Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
@mishellbaker.bsky.social
Author of the Arcadia Project trilogy etc. Terminal cancer, incurable optimist. Currently 18% novelist 25% dungeon master 52% vidyagamer 5% Linux learner
Enjoy life. Be someone you would love. Make things better.
Enjoy life. Be someone you would love. Make things better.
Pinned
My goal is to be the profile you still check when you can't deal with the rest of social media.
I admit to literally searching your name on here when I haven't seen a post for a day or 2 because I always enjoy what you post and the thoughtfulness you put into each post.
January 10, 2026 at 8:39 PM
It's okay to spend some time mourning or raging about things beyond your control. But setting a limit on the time you allow those things to be at the forefront of your mind will improve your mental health and let you get more done that matters.
January 10, 2026 at 6:25 PM
It's okay to spend some time mourning or raging about things beyond your control. But setting a limit on the time you allow those things to be at the forefront of your mind will improve your mental health and let you get more done that matters.
My goal is to be the profile you still check when you can't deal with the rest of social media.
January 10, 2026 at 5:21 PM
My goal is to be the profile you still check when you can't deal with the rest of social media.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
it's okay to allow a brief distraction
#AFlowerADayTillSpring #70Days #bloomscrolling #nature #photography #wellbeing #flowers #gardens
#AFlowerADayTillSpring #70Days #bloomscrolling #nature #photography #wellbeing #flowers #gardens
January 10, 2026 at 4:48 PM
it's okay to allow a brief distraction
#AFlowerADayTillSpring #70Days #bloomscrolling #nature #photography #wellbeing #flowers #gardens
#AFlowerADayTillSpring #70Days #bloomscrolling #nature #photography #wellbeing #flowers #gardens
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
“When I speak about making our city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the child care that we’re making universal — it’s also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression.”
Handing Out Free Tickets, Mamdani Says Theater Should Not Be ‘a Luxury’
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:22 AM
“When I speak about making our city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the child care that we’re making universal — it’s also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression.”
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
Method acting when playing the Pathologic series by being appallingly bad at the games so as to reflect the characters' incompetence 😌
January 10, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Method acting when playing the Pathologic series by being appallingly bad at the games so as to reflect the characters' incompetence 😌
Done. Pleaded with them not to take away one of my last refuges from the grift (and asked them not to do an IPO while I was at it).
#MakeThingsBetter
#MakeThingsBetter
Discord wants to know how you feel about AI.
Go tell them: discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Go tell them: discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
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January 10, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Done. Pleaded with them not to take away one of my last refuges from the grift (and asked them not to do an IPO while I was at it).
#MakeThingsBetter
#MakeThingsBetter
Was explaining to the 16yo that "data" is plural. She asked what the singular was, and I said "datum."
Without missing a beat she said, "Datum? I hardly knowum."
Without missing a beat she said, "Datum? I hardly knowum."
January 10, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Was explaining to the 16yo that "data" is plural. She asked what the singular was, and I said "datum."
Without missing a beat she said, "Datum? I hardly knowum."
Without missing a beat she said, "Datum? I hardly knowum."
Just stood up and my knees made the Outer Worlds 2 sound.
January 10, 2026 at 4:51 AM
Just stood up and my knees made the Outer Worlds 2 sound.
Matt and I have been watching Girls5Eva, because I mentioned that I'm in love with Sara Bareilles, and I'm getting a huge kick out of it. Laughed myself silly during the "I'm Afraid" song. #EnjoyLife
January 10, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Matt and I have been watching Girls5Eva, because I mentioned that I'm in love with Sara Bareilles, and I'm getting a huge kick out of it. Laughed myself silly during the "I'm Afraid" song. #EnjoyLife
If you write about heirs to various dynasties, that's scions fiction.
If you write a quadrillion stories, that's petafiction.
If you write a story featuring a Ford Fiesta, that's autofiction.
January 9, 2026 at 11:44 PM
If you write about heirs to various dynasties, that's scions fiction.
This is how you do it.
Things making me happy today:
-hot shower!!!
-soup and a hot buttered rum ☺️
-I finished a mini-years-goal: awwww yeah, REWARDS TIME. Dice rolling! I hope I get a fun one
And now, I am going to brick up my phone for the night, byeeeeee
-hot shower!!!
-soup and a hot buttered rum ☺️
-I finished a mini-years-goal: awwww yeah, REWARDS TIME. Dice rolling! I hope I get a fun one
And now, I am going to brick up my phone for the night, byeeeeee
January 9, 2026 at 11:36 PM
This is how you do it.
I've said this before, but I want to keep saying it, so people remember, when they need to.
Don't say I "lost my battle" or even that I "fought" cancer. This has never been a fight. This has been me relaxing into the care of my doctors, enjoying my life, resting when I need to.
Don't say I "lost my battle" or even that I "fought" cancer. This has never been a fight. This has been me relaxing into the care of my doctors, enjoying my life, resting when I need to.
January 9, 2026 at 11:22 PM
I've said this before, but I want to keep saying it, so people remember, when they need to.
Don't say I "lost my battle" or even that I "fought" cancer. This has never been a fight. This has been me relaxing into the care of my doctors, enjoying my life, resting when I need to.
Don't say I "lost my battle" or even that I "fought" cancer. This has never been a fight. This has been me relaxing into the care of my doctors, enjoying my life, resting when I need to.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
Absolutely, games come and go, but the really good ones keep coming back. I know I have my stash, going back to the 90s, that I return to. A testament to how well a game is made, is if you are willing to dismiss outdated graphics for things like well written storyline or well designed gameplay.
January 9, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Absolutely, games come and go, but the really good ones keep coming back. I know I have my stash, going back to the 90s, that I return to. A testament to how well a game is made, is if you are willing to dismiss outdated graphics for things like well written storyline or well designed gameplay.
Okay, looks like the status of Project #BootTheBillionaires so far is gonna be:
1) Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
2) Vivaldi Browser
3) Kagi Search Engine
Will be paying $5-10/mo for the search engine but zero dollars for the OS, so that seems a fair trade.
1) Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
2) Vivaldi Browser
3) Kagi Search Engine
Will be paying $5-10/mo for the search engine but zero dollars for the OS, so that seems a fair trade.
January 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Okay, looks like the status of Project #BootTheBillionaires so far is gonna be:
1) Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
2) Vivaldi Browser
3) Kagi Search Engine
Will be paying $5-10/mo for the search engine but zero dollars for the OS, so that seems a fair trade.
1) Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
2) Vivaldi Browser
3) Kagi Search Engine
Will be paying $5-10/mo for the search engine but zero dollars for the OS, so that seems a fair trade.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
Oh wow. By default the display of search results was in a narrow box on the left, leaving a lot of blank whitespace to the right (for me). This is one of my pet peeves. BUT, in Settings > Appearance you can give *custom CSS*. Added a rule, boom, solved. Major kudos to them for that! Respect.
January 9, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Oh wow. By default the display of search results was in a narrow box on the left, leaving a lot of blank whitespace to the right (for me). This is one of my pet peeves. BUT, in Settings > Appearance you can give *custom CSS*. Added a rule, boom, solved. Major kudos to them for that! Respect.
My long frustrating search for a decent search engine may be over! Can't believe I didn't know about this before!
www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/test...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/test...
Testing Kagi, a premium search engine for a broken internet
Is replacing Google worth $10 a month?
www.niemanlab.org
January 9, 2026 at 7:22 AM
My long frustrating search for a decent search engine may be over! Can't believe I didn't know about this before!
www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/test...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/test...
Becoming more active in certain kinds of discussion in real life and less of those kinds of discussion on social media for a variety of reasons.
I now have some robust filters set up so I can continue using social media for fun and sharing cool stuff or calls to constructive action.
I now have some robust filters set up so I can continue using social media for fun and sharing cool stuff or calls to constructive action.
January 9, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Becoming more active in certain kinds of discussion in real life and less of those kinds of discussion on social media for a variety of reasons.
I now have some robust filters set up so I can continue using social media for fun and sharing cool stuff or calls to constructive action.
I now have some robust filters set up so I can continue using social media for fun and sharing cool stuff or calls to constructive action.
The real test of a game for me is, after my initial surge of NEW SHINY, after I've stopped hyperfocusing and played other games for a while, do I come back and get re-obsessed later?
The Outer Worlds 2 has officially passed that test for me.
The Outer Worlds 2 has officially passed that test for me.
January 9, 2026 at 1:32 AM
The real test of a game for me is, after my initial surge of NEW SHINY, after I've stopped hyperfocusing and played other games for a while, do I come back and get re-obsessed later?
The Outer Worlds 2 has officially passed that test for me.
The Outer Worlds 2 has officially passed that test for me.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
If you’re in Minneapolis and need a place to just BE right now, Big Hill Books and Birchbark Books & Native Arts are both open and ready to welcome you with open arms.
January 8, 2026 at 6:47 PM
If you’re in Minneapolis and need a place to just BE right now, Big Hill Books and Birchbark Books & Native Arts are both open and ready to welcome you with open arms.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
Just dropped some food at a Little Free Pantry. We support a food shelf monetarily, too, but some of our most vulnerable neighbors have good reason not to want to go to large gathering points this week to get needed supplies. Let's stock the shelves through this. Have each other's backs, Minnesota.
January 8, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Just dropped some food at a Little Free Pantry. We support a food shelf monetarily, too, but some of our most vulnerable neighbors have good reason not to want to go to large gathering points this week to get needed supplies. Let's stock the shelves through this. Have each other's backs, Minnesota.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
So deeply appreciative of anyone trying in times like this.
If online activism is a part of that for you, wonderful, make waves. But also validating those who for mental health, safety, or other reasons choose to have those big conversations and do the hard work in less public, more direct venues.
If online activism is a part of that for you, wonderful, make waves. But also validating those who for mental health, safety, or other reasons choose to have those big conversations and do the hard work in less public, more direct venues.
January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
So deeply appreciative of anyone trying in times like this.
If online activism is a part of that for you, wonderful, make waves. But also validating those who for mental health, safety, or other reasons choose to have those big conversations and do the hard work in less public, more direct venues.
If online activism is a part of that for you, wonderful, make waves. But also validating those who for mental health, safety, or other reasons choose to have those big conversations and do the hard work in less public, more direct venues.
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
V. boring answer but teaching myself to outline -- once I have my particular shape for the story, I find it much more fun to pour whatever I want into it in terms of voice, style, rhythm, tone, whatever (see especially AND WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU TONIGHT for example)
What has helped improve your writing the most? Developing an editing eye for repeated words, plot holes, and missing pieces of some sort #writingq #WritingCommunity
January 8, 2026 at 9:44 PM
V. boring answer but teaching myself to outline -- once I have my particular shape for the story, I find it much more fun to pour whatever I want into it in terms of voice, style, rhythm, tone, whatever (see especially AND WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU TONIGHT for example)
Reposted by Mishell Baker, who did NOT die
Giving people a little grace isn't a bad thing. Sometimes people don't know things and you can just politely tell them instead of loading a response with snark.
Yes this is me saying this. I haven't been kidnapped.
Yes this is me saying this. I haven't been kidnapped.
January 8, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Giving people a little grace isn't a bad thing. Sometimes people don't know things and you can just politely tell them instead of loading a response with snark.
Yes this is me saying this. I haven't been kidnapped.
Yes this is me saying this. I haven't been kidnapped.