Rynling R&D

Re: Anyway please go play Mina the Hollower

2026-06-10T13:11:53Z

Bodybuilding and anime truly are the best combo
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZVglrGzZjW/

Okay so listen. I know the Ganondorf in the Ocarina of Time remake is going to be an abomination. I have resigned myself to accept this fact. But also. It's possible that I might be feeling a hint of gleeful anticipation.

With that in mind, please enjoy this HD video of a bodybuilder doing classic Sailor Moon henshin poses.

comments

Retro Nostalgia

2026-06-09T14:02:12Z

How the Retro Boom for the Showa Era in Japan is Shaping Urban Tourism
https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/info/infocus/entry-94577.html

This is a 2k-word narrative interview with an Associate Professor of Cultural Management at Osaka Metropolitan University who talks about why "Showa retro" nostalgia (for the postwar period) has become popular with Gen-Z adults. This article has a bit of a PR odor, but I appreciate the photos and descriptions of what the aesthetic entails in terms of real-life urban landscapes.

I Don't Need Unlimited Options, I Need a Scheduled Cartoon Block
https://innerspiral.lol/Blog/toonami/toonami

This is a 2k-word blog post written in the style of a literary autobiographical essay. The pseudonymous Millennial author discusses the nostalgia surrounding retro media and technology, arguing that part of the appeal is a fatigue with contemporary social media. The format of the blog post is a work of art, as the author has painstakingly recreated the aesthetics of an early-2000s Geocities website. I would put this in a museum if I could.

comments

Death to Gen-AI

2026-06-07T12:53:16Z

Over the past few months I have had countless comments alleging that my work is AI
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDc6BLjZ3e/

( Read more... )

Just in case you needed another piece of evidence that Gen-AI is garbage technology being used in garbage ways by garbage people. 🔥

comments

Dead Internet Theory

2026-05-20T11:41:54Z

( Read more... )

TLDR: All of this news broke in the past week, but I've been feeling it since around 2023 or so. What happens is that there's a genuine concern in the culture that gets blown wildly out of proportion by inauthentic user activity and then picked up by traditional media outlets. This is one of the main reasons why I no longer share political posts or contribute to what might be considered "culture war" discourse on social media. I participated in these sorts of online conversations in the 2010s, but at this point it feels deeply irresponsible. Idk man. It's a difficult situation.

comments

Two More Things Making Me Happy

2026-04-27T12:32:47Z

Summer of Horror Exchange
https://summerofhorrorexchange.dreamwidth.org/

The minimum wordcount is 500 words ("this is because we think bite-sized horror is delicious"), and you only have to offer/request one fandom. I love horror-themed fanfic, and I also love low-pressure exchanges. Nominations open on May 15, and signups open on May 23.

Swords and Orbs and Anime Girls
https://90sfantasyanimestuff.tumblr.com/

A Tumblr that's pure 1990s fantasy anime and video games. This wasn't my childhood, but I dearly wish it were. I am such a big fan of this aesthetic.

comments

Yay ❤️

2026-04-14T14:26:34Z

Bloodborne Video Game Getting R-Rated Animated Movie Adaptation From Sony
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/bloodborne-video-game-r-rated-animated-movie-adaptation-sony-cinemacon-1236720936/

PlayStation’s Bloodborne is being developed into an R-rated animated feature for Sony Pictures that the studio says will embrace the carnage that made the game so popular. Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, promised during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation that the long-rumored film will be “very true” to the gory spirit of Bloodborne, which follows a traveler who journeys into a gothic city full of nightmarish creatures.

Not gonna lie, they had me at "animated."

comments

This is what makes people go hollow in Dark Souls

2026-04-04T10:32:15Z

A Publisher Pulled a Book for Suspected A.I. Use. I Got My Hands on a Copy. What I Found Was Revealing.
https://slate.com/culture/2026/03/shy-girl-mia-ballard-novel-a-i-book-horror-reddit-hachette-canceled.html

( Read more... )

comments

Even More Chill Writing Music

2026-03-19T15:47:08Z

Moonlit Waters
https://nocmar.bandcamp.com/album/moonlit-waters

This is very chill and ambient dungeon synth that's largely unremarkable save for how relaxing it is. Still, I will always prefer human-made lofi dungeon beats over the madness-inducing AI slop that has infested YouTube.

My favorite track is "7. Ancient Birchwood."

comments

I 💚 Terra Branford

2026-03-13T14:22:41Z

This is a small happiness, but I still want to celebrate it:

Terra Branford
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Branford#Reception

This morning I learned that I'm extensively cited in the Wikipedia article for my favorite video game character! Amazing. What an absolute dream come true.

comments

Not Wrong

2026-02-10T00:27:57Z

First Image of Charlie Day in 'Kill Me'
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1qvzecq/first_image_of_charlie_day_in_kill_me_jimmy_wakes/

Jimmy wakes up after attempting suicide, or at least that's what it looks like. Together with Margot, the 911 operator, they set out on a mission to solve the mystery: did someone try to kill him or is the specter of depression haunting him?

I am mainly here for the top comment:
Weird way to film Luigi’s Mansion but I’ll keep an open mind.

comments

I'm jealous of NYC's hot mayor

2026-02-05T13:04:08Z

Mamdani Shuts Down NYC’s Disastrous AI Chatbot
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-chatbot-mamdani

In a press conference held last week, Mamdani made it a point to single out New York City’s large language model as a target for destruction. “The previous administration had an AI chatbot that was functionally unusable,” Mamdani said. “It was costing the administration around half a million dollars. That, in and of itself, is not something that can bridge the budget gap, but it’s an indication of the ways in which money has been spent while refusing to account for the actual costs of what these programs are.”

Indeed, the bot is now dead.

Good for him. Amazing how so many of these stupid problems are so easy to fix.

comments

Let's disappear into a dark forest with mama

2026-02-03T16:03:33Z

WHISPERS
https://www.neilburnell.com/whispers

Burnell was inspired by a visit to Wistman’s Wood, a remote, upland area of old, gnarled oak. Burnell’s images offer a glimpse of moss-coated limbs and fern-covered forest floors that seem to freeze time.

Dartmoor National Park advises visitors to avoid walking through Wistman’s Wood to allow it to heal from damage caused by overtourism during the pandemic, but the children yearn for moss-coated limbs and fern-covered forest floors.

comments

Game Poems #1

2026-02-01T12:54:14Z

Game Poems #1
https://www.gamepoems.com/issue01/

Game Poems is an interactive magazine dedicated to exploring the artistic and poetic potential of short-form videogames by publishing new work directly in a playable format.

I'm gonna be real, this project seems extremely pretentious in a very cringe way. Still, maybe some of the games themselves are good? I'm looking forward to exploring the collection.

( Read more... )

comments

This is exactly how I remember it

2026-01-29T15:20:47Z

The Final Kakariko Reveal
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTlCE3tkcnA/

"I don't need Ocarina of Time to be remade with current-gen graphics," I said, like a clown.

comments

When the hog is giant, and also weed

2026-01-28T22:11:03Z

Controlled Plant Lists
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/plants-land-water/plant-industry/noxious-weeds-and-controlled-plants/controlled-plant-noxious-weed-lists

( Read more... )

I noticed that there's something called "giant hogsweed" at the top of the Class A list. That's a great name, so I googled it, and wow. Giant hogsweed looks like Queen Anne's lace (a lovely white wildflower that's all over London), but it's substantially larger. And I mean like. Substantially. If you're into botanical horror, this is a fun one.

comments

The 32bit era reached out to me like a Michelangelo painting

2026-01-20T14:18:47Z

Vermis: Sounds of the World
https://radagasttenderofbeasts.bandcamp.com/album/sounds-of-the-world-vermis-vol-1-melodies-of-the-unknown

The top comment on this album says it best:

Every track fits that book like skin on bone. Same fever-dream vibe. You get that ache again—nostalgia for a game you never played.

Also: I got the cassette, but no cassette player. Therefore, the cassette tape lays untouched until a future adventurer pulls it from my clasped, mummified hand; it is an object of puissance.

comments

Another indie comics collective bites the dust

2026-01-19T15:51:51Z

The Hiveworks Guild Statement on Hiveworks Comics
https://cartoonist.coop/hiveworks-guild-statement/

Hiveworks has failed to provide its advertised services, has bled talent and downsized dramatically, and has revealed a massive $340,000 worth of debt that the Guild became aware of in early 2025. We now feel it is imperative to put on record our history with Hiveworks – both to stand as proof of what we have tried to accomplish, and also serve as a warning to those who may consider associating professionally with the company founders.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Discord mod drama never ends well. I know the complaint of these artists goes far beyond "mod drama," but still. I feel like I've seen all of this before.

comments

Lofi beats to sparkle and relax to

2025-12-24T14:13:58Z

はじける光 by Amalume
(on YouTube here)

Because I unironically want my life to have the soundtrack of a PS1 game, I spend a lot of time seeking out lo-fi instrumentals. This one in particular has gotten me through the past few days, when the roads and the grocery stores have been especially intense.

If you celebrate Christmas, I'm sending love and good wishes for your family to behave. If not, I'm sending love and good wishes for tasty Chinese food and a nice movie. ☕

comments

Re: Project Kat

2025-12-24T14:03:38Z

I also want to share this illustration from the developer's page on Itch.io, because it's a mood.

( Read more... )

comments

Velvetyne Fonts

2025-12-14T14:17:22Z

Velvetyne
https://velvetyne.fr/

Velvetyne is a collective dedicated to researching and disseminating typography and typeface creation. Together, we give life to fonts and graphical objects under open licenses, allowing for their use, modification, and redistribution.

This is a cool collection of free-to-use fonts. The website design is quite nice too.

I learned about this resource via a fantastic work on AO3 (here) in which the artist used some of these fonts on postage stamp designs showcasing the flora and fauna of Breath of the Wild.

This piece was created for the doodle4doodle exchange, which just went live yesterday and has been incredibly successful. There's a lot of interesting art in this collection, and people have been leaving tons of super-positive comments. What a joy, honestly.

comments

Atticus

2025-12-10T14:14:52Z

Atticus
https://www.atticus.io/

Create professional print books and eBooks easily with the all-in-one book writing software.

Ohhhhhhhhh I’ve been looking for something like this. I knew there was a specialty ebook publishing software for Apple, so it’s good to see that there’s one for PC as well.

Next year I’d like to start my own press and put some of my zines on Amazon as ebooks. I’d actually be happy to do this right now, but I need to save enough money to (1) buy ISBNs, (2) compensate the cover artists, and (3) get this software, I guess.

If you’re wondering: InDesign moved to a subscription model, and it can burn.

comments

El problema es al capitalismo

2025-11-30T11:27:29Z

For the past twenty years, two things have been happening in 2D animation. First, American studios have been offshoring in-between frames to Asia (as was the case in Adventure Time and Steven Universe). Second, Japanese studios have started to do the same thing after being accused of literally killing young people in their own industry by forcing them to create in-between frames under grueling conditions. I've linked to and excerpted two articles under the cut.

( Read more... )

To me, the antidote to the "line must always go up" issue with larger studios seems to be smaller studios that are largely independent from such concerns. The problem is that, especially for 2D animation, production is extremely labor-intensive, mainly because of the necessity of creating in-between frames. If you're a manic college student whose body still works, maybe you can do this labor, and you can do it with joy. Back before everyone deleted their accounts, however, Twitter was filled with comics drawn by indie animators in their late 20s explaining why they were quitting: working that hard fucks you up both physically and psychologically. The labor is literally disabling.

Based on the foundation of work pioneered by 3D animation, the generation of in-between frames by AI could be a good and useful application for the technology as a labor-saving tool. It has so much potential, and I hate that it's being used against artists, specifically with the aim of eliminating them entirely. The technology has an amazing potential to solve critical problems that have persisted in the animation industry for decades; but, instead of empowering artists, it's become an existential threat. This is dystopian, and I hate it.

comments

Kickstarting for Fun and... Probably Not Profit tbh

2025-11-16T14:10:15Z

The Grand Coven Library -- Solo RPG Zine
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/skoticus/the-grand-coven-library-solo-rpg-zine/description

I've been thinking of perhaps using Kickstarter to fund the initial print run of my Ruins zine. I've been hesitant to do anything like this for various reasons, but I found a successful project that might serve as a good template. I don't think I'm going to get 220 backers donating $4000, but I could probably put together a page like this.

Ordering 50 full-color zines from the printer I currently use is about $300, and that seems like a reasonable goal. I actually have a copy of the zine listed above, and it's just a small, 16-page, black-and-white stapled zine made with a home printer. If a physical copy of something like this can go for $10 before shipping, I can probably get away with asking for something similar, at which point I'd only need 10-20 backers for a successful project. That's doable, right?

comments

A shrunken and fragmented media industry

2025-10-01T13:46:00Z

The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem
https://thewalrus.ca/the-publishing-industry-has-a-gambling-problem/

If buying the debut is a rollicking night at the craps table, then the sophomore project is the sober morning after. Gone is the clean slate. What publishers really want to see, McGrath says, is growth. “More than any particular number, they’re looking to see a track that is always on the rise.” This is impossible to prove after only one book, especially a book that loses the publisher money. Which is to say: almost all of them.

( Read more... )

Idk man. Fun times. I'm doing my best to write and publish reviews; and, despite everything, I think my own stories are worth the struggle and anxiety of the publication game. Still, I wish everything didn't have to be so difficult.

comments

The Narcotized Text

2025-10-01T12:54:52Z

Large Language Muddle
https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-51/the-intellectual-situation/large-language-muddle/

But a still graver scandal of AI — like its hydra-head sibling, cryptocurrency — is the technology’s colossal wastefulness. The untold billions firehosed by investors into its development; the water-guzzling data centers draining the parched exurbs of Phoenix and Dallas; the yeti-size carbon footprint of the sector as a whole — and for what? A cankerous glut of racist memes and cardboard essays. Not only is the ratio of AI’s resource rapacity to its productive utility indefensibly and irremediably skewed, AI-made material is itself a waste product: flimsy, shoddy, disposable, a single-use plastic of the mind.

We're now a month into the semester, and I'm working my way through my classes' first batch of reading responses. It's impossible to exaggerate how obvious the computer-generated essays are. How obvious, and how insulting.

( Read more... )

So, to me, this essay isn't wrong, necessarily, but it demonstrates an onanistic obsession with intellectual privilege that runs counter to its stated goal of resisting the encroachment of LLMs into public discourse. As the market for writing shrinks due to lack of funding, building even higher walls around "the literary community" isn't effective praxis.

comments