Sophia McDougall
@sophiamcdougall.bsky.social
Pronounced like the disappointingly heterosexual Nerina Pallot song.
Writer -- ROMANITAS (modern Roman empire) MARS EVACUEES & SPACE HOSTAGES (kids & robots in space!) various scripts for Big Finish plus a movie you can't see yet.
Writer -- ROMANITAS (modern Roman empire) MARS EVACUEES & SPACE HOSTAGES (kids & robots in space!) various scripts for Big Finish plus a movie you can't see yet.
Pinned
It's hard to believe, but 2025 means Romanitas has been in print for 20 years. A modern world where the Roman Empire never fell. If that sounds good to you, the ebook's just £0.99 for the anniversary all this month! www.amazon.co.uk/Romanitas-1-...
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
calmly explaining why we shouldn't bomb random venezuelan boats to people who argued we should torture random iraqis and then won an election by saying they were against a war they advocated for
November 29, 2025 at 4:35 AM
calmly explaining why we shouldn't bomb random venezuelan boats to people who argued we should torture random iraqis and then won an election by saying they were against a war they advocated for
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
This is seriously worrying - do read the whole thread
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
November 29, 2025 at 10:23 AM
This is seriously worrying - do read the whole thread
In this world where corporations are calling you a slut and sending you to your room for, say, wanting to play or sell a game where attractive tieflings don't sufficiently cover their ankles, it's a bit weird that Bing just abruptly served me this ad.
I don't know who Kelly Brook is?
I don't know who Kelly Brook is?
![A picture of a topless lady smiling in some sort of garden maybe? I have added a red bar to cover the female-presenting nipples!
Ad text reads: eBay.co.uk 2004 Kelly Brook High Quality 10x 8 Photo Laminated For Protection.... [sponsored]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:gexexspfirrcudhn5nv6jwlk/bafkreihd7ndvykgrrgnzxc5jmyqkdcbw6kr5ryivnbybzbag2ga4qe54qa@jpeg)
November 28, 2025 at 3:26 PM
In this world where corporations are calling you a slut and sending you to your room for, say, wanting to play or sell a game where attractive tieflings don't sufficiently cover their ankles, it's a bit weird that Bing just abruptly served me this ad.
I don't know who Kelly Brook is?
I don't know who Kelly Brook is?
ME: OK so I'll just select this useful text from this table so I can copy and paste it elsewhere
WORD: The whole table, yes
ME: No, just the --
WORD: The whole table
ME: PLEASE
WORD: THE WHOLE TABLE DOWN YOUR STUPID UNGRATEFUL THROAT
WORD: The whole table, yes
ME: No, just the --
WORD: The whole table
ME: PLEASE
WORD: THE WHOLE TABLE DOWN YOUR STUPID UNGRATEFUL THROAT
November 28, 2025 at 11:37 AM
ME: OK so I'll just select this useful text from this table so I can copy and paste it elsewhere
WORD: The whole table, yes
ME: No, just the --
WORD: The whole table
ME: PLEASE
WORD: THE WHOLE TABLE DOWN YOUR STUPID UNGRATEFUL THROAT
WORD: The whole table, yes
ME: No, just the --
WORD: The whole table
ME: PLEASE
WORD: THE WHOLE TABLE DOWN YOUR STUPID UNGRATEFUL THROAT
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
Hong Kong fire and Grenfell are just alike. Fire spreading through unsafe building materials installed due to penny-pinching, killing dozens. One difference: before the HK fire is even out three executives at contractors have been arrested, eight years after Grenfell no-one has been arrested.
November 27, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Hong Kong fire and Grenfell are just alike. Fire spreading through unsafe building materials installed due to penny-pinching, killing dozens. One difference: before the HK fire is even out three executives at contractors have been arrested, eight years after Grenfell no-one has been arrested.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
what i love is that in 1990 judas priest got brought to trial over the claim that subliminal messages in the recording "better by you better than me" caused two suicides and now in 2025 openai seems to be generating a suicide a week with its superliminal messages and the US government is funding it
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 AM
what i love is that in 1990 judas priest got brought to trial over the claim that subliminal messages in the recording "better by you better than me" caused two suicides and now in 2025 openai seems to be generating a suicide a week with its superliminal messages and the US government is funding it
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
What are abstract ideas like “being happy” and “having fulfillment” compared to real world achievements like “working full time for a company and still needing food stamps”
While work-life balance may give you a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it isn’t always realistic, says Walmart executive vice president and chief people officer Donna Morris.
Walmart exec: ‘I’ve never believed in the term work-life balance’—this is the mantra that made her highly successful instead
Many professionals see work-life balance as a non-negotiable. Walmart CPO Donna Morris says people should practice work-life integration instead. Here's why.
cnb.cx
November 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
What are abstract ideas like “being happy” and “having fulfillment” compared to real world achievements like “working full time for a company and still needing food stamps”
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
This is not true, most of these supposed "whole" versions of common phrases are invented centuries after their original use. This kind of folk etymology is only one-upped by "did you know [word] is originally an acronym?" "factoids" as the most fake pieces of etymology trivia around.
Periodic reminder the WHOLE phrase is "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb".
Your found family is stronger than those who gave birth to you. The bonds you form are Stronger than those tied to you. You didn't consent to being born. You don't owe them shit.
Your found family is stronger than those who gave birth to you. The bonds you form are Stronger than those tied to you. You didn't consent to being born. You don't owe them shit.
Repeat after me:
You don't owe anything to family that impedes your peace and well-being for the sake of "holidays."
"Blood is thicker than water" doesn't mean shit if the blood is poisonous while the water nourishes, sustains life, and promotes growth.
Your chosen family is more than enough.
You don't owe anything to family that impedes your peace and well-being for the sake of "holidays."
"Blood is thicker than water" doesn't mean shit if the blood is poisonous while the water nourishes, sustains life, and promotes growth.
Your chosen family is more than enough.
November 27, 2025 at 7:41 PM
This is not true, most of these supposed "whole" versions of common phrases are invented centuries after their original use. This kind of folk etymology is only one-upped by "did you know [word] is originally an acronym?" "factoids" as the most fake pieces of etymology trivia around.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
It's the "get everyone hooked on streaming so they don't own any music and have to keep streaming" model, but with cognitive atrophy.
This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
To bear out this rosy projection, HSBC assumes that OpenAI will become "as ubiquitous [...] as Microsoft 365" (345mm users worldwide) while bringing in 10x the number of users (3bn).
November 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
It's the "get everyone hooked on streaming so they don't own any music and have to keep streaming" model, but with cognitive atrophy.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
In 2012, a Conservative government awarded April Ashley, a trans woman, an MBE for "services to trans equality".
How far are we from a Labour government revoking that award, because trans people don't deserve equality?
How far are we from a Labour government revoking that award, because trans people don't deserve equality?
the bbc changed their article from saying 'trans woman' to saying 'biological male who identifies as a woman'.
even if you don't care about trans ppl it should alarm you just how captured the bbc has become.
they will no longer even say 'trans woman'. that's not normal and shows massive bias.
even if you don't care about trans ppl it should alarm you just how captured the bbc has become.
they will no longer even say 'trans woman'. that's not normal and shows massive bias.
November 27, 2025 at 8:56 AM
In 2012, a Conservative government awarded April Ashley, a trans woman, an MBE for "services to trans equality".
How far are we from a Labour government revoking that award, because trans people don't deserve equality?
How far are we from a Labour government revoking that award, because trans people don't deserve equality?
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
long-time followers of the channel may remember that time the bbc portrayed a tory chancellor as superman
November 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
long-time followers of the channel may remember that time the bbc portrayed a tory chancellor as superman
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Note that the BBC openly admits in an email to me that the removal of this claim about Trump's world-historical corruption was done "on legal advice."
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
The deliberate choice of language in an article on the BBC website is grotesque.
I don’t know enough about the situation with Lineham to opine on whether the judgement is valid or not, but everything about this paragraph in the BBC article makes me despair at how many institutions have been captured by the GC movement
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
November 26, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The deliberate choice of language in an article on the BBC website is grotesque.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
Love when people write a whole philosophical treatise that boils down to "give me your work for free or you're basically a cop"
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Love when people write a whole philosophical treatise that boils down to "give me your work for free or you're basically a cop"
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
and again - literally just the hobby horse of some random anonymous Twitter accounts, enraging how quickly they managed to turn their horrid posting into actual government policy and rhetoric
“The Motability scheme was set up to protect the most vulnerable. Not to subsidise the lease on a Mercedes Benz,” Reeves says.
Misleading and nasty in equal measure.
Misleading and nasty in equal measure.
November 26, 2025 at 1:20 PM
and again - literally just the hobby horse of some random anonymous Twitter accounts, enraging how quickly they managed to turn their horrid posting into actual government policy and rhetoric
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
honestly this is a much better fucking way to do the budget. spare us two months of build-up and a day of bizarre red box theatre and commons bullshit, just stick a PDF on a website at some unnanounced time
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 PM
honestly this is a much better fucking way to do the budget. spare us two months of build-up and a day of bizarre red box theatre and commons bullshit, just stick a PDF on a website at some unnanounced time
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
three people buying a book we didn't really have on our radar at my old bookstore was instant "order more, face it out, somebody on staff read it and write a talker for it" territory
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM
three people buying a book we didn't really have on our radar at my old bookstore was instant "order more, face it out, somebody on staff read it and write a talker for it" territory
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
There is NO FUCKING EXCUSE for this to be happening.
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
A third infant has died in Kentucky, KYDPH adds:
“These are Kentucky’s first pertussis deaths since 2018. None of the infants nor their mothers received the recommended pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy or early infancy.”
s3.amazonaws.com/nursing-netw...
“These are Kentucky’s first pertussis deaths since 2018. None of the infants nor their mothers received the recommended pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy or early infancy.”
s3.amazonaws.com/nursing-netw...
November 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
There is NO FUCKING EXCUSE for this to be happening.
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
This is the thing to hang onto - I’m glad people are appalled by Farage’s Nazi sympathies now, but the fact is, he was able to present TV programmes and constantly appear as a sofa guest for decades, booked by people who knew it all. We must reckon with that.
Evidence of Farage’s unabashed youthful racism has been in the public domain since at least 2013, yet somehow he has been allowed to remain part of the British political conversation. The fact he wasn’t driven back under a rock years ago has emboldened racists across the country to spread hatred.
November 26, 2025 at 10:26 AM
This is the thing to hang onto - I’m glad people are appalled by Farage’s Nazi sympathies now, but the fact is, he was able to present TV programmes and constantly appear as a sofa guest for decades, booked by people who knew it all. We must reckon with that.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
This is beautiful, and heartbreaking.
I recently had a conversation with someone I love who is on the other side of the divide. Who broke my heart with her lack of empathy for the victims of the past two years - and the decades before.
Free Palestine.
I recently had a conversation with someone I love who is on the other side of the divide. Who broke my heart with her lack of empathy for the victims of the past two years - and the decades before.
Free Palestine.
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Why I Need the Birds
A Love Letters Feature by Amal El-Mohtar - November 2025
stone-soup.ghost.io
November 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
This is beautiful, and heartbreaking.
I recently had a conversation with someone I love who is on the other side of the divide. Who broke my heart with her lack of empathy for the victims of the past two years - and the decades before.
Free Palestine.
I recently had a conversation with someone I love who is on the other side of the divide. Who broke my heart with her lack of empathy for the victims of the past two years - and the decades before.
Free Palestine.
It's true what they say, DnD is therapy. My bard's story is almost over and here's what I learned from him:
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 AM
It's true what they say, DnD is therapy. My bard's story is almost over and here's what I learned from him:
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
In an ideal world i would absolutely support AD, but our world is not there yet.
Nothing has radicalised me more on this issue than listening to Disabled Canadians recounting their experiences
Nothing has radicalised me more on this issue than listening to Disabled Canadians recounting their experiences
I will be the first to admit I couldn’t understand why anyone would oppose Assisted Dying… and then I became disabled and had it “offered” to me.
It’s not compassionate when there’s coercion.
It’s not dignified when it’s offered in lieu of care.
Listen to disabled people.
It’s not compassionate when there’s coercion.
It’s not dignified when it’s offered in lieu of care.
Listen to disabled people.
November 25, 2025 at 9:14 AM
In an ideal world i would absolutely support AD, but our world is not there yet.
Nothing has radicalised me more on this issue than listening to Disabled Canadians recounting their experiences
Nothing has radicalised me more on this issue than listening to Disabled Canadians recounting their experiences
Reposted by Sophia McDougall
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1