Nicholas Orvis
@nsorvis.bsky.social
Dramaturg, director, critic, and scholar working at the intersection of theater and games. Co-creator @dndramanerds.bsky.social. Opinions my own.
I hate that we have let the nastiest racists on earth define and redefine our language. From "woke" to "DEI." Trump's policies are not anti-DEI. They are racist. US firms did not abandon DEI policies. They fired competent black women in droves on the basis of race and sex.
Ian Johnson@mrianjohnson.bsky.social · 4h agoDEI means recruiting the best candidates and appealing to the widest possible customer base - which results show is good for people, and for business www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
it is categorically insane that a very large portion of the WH press evaluates the White House like they're evaluating their wait staff at a fucking restaurant
boy, 1965 is a carefully chosen date re: "which bathroom to use"
Transphobes Can't Read@lordaslan.bsky.social · 2d agoAh yes, the two genders: Bugs and Women
if they're drinking nounwine it's fantasy. if they're snorting a verb it's sci fi
guy who plays popular ttrpgs: how do you calculate flame damage guy who plays indie ttrpgs: how do you calculate ignition ravages
This cruelty has no need but cruelty. Haiti remains deeply dangerous; a country in the throes of anarchy. Hundreds of thousands of people are SAFE. They are safe. They are safe here and the nation has decided to make them unsafe. We are embarking on a tragedy and we cannot look away. We cannot.
Yael Schacher@yaelschacher.bsky.social · 5d agoSo many immigrants I've interviewed break down about this. "Monsanto Maler was one of several Haitian immigrants who traveled from Springfield for a check in...after an ankle monitor was attached to him, Maler was seen collapsing to the ground and crying." www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/hundre...
For those who want a step by step guide to yeeting the Discover tab into oblivion, never to be seen again:
Alex de Campi@alexdecampi.bsky.social · 5d agoI am about to change your life. Go to Feeds. Unpin the Discovery tab. It vanishes, never to bother you again.
“I lived through peak woke” I write about the left, referring to an ongoing period of rising global right wing authoritarianism. Insights like these earn me millions annually. 
Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · 6d agoRoss Douthat lives in...Connecticut. To be fair, I haven't been there recently, but did I miss its "civic and educational collapse?"
“It’s important to point out that this isn’t content posted by third parties on Facebook or Instagram, these are ads that were reviewed, approved, and allowed to run by Meta, never encountering interference while the company collected the ad dollars.” Read the full story:
Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
More than 50 offending image and video ads were published across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta’s ad library data. Some ran as recently as this week.
wired.com
Hey is it good for democracy when an illegal secret police force operating on the orders of a wannabe dictator tracks down its critics
The three pillars of generative AI are "I hate paying my employees," "I'm an Ideas Guy and therefore deserve to be a billionaire," and "you should draw my commission for free"
Gretchen Felker-Martin PRE ORDER CHIMERA 2.16.27 🍉@scumbelievable.bsky.social · 2w ago"I'm entitled to whatever I want whenever I want it for any reason and I don't care what satisfying these urges does to me or the world" well okay dude, seems like there's something deeper going on here, but that's just my take
Ah yes, when I think back on all my happy years of gaming sessions, what I'll remember most isn't the impossible rolls or the laughter or the imaginative power of a group of friends. It's the ancient ruin slop darkrob13 just had to have for some reason. Just as Gygax intended!
Gretchen Felker-Martin PRE ORDER CHIMERA 2.16.27 🍉@scumbelievable.bsky.social · 2w ago"I'm entitled to whatever I want whenever I want it for any reason and I don't care what satisfying these urges does to me or the world" well okay dude, seems like there's something deeper going on here, but that's just my take
There is a huge difference between engaging with art via critique, and simply feeling superior to art. Trope-spotting is a particularly noxious form of faux criticism. Tropes are not innately good or bad; they are simply tools. You aren’t a genius for noticing that your carpenter uses a hammer.  
David Sims@davidlsims.bsky.social · 2w agoif I ever taught film criticism lesson one would be “you being smarter than the movie is not interesting to anyone”
The Missouri Attorney General is threatening librarians with arrest over an LGBTQ+ story hour for kids, suggesting that a picture book about gay dinosaur dads is "pornography." The Secretary of State says he'll pull funding if the event happens, citing the state's new age verification law.
This might be a bit of a hot take (and very much isn’t targeted at anyone to be super clear, just my general experiences over the last 8 months seeing people talk about my game) but I don’t think Girl Frame is niche or has a small audience, speaking as the person who has the sales numbers
AI is robbing you of the opportunity to make this instead
Davis Bickford@davis.social · 2w agoThe next time you consider making a flier with AI, please also consider that the most intriguing ad I’ve seen this week is a garage sale sign made of particle board with spray painted writing that reads, “GOOD SHIT —>”
The next time you consider making a flier with AI, please also consider that the most intriguing ad I’ve seen this week is a garage sale sign made of particle board with spray painted writing that reads, “GOOD SHIT —>”
I can provide a million examples but you get the point: games are crucibles and forums for thinking and expressing. They provide safe, consequence free zones to practice thinking in different ways and about different things.
Today is my birthday (turning 30), which is the only time each year when I ask you for a repost should you like my art. Have a good day! 🦦🌿✨️ - Simon
8. The capitulation of Amnesty International signals a bleak new era for transgender people in the United Kingdom. The country that once ranked first in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights now sits 22nd on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, after 11 consecutive years of decline.
Amnesty have issued an apology to JK Rowling and the rest. Adjust your expectations, and donations, accordingly www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/an-ap...
An Apology for A Growing Threat briefing, published on 8 July 2026
Amnesty International UK has made a public apology for the publication of the briefing “A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK”. Click here to read it in full.
amnesty.org.uk
No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...
theonion.com
While we are in this Greek Mythology moment, may I remind you that Emma Thompson is adapting Pat Barker’s take on The Iliad, and she’s struggled to get it made bc the focus on what acts of war against women and survival thereafter actually look like (the core of Barker’s narrative) is too intense.
Emma Thompson adapting feminist retelling of Iliad for big screen
The actress told the Hay Festival she is writing a film version of Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls to draw attention to sexual abuse in war zones
thetimes.com