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Misha Grifka Wander

@mishagw.bsky.social
750 followers 424 following 509 posts

he/they | writer and game designer | american midwest

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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
You can now buy real live print copies of my ttrpg Sound Check, if you are so inclined! it's about being in a band, doesn't require a GM, and i've heard it's probably the best game about being in a band* around: plusoneexp.com/products/sou... *no one has said this
plusoneexp.com
Sound Check
Is this thing on!? You're a musician who is ready for the limelight, just like everyone else in your band. Rehearse, party, get interviewed and get intimate—but don't forget, it's all leading up to on...
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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Ancillary Review of Books @ancillaryreviewofbooks.org · 06/10/2026
If you're interested, it's @bookshop.org's anti-prime days today and tomorrow, so free shipping! You can support ARB & AMOT by picking up any titles we've talked about through our Bookshop:
bookshop.org
ARB's Coverage
Check out this list on Bookshop
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
vigorously pointing to the sign that says "read Notes From a Regicide" again
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I also am traumatized by my PhD experience in ways that are hard to describe or reckon with. My sympathies, and I hope putting some of it into a novel was cathartic.
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Etaoin Shrdlu @filamena.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
UNION UNION UNION UNION
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I think it's time for an episode where you're finally able to make the case for men and also heterosexuality
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I was in a game with someone who was very charismatic, but always picked the exact wrong thing to say to people, so they didn't get very far in arguments. Making good decisions should be rewarded; making bad ones shouldn't. It's not just about personality!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If you're nearby, I'm teaching a class on comics creation in October! www.dzanchouse.org/register-for...
dzanchouse.org
Fundamentals of Comics — Dzanc House
(Choose your dates and price you are able to pay. Best to do both sessions as they build on each other) Have you ever wanted to make your own comic, graphic novel, or webtoon, but you weren’t sure w...
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I won't put a fatal dose of caffeine in it, probably
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Next step is to send me a DM!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hi! I can't message you either, ha. However, if you shoot an email to misha (dot) grifka (at) gmail (dot) com with a little bit about your interest and experience, we can go from there!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hi! I can't message you either, ha. However, if you shoot an email to misha (dot) grifka (at) gmail (dot) com with a little bit about your interest and experience, we can go from there!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Oops, i thought my dms were open. They are now! It's midnight for me, so I'll follow up with people in the morning.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ancillary Review is looking for more editors! Message me if you're interested in copy-editing, dev editing, or graphics creation for a Hugo finalist magazine of spec fic criticism! It's volunteer-based and fits with your schedule <3
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
hehehe the first print copies of one of my games! wow in real paper! @envi.bsky.social is my co-author and we are both exciteddd
A hand with three print copies of the game Sound Check by Envi Wiklund and Misha Grifka Wander.
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Follow the Leader (2026 CRIT Awards Finalist!) @ftlcast.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Join Schrag, Sam, & Jade/Koda as we play Sound Check by @mishagw.bsky.social & Envi Wiklund. The band's all here, but will they be able to make it to the big show, or will the stresses of the road, their pasts, & each other tear them apart before they get there? ftlcast.podbean.com/e/s10-episod...
ftlcast.podbean.com
S10 - Episode 117.1 - It's a Wuh-Luh-Wuh Thing | Follow the Leader
Join Schrag, Sam, and Jade/Koda as we play Sound Check by Misha Grifka Wander and Envi Wiklund. The band's all here, but will they be able to make it to the big show, or will the stresses of the road,...
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
all hail the new leader of a more enlightened world
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
plants should be able to drink tea, because sometimes i'm having a cup of tea and i want to share a bit with my plants! just a little sip for a friend. but apparently this is "bad for them" and "causes mold". alas fallen world
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
i would appreciate the Walking Theater!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's true! The covers are dynamic, inventive, and atmospheric. I love looking at the covers of new releases in the space, they're often really striking
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I know, but I had to see for myself!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
You don't have to read high literature all the time; I certainly don't. But I can't imagine bothering with reading this, and certainly not with writing it. We've got enough mediocre stuff in this world. LitRPG seems to be aiming to add a bit more to the pile.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Why include emotions or human connection or anything? It just gets in the way of the story. So let's condense it until it's very, very digestible. It's good enough to eat. It's not great, but it goes down easy.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
There's a typo in the link description. I point this out because the whole thing feels like: sure, who cares. Shortcut everything. Why try to be good? The interviewees say that they and their readers want to get to the point of the story faster, more economically. Why linger?
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Reactor just published an article, coincidentally, about why people like LitRPG: reactormag.com/the-rise-of-...
reactormag.com
The Rise of LitRPG: Why Everyone Suddenly Wants to Read Numbers Going Up - Reactor
The hottest thing in fantasy in so much more than a passing trend
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I'm sure there are answers to some of my questions later in the series. But I won't find them out, because the narrative did not give me a reason to trust that there was anything interesting coming. Everything that happened was utterly predictable, except the horror of the racism.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
On a meta level: why should we care about this character? Why is progression itself interesting? Why do people like video games, and how can we translate that beyond using numbers? Why do games use these systems in the first place?
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The biggest problem for me was that the book never asked or answered: why? Why would aliens work like this? Why would they make terrible jokes based in North American references if they are all over the world? Why doesn't Carl seem to give a shit about the trauma he's inflicted? Etc.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The prose was... bad. I don't get the sense the author cares about that, so i won't dwell on it.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I love video games, but the writing and references were out of 2000s GamerGate dudechats. I don't need to go back there. No one does. The jokes were not funny and lists of achievements are boring when you didn't achieve them yourself.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The racism and sexism was hard to get through. It isn't just present in the "game" writing, though it's most obvious there. I'm not just easily offended--I'm not having fun because the book is being shitty.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Calling it on Project: Read Dungeon Crawler Carl. I have many friends who enjoy it! I suspect they listened to the audiobook, but either way, I'm glad they had a nice time. I got 20% of the way in and had to quit. I'm gonna talk about why, but if you liked the books, you don't have to read this!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I've offered this before from a transmasc perspective and for free, and no one took me up on it. I hope they take you up, but my experience is that people would rather be wrong than vulnerable.
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Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 08/09/2026
hell of a piece. wooooof harpers.org/archive/2026...
harpers.org
Child’s Play, by Sam Kriss
Tech’s new generation and the end of thinking
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
but what about for the Content? how else shall I post?
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I think I'm gonna write an essay about it though :D
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Scott Fitzgerald Gray @scottfgray.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The number of people still seemingly unaware that Substack has a Nazi problem means it’s apparently worth mentioning yet again that Substack has a fucking Nazi problem.
theguardian.com
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Okay. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna try to read Dungeon Crawler Carl It's a library book, i can do this...
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molly tanzer (I guess!!) @mollytanzer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Thank you! I did, I think a huge part of society is signaling to each other "this is how we behave"
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Yes you should make it! It sounds so exciting!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
this is genius politics at work
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
excited to talk about content that indexes bigotry rather than expresses its own bigotry
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
on a panel starting in 5 minutes called "Can We Enjoy the Art of Unethical People?" at Worldcon! come see me talk about art made by people who suck~ if you're busy, I've got other panels I'm on :D search for me in the program!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
come for the Great Lakes you come for every Michigander!! I will punch this man!
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
some dubs are well-done, and I am happy to watch them. but some aren't, and the original actors have made interesting decisions about tone, volume, pauses, etc that add to the character even when you don't speak the language.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
i don't think it's that hard to glance at the subtitles and then look at the rest of the screen. they're short lines for a reason. unless you are not fluent in the subtitle language or you are a very, very slow reader, it should not materially distract you from the rest of the image.
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I had never heard of it till someone mentioned it on the @ancillaryreviewofbooks.org Discord, now I am devouring it, you should be on this Discord if you like books
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Made it to Anaheim for WorldCon, so far the most important news is that i started reading The Wolf and His King on the plane and I'm obsessed with it now
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Misha Grifka Wander @mishagw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Because laughing helps with cramps, of course!
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