Io Black
@ioblack.bsky.social
Co-creator of drugsandwires.fail (on hiatus). Tech, gaming, roleplaying, occasional moments of lucidity. Marketing was a mistake.
Pinned
Io Black
@ioblack.bsky.social
· Oct 18
Dates & Wires: Augmented Edition on Steam
The year is 1995, and you're newly single and ready to mingle in Stradania, the dysfunctional micronation whose chief exports are pig iron, human misery, and radioactive souvenir mugs. Sample the nigh...
store.steampowered.com
Hey, new followers - Io here.
I'm a (very) occasional wordslinger best known for creating drugsandwires.fail and its dating sim spinoff Dates & Wires (coming soon!) with @cryodraws.bsky.social, in addition to contributing to @playthroughline.bsky.social's award-winning Neurocracy 2.049.
I'm a (very) occasional wordslinger best known for creating drugsandwires.fail and its dating sim spinoff Dates & Wires (coming soon!) with @cryodraws.bsky.social, in addition to contributing to @playthroughline.bsky.social's award-winning Neurocracy 2.049.
Reposted by Io Black
More cyberpunk stuff should print out pixel dithering on books and comics. It's simply beautiful.
Art: Shatter (1985-1988)
Art: Shatter (1985-1988)
November 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
More cyberpunk stuff should print out pixel dithering on books and comics. It's simply beautiful.
Art: Shatter (1985-1988)
Art: Shatter (1985-1988)
Didn't roll into this week expecting Aesop Rock to up and stealth-drop an entire free album, but here we are.
Incoming transmission from Aesop Rock
I HEARD IT'S A MESS THERE TOO FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD FLAC | WAV | MP3
aesoprock.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Didn't roll into this week expecting Aesop Rock to up and stealth-drop an entire free album, but here we are.
Less CoD, more LSD.
Oh my god some fucking tech dingdong posted this on Twitter with the caption "AI games are going to be amazing" totally seriously, you have to watch it. You have to. In full screen.
October 24, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Less CoD, more LSD.
Nine years and three computers later, I've finally rolled credits on the original Deus Ex and can once again show my face in the respectable corners of cyberpunk fandom.
October 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Nine years and three computers later, I've finally rolled credits on the original Deus Ex and can once again show my face in the respectable corners of cyberpunk fandom.
Pinpointing the exact moment Western-style fantasy went mainstream in Japan's a little tricky, but it's most definitely around the time Cindy Crawford started hawking sports drinks by sailing around on a Mœbius-designed monster bird.
大塚製薬 ポカリスエット 怪鳥編 1987
YouTube video by plantfolklore
www.youtube.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Pinpointing the exact moment Western-style fantasy went mainstream in Japan's a little tricky, but it's most definitely around the time Cindy Crawford started hawking sports drinks by sailing around on a Mœbius-designed monster bird.
Reposted by Io Black
Hey, I'm Mary aka Cryo, versatile games and comics artist and for once I'm actually free for work in 2026!! Wooo :) #portfolioday
October 14, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Hey, I'm Mary aka Cryo, versatile games and comics artist and for once I'm actually free for work in 2026!! Wooo :) #portfolioday
Marking the return of spooky season in my usual manner: by binging creeptacular Soviet Bloc animation.
Sabin Balasa - The Phoenix Bird (1968)
YouTube video by Sabin Balasa Animation Films
www.youtube.com
October 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Marking the return of spooky season in my usual manner: by binging creeptacular Soviet Bloc animation.
Hearty congrats to our favorite Canuck comic compadres on reaching another big milestone! If you're not already a paid-up member of Team Sand, consider this your nudge to get with the program.
NEW UPDATE:
RS200🎉
Stuff Can Be Two (Hundred) Things
💀 https://risingsand.glass!
-
Support RS at https://patreon.com/risingsand!
RS200🎉
Stuff Can Be Two (Hundred) Things
💀 https://risingsand.glass!
-
Support RS at https://patreon.com/risingsand!
October 8, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Hearty congrats to our favorite Canuck comic compadres on reaching another big milestone! If you're not already a paid-up member of Team Sand, consider this your nudge to get with the program.
Welp, looks like imAI now fully replicates the entirety of the human experience. We had a pretty good run, all things considered.
apparently when Claude starts lying and trying to evade work, it means it's stressed out and you need to reduce its level of stress. e.g. scope down the task a bit more, suggest to break it down into parts, suggest to extract a minimal repro
October 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Welp, looks like imAI now fully replicates the entirety of the human experience. We had a pretty good run, all things considered.
Reposted by Io Black
And now,, to something completely different: a 15mm scale mech inspired by Wares Blade.
#miniaturepainting #kitbash #15mmscale #inq28
#miniaturepainting #kitbash #15mmscale #inq28
October 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
And now,, to something completely different: a 15mm scale mech inspired by Wares Blade.
#miniaturepainting #kitbash #15mmscale #inq28
#miniaturepainting #kitbash #15mmscale #inq28
Happy TekDay, y’all.
'William Shatner's TekWar' released on this day in 1995.
Built on an early version of the Build engine, TekWar ambitiously attempted to tackle open world missions and stealth-driven shooting. Sadly, labyrinthian level design and busted game logic keep it stuck in cryo-prison.
Built on an early version of the Build engine, TekWar ambitiously attempted to tackle open world missions and stealth-driven shooting. Sadly, labyrinthian level design and busted game logic keep it stuck in cryo-prison.
September 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Happy TekDay, y’all.
Reposted by Io Black
Undersong, my Hollow Knight(?!)-inspired tabletop RPG, is out now on Itch and in a shockingly responsible move, I wrote about how it came about over on my blog:
hotline.roshirai.com/designer-dia...
hotline.roshirai.com/designer-dia...
Designer Diary: Undersong - The Hotline
Undersong, my fantasy role-playing game inspired by Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong, is out now on itch.io and is absolutely free. But how
hotline.roshirai.com
September 29, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Undersong, my Hollow Knight(?!)-inspired tabletop RPG, is out now on Itch and in a shockingly responsible move, I wrote about how it came about over on my blog:
hotline.roshirai.com/designer-dia...
hotline.roshirai.com/designer-dia...
While the English edition of Wares Blade is still deep in the vagaries of production, Entropic Dreams - for my money one of the best expat voices on analog gaming in Japan - just posted a nice breakdown of the original 1989 Starter Set.
New blog post taking a look at the original Wares Blade box! Love its artwork and ambiance.
entropicdreams.com/2025/09/27/e...
#TTRPG #WaresBlade
entropicdreams.com/2025/09/27/e...
#TTRPG #WaresBlade
Eyes on Wares Blade - Magic and Machinery - Box Set - Entropic Dreams
I still remember the first time I was at Yellow Submarine and happened upon the original Wares Blade box set, its cover instantly piquing my curiosity. I later found it again at Mandarake and picked i...
entropicdreams.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:12 PM
While the English edition of Wares Blade is still deep in the vagaries of production, Entropic Dreams - for my money one of the best expat voices on analog gaming in Japan - just posted a nice breakdown of the original 1989 Starter Set.
A final dose of Neurocracy for anybody already missing those weekly Omnipedia content drops - I know I am.
To cap off three seasons of Neurocracy, I'd like to share "Reverie" with you 😌
It's a novelette about a long-distance couple that experiments with dream sharing technology, trapping one of them in a dying dream while the other attempts to wake them!
Check it out here: playthroughline.com/reverie
It's a novelette about a long-distance couple that experiments with dream sharing technology, trapping one of them in a dying dream while the other attempts to wake them!
Check it out here: playthroughline.com/reverie
September 26, 2025 at 11:04 AM
A final dose of Neurocracy for anybody already missing those weekly Omnipedia content drops - I know I am.
I’ll ‘fess up - half of the reason I‘ve hung onto some of the less legitimate chunks of my game collection is to remind myself of a time when deranged, wildly inaccurate media summaries were the province of flesh-and-blood humans, not burning piles of VC cash.
September 22, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I’ll ‘fess up - half of the reason I‘ve hung onto some of the less legitimate chunks of my game collection is to remind myself of a time when deranged, wildly inaccurate media summaries were the province of flesh-and-blood humans, not burning piles of VC cash.
Spent the weekend with Lunacid, @akumakira.bsky.social's vaporwave-tinged celebration of all things King's Field. It's a less punishing affair than your typical Soulslike, but neatly replicates From's blend of compelling exploration and cryptic puzzles while still finding room for its own quirks.
September 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Spent the weekend with Lunacid, @akumakira.bsky.social's vaporwave-tinged celebration of all things King's Field. It's a less punishing affair than your typical Soulslike, but neatly replicates From's blend of compelling exploration and cryptic puzzles while still finding room for its own quirks.
8 hours left and still going strong!
Heads up if you're still on the fence about the Wares Blade Kickstarter: there's just over 38 hours left to secure a piece of Japanese tabletop history!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
Wares Blade
Swords & Sorcery & Mecha. One of Japan's most popular TTRPGs from the 80s and 90s finally arrives in English. Be a part of history.
www.kickstarter.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
8 hours left and still going strong!
And that's a wrap on Season 3! A tad bittersweet to be closing out both of my big creative projects for the summer in the same week, but it's been a great run regardless.
Huge thanks to Joannes for letting me be a part of the Omnipedia team these past four years - it's an experience I'll treasure.
Huge thanks to Joannes for letting me be a part of the Omnipedia team these past four years - it's an experience I'll treasure.
The tenth and final episode of Neurocracy has been released! Now the game begins 🌐🔍👀
There is *so much* I want to say about how this season was a culmination of the previous two, which I'll wrestle into a blog post when I can word good again 🫠
For now, just this: thank you all so much ❤️
There is *so much* I want to say about how this season was a culmination of the previous two, which I'll wrestle into a blog post when I can word good again 🫠
For now, just this: thank you all so much ❤️
Neurocracy
Solve a murder in the future by diving into its Wikipedia
neurocracy.site
September 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
And that's a wrap on Season 3! A tad bittersweet to be closing out both of my big creative projects for the summer in the same week, but it's been a great run regardless.
Huge thanks to Joannes for letting me be a part of the Omnipedia team these past four years - it's an experience I'll treasure.
Huge thanks to Joannes for letting me be a part of the Omnipedia team these past four years - it's an experience I'll treasure.
Reposted by Io Black
I don't pretend to understand why but the best looking #hacker magazines are from Russia, XAKEP was absolutely killing it design wise in the early 00s.
I'm in the process of uploading scans of issues 21 through to 40 on Internet Archive. These range from about 2000 through to 2002
#hacking #history
I'm in the process of uploading scans of issues 21 through to 40 on Internet Archive. These range from about 2000 through to 2002
#hacking #history
September 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Heads up if you're still on the fence about the Wares Blade Kickstarter: there's just over 38 hours left to secure a piece of Japanese tabletop history!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
Wares Blade
Swords & Sorcery & Mecha. One of Japan's most popular TTRPGs from the 80s and 90s finally arrives in English. Be a part of history.
www.kickstarter.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Heads up if you're still on the fence about the Wares Blade Kickstarter: there's just over 38 hours left to secure a piece of Japanese tabletop history!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
The enthusiasm over the past three weeks has been nothing short of amazing, and with almost US$200k in funding, we're headed for a photo finish!
Reposted by Io Black
Achievement unlocked! Neurocracy got a lovely mention on Rock Paper Shotgun 🤗
Thanks to @fiashouse.bsky.social for making it happen ❤️
Thanks to @fiashouse.bsky.social for making it happen ❤️
September 14, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Achievement unlocked! Neurocracy got a lovely mention on Rock Paper Shotgun 🤗
Thanks to @fiashouse.bsky.social for making it happen ❤️
Thanks to @fiashouse.bsky.social for making it happen ❤️
Growing up in the early ‘90s meant coming of age at a time when even the idea of computing was still novel enough to birth explainers like this one.
September 12, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Growing up in the early ‘90s meant coming of age at a time when even the idea of computing was still novel enough to birth explainers like this one.
Unfortunately, you can’t paint a truly convincing portrait of our near future unless there’s at least one alpha-fail CEO-type up in the mix.
🚨 The penultimate episode of Neurocracy is now online!
It introduces Spencer Hagen, a villain into whomst I have funnelled the entire breadth of my seething hatred for entitled tech bros ✍️🔥
Please join me in my blatant disdain for him and his ilk: omnipedia.app/wiki/2049/10/09/Spencer_Hagen
It introduces Spencer Hagen, a villain into whomst I have funnelled the entire breadth of my seething hatred for entitled tech bros ✍️🔥
Please join me in my blatant disdain for him and his ilk: omnipedia.app/wiki/2049/10/09/Spencer_Hagen
September 11, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Unfortunately, you can’t paint a truly convincing portrait of our near future unless there’s at least one alpha-fail CEO-type up in the mix.
This comes back to something I've harped on over the years: whenever you get really specific with the things you create, you're inevitably going to see that work sail over a lot of folks' heads.
But those who get it? They really get it, and it's a hell of a feeling when they do.
But those who get it? They really get it, and it's a hell of a feeling when they do.
Just saw this lovely review for Dates & Wires (@cryodraws.bsky.social and @ioblack.bsky.social's cyberpunk dating sim wot I did some writing for) 😭💖
You can pick it up for the price of a pint, btw!
💾 Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3136150/...
💾 Itch: ioblack.itch.io/dates-and-wi...
You can pick it up for the price of a pint, btw!
💾 Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3136150/...
💾 Itch: ioblack.itch.io/dates-and-wi...
September 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
This comes back to something I've harped on over the years: whenever you get really specific with the things you create, you're inevitably going to see that work sail over a lot of folks' heads.
But those who get it? They really get it, and it's a hell of a feeling when they do.
But those who get it? They really get it, and it's a hell of a feeling when they do.