Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah, I know a lot of people have that story, and in some ways because it is so common, I'm having trouble thinking of specifics!

Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 7d

i know a lot of ttrpg folks got started in a major way during lockdown, but i can't remember specific names. can anyone think of names? or maybe you are that person? i might have an interview opp

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 16d

It's okay to not want to pass, but I also think for a lot of people it's a normal and acceptable goal to be consistently assumed to be the gender they are.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 22d

On vacation and finally got to see the northern lights irl for the first time!! They were visible to the naked eye, and I felt so lucky. Nature's beauty is the antidote to despair, for me.

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 27d

Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔
on.ft.com/3K05vhS

When a parrot wanted to connect with a distant friend, a touchscreen showed a selection of other birds available online. The parrots learned to activate the screen, designed specially for them, by touching it gently with their tongues rather than pecking aggressively with their beaks.
"We had 26 birds involved," said Hirskyj-Douglas. "They would use the system up to three hours a day, with each call lasting up to five minutes." The interactions ranged from preening and playing with toys to loud vocal exchanges.
"When we went through the data, we found that most of these parrots had favourite friends," said Hirskyj-Douglas.

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

Silky @silkyweineck.bsky.social · 27d

the murder that’s not on every front page nationwide

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 27d

An antisemite shot two kids in Colorado, at least one of whom is Jewish.

The White House “fighting antisemitism” doesn’t care, because the shooter was a student radicalized online into far right beliefs, which the regime is cool with, rather than a student verbally criticizing Israeli govt policy.

‘Radicalized’ Evergreen High School shooter appeared to hold antisemitic, violent views in online accounts

Social media accounts that appear to be connected to the 16-year-old shooter are littered with references to mass shootings and antisemitic views, The Denver Post found.

www.denverpost.com

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27d

Hi Ellen! I'm replying on my personal account because the SFWA Bluesky account has reply restrictions on it, but I'm the Office Assistant. Right now, we're not doing any publisher-side advocacy, but you raise a good point. I'll take it to leadership! Feel free to email me at [email protected] too!

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

Chloe @ Small Stories @smallstoriesgames.bsky.social · 28d

Absolutely adore this — it really speaks to me both as a player and a designer, and it is clear and comprehensive in a way I didn’t personally find the Expressionist Games Manifesto to be

Natalie Pudim @luckoftheharbor.com · 28d

The Relationship Games Manifesto

An approach to analog roleplaying game design that centers our relationship to one another over any other priority. A call to action for games with empathy as a foundational principal. Free to everyone on my Patreon.

www.patreon.com/posts/relati...

The Relationship Games Manifesto | Luck of the Harbor

www.patreon.com

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28d

To sum up, this is an interesting look at a very particular subsection of TTRPGs, but one that is more forcefully stated than its content warrants.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28d

As a slight academic quibble, this also resembles post-modernism as a literary movement fairly significantly, not so much expressionism, which is a largely visual movement ill-suited to a words-based medium.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28d

Understanding Jay seeks games that play back, that ask you to fight against the rules, illuminates the design choices behind Yazeba and her other games. But it's wildly unfair to characterize games culture as "conflict aversion, author-worship, incentive-chasing, and [stifling] creative capacity"

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28d

i think this is a really interesting glimpse into what jay dragon is thinking about as a designer: possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
unfortunately i think it shouldn't be a manifesto, because it's not very clear, and it's not very generous to other designers.

The Expressionist Games Manifesto

“Work! Intoxication! Brain-racking! Chewing, eating, gorging, rooting up! Rapturous birth pangs! Jabbing of the brush, preferably right…

possumcreek.medium.com

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 29d

I love fall - it's my most creative time of the year. I've got a short story and novel in the works, as well as a new ttrpg, a painting, and some embroidery art. Here's hoping I finish some of them before it becomes winter!

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 29d

If you're looking for a verified donation drive to help a family in Gaza, I can vouch that one of my irl friends is helping with this one. Consider donating if you can! chuffed.org/project/1479...

Help Mohammed Hold On to Hope

Mohammed Abu Jaber is a kind, caring man living in Gaza, doing everything he can to support his family through unimaginable circumstances. Before October 2023, he had a successful business, but all of...

chuffed.org

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

Queer Games Bundle live now! @queergamesbundle.bsky.social · Sep 8

4️⃣2️⃣ You have 42 hours left to buy Queer Games Bundle 2025. Get over 600 radical, heartfelt games and projects for $60 (or $10+), less than the price of one AAA game. This morning, we've passed $80,000 for queer artists.

itch.io/b/3062

pixel art shows the numerals 1 through 80 over a background of genderfluid pride flag colors. each number is on a section of a ribbon shape creating a woven appearance, with rainbow and transgender pride flag colors and various textures.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Sep 2

Halfway through!! Get in on this!!!

Far Horizons CoOp @farhorizonscoop.bsky.social · Jul 27

Coming soon from the Co-op: The Far Horizons Guide to Mysterious Locations, a universal #TTRPG supplement, on #Kickstarter!

Follow now to get notified when we go live next month, and be one of the first to back this amazing project.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/fal...

Coming soon: Far Horizons Guide to Mysterious Locations

A system-agnostic tabletop supplement to add strange and magical locations to your game worlds.

www.kickstarter.com

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Sep 1

Notes From a Regicide by Isaac Feldman has two trans men who are deeply flawed, human people. Also it's really well written

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Sep 1

There's a website called Raven that does something similar I think

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

Damián Neri @damianneriart.bsky.social · Aug 24

If you can read Spanish, I hope you like Sofón, Issue 1. It includes 17 SFF short stories and poems in Spanish, which I really enjoyed reading, editing, and putting together. Sofón is the third speculative fiction magazine from Mexico that pays its authors. I also did the cover art ^u^

Sofón, Issue 1. Speculative fiction magazine in Spanish. It features 17 short stories and poems by authors from Mexico, Spain, Cuba, and Morocco.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Sep 1

Hell yeah! I'll be there too - from the other side of the Atlantic. They can't crush us. ❤️

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Aug 31

Oh no, I volunteer to eat it, just out of the kindness of my heart

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Aug 31

Thank you for helping organize things. I donated and shared, and I'm so grateful that you are doing this work. I hope you stay safe 🙏

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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander

audris @audriserat.bsky.social · Aug 30

(1)🚨ALL EYES ON INDONESIA🚨
It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets.
Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Aug 31

Yeah I'm not trying to push you into being sunshine and roses. I just hate seeing all my community sad and angry and I'm just like. Fuck that. I refuse. I will believe in a better time and I will believe I can get there with my friends

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · Aug 31

My own parents switched from being really dubious to full throated supporters of gender expansive identities, and I've seen other people change in the same way. It might take until we're 60, but damn it I intend to live until then, and after.

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