Tristan J. Tarwater
@backthatelfup.bsky.social
Writer, producer, maker of video games. Nuyorican/Black. Wrote some comics in some Eisner award winning anthologies. Linguist-ish. They/them. Making "Vampire The Taskerade." Website: https://www.backthatelfup.com
Oh hell yeah, new Blue Period
November 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Oh hell yeah, new Blue Period
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
heads up that even if you didn't ever actively intend to do so, a lot of people are accidentally heavily invested in AI right now and didn't notice that it happened, just from the mechanics of how these index funds work. if you'd rather bet on people it may be worth looking into moving things around
friend shared this, TLDR if you're fortunate enough to have any retirement invested and it's in a previously not crazy index fund, a lot of your investment is now in the AI tech bubble. I just reallocated to options less tied up in it
p.s. this is not investment advice, I'm not a certified anything
p.s. this is not investment advice, I'm not a certified anything
How The S&P 500 Quietly Became An AI Fund
YouTube video by CNBC
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
heads up that even if you didn't ever actively intend to do so, a lot of people are accidentally heavily invested in AI right now and didn't notice that it happened, just from the mechanics of how these index funds work. if you'd rather bet on people it may be worth looking into moving things around
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
update - there are enough responses to believe that this will probably happen, after taking into account the no-shows.
(You can still put your name down if you want to! There will be no shows, and if we need to make 2+ volumes, we can also do that.)
(You can still put your name down if you want to! There will be no shows, and if we need to make 2+ volumes, we can also do that.)
okay, seriously: if we were to corral this, would anyone be interested in contributing? Here is the google form:
forms.gle/m2V4j4cDvwNu...
forms.gle/m2V4j4cDvwNu...
November 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
update - there are enough responses to believe that this will probably happen, after taking into account the no-shows.
(You can still put your name down if you want to! There will be no shows, and if we need to make 2+ volumes, we can also do that.)
(You can still put your name down if you want to! There will be no shows, and if we need to make 2+ volumes, we can also do that.)
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
[Indie Spotlight]
Spindle from Wobbly Ghost launched a month ago on Steam and Switch and sold "only" 2.5k copies so far.
"SPINDLE is an old-school action-adventure about death and the many ways we choose to deal with it."
store.steampowered.com/app/1386750/...
youtu.be/3_2ngvThrsA?...
Spindle from Wobbly Ghost launched a month ago on Steam and Switch and sold "only" 2.5k copies so far.
"SPINDLE is an old-school action-adventure about death and the many ways we choose to deal with it."
store.steampowered.com/app/1386750/...
youtu.be/3_2ngvThrsA?...
November 9, 2025 at 11:35 PM
[Indie Spotlight]
Spindle from Wobbly Ghost launched a month ago on Steam and Switch and sold "only" 2.5k copies so far.
"SPINDLE is an old-school action-adventure about death and the many ways we choose to deal with it."
store.steampowered.com/app/1386750/...
youtu.be/3_2ngvThrsA?...
Spindle from Wobbly Ghost launched a month ago on Steam and Switch and sold "only" 2.5k copies so far.
"SPINDLE is an old-school action-adventure about death and the many ways we choose to deal with it."
store.steampowered.com/app/1386750/...
youtu.be/3_2ngvThrsA?...
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
VOICE AUDITIONS ARE OPEN! (a thread)
elmo from sesame street is standing in front of a wall of fire .
ALT: elmo from sesame street is standing in front of a wall of fire .
media.tenor.com
September 15, 2025 at 3:42 PM
VOICE AUDITIONS ARE OPEN! (a thread)
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
if you are food insecure for both the humans and pets in your household there is a tool called Pet Help Finder that can help locate pet food banks nearby and other free or reduced price assistance and supplies for pets.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
November 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
if you are food insecure for both the humans and pets in your household there is a tool called Pet Help Finder that can help locate pet food banks nearby and other free or reduced price assistance and supplies for pets.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
🔴 I will write, even though this is very painful for me. I swear to you, without your donations, my children and I would have perished long ago. We have no other source to ease the burdens and aftermath of this war 1/3 👇🏼
chuffed.org/project/sharif
chuffed.org/project/sharif
November 4, 2025 at 10:24 AM
🔴 I will write, even though this is very painful for me. I swear to you, without your donations, my children and I would have perished long ago. We have no other source to ease the burdens and aftermath of this war 1/3 👇🏼
chuffed.org/project/sharif
chuffed.org/project/sharif
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
100!!!
Ohio State to hire 100 new faculty with AI expertise
The Ohio State University has announced a major Artificial Intelligence (AI) Faculty Hiring Initiative that will add 100 new tenure-track faculty with expertise in AI over the next five years. The ini...
news.osu.edu
November 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
100!!!
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
Make the Goddamn meal and put it in your Free Fridge. Write the $100 check to the food bank. Ask your local school what they need for the kids and then go about trying to get that stuff.... Do these things regularly and you are making meaningful contributions to your communities.
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Make the Goddamn meal and put it in your Free Fridge. Write the $100 check to the food bank. Ask your local school what they need for the kids and then go about trying to get that stuff.... Do these things regularly and you are making meaningful contributions to your communities.
If you can share or contribute, anything helps.
here we go- we are being evicted, and our next court date is tomorrow. i am pretty sure we will be forced to leave. the cheapest apartments i can find are $2700, and most places want 40x that in income!!! maybe through some miracle we can raise that much gofund.me/ee5a3b747
Donate to Support a Disabled Family Facing Eviction, organized by Priya Huq
We are being evicted and need to find another place to live. Rent in NYC is insane… Priya Huq needs your support for Support a Disabled Family Facing Eviction
gofund.me
November 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
If you can share or contribute, anything helps.
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
A plea for help. 🙏
One of the lead playtesters of Blue Prince, Iggy, has polycystic kidney disease and has only a few months to find a living kidney donor.
His story, contact and donor information can all be found on
iggyland.org
Please help us in sharing his story and getting the word out.💙
One of the lead playtesters of Blue Prince, Iggy, has polycystic kidney disease and has only a few months to find a living kidney donor.
His story, contact and donor information can all be found on
iggyland.org
Please help us in sharing his story and getting the word out.💙
November 8, 2025 at 12:42 AM
A plea for help. 🙏
One of the lead playtesters of Blue Prince, Iggy, has polycystic kidney disease and has only a few months to find a living kidney donor.
His story, contact and donor information can all be found on
iggyland.org
Please help us in sharing his story and getting the word out.💙
One of the lead playtesters of Blue Prince, Iggy, has polycystic kidney disease and has only a few months to find a living kidney donor.
His story, contact and donor information can all be found on
iggyland.org
Please help us in sharing his story and getting the word out.💙
finding a good paper planner this year was absolute dogshit, haha, amirite? between so many printers/creators getting fucked on paper, the tariffs, bonkers for me personally. I'm sure it was wacky for others.
November 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM
finding a good paper planner this year was absolute dogshit, haha, amirite? between so many printers/creators getting fucked on paper, the tariffs, bonkers for me personally. I'm sure it was wacky for others.
Gotta say, it was very rad to go to NYC and see one of my comics in this exhibit: www.nypl.org/events/exhib... "Pasitos grandes" is one of the most important things I've written, and it was amazing to see my work alongside really phenomenal pieces, really important creators 💖🇵🇷
¡Wepa! Puerto Ricans in the World of Comics | ¡Wepa! Puertorriqueños en el mundo de los cómics
Highlights from the Manuel Martínez Nazario Collection explore aspects of Puerto Rican life and culture through space and time.
www.nypl.org
November 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Gotta say, it was very rad to go to NYC and see one of my comics in this exhibit: www.nypl.org/events/exhib... "Pasitos grandes" is one of the most important things I've written, and it was amazing to see my work alongside really phenomenal pieces, really important creators 💖🇵🇷
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
in Feb. 2025, I worked on this story about why & how Elon Musk suddenly put an end to USAID… www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
How Elon Musk boosted false USAID conspiracy theories to shut down global aid
Musk drove fringe viewpoints on USAID into the mainstream on X as the Trump administration halted the humanitarian relief agency’s work.
www.nbcnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:47 PM
in Feb. 2025, I worked on this story about why & how Elon Musk suddenly put an end to USAID… www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
This it’s important to understand. I still rely on food banks to help me out with my usual allotment because $197 is not enough to last a month and $34 sure as hell isn’t even enough for a week (it’s kind of insulting tbh)
And that's because, second, SNAP is "supplemental." It's right in the name: "SUPPLEMENTAL Nutritional Assistance Program." Even at the beginning of the year, before funds were cut the first time, folks were not receiving enough to cover a month's worth of nutritional food. Now? A lot less yet.
November 8, 2025 at 9:49 PM
This it’s important to understand. I still rely on food banks to help me out with my usual allotment because $197 is not enough to last a month and $34 sure as hell isn’t even enough for a week (it’s kind of insulting tbh)
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
Here's a screenshot of a phishing DM I just received from what appears to be an official Bluesky account. Be careful, friends!
November 8, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Here's a screenshot of a phishing DM I just received from what appears to be an official Bluesky account. Be careful, friends!
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
philanthropy is when i give myself money
The billionaire couple is shifting the bulk of their philanthropic resources to Biohub, the pair’s science organization, and focusing on using artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery.
Zuckerberg, Chan shift bulk of philanthropy to science, focusing on AI and biology to curb disease
For the past decade, Dr. Priscilla Chan and her husband Mark Zuckerberg have focused part of their philanthropy on a lofty goal — “to cure, prevent or manage all disease” — if not in their lifetime, then in their children’s.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 1:03 AM
philanthropy is when i give myself money
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
new blog post: notes on quest design in Dread Delusion, a very good indie first person RPG / Morrowind-like www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2025/11/drea...
The bleak and poignant open world sidequest design of Dread Delusion
World design / quest design review of Dread Delusion, a 2024 indie first person RPG / Morrowind-like
www.blog.radiator.debacle.us
November 7, 2025 at 1:04 AM
new blog post: notes on quest design in Dread Delusion, a very good indie first person RPG / Morrowind-like www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2025/11/drea...
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
FYI I’m especially keen these days to talk to:
- folks who were at the D&D Live events 2017-19
- AP creators pre-2010(ish)
- AP creators who do/have done charity events
- any game designer or AP creator with Shakespearean or pre-1800 projects (existing or any stage of development)
- folks who were at the D&D Live events 2017-19
- AP creators pre-2010(ish)
- AP creators who do/have done charity events
- any game designer or AP creator with Shakespearean or pre-1800 projects (existing or any stage of development)
I don't usually do this, but I will be at #PAXU and would love to know about your booth/panel/other cool thing.
I'm in the final stretch of the first draft of the AP book, so would also love to talk to folks I haven't had a chance to (along with familiar faces I''ll be glad to see again).
I'm in the final stretch of the first draft of the AP book, so would also love to talk to folks I haven't had a chance to (along with familiar faces I''ll be glad to see again).
November 7, 2025 at 1:02 AM
FYI I’m especially keen these days to talk to:
- folks who were at the D&D Live events 2017-19
- AP creators pre-2010(ish)
- AP creators who do/have done charity events
- any game designer or AP creator with Shakespearean or pre-1800 projects (existing or any stage of development)
- folks who were at the D&D Live events 2017-19
- AP creators pre-2010(ish)
- AP creators who do/have done charity events
- any game designer or AP creator with Shakespearean or pre-1800 projects (existing or any stage of development)
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
PORTLAND: The Books With Pictures @bkswpicspdx.bsky.social downtown pop-up opens tomorrow! The pop-up will be open every Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Thanks to their partnership with PDX Pop Up, you can get comics at SW 3rd & Taylor for all your gifts with pictures needs. #pdxcomics
November 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
PORTLAND: The Books With Pictures @bkswpicspdx.bsky.social downtown pop-up opens tomorrow! The pop-up will be open every Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Thanks to their partnership with PDX Pop Up, you can get comics at SW 3rd & Taylor for all your gifts with pictures needs. #pdxcomics
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
This story is infinitely more important than GTA getting delayed. Don't let me catch you moaning about waiting longer for a video game if you're not mad about why it happened.
"Rockstar, Rockstar, you're disgusting, we charge you with union busting," the protesters declared.
'All you had to do was follow the damn law, Rockstar!': Workers are protesting outside Take-Two after GTA 6 dev's alleged 'brazen' union-busting
"They can get used to seeing us on their doorstep."
www.pcgamer.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 AM
This story is infinitely more important than GTA getting delayed. Don't let me catch you moaning about waiting longer for a video game if you're not mad about why it happened.
Reposted by Tristan J. Tarwater
“He doesn’t have a mandate” are you fucking kidding? Dick Cheney died the day Zohran is elected he has the mandate of HEAVEN
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
“He doesn’t have a mandate” are you fucking kidding? Dick Cheney died the day Zohran is elected he has the mandate of HEAVEN