shocking discovery this week that there were still MORE fancier sticks that I’d not been introduced too. This week I met the “slings” - which are very satisfying chunky bits of colourful braided rope that you whip round your head.

💛 TRACES OF PLAY 💛 is a participatory installation that celebrates the folk, playground, and street games we used to play. Created with @chadtoprak.bsky.social, come subvert these humble everyday objects into magnificent playthings of joy! 🪨🥜🥄✏️🪢

After over 2 years cooking in Steam Early Access, Mars First Logistics 1.0 is finally here! Engineer your little rover and deliver lots of silly stuff!

Consume Me is out! Get this game, I feel confident in saying, based on the demo, and based on knowing the creators, and based on seeing it develop over the last decade, that it is a masterpiece. store.steampowered.com/app/2359120/...

doubtless you have already heard, but Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch's new game is out today and it's really good. store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/...

omg the talk/speaker lineup for Roguelike Celebration (@roguelike.club) 2025 looks sooo good: www.roguelike.club/event2025.html So obviously one of the most vital events in videogames right now, I really hope I can make the time to attend this year.

Big events run & owned by major corporations feel so analogous to me with “privately owned public spaces” Parks & green spaces where it “looks” like everyone has a right to be present, places that “look” like they belong to a community - but no, it’s corporate property & it’ll always act that way

Okay I wrote up my trip to the WORLD TRAMDRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS buttondown.com/holly/archiv... cannot stress enough how much this newsletter issue is just a list of things that happened at the world tramdriver championships, please use your own judgement regarding whether that is of interest to you

that said - I think you need to view these with the poop in the middle to really feel the impact

When I’m short a poop bag I construct Andrew Goldsworthy arrangements around Roo’s movements so I can find them on my return. This morning’s was made from frosted dandelion clocks & white feathers. It has a particularly seasonal grace & charm.

Sunday plum jam restock. Now to build up the courage to ask the house round the corner if I can rinse their quince tree to make cheese

[this is a subpost] there is a credible, democratically run left wing party in the UK. you can join it here: join.greenparty.org.uk

It’s more of a dartboard actually coreyhardt.itch.io/spindown

I am both haunted & inspired by a thing social media taught me t'other day. Did you know the iOS alarm scroll "wheel" is a LIE? Its not a wheel spinning round...no no... its a really big long list of numbers & If you scroll far enough down on either wheel you eventually hit the end of time 16:39

even fancier sticks this week & compliments on how quickly I picked up the sideways polka step.

Enjoying quality time with other people’s incredibly well behaved baby gremlins.

this september the nails have gone “local swimming pool”-chic

(if you’ve not watched it and would welcome something charming, calming and occasionally bittersweet about friendship and community then I thoroughly recommend)

I would like to thank Jeff Hiller for winning an Emmy for Somebody Somewhere last night - what a nice bit of news to start the week with.

Roo as she is dragged into the emergency vets on a rainy Sunday afternoon… “WHAT IS THE CHARGE!? EATING A CAKE?! EATING A SUCCULENT FRUIT CAKE?”

We are at the World Tram Driving Championships

Agreeing with mr @rickyhaggett.bsky.social that a good time is to be had with today’s real bird fake bird. realbirdfakebird.com

the only lightly complicated joy of a dog who finds a baby’s dummy in the wild and stubbornly declines to let it go. Roo. You’re too old for this.

just gonna leave this here

Something I miss about working on I am Dead is getting to do real world research (with a lowercase r). Going to little museums, reading Wikipedia pages on weird obscure stuff, nattering about stuff that interests you... and then getting to put it into a videogame: it's fun!

First practice with the local Morris side & overjoyed that they let me dance with the “special sticks”* *they dance North West (clog) style which originated from cotton mill workers. The sticks were the bobbins they worked with & the clogs the shoes they’d wear to protect their feet

First practice with the local Morris side & overjoyed that they let me dance with the “special sticks”* *they dance North West (clog) style which originated from cotton mill workers. The sticks were the bobbins they worked with & the clogs the shoes they’d wear to protect their feet

if any folks have fun or curious travel and eating tips for Bangkok (and surrounding area) and Singapore then please do send them my way.

replaced a snapped door handle like a mother hecking genius. could probably just build a house from scratch after this.

tears of joy.

In positive news, colleagues at @mctd.bsky.social with @bda.org.uk have published this excellent set of recommendations to warn against the unrelenting tide of AI services that don’t account for BSL’s rich culture and diversity, and the risk it has in initiatives not being Deaf-led.

Yutani. Just like…. IDK. Could you not find any aliens shaped like bunny rabbits that cure cancer with hugs… or maybe like a talking frog guy who poops diamonds. Does it all have to be this gross violent stuff. hmm?

as always, if you are thinking of doing so: - i find writetothem.com easy to use - don't worry about writing "well". perfect is the enemy of done. - tell them what you want to happen & why you care about it - don't be threatening or weird - do it

tears of joy.

Hey if you're interstate and needing to get some print organised for MIGW. Hit me up because i'm already doing a bunch for people and can easily get it organised and save you having to either ship it or carry boxes down 👍

Seasonal Fact. 'Conker' is a 19thC word for snail shells. Shells were originally strung & played with before horse chestnuts became popular.

Absolutely awesome way to get your game out on all platforms

also great news about Rachel and the deputy leadership. Side note that it was coincidentally it was also through her work founding Birds Eye View film festival that I first met @hollygramazio.bsky.social and learnt about the pervasive game scene.

Delighted at the Green Party election results: all the transphobes lost their positions! Feeling some tiny pangs of... hope? about what comes next..

i want a hypnotits guy for president

sincerely thankful for some good UK political news today. If you've not been following this leadership election & feel despair (& frankly disgust) at the actions of labour then a good antidote is to spend time looking at the platforms Zack stands on & the continuing surge in support for the greens

1hr until the UK Green Party leadership contest is announced. Whilst I don’t believe 1 person or 1 election is an answer I’m hopeful for a party leader to actually represent the left Someone vocally calling out genocide, supporting trans rights & pointing to wealth inequality instead of migration

whilst I appreciate that the months of the gregorian calendar are different lengths there is one fact I’ve known since I was a child. It is always September, but it is never August.

friday night mermaid chunky. < 3

Last minute reminder: @wingsfund.me Elevate is a $50k USD prototype fund for indie teams led by women and other gender marginalized developers. Submit until August 30. Good chance! https://f.mtr.cool/zmwcihfhzv

As the early morning gold of the late summer sun strikes the curvature of the hunched over miniature schnauzer squatting for her first ‘movements’ of the day. beautiful & good morning all.

for your information.

British Lads Hit Each Other With Chair hats up on my ☕️ There’s a hat + art print deal too 🪑 ko-fi.com/benmc

blessed by a visit on this beautiful day from a favourite neighbourhood dog pal 15(?) years young. Zenny is tubular in shape. She walks like a rocking horse - teetering back and forth to gain forward momentum. You can charge her up by giving a solid tummy rub to give her a short speed boost

finally oiling a the wooden stool I made and touching up paintwork in my aesthetic ecru Toast dungarees. I look like a mortgage advert today.