Gabriel aka mystal's Avatar

Gabriel aka mystal

@mystal.bsky.social

they/them ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ท | Queer nb game dev, programmer & designer. Rock climber. Rustacean. Mask wearer ๐Ÿ˜ท Former Combat Designer/Gameplay Programmer @ Brass Lion Entertainment Makes games for money in Unreal and for soul in Bevy, Godot, and other cozy engines

873 Followers  |  300 Following  |  206 Posts  |  Joined: 13.03.2024  |  2.1016

Latest posts by mystal.bsky.social on Bluesky

I had the great pleasure of taking an @sfpc.study class called HTTPoetics this past summer. It was an absolute delight to make tiny fun creative web sites alongside a diverse cohort of folks. I'm really happy with what I made and plan to talk more about the class and my sites soon :)

05.10.2025 19:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I've had a personal web site for nearly a decade now, but basically never posted on it. Something about fear of putting things out in the world. I like to think I've made enough progress in that department that I'll be less precious about what goes on there but we'll see ya know?

05.10.2025 19:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Atm it's Fashionably Empty, but if for some reason you wanna see it here's the link:
mystal.cafe

05.10.2025 19:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Slowly chipping away at my new personal web site. I want a central place to post my games, projects, and writings and we all know the Internet as it is just don't cut it.

Once I've got a few more pages filled in I think it'll be ready for a Very Modest Reveal

05.10.2025 19:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Work really hard and one day this can be you (followed by graffiti of a headstone that says โ€œRIP worked really hardโ€ on it

Work really hard and one day this can be you (followed by graffiti of a headstone that says โ€œRIP worked really hardโ€ on it

happy sunday, remember that you are completely expendable to your employer and that when you die they will forget you ever existed within weeks and easily replace you

05.10.2025 14:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3549    ๐Ÿ” 955    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 50    ๐Ÿ“Œ 56
comic cover!!! featuring the main character, Dina, looking nervous and sweaty. Sheโ€™s a young woman in an ill-fitting work shirt and pencil skirt with her dark hair tied up in a bun and bangs pinned with a dog-shaped clip. Some sort of ominous shadow looms over her. Text reads: FELT BAD, MET GOD by molly kate young (aka longfusilli) (aka ME!!!!)

comic cover!!! featuring the main character, Dina, looking nervous and sweaty. Sheโ€™s a young woman in an ill-fitting work shirt and pencil skirt with her dark hair tied up in a bun and bangs pinned with a dog-shaped clip. Some sort of ominous shadow looms over her. Text reads: FELT BAD, MET GOD by molly kate young (aka longfusilli) (aka ME!!!!)

hiiiii hereโ€™s a comic i made about having a job and being overwhelmed (1/7)

30.09.2025 20:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1524    ๐Ÿ” 629    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 21    ๐Ÿ“Œ 10

If you're cancelling Game Pass today, grab a cheap indie game or two, and then put the rest of the money toward supporting indie games media by subscribing to your favourite podcasts/websites/etc.

01.10.2025 15:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 730    ๐Ÿ” 280    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 17
Preview
Matt Graczyk - Environment Artist

Can't believe I'm saying this again so soon, but I've been laid off from Heart Machine.

Please check out Possessor(s) on Nov 11th, I'm incredibly excited for you all to experience what I've been working so hard on the past year.

Gonna just keep on moving forward and makin art

mattgraczykart.com

29.09.2025 17:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 190    ๐Ÿ” 105    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 8

Lmfao, yeah I booted it up for a minute and got wrecked. I'll be playing more later tonight

29.09.2025 00:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Panel 1: "Grappler Type Relationship". It's a man in a suit with their hands up in a powerful stance. He has a bouquet of flowers in his left hand, and his right hand is open. He has sunk into the wedding altar he's in in this stance, sending some chunks of it into the air. Sliding into him is a woman in a wedding dress, but she is equally yolked, and honestly coming at him like a bullet train.

Panel 2: "Zoner Type Relationship". It's a girl in pink and purple, and a guy in green in blue. They are standing far away from each other along a sidewalk, giggling and blushing while looking away, and throwing gifts at each other. Flowers, candy, a teddy bear, a wrapped gift, and ice cream are flying through the air. A man with a dog stands in the background, looking.

Panel 1: "Grappler Type Relationship". It's a man in a suit with their hands up in a powerful stance. He has a bouquet of flowers in his left hand, and his right hand is open. He has sunk into the wedding altar he's in in this stance, sending some chunks of it into the air. Sliding into him is a woman in a wedding dress, but she is equally yolked, and honestly coming at him like a bullet train. Panel 2: "Zoner Type Relationship". It's a girl in pink and purple, and a guy in green in blue. They are standing far away from each other along a sidewalk, giggling and blushing while looking away, and throwing gifts at each other. Flowers, candy, a teddy bear, a wrapped gift, and ice cream are flying through the air. A man with a dog stands in the background, looking.

27.09.2025 03:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8900    ๐Ÿ” 1948    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 35    ๐Ÿ“Œ 20
Preview
Open Social โ€” overreacted The protocol is the API.

i wrote about atproto and why it matters

26.09.2025 15:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2612    ๐Ÿ” 476    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 107    ๐Ÿ“Œ 131
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โ€œWe are told by leaders that we are the future. But when it comes to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes.โ€

Incredible speech by Violet Affleck who warned about the ongoing dangers of COVID & Long Covid, & advocated for masks and clean air at the UN today!

23.09.2025 21:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5196    ๐Ÿ” 1870    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 72    ๐Ÿ“Œ 169

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin โœจ figured out what stars are made of โœจ when she was just 25. ๐Ÿ”ญ๐Ÿงช

Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department โ€” at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.

I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:

24.09.2025 09:14 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1869    ๐Ÿ” 864    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 21    ๐Ÿ“Œ 36

In all and complete honesty, GDC has not been for *developers* for a long time, and especially not for *workers*.

We need a Game Workers Conference. Unironically.

22.09.2025 20:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 123    ๐Ÿ” 33    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
doodle of samus aran in her power suit with a pink poodle skirt too

doodle of samus aran in her power suit with a pink poodle skirt too

i had a dream about Metroid but all of Samusโ€™s powerups were in the form of poodle skirts

22.09.2025 17:05 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3411    ๐Ÿ” 878    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 44    ๐Ÿ“Œ 7
Post image 21.09.2025 15:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 11243    ๐Ÿ” 5222    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 12    ๐Ÿ“Œ 60
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๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿซ‚

20.09.2025 17:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1229    ๐Ÿ” 433    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3

Fiiiine, I'm gonna give CrossCode a fifth chance. Maybe it'll click this time

20.09.2025 05:01 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Person that's only played Fantasy Strike: I'm getting a lot of Fantasy Strike vibes from this

19.09.2025 18:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Okay, I played like 20 hours of Cross Code and was lukewarm on it after all that. I really wanted to like it, on paper it sounds like a perfect game for me! But alas no...

However! I just finished the Alabaster Dawn demo and hot damn it's good! Can't wait to play more

19.09.2025 04:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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17.09.2025 16:21 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1092    ๐Ÿ” 186    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

me: making art is difficult. criticism is harsh and cruel.

doctor: treatment is simple, stay away from your worst critics. go spend time by yourself

me, bursting into tears: but doctor,

17.09.2025 17:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1149    ๐Ÿ” 319    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hey! I have no idea how to do this, Iโ€™ve never made a List or Starter Pack before, but:

โญ๏ธ If youโ€™re a Games Writer/Narrative Designer looking for work, and youโ€™d like to be added to my Starter Pack, lmk!
โญ๏ธ If youโ€™re looking to hire a Games Writer/Narrative Designer, check out this Starter Pack!

17.09.2025 21:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 334    ๐Ÿ” 173    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 135    ๐Ÿ“Œ 5

You off-hand said this at Riot once when teaching us Guilty Gear and I've never forgotten it. I keep it in mind when designing my games to this day <3

17.09.2025 23:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Oh, also be aware that a lot of doctors are not familiar with it, even allergists! You might have to read up on it yourself and advocate a fair bit. I was lucky to find both an allergist and hematologist that specialize in it who are treating me.

Good luck!

17.09.2025 18:23 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hi, I'm not a doctor, but I suffered from shifting allergies for most of my life. Recently I got diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which definitely ticks all the boxes for my experience. I'd recommend looking into it!

17.09.2025 18:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

it's so funny to see America's health insurance companies be like "look. If there's one thing we love it's denying you care. but we ran the numbers - and we cannot BELIEVE we're saying this - and it's cheaper for us to just pay for the vaccines than deal with you going to the ER."

17.09.2025 03:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9625    ๐Ÿ” 3705    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 91    ๐Ÿ“Œ 91
Preview
Why complicated fighting games are weirdly good for beginners [This essay was funded by my generous Patreon supporters. If you liked this and want to see more, please consider joining the crew!]

this came up again recently and i think it was one of the most important things i learned from guilty gear

pattheflip.medium.com/why-complica...

16.09.2025 18:54 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 102    ๐Ÿ” 39    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3

Excellent thread about change vs iteration in game writing. But it applies to game design and programming as well.

So many times at the many companies I've worked at we were told to go a different direction because something wasn't working perfectly. Instead of being given the time to iterate

16.09.2025 19:23 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Propane Genesis Evangelion - King of the Hill Anime OP
YouTube video by Gamblor Propane Genesis Evangelion - King of the Hill Anime OP

It's the channel's only video

16.09.2025 01:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 26    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

@mystal is following 20 prominent accounts