Hannah MacLeod
@macleodholdfast.bsky.social
Senior Writer/Narrative Designer. Previously: Tomb Raider: Catalyst, Perfect Dark, Marvel's Avengers, Minecraft: Story Mode season 2. I have a cat, his name is Booey. She/her.
www.linkedin.com/in/macleoh/
www.linkedin.com/in/macleoh/
Pinned
Tomb Raider: Catalyst - Teaser Trailer | PS5 Games
YouTube video by PlayStation
www.youtube.com
You know what? I'm choosing to be proud of this today. I WORKED ON A TOMB RAIDER GAME!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Multivariable Calculus
2) Introductory Japanese
3) Earthquake! (yes this was a real class)
4) literally every Shakespeare class my college offered except the freshman one because I transferred as a sophmore
5) Astronomy 101
1) Multivariable Calculus
2) Introductory Japanese
3) Earthquake! (yes this was a real class)
4) literally every Shakespeare class my college offered except the freshman one because I transferred as a sophmore
5) Astronomy 101
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Visual Storytelling
2) History of Rock
3) Young Adult Literature
4) Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies
5) Advanced Web Series Creation
1) Visual Storytelling
2) History of Rock
3) Young Adult Literature
4) Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies
5) Advanced Web Series Creation
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Music Theory (crashed out)
2) Arabic I (got an A, forgot everything)
3) Magic, Religion, and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
4) Modern Theatre
5) Psycopathology
Light! More light!
Veritas est lux
1) Music Theory (crashed out)
2) Arabic I (got an A, forgot everything)
3) Magic, Religion, and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
4) Modern Theatre
5) Psycopathology
Light! More light!
Veritas est lux
February 2, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Multivariable Calculus
2) Introductory Japanese
3) Earthquake! (yes this was a real class)
4) literally every Shakespeare class my college offered except the freshman one because I transferred as a sophmore
5) Astronomy 101
1) Multivariable Calculus
2) Introductory Japanese
3) Earthquake! (yes this was a real class)
4) literally every Shakespeare class my college offered except the freshman one because I transferred as a sophmore
5) Astronomy 101
ha... haha... sob
once in a while I’ll see or hear about something like the linked blog and I realize if nothing else I do not have the mental fortitude to be a writer in games, where everyone thinks they could do your job despite not understanding it at all. The sheer frustration. sprints for fucking writers lol
For more on this, vide Michet 2024 blog.lauramichet.com/why-you-shou...
February 2, 2026 at 4:41 PM
ha... haha... sob
Happy Book Birthday to The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman. Still one of the best books I read last year that does a lot of really cool experimentation with POV & is very queer. Now you can check it out too!
I've read a bunch of NetGalley arcs and the one y'all should add to your TBR is The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman. Queer retelling of Bisclavret the werewolf. Historical fantasy that plays a lot with POV. Captivated all the way through, out 1/27. You should definitely pick it up!
January 28, 2026 at 5:36 AM
Happy Book Birthday to The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman. Still one of the best books I read last year that does a lot of really cool experimentation with POV & is very queer. Now you can check it out too!
Late night book posting because I just finished Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily R. Austin and I think everyone should read it. A librarian has returned to work after a mental health crisis only for a group to start calling for book bans at her library. Queer, complicated, messy, and beautiful.
January 28, 2026 at 5:33 AM
Late night book posting because I just finished Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily R. Austin and I think everyone should read it. A librarian has returned to work after a mental health crisis only for a group to start calling for book bans at her library. Queer, complicated, messy, and beautiful.
I don't care why you read, I care that you do. Sign up for a library card!!
"The number of downloads...surged by 529% after Mr. Mamdani’s news conference"
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
gifting this article because it made me laugh, which is hard to do in this context. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/n...
January 27, 2026 at 4:56 PM
I don't care why you read, I care that you do. Sign up for a library card!!
Want to be very clear to anyone even remotely thinking about coming to events like GDC: Don't. It's not safe to be in the US, nobody's hiring or financing anyway, and it's not worth your life.
January 24, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Want to be very clear to anyone even remotely thinking about coming to events like GDC: Don't. It's not safe to be in the US, nobody's hiring or financing anyway, and it's not worth your life.
Tiny example of what the chronically ill deal with on a daily basis: at everywhere I've worked, PTO and sick days come out of the same bucket. When I worked in an office, I had to hoard PTO days for my next flare or catching "the cold going around" that knocks me flat for a week.
I wonder if any other disabled or chronically ill gamedevs feel like RTO policies are the industry saying "you don't belong here" over and over and over and over and
January 23, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Tiny example of what the chronically ill deal with on a daily basis: at everywhere I've worked, PTO and sick days come out of the same bucket. When I worked in an office, I had to hoard PTO days for my next flare or catching "the cold going around" that knocks me flat for a week.
I wonder if any other disabled or chronically ill gamedevs feel like RTO policies are the industry saying "you don't belong here" over and over and over and over and
January 22, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I wonder if any other disabled or chronically ill gamedevs feel like RTO policies are the industry saying "you don't belong here" over and over and over and over and
For All Mankind is my favorite currently airing TV show so if you haven't yet you should watch it so you're ready for s5 in March!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF6t...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF6t...
For All Mankind — Season 5 Official Teaser | Apple TV
YouTube video by Apple TV
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:32 PM
For All Mankind is my favorite currently airing TV show so if you haven't yet you should watch it so you're ready for s5 in March!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF6t...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF6t...
The message I have taken away after completing Dispatch is that true love is supporting my villain girlfriend no matter how stupid her plans are
2 episodes into Dispatch by @adhocstudio.com and it is a damn DELIGHT
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
January 19, 2026 at 5:33 AM
The message I have taken away after completing Dispatch is that true love is supporting my villain girlfriend no matter how stupid her plans are
2 episodes into Dispatch by @adhocstudio.com and it is a damn DELIGHT
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
January 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM
2 episodes into Dispatch by @adhocstudio.com and it is a damn DELIGHT
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
I'm so glad people are still making games like this
I love my terrible team of super... people
I'm very fast and good at writing fucked up scenes not in the horror sense but in the jesus christ that's tragic sense
Artists, I think we're all too comfortable sharing our imposter syndrome.
I would love to see you step out of your comfort zone and confidently state what you think you're actually really good at.
No self deprecation, just what you think you're the strongest at
Is anyone brave eniough? 👀
I would love to see you step out of your comfort zone and confidently state what you think you're actually really good at.
No self deprecation, just what you think you're the strongest at
Is anyone brave eniough? 👀
January 14, 2026 at 9:03 PM
I'm very fast and good at writing fucked up scenes not in the horror sense but in the jesus christ that's tragic sense
Got caught up in the cyclical discourse again and reeled myself back in.
INSTEAD, I ask: Are there any English majors out there who also happen to like math? I took multivariable calculus for fun in undergrad and flummoxed people when I said my major. I can't be THAT much of a unicorn, right?
INSTEAD, I ask: Are there any English majors out there who also happen to like math? I took multivariable calculus for fun in undergrad and flummoxed people when I said my major. I can't be THAT much of a unicorn, right?
January 14, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Got caught up in the cyclical discourse again and reeled myself back in.
INSTEAD, I ask: Are there any English majors out there who also happen to like math? I took multivariable calculus for fun in undergrad and flummoxed people when I said my major. I can't be THAT much of a unicorn, right?
INSTEAD, I ask: Are there any English majors out there who also happen to like math? I took multivariable calculus for fun in undergrad and flummoxed people when I said my major. I can't be THAT much of a unicorn, right?
Today would've been my 8-year anniversary at Crystal had I not been laid off. I am thankfully employed elsewhere through the end of June, but today is definitely a day of Big Feelings.
Hey so, today is my last day at Crystal Dynamics apparently. I joined the company in 2018 to work on Marvel's Avengers and it's been the longest (and best) job I've ever had. It now means I'm looking for work, so if you know of any senior writer/narrative designer positions please send them my way.
January 8, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Today would've been my 8-year anniversary at Crystal had I not been laid off. I am thankfully employed elsewhere through the end of June, but today is definitely a day of Big Feelings.
I'm sure a lot of people are gonna name dramas so: Schitt's Creek
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 2:15 AM
I'm sure a lot of people are gonna name dramas so: Schitt's Creek
This was mostly in response to the idea that it is somehow wrong or inferior to be into something because it is smutty, btw
You see it with romance novels all the time. "You just like that because there's sex in it." WELL YEAH!! Sometimes that's why I like it!!!
You see it with romance novels all the time. "You just like that because there's sex in it." WELL YEAH!! Sometimes that's why I like it!!!
"the success of Heated Rivalry isn't about the sex" my dudes it sure isn't about the hockey
January 7, 2026 at 12:09 AM
This was mostly in response to the idea that it is somehow wrong or inferior to be into something because it is smutty, btw
You see it with romance novels all the time. "You just like that because there's sex in it." WELL YEAH!! Sometimes that's why I like it!!!
You see it with romance novels all the time. "You just like that because there's sex in it." WELL YEAH!! Sometimes that's why I like it!!!
"the success of Heated Rivalry isn't about the sex" my dudes it sure isn't about the hockey
January 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
"the success of Heated Rivalry isn't about the sex" my dudes it sure isn't about the hockey
I've read a bunch of NetGalley arcs and the one y'all should add to your TBR is The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman. Queer retelling of Bisclavret the werewolf. Historical fantasy that plays a lot with POV. Captivated all the way through, out 1/27. You should definitely pick it up!
January 5, 2026 at 3:56 AM
I've read a bunch of NetGalley arcs and the one y'all should add to your TBR is The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman. Queer retelling of Bisclavret the werewolf. Historical fantasy that plays a lot with POV. Captivated all the way through, out 1/27. You should definitely pick it up!
Rolled credits on Avowed. 10/10 experience. Just a beautifully solid game with great characters and a tight story.
Whomever wrote Tama's haiku owes me therapy money, though.
Highly recommend.
Whomever wrote Tama's haiku owes me therapy money, though.
Highly recommend.
December 31, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Rolled credits on Avowed. 10/10 experience. Just a beautifully solid game with great characters and a tight story.
Whomever wrote Tama's haiku owes me therapy money, though.
Highly recommend.
Whomever wrote Tama's haiku owes me therapy money, though.
Highly recommend.
I've decided my 2026 resolutions are just gonna be indulgent as hell
get a new tattoo
read more books
play more games
the world's on fire I'm making 2026 about finding joy where I can
get a new tattoo
read more books
play more games
the world's on fire I'm making 2026 about finding joy where I can
December 30, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I've decided my 2026 resolutions are just gonna be indulgent as hell
get a new tattoo
read more books
play more games
the world's on fire I'm making 2026 about finding joy where I can
get a new tattoo
read more books
play more games
the world's on fire I'm making 2026 about finding joy where I can
In no particular order these are the best fiction books I read this year:
Cinder House by Freya Marske is a dark Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is dead and haunting her father's home (now owned by her stepmother). It's queer and weird and short and I loved it.
Cinder House by Freya Marske is a dark Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is dead and haunting her father's home (now owned by her stepmother). It's queer and weird and short and I loved it.
December 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
In no particular order these are the best fiction books I read this year:
Cinder House by Freya Marske is a dark Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is dead and haunting her father's home (now owned by her stepmother). It's queer and weird and short and I loved it.
Cinder House by Freya Marske is a dark Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is dead and haunting her father's home (now owned by her stepmother). It's queer and weird and short and I loved it.
This photo does not do this 14-foot painting justice, but it's Pat Steir's "Black and White One-Stroke Waterfall" currently on display at SF's DeYoung.
I grew up in Ithaca NY, which is known for its waterfalls, and this is the first piece of art to ever make me feel the way real ones do.
I grew up in Ithaca NY, which is known for its waterfalls, and this is the first piece of art to ever make me feel the way real ones do.
December 17, 2025 at 5:23 AM
This photo does not do this 14-foot painting justice, but it's Pat Steir's "Black and White One-Stroke Waterfall" currently on display at SF's DeYoung.
I grew up in Ithaca NY, which is known for its waterfalls, and this is the first piece of art to ever make me feel the way real ones do.
I grew up in Ithaca NY, which is known for its waterfalls, and this is the first piece of art to ever make me feel the way real ones do.
I would like to know how many people also got an achievement for pulling a lever the game explicitly tells you not to
all I can say without spoiling Avowed: welp
oh no another woman who hates my guts what do I dooooo
(marry me)
(marry me)
December 14, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I would like to know how many people also got an achievement for pulling a lever the game explicitly tells you not to
You know what? I'm choosing to be proud of this today. I WORKED ON A TOMB RAIDER GAME!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...
Tomb Raider: Catalyst - Teaser Trailer | PS5 Games
YouTube video by PlayStation
www.youtube.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
You know what? I'm choosing to be proud of this today. I WORKED ON A TOMB RAIDER GAME!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOT...