I Had A Nightmare Last Night.

How to make a character's death sadder

 Don’t have them die of old age after a long, fulfilling life. Many people don’t even think of this as sad (note that this can still work if you have enough of the other factors).

 Leave one of their major goals unfinished. The more enthusiastic they are about completing the goal, the sadder.

 Give them strong relationships with other characters.

 Make them fight against whatever is causing their death. Their ultimate loss is sadder if they struggle.

 Kill them in the middle of their character arc.

 Don’t describe their funeral in detail. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that long descriptions of funerals kill the sadness.

There is something to be said about how victims of abuse identify with Jason Todd.

Queer kids, most often specifically trans people, victims of violence and sexual abuse, domestic abuse and manipulation. Victims of sects and religious fanatisicm.

I think we find comfort in Jason because we find solidarity. We too know what it's like to suffer. And then have people turn around and tell your story like you didn't. Tell your story like it was your own making. Or inevitable.

To me, Jason will always be a patron saint of silenced victims. A voice that has been cut off by bloody murder and came back screaming. And then a righteous rage surpressed and distorted by the author.

How easy to see how that experience reflects our own pain.

medically accurate muscle chart:

Knowing that trans women of color started the movement in the united states and were literally immediately erased and excluded from what they started is the most deeply jading knowledge.

It is the original sin of the so-called queer community and it damns it from the cradle.

Do y’all know where the phrase “eat the rich” comes from or do you just repeat it cause you heard it elsewhere?

It’s not a bad thing, I just saw someone say “we never said who would eat the rich” and realized a lot of y’all might not have heard the full quote

It’s from Rousseau and it’s “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich"

And, well, there’s a lot of people with nothing to eat…

War for America's Legacy

Found from the last log of Flagship Captain Aergin:

“Captain, what’s wrong?”

For your eyes only. “Nothing, Admiral. Just a chest spasm. Might be time for another inspection.”

“If you’re sure, Captain.”

“Admiral Solkowałksa, I don’t say things I’m not sure about. You know that.”

“Yes, Captain.”

For your eyes only, Flagship Captain Aergin. Enter biometric triple security to access.

Triple biometric is the highest possible. Nothing good ever comes out of something locked like that.

Enter decrypt code.

They really aren’t messing around to have layered an encryption on top of the biometric.

Decrypt successful. Loading message.

“Captain Aergin,

At 0600 hours four days ago, an alien fleet appeared just outside of our atmosphere. We attempted to communicate, but we received only one phrase back, in the common tongue: ‘Pray to what gods you have.’ Before we could react, their energy spiked and their weapons discharged. America was slag and glass before we were able to do anything. That fleet was destroyed before they could do any more damage, luckily, but your family was killed along with the rest of the American population. We are sorry for your loss. Do nothing rash, this situation will be handled.

Condolences,

Interplanetary Fleet Commander Nurodu

I couldn’t believe it. America, gone. Just like that. In the blink of an eye. My family, friends, children. All gone. My crew was the only family I had left. Nurodu has the indecency to tell me to do “nothing rash,” like I’m just going to accept that my life needs to start over, like my husband and children weren’t just killed without a chance to fight back, like I’m not going to avenge the death of my country. I will have revenge.

—18 Months Later—

“Sir, you asked for updates on the identification of the species that destroyed America. A major data dump has just occurred when the Alien Classification/Dossier database updated. The relevant files are being shunted to your holodesk now, and the species is listed as having been confirmed to destroy your country.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. Dismissed.”

The Zorax, huh? Home planet Xeron, only 20 parsecs from here. Time for the plan. They have no other worlds colonized according to the database, and if I have my way, they never will. Those bastards will never see me coming.

“Set course for Xeron. We’ve been ordered to give the Zorax a visit to make sure they are on the up-and-up.” The lie didn’t bother me at all. I will say anything to avenge my family.

“Immediately, Captain.”

—3 hours later—

“Captain, coming out of FTL in 3…2…1…”

“Stay on course to the planet, stay in high orbit once we’ve arrived.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Time to enact my plan. I keyed for the computer to send an abandon ship protocol, on my authority. Earth Federation laws requires I make sure everyone else is off the ship first, but that’s the point.

“Abandon ship protocol 00215. All personnel report to your assigned pod as soon as possible for whichever species may be.”

“Everyone go. Admiral Solkowałksa, you have command. Take my personal pod. I don’t intend to make it off this ship. Jettison happens in 8 minutes.”

“Captain, are you sure?!?”

“I don’t say things I’m not sure of, Admiral. Go.”

Everyone is off the ship now. It’s very quiet. Not even the night cycle is this quiet.

“Computer, open communications with planet Xeron main base when in range.”

“Initiating communications.”

“Hello. My name is Flagship Captain Aergin, of the third American Fleet. You may remember glassing a place called America on Earth. I say the same to you now that you said to them: pray to what gods you have.”

“Communication interrupted.”

I punched up FTL for just long enough to come out in their atmosphere and collide with their largest landmass. This is my last log. America is avenged.

 (This is my first attempt at something other than lurking this tag! Hope y'all like it!

-therandomnessofages)

Temples are built for gods. Knowing this a farmer builds a small temple to see what kind of god turns up.

Broke af?

But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that there’s a woman with a blog who had to feed both herself and her young son…on 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?

Let me tell you a thing.

This woman saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and that’s it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then. 

This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didn’t have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together. 

AgirlcalledJack.com is run by a British woman who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. She had to find a way to feed herself and her son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes she came up with are amazing. 

You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, this woman will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already. 

Here’s her list of kitchen basics. 

Bake your own bread. It’s easier than you think. Here’s a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic. 

Make your own pasta–gluten free. 

She gets it. She really does. This is the article that started it all. It’s called “Hunger Hurts”.

She has vegan recipes.

A carrot, a can of kidney beans, and some cumin will get you a really filling soup…or throw in some flour for binding and you’ve got yourself a burger. 

Don’t have an oven or the stove isn’t available? She covers that in her Microwave Cooking section. 

She has a book, but many recipes can be found on her blog for free. She prices her recipes down to the cent, and every year she participates in a project called “Living Below the Line” where she has to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days. 

Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. She gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and that’s a fabulous feeling. 

Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. That’s your super emergency money. Make sure they don’t charge by the month for lack of use, though.

I don’t care if it sounds like an advertisement–you won’t be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical health–and dammit, food’s right in the center of that. 

If you don’t need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this.