"Coders, we are not writers."
Speak for yourself. I am, in fact, both, and I genuinely get the same professional and creative pride from both.
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
mastodon
4.3.22
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker.
I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python.
I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs.
I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
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Joined September 23, 2023
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
1d ago
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
3d ago
@DarcMoughty I can only speak from my projects, but I wouldn't knowingly accept PRs from either group.
There's a pile of other reasons besides the spam angle.
If you submit a PR that doesn't have cleared copyright, you put my project and me at legal risk. Unfortunately, llms regurgitating rights reserved code is known and largely untested in courts. Until there are clear legal lines, I cannot accept any LLM generated code for practical reasons.
My biggest project is an education tool. It is, entirely, about learning mastery of skills. LLM coding is antithetical to that purpose and I will always prefer hand coded solutions to ppb problems because the whole point is learning to understand computers.
And finally, look at how much context you had to write for this "just curious" question. Do you see how you're creating a volunteer bandwidth problem just by posing it? Imagine this question, but every single LLM PR you get. Do you see how you've doubled (at least) the amount of work for a given PR?
There's a pile of other reasons besides the spam angle.
If you submit a PR that doesn't have cleared copyright, you put my project and me at legal risk. Unfortunately, llms regurgitating rights reserved code is known and largely untested in courts. Until there are clear legal lines, I cannot accept any LLM generated code for practical reasons.
My biggest project is an education tool. It is, entirely, about learning mastery of skills. LLM coding is antithetical to that purpose and I will always prefer hand coded solutions to ppb problems because the whole point is learning to understand computers.
And finally, look at how much context you had to write for this "just curious" question. Do you see how you're creating a volunteer bandwidth problem just by posing it? Imagine this question, but every single LLM PR you get. Do you see how you've doubled (at least) the amount of work for a given PR?
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
4d ago
@xgranade oh, you know I agree there! It's just easier to convince boosters that spam is bad than llms are bad, and thus easier to wedge into "so if thing primarily produces spam, and spam bad, we should be heavily skeptical of thing."
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
4d ago
@xgranade ... as someone who runs an open source project with dozens of first ever open source contributions, like... I agree with the principle of engaging with newbies and helping them become successful.
But like... I also close spam without comment.
And if most llm prs are, as the writer claims, spam, there's no actual thing to teach?
Don't spam is a fundamental norm of human centric internet culture.
I'm not wasting time on someone who hasn't learned "being a person in a public space," and I don't advocate anyone else does either.
But like... I also close spam without comment.
And if most llm prs are, as the writer claims, spam, there's no actual thing to teach?
Don't spam is a fundamental norm of human centric internet culture.
I'm not wasting time on someone who hasn't learned "being a person in a public space," and I don't advocate anyone else does either.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 14, 2026
Honestly, at this point, my horror at the "The computers are totally thinking!" types is shifting.
For a long time, I considered it mostly a mark of how gullible some folks are.
But as the march of "progress" goes forward, I realize the horror is actually how small they imagine other people to be.
To the sufficiently advanced booster, we're all just p-zombies.
For a long time, I considered it mostly a mark of how gullible some folks are.
But as the march of "progress" goes forward, I realize the horror is actually how small they imagine other people to be.
To the sufficiently advanced booster, we're all just p-zombies.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 10, 2026
@astraluma @xgranade I mean, I'm seriously "you owe it to yourself to have a pen you like" but yeah, if it writes and it doesn't annoy you, it's fine.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 10, 2026
@xgranade The pen versus the typewriter is one I know and I still cannot believe these people exist.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 10, 2026
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 07, 2026
Okay, never AI types, I've been a jetbrains user for a decade, but they've just made it abundantly clear that AI shit is their new focus.
I need an IDE that is:
* Bullet proof across a variety of OSes.
* Supports Python as a first class citizen
* Has no AI features at all (I'll accept "can be turned off" but prefer folks not catering to the same thing I'm leaving)
* Not from an AI company. (VS Code is not going to fly.)
Bonus points if it's got good web platform support and database manipulation tools.
Basically need to replace PyCharm, Webstorm, and Datagrip. (I mean, it could just replace pycharm, but it's got rudimentary pieces of datagrip and webstorm included.)
I need an IDE that is:
* Bullet proof across a variety of OSes.
* Supports Python as a first class citizen
* Has no AI features at all (I'll accept "can be turned off" but prefer folks not catering to the same thing I'm leaving)
* Not from an AI company. (VS Code is not going to fly.)
Bonus points if it's got good web platform support and database manipulation tools.
Basically need to replace PyCharm, Webstorm, and Datagrip. (I mean, it could just replace pycharm, but it's got rudimentary pieces of datagrip and webstorm included.)
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Apr 04, 2026
@cutesobri I would suggest blades in the dark, but it definitely is built around not one-shots with a few exceptions.
It's also playbook based but uses dice pools instead of a single result.
What's the vibe you're looking for for your one shot, I might have other suggestions that are further afield.
(I see a response suggesting pbta and also a good choice)
It's also playbook based but uses dice pools instead of a single result.
What's the vibe you're looking for for your one shot, I might have other suggestions that are further afield.
(I see a response suggesting pbta and also a good choice)
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Mar 23, 2026
@ubernostrum Plan started with "road trip" so nothing has changed. We'd have done amtrak if I could afford it, but I am definitely a "take the train" autistic.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Mar 17, 2026
Open to suggestions, but I'm looking to scratch a very particular itch.
I like the basic gameplay loop of survival games and/or farming games. Collecting stuff, going home to build a base, leaving again with better gear, bigger bag, going further and further with time.
I literally can not handle hunger mechanics and extremely dislike hard calendar and time management systems in these games. I stopped playing Minecraft with the update that made food go from healing to a management bar that could kill you. Stardew Valleys day cycle and calendar mean I've literally never finished that game.
Do you know of games that fit this mold that don't include these kinds of mechanics. I want them designed around this. Lots of games let you turn this off, but you can feel the lack of the mechanic when you do.
Bonus points if it's available on the switch.
Edit: I can not believe I have to explain this, but a YouTube channel is not a suggestion that fits the criteria. I will just block you for something that far out of the ballpark.
I like the basic gameplay loop of survival games and/or farming games. Collecting stuff, going home to build a base, leaving again with better gear, bigger bag, going further and further with time.
I literally can not handle hunger mechanics and extremely dislike hard calendar and time management systems in these games. I stopped playing Minecraft with the update that made food go from healing to a management bar that could kill you. Stardew Valleys day cycle and calendar mean I've literally never finished that game.
Do you know of games that fit this mold that don't include these kinds of mechanics. I want them designed around this. Lots of games let you turn this off, but you can feel the lack of the mechanic when you do.
Bonus points if it's available on the switch.
Edit: I can not believe I have to explain this, but a YouTube channel is not a suggestion that fits the criteria. I will just block you for something that far out of the ballpark.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Feb 24, 2026
@davidism I think I've explained it to newbies as
* What did you do?
* What happened?
* What did you expect to happen?
Like, if I got the answer to all three questions every time I got a report, I could at least determine help/bug/security quickly.
* What did you do?
* What happened?
* What did you expect to happen?
Like, if I got the answer to all three questions every time I got a report, I could at least determine help/bug/security quickly.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Feb 12, 2026
Got good news:
I'll be speaking on a main track at PyCon this year!
The talk is:
Fall in love with CSS
It's a primer on the words we use to describe the language, the way the cascade works, and then showing off all my favorite modern features that make vanilla CSS my preference.
If you're attending, see me there!
If you're also a vanilla CSS weirdo like me, come chat here on fedi. Always happy to hear what features others find important.
I'll be speaking on a main track at PyCon this year!
The talk is:
Fall in love with CSS
It's a primer on the words we use to describe the language, the way the cascade works, and then showing off all my favorite modern features that make vanilla CSS my preference.
If you're attending, see me there!
If you're also a vanilla CSS weirdo like me, come chat here on fedi. Always happy to hear what features others find important.
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Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
Piper Thunstrom
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
Trans lesbian game maker, web developer, editor and public speaker. I started ppb, an education focused game engine in Python. I make tiny video games and dabble in board games and tabletop RPGs. I talk about being trans in my little corner of the community, and making video games of all types.
ngmx.com
@pathunstrom@ngmx.com
·
Nov 14, 2025
Advice for community managers:
Use the Olivia Hill rule.
It's surprisingly easy to enforce:
Fascists get really upset and will talk to you about why the rule is bad.
You then ban them.
That's it, that's all the work it takes!
Use the Olivia Hill rule.
It's surprisingly easy to enforce:
Fascists get really upset and will talk to you about why the rule is bad.
You then ban them.
That's it, that's all the work it takes!
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