• Queer Identities in Smile for Me

    Queer Identities in Smile for Me

    Today is Valentines Day, a national holiday celebrating yours truly. And you know what always makes me happy? Application of critical theory! Using a queer lens, I can make a compelling case that Smile for Me’s central antagonist, Dr. B Habit, is both gay and gender-nonconforming. The rest of y’all nerds on dates and stuff are really missing out, this is where the fun is at.

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  • Paradise Killer: Facts vs. the Truth

    Paradise Killer: Facts vs. the Truth

    Your honor, the prosecution seeks to prove here today that those in a position of authority are uniquely empowered to form and define their own truths. It will demonstrate that the law is neither purely logical, nor neutral, and that it can never be impartially enforced. Evaluation of right and wrong is inherently inseparable from our personal biases. Let us call Paradise Killer to the witness stand; an open-world locked-room murder mystery which codifies via play the filters inevitably applied by those in power when passing judgement upon others.

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  • Ikenfell as an Exploration of Trauma and Healing

    Ikenfell as an Exploration of Trauma and Healing

    For the freshmen, Ikenfell is a turn-based RPG developed by Vancouver-based Happy Ray Games. It follows the adventures of “ordinary” teen Maritte, as she breaks into a magical school in search of her missing sister. Originally Kickstarted in 2016, the promise of queer Hogwarts instantly captivated many muggles still heartbroken over their own missing acceptance letters. I’d have been satisfied with that premise alone. But it also has a surprising amount to say about trust, isolation, and healing process for post-traumatic stress.

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  • Transgender Day of Remembrance

    Transgender Day of Remembrance

    Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), and the capstone of Transgender Awareness Week. Many of our peers here at WillowTree identify as transgender, so the Pride ERG worked really hard to assemble these resources for you all. In this article, we’ll talk about why we observe TDoR, about what it means to be transgender, the issues faced by the trans community today, and how you can support your transgender friends and loved ones. Please be excellent to each other!

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  • TL;DR – Never Split the Difference

    TL;DR – Never Split the Difference

    I’m on a quest to read the founding texts of WillowTree, in part because I like learning stuff, but also because the air outside is poisonous and society is constantly two skips away from supernova. Anyway here are my notes on Never Split the Difference, by Chris Voss. Sleep tight!

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  • TL;DR – The Progress Principle

    TL;DR – The Progress Principle

    WillowTree has a growing list of career development resources which are foundational to its core values and culture. There’s usually a solid pamphlet worth of valuable information in them, but you can’t sell a pamphlet so the authors keep writing books instead. I’m on a mission to condense each one of these texts into its most salient points. I’ll read them, so you don’t have to. Let’s start with The Progress Principle, by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer.

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  • Short Poems

    Short Poems

    It’s been a long time since I’ve attempted to write poetry, so I thought I’d have a go at it. As a bonus, I rediscovered what must be the last poem that I had written. I was still in high school at the time, and it is delightful. I’ve included it here at the end, for your enjoyment.

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  • The Case of Little Consequence

    The Case of Little Consequence

    Anna arrived at seven for sentencing. The door was closed, the hallway silent. Narrow bulbs buzzed and flickered overhead, the glass in harsh contrast to the dried out husks of moths, and worse. She checked the crumpled piece of paper in her fist again. There was still time to run.

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