Darby McDevitt

Your oblique strategy for the week:

Love may be a worldwide phenomenon but the word for it sure isn’t. A video in which I take a shot at saying “I love you” in every Scandinavian language (and even Greenlandic and Sámi), past and present, and review the strange history of how we say this. More detailed version: youtu.be/Pc6jEV0wxaI

Not if you want to savor Shōgun!

Sign up for news about the Game Writing Kaleidoscope In early 2026 we’ll be publishing The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope, a collection of over 100 short essays by game writers about writing. Featuring some very famous names, some highly experienced free...

❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors.

400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.

If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!

Feb 18, a special cocktail to go with my novel. This one they’re calling Friend-On-The-Rocks.

Montreal friends, I'll be hosting a book-launch for my novel, The Halter, at an incredible bookstore-cafe on St-Laurent, Joie de Livres ... Feb 18.

lnkd.in/eRDjUwSX

The first 30 people to pre-order the book through Joie de Livres will get a free glass of wine and some nibbles! Stop by and say hi!

Happy #BuzzBooksOfficial Day! @buzzbooksofficial.bsky.social

So honored that our upcoming release, THE HALTER by Darby McDevitt (02/17) is included in this year's Official Spring/Summer Selections!

Pre-order your copy of THE HALTER by (@darbymcdevitt.bsky.social) from any retailer now!

“I wish my Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies felt more relevant.”

Imaginary Worlds

I talked to @emolinsky.bsky.social about the process and challenge of building imaginary worlds in video games and novels. Have a listen!

www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org

Imaginary Worlds is a lovely podcast that covers Science Fiction and Fantasy and everything in between.

If I stop eating and spending my money at Chick-fil-A the baddies will have won!

YouTube video by abanks47 Skip James- Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues

"Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues"
Skip James

The haunting sound of Delta blues in a minor open-tuning.

youtu.be/UNftrsCMiQs?...

Portrait of Six Guys as a Young Band.

Sneaky Thieves, Seattle, 2006

sneakythieves.bandcamp.com

Dylan, I’m so grateful that you taught yourself to read this summer, just to read my book!

Sweating as I watch this…

YouTube video by inkleStudios TR-49 - Official Trailer

🚨⚠️ Release Date Disclosure! ⚠️🚨

TRAILER: VIDEO EVIDENCE, see below. Please watch, assimilate and share.

DESIGNATION: TR-49
GENRE: NARRATIVE DEDUCTION / AUDIO_DRAMA
DATE: 21st JANUARY
PLATFORMS: iOS / PC / Mac / Deck

This is what we know, so far.

I read someone describe it as a dramatized Wikipedia entry. That was my general feeling.

Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.

We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.

You calling 75 people nobodies? 😭

YouTube video by Prince - Topic Sometimes It Snows in April

“Sometimes it Snows in April”
Prince

youtu.be/ikZgBhSMSUM?...

Yes … this is a very good use of this limited media format.

Happy Holidays to all! Get ready for a banger 2026! Lots of good things happening.

Nope!

YouTube video by Violent Femmes Violent Femmes - Please Do Not Go (Official Audio/40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

“Please Do Not Go”
Violent Femmes

youtu.be/4J5kjxdsxBA?...

#ACDay is here!

Join us in the celebrations of the #AssassinsCreed franchise and community!

Throughout the day we are going to share all the activities and content prepared by the community for the occasion!

And don't forget our Assassin's Creed Trivia Stream later today at 8:00 pm CET!

My recent experience:
V 1 - called The Everlasting Mansion
V 2 - fix pacing
V 3 - better world building
V 4 - title change: This Little World
V 5 - trim length
V 6 - Agent suggests 20 percent redux
V 7 - agent suggests a pace tweak
V 8 - publisher accepts, wants stronger ending
V 9 - The Halter

YouTube video by PaulMcCartneyVEVO Paul McCartney - Waterfalls (Official Music Video)

“Waterfalls”
Paul McCartney

youtu.be/YbvdQBz65tM?...

❄️ ’Tis the season to celebrate with Sierra On-Line’s 1986 "A Computer Christmas." ❄️ Thanks to #softwarepreservation, this retro holiday classic is now a perennial gift for new generations of holiday revelers. 🦌🎄

See all the animated sequences ⤵️
archive.org/details/sier...

#TechHistory #retrogaming

Sign up for news about the Game Writing Kaleidoscope In early 2026 we’ll be publishing The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope, a collection of over 100 short essays by game writers about writing. Featuring some very famous names, some highly experienced free...

Interested in game-writing?

In early 2026 we'll be publishing a kaleidoscope: short articles by 100+ game writers - experts, freelancers, and juniors - about the craft.

~1/3 of them are in: multiple bangers, from some very famous names and games.

Sign up to be notified when it's ready here:

The Halter by Darby McDevitt Assassin’s Creed game developer McDevitt shines in his sci-fi noir debut, plausibly imagining a future in which many have become...

The first review of my novel, "The Halter", from Publisher's Weekly ... and it's a treat:

"McDevitt shines in his sci-fi noir debut ... a gripping and twisty mystery"

Pre-order now and read it in February!

www.publishersweekly.com/9798895150887

YouTube video by Shout! Studios The Decline Of Western Civilization | FULL MOVIE | Penelope Spheeris | Music Documentary

You know what you're doing today?

Watching a top quality version of "The Decline of Western Civilization" on YouTube, that's what.

youtu.be/gYK1NGpUZXY?...