Newsletter 4, Jan 2026

WELCOME TO THE TERRORDROME. It is lovely to have you.

TERRORDROME DISPATCHES are sent out once a month, and are a great way to keep up with my various foibles.

(I’m also on Bluesky as @cyborgurl.)

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ANNA ANTHROPY PATCH NOTES: JANUARY 2026

• This was breaking news in my last dispatch, but my Fallen London story, The Stolen Soirée, is technically this month’s Exceptional Story, available to subscribers! Here’s a review from “nyarlothotep” on the Fallen London forums:

  That was indeed an exceptional story! Very solid plot (felt like a cthulhu mythos story in some points), amazing narrative, enjoyed the lore and still the mysteries remain to further expand in the future. Also, the pacing was very natural, never felt like a waste of actions. I liked that appearance played a part in the story, as in my opinion it is one of the most important aspects of the Fallen settings. Nice thumbnails too.

• Caves of ZZT Remix is out now, in honor of ZZT’s 35th' birthday! For this project, 13 authors, myself included, reimagined every scene of 1991’s Caves of ZZT. (If you want to learn more about ZZT, the game creation system for terrible gay teens, check out my book on the subject!)

• I’m planning out my next interactive fiction workshop! You can help by filling out this survey – even if you’re not interested in the workshop, I’d love to know what times of day are convenient to normal people.

• All four original Princess Sword games are now available as a $5 bundle.

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THE IMAGE GALLERY

Some of the boards I contributed to the Caves of ZZT Remix.

The Cliffs of Hell

Sucker National Park

Hell’s Upper Management

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A SELF-DECLARED HEIRESS

You can barely glimpse the lady in violant over the crowd that has formed around her. A wave of laughter moves through her entourage: she must be funny. Admirers of all genders offer their coats to shield her from the zee breeze: she must be beautiful. Satellites periodically detach to fetch her a new drink: she must be rich.

"It's funny," says a bespectacled admiral to her friend as she wheels away from the group. "I've done business with Guidici. I don't remember him having a daughter.”

"Still, she's something, isn't she?" says the friend.

— The Stolen Soirée

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WHAT HAVE I BEEN PLAYING CORNER

• TR-49: A database thriller about steampunk LLMs. It feels so reminiscent of Type Help that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was inspired by the earlier game. It has a slower-paced, less gripping story, and a more overwhelming on-boarding, but I still enjoyed my time with it.

• Zach Attack Scratch ‘N Solve Puzzle Pack: When I was little my mom would get me and my sisters scratch-off lottery cards for holidays. The Zach Attack games find a really good balance between pure chance and mitigation. Max Midnight is the clear best game.

• Nuts: What makes a game feel “cozy” to me isn’t a lack of edges, but a dense, recurring space to hang out in. In Nuts, it’s a trailer where you watch trail cam footage. Has an unfortunate problem with lack of checkpointing.

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That’s it for this month’s dispatch! I try not to abuse the sanctity of this mailing list too much, but I might send out an extra email when tickets for my next workshop are available.

From our terrordrome to yours: Stay soft, stay strong, stay nasty.