shanodin (Ali Rees)
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees)
@shanodin.bsky.social
1.8K followers 3.2K following 560 posts
❤️ they/them
🌈 queer & disabled
💻 Award winning games journalist
🌞 Words at startmenu, Brig Newspaper, QuickPlay, Empoword Journalism, The National, The Mourning Paper
💻 Email: alireesjournalist@gmail.com
🎮 quickplay.substack.com
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Oct 23
Hey I'm Ali. I'm a mature student and freelance journalist focusing on games and tech.

Please check out my blog Quick Play. It's dedicated to short video games for busy people.

open.substack.com/pub/quickplay
Quick Play | Ali ‘shanodin’ Rees | Substack
Long takes about short games. Click to read Quick Play, by Ali ‘shanodin’ Rees, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
open.substack.com
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
Oh hi Bluesky!

We're a team of creators who raise funds and awareness to vital causes close to our hearts💖

Some exciting updates-

We refreshed our logos and branding, HUGE thanks to @alcevus.bsky.social 🎨

Our applications are now open on a rolling basis (info ⬇️)

apply: forms.gle/jwRP9iSKi6Z3...
New logo for the stream team cosmic hearts. The graphic has a colorful stylized pixelated style in purples, pinks, and yellows. A pink heart shows in the middle with a yellow ring around it similar to a planets' ring. Text reads cosmic hearts
October 10, 2025 at 6:58 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
It's me I'm boyfriends
October 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
@thehawkeward.bsky.social happy birthday king 🎉
September 21, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
watermeg.bsky.social
[LIVE NOW 🟢]

hiiii this weekend I'm fundraising for the Starlight Children's Foundation!! Today (rn) I'm streaming Elden Ring and tomorrow I'll be streaming Infinity Nikki! ❤️

We have a few goals and a giveaway, so come hang out and donate if you're able!! ❤️

twitch.tv/watermeg
poster for "Stream for Starlight", from the cosmic hearts stream team. There is a selfie of me, and the text reads "Hard & soft weekend, Elden Ring + Infinity Nikki, 20th and 21st September 3pm BST, twitch.tv/watermeg"
September 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
We're thrilled to partner with Starlight Children's Foundation for our first post-hibernation event! Join us to bring joy to hospitalized children this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 💖

We'll be fundraising all September, stay tuned for schedules and info!

Donate here: tiltify.com/starlight-ch...
Cartoonish pastel colored flyer for an upcoming fundraising campaign. Sparkles, embellishes and drawn flowers show in the backdrop. Text reads: Cosmic Hearts Stream for Starlight Team members streaming on Twitch throughout September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
September 2, 2025 at 2:18 AM
shanodin.bsky.social
Hades 2 is releasing soon I'm eating good this year
September 12, 2025 at 3:56 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
Silksong is a hard game! I'm definitely dying a lot. However because I played over 1000 hours of Hollow Knight randomiser and rotted my brain, I have no idea what a normal experience with that game looks like so have no basis for comparison! Is it harder? I couldn't possibly say.
September 8, 2025 at 7:11 AM
shanodin.bsky.social
Silksong day is upon us!
September 4, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
The Cosmos are BACK and we've got some exciting things coming!
Watch this space for info about our first post-hibernation fundraiser and our plans for opening applications 🪐
a picture of a galaxy with a national geographic logo on the bottom
Alt: a picture of a galaxy with a national geographic logo on the bottom
media.tenor.com
August 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
Got this sick ass Tune & Fairweather Bloodborne art book for my birthday 😍
August 25, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
radderss.bsky.social
Announcing "10 years of this shit"

This September marks 10 years since I started streaming. These last 10 years have been unimaginably wonderful and have honestly saved me.

To celebrate, we'll be doing two special streams. There will be cake. There will be giveaways. There will be fun.
A graphic titled "10 years of this shit" a paragraph reads "To celebrate 10 years of streaming, I have a couple of special celebration streams in September. We have games to giveaway provided by Guillotine, Kepler and Future Friends, plus a limited edition mouse provided by Logitech G to give away." Below are two boxes, one for each stream. The first reads "September 14th 7pm CEST. The raddest party in town. Join for party games, karaoke and giveaways!" The second reads "September 28th 7pm CEST. I'm decorating a special Shrek themed cake and you're invited to watch (oi oi). If we hit 500 subs during September, I'll decorate the cake in a Shrek outfit. If we hit 1000 subs, I'll wear the full costume (mask and giant latex hands)"
August 19, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
dominca.live
PUMPED to be participating this Tuesday in Food Fight hosted by @disheswithdana.bsky.social and Darth_Furbacca!

Contestants have chosen a charity; donate to @twloha.bsky.social to either help or hinder me & my opponent for maximum chaos 😆

Extra thanks to @megabitez.bsky.social for the graphic!
Graphic for Food Fight on Twitch. background shows a boxing ring and an avatar of Black Rose Pixie and photo of Dominca. text reads "Food Fight BlackRosePixie vs DomincasTavern Hosted by DanasKitchen and Darth_Furbacca round 2 - August 12th, 2025 @5 pm central Charity stream - food competition - sabotage
August 9, 2025 at 7:56 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
Hobby spaces have a transphobia problem.

open.substack.com/pub/quickpla...
Hobby Spaces Have a Transphobia Problem
Calling your community inclusive is incompatible with platforming transphobes, hope that helps.
open.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
paigehharvey.bsky.social
Calling all Soulslike streamers! Do you stream any of the Dark Souls games or Elden Ring, are free in February 2026 and would like to support @specialeffect.org.uk?

Reply and I'll add you to my list! Also plz tag friends you think might be interested 💙
August 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
I like the format I used for the last month of Update Patch for startmenu. Check out the full thing here!
August 1, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
boardgamewire.bsky.social
Reviewers including No Pun Included and Shut Up & Sit Down are boycotting Codenames publisher CGE for releasing a new Harry Potter-themed game while ignoring JK Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric:

boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
A blue box to the left with four sillhouette-style humans, each notably wearing wizard-like robes from the Harry Potter universe. The box says Codenames and Back to Hogwarts on it, with Harry Potter in golden letters at the bottom. To the right, a cartoon astronaut head in a Harry Potter scarf winks, a variation of the logo of board game publisher Czech Games Edition.
July 29, 2025 at 7:56 AM
shanodin.bsky.social
My final update patch of the month! Check them out ❤️
startmenu.bsky.social startmenu @startmenu.bsky.social · Jul 28
This week's Update Patch includes stories of yet more layoffs, the latest updates on the Stop Killing Games movement and a brief sighting of Silksong off in the distance.

Thanks to @shanodin.bsky.social on their great work on these over the last few weeks.

www.patreon.com/posts/update...
Update Patch News Roundup (28/07/25) | startmenu
Get more from startmenu on Patreon
www.patreon.com
July 28, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
thehawkeward.bsky.social
🔴 trying to get a date with my wife, I mean, not *with* my wife but she is also here, not to say I wouldn’t date my wife, I mean… anyway, here’s #MonsterProm twitch.tv/TheHawkeward
Twitch
Twitch is the world
twitch.tv
July 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
They've only gone and done it again with a new QuickPlay review!

quickplay.substack.com/p/spilled
Spilled!
A clean-up game about saving cute critters in a gorgeous pixel world.
quickplay.substack.com
July 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
Wonder if she'll join Corbyn's new party, that would be a strong start for a Scottish wing.
scotnational.bsky.social The National @scotnational.bsky.social · Jul 25
NEW: Mhairi Black has quit the SNP after becoming unhappy with the direction of the party
July 25, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
startmenu.bsky.social
This week's Update Patch, written by @shanodin.bsky.social, is full of controversy from an ever-more messy lawsuit to Steam acquiescing to the pressures of payment processes and an anti-porn lobbying group.

www.patreon.com/posts/update...
Update Patch News Roundup (21/07/25) | startmenu
Get more from startmenu on Patreon
www.patreon.com
July 21, 2025 at 4:46 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
Hi hello I've done it again, there's a new QuickPlay!

I talk about The Stanley Parable and its reckoning with gamer agency and choice.

open.substack.com/pub/quickpla...
The Stanley Parable
When they got to the end of the review, the reader liked and shared the post.
open.substack.com
July 18, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
ramiismail.com
Bye forever, WeTransfer.
WeTransfer TOS says they can use all your uploaded content for genAI
July 14, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
startmenu.bsky.social
This week @shanodin.bsky.social uses Update Patch to try to summarise the Subnautica 2 controversy, along with highlighting all the week's other news.

www.patreon.com/posts/update...
Update Patch News Roundup (14/07/25) | startmenu
Get more from startmenu on Patreon
www.patreon.com
July 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
shanodin.bsky.social
I thought I thought this game was fine when I finished it, but rereading the review, maybe I didn't really like it 😅

quickplay.substack.com/p/deliver-us...
Deliver Us the Moon
Off you go to the moon to save humanity all on your own.
quickplay.substack.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM