Stephen JC
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stephenjcol.bsky.social
Stephen JC
@stephenjcol.bsky.social
270 followers 410 following 2.3K posts
I got a PhD and somehow I ended up live streaming Dark Souls. Living the dream in west London. He/him and Welsh.

(Profile pic is my black cat.)
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stephenjcol.bsky.social
I don’t know who drew this, but I love it and it seems to fit this discussion.
A cartoon of a frog and a toad, both wearing jackets and looking anthropomorphic. The frog is holding a white box. The text reads: Frog put the cookies in a box. “There,” he said. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “But we can open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog.
January 30, 2026 at 9:20 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Enjoyably dotty comment on a Martin Lewis video. It’s alarming just how many people really do think this way.

Also, “whilst at the same time” is redundancy.
“Don’t trust this bellend, he’s just part of the system trying to control every respect [sic] of your life. He claims to be helping whilst at the same time being paid by those in control. Listen carefully to what he is advising you do!!! Then make it to the wider agenda [sic]. It’s the same story, spread Fear [sic] then advise ways to protect yourself by using their system of control.”
January 29, 2026 at 9:17 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
According to BBC News this morning, Hamlet was first staged in 1948.
Extract from BBC News website article. “He was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning three, including an honorary award in 1980 for his film career and an earlier honorary award in 1948 for bringing Henry V to the stage.”
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Counterpoint (sort of): I grew up pre-videogames. Gary Gygax’s wordy, nerdy D&D manuals were my escape from ‘productivity’. But they also massively widened my vocabulary (it’s how I discovered what ‘ecology’ meant, for example) and made me comfortable with handling statistics.
Front cover of the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players* Handbook. A group of men in medieval style outfits forge weapons and discuss maps at the foot of a huge furnace topped by an enormous statue of a gaping red demon. I still have this book
January 22, 2026 at 8:50 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
No new pictures. Where are you mentally?
A naked man with green skin sits on a wooden throne staring forward sternly.
January 21, 2026 at 5:59 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Describe your Bluesky account in one image.

By the way, this cartoon is the work of fellow Welshie Alex Norris, who has recently reached a settlement to protect his legal ownership of his copyright after a long battle. You can read more here: www.gofundme.com/f/alexnorris...
The wonderful OH NO character. Against a blank blue background, a blobby, vaguely humanoid pink figure with dots for eyes is saying “oh no”.
December 27, 2025 at 11:29 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
@jonnelledge.bsky.social This had better be good!
‘The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything’. A book by Jonn Elledge. Swirly patterns on the cover draw the eye. My thumb is holding the book in the corner
December 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Broccoli and Stilton tart. Came out well. Already eaten.
A tart consisting of broccoli, Stilton and savoury custard with a pastry base and edge
December 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
This is a challenge I’ve not faced before.
A ‘sprout tree’. Brussels sprouts protrude from a long, very thick stalk
December 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
At my local for the annual show.
The interior of a church. Along the side of the image are Gothic stone arches. Ahead is a rood screen bearing the words HOLY HOLY HOLY. The screen, the pews and the base of the pillars are painted in a vibrant bottle green. In front of the screen is the altar, draped in a cream coloured cloth. Beyond the screen we can make out the high altar, a grand tableau of bronze figures. Various worshippers are seated in the pews while members of the choir in red cassocks mill about (the service hasn’t started yet or I wouldn’t be writing this, I’m not a heathen).
December 24, 2025 at 11:19 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
It’s going to be a chilly walk home from Mass tonight. At least it won’t be raining.
Overnight weather forecast chart shows temperatures of 4°C from 11pm to 2am
December 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
This has made my morning 🤣 (wasn’t aimed at me, btw).
Bluesky post (anonymised of course). It simply reads “Shut up cunt”. There’s a little Bluesky content label above it which just says “Rude”. Both the post and the label are making me ROFL
December 13, 2025 at 11:53 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
What actor’s facial expression in a movie will stay with you for the rest of your life?
Jack Nance in Eraserhead (1977). A black and white image of a man staring into space. Behind him is a swirl of white-grey particles. His hair stands up stiffly from the crown of his head so that he resembles a toilet brush. He is seen only from the shoulders up, but we can see he is wearing a shirt, tie and jacket. From his expression it’s impossible to tell if he is scared, amazed or just stunned
December 11, 2025 at 7:49 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Our House of C- oh for fuck’s sake.
Ian Richardson as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart from the original and superior House of Cards. He is standing outside the entrance to No 10 Downing Street, looking both smug and evil
December 11, 2025 at 11:57 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
You will be visited by three spirits.
Francis Bacon’s ‘Three Studies for the Base of a Crucifixion’. Three portraits appear side by side in a separate frame. Each depicts a weird and rather scary figure against a red background. On the left, some kind of half-humanoid bird with hair covering its face. In the middle a figure resembling a goose but with a human’s face and bare teeth. A bandage is wrapped around its eyes. On the right an eyeless figure with a gaping mouth and a body suggesting a horse. Honestly this is all pretty difficult to describe.
December 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
30 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy.

The first sip. Be it coffee, beer, fresh lemonade, smoothie. Nothing matches that moment when the flavour hits your taste buds. In that moment you’re truly happy.

(Also applies to food, but there’s something special about the first drink.)
A cup of coffee. In a small black cup on top of a black saucer is what appears to be an espresso. There is a small amount of foam on the surface of the liquid.
November 30, 2025 at 2:43 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
29 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy.

Cats. I don’t think I need to add anything.
A black and white cat curled up asleep on a blue blanket by a window A brown tabby cat curled up asleep on top of a wide footstool A black cat curled up asleep on a patterned dark blanket with red, yellow and blue dots here and there (on the blanket, not on the cat)
November 29, 2025 at 10:01 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
28 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. OK, this may seem strange, but: graveyards. It’s not a Goth thing. I genuinely find them peaceful and rather charming. And I like to think of all the lives of the people buried there, how they must have lived and what they must have done.
An English church built Gothic-style in grey brick is in the background. Opening out before it is a graveyard. Old but not crumbling stone tombstones are arranged spaced out in not quite perfect order. The grass is green and there are daffodils growing in front of some of the headstones. The graveyard is dotted with leafless trees. No people can be seen in the picture, and the scene has a peaceful air
November 28, 2025 at 11:12 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
26 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. Scrambled eggs. Honestly my face lights up at the sight of a plate of scrambled eggs. They’re filling, nourishing and just the right middle ground between solid and liquid.
A dollop of delicious scrambled eggs sits proudly on a stack of (presumably) sourdough toast. The egg is surrounded by a garnish which looks like kale but is probably parsley
November 26, 2025 at 9:37 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
25 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. Xmas Day 1992. I was spending Xmas in my college in Cambridge. We had a hoar frost. Everything was white, every tree, every blade of grass. It was better than snow. Sadly the photos I took are lost (found the attached pic online). But it was magical.
The leafless branch of a small tree. It is covered in thick frost which could easily be mistaken for snow. Behind it are more white trees, similarly frozen. Everything is a stark, brilliant white
November 25, 2025 at 10:55 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
21 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. Breakfast. It’s nice to wake up knowing the first thing you’re going to do with your day is have a really nice breakfast. Here’s my regular porridge and banana.
A bowl of porridge. Beside it, a spoon with a green handle. Above it, a banana waiting to be peeled and sliced
November 21, 2025 at 8:16 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
20 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. My local coffee bar. Barely more than a hole in the wall, they make the best coffee in the area. They don’t make it too hot, unlike virtually every other coffee place. Staff are lovely too, and it’s not a chain.
A small coffee shop. On the ground floor of a delightful mock-Tudor building is Heisenberg Coffee Co. The window is decorated with cartoons of Breaking Bad characters. A set of yellow chairs and tables stand outside
November 20, 2025 at 8:39 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
Just read this in a financial services newsletter. FINANCIAL SERVICES. Your clients are adults, not nursery kids. What the hell has happened to us?
AI is already helping us tailor information to users, creating a better customer experience. We can turn reports into podcasts, or summarise data with NotebookLM, so customers don’t have to read boring 20-page reports. It can even create songs should the customer want it!
November 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
18 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy. Castles, particularly medieval castles. They’re good to explore, but even better seen from a distance. They hark of a bygone and inaccessible age, a time we can only dream of. I’m romanticising them, but where’s the harm in that?
Corfe Castle in Dorset, England. Against the backdrop of a green hill stands a ruined castle. To the left is a pair of stone turrets. Behind them a slope rises to the right, flanked by stone walls. At the top of the slope stand more ruined walls, a couple of which are extremely tall. The whole building is crumbly, the stone patchy in colour (different shades of grey - no, not in that sense). Behind the entire scene is a dramatic sunrise or sunset, with clouds glowing orange in the light. I suspect the sky has been enhance in post, but it looks great anyway
November 18, 2025 at 9:56 AM
stephenjcol.bsky.social
16 Nov. Things Which Make Me #Happy.

My local church (name redacted, or I’ll doxx myself). Beautiful building, well maintained, a centrepiece of the community. Vicar and clergy remarkably progressive. I don’t go often enough, but just the fact that it’s there gives me pleasure.
A beautiful red-brick Victorian church with Romanesque windows and a gabled roof
November 16, 2025 at 8:29 AM