iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Getting pretty tired of not knowing what the deal is with FakeSawMan. Please Fujimoto I'm begging you #Chainsawman

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

More Gen 1 #nuzlocke musings... Gloom pretty much hard-counters Misty, and is all but guaranteed on Route 5 or 6. I suppose if you somehow manage to miss the Oddish encounter, you can still grab a Magikarp, and after a bit of grinding, bite Starmie to death. I don't think Bubblebeam beats Gyarados.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

At least Rattata is able to outspeed Onix, and chip away with Hyper Fang. It's easy enough to Growl, Tail Whip and Sand Attack Onix to the point of being completely toothless, and then demolish it even with Normal-type moves. A Pidgey could even chip in with Quick Attacks.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

To be fair, a Beedrill with Harden and Fury Attack can take down Onix, especially with Sand Attack support from a Pidgey. I think any Butterfree can easily win with Confusion. But if your encounter is Pikachu... Good question. #nuzlocke

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Beating Gen 1 Brock with a Charmander (and a level cap of 14) isn't the hardest puzzle in the world: it just requires speed control so the Onix can't use Bide before your Ember. But when my Viridian Forest encounter is Kakuna, I don't exactly have a foolproof strategy yet... #nuzlocke

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

That new #Chainsawman chapter... Was over really fast.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

I know Charmander is considered the worst starter choice in Gen 1, but honestly, I tend to get destroyed by Blue's Gyarados and its Hydro Pump in Pokémon Tower, and picking Charmander makes sure that monster stays out of the equation. #nuzlocke

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Allow me to introduce to you... Galarian Porygon2. #pokemon #pokémon

3D render of an ethanol molecule, arguably bearing some resemblance to Porygon2

010

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Endlessness by #NalaSinephro is maybe a little intangible by good god is it gorgeous. Making me want to revisit Floating Points' Promises as well.

Album art for Endlessness by Nala Sinephro

020

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

God, alt-country really is the perfect genre for me. Some of the songs on Manning Fireworks may be duds to me, but even the duds fill me with happiness. #MJLenderman crafted such a lovely little thing with this record.

Album Art: Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman

010

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

I think this hits the nail on its head. I kinda did want the satire to be good and clever, so I deluded myself into thinking it was. But when I listen to it, I just wish he'd... Sing about something else instead. I am a black midi fan but I haven't liked the lyrics since Schlagenheim.

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Oops I got overwhelmed by my technical debt and started a new game of #factorio yet again. That makes the... 4th time since the 2.0 release? Here's hoping I'll finally launch my first rocket this time and allow myself to buy Space Age.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

See, it looks like a little doggy face. Kind of similar to Growlithe even, just without the teeth. The Dutch word for seal translates as 'sea dog' so I've always just kind of assumed that they were going for a literal sea dog. And I like that. Dewgong, on the other hand... Disappointing.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

I think one of the gen I #pokemon that catches the most flak for its design is Seel. People think it's just an earless seal with a horn pasted on top. But one of the reasons I've always liked Seel is because of that face, with the tongue and the bottom teeth.

Seel: Pokémon # 86. Official Ken Sugimori art for Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

In other words, or rather, to conclude my thread, the Unown are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Pokémon world is just the good ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion, where Adam (Pokémon) and Lilith (carbon-based life) managed to make peace instead of kill each other. #pokemon

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Especially if that planet is also a home for a competing type of life form—humanity, or a precursor to it, or whatever now-extinct animal life might have existed at the time. He might sprinkle the Earth with some Unown style Monoliths to guide towards harmonious life between the species.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Even though I mentioned deistic evolution Arceus before, he's obviously left some marks around the Earth in the form of the Unown. And it kinda makes sense he would do that—if he found out that his creations made their own creations on some planet somewhere, he'd feel the need to interfere.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

This would mean that the three are responsible for populating the world with Pokémon, which, if you compare Mew's body shape with theirs... Yeah, I can kinda see it. As the embodiment of Emotion, Wisdom and Willpower, I can even imagine them deciding they want to have a little kid of their own.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I'd rather say that the Lake Trio kinda roamed the universe until they happened upon a nice planet to settle down. The history of this Earth would probably have played out exactly as the real one, if not for them making a home in what would later become Sinnoh / Hisui.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I like to think of Arceus as a 'deistic evolution' kind of god. The kind of god where he just kinda caused the creation of spacetime and then stopped interfering. Maybe he would create the Earth as a nice place for the Lake Trio to live though?

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

So what did Arceus create? Canonically, there is Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, as well as Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf to control them with the Red Chain. People like to believe that he might have created the Earth, and Regigigas, and Kyogre and Groudon, and Mew. That seems a bit excessive to me.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I've heard somebody say that Unown are the programming language of the universe. Which is in line with the third movie. But is Arceus the programmer or the program? Maybe it's the mascot, or the anime profile picture.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

How are Unown related to Arceus? Do you think Arceus created them, or did they create Arceus? Or did they both hatch from the Cosmic Egg together? Are they just best buds? Do they go out for drinks together? #pokemon

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

New const features in #Rust 1.83 are pretty exciting! I don't really have a use case for them at the moment but it's great to see how many const stabilizations this just unblocked. Very cool!

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Very excited that DoshDoshington finally has the #factorio Space Age video up. Maybe soon I'll finally launch my first Vanilla rocket and gift myself the DLC.

010

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

Murderers and serial killers provide such a benefit to society by providing thousands of hours of entertainment for middle aged mothers.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Ben Schwartz' callback game in that final minigame really solidified his position as Golden Ear recipient in that latest #MakeSomeNoise huh? Another great episode.

031

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

To summarize, Nidoran are cool, and thinking about wild encounters in terms of ecology is fun. #pokemon

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Regarding the Nidoqueen and Nidoking who manage to find Moon Stones and evolve, I assume they kind of fuck off into the mountains to lead solitary lives (paired up perhaps?) just like the 2 Snorlax if you decide not to catch them. The mountains north of Kanto must be full of strong and rare Pokémon.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

The Safari Zone does explain why Nidorino and Nidorina appear east of Fuschia city in the Johto games, after the Safari Zone's closure. Chansey also moved to routes 13, 14, and 15 in those games. Signs of nature healing.

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

And then there's the Safari Zone. Nidoran, Nidorino and Nidorina are abundant there, but why? It's not like they're endangered, apparently they're everywhere in Kanto. Are they pests? Or maybe introduced as prey for rarer Pokémon? Unlikely given their Poison type. Did the Rhyhorn need rhino friends?

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

But then, Yellow and Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee also places them on routes 9 and 10, near Rock Tunnel. What are they doing there? Does Rock Tunnel have Moon Stones? Is it a separate population, or a group of Nidoran from Route 22 who just decided to check out the wrong cave?

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

In Pokémon Yellow only, the Nidoran also appear on Route 2. Perhaps some of the population already moves closer to Mount Moon. Understandable and kind of cute. They seem to be everywhere west of Mount Moon, which makes sense if we imagine they share their fertility with the rabbits they're based on.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Why do the Nidorino and Nidorina return to the breeding grounds after having failed to find a Moon Stone, thought? They are famously infertile. Are they watching over the younger generation? That would be sort of sweet. Protect the Nidoran from the Mankey that might want their territory.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

In Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, the Nidoran are back on route 22, as well as route 23 along with Nidorina and Nidorino, who have also appeared there in Pokemon Yellow. It feels like these might be the breeding grounds.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

According to the Pokédex entry in Pokémon Sword, Nidorino uses its horn to break rocks and look for Moon Stones. Is that part of the lifecycle? Does the population eventually migrate to Mt. Moon in anticipation of evolution?

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

The distribution of Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ is surprisingly interesting to me. In #Pokemon Red and Blue, it is available on route 22, west of Viridian City. But in Fire Red and Leaf Green, they have migrated to route 3 instead, and the encounter on route 22 is replaced by Mankey. What happened?

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Thank you Edmund McMillen for giving Northernlion a reason to return to #TheBindingOfISaac once again. I hadn't realized how much I missed this content.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Does anyone have a favorite track from those two albums #TheSmile released this year? I think mine is still just Bending Hectic. #Radiohead

010

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

This is only tangentially related, but I found this on Bulbapedia.

Also according to Shudō, real animals went extinct in the Pokémon world years ago and no longer exist. He claimed that instances of real-world animals appearing in earlier episodes of Pokémon the Series were due to the animation staff not paying enough attention.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

As a kid, this went right over my head, but now I find this fascinating, exactly because this kind of environmental storytelling is so easy to miss. Imagine if the next Pokémon games included these themes. You'd get a 10 minute long exposition cutscene, immediately before capturing 10 Legendaries.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

If you look at the map, it seems like Saffron and Celadon City are placed smack dab in the middle of a wild area in central Kanto. Did the arrival of Silph Company, production company of commercial Trainer gear, ruin the region's biodiversity?

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Most of the wildlife is fairly mundane. Rattata, Pidgey, Meowth, Oddish, Caterpie, Magikarp, Ekans... A lot of them seem like generalists who manage to thrive in close proximity to humans. Exceptions like Electabuzz, Rhyhorn, and Onix only appear in abandoned human structures, caves, or the Safari.

100

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

It's still fascinating how many themes of urban sprawl there are in the original #pokemon games. Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle were designed after frogs, lizards and turtles, that many children would find in nature. But in modern day Kanto, they have completely disappeared from the wild.

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

I know Anthony Padilla wants to take a step back from being on camera but every time he's on Smosh Pit is a little treat.

010

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

"Sorry Fahey"? I don't think you have anything to apologize to Fahey for, Haley.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Wait, is Spit in the Sink supposed to sound like that children's song "Skidamarink"? In any case, this album is really pretty. Thank you Haley Heynderickx.

Album art: Haley Heynderickx - Seed of a Seed

110

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Putting myself at risk of appearing corny, but...

070

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

I'm remembering how much I enjoy screaming into the void about music because it makes me want to listen to more music to scream into the void about.

000

Thomas J. Stein @thomas-j-stein.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

I wasn't expecting to hear a Death Grips song on this but then Ballet happened.

010