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~ JL McCallum ~

@cruddish.bsky.social
196 followers 219 following 34 posts

cruddish.itch.io game dev working on: ~ SKIRL, a creature-cataloguing folk horror project ~ Give up the Ghost (@playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social), a haunted point-and-click mystery ~ and whatever else i'm currently fixated on!

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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
no idea how itch measures these things but being third-most popular in the jam is crazy
An itch.io webpage for the Haunted PS1 Summer Camp Jam, showing the most popular games, of which Starstory is number three.
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
tagging @puszke.bsky.social correctly now that i've found their bsky! go buy their very handy stuff
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Design, Programming, & Modelling: @cruddish.bsky.social Character Animation: @callanimation.bsky.social Additional Textures: Puck cruddish.itch.io/starstory
cruddish.itch.io
Starstory by James-Lachlan McCallum
Recall stories of old and etch their forms onto the sky.
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I made a little game for the #HauntedPS1 Summer Camp Jam! Can be completed in under ten minutes. STARSTORY is a short trip up to the stars above. Recall myths of ages past with a fellow hermit and etch their forms onto the sky. #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieDev #PSX #lowpoly
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
thank you <3 will let you know
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
chipping away at it! taken a back seat at the moment as I work on smaller-scale things to improve my skills, but I will get back to working on it much more frequently hopefully within the year
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
a freaky GUY i put together for a #HauntedPS1 Summer Camp Jam game #PSX #IndieGame #GameDev
A 3D model of a character rendered in the style of a PS1 game. He is covered in straw, twigs, and a bizarre mask. He wears a long banner with several glyphs upon it.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
New zone coming to the Early Access Demo 👀!!! Your journey takes you to HEARTHALL -- the refuge of the Wheatfields. Here, the people may rest. The fire is low and warm. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
The city Forde awaits you. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev
A black and white illustration of a wheatfield with a path running through it, the silhouette of a towering city looming in the distance surrounded by smoke and framed by a magenta rectangle. Before it, small windmills and other wooden structures can be seen dwarfed by the city itself.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
The Timekeepers tend to the Shed of Seconds. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #gamedev #indiedev #ambience
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
A Wastewoman of Armature. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame
A black-and-white illustration of a woman completely covered bar her hands and eyes. She wields a tall broom.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Here's a quick run-through of the Shed of Seconds thus far! First here's an early draft of how the scene could be laid out. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame
A black-and-white piece of concept art. Surrounded by darkness on all sides lies a small, cramped room, laden with shapes at odd ends and four figures. One is hooded: the Overseer, while the other three tend to various jobs around the room.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
We have succumbed and now have an Instagram account! If you happen to also have one, do give us a follow and kindly feed the algorithm for us <3 www.instagram.com/playgiveupth...
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The city Forde awaits you. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev #indiegame
A black-and-white illustration of a towering city hidden in the distance by smoke and mist. A thin magenta rectangle frames it. In the foreground, a path traces through wheatfields towards the city.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Early draft of a Fordite interior. #playgiveuptheghost #conceptart #gamedev
A black-and-white illustration of a small, cramped bedroom lit by a single lamp. The walls are covered with frames and the whole room is covered with books, parchments, and other miscellaneous objects.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Various people of the Wheatfields! #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white illustration of four figures.
One carries a bag full of wheat on their back.
Another stirs a large mortar.
The third stirs a heated pot.
The fourth is covered in braids, both hair and rope.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
This piece is also used as the cover art for one of the playlists assembled by our writer Elijah showcasing some of the music that has thus far inspired Give up the Ghost! open.spotify.com/playlist/13B... #indiegame #gamedev
open.spotify.com
give up
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Dug through the pile to find anything relevant to post for #LunarNewYear and all I could come up with is one of the earliest examples of art made of Forde that ALSO happens to feature a moon. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A monochrome print of abstract towering buildings, smoke rising from their chimneys, against a pitch-black sky. A crescent moon shines above them.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Happy #ValentinesDay from our house to yours <3 as can be seen here, romance is very much alive in Midden #indiegame #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on the portrait of a young woman looking directly at you.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The Sick Man’s room smells like death and decay. #indiegame #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A screenshot of a role-playing game. A hooded, one-eyed character stands in front of two men lit by candlelight. One sits up in a tiny bed, wrapped in bandages, while the other stands before him covered in an apron and surgical mask. Hanging herbs, rags, and other bunks can be seen around the room.A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on portraits of two men wrapped in thorns. One wears a surgical mask and a witch-like hat while the other is wrapped in bandages.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
History weighs heavy on those that record it. #conceptart #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost
A black-and-white illustration of a man whose tired eyes are hidden behind a thin veil. Wrapped by various robes and garments, he carries a thin burning candlestick and a pair of keys.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
It’s the middle of the night -- and you’re being followed. #conceptart #gamedev #palygiveuptheghost
A black-and-white illustration of a cloaked figure being stalked by a mysterious creature down a lamp-lit street.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
If you like the art of GIVE UP THE GHOST, do go check out other work by our lovely artist @spookthirsty.bsky.social! They're responsible for having shaped the visual identity of the world of Midden, producing all art from concept to the final assets. The game would not exist without them.
A screenshot from a visual novel narrative game. A card is held above a candlelit table depicting a hooded figure surrounded by smoke and falling stars. Despite the rest of the illustration being black-and-white the figure's heart and a four-pointed star are accented in red.An illustration of a crow leaking an oil-like substance from their beak into the agape mouth of a person below. Smoke surrounds them on a yellow-and-red background.A black-and-white poster for the film Days of Heaven. A figure holding a lantern, their face hidden by shadow, stands in a field while a fire rages around them. In the foreground a locust can be seen.A portrait of the actress Tilda Swinton in blue, her pupils red and her mouth missing. Beside her are two yellow silhouettes. Red spikes and yellow crosses surround her.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Symbolism board for the MOROITES, followers of the God of Nothing. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white arranged board of several abstract images, including: several robed figures walking in a line; square images of a ripple effect, three figures in shadow, and a pair of feet in grass; an erupting black mass of tendrils; an organ system; a strange dark swirl; three faces arranged vertically with repeating circles increasingly erupting from their foreheads; two full-body cloaked figures, one covering the other's eyes while they covers the former's mouth; various shapes arranged to form a language not of this world.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Light streams through the Shifthouse attic. It’s morning-time. #gamedev #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white image of an attic, light streaming into the other-wise dark room between immense curtains. A series of cluttered shelves sits in the foreground.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
An early design for the layout of a Village just outside the city bounds. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white sketch of a village where the corrugated-iron roofs clash against each other at odd angles. Four buildings are labelled: the "Shed of Seconds", shaped like a cornucopia placed on its head; "Hearthall", a domed decorated building with protruding chimneys; the "Bakehouse", a two-storey building taller than all the rest; and the "Rising Room", a building seemingly just the same as all the other shacks in the village. Two arrows point away from the village: one labelled "To the First Door (blocked initially)" leads towards the background, where the great city Forde can be seen; the other points to the right of the village, labelled "To the Kilns".
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
One of my favourite pieces of @spookthirsty.bsky.social's from pre-production <3
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Light shines on a collection of dusty, silent instruments. #gamedev #indiegame #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white image of a small room filled with various string instruments, guitars, banjos, dulcimers, mandolins...
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Our most recent draft of the Crooked Tree. The gentle Cordmaker awaits you here. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #gamedev
A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on two shadowed figures standing in front of a contorted tree.
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
HAZZAH
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
You find a woman near-death before the ruins of her home. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame
A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on the portrait of a shell-shocked woman looking directly at you.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
The Seedkeeper waits for you in front of the fire. She’s calm and gentle -- a welcome break from the chaos of the Wheatfields. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame
A black and white illustration of a furnace room. A long table sits lengthwise against the network of pipes and machinery. A young woman sits at the far right-hand side, her hands clasped gently together.A screenshot of a role-playing game. Dialogue rests in a webbed box at the bottom, and the image is focused on the portrait of a young woman looking directly at you.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
The Drifter -- one of the most long-lasting characters of Give up the Ghost. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #conceptart
A man with his hair tied back in a bun stands in profile before an amaranthine circle -- framed by the Gothic silhouette of a house and strikes of lightning.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Two farmers, barely living life. #playgiveuptheghost #indiegame #conceptart
A black and white portrait of a main and a woman. Their eyes are wide and weeping.
To the left a stalk of wheat frames them. 
To the right, the man raises his hand and a spiral trails from his fingers.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
MORE BREADPOSTING! Some of the BREADS that can be found in pantries across Forde and its surroundings. #BREAD #BREADS #BREADBREAD
A geometric banner frames the top and bottom of the image. Text reads 'ARMATURITE LOAVES' besides nine roughly-sketched loaves of bread.A geometric banner frames the top and bottom of the image. Text reads 'LEAVENED FLATBREAD' and 'COMMON FLAKY FLATBREAD' besides six roughly-sketched loaves of bread.A geometric banner frames the top and bottom of the image. Text reads 'STAMPED FLATBREAD', 'BRAIDED FLATBREAD', 'PUFFY MILK-DOUGH', 'STAMPED COOKIES', AND 'RING-DOUGH PASTRIES' besides 15 roughly-sketched loaves of bread.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Overseer! Follow the lines!
A hooded figure holds a torch against a swirling, stormy sky. Tall lampposts, burning with fire and bound by rope, lead the way.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Very early concept art of the Overseer and a guide stalking the streets of Armature. #conceptart #gamedev #playgiveuptheghost
A black and white, noir-like image of a shadowy figure holding a large pole leading a smaller, hooded person through an alley.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
The SEE-THROUGH ORB grants you the power of FORESIGHT -- nonstop visions and prophetic imminence.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
The WOODEN SPHERE grants you the power of HINDSIGHT -- the ability to see the past unfolding behind you.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
The WARM SILVER BALL grants you the power of INSIGHT -- a supernatural attention to detail. Nothing is beyond your ability to see.
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
The INVERSE EYE grants you the power of PARASIGHT -- the ability to see through the eyes of the world around you.
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
hello i am there :o
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
The SOLEGATE -- it stinks of rotting flesh, its surface like the shell of a crab; it has stood in the Wheatfields longer than anything else yet its purpose remains forever unknown. (sound on for ambience)
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✧ GIVE UP THE GHOST ✧ @playgiveuptheghost.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
HEARTHALL -- sitting in a village on the edge of the Fordite plains rests somewhere surprisingly warm, where folk like the PITWATCHER and FREE MARBLE MAN coalesce.
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Videogame Beaches🏳️‍⚧️ @videogamebeach.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Ruins of the Coastal Highway (Metal Garden, PC, Tinerasoft, 2025)
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Faith @faithschaffer.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
🦚
watercolor and ink painting- a woman in profile with a giant bird/monster, also in profile. She has her hand gently on its head and is gazing forward. The bird is breathing fire. The woman and bird are chained together at the collar. They are a vignette sitting on a dark blue background with yellow stars.
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~ JL McCallum ~ @cruddish.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
hope everything is okay :((
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