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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Wait, Stancil played EVE?

sep 19, 2025, 3:18 pm • 229 1

Replies

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Shrimp @shrimpleton.bsky.social

I think he also played League of Legends? But I may be mis-remembering lol

sep 20, 2025, 11:11 pm • 0 0 • view
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Nathan Westmoreland @wwestmor.bsky.social

This is definitely true and I think it's even more explanatory than EVE.

sep 21, 2025, 1:21 am • 0 0 • view
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Joshua Aslan 👁️🌐 @joshuaaslan.bsky.social

yeah he's referenced it a few times in tweets at the bad place, can't find them right now.

sep 19, 2025, 5:33 pm • 0 0 • view
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andrewtheblueskier @andrewtheblueskier.bsky.social

Wait you played EVE

sep 19, 2025, 3:20 pm • 10 0 • view
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Sick Hunt, Dracones @scalehelix.net

Something Awful is the progenitor of Online

sep 19, 2025, 3:21 pm • 9 1 • view
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andrewtheblueskier @andrewtheblueskier.bsky.social

May be

sep 19, 2025, 3:22 pm • 1 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Yes

sep 19, 2025, 3:21 pm • 16 0 • view
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andrewtheblueskier @andrewtheblueskier.bsky.social

Vienna coffeehouse patrons

sep 19, 2025, 3:22 pm • 18 0 • view
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Tristan Palmgren @tristanpalmgren.bsky.social

are we sure this whole thing isn't a plot to get the trust of a rival EVE corp's VIPs and then steal all their starships

sep 19, 2025, 3:25 pm • 9 0 • view
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WorkNowitzki @worknowitzki.bsky.social

IIRC as part of Goonswarm.

sep 19, 2025, 3:18 pm • 21 0 • view
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Dalassa @dalassa.bsky.social

It explains so much

sep 19, 2025, 3:21 pm • 6 0 • view
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WorkNowitzki @worknowitzki.bsky.social

From Vile Rat to Stancil, Goons with surprisingly prominent political interactions...

sep 19, 2025, 3:29 pm • 7 0 • view
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‮Jeff Eaton @eaton.fyi

oh my god

sep 21, 2025, 2:21 am • 1 0 • view
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Mon Mothra @flobbert.bsky.social

So many things just clicked into place for me

sep 20, 2025, 8:12 pm • 1 0 • view
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WorkNowitzki @worknowitzki.bsky.social

It’s such an “oh THATS where I know you from” moment.

sep 20, 2025, 8:35 pm • 1 0 • view
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Glonzo Ball @groverhaustenbosch.bsky.social

not just that but he was a somethingawful forums poster

sep 19, 2025, 4:35 pm • 10 0 • view
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Cao Cao Power Hour Enthusiast @statsboyandi.bsky.social

Those are the same picture

sep 19, 2025, 4:36 pm • 3 0 • view
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Glonzo Ball @groverhaustenbosch.bsky.social

lol fair (and he was actually in goonfleet when it was largely on SA instead of predominantly on reddit at that)

sep 19, 2025, 4:37 pm • 3 0 • view
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Zac Parker @zacparkerwny.bsky.social

This explains so much.

sep 19, 2025, 4:39 pm • 4 0 • view
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Zac Parker @zacparkerwny.bsky.social

(laudatory

sep 19, 2025, 4:40 pm • 4 0 • view
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post malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social

this is a lightbulb moment for everyone

sep 19, 2025, 3:19 pm • 293 3 • view
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Opinionated Terran @opinionated-terran.bsky.social

Need to know if he was Goon Squad or not I was in a fraternity with a high ranking Goon Squadder back in the day, surprisingly down to earth people

sep 19, 2025, 5:19 pm • 2 0 • view
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Opinionated Terran @opinionated-terran.bsky.social

Omg he was

sep 19, 2025, 5:23 pm • 1 0 • view
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Geriatric Millenial @ancient-millennial.bsky.social

He was an og goon in that he even started on Something Awful.

sep 19, 2025, 11:04 pm • 3 0 • view
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Cao Cao Power Hour Enthusiast @statsboyandi.bsky.social

Proposal for EVE players to have to register in a database online and inform all posters in advance upon coming to a new social media neighborhood

sep 19, 2025, 3:21 pm • 140 2 • view
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Turtle Boy @turtlemun.bsky.social

If for no other reason than to protect vulnerable poster ecosystems. They're apex predators walking into places that have no comparable threats

sep 19, 2025, 5:51 pm • 6 1 • view
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Snowjob @snowjob.bsky.social

as a former EVE player: this is acceptable.

sep 19, 2025, 3:35 pm • 83 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Honestly, just seems prudent.

sep 19, 2025, 3:36 pm • 67 0 • view
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SCP @10-5.bsky.social

Oh my god it all makes sense now Do we know what faction he was a part of

sep 19, 2025, 4:39 pm • 31 0 • view
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social

image
sep 19, 2025, 4:59 pm • 125 0 • view
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Opinionated Terran @opinionated-terran.bsky.social

Oh my GOD Will if you were that active of a Goon in the late 00s/early 10s that means we actually have a person in common Smallest of worlds, what the fuck

sep 19, 2025, 5:22 pm • 9 0 • view
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Jesse Clark @modusponens.org

o7

sep 21, 2025, 2:12 am • 1 0 • view
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Sarama Burwani @ 7.3 @saramaburwani.bsky.social

which squad were you in? (I started out in Pi, ended up shuffling over to Rho around the time SamHandwich was working on getting their mothership built)

sep 19, 2025, 6:45 pm • 9 0 • view
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Snowjob @snowjob.bsky.social

OH MY GOD OF COURSE YOU WOULD BE, TOO I was with the Goons. Most I got into null was when wormholes came out and I messed around with a gang of IRL friends, roving.

sep 19, 2025, 6:50 pm • 6 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Now I find myself wondering if we ever crossed paths in game. Were you around at the right time to tangle with [BRUCE] (didn't last very long as a sov alliance - kinda fell apart shortly after I left)?

sep 19, 2025, 6:43 pm • 38 0 • view
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William Slothrop @williamslothrop.bsky.social

Hahahahaha holy fucking shit this tracks so perfectly. Will, which was your favorite BoB pet campaign? (RISE, imo) Also, be honest, did you ever post on COAD?

sep 20, 2025, 4:41 pm • 4 0 • view
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Kevin Riggle @kevinriggle.bsky.social

sep 20, 2025, 5:26 pm • 23 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

You know, I'd *say* that, but we were red with BoB when we were in Fountain at the same time they and the Goons were at war, so we were more-or-less friendly with the Goons for a bit, so I suppose I'm not that surprised?

sep 20, 2025, 5:28 pm • 17 0 • view
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Kevin Riggle @kevinriggle.bsky.social

I was World War Bee era on the side of Pandemic Horde so that was more stark, but, the empire divided must unite, the empire united must divide, etc etc

sep 20, 2025, 5:36 pm • 5 0 • view
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BARO @baro.bsky.social

Wait you were a goon!

sep 19, 2025, 11:16 pm • 1 0 • view
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SCP @10-5.bsky.social

Ohhhh nooo willllllll

sep 19, 2025, 5:00 pm • 18 0 • view
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SCP @10-5.bsky.social

It’s almost poetic You were born from the very group of 4chan trolls that you are now locked into eternal battle with

sep 19, 2025, 5:01 pm • 36 0 • view
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social

image
sep 19, 2025, 5:03 pm • 82 0 • view
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🐱302czar🐱 @302czar.bsky.social

Do a barrel roll.

sep 19, 2025, 5:08 pm • 0 0 • view
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SCP @10-5.bsky.social

Of course you believe posting can shape reality! You’ve been reading the Mittani’s propaganda Oh my god it’s all coming together

sep 19, 2025, 5:13 pm • 22 0 • view
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Sara Straw @oneoneder.bsky.social

Nerds, nerds, none of you are free from being nerds with spreadsheets

sep 19, 2025, 6:44 pm • 29 0 • view
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Cao Cao Power Hour Enthusiast @statsboyandi.bsky.social

Some of us have the dignity and self respect to limit our spreadsheet gaming to sports simulators

sep 19, 2025, 6:45 pm • 7 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

I own it proudly.

sep 19, 2025, 6:45 pm • 20 0 • view
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Das Doak @dasdoak.bsky.social

...as anyone who has read your blog knows. (complimentary)

sep 21, 2025, 4:56 am • 0 0 • view
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SCP @10-5.bsky.social

I’m even worse than that. I watched a 6 hour video explaining the history of gaming spreadsheet nerds without even being one youtu.be/BCSeISYcoyI?...

sep 19, 2025, 7:37 pm • 4 0 • view
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Keith (Dakota reunification advocate) @mosheroperandi.bsky.social

This is what Bluesky labelers were built for.

sep 20, 2025, 4:03 pm • 10 0 • view
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Snowjob @snowjob.bsky.social

sep 20, 2025, 6:22 pm • 2 0 • view
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Billy Inlow @dosbilliam.bsky.social

Does that include people who played for *checks Steam* not enough time for Steam to even remember it but did indeed install, launch, play, and get bored of EVE in less time than it takes to boil an egg?

sep 21, 2025, 2:22 am • 0 0 • view
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social

What's EVE?

sep 20, 2025, 3:49 pm • 21 0 • view
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Warren Terra @warrenterra.bsky.social

I once watched at least four hours of a single YouTube video (in the background as I did stuff anyhow) about some extreme long-building Drama in EVE, starting with the game's creation, never having seen the game; don't remember much but it was impressive how much it mattered to the people involved.

sep 20, 2025, 4:13 pm • 7 0 • view
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The Brain Does The Thinking. The Meat. @minimallycrazy.bsky.social

Start here: (It's actually a pretty good read)

sep 20, 2025, 9:54 pm • 0 0 • view
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Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social

A Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) in which people who enjoy doing spreadsheets occasionally go to war with each other.

sep 20, 2025, 3:51 pm • 117 4 • view
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Tom @whiskeyandwry.bsky.social

It's my understanding that top level players didn't even log in that much. They literally worked spreadsheets and battle plans and gave orders to commanders who carried them out in game.

sep 20, 2025, 4:29 pm • 17 0 • view
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social

Now I want to play. Is that bad?

sep 20, 2025, 4:34 pm • 5 0 • view
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Tom @whiskeyandwry.bsky.social

Some outlet (Wired?) did a story years ago about how one alliance spent months recruiting a spy inside their biggest rival, stole all their resources, and crushed them. I'm hesitant about jumping into a game years after release, but that was the closest I was to joining.

sep 20, 2025, 4:39 pm • 6 0 • view
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Mithras - Left Justified and Ancient @mithras.bsky.social

That was probably GoonSwarm taking down BoB (Band of Brothers).

sep 21, 2025, 1:15 am • 0 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Some? In our alliance, at least, our spreadsheet coordinators also wanted to be in the big fleet battles, but there they were one pilot among many. Most alliances, in my experience, had basically parallel 'military' and 'industrial' leadership teams, sometimes with a third 'political' set.

sep 20, 2025, 4:32 pm • 29 1 • view
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Opinionated Terran @opinionated-terran.bsky.social

Yup Many such cases in persistent shared world large faction MMOs I used to play Naval Action and our nation (The Dutch) had players who were battle commanders, and a whole other set of commanders who were just interested in securing materials and building top tier ships to replace the lost ones

sep 20, 2025, 7:09 pm • 5 0 • view
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social

Thanks

sep 20, 2025, 3:51 pm • 9 0 • view
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Dalassa @dalassa.bsky.social

Somewhat more advanced: rather than scripted quests most of the in game actions were created by the interaction of players.

sep 20, 2025, 3:59 pm • 2 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

Yeah I only know it by reputation because it was/is the nerdiest of nerd pursuits but it SOUNDS like if you were that kind of obsessive it would be really fun. People got REAL into it.

sep 20, 2025, 3:53 pm • 28 0 • view
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Orman @orman.bsky.social

They have a staff economist just to study what the players get up to

sep 20, 2025, 6:00 pm • 2 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

There were like massive in-game conflicts with real money involved and real-world implications for players’ lives. Which sounds insane when you just write it out but

sep 20, 2025, 3:57 pm • 33 0 • view
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Wannabe Apparatchik @apparatchikwannabe.bsky.social

people got hired at the company that made it and then got fired for using their power to cheat, and said afterwards that they’d do it again it was worth losing their job

sep 20, 2025, 4:00 pm • 12 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

For, truly, what is a “job” compared to GALACTIC HEGEMONY and all that entails

sep 20, 2025, 4:03 pm • 5 0 • view
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Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social

Yeah, when I say "go to war," I don't mean like, "everyone logs in for 30 minutes after work, has a good time with the lads and lasses, then logs off, helps the kid with homework and makes supper." I mean they go to war.

sep 20, 2025, 4:00 pm • 40 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

Like kill all of the other faction’s little guys and blow up their spaceships and take all their hard-won stuff. With lasting consequences. (Again, or so I hear.)

sep 20, 2025, 4:02 pm • 14 0 • view
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MrNelson007, Defender of Skara Brae @mrnelson007.bsky.social

Goonswarm was the Something Awful guild on there (which Will was in iirc) and there are documented stories of them blowing up actual real-life fortunes worth of stuff. (Eve let you directly convert in-game cash to more subscription time so it has actual monetary value that most MMO cash does not)

sep 20, 2025, 5:07 pm • 11 0 • view
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Eternal Cat War @eternalcatwar.bsky.social

Hell yeah Goonswarm was the only way to play that game correctly I wish I knew what name he flew under, I probably called him a dork there too

sep 21, 2025, 1:13 am • 1 0 • view
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escalator @escalator.bsky.social

and requiring absurd levels of coordination and communications, large battles lasting hours (up to like an entire day for the largest) and wars lasting months, actual espionage, logistics necessary to build and deploy all that hard-won stuff

sep 20, 2025, 8:24 pm • 6 0 • view
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The Horse Knuckler @horseknuckler.bsky.social

My favorite was the one that cost something like a quarter million dollars worth of human effort en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...

sep 20, 2025, 4:06 pm • 13 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

Yeah. I love reading about insane shit like this. I'd never have the patience or attention span or bank account to take part. But this kind of wild-ass human folly is why we're all here.

sep 20, 2025, 4:13 pm • 10 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

There was another one that got written up in like normal-person media (which I think is what brought the whole culture to my attention) where there an absolutely massive heist involving treason and betrayal at the highest levels

sep 20, 2025, 4:19 pm • 10 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

which sounds real fun and Game of Thrones-y but also like maybe something your real-world physical body might get murdered over for real.

sep 20, 2025, 4:19 pm • 7 0 • view
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The Horse Knuckler @horseknuckler.bsky.social

I tried for a good six months and got nowhere near the action. It is a grind and a second job. A waste of your time, but it creates incredible stories to read.

sep 20, 2025, 4:18 pm • 2 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

As the kind of casual gamer who finds grinding soothing I would probably have gotten into that. Maybe not if it's TOO many spreadsheets.

sep 20, 2025, 4:20 pm • 2 0 • view
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Cmdr. Overbite @cmdroverbite.bsky.social

I opened this Wikipedia article and took something like 4,000 points of psychic damage. I’m clearly like two standard deviations to the right of the midpoint of the nerdiness bell curve and yet I cannot deal with people in the 3-4 range

sep 20, 2025, 4:21 pm • 5 0 • view
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First Wordle Problems @fwordleproblems.bsky.social

you think YOU'RE scarred? people who were in the Halloween War came back changed, man. where's THEIR parade?

sep 20, 2025, 4:28 pm • 4 0 • view
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Cmdr. Overbite @cmdroverbite.bsky.social

I’m picturing a rewrite of “The Things They Carried” that’s just a litany of precisely described containers of Baja Blast, hentai, and Excel macros. I woke up this morning with PLANS for my day, man.

sep 20, 2025, 4:32 pm • 4 0 • view
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flatline42.bsky.social @flatline42.bsky.social

That's not hyperbole there is/was a spreadsheet program in the vanilla game. Or was when I tried it aeons ago

sep 21, 2025, 12:53 am • 0 0 • view
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jamestiv.bsky.social @jamestiv.bsky.social

sep 20, 2025, 4:40 pm • 3 0 • view
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Never stop poasting @persistentpoasting.bsky.social

Do spreadsheets and post bad about the other groups. It has a way of hardening poasters.

sep 20, 2025, 3:54 pm • 4 0 • view
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GPT-Ern Malley @denam.bsky.social

Fundamentally Unpleasant Bureaucrats the Game pretty much

sep 20, 2025, 4:00 pm • 43 0 • view
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Adam Corolla @knollie.bsky.social

Master of Orion has entered the chat.

sep 21, 2025, 12:58 am • 0 0 • view
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ikejm.bsky.social @ikejm.bsky.social

and goons were there too (the SA kind)

sep 20, 2025, 4:43 pm • 2 0 • view
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Stephen Judkins @stephenjudkins.bsky.social

This is not a place of honor. Turn back now

sep 20, 2025, 5:05 pm • 13 0 • view
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Lizard @lizardky.bsky.social

Spreadsheets.... in..... spaaaaace.

sep 20, 2025, 4:24 pm • 4 0 • view
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Drunk On Mystery @drunkonmystery.bsky.social

A game where the biggest villain in the game's history is a guy who started an in game bank, ran it for a while, then stole all the money

sep 20, 2025, 5:11 pm • 7 0 • view
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post malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social

sometimes you see a butterfly flap its wings and know that it has much more than the usual chance of causing a hurricane

sep 20, 2025, 5:04 pm • 22 1 • view
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mutantmell @mutantmell.net

I’m pretty certain my introduction to EVE was asking a coworker about the spreadsheets on their computer. They’re just built different.

sep 19, 2025, 3:30 pm • 37 0 • view
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mutantmell @mutantmell.net

Tired of looking at BAD spreadsheets Can't wait to get home-and look at GOOD spreadsheets
sep 19, 2025, 3:47 pm • 86 7 • view
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Snowjob @snowjob.bsky.social

you think those moon mining spreadsheets were "good"? oh my sweet summer child

sep 19, 2025, 3:53 pm • 15 0 • view
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mutantmell @mutantmell.net

No I do not that’s why I never played eve lol

sep 19, 2025, 3:57 pm • 17 0 • view
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Chatham Harrison dba TRUMP DELENDUS EST @chathamharrison.bsky.social

I need them to make my little drawings

sep 20, 2025, 8:23 pm • 8 0 • view
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mutantmell @mutantmell.net

(Not trying to throw any shade at you Bret)

sep 19, 2025, 3:31 pm • 6 0 • view
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

In my defense, I was not part of the alliance's spreadsheet team (bless those guys, they kept us in ships), but rather was a fleet commander.

sep 19, 2025, 3:36 pm • 17 0 • view
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Brexton O'Donnell @breckod.bsky.social

I have repeatedly told people this and every single time, you can hear the switch clicking.

sep 19, 2025, 9:24 pm • 10 0 • view
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The Kakistocrats! @didntneedallofit.bsky.social

It is simultaneously a villain and hero origin story

sep 19, 2025, 4:52 pm • 4 0 • view
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The Wrong Way Kid @the-wrong-way-kid.bsky.social

I mean playing a spreadsheet sounds like him.

sep 19, 2025, 3:36 pm • 10 0 • view
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post malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social

I mean EVE is that but it is extremely not just that

sep 19, 2025, 3:36 pm • 27 0 • view
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Tristan Palmgren @tristanpalmgren.bsky.social

When you die in the spreadsheet you die in real life

sep 19, 2025, 3:38 pm • 26 3 • view
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The Wrong Way Kid @the-wrong-way-kid.bsky.social

Also full disclosure i have played a lot of spreadsheet games, and have been told id enjoy eve but i have bounced off of every mmo styled thingy so... shrug. Plus i just dont have that kind of time anymore.

sep 19, 2025, 3:53 pm • 4 0 • view
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The Wrong Way Kid @the-wrong-way-kid.bsky.social

It wouldnt surprise me if he doesnt do anything other than stay on base larping as a wealth management company and just places bets on the eve online stock market and write monthly investment newsletters to his eve online clients.

sep 19, 2025, 3:40 pm • 3 0 • view
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Eagle Beaver Man @eaglebeaverman.bsky.social

Me learning that Will Stancil knew the Mittani

Video thumbnail
sep 19, 2025, 3:38 pm • 13 0 • view
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Wrath of God Bot @wrathofgodbot.bsky.social

I believe he was also a Something Awful poster

sep 20, 2025, 10:11 pm • 1 0 • view
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Beastcoaster🇺🇸🌹 @beastcoaster.bsky.social

Oh my god that makes so much sense

sep 19, 2025, 3:23 pm • 2 0 • view