Marphy Black

I want to wish everyone a Happy Valenti- wait a minute, why is the camouflage pattern on Duke 3D's Pig Cop Tank the same as the one on the camo walls in Final Doom's Plutonia?

You lied to me, @dukenukemgame (not on Bluesky) @doom.com! You betrayed me! You used me! #dukelore #doomlore #Valentines

As a non-joke addendum, I don't send out friend requests on Steam out of the blue. Always be wary of such impersonation scams. #vernetroyer! #varginha

I've received reports that Steam scammers are impersonating my profile and sending friend requests. If you ever need to verify it's really me, always check for Verne and Varginha Remastered Playtest.

In other words, if it ain't got Mini-Me in Varginha, it ain't me (in Varginha).

BEHIND THE SCENES INFO: I wrote this tweet one year ago intending it as a flippant response which coincided with the 2025 reprint of Raising the Bar that'd also include this Stalker artwork, making it timely. But RTB '25 is yet to appear.

@valvesoftware.com, when is the bar raising?

I see all these people always talking about Half-Life 3, and yet no one talks about the fact that the Stalker concept art in the Half-Life 2 anniversary documentary is so heavily cropped.

Why do you not want us to see, like, 80% of the beta Stalker, @valvesoftware.com? #halflife

I wanted to assure everyone that the Ivan and Monkey picture is not lost media as it had always been safely preserved. Perhaps by viewing this image you may also be a part in ensuring its historical legacy for future generations. #halflife #gordonandamonkey

YEARLY THANKSGIVING REDNECK RAMPAGE FU FACT: If you "Yeehaw!" in a barrel, you're rewarded with a whole 10 bonus health points instead of the normal 1!

Be sure to use this elite tactic to give yourself the edge in your next Redneck Rampage multiplayer competition! #Thanksgiving

On this day and no other, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ricochet, unleashed Nov. 14, 2000 with Counter-Strike.

As its Steam page is wrong, I suggest finding a way of remembering Ricochet's correct birthday. It's easy for me since today is also my own birthday. #ricochet2

Once again, Valve's deceit fools an unsuspecting populace: Ricochet's release date on Steam is false.

Ricochet released November 14, 2000 in the retail disc version of Counter-Strike.

But fear not, for I continue my 20+ years vigilance against Valve's Ricochet lies! #ricochet2

I searched and could only find 20+ year old forum posts mentioning this, so here's the Return to Castle Wolfenstein "I need ammo!" reference in Sealab 2021.

To any surviving show creators: See? One guy did recognize the reference. And I even remembered it too! Totally worth it!

Good news, everyone! The artist has been identified! This piece was apparently commissioned a Half-Life fan out there and drawn by one "Karstens". web.archive.org/web/20020603...

But now this begs the question: Who was that fan?

After years of searching, I finally refound my favorite 90s Half-Life fan art of all time! Sadly, I lost the artist's name literal decades ago, but what mere name can do justice to a masterpiece?

Hey @valvesoftware.com, please cancel HLX and remake this picture. #halflife

Today is the 20th anniversary of the original “WTF BOOM” meme getting uploaded to the internet. Many may not know this, but the explosion and laughter comes from our “Cold Fear” video we did for Ubisoft back in 2005. Thank you for keeping the legacy alive.

YouTube video by MarphitimusBlackimus WTF Boom! - Official 20th Anniversary 4k Remaster

See the full quality WTF BOOM! 4k remaster on YouTube. Full credit to @mega64official.bsky.social and Steve Moustache for unwittingly becoming a part of this fad (as we called them back in the day). Also, I belatedly apologize for any blown out eardrums. #ytmnd #wtfboom #fad

youtu.be/wrZqUBSo6XI

20 years ago today, July 14, 2005, I created "Link finds a WTF" on YTMND, later becoming better known today on the Internet after it took on a life of its own as "WTF BOOM!".

To commemorate this 20th anniversary, I've remastered my original WTF BOOM! YTMND in 4k. #ytmnd #wtfboom

My treasured souvenirs from attending this WWF Raw are a couple ticket stubs, a Road Dogg bulldog plush, a Scotty Too Hotty foam hand, and a disposable camera's worth of blurry, overexposed photos from an 11-year-old me who was too short to hold the camera above the audience.

Spurred on by @wrestlingbios.bsky.social' latest Reliving the War, I reviewed the Sep 18, 2000 WWF Raw to try to find myself and my dad in the audience, and I think we're roughly among these blurry splotches. Thus, I can say I was on cable TV!

Does anyone have a satellite feed of this show?

Actual footage of my desktop on this day (and most days, to be fair). #doom #fireworks

This means we're also right on the verge of the 20th anniversary of my YTMND which became way more popular outside of the site, "Link finds a... what the hell is that?", better known now as "WTF Boom".

I 'spose I oughta do something special for its birthday. #ytmnd #wtfboom #fad

20 years ago today, June 28, 2005, I created "What is Half-Life?" on YTMND, becoming my most popular site there which spurred an interest in creating more HL stuff. whatishl.ytmnd.com

But it left one burning question: Hey @valvesoftware.com, what is Half-Life? #halflife #ytmnd

In this Duke Nukem D-Day build, the lockers in this science lab kind of look like the ones in Half-Life's Anomalous Materials Lab. It even has one labeled "Freeman" too! What are the odds?

Boy, what a coincidence this is, eh @valvesoftware.com @gearboxofficial.bsky.social? #halflife #dukelore

In this book's Garry Newman interview, this screenshot is identified as being the original 1998 Half-Life, yet it's clearly 2006's Half-Life: Deathmatch Source!

Boy I really hope somebody got fired for this blunder, @bitmapbooks.com! And why didn't you correct them, @garrynewman.bsky.social? #jbmod

In this newly-leaked Duke Nukem: D-Day build, the evil scientist's lab contains cloning tanks with Dukes from 1, 2, 3D, and even TTK. However, the fourth tank is empty! As if we're still waiting for that Duke! Maybe waiting... 'forever'!

I see what you did there, @dukenukemgame (not on Bluesky)!

You: Barney Calhoun in Blue Shift isn't Barney Calhoun because it doesn't call you Barney.
Me: The manual calls you Barney Calhoun. Multiple times, even!

Don't worry, @gearboxofficial.bsky.social, I'm a real fan who's got your back! #halflife #realfan (Scans by @segadreamcastinfo.bsky.social)

But despite this calamitous oversight in Radiaki lore, this still doesn't change the fact that Radiaki's "incredible" characters continue to remain "superior to those found in Doom™".

Pack it up, @doom.com! Your dark ages have just been illuminated!

The key art for the new release of The Fortress of Dr. Radiaki depicts Dr. Radiaki himself with two normal arms, yet his left arm (or right, if the shot's flipped) is canonically a laser cannon.

Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for this blunder, @zoom-platform.com! #radiakilore

Whoever just won this shirt at auction has officially laid claim to the being the coolest cat in all of the Doom-dom.

You can go ahead and cancel the game release now, @doom.com; the dark ages of Doom are no more! #doom #doomer #doomersdoit

The RIOTTANK.3DS model found in the recent 3D Realms discs in the late Stephen Hornback's data archive sure looks like it could be 'the' original model used for the Pig Cop Tank sprites in Duke Nukem 3D.

Hey @dukenukemgame (not on Bluesky), can you confirm or disconfirm this suspicion? #dukelore

Good news, my fellow PO'ed-ians! My PC physical edition of PO'ed: Definitive Edition has arrived, now joining The World's Largest (known) PO'ed Collection™!

This may also inadvertently document the woeful decline of PC "big" box releases. #poed #RIPboxesthatRtoobig #3do4life

To assuage the public's fears, I wanted to assure everyone that, after several harrowing months in shipping, my Barney on Miami Beach mug has arrived safe and sound. It now sits on my desk where it will serve out its days as a container for bits and bobs. #halflife #barney #miami