Jay Castello 🌻
@jaymcastello.bsky.social
freelance culture writer 🍏 book & game editor ☕ narrative designer 🎲 short (& long) fiction author 📚 ace attorney podcast host @turnaboutbreakdown.bsky.social 🌈 basically if it involves words i'll do it 🌙 jaycastello.com 🦢 they/she
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Jay Castello 🌻
@jaymcastello.bsky.social
· Mar 28
Jay Castello
jaycastello.com
📌
i'm Jay and i'm a storyteller in like 15 mediums:
📰 journalism & crit on media, internet culture, & fandom
📼 often available in video & podcast form
🔍 editing on books, articles, & games
🌌 published fiction author
🌒 other, weirder things
more details: jaycastello.com // jaymcastello @ gmail
i'm Jay and i'm a storyteller in like 15 mediums:
📰 journalism & crit on media, internet culture, & fandom
📼 often available in video & podcast form
🔍 editing on books, articles, & games
🌌 published fiction author
🌒 other, weirder things
more details: jaycastello.com // jaymcastello @ gmail
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
As a permalancer I am a secret 4th thing. Person who posts in order to get job.
there are some people who post because it's their job, some people who post like it's their job, and some people who post in spite of their job. you really want to avoid that second one
November 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM
As a permalancer I am a secret 4th thing. Person who posts in order to get job.
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
it's finally time: we're plaing MIND CHESS open.spotify.com/episode/0rbI...
November 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
it's finally time: we're plaing MIND CHESS open.spotify.com/episode/0rbI...
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
A big story on EG this eve - the incredible @santaragione.com seems likely to close, after a bizarre decision from Valve to ban Horses from the platform, submit it to several unusual extra layers of scrutiny in the application process, and offer the studio no recourse to make changes or re-apply.
"It's extremely frustrating and also f*cked up" - one of the world's best indie studios is facing shock closure following confounding Steam ban
www.eurogamer.net/its-extremel...
www.eurogamer.net/its-extremel...
November 25, 2025 at 5:09 PM
A big story on EG this eve - the incredible @santaragione.com seems likely to close, after a bizarre decision from Valve to ban Horses from the platform, submit it to several unusual extra layers of scrutiny in the application process, and offer the studio no recourse to make changes or re-apply.
i was wondering why i was so spaced all day and then i remembered the first thing that happened this morning was that i opened my phone and got knocked out by the xkcd 15 years cancer free entry (xkcd.com/3172/) and many things are suddenly making sense
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
i was wondering why i was so spaced all day and then i remembered the first thing that happened this morning was that i opened my phone and got knocked out by the xkcd 15 years cancer free entry (xkcd.com/3172/) and many things are suddenly making sense
so sleepy tired that i forgot i get video game press releases and i looked at my inbox and it said "you need to manage your trade routes!" and for a split second i was like oh god what. as if i forgot some responsibilities i had as master of commerce for a medieval empire
November 25, 2025 at 1:23 PM
so sleepy tired that i forgot i get video game press releases and i looked at my inbox and it said "you need to manage your trade routes!" and for a split second i was like oh god what. as if i forgot some responsibilities i had as master of commerce for a medieval empire
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
The “google is using your email to train AI” debacle is imo most instructively seen as tracer dye for multiple failures: many people are instinctively skeptical of tech companies now; and many outlets that should have had experts able to cogently weigh in and go “wait a minute” simply don’t anymore.
November 23, 2025 at 6:54 AM
The “google is using your email to train AI” debacle is imo most instructively seen as tracer dye for multiple failures: many people are instinctively skeptical of tech companies now; and many outlets that should have had experts able to cogently weigh in and go “wait a minute” simply don’t anymore.
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
"I don’t want her to think her sacrifices were in vain."
Tomás Neumann Aspee (@tomeitou.bsky.social) faces the reality of no longer caring about the most important day of his life.
intothespine.com/2025/11/22/t...
Tomás Neumann Aspee (@tomeitou.bsky.social) faces the reality of no longer caring about the most important day of his life.
intothespine.com/2025/11/22/t...
The Weight of Expectations - Into The Spine
For this week's Fragments, Tomás Neumann Aspee explores Many Nights a Whisper and no longer caring about the most important day in your life.
intothespine.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
"I don’t want her to think her sacrifices were in vain."
Tomás Neumann Aspee (@tomeitou.bsky.social) faces the reality of no longer caring about the most important day of his life.
intothespine.com/2025/11/22/t...
Tomás Neumann Aspee (@tomeitou.bsky.social) faces the reality of no longer caring about the most important day of his life.
intothespine.com/2025/11/22/t...
i love to do and enjoy the crossword with my friends :)
November 22, 2025 at 4:25 PM
i love to do and enjoy the crossword with my friends :)
woke up early today because I dreamed bout how I need to take the butter out the fridge IRL and sternly thought, in my sleep, 'if you're dreaming about chores it's time to do them'
November 22, 2025 at 6:39 AM
woke up early today because I dreamed bout how I need to take the butter out the fridge IRL and sternly thought, in my sleep, 'if you're dreaming about chores it's time to do them'
i heard everyone talking about the roblox interview and i still wasn't prepared to open it and get hit with the OPENING gambit of Q: "how do you think of the problem of predators on Roblox?" A: "We think of it not necessarily just as a problem, but an opportunity as well."
November 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
i heard everyone talking about the roblox interview and i still wasn't prepared to open it and get hit with the OPENING gambit of Q: "how do you think of the problem of predators on Roblox?" A: "We think of it not necessarily just as a problem, but an opportunity as well."
read my beech tree essay that also mentions pokemon sometimes
November 21, 2025 at 6:37 PM
read my beech tree essay that also mentions pokemon sometimes
I really think gen-AI requires people to learn a bit about 1) how it works and 2) how the industries it affects work bc if you just assume there's a misinfo machine that could appear anywhere in any form you do not at all have a handle on interpreting whether what you're reading is in fact misinfo
Worth stating: I have not seen any reason to assume that this report, or the gamesindustry article, is the product of an AI hallucination. Confusingly written literature reviews are much older than LLMs, and I'm a little unnerved by how quickly people jump to "study I don't like is probably AI"
November 19, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I really think gen-AI requires people to learn a bit about 1) how it works and 2) how the industries it affects work bc if you just assume there's a misinfo machine that could appear anywhere in any form you do not at all have a handle on interpreting whether what you're reading is in fact misinfo
he didn't have it but he just got it shipped to me...a commitment has been made in my name
[staring down a slippery slope] I'm not gonna read along with this. but it can't hurt to check if my dad would let me borrow the silmarillion
Let's make it official:
SHELVED BY GENRE's next unit, spanning ALL of 2026, will be a delve into the depths of modern genre with J.R.R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and THE SILMARILLION.
If you don't have those, you can grab them through our Bookshop:
bookshop.org/lists/shelve...
SHELVED BY GENRE's next unit, spanning ALL of 2026, will be a delve into the depths of modern genre with J.R.R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and THE SILMARILLION.
If you don't have those, you can grab them through our Bookshop:
bookshop.org/lists/shelve...
November 19, 2025 at 1:07 PM
he didn't have it but he just got it shipped to me...a commitment has been made in my name
it is CRAZY to me that this only has 200 reviews what do you MEAN everyone in the world hasn't played Mediterranea Inferno
Two years after its release, Mediterranea Inferno reaches 200 reviews on Steam! 98% positive.
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
it is CRAZY to me that this only has 200 reviews what do you MEAN everyone in the world hasn't played Mediterranea Inferno
i have not yet gotten brave enough to email developers of cool looking upcoming games and say "do you have an editor? do you understand what a good editor would do for you?" but i am getting closer
November 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
i have not yet gotten brave enough to email developers of cool looking upcoming games and say "do you have an editor? do you understand what a good editor would do for you?" but i am getting closer
i have two pieces of fiction out on submission right now called 'there' and 'through' and let me tell you. it was a mistake
November 18, 2025 at 6:39 PM
i have two pieces of fiction out on submission right now called 'there' and 'through' and let me tell you. it was a mistake
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
in more ways than one, i'm still here web.archive.org/web/20250130...
In Citizen Sleeper 2, your crew is your survival
It achieves a Cowboy Bebop-like sense of community
www.polygon.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
in more ways than one, i'm still here web.archive.org/web/20250130...
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
IT'S BACK!
The startmenu Winter Spectacular returns for 2025!
- Guest Pieces from people across the industry, including: journalists, developers, PR folks, AND MORE
- Game of the Year Lists
- The startmenu Awards
- AND OTHER BULLET POINTS!
All starting December 1st on www.startmenu.co.uk
The startmenu Winter Spectacular returns for 2025!
- Guest Pieces from people across the industry, including: journalists, developers, PR folks, AND MORE
- Game of the Year Lists
- The startmenu Awards
- AND OTHER BULLET POINTS!
All starting December 1st on www.startmenu.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
IT'S BACK!
The startmenu Winter Spectacular returns for 2025!
- Guest Pieces from people across the industry, including: journalists, developers, PR folks, AND MORE
- Game of the Year Lists
- The startmenu Awards
- AND OTHER BULLET POINTS!
All starting December 1st on www.startmenu.co.uk
The startmenu Winter Spectacular returns for 2025!
- Guest Pieces from people across the industry, including: journalists, developers, PR folks, AND MORE
- Game of the Year Lists
- The startmenu Awards
- AND OTHER BULLET POINTS!
All starting December 1st on www.startmenu.co.uk
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
I get why it happens but goddamn do I wish anything could hit as hard on the timeline as something that sucks that everyone hates written by or about the worst person you know. I wish something good or interesting was able to get anywhere near the traction some shit that sucks does.
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I get why it happens but goddamn do I wish anything could hit as hard on the timeline as something that sucks that everyone hates written by or about the worst person you know. I wish something good or interesting was able to get anywhere near the traction some shit that sucks does.
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
I have a very normal story in this about visiting your own grave(s) 😊
Hi! I put together a zine with a bunch of really lovely people. Unfinished Business features work representative of the things that haunt us and how we navigate and heal from them.
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
November 15, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I have a very normal story in this about visiting your own grave(s) 😊
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
We're so happy to announce that Many Nights a Whisper has been nominated for Bite-Sized Game at the 2025 Indie Game Awards 🏹🌠
Thank you @indiegameawards.gg, to our co-developers @deconstructeam.bsky.social, and to everyone who has played!
Thank you @indiegameawards.gg, to our co-developers @deconstructeam.bsky.social, and to everyone who has played!
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
We're so happy to announce that Many Nights a Whisper has been nominated for Bite-Sized Game at the 2025 Indie Game Awards 🏹🌠
Thank you @indiegameawards.gg, to our co-developers @deconstructeam.bsky.social, and to everyone who has played!
Thank you @indiegameawards.gg, to our co-developers @deconstructeam.bsky.social, and to everyone who has played!
I have a very normal story in this about visiting your own grave(s) 😊
Hi! I put together a zine with a bunch of really lovely people. Unfinished Business features work representative of the things that haunt us and how we navigate and heal from them.
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
November 15, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I have a very normal story in this about visiting your own grave(s) 😊
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
Hi! I put together a zine with a bunch of really lovely people. Unfinished Business features work representative of the things that haunt us and how we navigate and heal from them.
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
November 15, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Hi! I put together a zine with a bunch of really lovely people. Unfinished Business features work representative of the things that haunt us and how we navigate and heal from them.
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
The digital version is pay what you want on gumroad:
angelao.gumroad.com/l/unfinished...
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
The temperature is getting colder here in London, so this is an excellent time to remind you that every hour, the monster goes out to the weather station in London to check the temperature and sets the price for A Good Snowman is Hard to Build to match the weather.
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build by Draknek & Friends, Benjamin Davis
Pay what the temperature is: 16.3°C = $16.30!
draknek.itch.io
November 14, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The temperature is getting colder here in London, so this is an excellent time to remind you that every hour, the monster goes out to the weather station in London to check the temperature and sets the price for A Good Snowman is Hard to Build to match the weather.
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
Reposted by Jay Castello 🌻
Felt compelled to write about what malice, block towers, and the parakeets mean ahead of its rerelease. Had to make it into a blog. Hope people still read it.
Reading The Boy and The Heron: autumnwright.bearblog.dev/reading-the-...
Reading The Boy and The Heron: autumnwright.bearblog.dev/reading-the-...
November 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Felt compelled to write about what malice, block towers, and the parakeets mean ahead of its rerelease. Had to make it into a blog. Hope people still read it.
Reading The Boy and The Heron: autumnwright.bearblog.dev/reading-the-...
Reading The Boy and The Heron: autumnwright.bearblog.dev/reading-the-...