. It felt like a vintage tale filtered through a layer of nostalgia that vaguely has a plot and sometimes is about Christmas. Probably the best family film to be adapted from stories originally published in Playboy magazine.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Did you see that the local gossip has been sticking their nose into more people’s business now than ever? They’ve really put the pedal to the meddle.

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Nick Vracar @nickleevee.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Played through Cyberpunk 2077, was a fantastic game that felt more like a role playing experience than most RPGs. It’s set in a city so sleazy it makes Las Vegas seem quaint, but its story about the loss of identity against technology, haunted by Keanu Reeves’ ghost, is engaging.

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