David Varela 🔜 AdventureX
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writingstudio.bsky.social
David Varela 🔜 AdventureX
@writingstudio.bsky.social
1.2K followers 480 following 200 posts
Degenerate freelancer. Narrative test pilot. Senior Narrative Designer on Clockwork Revolution at inXile. Previously provided interactive words for Wallace & Gromit, Sherlock, Need for Speed, a bit of Star Wars and a lot of other games. 🔀davidvarela.com
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writingstudio.bsky.social
LOL at the realistic armour.
An ad for 'Raid: Shadow Legends' calling it 'The Most Realistic PC Game of 2026.' The image shows a big-boobed warrior in a suit of armour that exposes her ample cleavage. Might be a problem in battle.
November 13, 2025 at 10:01 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Plait-a-puss.
A handsome cat crossing three of his legs over each other.
October 21, 2025 at 1:55 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
So it seems like forty different people from forty different countries each suddenly clicked on a different page of my website. The bots are swarming. Is this AI trawling, or some kind of search engine spider?
A list of countries that have visited one page on my website this morning. Hello, Honduras! A list of a dozen pages on my website that have been visited once this morning. There are more.
October 21, 2025 at 12:08 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Spotted near Russell Square today.
Plain printed A4 poster that says: “SEEKING people to competitively tell me their worst breakup story until mine seems insignificant winner gets my ex's netflix password. must make me feel genuinely better about my situation Thursday 9th 7PM @ The Institute Bar”
October 14, 2025 at 9:04 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Actually, it’s pronounced ‘Moonk’.
Photo of a bag of M&S Food’s ‘Halloween Hallow Scream Munch’
October 12, 2025 at 12:14 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Today’s mood, courtesy of Leake Street Arches:
Looks like Dredd to me. A cute kitty face. A hybrid of Judge Death and the xenomorph from Alien. Graffiti that says ‘Drinking like Hemingway’.
September 19, 2025 at 1:49 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Yami says it's fine to share her work, so here are a few choice layouts from this never-before-published 48-page opus.
"There once was a boy who lived in a tower. It wasn't a fairytale tower, like the kind you read about in books. There was no princess in this tower and no dragons surrounding it. This was a great concrete tower, tall and square, in the middle of the city. To be honest, it was pretty ugly and boring. There were mice, but that was about as exciting as it got." "The boy lived with his mum in their little flat, high in the sky. Their flat was so high, it took the boy an hour to climb the stairs after school. Their flat was so high, even the pigeons got out of breath. Their flat was so high, he never went anywhere." "So Wesley bounced the unicycle down, down, down all the stairs until he was outside on the grass." "In his defence, none of the grown-up clowns were very funny either. They just threw custard pies at each other and sat in a car that fell apart. Wesley didn't find rust an inspiring subject for comedy."
September 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
This morning I rediscovered a children's story I wrote nearly 20 years ago. Totally forgot it existed. Designer Yami Prajapati made an illustrated version. I'll nudge her and see if I can share some of it.
Back-of-book blurb for 'The Boy with Half a Bike' written by David Varela, illustrated by Yami Prajapati.
September 15, 2025 at 12:14 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
My mate Adrian returned from Germany with this glorious, pristine stash, found in the back of a comic shop in Nuremberg. Nostalgia has never been so shiny.
15 unopened packs of Perplex City cards
August 13, 2025 at 8:09 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Apparently, it is International Tiger Day on the same day as my stripy floof’s birthday. Ten years old and still a kitten! ❤️🐈
A stripy cat sits in a pile of shredded wrapping paper.
July 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Caught these two gossiping outside just now. “You’ll never guess who’s burying their nuts in Deirdre’s garden…”
A squirrel appears to be whispering to an attentive sunflower.
July 26, 2025 at 9:58 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Today’s street art roundup.
Graffiti of a woman with multicoloured hair crying multicoloured tears. Plain white text on a brick wall reading: “GIF of a child looking uncertain.” Graffiti of a stylised cat. Graffiti of a pigeon dressed as a rapper, with the strapline, “Get Seeds or Die Trying).
July 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Had a lovely murdery morning today at a preview of Mark Gatiss’ new TV show, Bookish. I even managed to grab Mark after the (excellent) Q&A for a chat about ‘Sherlock: The Network’ and in-game deduction systems.
Connor Finch, Mark Gatiss & Polly Walker pose for the press. Murder and a nice cup of tea. Bookish panel Q&A featuring the key cast. Bookish logo wall
July 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
not only stomach cramps but the kind of explosive diarrhoea that later becomes a war story. She crawled out of the bathroom and into her bed, where she curled into a ball, praying that dehydration might finally render her unconscious.
June 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
That feeling when work follows you home.
Graffiti of the word DEBUG.
June 4, 2025 at 5:46 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Got up early and went to Richmond Park. Stumbled into a David Attenborough clip.
May 31, 2025 at 10:27 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Went out for a coffee and a walk this morning only to find that someone had set the city to MAXIMUM LONDON.
Big Ben and a blue sky Horse Guards parading at Hose Guards’ Parade. 💂 Pelican in St James’s Park Black swan in St James’s Park
May 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Our cat has a neck injury so we got him a black turtle-neck sweater to stop him scratching at it. Now he looks like a Special Forces operative who will knife me the moment my back is turned.
SAS cat hangs from a kitchen counter. SAS cat reporting for duty.
May 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Sixty years ago today, my dad arrived in the UK from Spain (via France). It was supposed to be one stop on a working tour of Europe before going home and settling down with a nice Spanish girl. Instead, he met a flame-haired hotel receptionist from Oldham, settled here and had two kids. Ta, dad. ♥️
My dad, twinkling at my brother’s wedding
May 6, 2025 at 7:15 AM
writingstudio.bsky.social
A new addition to the career mug collection, from a very old project. I did a tiny bit of work on Zombies, Run! back when it started.

Very pleased with this official merch, which arrived in some impressive blast-proof polystyrene packaging.

Straight onto the shelf. May never use.
A black mug with the message I AM RUNNER FIVE.
April 29, 2025 at 12:46 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
More art from the tunnels.
Graffiti of a woman reading a doc called HOW TO RULE THE WORLD Monochrome graffiti of a girl whose face is breaking out of a mask. Photorealistic monochrome graffiti of a man in a leather jacket. Graffiti of Pooh and Piglet sharing wisdom and a joint.
April 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Excellent day on Leake Street today, especially for portraits. Too much good stuff to post.
Punky graffiti of a girl in a cap. Sweet black and white portrait of an older couple. Stylised graffiti of a tiger, including drop shadow. Silhouette graffiti of a female samurai(?) dropping her mask.
April 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
Strong work on Leake Street this morning.
Graffiti of a black unicorn. Graffiti of an angry toddler. Graffiti of a winged bull. Graffiti of a colourful bee.
March 25, 2025 at 12:06 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
I've also been informed that inXile have this very slick matt black model in the studio. (Picture stolen from X. Ignore Timothee Chalomet.)
February 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM
writingstudio.bsky.social
I have since discovered this one-off Clockwork Revolution mug! Here's a screenshot so you don't need to visit the Hellsite.
February 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM