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The Bystander

@thebystander99.bsky.social
1.7K followers 3.3K following 2.9K posts

Attorney. Spoonie. Tired most of the time. Criminal justice, disability & autoimmune disease, cats, Dodgers, hopefully something positive every now and then. He/him. Hopes to make sense of all this eventually, but probably won’t.

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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Also, how many of the people who’ve died in ICE custody this year complied at every turn—and ended up dead anyway?
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Sarah Langs @slangsonsports.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
You already know the Gehrig Day shirt choice!! Thanks to @rotowear.bsky.social & @pitchingninja.com ! 😭 #EndALS
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Just like how they taught us to do it in rehab 😭😭
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Isanthrope @isanthropia.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
I know many of you have seen this but it’s stuck at $507 but not too much left to go. Elizabeth is a real person here in Canada trying like so many to survive disability (enforced poverty). A tiny bit or a repost so someone else could help so appreciated. liz711g@gmail.com x.com/blind_kindne...
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Oh god this is such a good idea, I’d feel like my rich friends in the ‘90s 😭
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Dude. I believe in you. You’ll be telling strangers “It’s no problem. Have a good night!” before you know it. They will never know WHY it was, in fact, no problem
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Yep. You’re still a Call Summoner, dammit
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
You really can just find four people these days to say, “SHOULD we just reverse the flow of time to make this do law what we want it to do?” can’t you…?
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
This is what happens when you appoint an FBI director who thinks the job is all about merch
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Crash test dummy, maybe? Definitely the same color…
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Nope, it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Good lord, Chris, I’m trying…thank you for your work
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Oh my god, Roland—ROLAND. It is not “undeniably hard to define.” you denied it—Mary Oliver denies it—EVERYONE IS DENYING THAT IT’S HARD TO DEFINE
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Welcome back. You’re already a model resident again. The squirrels on the block seemed extra chipper today; now it all makes sense ✨
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Yes! Just like when we do an East Coast trip and have day games— like tomorrow in DC— we get breakfast baseball here in L.A. Honestly, these are the little things that are making life work right now, and I’m all for it
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I…uh…April Fools…? 😭😭😭
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Yeah, really. It’s like out of Satyricon—only the grotesque isn’t a metaphor here, it’s real, and it makes this truly horrifying to live through (with RFK displaying it too). And, as we see over and over again with him, it still wasn’t enough
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
And, here I go, right back to sobbing
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Should anyone need further proof of this, here’s my former lifelong street cat (and Altadena fire survivor) in his adoption photo, with his giant head and terrified eyes—and the glorious Velcro cat he’s become, enjoying his peaceful, warm existence
A white cat with orange patches on his back an orange spots on his head, big, puffy cheeks, and a brown right eye and blue left eye sits on a couch looking over his right shoulder directly into the camera. His eyes look scared and sad, and his mouth looks like he’s trying to speak and ask for help.The same cat lounges in a dark room, sleeping peacefully on a blue blanket on top of a human. His left paw, which looks giant, is in front of him on the blanket. His eyes are closed tight and his mouth is ever so slightly open. His cheeks remain big and puffy.
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Same. It’s mainly audiobooks for me these days anyway, for exactly that reason, plus disability issues— and the fact that they play, whether I’m reading them or not, forces me to focus a bit. But I’m about to need something new, so this is perfect timing, thank you
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Knowing the quality of my riffing attempts, though, you’re probably doing me a favor, so…I mean…nice…?
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The cat and blankets will adapt to ME and if that’s not worth something I don’t know what is
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
There are some things we just never have to grow out of. I’m glad this is one of them
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
#nokings Burbank, CA
A park in Burbank, California. A crowd of a few hundred people milling around, with pine trees, stretching up toward a partly cloudy sky.A park in Burbank, California. A crowd of a few hundred people milling around, with pine trees, stretching up toward a partly cloudy sky. In the foreground, a group of people sit on the ground or enfolding chairs holding their signs. Summer are also carrying flags. A woman on the left-hand side holds a sign that says no crowns, no clowns, no fascistsA close-up of a beautiful hand-painted sign featuring the faces of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. By Tito, with his permission.
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Yes!, exactly. I’ve still got some time left, and really not a great option, but better (hopefully) than adrenal crisis, in a pinch. And still won’t solve problem long-term…just a stopgap while I’d sit and wait and hope for things to get better
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
As someone on long-term steroid treatment, this definitely keeps me up at night from time to time. Not a permanent solution, but whenever I’ve tapered to a smaller pill, I’ve always kept what’s left of the higher dose, knowing I can split them up to give me a cushion in case of emergencies
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
And the people who impeached him are still upset about it, too
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Look, I’ve never gotten one in my life, and I turned out…oh.
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Duncan, who wrote this, was a friend of mine when I lived in London. I was at a makeshift cabaret event when he first performed the short story that became this play. A couple of us helped him cover the space in strips of paper with brilliant things written on them. So cool to see this happen
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Okay; unhealthy standard to hold? Maybe—FOR MOST PEOPLE…
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Right?! It’s just the really, really lame adult version of pushing you over on the playground
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
He’s headcanoning about you because, I’m pretty sure, you look just like a Hot Topic cashier he was once really into (and has NOT gotten over)
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Ugh, this IS heartbreaking—both from the perspective of what this specific loss to the agency means, and what its implications are for NASA’S (and all of our) future(s). But wishing you the best on whatever the next step may be
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The Senator really could’ve taken a lesson from here about keeping things short when it’s not that compicated
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Mazel Tov? Wait…break a leg? I don’t know. Something should be the right thing for moving, but I don’t know what it is. Anyway, California sends its regards ✨
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Never surprising, always disappointing. Good news, I guess, is that as long as the boyfriend can move as swiftly as Rep. Al Green, he shouldn’t be in any danger
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Same
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
You know. You know which way.
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Thank you 🫂
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
I sincerely appreciate that – no question it’s in short supply out there, considering what we’re living through—and I think we probably ALL deserve a little bit more than we’re getting. So thank you, really
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
It’s feeling particularly weird & sad & void-y out there tonight. Fatigue is hitting hard, work is not going well, everyone I’ve been talking to just stopped responding all at once, which just made me feel extra un-likeable. I’m feeling a little sorry for myself, I know. But it’s just where I’m at
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Anytime—thank YOU. And I hope you record it somewhere down the line…
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I really think The King of Comedy is my favorite movie of his
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Honestly, I love this. Listened to it multiple times.
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Obviously the smart one. The one full of smart people who are very good at thinking things (The second one)
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Gotta say—rooting for Venezuela
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Because he knows things
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Isn’t she?? Anytime ✨
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Make sure you take some time to refuel, like this person in my camellia tree
A person, possibly a squirrel, sits on a tree branch surrounded by leaves. It holds a dark red flower in its hands.The same squirrel holding the same flower, taking a bite of itThe same squirrel, holding the same flower, taking another biteThe squirrel holds a much smaller remnant of the flower, and looks directly at the camera, realizing it’s been Spotted
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The Bystander @thebystander99.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
It’s amazing how often these days a piece of information causes a straight up stomach-dropping-on-a-rollercoaster sensation…and this just may be today’s saddest example
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