#2023 Hypocrites of the Year

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Two (2) programs that might prove to be "old news" for us but today they provide an EXCELLENT primer on the crazy making Megaliars & their Suckit Mouthpiece Omit Scoobie. Both serve as REFRESHERS on the vindictive nature of the unroyal duo and their united quest to burn down the BRF.

Why does it matter? We must continue to challenge their lies and the Megaliars with TRUTH. Please consider sharing both programs. Also, please follow the links to their YT channels and leave a LIKE to beat the pro-Suckit algorithm.

Thanks to all of you here on Tumblr, I've come a long way from the royal watcher who surprised herself in a puddle of tears in 2019 (or 2020) when Megaliar published viscous lies about Catherine via her online mouthpieces. At the time, I had a Twatter account and a male from her past (yes him) jumped into the feed to encourage me. He explained that she was on a mission to burn down the BRF. I asked, "when will she be exposed?" He replied "she already has been."

HG Tudor: This One's Wife

The Plutonium Show: Pluto & Zach Podcast #87

The Meghans voted Hypocrites of the Year!

2016 MM "I stick with a neutral colour palette."

[the-sage-libriomancer]

Rewatched Princess and the Frog today and honestly it feels more like a celebration of Disney's 100 years than Wish. A classic fairy tale respun in interesting ways while still being undeniably Disney? Check. A traditional story with modern twists and a (narratively) strong female protagonist? Check. A return to 2D animation in a time when the medium was dying out? Check. Hell, it even takes place in the same time period (1920s) that Walt Disney released the first animated feature film and started a hundred years of magic. There are multiple references to older Disney movies, from classics like Pinocchio and Sword in the Stone to (then) recent films like Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. It features the fucking wishing star! In a more narratively sound manner than Disney's actual 100th year celebration!

And even beyond that, Princess and the Frog feels like it pays tribute to the magic of magic - the power of believing in stories, of having a dream, of working hard to reach your happy ending while never losing sight of what's really important. There is so much effort put into this movie and it shows: the animation is gorgeous, the story is creative and structurally sound, and behind the scenes reveals that the producers put their backs into making sure both the African American aspect and the New Orleans cultural aspect were accurately depicted. It was the first Disney movie in over a decade to return to the Broadway musical format, and they literally had to dust off the abandoned 2D art tools because the company hadn't used them since 2004.

Princess and the Frog was a labor of love through and through, a heartfelt tip of the hat to Disney's legacy while still being its own story. I don't know what could be more celebratory of Walt Disney's dream than that.

[sonknuxadow]

crazy to me that sonic has so many votes in the current sonic channel poll when hes objectively the least deserving of a win here. and i say that as someone whos favorite character is sonic and has voted for him in these polls before. literally what are you people thinking those other options rarely ever get official art and youre just blacking out and clicking sonic because you cant turn your shipping brain off !?!??!?!!??!?!?! come on man

[hannahhasafact]

Happy Artfight Day!

While the site is (presumably) down due to first day traffic, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the pressure that many artist can feel about the event. Remember, Artfight is a free, volunteer participation event. Leading yourself towards a panic attack to participate isn’t a good time for anyone! I know it’s easy for artists to put a lot of pressure on themselves for things like this, so I thought I might offer some advice on how to make it as low pressure as possible.

And as a reminder: it’s an annual event. If you’re not able to participate one year, there’s always the next year. I took a break from Artfight in 2019 and came back afterwards, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Anyways, I hope maybe some of my advice helps! Happy Artfight everyone!

(Btw if you wanna fight me once the site is up my username is the same as here 👀 Haven’t been put on a team yet but just fyi lol)

[polarfarina]

This tiny little couch futon thing I've been sleeping on since October really is not cutting it. I can't remember feeling actually fully comfortable lying down at any point on this thing. My feet hang off the bottom if I don't put my head on the edge (but if I do that my head is angled downward and I get a monster headache) and if I toss and turn I have to pick my whole body up so I can stay in place and not roll off. We put two mattress toppers on this thing and my hips still complain like I'm lying on the ground. As dumb as the queen with the feet that snapped off every other night was it was better than this

[sematarygirls]

Okay but he’d fuck you so hard when they lose the Super Bowl after you spends an hour gloating about the eagles handing their asses to them!

i saw this request and started giggling and kicking my feet omg. anon, i owe you my first born child. you are a GENIUS! (although, fair warning, i'm not great at writing smut. i hope this is okay <3) not proofread

cw: unprotected p in v, rough sex, mean rafe, slapping, degradation

Football tended to be a touchy subject between you and Rafe. Where you were a diehard Eagles fan, he wouldn't be caught dead rooting for them. After the Chiefs narrowly beat out the Eagles in the 2023 Super Bowl, Rafe wouldn't shut up for weeks about how "trash" the Eagles were. It drove you absolutely insane.

That's why, when the Eagles absolutely kicked ass this Super Bowl in a rematch against the Chiefs, beating them out at a whopping 40-22, you thought it was your well-deserved right to rub it in Rafe's face, much to his dismay.

One thing about Rafe is that gloating is only okay when he does it—much like a lot of other things (he's a very hypocritical guy), hence his growing anger when you wouldn't stop talking about how the Chiefs absolutely threw the game with all their fumbles, making jokes the whole time about how it seemed like they weren't even playing.

Another thing about Rafe? He tended to get violent when he was angry. With other people, this meant he'd kick their asses, but with you, it meant you were in for a long night of rough fucking to make him feel better and put you in your place for your "bratty attitude."

Though, if you tried to point out the hypocrisy with him finding your actions annoying when he had done the exact same two years prior, he would only get more annoyed and very, very defensive.

You'd learned at a very early stage in your relationship that some battles were not worth fighting with Rafe, and besides, you kind of liked it when he was all rough with you, manhandling and degrading you deliciously.

"Not so mouthy now, huh?" He taunted, pounding into you from behind. Each thrust pushed you forward a little bit, your face burying further into the pillows as you moaned. A sharp slap to your ass had you gasping, the pain sending a jolt of pleasure to your core that had you practically gushing around Rafe's thick length. You didn't know how long you'd been going at this with him, but he hadn't let you cum, nor had he let up the brutal pace.

"Look at you," he sneered. "Can't even think of anything to say back to me, huh? Thought you were gonna gloat all night about how the Eagles won." His words were cruel and biting, revealing the depth of his anger, which wasn't about the football game. It was more so about being challenged, his ego hurt after talking such a big game about how the Chiefs were going to dominate.

You couldn't form a coherent sentence. Your brain turned to mush as the only thing you could focus on were his rough hands on you and his length stretching your velvety walls. You could practically feel each ridge and vein of his cock as it slid back and forth, his tip nudging your cervix roughly with each pass.

"What happened to that smart mouth, huh?" He mocked. "Your dumb little brain's too desperate for cock, huh, bunny," he cooed, his tone patronizing as he continued to pound into you with rough strokes, making your back arch and eyes roll back.

He was so mean, but you loved it.

He was right. You couldn't respond to him anymore. You had lost your ability to form a single word, dumbed down to a mess of please sounds as he hit that sweet spot inside of you so perfectly. He took that as a victory, seeing it as proof that you knew your place. He loved it when you whimpered underneath him, completely at his mercy. "Look who's behaving now. You're lucky you're so pretty, honey," he continued, enjoying this little game of his. "Otherwise, I wouldn't put up with such a bratty mouth."

"Fuuuuuck," he groaned, giving your ass another sharp smack before his hands found your hips again, his grip bordering on painful. "And this fuckin' love this pussy. Fuckin' perfect, baby."

He was getting close. You could tell by the way his pace started to falter, and his words switched from degrading to praising. One hand slipped down to your clit, rubbing firm circles. Even when he was pissed, he still tried to make you cum first.

It didn't take much more effort on his part. Your thighs were already trembling, desperate for release from the moment he'd thrown you onto the bed and ripped your clothes off.

"You're gonna be a good girl now, huh? You're gonna stop being such a pain in the ass, aren't you?" He questioned, punctuating each question with a thrust. "No more running your mouth and riling me up, right?"

"Uh huh," you whined pathetically, needy and desperate to cum.

He knew he had you right where he wanted you, all pliant and begging. "Yeah, you gonna stop talking back, huh? You can be a good little bunny for me, can't you?" He cooed, his words sounding a little bit less harsh. He was enjoying having you like this, completely at his mercy.

All you could muster was a weak nod, your fingers gripping the sheets and mouth parted in ecstacy as you reached your peak, blinding pleasure overtaking your body as your walls clamped down around his cock.

"That's it, baby, just like that," he groaned, pumping a few more times before pushing deep inside you and releasing spurts of hot, sticky cum into your eager cunt.

[lotusarchon]

nezha is a child in the show isn't he? why are you shipping yourself with a minor and writing romance with him?that's so creepy,,,, how are you talking about dynamicsimp when you're doing worst 🤮

Found this cute Nezha fanart anyways

I knew I had to deal with one of y'all eventually but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Damn, at least let me hit 100 followers first 😞

Anyways uh. Nezha's first introduction in season 3 came out in like, what, 2022? I'm assuming it is, because I started LMK in March of 2023, before s4 was released and already found the show up till s3 by then. S5 just released this year, of which we've seen a weird increase of Nezha screentime of which I'm not complaining.

Point blank. The Nezha age controversies are getting old and boring. New fans and old fans need to chill out with those issue about the age business.

1) It's confirmed the Lego Monkie Kid version of the deity known as Nezha is an adult.

2) This is a god of an Eastern religion who is still very much worshipped to our modern day. If you did your research, you should be able to take note that Nezha isn't only seen as a child god, but even portrayed as someone older. I'm not a Daoist nor Chinese, so I advise you check this blog ( @/ruibaozha ) for more information on the subject matter.

3) As is the case with modern media and adaptations, different shows will portray religious figures according to what works for their plot. In the movie Nezha 2019 (forgot the title whoops), Nezha is portrayed as a child, as we are seeing a comedic but angsty interpretation of his origins. In the Legend Of Hei, we see him portrayed as a child, assuming for comedic purposes and to bond with the MC Hei.

3.2) If LMK wanted to portray Nezha as a child like his appearances in Journey To The West, and the Fengshen Yanyi (?), you must understand then his design and personality would've been portrayed more childish or at the very least a mixture of mature and childish. We can see this by comparing LMK Nezha and TLOH Nezha = both are stern but where one acts, looks and often shows childish traits, the other acts like an exhausted 25 year old who needs therapy. LMK HAS made children in the past, as we've seen with the Lady Bone Demon's Host and in season 1 a few kids here and there as background characters. If the show wanted Nezha to be a child, I'm certain they would've given him a similar model.

4) If in the instance that, let's say, the god known as Nezha was a child, and LMK Nezha is an adult, you SHOULD separate fiction from religion. Do keep in mind that Sun Wukong is still very much worshipped, however, I have seen fans, in and outside of LMK, who have written heavy NSFW and simped for him. A god is not the same as a fictional character, because by that logic we shouldn't be simping much less writing NSFW of Wukong either, given his story in JTTW where he becomes a Buddha.

5) I do not like proshipping much like any sane person. I also HATE aging up minors in fiction just for something like self shipping or to write nsfw. I have been in fandoms before this one: Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers, and My Hero Academia specifically, and it makes me uncomfortable seeing porn written of actual minors with excuse of them being aged up. I'm not so hypocritical I'd dare to want to do the same, not when I'm uncomfortable with anyone else doing it. If LMK Nezha was a minor, and there were sources to even prove as well within the series he's a child, then obviously, I would NOT be shipping myself with him, much less write romantic/nsfw content with him. I'm an adult, and I don't feel comfortable with minors in general, so why would I want to write romantic content about a FICTIONAL minor??

If you can find any source that proves me wrong, I'd like for you to do so. But until then, you, and everyone else who still wants to entertain Nezha's age; please stop.

I get it. Some of you like to headcanon him as a child so as such, seeing content with him as romantic or nsfw is uncomfortable. I understand, I do; I headcanon Mei as an aroace lesbian so sometimes it's uncomfortable finding any kind of content with her being paired with others. I do understand where you're coming from with your discomfort.

But I feel like, considering season 5 and hopefully if there's a season 6, the whole thing is just dust now. S3 must've been released in 2022, so it's been nearly two years since Nezha's appearance in the show. People headcanon he's a child, and people prefer to like the confirmation he's an adult. We get it, that's what fandoms are, different views etc.

But calling people proshippers or creepy or pedophiles for not adhering to YOUR headcanons is not only fucking stupid, it's just hilarious and way too old, AND just...boring. Especially considering I feel uncomfortable around minors and hate proshipping with a passion. There's genuinely nothing wrong with liking a headcanon, but if someone likes something that isn't problematic and doesn't adhere to your preference, I think you need to breathe a bit.

I was saving this off for last however, you hit the nail on the coffin with this. There is a literal document talking about the disgusting actions of DynamicSimp. If you still choose to like them that's fine, but forgive me for pointing out how hypocritical it is for you to bring up the person who purposely shared porn with minors to someone who avoids minors like they're the rat plague of the Middle Ages. 🤔

"you talk about DynamicSimp but you're doing worst"

Do you mean writing porn for a character who is confirmed to be an adult? Do you mean ensuring that my 18+ blog isn't found by minors and if it is I'll block them? Do you mean supporting someone who's harassed others about Nezha's age?? Do you mean being an absolute creep around children?? Do you mean breaking the boundaries where people have clearly expressed discomfort? Do you mean romanticizing abuse amongst other things for an au clearly being consumed by minors with no regards or wellbeings?

I wonder who's the worst. Me, the adult who only recently turned 18 and has limited his interaction with minors outside of family members, or the however old they are person who has a literal document and their victims speaking up about their actions, and who to my current knowledge has not spoken up about this and is still posting and carrying on without a care in the world?

Well zoinks Scoob, guess we're not making outta this one alive 😟

Edit: .....*disappointed sighs* I think some people really oughta chill out in my comments. Anon, I blame this on you 😭 why did you bring this here holy fucking shit dawg.

Alright. Alright uh.

Okay, so while I do appreciate being told the reasons as to WHY Nezha was "aged up", because a writer wanted to justify shipping Wukong and Nezha...I feel like the entire, "ah, but this says, and that says here-" about Nezha's age is just ridiculous at this point.

Yes, I understand, this is justifiably weird.

However.

Has anyone else refuted Nezha's age?? And I mean the canon show writers? Has anyone working on Lego Monkie Kid made a statement saying: "This person is disgusting, LMK Nezha is a child." Because, respectfully, unless canon sources provide information on it, I'm not going off based on the fandom opinions.

I'm not happy I have to edit this post to add this, much less try to explain anything, but, oh well.

1) "Ali, you're just trying to justify yourself and keep writing for a child." Listen. I've been groomed and dealt with fucking weirdos my entire life. Trust me when I say whenever I hear about proshipping it SICKENS me to the core. I HATE proshipping. I don't care what the excuse is, proshipping is disgusting.

I'm not mentioning the interesting fellows in my comments because it's pointless and honestly to make drama over this is stupid. But I was given some context to understand where they're coming from, and I do in fact appreciate it. Justifiably I don't blame them for their annoyance/disgust towards the writer Sarah (?).

What I will say though; typically in a situation like this, I'm certain someone in the team would've made a statement about this to explain that the writer is wrong. I'd assume at least one writer, someone OFFICIALLY on the team would've denied this proclamation of Nezha being an adult. I have not seen ANYTHING that says the show denies Nezha being an adult.

2) My friend, who was also in the comments (hi), is a native Chinese and a Buddhist for six years. I also have another friend who I'm not mentioning but ALSO is Chinese and WORSHIPS Nezha. They have more knowledge than someone like me does have on this matter, and I find it really odd how people immediately cite wiki and website sources to say, "Nezha is an eternal child!", and, "No where else says Nezha is an adult."

As I've said. If there are sources including the staff from Lego Monkie Kid that claims Nezha is a child, then I am more than willing to delete any content I've made with him. Full honesty, I have no intention of keeping any content with canon, confirmed minors on my blog.

But not only have I found anything that says the official story writers deny Nezha's an adult, but my friends, who are again, both Daoist and native Chinese, are aware that he ISN'T an eternal child.

If you are Daoist and/or worship Nezha, then by all means you can tell me that what I'm doing is wrong and correct me about Nezha's age. I'm willing to listen. If you also find information where the writers claim Saraha is wrong for her statement, provide it. I'm a person that likes reasoning, and I'm willing to see reason.

3) "Ali, you're not gonna see reason you're just trying to defend yourself again-"

Okay, backstory time: last year when I joined LMK, when I myself was a minor, I thought it was okay to write nsfw content for the character who was Lady Bone Demon's Host. My friends at the time did not tell me what I was doing was bad, so of course I kept it up, until someone pointed out that Bai He (fan name) is actually a minor in the show and was also confirmed by the show's producers. I felt so disgusted about it I deleted all my posts made on my old AO3 about her (which is faeriicrafts and still up surprisingly) and offered a sincere apology to the fandom about writing nsfw content for her. I changed and learned, and now I feel grossly uncomfortable seeing anyone writing nsfw for her despite the canon confirmations.

Justifiably, if more information about Nezha is released within Lego Monkie Kid, of which it's confirmed he's a child, I am more than eager to delete everything I've written about him, and even apologize again for writing nsfw with a minor.

To be honest, I just feel uncomfortable with the comments who are denying actual Daoists for the sake of; "I've done my research, no other sources has said Nezha is an adult, you're lying about worshipping him!!"

It's uncomfortable and really off-putting how you can tell someone that about their religion. Yes, this is for you specifically, that one commenter who jumped in and on my friend. Even if she has long since stopped worshipping Nezha, she very much did once. And I've gone to actual Daoists to ask more information about Nezha and the religion in general, who has in fact confirmed Nezha isn't just a child. I get that this is the internet, people can lie about anything. But it's still uncomfortable, solely because had anyone else claimed they're Daoist or ex Daoist and agreed with your opinion, you wouldn't have said that.

I'll reopen my comments within a few minutes, but don't be a disrespectful cunt. And can you maybe not deny someone about their religion? Even if you don't believe them, that's genuinely not an excuse. Because I know damn well, had she agreed with your statement, you wouldn't have pulled that.

Gods. I can't say I'm not surprised, but I'm just impressed about the lengths people will go for something.

Anyways, I've said my piece. If official show writers (because my Daoist friends have already told me what I needed to know) claim Nezha is a child, I'll delete my stuff with him. If not, then I'm not stopping posting Nezha content.

Toodles.

[delight-angelsbliss]

hey, i hope youre having a good week!!

im not sure if your requests are open but do you think you could write a sonic or shadow x reader whos a type one diabetic? ive seen maybe one other idea abt it for shadow and id love to see people write about it in more detail!

ofc, if you dont write for that, a general fluff for either of the two hedgies will work fine :3

Warnings: mentiones of syringes, not proofread as always

Precis: Hcs for sonic and shadow with a type one diabetic reader + normal relationship hcs

Notes: my cousin also has type on diabetes I found out in 2023 I only get to see her once a year. Ok so when I wrote like (っ˘ڡ˘ς)  that popped up and why r ppl using Arabic for their symbols?? Why is �� a smiley? And ppl complain abt using the Greek alphabet for symbols but then use the Arabic one as if that isn't hypocritical. Also I used what I've seen from my cousin and she used insulin syringes I've heard there r pills but I've never seen them so I hope this was ok! Hey dear keyboard from my mobile? Can you please stop making any simple present into a simple past or past form? 🥺

Sonic

Sonic isn't really good with memorizing reminders, his carefree attitude and fast pace of the world makes his head focus on other things than reminding people of things

But that doesn't mean he won't try to remind you to take your insulin

He isn't really a genius when it comes to health but he knows some of the basics like not using sweeteners or sugar in tea, making sure you always have insulin on hand and to always keep some before a meal

Sometimes sonic has to make himself look away as you pump a syringe inside your body before eating, no matter how many times he gets used to seeing you do that before eating, it makes him so sad knowing you have to do that everyday

It doesn't matter to sonic what kind of illness you have, as long as you're happy and healthy it makes him happy. He loves all his friends and that doesn't mean you'll get the same love, attention and more from him as his partner

Even when sonic isn't there he puts reminders and notes around your phone to remember stuff (even if you don't really need it) Sonic is trying his best but he knows he isn't able to do much that can help you which makes him sad almost everyday knowing he won't be able to take anything troublesome out your life to make it easier

Sonic still tries to be understanding and makes sure to sometimes drink tea without sugar for moral support no matter how bitter

Even if you chuckle, tell him he can add honey and that it doesn't bother you, he still persists as he tries to make jokes to lighten the mood and make sure you don't think about the mountain of syringes pumped with insulin and the lifelong condition you have

He'll make sure you're happy and remember as much as you can, he'll be the biggest help he can be!

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

Relationship hcs

Sonic may not have much time to spend but he makes every moment count, or at least tries to. Since Eggman is always plotting something, it is known as Sonic's "duty" to stop him while also keeping his charismatic personality

Some missions last months while some last a day or two, it varies a bit too much but that doesn't mean he isn't always there for you. I've said this before and I'll say it again: just because he isn't home much doesn't mean he won't think about you

His mind always wanders while fighting, thinking of you, at home waiting for him all alone (you're probably not alone but he likes to think so for his own ego) He doesn't like leaving you all alone but it is how it is

When he is at home he always wants to bring you with him outside. Mobius is such a pretty and sunny place so why not enjoy it? We all know he loves to run but he'd adjust his pace to be able to walk with you and listen to your day or whatever you say

We all know Sonic has immense pride and ego, so it isn't a surprise to other when he shows you off and makes sure everyone knows his love for you and the relationship you two have, to sonic, being yours and you being his is like a blessing. Sonic feels luck everyday knowing he's with someone he fully trusts and loves with his whole heart

Sonic knows that he won't always be there, that there's a lurking danger that he might croak during a battle, so he always tries to make the moment with you a good memory

^ he sees it fit to make many dates for the two of you, trying to make the memory one to hold onto, dinners, cuddles, movie nights, deep conversations while on a walk. You name it! He wants to remember his time with you forever and ever, he wants the same for you and he'll make sure it happens

His pet names for you are: babe, baby, my girl, babygirl (surprisingly), my love

Average teenage romance pet names if you get what I mean

Shadow

Shadow is stubborn, quiet and brooding, but that doesn't mean his memory is bad, he'll still be able to remind you daily to take insulin and actually researches what can make your blood sugar worse

He takes your condition seriously and tries his best to be there for you and help you with whatever you need: a ride to the doctors? Everyone get ready and buckle up! Cuz here we go (jay reference)

Shadow might be brooding but that doesn't mean he won't care for you and your health, he's like that with everyone even if he doesn't show it. His trauma of losing others has made him scared to feel that again so he becomes somewhat overbearing when it comes to your health concerns

He'll act like a mother and make sure you always have your insulin and drink tea without any sweeteners, this can obviously sometimes become too much to handle when he berates you for having high blood sugar or something else

The best way to get rid of that is sitting down and talk, listing a few reasons on why you need that overprotective kind of style to stop

Babes I know most of y'all throw an insult and can't make counter arguments but please learn to do that cuz it's a life long skill you'll need trust me

And you'll also need it here to be able to make him see how you don't like this overbearing behavior and nitpicking

If you do win the argument he'll try his best to tone it down, but that doesn't mean he won't stop helping you deal with it all. He's still too afraid you'll leave him one day or croak

Sometimes he just sits on his bed, thinking about you, it makes him nervous knowing you're dealing with something so horrid. We all know Shadow is more of a homebody so he tries to make dates indoors like a candle lit dinner, movie nights, plain cuddling and more!

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

Relationship !!

Shadow is very stubborn as we know (ahem idw) but he's still loving and listens to you/your ideas, he's already figured out what it means to lose people and he doesn't want to make the mistake of underappreciating someone again

He still sometimes has some nightmares of losing the ones he loves, including you, which makes him sometimes sleep on the couch as to not disturb your sleep. His nightmares usually consist of some places like the ark (did I say that right idk I blame the German dub) and his time there, when he does have nightmares he's in a vulnerable position, which he does not like at all, it'd best to console him at that time and hold him close while reassuring him you won't ever leave him

He tries his best to complete missions or outings as fast as possible so he can get back to you and do something together, even if it's just cooking a meal

His favorite things to do with you is definitely starting a new show, some of his favorite genres are definitely those crime involved action shows like 9-1-1 or something similar

His pet names for you are: my darling, love, precious, treasure and more stuff that makes you feel like royalty

[ts-witchy-archive]

Things I'm Doing to Make my 2024 Witchcraft Practice More Accessible and Consistent

In 2023 I was not very consistent with my practice at all. Between TAFE, university applications, ADHD, my (at one point) 3 jobs and just general life stuff, I haven't had a lot of energy to be consistent and just enjoy my practice. My goal for the coming year is to make my practice as accessible and as fun as possible. I want to practice a lot, I want to do a lot of research and spell work in 2024. So this is a list of a few things I'll be doing to make sure I meet those goals!

Enchanting my skin care with glamours and intentions for clear skin. That way I don't have to remember to say my intentions everyday and it will still have some effect if I forget

Cleaning my altars because I'm way more likely to do stuff if I have a clean space. (obvious I know but i haven't cleaned it for like 6-7 months)

Getting rid of my "only do it if needed rule". Fuck it. I like doing spells. Just because I'm not homeless doesn't mean that I shouldn't do a prosperity spell. It also limits my experiences with spell work

More magical playlists. I have like 20 ideas for what to make I just haven't done it yet lol. I love music more than anything so intention playlists are great options if I want a very quick 'spell'

Make a list of things to post here. I tend to come up with Ideas i've never thought when making tumblr content! Personally, brain storming and content creation counts as part of my practice

Enchanting my water bottle! If I'm hydrating I may as well make it fun (it'll also probably make me more likely to drink water)

Make a list of accessible offerings! I really struggle to give offering because if I don't go the whole 9 yards I feel like a bit of a failure (which is so hypocritical of me given all the things I talk on here). I think have a list will help me get past that first barrier of not knowing what to offer.

Make a shortened version of the offering ritual I do. I am more low energy than not during the school year so this will be very valuable for me

This is the full list as of this moment but this list is for me more than it is for sharing knowledge purposes so I'm okay with not having it 100% finished. If I think of anything else I'll add it and if anyone else has any tips they are very welcomed. Happy new years :)

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I am afraid to send this ask, because Idk your views on the matter.

H&M are getting dragged for cutting the funding of the pro Palestinian charity, it made it into my non royal feed

I think it's hypocritical of Archewell and the Sussexes to say they refuse to tolerate hateful actions and language when they've done the things they've done and said the things they've said to the BRF, Thomas Markle, Dr. Chandauka, and their staffs.

But they're the ones giving out the money so they get to make decisions like this, no matter hypocritical it is.

Good on the charity and Janan for sticking up for themselves and drawing attention to this. IMO, she told no lies in her two-year-old blog. Did you guys catch that, by the way? They cancelled funding over a blog post Janan wrote in February 2023, over two years ago.

Hopefully with the new awareness Janan and the group are raising they can find a benefactor to replace those funds. I think they will, even if it's just grassroots fundraising by supporter.

Respectfully, I don't post on Gaza because it's political and I keep this blog politics-free. Anons are welcome to keep sending me asks about it but they won't be posted. If it's important to know where I stand politically (I get it, some people need that), then you're welcome to DM me about it but like I said, I don't really get into politics or political issues here on tumblr because this is my escape so it may not be a long conversation.

[gascon-en-exil]

Fire Emblem Heroes and the Great Male-Presenting Nipple Hunt

Last year I put out a post criticizing the paltry state of male fanservice in Fire Emblem Heroes by contrasting it against technically-SFW artwork in a variety of explicit gay dating sims. Very little has changed since then, bar one notable exception -

Eikþyrnir, a.k.a. Deer Daddy, just won Choose Your Legends. Not only that, but he got more votes than any other character in the event. I don't go there, but I hear that this has apparently made some people over on Reddit angry in a comically hypocritical way, because at least unlike Baldr also winning this year or Gullveig doing so back in 2023 Eik already exists as a character in FEH with two playable versions and the mild suggestion of a personality. Reddit, presumably, is angry because he has the audacity to be horny while male:

Now I could find a dozen or more sexier interpretations of a deer/elk/moose man out there, because I occasionally move in furry-adjacent online kink circles, but as far as FEH is concerned this guy is water in a desert - and those of us who wish this game would even pretend to be more equal opportunity with its fanservice have been parched.

That said...the man's got no nipples.

Nipples on their own are hardly the be-all, end-all of male fanservice, as I demonstrated in that previous post. However, I find that they're a useful signifier for the way that Fire Emblem and indeed most mainstream animated media prefer to handle the subject of partial male nudity. There's no shortage of muscular, bare-chested men in this game, but as is so often the case those characters are designed not to be eroticized in the same way that virtually every female character is in one way or another, but rather to be aspirational power fantasies for straight men.

Nipples disrupt that fantasy, both visually and psychologically. They call to mind how women's nipples are usually considered obscene and thus censored, like what happened with mythic Loki last year on YouTube. More concerningly for the heteronormative male gaze, nipples are erogenous zones for some men and so connote both vulnerability as well as the knowledge that male characters can be sex objects to certain audiences. The long and short of it is that male nipples can make straight men uncomfortable and are thus often censored by way of excluding them from art where they should logically appear, anatomical accuracy be damned.

In the wake of Deer Daddy's win I set out to survey men's nipples of FEH, because I'm aware that there are at least a few of them. This took several hours of scrolling through hundreds of pieces of Heroes art, including attack and damaged poses since FEH is infamous for giving female characters strategically-placed ripped clothing in the latter. I even looked at all the available resplendent art, though that proved to be a waste of time as there's not a nipple to be found in any of those updated designs. Note that a subjective element to this was unavoidable; as straightforward as this all might sound, you'd be surprised how often it can hard to distinguish what might be a visible nipple from shading or muscle contour. By the end of scanning artwork of over 500 different units I was almost beginning to imagine nipples where none existed!

Needless to say, there will be a lot of images in this post, but as they're all guys from FEH they can only get so racy. Prepared to be disappointed.

Generally speaking, bare-chested men in FEH come in two flavors: characters who were shirtless in their original artwork, and summer alts. Those swimsuit banners are filled to the brim with conspicuously nipple-free men, though Magvel may take the cake solely on account of how many summer alts FE8 has gotten over the years.

Of that set the faint discoloration on Joshua's right pec just above the strap might be a nipple, but that's as good as it gets.

Fódlan fares marginally better here. There's the suggestion of nipples in Dedue's art as well as in Lorenz's attack pose (ignore his infamous Ken doll crotch) and Sylvain's damaged art. Neither of the house leaders have anything going on, though.

Awakening also has a few summer alts with what might be nipples.

The fact that neither Ike nor any of the male laguz have swimsuit alts after eight years and sixteen summer banners might as well be Exhibit A for how IS doesn't understand how to make use of the male fanservice fodder it's got. Ike's not likely to get one this year either, not when he just got a desert alt...but with that said there may be a bit of nipple on that alt's damaged art, just under the rip.

While we're talking possible ripped nip slips try saying that three times fast, there's a handful of others that at least approach that territory, like brave Dimitri, Jeralt, and also Hubert for some reason. Osian wins this category though, with that slightly darkened and prominent bump on his right pec that I'm going to liberally accept as a nipple.

Then there are characters who ordinarily go about bare-chested, although they're just as likely to be lacking in nipples which makes me sad. These could have been so much hornier!

Although to the artists' credits, some characters are missing nipples in their base versions only to (maybe?) gain them in alts, like Hawkeye and Linus.

Soeda Ippei is often cited as the one FEH artist that consistently delivers on male fanservice, and while he has come through with some of the best the game has to offer as we'll see at the end he's also guilty of the occasional nipple-less design. Notable among these is autumn Dorcas, who fails my criteria here but who is otherwise a much better take on a mildly horny bull guy than Askr who's just a disappointment no matter how you look at him.

Seriously, show the design on the right to anyone even passingly familiar with the work of gay furries/monsterfuckers to give them a good laugh. Why is the bull a borderline twunk?!

But anyway, since I'm reaching the image limit on this post it's time for me to hand out the top prizes for FEH's Most Prominent Male Nipples! As well as an honorable mention...

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this may be the single raciest piece of art of a male character in FEH. Hot springs Ryoma gets his towel blown off in his damaged pose, leaving him in nothing but an open loincloth. His chest might be the usual flat slab of muscle, but that's closer to flashing some dick than I'd ever have expected of this game.

But onto the nipple-based winners:

Starting with one by Ippei, Darros has at least one visibly-defined areola in all of his poses.

Mustafa has both nipples clearly visible in his attack and damaged art. I seriously have never thought twice about this guy before now and I've never seen this brought up, so his art stunned me when I saw it. Even more amazingly, this isn't an Ippei piece but rather was done by Toshiyuki Kusakihara, the art director of Awakening.

Still, the grand prize has to go to Ippei.

Fargus doesn't merely have nipples; he has chest hair, which I'm pretty sure makes him the only character in all of FEH with any visible hair below the neck (not counting tails on any of the furry shapeshifters, before someone brings those up). He also lacks the standard muscle definition and instead has what looks to be an actual gut. How did IS ever approve this?

Well...it probably helps that Fargus is an NPC from a pre-Awakening game who got released via a Grand Hero Battle so no one's spending orbs on him anyway.

That's the unfortunate reality of all these top picks. They're all minor characters, with two of them not even playable in their own games, and as far as I'm aware none of them are exactly premium units in FEH. They're low-value characters, and likely not ones most players are likely to take note of unlike the lords and similarly popular units, so they get to be horny in a way that's unconventional for this game.

I don't seriously expect Eik's CYL win to change much of anything when it comes to male fanservice; as I suggested at the top, his design relative to what it could have been is actually quite safe for any but the most insecure of straight men. I just hope that 3/4ths of the winners coming from FEH doesn't send IS the message that they can continue cranking out low-effort fanservice OCs instead of working on the next mainline game. Those may now only exist to subsidize the roster of the mobile gacha...but that would still be highly disappointing.

[foxes-that-run]

Taylor Swift & Harry Styles Reunite at the 2023 Grammys: Watch the Moment

Billboard - Hannah Dailey - 02/05/2023 (x)

You know it’s not the same as it was, but we remember it all too well. It’s been more than a decade since Harry Styles and Taylor Swift dated and called it quits, leaving millions of heartbroken fans feeling akin to children of divorced parents. But at the Grammy Awards Sunday night (Feb. 5), the two singers proved that, though long broken up, Mom and Dad are on great terms, taking time to chat and support one another during the ceremony.

In an onsite video captured during Steve Lacy’s performance of “Bad Habit,” Swift can be seen making her way over to Styles’ table in her glitzy, midnight-blue two-piece gown. The “As It Was” singer, who took home the coveted album of the year award and best pop vocal album for Harry’s House that night, stands up to greet her with a hug.

As Lizzo dances along to Lacy’s performance a few chairs down, the former pop power couple talk for about a minute before Swift glides elegantly away. Did she congratulate her “ex man” (to quote “Shake It Off”) on his wins? Did they discuss the best ways to co-parent their joint fanbase? It remains to be known what their brief conversation was about, but whatever it was, they were all smiles throughout.

The moment mirrors Swift and Styles’ reunion at the Grammys two years ago, when it was Swift who was honored with album of the year for Folklore. Just like this year, the two were also spotted on video having a friendly conversation at the 2021 awards, except Harry was the one to approach Taylor.

The “Anti-Hero” singer — whose “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” was nominated for song of the year, which went to Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” — was also filmed passionately applauding Styles after his performance of “As It Was,” giving him a standing ovation. Now that snowmobile accidents, paper airplane necklaces and dozens of songs rumored to have been written about each other (looking at you, “Style” and “Two Ghosts”) are simply things of the past, fans can rest easy knowing that the two pop stars are friendlier than ever.

Taylor Swift Gives Ex Harry Styles a Standing Ovation as He Wins Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album

Eliza Thompson February 5, 2023 Us magazine (x)

Showing her support! Taylor Swift stood up and clapped for ex-boyfriend Harry Styles as he won a trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2023 Grammys on Sunday, February 5.

“Thank you so much,” the former One Direction member, 29, said during his acceptance speech. “This album, from start to finish, has been the greatest experience of my life. From making it with two of my best friends to playing it for people has been the greatest joy I could have asked for.”

The Don’t Worry Darling star went on to thank “everyone who inspired this album” and all of the friends who “supported” him during the recording process. “I wouldn’t be here without you,” he added. “Thank you so much.”

When Styles’ name was called as the winner — he beat ABBA, Adele, Coldplay and Lizzo — the “Anti-Hero” singer, 33, jumped to her feet and applauded the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner, wearing a big smile on her face

The U.K. native and the “Maroon” artist first sparked romance rumors in December 2012 when they were spotted strolling through New York City’s Central Park. The duo called it quits just one month later, but their relationship remained a subject of fan speculation for years. When Swift released her album 1989 in 2014, some listeners theorized that tracks including “Out of the Woods” and “Style” were about her fling with the former boy bander.

Styles, for his part, has said that he doesn’t blame his ex-girlfriend for writing about her relationships, even if that means he’s sometimes a subject of her lyrics. “We always say that we write from personal experience, and I think everyone does,” he explained during a 2014 Google Hangout. “So, it would be hypocritical to say ‘Oh, you can’t write songs.’ And she’s really good, so, they’re good songs. I’m really lucky in that sense.”

Three years later, he noted that he was proud to be a small piece of Swift’s success, though he admitted he didn’t really know if any of her songs are about him. “I’m lucky if everything [we went through] helped create those songs,” he told Rolling Stone in April 2017. “That’s what hits your heart. That’s the stuff that’s hardest to say, and it’s the stuff I talk least about. That’s the part that’s about the two people.”

The “As It Was” singer’s Best Pop Vocal Album win is his second Grammy award. He won his first — Best Pop Vocal Performance for “Watermelon Sugar” — in 2021.

[khaoala]

Mark calling himself a loser and talking about how stgd failed(I'm guessing cause of engagement) is depressing idk how to put this but that could've been fkt with eclipse and that could still be fkt if soms stay the same when we don't get a series in 2026 then people will talking about burning gmm down but won't add a single hashtag to tweets is it good system?no! It's stupid and self destructive but it is what it is and best we can do for fkt is this but no we gotta fight til our boys also feel like this damn even bounprem were like wow we don't have many fans anymore and first was telling yuzumumu if they aren't extrovert they won't get to work like good lord this whole thing is depression central sorry I just need to speak this or I'll start crying

i watched that video and it made me so sad bc even though i'm not someone who follows mark as closely as i do others, many of the shows i've seen had him supporting the whole plot. the highlight of last twilight to me was night, i adored him as nick, he is an extremely competent and versatile actor who had the chance to finally lead a show and... it didn't do well.

you have no idea how angry i get that this is the system they use to give artists more gigs. it makes fans feel responsible for the future of their favs and fuck all of us if it doesn't work out. there are brand events hashtags that are getting more than 1M tweets nowadays, the couples that did the best numbers on LOL got fancons (and mind you, dungjangs are a powerful fandom in the trending game, and even joongdunk were left out bc i think they didn't get to the top-?? of most engaged artists).

so yeah, using hashtags is important, yes. i do think that, since gmm has a bazillion couples now, that hashtags will dictate at least partially which ones will be worth their money and which won't get series for a year or two. talent can just take you so far in an industry like this, and i genuinely think firstkhaotung know this. they have been talking about being old despite being just 26 for months, how they were praying on 2023-2024 merits to get blessed with more work. khaotung has said that he will study acting abroad when he gets to his 30's (though i can't remember when he said that, sorry), most of these people have university degrees in things that don't relate at all to acting or the entertainment industry. it is, by all means, a popularity contest.

idk how well we will do for cat for cash because that will also depend on who the rest of the cast will be, but regardless of that, i do hope we get a nice balance of people wanting to help trending but also people who won't just go around pointing fingers and forcing people to do that. it sounds hypocritical what i am saying, but bear with me, i know how stressful that whole thing can be, and to reach those insane numbers, the tag is just filled with senseless things, and i know it's a pain in the ass, HOWEVER, it doesn't feel like gmm is planning to change the way it works, unless twitter explodes and there's no way of getting it back.

[merryslilhobbit]

There are so many things about the Daniel Ricciardo situation that frustrate and anger me, so I'm getting them off my chest before I lose the plot. I'm sure other people have said the same things, but here we go.

Horner made a whole big show of picking Daniel up after the McLaren debacle, bringing him back into "the family". Made himself out to be some sort of saviour. Rebuilding Daniel's confidence, his physical and mental health. Got a dig in at Zak in a press conference about "feeding Daniel up" because he was skinny. Invited DTS to see his return at Silverstone 2023. So to kick Daniel to the curb just a few races before the end of the season? Because they have "a lot of data on Daniel" and need to see other options for the future? Hypocritical c*nt.

Next, replacing him with someone they're not confident enough in to give a contract to straight away? Yes, Liam did a good job in Daniel's absence last year. This is absolutely not me shitting on Liam - I like him, and I think he and Yuki will be good teammates. But he's been out of full time racing for a while. Allegedly RB weren't overly excited about his testing times in the summer. While it will be interesting to see how he compares to Yuki, why are RB hanging onto Liam when they don't seem confident enough to give him a full time seat? Why are they so determined to keep pushing this one? (Yes I know the answer is probably contracts, but still.)

Then there's the fact that Daniel has actually outperformed Yuki in 6 of the last 9 races (since the start of the European leg). In the same period, they've scored the same number of points. Daniel has also been more consistent in his finishing position than Yuki. In terms of form, Singapore excluded (but I think we can forgive him that one, given the media shitstorm), he's been the better of the two and isn't it meant to be that the first person you need to beat is your teammate? There's only so much you can achieve in a tractor.

And we can't forget the Checo situation. Following the first six races he's bombed in comparison to Max. He's probably cost Red Bull the Constructors'. He was given a few races to improve, didn't and then was kept anyway (probably because of money and the Mexican GP). He often qualifies further behind (in time) Max than Daniel does Yuki. I know Red Bull are coming out now and saying they found a problem with their design from Barcelona last year, when Checo first started reporting issues but frankly I'm calling bullshit on that. As mentioned, Checo had six very good races and results at the start of 2024. And some decent ones at the end of 2023. At one point there was speculation that Daniel might even replace Checo mid-season (some reports say it was a done deal), so in the space of a few weeks to go from that to being dropped himself? I have whiplash.

And I think that's the hardest part. A lot of people were probably aware that it could be difficult for Daniel to get a seat for next year. But at no point was there any suggestion that he might get replaced mid-season. Not even in the middle, six races before the end. When Red Bull confirmed in the summer break that both Checo and Daniel would see out the seasons in their current seats.

Red Bull have created an absolute PR disaster and they deserve it. Driver of the Day, amongst many other things in the last 48 hours, reflects the love and respect so many people have for Daniel. People who see how emotional he was, who see that he didn't have an opportunity to say goodbye properly (fuck, even McLaren did that - remember the Monza 2021 photo on his steering wheel?). People who recognise that dumping him so close to the end of the season is ridiculous.

In the end, I hope that Daniel really is at peace with it all and is in better shape than he left McLaren; that he can be proud of all of his achievements in the sport. Drivers come and go, but very few make their mark in the way Daniel has done. He may not have broken records or won championships, but the fact that he will still be remembered for a very long time despite those things is a testament to his character, to the sort of person we all know and love.

[route22ny]

"I think what Trumpism is about, is an understanding that the system in America is not working for working-class people,” says Bernie Sanders, sitting in the Guardian’s offices in London. “In a phoney, hypocritical way, Trump has tapped into that. His quote-unquote ‘solutions’ will only make a bad situation worse.”

In person, Sanders’ 83 years read differently than in photograph, perhaps because of how conversational he is. His voice is magnetic – a Brooklyn accent that feels both warm and tough. “But what I have been aware of, and I’ve talked about it for years, is that in America, the very richest people are doing phenomenally well, while 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck.”

Later, he will say the same thing to an audience in London – only with more emphasis and passion. “Sixty per cent. Six-zero. Do you know what paycheck to paycheck means?” It’s exhilarating to hear Sanders speak to a crowd: his zeal is reflected back in their faces, his moral clarity is such a relief, set against the cynicism and resignation of most of the Democratic party’s opposition to Trump and his administration. Class war is as old as time, but it’s a peculiarity of this age that you rarely hear a politician name it. “I do,” he tells me. “There is a class war going on. The people on top are waging that war.”

It’s a look at what could have been. Sanders ran, of course, to be the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, and again in 2020. The first time, there was a real sense, in the US and abroad, that something incredible might happen: that someone with “almost no name recognition,” he says, a senator from the small state of Vermont, might successfully challenge Hillary Clinton, whom the party had already anointed. We all know how that worked out. Was it the greatest disappointment of his political life? “Well, you’re too busy to feel things,” he says. “You’re just working very hard.”

What is absolutely unequivocal is his criticism of the Democrats. The party, he thinks, lacks any real progressive promise. “What they say is, ‘The status quo is working pretty good, and we will tinker around the edges’, and that is not a message that resonates with working people”. He refuses to indulge in any personal ill-will towards Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. The most he’ll voice is a weary resignation about 2020, when his campaign “won the first three states, primary states, in terms of popular votes. Then the Democratic establishment made sure the other candidates dropped out, and they rallied around Joe Biden. You know, that’s the world that we live in. We are taking on not just the Republican leadership, we are taking on a Democratic establishment which is tied to elements of corporate America.”

During the 2024 election, he “worked very hard to see that Kamala Harris was elected. I was all over the country and was one of her major surrogates. We begged our campaign to start talking about the needs of working people. But their consultants and the money people behind them thought of another strategy, showing that she was more conservative, that she worked with people like Liz Cheney, worked with Republicans, had billionaires going out and saying that she’s wonderful. They thought that was the right approach. I did not think that was the approach, and I was public about that.” He pauses, and not for effect: it’s hard to relive November 2024. “But my voice did not carry,” he says.

Sanders speaks in support of better healthcare provision in Washington DC, 2023. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sanders’ charge to the Democrats now is twofold. “Their weakness is, I think, that their credibility is now quite low. And they don’t have much of a message for working people, other than to say Trump is dangerous. I think that’s just not enough.” He point blank refuses to get into Trump’s administration – its excesses, surprises, non-surprises, without first walking through everything that was already wrong with the US. “What the Democrats have to absolutely make clear is this: we’re going to take on the billionaire class. They’re going to start paying their fair share of taxes. We’re going to have healthcare for all people as a human right. We’re going to have a strong childcare system that every American can afford. We’re going to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. We’re going to create millions of jobs transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel. We’re going to build housing – boy, housing is like it is here, just a huge crisis. We’re going to build millions of units of low-income and affordable housing. Do Democrats say that? No.”

That Sanders will not be drawn on every new Trump calumny, instead focusing on an economic reality that’s been worsening for decades, does help him keep on course. And it definitely doesn’t stop him giving Trump both barrels. “We don’t usually have presidents suing the media, threatening the media if they write bad stories about them. We don’t usually have presidents threatening to impeach judges. We don’t have presidents suing law firms. You add all that together, it is a movement for authoritarianism.” Is it worse than he predicted? I was thinking specifically about the extrajudicial detentions and deportations, students dragged off campus and held for weeks, perfectly legal migrants sent to El Salvador, when they weren’t even from there. “First time around, Trump was not as well organised. They’ve had four years to get their act together, so to speak. And that’s what this Project 2025 document was about.”

Project 2025 was a document published by rightwing thinktank the Heritage Foundation in 2024, offering a terrifying vision for a second Trump term. An outright proposal to dismantle the US government, it was a roadmap to crackdown on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights – as well as being against action on the climate crisis and against vaccines. If it looked like a blueprint for The Handmaid’s Tale and The Road combined, none of the alarm last year could ever have encompassed the reality that would come. Among many other things, the Trump administration would go on to deport people without due process, and then ignore a supreme court ruling that an 18th-century wartime declaration about “alien enemies” was not a proper legal instrument.

The Democrats’ credibility is quite low. They don’t have much of a message for working people

I ask a question about who funds the Heritage Foundation – as it keeps all donations secret, which raises questions about whose interests Project 2025 is really serving. His reply is impatient: “It doesn’t matter who it is they have. There’s no lack of well-paid, right-wing consultants and intellectuals who can move this country to an oligarchic authoritarian society.” His tone is clear – stop getting lost in detail, stop looking for hidden connections, stop messing around and start fighting.

With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a rally in Denver, Colorado, in March. Photograph: Chet Strange/Getty Images

In other areas, money is talking so loudly in politics that it’s all you can hear. Sanders has used Gaza as an example when he says that politicians are afraid to speak out on Israel’s actions in case Super Pacs – which can put forward unlimited amounts of money for a candidate – will penalise them at the next election. Today, he says it’s not just Gaza, but a host of other issues. “Ifyou say, ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea to cut Medicaid and give tax breaks to billionaires? Do you really think that climate change is a hoax?” there will be a number, not a majority, but a number of Republicans who would say: ‘No. But if I stand up and vote ‘no’, the next day, Elon Musk would say, “All right, you are going to be primaried [a candidate will be fielded against you], and Trump will support your opponent. I will put unlimited sums of money to elect your opponent.”’ Good luck to you.’”

While that pattern is undoubtedly visible across many issues, the example of Gaza is particularly stark – with groups such as Aipac, funded by pro-Israel billionaires, putting tens of millions of dollars against congressional candidates, mainly Democrats, that it did not deem to be sufficiently supportive of Israel in the run-up to 2024. As the atrocities in Gaza leave many in civil society dumbfounded, what is the long game here, I ask. “That’s a difficult question, and I don’t know the answer. I will tell you that the United States has had a long-term relationship with Israel, and there are many people who have intellectually chosen not to understand that Netanyahu does not represent the Israel of 20 years ago. The moderate democratic society is now controlled by right-wing racist extremists who have done, and are doing today, absolutely horrific things to the Palestinian people in violation of American law and international law. They refuse to recognise that.” In Dublin, he was heckled for not using the word genocide, and some US progressives were dismayed, two years ago, when he didn’t call for an immediate ceasefire. He speaks out now, choosing his words carefully; he’s not on the fence.

Bernie Sanders as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in the 1980s. Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

He has hope for the future, too. There are a couple of dozen people in the house Progressive Caucus – a 98-strong group of the more left-wing members of the Democratic party in Congress – that are “strong progressives”, he says. “Alexandria is maybe one of the most articulate and charismatic, but there are others there as well.” Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib to name a few.

Sanders is clear that he and Ocasio-Cortez are not trying to start a third political party. Instead, they’re “trying to build a grassroots movement of working-class people and young people … If you’re seeing candidates now arising who are progressive, that’s down to a lot of the work that we are doing for the 2026 midterms.”

Sanders in person is very much as he is in his book, It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism, in which he lays out some principles, among them, “wars and excessive military budgets are not good”; “carbon emissions are not good”; “racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia are not good”; “exploiting workers is not good”. It’s really the sight of him igniting a crowd that’s so hopeful, which holds for him, too – he keeps his optimism because he has the “fortune of being able to go around the country and speak to large numbers of wonderful people”. The message doesn’t change, though – it doesn’t have to be new: it just has to be true.

As he leaves to make his way upstairs to the photography studio, he strides on ahead, his wife Jane O’Meara Sanders, an activist herself, making small talk with me in his wake. It’s not that he’s performing vigour in an era where politicians’ ages are relentlessly analysed. It’s just his manner – all this urgent change should have happened yesterday.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[female-buckets]

i definitely think people are being really hard on jewell for this. could u explain more on what happened with skylar and diana tho

Skylar decided to have a problem with Diana in 2022. That's the year BG was in prison in Russia. It was a really stressful year but Skylar decided it would be her job to yell at DT. I guess that was her way of helping her team that year.

The Mercury started trying to trade Skylar early in the 2022 season. And Skylar herself says that the reason for that was not her feud with the coach. She says they wanted to trade her because she had problems with DT.

DT has played with all kinds of different superstar teammates over the course of her long pro career. She's played with all kinds of hot heads and personalities. She even won two WNBA championships with a schizophrenic costar. My point is, her long career is evidence that she's fairly tolerant of others. But everyone has a line you can't cross and Skylar crossed the line somehow.

The following season in 2023, on the day DT scored 10,000 points, Skylar posted on twitter. On the day everyone was celebrating DT, Skylar said the Mercury discriminated against her for being pregnant. She chose that day in particular and she also dragged DT's name into it. She responded to fans asking her about her DT feud. And she liked shady tweets saying DT is the problem.

She did exactly what people are saying Jewell is doing now. She went on twitter and she publicly dragged her former teammate.

DT has not said a negative thing about Skylar ever at any point in the last 5 years. But after 2023, she did ignore her. She ignored questions about her. And she wouldn't greet or talk to her when the Mercury played the Storm in 2024. Then, at DT's last regular season game of her career, she gave Skylar a hug.

A lot of people are saying Jewell is a terrible teammate for the way she talks about her former teammates. But Skylar did the exact same thing a few years before Jewell did it.

I don't hate Skylar at all for what she did. I have friends who burned me and betrayed me and talked shit about me. And after a while, I forgave them because they were young and caught up in their feelings and they apologized. Humans do strange things and that's just how it goes. I'm not going to judge Skylar or Jewell. I think if you're a fan of one of them, you can't hate the other without being a hypocrite.