Sarah “Business with a Smile” Lynn

Plane wing in front of an aurora

Idk why everyone’s talking about auroras right now but I finally saw my first one earlier this year outside the plane window on my way to Iceland!

We had one in Maryland in the spring, and although I was able to get a photo with my camera, it wasn’t something I could see with my eyes.

I can’t rewatch this movie because I know it’s going to be very “of its time” to be polite… but this song is still a banger.

I've shipped six AAA games, and I still don't know. Every shipped game is a goddamn miracle

But seriously

A black dog with a big brown puppy dog eye snuggled in blankets

She cold. I cold. It cold.

How the heck do video games even get made ?

Definitely!

Oh I knew exactly what you meant!

And agree - it’s the beautiful thing about indies. I’m in a couple discords for small games and it’s very cool to be a fan that gets to feel heard. Even being on a team at a AAA studio, you don’t always get heard when corporate has their demands.

Your response gave me so much anxiety! 😂 But… in this tech world, in this global economy… yeah. I get it.

I’ve been production consulting for a small startup and just trying to figure out how to keep people fed in this timeline makes me feel like a crazy person. 🥲

So CUTE! 😭🥹

Omg this sounds so good

an elderly woman is dancing in front of a building that says viral hog Alt: an elderly woman is flossing

Yesterday I think I finally managed to figure out that flossing dance.

And I think this is the most boomer thing I’ve ever said.

This could definitely be “it” for individuals who don’t need a salary. A great way to connect with fans and build trust and community, yes, but it feels similar to an artist working “for exposure.”

But I hope your time investment pays off! Falconeer looks dope. :)

Title art for the game Sugarplum Cafe, with the name in large curly letters. Two ladies, Lady Milk Chocolate and Lady Vanilla, sit at a table having afternoon tea. In the background, they are surrounded by desserts.

Screenshot of a game set in a cafe, with a currency counter on the top right and a cameo-shaped UI on the top left. Next to the cameo, some text reads "Collect 6 Cameos." The walls are white with pastel pink and teal color accents and gold filigree. In the foreground, three customers (one wearing vanilla, one wearing chocolate, and one wearing strawberry) have speech bubbles over their heads indicating what desserts they would like to order. In the bottom right corner, there is a grid with some desserts. There is also a display window in the background with more desserts.

An elegant tearoom with baby pink curtains and large windows showing a pastel gradient backdrop. In the foreground, three tables with off-white tablecloths seat three pairs of characters, each pair having a tea party. From left to right: Jasmine and Lemon Madeline, Lady Strawberry and Lady Mint, and Lady Lemon and Lady Lime.

The cafe is empty save for a dialogue bubble, with Lady Vanilla in the foreground. The text in the bubble reads, "LADY VANILLA: Ah, you must be the new owner. Nice to meet you!" There are two filigreed buttons in the corner, one to view past dialogues and one to skip the conversation.

Hi #PitchYaGame!

#SugarplumCafe is an ~aesthetic~ merge crafting game where you run a pastel rococo café 💖

🍰 Merge ingredients into desserts
🎀 Meet fashionable ladies inspired by sweets
🫖 Host elegant tea parties
✨ Embrace your frilly fairytale side

#cozygame #egl #cozygames

Okay a golden girls reboot but…

Drinking with a game director at a launch party. He said something through all the free wine that still sticks with me.

"Making a game is like landing a plane while you are building it, and the plane is on fire."

I’ve easily pulled a whole other dog out of Rey’s coat in the last two weeks. Her chow genes are showing.

This is my favorite time of year

IYKYK

No shooting in this game. Your weapons are tools - one of them is the Adjuster. With this device you must fiddle with knobs and match the enemy's 'wavelength' to destabilize them until they burst.

I LOVE the colors!

a woman is sitting at a desk in front of a computer while a camel is standing behind her . Alt: a woman is sitting at a desk in front of a computer while a camel is standing behind her

Sometimes I yearn for the days when the most jarring part of my afternoon was someone yelling “hump daaaaaaaaaay” like that camel in the commercials

I truly can't stress this enough: No one's art is good enough to justify them being miserable to work with. Almost everyone I've worked with has been wonderful, but the handful of folks that weren't brought the whole team down by being egotistical, sexist, condescending, etc.

This happens too often in our industry.

a woman in a purple dress is dancing in a hallway with a red exit sign above her Alt: A scene from “a little bit Alexis” from Schitts creek

I will admit that I was a little wild in my youth. One of the funniest things about being a mom in the same area that I grew up in is running into SAHMs at library story time that you haven’t seen since… oh, I don’t know, sticky floors, heavy bass, beer pong, and OG Four Loko. We’ve changed.

i owe so many video game designers an apology

“How could writers not have any influence?” My brother I cannot count the number of times I’ve been hired for: hey we fully designed and animated this level, it has no story or dialogue, and playtesters hate it. Could you slap some words on it to make it feel less pointless?

That kind of thing

Time change is the worst time of year.

Some of my friends get mad when I say “that’s AI” in these cases and I get met with “but it’s still cute!”

I mean, I guess, but there’s something lost in it. It’s like a bait and switch of charm. The world has enough awe and cuteness, we don’t need to create fake awe and fake cuteness.