Remote

Crystalline Blog

@crystalline@nyan.lol

mastodon 4.7.3

Melanie (@zicklepop@nyan.lol) and Vivianne (@TheEnbyWitch@peoplemaking.games) are writing a blog together

16 Followers

2 Following

20 Posts

Joined January 01, 2026

website:

https://crystalline.blog

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 7mo ago

Cat Appreciation Post
https://crystalline.blog/posts/cat-appreciation-post

Crystalline Blog

Cat Appreciation Post - Crystalline Blog

Melanie appreciates their cat, Kitty Pryde. Kitty Pryde, a 12 year-old mixed tabby, was born on the mean streets of San Francisco. Once the fourth chairman of an organized cat crime syndicate, she was known as The Lion of The Dogpatch.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 6mo ago

I Love Death Stranding 2
https://crystalline.blog/posts/i-love-death-stranding-2

Crystalline Blog

I Love Death Stranding 2 - Crystalline Blog

Vivianne felt compelled to talk about Death Stranding 2 after starting another playthrough. Those who know me, know that I like Metal Gear Solid. I also really enjoyed Death Stranding 1, which not many people did. I don’t think it’s worth worshipping Kojima as an auteur (I’m not gonna get into that here), but I’d say his studio still got the juice. I decided to revisit DS2 now that the PC version is out and the game received some small updates & a harder difficulty mode.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Weekly Tids and Bits
https://crystalline.blog/posts/weekly-tids-and-bits

Crystalline Blog

Weekly Tids and Bits - Crystalline Blog

Melanie and Vivianne share what’s been going on.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 6mo ago

Embracing Contrast
https://crystalline.blog/posts/embracing-contrast

Crystalline Blog

Embracing Contrast - Crystalline Blog

Vivianne ponders why things are fun. If you press a key on a piano, to play a single note on its own, like a C, it might not mean anything on it’s own. But if you add a G, to make a chord, and play that, it now feels different, right? The addition of a chord not only makes the note sound different, but because you played a C before, it also feels differently than if you didn’t play it.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 7mo ago

I’m A Ditto and So Can You
https://crystalline.blog/posts/im-a-ditto-and-so-can-you

Crystalline Blog

I’m A Ditto and So Can You - Crystalline Blog

Melanie is hooked on Pokopia I like the amount of games coming out recently that aren’t entirely new concepts, but are massive game play experience improvements on formulas we already love. Hytale of course being the previous example, having improved on Minecraft in many ways. But now we got Pokemon entering the Minecraft and Animal Crossing-like scene. The game borrows so much from Animal Crossing, from the equipment wheel to the inventory screen.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 7mo ago

February Was a Month
https://crystalline.blog/posts/february-was-a-month

Crystalline Blog

February Was a Month - Crystalline Blog

Melanie recaps her month, mental health struggles, and where she found some joy I had my yearly physical in January, and at the end I asked my doctor if maybe I should try another anti-anxiety medication, since I've been on my current one for 15 or so years. Without any hesitation they recommended another pill that I could "hot swap" to without tapering or having any side effects. A week after starting the new medication I knew something was wrong. At the same time the world was becoming an acti

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 5mo ago

You Should Play Jak & Daxter
https://crystalline.blog/posts/you-should-play-jak-daxter

Crystalline Blog

You Should Play Jak & Daxter - Crystalline Blog

Vivianne talks about a 3D Platformer game she played. If you know me, then you most likely know that as much as I talk about Rayman 2, I don’t really like that many 3D Platformers. I’m not interested in mechanical mastery, like Mario or Sonic, and I don’t really like platformers that are just collectathons. I want to discover a new world and have fun exploring it. So it’s been tough to find a game in that genre that I clicked with.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Oh How I’ve Missed the X-Men
https://crystalline.blog/posts/oh-how-ive-missed-the-x-men

Crystalline Blog

Oh How I’ve Missed the X-Men - Crystalline Blog

Welcome back to the X-Men, Melanie… Hope you survive the experience! When I was getting in to comics, Marvel was getting in to the “well if we don’t own the film rights, we might as well kill it” era of X-Men. I had a huge history of X-Men comics to read through and there were still some X-Men comics coming out that were a lot of fun. By the time 2020 rolled around I was done with western comics.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 5mo ago

Everyone Has a Bit at MIKU EXPO 2026
https://crystalline.blog/posts/everyone-has-a-bit-at-miku-expo-2026

Crystalline Blog

Everyone Has a Bit at MIKU EXPO 2026 - Crystalline Blog

Of course Melanie went to the 4/20 Miku show I just got back from attending MIKU EXPO 2026 in Seattle on the night of 4/20. It’s not what you think. Or at least, there wasn’t a big weed presence as far as I could tell. What I did notice is that everyone had a bit they were committed to, from cosplaying as obscure Hatsune Miku memes, to bringing their own handmade Miku merch to give away to other fans. In fact, the only one who wasn’t doing a bit was me.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Vivianne’s Links - January 23rd 2026
https://crystalline.blog/posts/viviannes-links-january-23rd-2026

Crystalline Blog

Vivianne’s Links - January 23rd 2026 - Crystalline Blog

I’ve been going down some rabbit holes on the internet (primarily YouTube) and I figured I’d share some links I found interesting.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Melanie and Vivianne Check In
https://crystalline.blog/posts/melanie-and-vivianne-check-in

Crystalline Blog

Melanie and Vivianne Check In - Crystalline Blog

Melanie: Hey Vivianne, thanks for joining me. I just wanted to check in and ask how things are going. How has it been blogging with me? Do you have any...

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 9mo ago

Types of Ads to Turn Down in 202X
https://crystalline.blog/posts/types-of-ads-to-turn-down-in-202x

Crystalline Blog

Types of Ads to Turn Down in 202X - Crystalline Blog

Melanie complains about the few ads she does see. I don’t see a lot of ads but I do come across ads in videos on YouTube that should not have made it through any sort of review. And yeah, you should be vetting your advertisers. A paycheck is a paycheck, but c’mon you need to have some standards. This list is non-exhaustive and doesn’t include obviously harmful ads like those for gambling. If you’re even considering a gambling ad you are too far gone. Seek help immediately.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 6mo ago

Thumb is One and B is H
https://crystalline.blog/posts/thumb-is-one-and-b-is-h

Crystalline Blog

Thumb is One and B is H - Crystalline Blog

Every once and a while Melanie likes to surprise Vivianne with a shared document we can both type in that we then format to look like a chat conversation. Today is one of those whiles. Melanie: Welcome in Vivianne. Before you are three items: a DVD copy of Gigli, a colander, and a pack of Gushers chewy fruit candy. Choose your weapon. Vivianne: A weapon for what? But also I feel like I can get a decent amount of use from a colander. Melanie: So you want to go with the colander?

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 7mo ago

So You Want to Learn About Poland
https://crystalline.blog/posts/so-you-want-to-learn-about-poland

Crystalline Blog

So You Want to Learn About Poland - Crystalline Blog

Melanie enjoys learning about the country her wife is from Growing up, I watched a lot of TV Land back when TV Land played shows from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. This meant that my only exposure to Poland was through Archie Bunker’s Pollack jokes at Meathead’s expense (RIP, Rob Reiner and Carroll O'Connor). It’s not a great way to learn about Polish people. I’ve pretty much had to rely on my wife and her family. I’ve already wrote a little bit about Kasia Babis’s comic Breadcrumbs and YouTube chan

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Comfort Watches for YouTube
https://crystalline.blog/posts/comfort-watches-for-youtube

Crystalline Blog

Comfort Watches for YouTube - Crystalline Blog

Apropos of nothing, Melanie wants to share some YouTube channels she likes. We need a break from all the exhausting shit going on these days, so I thought I might recommend some YouTube channels that help keep me going while I’m going through it.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Hytale-ing it out of Minecraft
https://crystalline.blog/posts/hytale-ing-it-out-of-minecraft

Crystalline Blog

Hytale-ing it out of Minecraft - Crystalline Blog

Melanie has been having a great time playing Hytale It sucks to always be compared to the same thing, but judging by Hytale’s history I don’t think they are going to escape the comparison to Minecraft. It’s been in the works for over a decade. It was briefly made for Minecraft, but that ended after Minecraft changed their license agreement. It was briefly acquired by Riot Games, but thankfully they were freed. It just entered early access but it’s incredibly polished and detailed.

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Hatsune Miku Fun Fact #39
https://crystalline.blog/posts/hatsune-miku-fun-fact-39

Crystalline Blog

Hatsune Miku Fun Fact #39 - Crystalline Blog

Welcome back to Melanie’s recurring segment: Hatsune Miku Fun Facts. While Hatsune Miku’s birthday is August 31st 2007, March 9th, 3/9, is known as Miku Day. You might be wondering...

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

Keeping Metroid Prime Fun With The Randomizer
https://crystalline.blog/posts/keeping-metroid-prime-fun-with-the-randomizer

Crystalline Blog

Keeping Metroid Prime Fun With The Randomizer - Crystalline Blog

Vivianne finds a way to spice up her future Metroid Prime playthroughs with Randovania. I watched BashPrime’s video about the Grand Abyss in Metroid Prime 2 during christmas break, and he finished it by mentioning Metroid Prime is not only a fun speedgame but also fun to play with a randomizer. That caught my attention, because let’s be honest, when you replay Metroid Prime, you’re not really going to be playing the game that differently. So I downloaded Randovania, joined the Prime Randomizer D

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

The Sense of Community in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo
https://crystalline.blog/posts/the-sense-of-community-in-the-dragon-quest-vii-reimagined-demo

Crystalline Blog

The Sense of Community in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo - Crystalline Blog

Melanie plays her first Dragon Quest game, even though it’s just the demo. It’s cold. There’s ice out. No better time to stay in and curl up with some RPGs like now. I just finished playing Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door and just slid right over into the demo for the new Dragon Quest VII re-imagining. I’m really enjoying it. The diorama art style looks great on the Nintendo Switch 2. I like the ball touching puzzles, but there’s a feeling I get in this game that sticks out like a sore th

Crystalline Blog @crystalline@nyan.lol

· 8mo ago

There Has Never Been A Better Time To Learn FL Studio
https://crystalline.blog/posts/there-has-never-been-a-better-time-to-learn-fl-studio

Crystalline Blog

There Has Never Been A Better Time To Learn FL Studio - Crystalline Blog

Vivianne talks about the new official FL Studio tutorial that frankly rules, Adam Neely’s video essay, GenAI and Bandcamp Friday (I swear it’s all related). Chances are we’re both pretty tired of the generative AI slop on the internet. I recently watched Adam Neely’s video essay on GenAI Music and “the Bad Future”. It was honestly quite a sobering watch, and the future of recorded music is definitely gonna feel bleak. But we don’t have to give in to that hopelessness.