Michelle Travis
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samuraiko.bsky.social
Michelle Travis
@samuraiko.bsky.social
910 followers 440 following 9K posts
Tech writer.
Gamer.
Game designer.
CITY OF HEROES/RIFT video geek.
Critter.
Hates fascists.
So smart I'm stupid.
She/her.
Same handle on FFN and AO3.
PFP by @morgankit.bsky.social
#CriticalRole
#CriticalRoleSpoilers
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samuraiko.bsky.social
My mom-in-law emailed me about this earlier this morning, concerned about my husband and me.

I sent her this highly scientific illustration in response.
A screenshot of Google Maps - in the upper left is Redmond WA, while in the bottom center is Mount Rainier. A big red arrow points to Redmond with the text THIS IS US, while another big red arrow points at the mountain with the text THIS IS MT RAINIER. A large red line goes from one location to the other with the text ~80 MILES.
November 19, 2025 at 10:37 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
My mom-in-law just emailed us after seeing the news story that apparently Mount Rainier is being super grumbly, and she's worried about how close we are.

I put my considerable graphic design skills to work in reassuring her. :)
A screenshot of Google Maps - in the upper left is Redmond WA, while in the bottom center is Mount Rainier. A big red arrow points to Redmond with the text THIS IS US, while another big red arrow points at the mountain with the text THIS IS MT RAINIER. A large red line goes from one location to the other with the text ~80 MILES.
November 19, 2025 at 7:07 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Back when I was tutoring and working as a reading specialist, I had this particular Calvin & Hobbes cartoon blown up and hanging in my office. :)
A 4-panel CALVIN & HOBBES strip. Panel 1: Calvin is sitting at his desk in his bedroom, grumpily complaining to his stuffed tiger Hobbes - "We're supposed to have this whole stupid book read by tomorrow." Panel 2: Calvin flips through the book from front to back in one fast move. Panel 3: As Hobbes watches, Calvin is happily throwing the book over his shoulder and leaping down from his chair, exclaiming, "There! It's good to get THAT out of the way!" Panel 4: Hobbes looks directly into the camera and comments, "Reading goes faster if you don't sweat comprehension" while Calvin is dashing out of panel saying, "Where's the frisbee?"
November 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 3:53 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Something else I regularly share for those of us in the Seattle-ish area...
Every time I see this post come up, I post the same info for those who live in/around the Seattle WA area. — It irritates me to no end that Puget Sound Energy here in the Seattle area has a “Warm Home Fund” (where you can tack money onto your payment to donate to help out families who are having problems paying their heating bill)… … but it’s administered by the Salvation Army. Because I didn’t trust them not to stiff families who could use the help because of their own bigotry, I emailed PSE’s customer care to ask about this: I see that you have the “Warm Home Fund”… but it is administered by the Salvation Army. https://www.pse.com/pages/bill-and-weatherization-assistance Given the Salvation Army’s well-known anti-LGBTQIA policies, how do I know that any donation I make toward this fund will NOT be denied by the SA because of their well-documented prejudices? Does PSE have any oversight into this at all? I received the following response: Thank you for contacting Puget Sound Energy. PSE turns over all donations from our customers once per month to the Salvation Army to administer the Warm Home Funds to our customers. They do not know who donations are from, and they do not discriminate when serving the funds to our customers. PSE does have guidelines they abide in for operating the program, and income eligibility and a disconnect notice are all that are required. So it would appear, in THIS instance at least, that the Salvation Army at least has to play fair. That still doesn’t excuse their conduct the REST of the time, but at least now I will feel a bit more at ease with making sure that local Seattle families who need heat/power during this winter season will get my donation, regardless of the SA’s attitude.
November 17, 2025 at 9:36 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Chalk up another one! :D
Screenshot of a donation to Greg Doucette's foundation.
November 15, 2025 at 12:12 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
SECONDING THIS, PLEASE.

Just go to Settings > Accessibility:
A screenshot from the Bluesky settings sub-section for Accessibility, showing the boxes checked to: Require alt text before posting Display larger alt text badges
November 13, 2025 at 8:31 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
New manifesting goal.

I want to get a story into the eventual BELLS HELLS: STORIES UNTOLD collection. Let me write Orym. Let me write Ashton. Let me write Dorian. Any of them.

Please, gods, I want so much for this to happen that it physically hurts.
#CriticalRole
The front cover of the upcoming THE MIGHTY NEIN: STORIES UNTOLD book.
November 12, 2025 at 8:52 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
A book given to me by my late, great, ever-awesome Nana when I was maybe three years old.

Gyo Fujikawa's A CHILD'S BOOK OF POEMS. I still have it almost 50 years later - it is dog-eared, falling apart, pages are torn, there are childish scribbles ALL over it, and I still absolutely love this book.
The front cover of A CHILD'S BOOK OF POEMS by Gyo Fujikawa. Poems and illustrations from A CHILD'S BOOK OF POEMS by Gyo Fujikawa. Poems and illustrations from A CHILD'S BOOK OF POEMS by Gyo Fujikawa.
November 12, 2025 at 3:59 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
I nearly *SCREAMED* when I realized there was a godsdamned chart that almost perfectly explained my usual mental state.

(And then someone else did an awesome graphic depicting the various states.)
A chart depicting Kraeplin waves, showing the rise and fall of MOOD, ENERGY, and INTELLECT, and where the various waves intersect (or are polar opposites), indicating five mental states: mania, dysphoric mania, manic stupor, agitated depression, and melancholic depression. A cartoon depiction of various mood disorders as carousel horses. The cartoon is titled "What is a 'mood disorder' anyway?" Then explains: "Basically, it's a condition where emotions are derailed for an extended period of time. The main types are: Bipolar I: Alternating manic+depressive eiposdes Bipolar II: Alternating hypomanic+depressive episodes (hypomania= mild mania) Cyclothymia: Alternating hypomanic and mild depressive episodes Unipolar depression: Single or recurrent episodes with no mania Dysthymia: chronic low-grade depression ... which refer to these mood states:" (the carousel horses visually depict the up/down aspects of mood disorders) Credit to "What is a Mood Disorder Anyway?" by Ellen Forney
November 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Someone had to do it...
#CriticalRole
Using an online generator that mimics the signs that Zohran Mamdani was using in his mayoral campaign, this sign reads HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?
November 9, 2025 at 6:42 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
If you're in WA, we get stickers with our ballots AND we get digital ones! :D
A white speech bubble on a blue background. Inside the speech bubble it says, "i voted!" (the i in red, the voted in blue), with the King County Elections icon and name below it.
November 5, 2025 at 6:03 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
One of my two mains is a blue-line cappy and that woman is a fucking TANK.
A screenshot from LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE, showing a human Woman in blue and silver armor, a massive halberd slung across her back, standing in the ruins of Annuminas with the banner of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth beside her.
November 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Now that we're getting election results for Seattle-ish, let's see how my candidates are doing!

* State Senate: WIN!
* State House: WIN!
* KC Exec: Losing but CLOSE
* KC Council: WIN!
* City Council: ALL 3 WIN!
* School Board: BOTH WIN!
* KC ballot measure: PASS!
* Statewide ballot measure: PASS!
A chibi female samurai warrior with a beaming smile and captioned YEAH!
November 5, 2025 at 4:49 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
The elites....
A two panel cartoon - the left panel shows a stick figure walking along when a second one dashes in from behind shouting "hey check out how hard I can CRY". 2nd panel is then the second figure half crouching like a sumo wrestler getting ready to fight while gushes of tears stream forth with FWWWWFFFSSSSHHHFFFWWWWWWWW as a caption above their head.
November 5, 2025 at 2:38 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 1:41 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
This was my go-to in college and my friends dubbed it "Michelle's Happy Soup." It's a fast and dirty version of avgolemono.
Michelle's Happy Soup 8 cups chicken broth (can, box, water+bouillon, whatever) 1 1/2 cups Orzo (sub vermicelli or broken angel hair pasta) 2 eggs 2 tbsp lemon juice minced or powdered garlic to taste 2 pinches of dried chives 2 pinches of dried dill 1. Bring broth to low boil. 2. Stir in orzo (or substitute). 3. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. 4. Just before the soup is done, break 2 eggs in a 2-cup measuring cup and beat/scramble eggs. 5. Ladle into the measuring cup about a half-cup of the hot broth and stir, and repeat until you fill th measuring cup with egg/broth mix. 6. Slowly pour the egg/broth mix back into the pot, give a few good stirs, then lower the heat to low. 7. Add the lemon juice, garlic, chives, and dill, and cook on low for one minute. 8. Remove the pot from heat and enjoy!
November 4, 2025 at 2:42 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
H. A. Rey's "Find the Constellations", and Robert Kraus' "Herman the Helper"...

But fairy tales were ENGRAVED into my personality thanks to these exquisitely illustrated books my Nana gave me when I was four.
Art from A SECOND TREASURY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FAIRY TALES, adapted by Helen Hyman. Art by Fratelli Fabbri Editori. This piece depicts Cinderella sitting alone, a cat asleep in her lap. Art from A SECOND TREASURY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FAIRY TALES, adapted by Helen Hyman. Art by Fratelli Fabbri Editori. This piece depicts the titular Sleeping Beauty being awoken by the prince. Art from A SECOND TREASURY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST FAIRY TALES, adapted by Helen Hyman. Art by Fratelli Fabbri Editori. This piece depicts the Emperor of China and his courtiers receiving the gift of a jeweled bird from the fairy tale THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE.
October 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
WOOOOO for electronic ballot tracking!

VOTE, PEOPLE! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Screenshot from the WA state elections website, showing GENERAL 2025 at the top, and the ballot tracker for WHERE IS MY BALLOT? All six checkpoints are marked in green, indicating the ballot was: Sent Delibered Mailed back Received Signature verification Counted
October 28, 2025 at 7:27 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
To give an idea...
PSE's outage map for the Puget sound area. There is a LOT of red.
October 26, 2025 at 7:04 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Helloooooooooo, SIRS. #CriticalRoleSpoilers
Matthew Mercer, Taliesin Jaffe, and Liam O'Brien from CRITICAL ROLE, all in their best goth getups for their Halloween 2025 episode of Campaign 4.
October 24, 2025 at 7:05 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
What's it like inside your head?
October 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
If you subscribe to the labeller, then posts/posters that use AI will be labelled like this. You can fine-tune it once you subscribe to it.
A screenshot of a Bluesky post that shows the AI Imagery label.
October 23, 2025 at 3:55 AM
samuraiko.bsky.social
@voiceofobrien.bsky.social Hey, Liam - a couple of us Beacon Bits have a question... is the inspiration for the Hallowed Round (assuming it's an amphitheatre) something like the Ancient Theatre at Delphi? (But with a bigass tree in the middle of the stage?)
Photo of the Ancient Theatre of Delphi.
October 22, 2025 at 7:01 PM
samuraiko.bsky.social
Someone just posted on the #CriticalRole Reddit that they're wondering if this year's Halloween theme is "Everyone dresses like @alexanderward.bsky.social" and I am *PRAYING* this is the case.

(Then someone else chimed in hoping that they told Alex something COMPLETELY different and he's in pink.)
A photo from CRITICAL ROLE, showing DM Brennan Lee Mulligan and cast member Taliesin Jaffee at the table.
October 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM