crysonna

[crysonna]

"It's dark magic!"

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Elizabeth Warren for Time Magazine:

To everyone who feels like their heart has been ripped out of their chest, I feel the same. To everyone who is afraid of what happens next, I share your fears. But what we do next is important, and I need you in this fight with me. As we confront a second Donald Trump presidency, we have two tasks ahead. First, try to learn from what happened. And then, make a plan.

Many political experts and D.C. insiders are already blaming President Joe Biden’s economic agenda for Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss. This does not stand up to scrutiny. Even though the Biden economy produced strong economic growth while reining in inflation, incumbent parties across the globe have been tossed out by voters after the pandemic. American voters also showed support for Democratic economic policies, for example, approving ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage in Alaska and to guarantee paid sick leave in Missouri.

[...] What comes next? Trump won the election, but more than 67 million people voted for Democrats and they don’t expect us to roll over and play dead. We will have a peaceful transition of power, followed by a vigorous challenge from the party out of power, because that’s how democracy works. Here’s a path forward.

First, fight every fight in Congress.

We won’t always win, but we can slow or sometimes limit Trump’s destruction. With every fight, we can build political power to put more checks on his administration and build the foundation for future wins. Remember that during the first Trump term, mass mobilization—including some of the largest peaceful protests in world history—was the battery that charged the resistance. There is power in solidarity, and we can’t win if we don’t get in the fight. During the Trump years, Congress stepped up its oversight of his unprecedented corruption and abuses of power. In the Senate, Democrats gave no quarter to radical Trump nominees; we asked tough questions and held the Senate floor for hours to slow down confirmation and expose Republican extremism. These tactics doomed some nominations entirely, laid the groundwork for other cabinet officials to later resign in disgrace, and brought scrutiny that somewhat constrained Trump’s efforts.

When all this work came together, we won some of the toughest fights. Remember Republicans’ attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Democrats did not have the votes to stop the repeal. Nevertheless, we fought on. Patients kept up a relentless rotation of meetings in Congress, activists in wheelchairs performed civil disobedience, and lawmakers used every tactic possible—late night speeches, forums highlighting patient stories, committee reports, and procedural tactics—to draw attention to the Republican repeal effort. This sustained resistance ultimately shifted the politics of health care repeal. The final vote was a squeaker, but Republicans lost and the ACA survived.

Democrats should also acknowledge that seeking a middle ground with a man who calls immigrants “animals” and says he will “protect” women “whether the women like it or not” is unlikely to land in a good place. Uniting against Trump’s legislative agenda is good politics because it is good policy. It was Democratic opposition to Trump’s tax bill that drove Trump’s approval ratings to what was then the lowest levels of his administration, forcing Republicans to scrap all mention of the law ahead of the 2018 midterm election and helping spark one of the largest blue waves in recent history.

Second, fight Trump in the courts.

Yes, extremist courts, including a Supreme Court stocked with MAGA loyalists, are poised to rubber-stamp Trump’s lawlessness. But litigation can slow Trump down, give us time to prepare and help the vulnerable, and deliver some victories.

Third, focus on what each of us can do.

I understand my assignment in the Senate, but we all have a part to play. During the first Trump administration, Democrats vigorously contested every special election and laid the groundwork to take back the House in the 2018 midterms, creating a powerful check on Trump and breaking the Republican trifecta. Whether it’s stepping up to run for office, supporting a neighbor’s campaign, or getting involved in an organization taking action, we all have to continue to make investments in our democracy—including in states that are passed over as “too red.” The political position we’re in is not permanent, and we have the power to make change if we fight for it.

Finally, Democrats currently in office must work with urgency.

While still in charge of the Senate and the White House, we must do all we can to safeguard our democracy. To resist Trump’s threats to abuse state power against what he calls “the enemy within,” Pentagon leaders should issue a directive now reiterating that the military’s oath is to the Constitution. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators—none of whom can be removed by the next President. To those feeling despair: I understand. But remember, every step toward progress in American history came after the darkness of defeat. Abolitionists, suffragettes, Dreamers, and marchers for civil rights and marriage equality all faced impossible odds, but they persisted. Now it is our turn to pull up our socks and get back in the fight.

Elizabeth Warren wrote a well-written op-ed in Time encouraging Senate Democrats to confirm loads of judges and other jobs requiring Senate confirmation while we still have the majority and also fight back against the Trump tyranny.

[crysonna]

[crysonna]

A bird explaining to a hedgehog crossing so it doesn’t die.

[crysonna]

My tattoo artist told me his teenage son came out to him as trans by giving him a bunch of blue cupcakes and a greeting card that said "it's a boy!"

"That's cute," I said.

"It was NOT cute!" he snapped. "I thought he was pregnant."

[crysonna]

Alright, so yesterday’s post somehow managed to make a few people angry on social media. If you're one of them and really want to kick us in the face, here's your chance!

Jonathan is coming to Vienna Comic Con this month! Meet him there!

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The famous Billy Meier photograph famously used in The X-Files ‘I Want To Believe’ poster

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GOD BLESS PATTI LUPONE BECAUSE SHE SAID THAT WITH HER ENTIRE CHEST 😭🫡

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Horses are easy to draw and their anatomy makes perfect sense

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remove brain

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Some earthy bats

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[crysonna]

Why Tony Todd is awesome.

Lemme tell you a story about Tony Todd.

You know him. Yeah, you do.

This fly mofo has been in everything. Like, seriously. He’s been in some major Hollywood movies (Platoon, for example, The Rock and all the Final Destination movies) but is probably most famous for playing the Candyman, and starring in about a million B-horror movies. His list of TV credits reads like a comprehensive list of genre and procedurals. Your favorite show? He was probably in it. He’s just been cast in a recurring role in “The Flash.”

But among geeks, he is probably most famous for his recurring role in both TNG and DS9 as Kurn, Worf’s brother.

Kurn was a fantastic character with a developed arc over many seasons (which ended horribly but we won’t go there). Todd also guest starred in DS9 (sans Klingon makeup) as an older Jake Sisko

Also he has a voice like deepest smoothest melted chocolate. 

Tony was a guest at Shore Leave, a fan-run mostly-Trek convention I attended many years ago in Towson. He was a great panelist, funny and honest.

Now, Klingon cosplayers are always a big deal at Trek conventions. They do not fuck around. Their outfits could walk right onto a set and be filmed. Shore Leave always featured a whole contingent of Klingons. They’d run a Klingon Jail - you could pay to have your buddy kidnapped by Klingons and put in jail, and they’d have to raise money to make bail, and then all the proceeds went to charity.

Most Klingon cosplayers I knew weren’t that into Worf. He was just too…Starfleet. So when Kurn came along (and before Martok, the ultimate Klingon character of Trek), he was sort of the standard-bearer. He had been raised Klingon (unlike Worf, who was raised by humans) and was the very image of an honorable Klingon warrior. So you can imagine the excitement when Todd was a guest.

After the panel, we all left the hall, and there in the lobby was a big group of Klingons, standing in formation, in all their costumed glory, waiting to greet Tony. We all stood around to see.

He walked out and saw them. He didn’t greet them. He didn’t smile. He didn’t say hi.

No. Without missing a beat, he strutted up to them, and started…dressing them down.

Suddenly, he WAS Kurn. No makeup, but it was like Kurn was there. Walking up and down the ranks, calling them maggots, criticizing their attention, their bearing. Asking why none of them had bruises. Were they not fighting? Was their bat’leth practice falling behind? Where was the blood? And WHY WAS NOBODY DRUNK. He really tore into them, a little twinkle in his eyes.

The Klingons stood there, responding with SIR YES SIR when he addressed them, quivering with joy.

It was so awesome.

[crysonna]

hello again (bill clinton limewire voice) my fellow americans

There are a few states that actually have Shield/Refuge laws designed to help trans people fleeing from trans-unsafe states, which also guarantee trans folks access to healthcare. These states are:

California

Colorado

Illinois

Oregon

Vermont

Washington

Minnesota

New Mexico

Maine

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Connecticut

Washington D.C.

Additionally, some states have "trans sanctuary" executive orders signifying safety for trans folks seeking healthcare. These states are:

Maryland

New Jersey

New York

Living as a resident in these states means you are protected by state's rights and state government to continue or begin receiving trans healthcare. These laws have been codified in their states so everything has been a-ok'd by their state governments.

Stay alive. You got this. I love you.

[crysonna]

@beebundt

Drawing one or two leaves is manageable, but drawing a whole cluster of them is a different challenge altogether! I created a tutorial about conveying dense details, like foliage, quickly and efficiently - here’s a snippet from that video ✨

You can watch the full tutorial over on my Patreon! It's my latest tutorial which means that it's available for just $5 - next month it will go into the backlog which costs $10 to access. If you want this tutorial for $5, make sure you sign up this month!

[crysonna]

*crawls from the pit of packaging, my friend helping me package orders family guy posed behind me

"Which one of yall jokers checked out your holiday order as Doctor Danger??? Which one of yall is ordering your prints to a nunnery????"

[crysonna]

Happy Birthday 'Dee' Plakas, drummer for the punk rock band L7, born on this day in 1960, Chicago, Illinois

L7 - Shit List (Live at Rockpalast, Germany)