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Whimsy And Metaphor

@whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social
81 followers 67 following 144 posts

Mostly run by the Whimsy half. Aka Vella or sometimes Lee Cope. It/its pronouns (or ask me if we're in person). Games researcher (PhD student), event manager, narrative designer, and purveyor of fine falsehoods. In Naarm, on Wurundjeri land.

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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Despite all the problems I cause for myself with it, I think I can never give up using Linux now. This morning I had a login error on one of my programs and I solved it by downloading something called "gnome-keyring". Sierra Games-ass behaviour.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Every day it gets a little more tempting to start my exegesis by quoting the epigraph from "Huckleberry Finn"
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Getting a good grade in fucking up my hard drive, something that is normal to want and possible to achieve.
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RossyDoesDrawings (commissions open) @rossydoesdrawings.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Here is isopods
a drawing of three isopods, a big isopod, a medium isopod and a little isopod
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Aaand new pinned post up. Let's not talk about how long I'd let the old one get out of date....
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Hey, what's up? Have some relevant links! W&M website: whimsyandmetaphor.com Get W&M books and/or short stories: lo-fi.com/whimsyandmet...
whimsyandmetaphor.com
Whimsy and Metaphor
Purveyor of Fine Falsehoods
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I know 30 is "basically dead" according to the Internet today but tbh being over 30 kind of rules. Frankly, I cannot stress enough how fucking awesome it is to have experience and context that I can apply to problems I encounter in everyday life.
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Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Bookmarking these, Grand Guignol looks right up my alley.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Turns out there's a hobby equivalent of "this would be so good if it was good" and that phrase is "Dammit, this would be so easy if it was easy".
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Code file comment: This code is important and easy to break; please only edit this if you know what you are doing. Me: Understandable. I shall exercise due caution and change nothing. Delenn, my darling kitty cat and child: Man, this keyboard has never looked more steppable on.
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Queer Zest Zine Fest @queerzestzinefest.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Queer Zest Zine Fest 100% ONLINE September 2026 Tabler apps due August 7! forms.gle/mMXzihYnYJ... Worskhop apps due August 14! forms.gle/cExb48WMw7... Tablers get a page on our website that links to their online store. Workshops are on Zoom and recorded for YouTube with your permission. 1/2
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Candace the Magnificent 🔜 PAXU @thecandacemarie.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
TABLE ONE: THIS SATURDAY! Join us as we raise money for @dotsrpg.org playing FIST! GM: @awillmscream.lol Players: @keithachu.bsky.social @spacevalkyries.bsky.social @ohheyitsjared.bsky.social See you at noon! Twitch.tv/candacethemagnificent #actualplay #charitystream #disabilitypridemonth
Gaming 4 Every Body
A Disability Pride Month One Shot
System: FIST
Saturday, July 18th at 12p EST
GM: Will Malkus
Players: Val, Jared, Keith, Candace
Watch on Twitch.tv/candacethemagnificent
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
addertwist.itch.io/creature-of-... Oh look it's a Lasers and Feelings hack by a super cool designer. It has puns and beasts and you should go check it out.
addertwist.itch.io
Creature Of Habit by Bramble "AdderTwist" Crocuta
You are a terrible Beast, living in a terrible balance.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Positive Affirmations: Everything I fail at is STILL a skill I add to my ever-increasing roster of things I can do half-well in some circumstances and allows me to bullshit my way through a new and exciting genre of self-inflicted problem.
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arpad okay @arpadokay.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
the problem with this narrative is it erases the labor done by archivists. nobody discovers information in an archive, it is intentionally placed there
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Who needs romance when you can pack your housemate a lunch and send them to work with googly eyes on their pumpkin cube?
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Antranig Sarian @antharmo.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
My PhD project turned detective card game will be launching its Kickstarter campaign on June 19th. I'll be up at Sydney/Gadigal Supernova to promote it in a silly judge outfit, come say hi! www.kickstarter.com/projects/big...
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Oh, go on, add another variable to the script, I'm not driving.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Not actually sick anymore, just gooey and displeased.
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The Devil Kitty @feles-diabolica.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
These stories are AMAZING.
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Andrew Gillis @andrewgillis.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
People need to play my game We Contain Solitudes. Melancholy, a time loop, and deep character work. Grab a friend and die together. sevencrowsgames.itch.io/we-contain-s...
sevencrowsgames.itch.io
We Contain Solitudes by Seven Crows Games
A 2 player TTRPG about troubled souls trapped in a time loop that plays out in prose and soliloquies.
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Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Deeply disrespectful to the entire Australian cultural sector that the Office of the Arts can't be bothered actually reading all the submissions people are working very hard on for the National Cultural Policy, and instead will be asking genAI for a summary. www.arts.gov.au/have-your-sa...
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Pidj @pidj.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
I’ve crowdfunded a lot of zines! They’re available for digital purchase from my itch, and occasionally as print addons in subsequent campaigns. All of my games are stand alone and complete, using original systems to play with some mechanic or conceit I find interesting. itch.io/c/2502210/zi...
itch.io
Zines - Collection by pidj
A collection by pidj
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Cats Have No Lord @catshavenolord.itch.io · 14/05/2026
When I started this bundle I put $5,000 as an aspirational goal, but we’re already there after only 4 days, and we’ve still got 16 days left to go. Thanks to everyone who’s picked it up already, and keep spreading the word about this! #TTRPG
Fundraiser graphic. Top is text “Typhoon Sinlaku Relief” in red over a painting of a cyclone storm as viewed from satellite imagery, white swirling clouds over a blue ocean. Below is a red rectangle with logos for itch.io and the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance
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Hayley G - Good Society 2E on Kickstarter now! @storybrewersroleplaying.com · 11/05/2026
Have you ever aspired to the lofty heights of naming an English town? We're holding a competition to name a town in Habershire that will appear in an illustrated map in Good Society 2nd edition. More info here!: www.kickstarter.com/projects/sto...
kickstarter.com
Update 3: Name that Town Competition! + All about Habershire · Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG – 2nd Edition
Dearest reader,Perhaps you have always aspired to the lofty heights of naming an English town? Now is your chance! As I am here to officially open our
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
It is once again that part of a coding project where I find myself strongly considering downloading random, barely-verified programs off of GitHub in order to solve my problems.
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C.Z. Tacks @cztacks.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
through gritted teeth, sweating blood: we stay silly
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Hayley G - Good Society 2E on Kickstarter now! @storybrewersroleplaying.com · 05/02/2026
A new edition of Good Society is set to grace the ton! With revised rules and additional sumptuous art, this new edition will be useful, usable and scandalously good looking. Check it out and help support this unique game of regency romance, scandal and drama! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sto...
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG – 2nd Edition
Navigate the pitfalls of romance, reputation, manners, and marriage in the sumptuous new edition of this award-winning regency rpg.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I'm sorry, whoever you are. I would dearly love to respond to the text message you just sent me. Unfortunately the phone is under the cat's ass and I do not control the speed at which he finishes his daily ablutions.
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Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Really incredible, critical study of Australia's public funding ecology for game production by Zainab Darbas in MIA: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Commercialisation, community, and culture: A production perspective on public arts funding for video games in Australia - Zainab Darbas, 2025
Australia has a small but robust ecosystem of video game development, which has been supported by a patchwork arrangement of public arts funding since the early...
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Congrats to all the #AurealisAward shortlistees! (Especially shoutout to the @csfg.org.au folks, yes I'm biased) (Also, I'm on this list! Yay for me being on this list!) aurealisawards.org/2026/02/01/2025-aurealis-awards-shortlist-announcement/
aurealisawards.org
2025 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement
We congratulate the Aurealis Awards finalists for 2025! The 2025 Aurealis Awards, Australia’s premier speculative fiction award, attracted more than 775 entries across 14 categories, including reco…
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Pre-first published novel, three. Post-first published novel, I think six, unless I'm forgetting any...? Though the stats might be weird, since one pre-pub and four post-pub trunked novels are getting either rewritten now I have better ideas or scavenged for parts for new novels, so...
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Sometimes I think about the fact that someone was tasked with translating Douglas Adams's books into Japanese. At first I felt sorry for that person, but actually, the more I think about it the more I prefer the idea that that person was actually a huge language nerd and fucking loved that job.
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Aaron Lim 林家丰 @ehronlime.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
It's been fun reading responses to this, especially since I just threw it out there and went on with my day. Some people are answering very different versions of this question than I had in mind, and that's OK! But here's what I was thinking with this:
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Aaron Lim 林家丰 @ehronlime.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Cool to see more people running @munkao.bsky.social’s Kala Mandala
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
The struggle, when wanting to post a quip about a satirical movie, between feeling secure knowing I'm not famous enough to break containment and knowing one takes one's life into one's own hands posting one-line opinions on social media. Anyway, Mickey 17 is the squeaky rubber mallet of satire.
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Daniel Locke 🎉 Rose Tinted Spectacular Aug 12th🎉 @daniellocke.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
🏝️Islands of Weirdhope is a game about fighting monsters 🌊Islands of Weirdhope is a game about navigating choppy waters ❤️Islands of Weirdhope is a game about finding friends & discovering community 👈Islands of Weirdhope is about game about today. 👀Follow it: www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
backerkit.com
ISLANDS OF WEIRDHOPE - AN ECO MOFOS GAME!! - Sail the Seas to forge a better world
From Copy/Paste Co-op - ISLANDS OF WEIRDHOPE - AN ECO MOFOS GAME!! - Sail the Seas to forge a better world
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Best part about having a vague at best sense of time is when you spend the whole day thinking it's Wednesday when it's actually Tuesday and you suddenly get a magical whole extra day in your week.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Hey hey all! It's WMWAC stream day tomorrow! I'm trying to get a bunch of outline on the page, so we're doing coworking!. Bring a project, we'll do some chatting about creativity and the WMWAC project, some timed working sprints. 10am AEST, Friday 26th Sep. twitch.tv/whimsyandmet...
twitch.tv
Twitch
Twitch is the world
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
It is with mild to moderate disappointment that my quest to keep a Google-free phone ended today. Several mission-critical apps won't work on the phone because they have a security check that is tied inherently to Google Play's systems. Still not putting e-mail on the damn thing though.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Just gave myself a mini-heart-attack by accidentally shifting all the dates one day of the week forward on my paper month planner, so that's how *my* day is going.
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Decided to ignore my responsibilities and play Kentucky: Route Zero. I'm like five minutes in but I'm kind of loving the map navigation system?
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Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! @mahliann.bsky.social, @marcuscarter.com, and myself have combined our collective brains and written a wide-reaching introduction to the complex and interdisciplinary field of Game Studies in this forthcoming book for Polity. www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
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Steve Jackson Games @sjgames.com · 03/09/2025
Jay Dragon, Possum Creek founder and Lead Game Designer at Steve Jackson Games, will present a FREE lecture at Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts! You can hear her presentation on September 4 beginning 4:00pm CST. Visit Auburn's website to learn more. #possumcreek #stevejacksongames
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Mandii 👻 watch Ghost Stamp on YouTube! @themandii.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
🎉BIPOC Artists in TTRPGs Starter Pack!🎉 This time we're highlighting POC artists who showcase TTRPG related artworks covering a many areas: characters, creatures/monsters, items, maps & more! Share around + tag artists not already listed💜 Feel free to share your work below! go.bsky.app/46s3i4J
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AP. | Maps and Games @ap-cartography.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
When I first considered creating this itch jam (hmm that doesn't sound tasty) I honestly thought it'd maybe get 20 people, at best, interested in joining. 18 days left before it begins and there are 50 folks down for it! I am honestly so exicted to see what cosy whimsy things people will make! 💚
itch.io
Cosy Whimsical Fantasy Jam
A game jam from 2025-09-15 to 2025-10-31 hosted by AP.. Welcome to the first ever Cosy Whimsical Fantasy Jam! This is for anyone to make a tabletop role playing game or game-related content with a cos...
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Whimsy And Metaphor @whimsyandmetaphor.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Best part of moving to a new area is when there are local markets for a diaspora you haven't lived near before, and the subsequent experience of going a little bit silly in the imports, preserves, and cheese aisles..
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pr0mythean @pr0mythean.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
I see some familiar names short-listed for the ARPIAs! Best Stream: CASTLETON @winterstalesco.bsky.social Best Emerging Creator: @davidwaldron.bsky.social Best Scenario: 'RESORT', BY @katclay.com Game of the Year: 'CARTOGRAPH', BY @ravensridgeco.bsky.social www.arpia.org/arpia-2025-s...
arpia.org
Announcing the 2025 ARPIA Awards Shortlist
The Australian Role-Playing Industry Awards (ARPIA) are proud to announce the shortlist for the 2025 awards. The ARPIAs celebrate the creativity, innovation, and passion of Australia’s tabletop rol…
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Wyrdle (They/them) @wyrdle.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
A while back I made a "textbook" zine about zine folding. AKA breaking the preconception that a zine has to be done in that 8 page manner! Mostly encouraging different folding techniques, and light paper engineering!
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