Emerald Zeea
@emeraldzeea.bsky.social
Writer, game designer, historian, queer, etc. (she/her)
My minimal situation to consider travel like that would be:
1) No evidence of unreasonable Canada/US border incidents within the past couple months.
2) No specific signs of upcoming serious US/NATO military conflicts.
3) Not going to a city occupied by CBP/ICE.
1) No evidence of unreasonable Canada/US border incidents within the past couple months.
2) No specific signs of upcoming serious US/NATO military conflicts.
3) Not going to a city occupied by CBP/ICE.
January 25, 2026 at 12:55 AM
My minimal situation to consider travel like that would be:
1) No evidence of unreasonable Canada/US border incidents within the past couple months.
2) No specific signs of upcoming serious US/NATO military conflicts.
3) Not going to a city occupied by CBP/ICE.
1) No evidence of unreasonable Canada/US border incidents within the past couple months.
2) No specific signs of upcoming serious US/NATO military conflicts.
3) Not going to a city occupied by CBP/ICE.
Abolishing and prosecuting ICE and purging CBP would be great, but can't be done by just threatening a shutdown or defunding DHS. Need overwhelming Democratic power, which is hard under ideal circumstances and way less likely under Schumer.
January 25, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Abolishing and prosecuting ICE and purging CBP would be great, but can't be done by just threatening a shutdown or defunding DHS. Need overwhelming Democratic power, which is hard under ideal circumstances and way less likely under Schumer.
Unfortunately, the OBBA gave ICE a huge emergency fund, so they could last quite a while without DHS funding. Best options are probably serious restrictions on ICE and CBP, removal of Miller and Bongino and Noem, outlawing tear gas and pepper spray, banning ICE/CBP firearm carrying in cities, etc.
January 25, 2026 at 12:48 AM
Unfortunately, the OBBA gave ICE a huge emergency fund, so they could last quite a while without DHS funding. Best options are probably serious restrictions on ICE and CBP, removal of Miller and Bongino and Noem, outlawing tear gas and pepper spray, banning ICE/CBP firearm carrying in cities, etc.
Sorry, tried to link directly to article that linked to the bill but accidentally linked to the reddit post linking to the article that links to the bill. Just click through a lot.
July 1, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Sorry, tried to link directly to article that linked to the bill but accidentally linked to the reddit post linking to the article that links to the bill. Just click through a lot.
It got quietly removed at some point within the past 6-12 hours, so apparently the point of order wasn't needed? Awful bill, will hurt lots of folks, but doesn't single us out now.
This article has a link to the final version of the Senate bill after the vote-a-rama.
www.reddit.com/r/transgende...
This article has a link to the final version of the Senate bill after the vote-a-rama.
www.reddit.com/r/transgende...
From the transgender community on Reddit: The Final Anti-Trans Provision Has Been Removed From The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Explore this post and more from the transgender community
www.reddit.com
July 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
It got quietly removed at some point within the past 6-12 hours, so apparently the point of order wasn't needed? Awful bill, will hurt lots of folks, but doesn't single us out now.
This article has a link to the final version of the Senate bill after the vote-a-rama.
www.reddit.com/r/transgende...
This article has a link to the final version of the Senate bill after the vote-a-rama.
www.reddit.com/r/transgende...
Also, Ron Wyden or someone else will bring up a point of order here. Things are definitely being done. It just doesn't get reported on because the news would rather post half-assed vague summaries of today's vote than bother looking into any procedural specifics.
June 30, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Also, Ron Wyden or someone else will bring up a point of order here. Things are definitely being done. It just doesn't get reported on because the news would rather post half-assed vague summaries of today's vote than bother looking into any procedural specifics.
They aren't. They're trying a 60 vote majority to get around the Byrd Rule, which isn't part of the Constitution, and it's legal to do that but also very unlikely to work. GOP are just trying to force a vote because they wrongly think later transphobic pandering will save their seats.
June 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM
They aren't. They're trying a 60 vote majority to get around the Byrd Rule, which isn't part of the Constitution, and it's legal to do that but also very unlikely to work. GOP are just trying to force a vote because they wrongly think later transphobic pandering will save their seats.
I remember. They've had a lot of changeover in leadership since that time, and they might not screw it up this time, but I'm not going to make any bets. Video game companies don't usually understand or properly value tabletop properties (or their consumers).
May 24, 2025 at 5:57 AM
I remember. They've had a lot of changeover in leadership since that time, and they might not screw it up this time, but I'm not going to make any bets. Video game companies don't usually understand or properly value tabletop properties (or their consumers).
I think we all figured out he was a racist back in 2010 when he became one of the leading birther conspiracy theorists.
May 24, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I think we all figured out he was a racist back in 2010 when he became one of the leading birther conspiracy theorists.
You know, even without the Street Fighter license, it'd be pretty easy to make a new tournament fighting game genre setting with very similar rules. A ton of the SFRPG content was original White Wolf stuff, anyway. (Like basically all of Player's Guide and its elementals, cyborgs, mutants, styles)
May 23, 2025 at 10:49 PM
You know, even without the Street Fighter license, it'd be pretty easy to make a new tournament fighting game genre setting with very similar rules. A ton of the SFRPG content was original White Wolf stuff, anyway. (Like basically all of Player's Guide and its elementals, cyborgs, mutants, styles)
The Corporate Speak in the announcement definitely doesn't help with that sort of thing.
May 23, 2025 at 10:44 PM
The Corporate Speak in the announcement definitely doesn't help with that sort of thing.
Promethean is cool, though!
May 23, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Promethean is cool, though!
A more competent administration would have taken it slowly, built power, and given conservative courts as much justification as possible to approve their schemes. Then we'd be in more danger. But fascism isn't associated with competence.
May 23, 2025 at 9:40 PM
A more competent administration would have taken it slowly, built power, and given conservative courts as much justification as possible to approve their schemes. Then we'd be in more danger. But fascism isn't associated with competence.
It's basically a race to save as many people as possible and limit the damage he can do before his power collapses completely. And it's depressing and stressful and infuriating. A moral injury.
But the court rulings absolutely do matter, is my point.
But the court rulings absolutely do matter, is my point.
May 23, 2025 at 9:37 PM
It's basically a race to save as many people as possible and limit the damage he can do before his power collapses completely. And it's depressing and stressful and infuriating. A moral injury.
But the court rulings absolutely do matter, is my point.
But the court rulings absolutely do matter, is my point.
Yeah. I think they will hurt a LOT of people before this is said and done. But that's different from the Bluesky doomer thing where Trump just acts like a dictator and rules by decree and the courts are powerless. The courts are weakened, but still quite powerful.
May 23, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Yeah. I think they will hurt a LOT of people before this is said and done. But that's different from the Bluesky doomer thing where Trump just acts like a dictator and rules by decree and the courts are powerless. The courts are weakened, but still quite powerful.
So he's been complying with most of the orders and whining about it, and just testing the limits of his powers by trying to use obscure rules and claims of state department authority to get around courts. It's petty and stupid and harmful, but it doesn't mean he can just ignore any court order.
May 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
So he's been complying with most of the orders and whining about it, and just testing the limits of his powers by trying to use obscure rules and claims of state department authority to get around courts. It's petty and stupid and harmful, but it doesn't mean he can just ignore any court order.
The more court orders go against him, the less legitimate his regime. Combine that with low approval ratings and governors and others start feeling way more comfortable defying him in the confidence that he simply won't be able to get the military to do anything about it.
May 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
The more court orders go against him, the less legitimate his regime. Combine that with low approval ratings and governors and others start feeling way more comfortable defying him in the confidence that he simply won't be able to get the military to do anything about it.
He's had to comply with the overwhelming majority of court orders. He can get away with violating the human rights of immigrants because this nation is sociopathic at its heart, but he has a limited amount of credit to spend and he's already running lower on legal resources and SCOTUS patience.
May 23, 2025 at 9:32 PM
He's had to comply with the overwhelming majority of court orders. He can get away with violating the human rights of immigrants because this nation is sociopathic at its heart, but he has a limited amount of credit to spend and he's already running lower on legal resources and SCOTUS patience.
I am extremely upset about their violation of these people's human rights and sometimes wake up from sleep stressing over it (sounds melodramatic but I have PTSD and stuff that makes me sympathetic.)
But Trump would be doing this to hundreds of times as many people if he could just ignore the court
But Trump would be doing this to hundreds of times as many people if he could just ignore the court
May 23, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I am extremely upset about their violation of these people's human rights and sometimes wake up from sleep stressing over it (sounds melodramatic but I have PTSD and stuff that makes me sympathetic.)
But Trump would be doing this to hundreds of times as many people if he could just ignore the court
But Trump would be doing this to hundreds of times as many people if he could just ignore the court
They're trying to argue that technically, they didn't violate the order. They definitely are, but federal court normally moves at a glacial pace and stalling for a few months while nitpicking isn't unprecedented.
The plane from Qatar is unethical, but not a violation of any court order.
The plane from Qatar is unethical, but not a violation of any court order.
May 23, 2025 at 9:29 PM
They're trying to argue that technically, they didn't violate the order. They definitely are, but federal court normally moves at a glacial pace and stalling for a few months while nitpicking isn't unprecedented.
The plane from Qatar is unethical, but not a violation of any court order.
The plane from Qatar is unethical, but not a violation of any court order.
You'd be great at it, too, definitely. It'd be different from Rose, but also great stuff.
May 23, 2025 at 9:10 PM
You'd be great at it, too, definitely. It'd be different from Rose, but also great stuff.
Rose is basically the platonic ideal of the WoD tabletop developer, yeah. Give her complete authority and automatic approval for projects and she'd deliver the best WoD ever made.
May 23, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Rose is basically the platonic ideal of the WoD tabletop developer, yeah. Give her complete authority and automatic approval for projects and she'd deliver the best WoD ever made.
It seems like they mostly pushed away from that mistake, so maybe they've learned better by now. It would definitely be great to have a win in the "gaming corporation" department.
May 23, 2025 at 9:06 PM
It seems like they mostly pushed away from that mistake, so maybe they've learned better by now. It would definitely be great to have a win in the "gaming corporation" department.
I've heard Wizards of the Coast's recent scandals (OGL, failed VTT) blamed on video game execs not understanding the hobby or the industry.
Paradox tried to get someone they thought understood, but they got a loud-talking self-promoting creep because they didn't know enough to spot his flaws.
Paradox tried to get someone they thought understood, but they got a loud-talking self-promoting creep because they didn't know enough to spot his flaws.
May 23, 2025 at 9:05 PM
I've heard Wizards of the Coast's recent scandals (OGL, failed VTT) blamed on video game execs not understanding the hobby or the industry.
Paradox tried to get someone they thought understood, but they got a loud-talking self-promoting creep because they didn't know enough to spot his flaws.
Paradox tried to get someone they thought understood, but they got a loud-talking self-promoting creep because they didn't know enough to spot his flaws.