Aram

@aramvartian.com

3214 Followers 1023 Following

Queer co-producer of @killeverymonster.com, co-founder of @deadghostpro.com, editor of @unpreparedcasters.com, photographer. He/him. 💼 See my work at aramvartian.com 🎲 Join my games at startplaying.games/gm/vartian 🏳️‍🌈 Find my shows at aram.gay

A nighttime photograph taken from an elevated vantage point looking down into a courtyard area situated between two tall residential apartment buildings. The dark brick building on the left features stacked balconies, some glowing with warm light, while the building on the right is a wide high-rise with many brightly lit apartment windows. In the space between the two structures, distant illuminated skyscrapers stand against a deep blue, cloudy twilight sky. In the foreground, the ground level—including a paved path, a metal fence, a patch of lawn, and a single lamppost—is bathed in an intense, vibrant purple light.

A low-angle, stylized photograph of a towering skyscraper complex featuring several massive, cylindrical dark glass towers rising from a blocky, tan stone base. Down at street level, a white passenger van is parked alongside a tall concrete retaining wall. The immediate foreground features an asphalt street marked with yellow lines and several yellow and orange traffic bollards. The sky above is tinted a muted teal color with wispy clouds.

Header Image: A dark, nighttime photograph of a bus parked or driving on a dimly lit street, with its bright shining directly at the camera.

Episode Information: The episode is titled "Trapped on a Bus" and was released on July 19 (indicated by an 'E' for explicit content).

Controls: A purple play button indicates a runtime of 1 hour and 3 minutes (1h 3m), next to download and bookmark icons.

Description Text: "People on journeys they did not intend! Or agree to!" followed by a prompt to visit ⁠thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners⁠ for a premium subscription.

A medium shot of an older woman with short grey hair smiling warmly and looking slightly upwards while seated at a dining table during a gathering. She is wearing a dark, subtly sparkly top and a prominent silver necklace with nested concentric rings. In her hand, she holds a large, brightly hand-painted wine glass with colorful floral and geometric designs. The foreground and background are softly out of focus, showing other guests, including a bald man in a blue shirt facing away, seated around tables set with dark tablecloths, white plates, and water glasses.

A medium close-up photograph of an older woman with short grey hair smiling joyfully while raising a large glass of red wine in a toast. She is celebrating, wearing a pink "Birthday Girl" tiara with white tulle and a matching pink ribbon rosette pinned to her navy blue and tan paisley blouse. She is seated outdoors on a wooden deck with black metal patio chairs and green trees in the background. Her left hand rests near her lap, holding a pair of dark sunglasses, and the corked top of a wine bottle is visible in the lower right foreground.

A close-up photograph shows a person's hand holding a pair of large, black over-ear headphones in a dimly lit studio environment. The headphones feature thick perforated earpads, a robust padded headband with visible stitching, and durable plastic earcups. Silver-toned accents and hinges with blue details are visible. The background is blurred, showing an elaborate computer and monitor setup bathed in strong blue and magenta ambient light. Two monitors displaying various windows of colourful application interfaces and a video feed are visible but out of focus. A grey computer tower sits on the desk to the right. The image has a shallow depth of field, keeping the headphones in sharp focus.

INTERIOR: HOCKEY RINK DURING THE PLAYOFFS

[ An attractive, blond, Russian skater is facing off against an attractive, brunette, handsome skater ]

SHANE (Interior Monologue)
“I was close to losing it, but not as close as later that night…”

INTERIOR: APARTMENT
[ Shane and Ilya enter and suck each other off for 17 minutes ]

SHANE (Interior Monologue)
“...and then we won the Hockey Games.”

CREDITS

A color photograph from a living room setting, likely taken in the late 1960s or 1970s, showing three young people sitting closely together on a patterned sofa against a plain wall. From left to right: A man with dark hair, wearing a dark green turtleneck under a grey-green sweater and grey trousers, sits with one leg crossed and holds a lit cigarette in his hand, looking at the camera. In the center, a man with dark hair, a mustache, and thick-rimmed glasses, wearing a grey suit jacket and dark tie, sits with his legs crossed in a distinctive 'man-spread' style, also holding a cigarette and looking at the camera. On the right, a woman with dark wavy hair, wearing a short-sleeved yellow dress with a gathered scoop neck, sits smiling gently and holding a green glass goblet with both hands in her lap. White throw pillows are visible on either side of the group. The dark edge of a coffee table is in the lower foreground with objects on it. The photo has the slightly faded, warm look of an old film photograph.

A close-up, black-and-white photograph of a man and a woman leaning close together. In the foreground, a young man with thick, dark, wavy hair, a prominent mustache, and rectangular wire-rimmed glasses looks back over his shoulder directly at the camera with a serious expression. He is wearing a light-colored t-shirt. Just behind him to the right, a young woman rests her head near his shoulder. She has long, dark hair styled in a thick braid and is looking slightly upwards toward the camera with a neutral expression. The background is a plain, slightly shadowed wall.

A vintage color photograph of a young woman standing indoors with her hands clasped behind her back. She is wearing a sleeveless, slightly textured white dress with a high lace neckline and a decorative white floral hairpiece in her dark, up-styled hair. She is standing in front of folding wooden tables and a backdrop of dark, vertically striped curtains.

A screenshot of a text message conversation on a smartphone in dark mode. At 10:20 AM, an incoming text from the number +1 (833) 861-6100 reads, "Fraud from a proposed bottle bill could mean YOU pay the price. D.C. Council wants to charge more for beverages. Tell them NO: facts2.com/vbb0kp STOPtoEND". At 11:58 AM, the user replies with three consecutive green text bubbles: "Get fucked, Pepsi", followed by "Or Coca Cola, or whoever the fuck you represent.", and finally, "You trashed the country with aluminum and plastic and tried to shift the blame to consumers. Take responsibility and pay the damn tax." The final message in the thread is an automated system reply that reads, "You have successfully unsubscribed."

A dimly lit, moody scene featuring a large white pentagram drawn on a dark, distressed wooden floor. At each of the star's five points sits a white pillar candle, with faint wisps of smoke rising from their wicks. In the exact center of the pentagram rests a horned animal skull. The background consists of a dark, textured wall, with a shadowy, ornate metal stand faintly visible on the left side of the room.

A screenshot of a mobile health tracking application displaying a "Sleep Score" dashboard. At the top, a prominent card indicates a score of "Very High" with a large "100" centered inside a blue, green, and orange circular chart. A breakdown lists "Duration: 50/50", "Bedtime: 30/30", and "Interruptions: 20/20", accompanied by a message reading, "A perfect score! Way to get excellent sleep, Aram." Below this main card are two smaller squares: one for "Sleep" displaying a bar graph of sleep stages and a total duration of "8hr 17min", and another for "Vitals" showing a graph labeled "Typical". At the bottom under a "Highlights" section, a card notes, "Your bedtime was 18 minutes earlier than usual."

A screenshot of a quote post on X (formerly Twitter) by Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly). Her caption reads, "This is the way". She is quoting a post by the account Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) that states: "How about this -- a visa granted to an alien to enter and remain in the U.S. is automatically terminated if the female alien become pregnant, and medical care providers are obligated by law to report positive pregnancy tests under threat of criminal prosecution for failure to do".

The main graphic is divided into three vertical panels featuring celebrating soccer players from three different national teams. The left panel shows a Canadian player in a red jersey above a large letter "C" patterned with the Canadian flag. The middle panel shows a US player in a red and white striped jersey above a large letter "U" patterned with the US flag. The right panel shows a Mexican player in a green jersey above a large letter "M" patterned with the Mexican flag. Placed side-by-side, the large letters spell out "C U M" across the bottom of the graphic. Below the letters, the text reads "CANADA," "USA," and "MEXICO." A banner across the bottom of the image reads "ALL 3 HOSTS QUALIFIED!

A close-up photograph of a Marques Brownlee's hand holding an unfolded, OnePlus Open smartphone. The screen is illuminated, displaying an Android home screen with a Google search bar and several app icons, including the Play Store, Messages, and Chrome. A distinct horizontal crease is visible across the center of the display where the phone hinges, and a light reflection glares across the top half of the screen. The background is a softly blurred outdoor surface.

“Swap ‘AIPAC’ for ‘Jews’ and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books,” Democratic New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer said on X in a Sunday post. “That’s not criticizing a lobby. That’s laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a million Jews. This bullshit is dangerous.”

But in a sign of New York candidates’ growing reluctance to show sympathy for AIPAC — and their fear of alienating voters who despise the pro-Israel lobby — none of the House hopefuls in the three primaries Mamdani has endorsed in were willing to criticize the popular mayor’s remarks. Instead, they defended the mayor or opted not to say anything at all.

Federal judges in Fort Worth handed down maximum sentences to eight people charged in connection with a July 2025 demonstration outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center that devolved into vandalism and the shooting of a police officer.

Benjamin Song was sentenced to 100 years in prison and Maricela Rueda to 70. Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto, Meaghan Morris, Autumn Hill, and Zachary Evetts each received sentences of 50 years. Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who was not at the demonstration, was sentenced to 30 years on charges relating to concealing documents in the investigation. Judges in the Northern District of Texas ruled that each defendant will serve their sentence on each charge consecutively, dramatically lengthening their time in prison.

The case has been seen as a barometer for how far the Trump administration can go in its campaign to crack down on political opponents, in part by using broad conspiracy statutes to sweep people accused of very different conduct into one single alleged terrorism plot.

A corner of a room bathed in vibrant blue, purple, and magenta ambient lighting. A sharp, oversized shadow of a multi-paned window is cast diagonally across a white six-panel interior door and a rectangular fabric acoustic panel hanging on the adjacent wall. Below the panel, resting on a small dark table, a classic lava lamp glows bright red-orange next to a small, spherical blue lamp. The edge of a shelving unit is visible on the far left, and a dark, open doorway is on the far right.

A medium shot of Wunmi Mosaku as the character Annie from the movie "Sinners." She is a Black woman standing outdoors in a sun-dappled, wooded area with her left hand resting confidently on her hip. She has a serious expression and her dark hair is styled up and pulled back. She is wearing dangling earrings, a thick multi-strand beaded necklace, and a short-sleeved, scoop-neck blue and grey plaid blouse. Around her midsection is a wide, dark leather corset belt worn over a dark, textured skirt. A brown leather gun holster is prominently attached to the left side of her belt, alongside small trinkets and chains hanging from the right. In the softly blurred background are large trees and parts of a rustic wooden fence.

A long exposure photograph of a dark steel truss bridge spanning a body of calm water at twilight. A train crossing the bridge has been captured as a solid, horizontal band of glowing yellow, orange, and white light. The water below reflects the warm lights of the train and nearby shore against a dark teal sky.

A graphic displaying a countdown for a photography event. At the top is a black-and-white long-exposure photograph of a city street at night, featuring a sharply focused street with parked cars and streetlights below an elevated train track, where a passing train is blurred into horizontal streaks of light. Below the photograph, a large blue countdown timer reads "86 Days", "00 Hours", and "55 Minutes". Beneath the timer, bold black text reads "September 14 – Long Exposure". A paragraph below explains the theme: "The object that is the focus point of the image must be captured with a shutter speed of 2 seconds or greater and sharply capture the stationary objects while blurring the moving elements. Examples include light trails, moving water, ghost-like people, and light painting."

A medium close-up photograph of Laverne Cox in character as Sophia Burset. She has long, wavy, highlighted blonde hair and is wearing a standard-issue tan, short-sleeved prison uniform shirt with a red ID badge partially visible clipped to the breast pocket. She is looking off-camera to the left with a serious, intensely focused expression. The background is softly blurred, featuring a plain brown wooden door on the left and a dark garment hanging against a light wall on the right.

An animated still of the character Amanda Waller. She is a Black woman with short black hair, wearing a blue suit jacket, a pearl necklace, and pearl stud earrings. She is holding a massive, futuristic, double-barreled silver firearm with both hands. Thick plumes of white smoke rise from both large muzzles, indicating the weapon has just been fired. She is looking forward with a confident, satisfied smirk. The background is a dimly lit, high-tech room featuring computer monitors with glowing green screens.

A photograph of Andre Braugher playing Frank Pembleton from the television show Homicide: Life on the Street. He is seated on a dark red, tufted leather chair or sofa, leaning slightly forward with his hands clasped and resting in his lap. He is wearing a light-colored, faintly striped button-down shirt, dark suspenders, a patterned brown tie, and dark slacks. He is looking intensely off-camera to the right with a very serious, focused expression. In the foreground, on a dark wood coffee table, rests a thick, dark blue book, a white teacup and saucer, and a small decorative bowl on a metallic stand. The wall behind him features stark, horizontal shadow lines, suggesting light shining through window blinds.

A glamorous studio portrait of a Black woman (Dominique Deveraux from Dynasty) with voluminous, dark, curly 1980s-style hair. She is wearing a striking, draped metallic silver gown with a sweetheart neckline, paired with a matching silver wrap or jacket featuring thick black fur cuffs. She is accessorized with massive, clear-stone statement rings on both hands and large sparkling earrings. Her makeup features dark eyeliner, dramatic blush, and bright red lipstick that matches her painted nails. Her right hand rests gracefully on her hip, while her left hand lightly touches her hair near her neck. She looks directly at the camera with a confident expression against a textured, mottled brown and gold backdrop.

A still from the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome featuring Tina Turner. She stands prominently in the foreground, looking off-camera with a stern, commanding expression. She has voluminous, teased blonde hair secured by a thin metallic headband and wears large, heavy-looking coiled earrings. Her outfit is an elaborate, heavy metallic chainmail dress featuring massive, exaggerated shoulder pads over a mesh underlayer. In the softly blurred background, several raggedly dressed figures are visible standing behind a large, rusty metal cage.

A still image of a group of bald Black female warriors, the Dora Milaje, standing in formation against a backdrop of a bright blue sky with white clouds and distant green hills. They wear intricate, textured red and orange uniforms with dark brown harnesses and geometric patterns. The leader in the left foreground wears gold neck rings, gold shoulder armor, and gold wrist cuffs, while the warriors beside and behind her wear silver versions of the same armor elements. They hold tall, sleek metallic spears vertically at their sides and share intense, battle-ready expressions.

A medium close-up photograph of a Black woman (Quinta Brunson) smiling warmly and looking slightly off-camera to the left. She has long, dark, curly hair parted in the middle, and is wearing small gold hoop earrings and a delicate gold necklace. She is dressed in a bright orange, textured, collared Nike pullover. The background is a gently blurred school hallway featuring two-toned blue and off-white walls with colorful framed bulletin boards hanging behind her.

A vibrant, comic-book style illustration of a dark-skinned character with a punk aesthetic. He has massive, explosive, dark spiky hair, glowing yellow eyes, and multiple gold piercings on his eyebrow, ear cartilage, and lower lip. He is wearing a thick, silver-studded black collar, a red shirt with a white web-like pattern, and a black leather jacket with large metal shoulder spikes. The jacket's lapel features three round pins: a red anarchy symbol, a plain red circle, and a yellow smiley face with "X"s for eyes and a mouth. His visible hand wears a black studded glove with a square metal plate featuring a prominent "X", and long silver spikes protrude from behind his right shoulder. The background is split into dynamic, jagged sections of magenta on the left and bright blue on the right. The artist's signature, "Drew Moss," is visible in the bottom right corner.

A still from a film featuring a Black man in a highly stylized, eccentric outfit. He is wearing a tight, leopard-print top with a dramatically wide, stiff collar that drops off his shoulders to expose his chest. He has bright blonde hair styled into a prominent, protruding cylindrical shape on top of his head. He is wearing a metallic headset microphone that curves in front of his mouth, a silver choker with a round pendant, and holds an ornate, metallic staff or cane in his raised left hand. His arms are spread wide open, and his mouth is wide open as if he is shouting or performing enthusiastically. The background shows a dimly lit, futuristic interior with large, dark, horizontally-ribbed columns on either side and a slightly blurred man standing behind him on the left.

A studio portrait of a bald Black man (actor Lance Reddick) set against a solid, muted teal background. He is wearing a tailored dark grey suit jacket over a dark button-down shirt. He is looking directly at the camera with an intense, serious, and thoughtful expression, resting his chin resting on his right hand.

An exhibition poster for Mark Rothko at the Guggenheim Museum. At the top, large, bold black text reads "MARK ROTHKO" above the smaller, italicized title "Green & Blue". The central image is a color field painting featuring a dark blue-green background that frames three stacked, soft-edged horizontal rectangles: a large vibrant green block at the top, a narrow bright blue stripe in the middle, and another large vibrant green block at the bottom. At the bottom of the poster, text reads "Guggenheim Museum" followed by the address "1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128, United States".

A screenshot of a text excerpt. The first paragraph is a quote that reads: "Many of you arrived on Rikers in a cloud of uncertainty and despair," he said. "The future felt very grim, indeed. And yet you did not surrender to that alienation. You were not overcome by the adversity that lay before you. Instead, you chose to continue moving forward. You chose to pursue your education, to stick with it, even on your lowest days." The second paragraph reads: "The school serves incarcerated people from ages 18 to 21, and they can earn GEDs or high school diplomas. Elijah Smith said he took a chance on attending — and it changed his outlook."

A digital image of a village record sheet for a game, titled "Stonetop" in large text at the upper left. The sheet is designed to resemble an old parchment document, featuring black text, line art, and several categorized sections with checkboxes—some filled with red dots to indicate current stats. The top right prominently displays a hand-drawn style map of a circular, walled village situated on a hill, surrounded by fields, with specific locations marked by letters A through F. The rest of the sheet is divided into organized boxes. The left side tracks stats including Fortunes (marked +1), Surplus, Size (marked as village), Population (+0), Prosperity (+0), and Defenses (+0 mediocre). The middle sections list specific Resources (like farming, hunting, and trade), Fortifications, and Debilities. The right side features a "Places of interest" legend corresponding to the map's letters—identifying landmarks such as The Stone, The Granary, and Watchtowers—alongside a blank box for Notes at the bottom.

A screenshot of a dark-mode digital character sheet for a tabletop role-playing game. At the top left, the character's name is "Dalis," playing "The Seeker Playbook" in the game "saviors-of-stonetop". Below a short paragraph of italicized flavor text, the active tab is "PC Playbook". The left panel displays the character's stats: Strength 1, Dexterity 0, Intelligence 2, Wisdom -1, Constitution 0, and Charisma 1. Below the stats are boxes for Damage (d6), HP (16), Armor (0), XP (0), and Level (1). The right panel shows expanded drop-down menus for character details, including the Instinct "HUBRIS" (To assume you know best, that you can't fail), Appearance traits ("curiously young • rich voice • ink-stained fingers • lean & lanky"), and Place of Origin ("STONETOP"). The bottom left shows the beginning of the Background section with "PATRIOT" selected.

A digital drawing of a fantasy village scene with the word "STONETOP" in large, textured golden letters across the top. The scene depicts a bustling crowd of villagers in a wide dirt street lined with rustic, thatched-roof buildings, bathed in warm, golden-hour light. In the center distance stands a wooden torii-style gate, and behind it looms a massive, hazy stone fortress or wall against a light blue sky. The artwork is framed by a tan, parchment-like border.

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Alt text: A low-light, candid photograph of two men sitting across from each other at a table, sharing an intense or fascinating moment. The man on the right, who has longer hair pulled back and a beard, is holding his hand up, pinching a bright, glowing flame between his thumb and forefinger. The man on the left, wearing a black shirt and a black wristband, rests his chin on his clasped hands and stares intently at the flame. In the blurred foreground, a glass jar and a small box rest on the table. The background is heavily out of focus, featuring warm bokeh lights and the faint silhouette of a third person sitting between them.

A grainy, black-and-white photograph of a seagull captured in sharp focus mid-flight. The bird is soaring toward the left side of the frame with its wings raised high. The background is heavily blurred, featuring abstract, out-of-focus geometric shapes that appear to be part of an architectural structure, including a tall vertical column and a faint circular highlight.

A photograph looking directly down a tall, grand corridor known as the Hall of Nations. Dozens of brightly colored international flags hang vertically from the ceiling in neat, dense rows along both sides of the hall. A bright red carpet stretches down the center, leading the eye toward the far end of the corridor, where the large glass entrance doors are decorated with a massive, swirling red and white graphic. Two small silhouetted figures stand near the doors.

A screenshot of a dark-mode group chat, likely Discord, featuring three users: Alex V, Aram, and Dylan. The conversation begins with Alex V suggesting a quick meeting, to which Aram replies, "I am on a date of sorts." Dylan reacts with shocked typos ("WHAY" and "What"). Alex replies "awww cute" and reschedules the meeting, but Dylan immediately tells Alex to be quiet because "We can't interrupt this." Alex then says, "and now we grill aram". Aram defensively replies in all caps, "I HAVE BEEN ON DATES." Dylan jokes, "It's like turning on a spotlight during an eclipse." Alex excitedly asks in all caps, "IS HE YOUNGER THAN YOU," followed by a correction of "/they". Aram dryly replies, "...most people are."

A photograph of an open silver Apple MacBook laptop resting on a speckled light-colored stone kitchen countertop. A white charging cable is plugged into the port on the left side of the computer. The screen is on, displaying a desktop wallpaper of a lush forest with towering redwood trees and sunlight filtering through the green undergrowth, with the macOS dock visible at the bottom. In the softly blurred background, a curved metal kitchen sink faucet, a stove, and other kitchen elements are visible.

A striking nighttime photograph of a boxy, weathered concrete building, resembling a bridge control tower, situated right next to a dark asphalt road with double yellow lines. The upper level features three dark windows illuminated from within by an eerie green glow, while the lower level has a single, small rectangular window. The exterior is utilitarian, equipped with an antenna, a security camera, utility boxes, and a faint green plaque on the wall.

Over the years, this company has asked a great deal of its employees. People have poured themselves into this work; accepting conditions, absorbing uncertainty, and sometimes carrying burdens that were not always fairly distributed because they believed in what Dark Horse stood for. That belief is something we must honor. Dark Horse understands and accepts the obligation to change and, as we embark on this journey, we will do so in genuine partnership across our entire team.