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Cat Manning

@catacalypto.bsky.social

20K followers 1.2K following 12K posts

narrative director at Firaxis. emergent/systemic storytelling. nominated for awards and things. lit PhD. awful at Greek. better profile coming soon.

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · Nov 11

Hi to new people leaving the other place!

I’m Cat Manning, currently narrative director on Civ 7. Worked at Riot and on some indie games previously (most notably Pathologic). I have a Lit PhD and a background in classics.

Here I talk about emergent narrative, games, poetry, possums, and perfume.

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Laura Michet @lmichet.bsky.social · 4h

game director line edits

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Jordan Shiveley (Dread Singles) @jordanshiveley.bsky.social · 5h

I can’t explain why my brain brains how it brains but it just does

Tom Bombadildo @dildo-baggins.bsky.social · Jan 18

Tweet from @hottestsingles that reads “WELCOME TO DRACULA FUCK MANSION.”

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 5h

at some point when I have the brain space I’d love to write an unhinged post about the Principles of Venom (as coined by Emily Short) and high-salience events

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Moby Dick @mobydickatsea.bsky.social · 5h

There’s hogsheads of sperm ahead

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 5h

hell yeah

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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 5h

It's interesting in itself that the public's default reaction to whatever the government is doing seems to be "stop doing that, try the opposite". It suggests something quite profound is going wrong.

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 17h

Thermostatic public opinion, reacting against the governing regime, like old faithful.
globalaffairs.org/research/pub...

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 5h

pain

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🎃scarecrowcialism👻 @swolecialism.bsky.social · 9h

Seeing dudes try to step to the menswear guy makes me understand better the mentality of the regular Street Punks who keep hassling Kiryu in Act 3 of every Yakuza game when hes got all the abilities unlocked

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Gaz @nyazsche.bsky.social · 10h

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piper @roodypatooti.bsky.social · Aug 26

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💀 SkeletAnn Lemay 💀 @annlemay.bsky.social · 9h

To every young or aspiring dev out there, look, some free advice. (Older devs, you know better. 💀)

For any game you are going to work on that has any GLIMMER of possible localization. Or editing. Or anything involving writing really...

DO NOT HARD-CODE THE VO/NON-VO/UI TEXT STRINGS.

💀 SkeletAnn Lemay 💀 @annlemay.bsky.social · 9h

"Hard coded text strings."

(My villain origin story.)

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 9h

you know that like, multiple people on my team including me own this sweatshirt right

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GHOULLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 9h

your tactic of protesting in an inflatable frog suit which gets normal people on your side is far inferior to my tactic of posting about laser blinding helicopter pilots which is both wildly illegal and, were it to succeed, would put basically *everyone* against me

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 9h

how was this NOT blaseball

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Nick (derogatory) ✨ @slothropsmap.bsky.social · 9h

A timely reminder that Moby Dick is the gayest of the great books.

Moby Dick @mobydickatsea.bsky.social · 9h

I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 10h

lmao that one still is peak

Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 11h

this is kind of impressive

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 11h

as a self-proclaimed health goth and someone who has spent too much money at Erewhon, I STILL have zero interest in trying this

Soren Spicknall @sorenspicknall.bsky.social · 3d

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Goth Erewhon Smoothie

A lot of musicians have collaborated with Erewhon for signature smoothies, like Kacey Musgraves, Travis Scott, and Kali Uchis. Now, the Smashing Pumpkins are joining forces with the grocery store to l...

www.stereogum.com

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 11h

Matt Stoller being very Matt Stoller, calling someone else a "classic left poseur snob"

Matt Stoller being eviscerated by @dieworkwear.bsky.social

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niko oneshot but they’re duen @riolu.gay · 12h

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High Priestess, Low Patience @cheriepriest.com · 12h

PALATE CLEANSER

Fluffy gray tabby perched on the back of the couch, watching the rain through a window.

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Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social · 12h

this one has been around forever and every time I see it I’m like “what a bad name”

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Dija @diaja.bsky.social · 14h

This is going to be a major shift in the political economy of news media. How it plays out, is resisted and embraced, is going to change how populations perceive and understand their world in subtle but critical ways. One day after another. @technihilism.bsky.social
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

A tiny new button in your search bar could kill the open web

The launch of 'AI Mode' ushers in a future where news sites are kept alive to train AI chatbots for a US tech company.

www.abc.net.au

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jason grinblat @jfg.land · 13h

I'm obsessed with the recording slang term "good tape" — which meant high-quality audio but with podcasting morphed into good, emotionally resonant content. Beautiful metonymy. We should adapt this to simulation design for when something funny & emergent happens, "that's good vec"

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Trick Weekes @trickweekes.bsky.social · 13h

pivoting to multiplayer campaign

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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