Amabel Holland
@amabel.bsky.social
5K followers 670 following 5.4K posts
She/her. "Widely considered one of today’s most innovative game designers." - The New Yorker Board games: https://hollandspiele.com video essays: youtube.com/@hollandspiele Patreon: patreon.com/amabelholland sidekicking: youtube.com/@SBPlaysGames
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amabel.bsky.social
📌I'm Amabel (she/her), a board game designer. Out of my 80+ games, I'm best known for City of Six Moons and Irish Gauge.

I co-own the publisher Hollandspiele. In my spare time I make video essays about the future & history of games.

I'm a slutty poly trans woman, and I talk about all of the above.
It's me, wearing a black t-shirt with "more teeth" in red lettering encircled by a heart.
amabel.bsky.social
I didn't sleep well but I still look pretty cute
It's me, on the couch, wearing a burgundy slip, draped in a blanket, one hand curled under my cheek.
Reposted by Amabel Holland
inque.bsky.social
peoples impression of gretchen has become my litmus test for how normal a person is gonna act
scumbelievable.bsky.social
My god it is happening again
aetataureate.bsky.social
this is the funniest thing i've seen someone act like they're mad about in a very long time
Reposted by Amabel Holland
sbmakesstuff.bsky.social
13) Lake Mungo

An absolute triumph of fake-documentary film-making. Lots of words have been said about this one, even here on this website already this month, so I'll just add that I think this one might be particularly effective on trans people. Quiet and slow and simply one of the best ever made.
The poster for the film Lake Mungo, featuring a blurred and ghostly image of the character Alice Palmer and the text "In 2008, Alice Palmer died... Her nightmare didn't."
Reposted by Amabel Holland
sbmakesstuff.bsky.social
12) The Invitation (2015)

My favorite dinner party thriller and, for my money, Karyn Kusama's best work. Friends with complicated, difficult relationships all come together for the first time in years and slowly feel out the ways they've all changed. This film does an extraordinary job placing...
A poser for the film the Invitation, showing Logan Marshall Green standing at a distance with a partially broken wine glass held close in front of the camera so he almost appears to be partially submerged in it.
Reposted by Amabel Holland
amabel.bsky.social
Imagine how much trouble I have playtesting my board games. I lean forward to move a piece and send tiles and wood bits scattering lol
Reposted by Amabel Holland
scumbelievable.bsky.social
No shade to any of the Vertigo relaunch writers, but this is what the lineup looks like with me no longer in it, lol.
amabel.bsky.social
I saw it yesterday but didn't interact (beyond adding it to my list of things to watch)
amabel.bsky.social
It is. I've always liked pickles and I have never been on spiro, but I will still participate in our culture. Similarly I am not a programmer but I have been known to wear programmer socks lol
amabel.bsky.social
Had an absolutely lovely chat with @theythem.press! It's so good to talk games and more with someone so engaged, smart, and empathetic.
amabel.bsky.social
they're not for everyone!

honestly, I think bread-and-butter is better pickling than dill, and quite underrated

but I will very happily make a big ol' pot of dill pickle soup, which can be incredibly thick and hearty
tharook.bsky.social
i still don’t see the appeal of pickled cucumbers
amabel.bsky.social
the idea that I, a trans woman, am unfamiliar with pickles is frankly quite galling lmao
nopunincluded.com
Amabel needs to familiarize herself with pickles, kimchi, etc.

whole world of preserves that anyone can decide to make
Reposted by Amabel Holland
errant-signal.com
The fact that these don’t specify North or South Carolina nor whether they’re mustard or vinegar based makes them incredibly suspect
A picture of a bag of “Carolina style BBQ” flavored Cheetos fries
amabel.bsky.social
every local girl I know who gets their hrt through Powers either has a horror story, or is a horror story (derogatory)
ghostlysable.bsky.social
Why go to Will Powers when I'm also a chaser who will give you weird untested HRT advice that WPATH would disapprove of but I'm also kind of hot?
Reposted by Amabel Holland
ghostlysable.bsky.social
Why go to Will Powers when I'm also a chaser who will give you weird untested HRT advice that WPATH would disapprove of but I'm also kind of hot?
amabel.bsky.social
I know that isn't true. I know the "someone needs help, can we help??" comes as much from trauma as it does a genuine desire to be helpful -- that's why it's paired with that "you didn't help, so it's your fault" guilt.

4/4
amabel.bsky.social
And I can't really parse it, so I haven't done anything. And I feel really guilty about that. Like it's my responsibility to, (1), correctly figure out what her deal is, and, (2), do something about it, and if I don't, (3), it's my fault if things don't go well for her in the dispute.

3/4
amabel.bsky.social
Maybe she was misrepresenting things on purpose, or maybe she wasn't seeing things clearly (talk to enough people who have disordered thinking & you start to pick up on the vibe).

Or maybe she's just bad at telling the story & explaining herself & is isolated & needs help making it right.

2/4
amabel.bsky.social
A trans gal, a stranger, reached out to me weeks ago about a rights dispute she was involved in, looking for support? amplification?

the story was really incoherent & hard to follow & the evidence was very... curiously framed. Cropped screenshots that didn't show what she said they did, etc.

1/4
Reposted by Amabel Holland
amabel.bsky.social
I think Squeakcross is the only video game where someone emails your character pictures of rodents, 10/10, GOTY

(obviously if you know of another video game where your character is emailed pictures of rodents you have to tell me)
Cheesemail from Squeakcross Home Squeak Home. The highlighted chesemail has the subject line Rodent Content issue #01, is from Mylo, and has the text, "Consume Rodent Content." Under Mylo's name is the imperative: Must. Consume. Rodent. Content.

There are three attachments showing three gerbils. One is on a hollowed-out coconut, one looks down upon you from a grate, and one is eating a seed while wearing an acorn hat.
amabel.bsky.social
woman who is obsessed with me (complimentary)
Reposted by Amabel Holland
lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com
microsoft product (begging, pleading): save this document to my documents?

me: save to desktop

microsoft (twitching, shaking) this jpeg. save to pictures?

me: save to desktop

microsoft (weeping, throwing up): this email attachment... downloads?

me: desktop