"How can a doll represent new life or intention? Perhaps in the way a plant can."

One of the rare stories best experienced as an audio book read by the author because Ellison sounds like an absolute raving madman.

this AM the last Prairieland 9 defendant Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years — so he and his partner, Liz Soto, got effectively life sentences. they have 3 kids. those who took non-cooperating plea deals, Rowan Gibson and Rebecca Morgan, got 15 each. total time sentenced in this case: 530 years

really appreciate the sympathy and listings people have sent so far! and if you need writing, research, interviews, or editing in the near future I will have a lot more time starting in August to take on more one off projects.

Digital storage is more expensive than it has been in a long time, with no signs of slowing down. Markets need to *grow* to keep producing results for these companies — by limiting your audience to only people who can afford $1000+ machines and pay $70 rentals, I truly do not know how this continues

Played I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream, walked away with Thoughts. Thankfully Marc let me boil them down to 3k+ words on what was gained/lost in adapting the short story like this, and why Harlan Ellison prob preferred you read rather than play his story. Give it a read!

For my newsletter on this US Knockout Gameday, I am honored to reprint my now decade old @unusualefforts.bsky.social piece on the history of the American Soccer League, the Soccer Wars, and how football became a foreign sport here in the US. www.burnsnotice.com/how-soccer-b...

We all like to joke about July being "Gay Wrath Month" but it's actually Disability Pride Month, so have the Disability Pride Flag from VGAPride and my AST Premmia LX MS-DOS machine

This is a really, really good meditation on not only an excellent short story and its game adaptation, but also on the very nature of adaptation itself. Wallace does a superb job here, you need to read it!

This entire interview is worth a watch but this quote at the end is a favorite. It captures how Ellison viewed games and people pretty well, and also hearing him say “pistol packin’ poppas and mommas” is just funny

This has such a huge impact on people in rural areas who have to deal with ISP monopolies with unusable speeds. The industry wants to act like the infrastructure is there for this to be the way forward, but big tech is just trying to leave poor people behind.

It's a terrible time to play video games. A huge blow to the preservation movement and something I'm very curious to see how general audiences react to. It feels like physical media is heading towards a place where a lot of things are only offered by specialist outlets now.

Played I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream, walked away with Thoughts. Thankfully Marc let me boil them down to 3k+ words on what was gained/lost in adapting the short story like this, and why Harlan Ellison prob preferred you read rather than play his story. Give it a read!

had the absolute pleasure to talk to @perfectgarbage.bsky.social co-founder and grave seasons narrative director @emnays.bsky.social about dark romance and storytelling that gets my major arteries pumping 🌀🍥🌀 narrative nuance is the brass key 🗝️ to my heart ❤️ www.gamesradar.com/games/simula...

There are more important things going on in the world and my own life but I came up out of my grave to blog this

speaking generally, I think the no. 1 thing you can do as a cis ally is help a trans woman get a job

Id suggest making your mantra this week taking extra care of yourself and others in the capacity that you can

Oh, hey, I released Exploits 100 early. Whoopsie! Subscribe for 5 bucks and get it, plus all 99 previous issues of Exploits, and all 200 issues of Unwinnable Magazine FREE. unwinnable.com/subscribe/

just sent the email ending the lease at my apartment of 4 years to move next month AND got word I'm losing my part-time editing job that's covered my cost of living for 3 years so uh hey who needs a copy editor?

If you want to do some actual tangible good for trans people right now, maybe try giving us some money, or employing us, or fighting for us directly in your workplace and social spaces, it helps a lot more than vague empty platitudes of allyship. ko-fi.com/basicallilexi

Wrote about the awkward and strained TNG "gay rights" ep, which weirdly hits way harder now than it probably would have in 1992. Being a woman... good actually who knew.

Well would you look at that - it's your boy writing for Aftermath! Super stoked to be contributing to one of the best magazines around and to do it while writing about one of my favorite games of the year AND one of my favorite genres!

With Elon Musk becoming our first trillionaire, I talked to American users of the rapidly growing “Almost Homeless” subreddit, who are struggling to stay housed amid a brutal job market and with social services slashed to the bone. They say this online community is crucial to their mental stability.

anyway i didn't realize all the xbox news was dropping today, but i did chat with some union members about how things have been going behind the scenes

NEW: Xbox confirms to Bloomberg News that it has pulled out of IO Interactive's 'Project Fantasy' video game. “We expect to invest about the same in content as we did last year. What's changing is where we're investing and the kinds of projects we're backing.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Was a joy and an honor to work on this incredible feature. It’s so smart and horny and funny and tender!!

having a blog is important because it lets me take free silent hill DLC that no one cares about and turn it into symbol of my fear of being alone 😇 plant-or-beast.net/posts/2026-0...

Wrote about how anime fans looking forward to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 should watch City of God, one of the best films ever made and the inspiration behind the anime's little aspiring journalist who could.

well i'm officially going to gamescom first event as a journalist! if you're going and would like to hang out, please do let me know and we can figure something out! 💜

Last month, @nicoleclark.bsky.social got to visit @yachtclubgames.bsky.social in LA to learn all about Mina the Hollower's inspirations, design, story — and, crucially, why the game lacks a mini-map. www.mothership.blog/maps-mice-an...

I love being trans despite everything the world throws at us, and I love being a woman. Happy Pride. #blog #trans #pride

if you're trans, you have to live. one day you can live to see these guys all die.

Since stepping down from Six One, writing has fallen by the wayside. Writing full-time ain't realistic nowadays, but not writing at all has been gnawing at me. I'm launching crowbar to help keep my writing sharp while gushing about the indies that make one heck of an impact. Hope y'all dig it!

Atlanta having fun at World Cup … Look at that little baby 😊🥹

So let's say I want to learn how to write on games. I have a couple resources already, like @hannahnicklin.bsky.social's book Writing For Games, and I have a couple close friends whose brains I could pick but I feel bad bothering them because they're busy. What other stuff would you recommend?

With alt text, for those of us with disabilities, and also those trying to read this on their phones: Please like this reply to make it come near the top, but don't follow me for it, that's not what I'm trying to achieve.

Id suggest making your mantra this week taking extra care of yourself and others in the capacity that you can

New blog! Why do tactics and romance pair so well together?

I've delayed in sharing this amazing project by @thepixelhunt.bsky.social on Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/ith... A climate resistance, road-trip, narrative focused game by the studio that brought you Wednesdays, Bury me My Love, and The Wreck.

Excited to write for Eurogamer again! I wrote about how games explore queerness through the concept of time

Hell yeah www.thegamer.com/rockstar-gta...

a night to remember

My cover for the landmark 200th issue of @unwinnable.com. A gilded icon honouring the cruelty and precarity of King's Quest V, complete with UM's signature vulture. Glorious typography by @derekkinsman.com. The contents are suitably heavenly, available now! unwinnable.bigcartel.com/product/unwi...

wrote on two great platformers and some recent thoughts on architectural space in games. "the platformer genre emerged as a postmodern medium designed to sell itself to you (in the coin pushing of the arcade) on the challenge of navigating non-social spaces." glitchout.blog/2026/06/27/f...

BREAKING: More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the U.S. hours before the earthquakes are missing after their hotel collapsed.

Hello there. I wrote an effusive essay about synth-pop genius Mioko Yamaguchi, who made three perfect albums in the 1980s, disappeared from the spotlight, then made a stunning comeback as if she'd never left. www.shy.center/p/mioko-yama...

I'm looking to speak to folks who have worked as contractors via agencies or other third-parties, who have lost work recently as a part of restructurings/larger layoffs at companies like Xbox, Epic, Ubi, etc. Want to know about the larger, uncounted cost of these things. Email and Signal are in bio.

I like that Eugene McQuacklin is a whole loser. Can't put down the bread, can't stop hitting up his ex-wife, freeloading off his biggest fan who’s a sweetheart. He’s a down on his luck duck, being a detective is all he has

This week: Eighteen new picks across time, space, and Mario: critical-distance.com/2026/06/29/j...