shanodin (Ali Rees)
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees)
@shanodin.bsky.social
1.7K 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: [email protected] 🎮 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
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
Cosmic Hearts @cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social · 10d
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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · 11d
It's me I'm boyfriends
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 21
Keeping my head above water yknow
shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 21
@thehawkeward.bsky.social happy birthday king 🎉
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
watermeg.bsky.social
Meg 🌸 @watermeg.bsky.social · Sep 20
[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"
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 15
Thanks Rich!
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
Cosmic Hearts @cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social · Sep 2
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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 12
Hades 2 is releasing soon I'm eating good this year
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 8
No that seems like a pointless waste of energy.
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 8
It's true I am being personally targeted by how hard Silksong is.
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 8
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.
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Sep 4
Silksong day is upon us!
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cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social
Cosmic Hearts @cosmicheartsteam.bsky.social · Aug 30
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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Aug 25
Got this sick ass Tune & Fairweather Bloodborne art book for my birthday 😍
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
radderss.bsky.social
Radderss 👩‍🦽 | 🕊🍉 @radderss.bsky.social · Aug 19
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)"
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
dominca.live
Dominca🐐🏳️‍🌈🍉 @dominca.live · Aug 9
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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Aug 7
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
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
paigehharvey.bsky.social
Paige Harvey @paigehharvey.bsky.social · Aug 4
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 💙
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Aug 1
I like the format I used for the last month of Update Patch for startmenu. Check out the full thing here!
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
boardgamewire.bsky.social
BoardGameWire 🔜 Spiel Essen 2025 @boardgamewire.bsky.social · Jul 29
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.
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Jul 28
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
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
thehawkeward.bsky.social
Hawke Wood @thehawkeward.bsky.social · Jul 25
🔴 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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Jul 25
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
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shanodin.bsky.social
shanodin (Ali Rees) @shanodin.bsky.social · Jul 25
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
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Reposted by shanodin (Ali Rees)
startmenu.bsky.social
startmenu @startmenu.bsky.social · Jul 21
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
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