Lesser Men With Spades

Like, I have so many conversations where it's like,
"We want be welcoming to everyone."
"Then why are you charging a fee?"
"It's just a suggested donation. We won't keep people out if they can't pay."
"Does it say that on the flier? You're going to make them ask? Do you understand how shameful and exhausting that gets?!"

or
"We want to be welcoming to everyone in the community."
"But you're only advertising to a group that already knows each other."
"We don't want people coming from outside our community!"

"We want to welcome everyone."

"This event is free. It's for children..."
"Too many children came. Some of them were probably from different towns. We can't afford that."

Etc. etc. etc.

Also sometimes/too often my last line wants to be
THIS IS A CHURCH DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE POINT OF CHURCH?!?

Murrah the Slave
Murrah the Bandit
Murrah Faith, Hero of The Federation
Murrah Faith, Mage-Knight Commander
Murrah Faith, Mother of Hope
Murrah Faith, Scourge of The Federation
Capt. Faith, Sword of the Empire
Murrah the Ghost Who Has Posthumously Learned to Have Slightly More Than No Chill

Kel the Dreamer
Kellem the Wanderer
Kel Your Servant In The Name Of The Ancestors
Kellem Jerek, Mage-Knight
KJ & Ben 4ever
Kel Who Is Crying And Psychically Saying Goodbye In Your Dreams Because that Servant in the Name of the Ancestors Thing Is Totally for Life No Joke Dammit
Cmdr Jerek, Insignificant Paper-Pusher of the Empire
Kel the Broken-Hearted
Kellem Jerek, Part-Time Reluctant Step-Dad of the Federation Reborn
KJ the Reasonably Content Ghost

Benya the Orphan
Benya the Really Pale
Benya the Pilot but Marto is better so he gets the top bunk
Benya the Mage-Knight, Key to the Seal, who totally gets the top bunk now
Ben & KJ Forever and Always You Promised
Benya Who Never Even Got a Chance To Say Goodbye
Benya The Hermit With That Strange Kid Who Has Gills
Benya The Smuggler's Friend
Benya The Ghost Who Understands More Now But Is Still Very Grumpy About Many Things
Ben & KJ Forever

Adri the Swift
Adri Don't Stop Running Til You Make It To The Ship, Don't Stop No Matter What You Have to Promise
Adrian Faithlight, Last of His People
Adri & Murrah Forever, In The Name Of The Ancestors
Adrian Faithlight, First of the Mage-Knights Reborn
Adrian Faithlight, Hero of the Federation
Adrian Faithlight, Martyr and Inspiration
Adrian The Very Upset Ghost
Adrian The Proud But Slightly Confused Ghost-Dad

https://www.facebook.com/lasophielabelle/posts/1879552148991581

I have to say, I think many people do know how terrifying changing rooms and bathrooms can be. And hallways, too... And walking home...

It's not the same! I'm not saying that!

But a lot of cis people know what it's like to viciously bullied for something related to gender presentation. And a lot of us sort of accept or defend it as "just the way it is," or spout platitudes about being secure in yourself and unconcerned with popularity, or growing a thick skin, or waiting to grow up, or something.

It's only the way it is because people put in effort to keep it that way. We poison ourselves and we kill our friends and our children out of fear and resignation.

Quotes that are awesome and I endeavor to use whenever possible (please to add your own!)


1. "Thus far you have been adrift in the sheltered harbor of my patience." - Cobra Bubbles
(optional follow-up: "Pray that it continues...")

2. "I know what you would say, and it would sound like wisdom, but for the warning in my heart." PJmovie!Frodo

3. "There is but one [Thingie or Lord of the Thingie] and [he/zie/she/they/it/insert singular pronoun here] does not share power!" - PJmovie!Gandalf

4. "Hello, my name is [multisyllabic name.] You [did Bad Thing or Verbed My Noun], prepare to die!" - Inigo Montoya**

5. "Nassty, [noun]ses! We hatess it, Precioussss!" - Gollum*



**And now there's the Moana variant: "I am [name] of [place]. You will board my boat[/other vehicle], sail across the Great Ocean/[verb across the Great Noun], and restore the [Thing] of [Person]!"










*I quote Gollum a lot. I defnitely use "pocketses," more than "pockets," usually in the sense of "Yessss, this dress has pocketses!!! We loves them, Preciouss, we loves them so..." Nasty thingses, tasty thingses, thing what are The Preciouss... Also "Shouldn't ask us...not its business!" etc.

Poe Dameron was mostly dead once.

And he woke up Somewhere Else. A pilot's lounge beyond the end of several verse's? Something like that...

There were so many people there, happily mingling and passing through...

...and some of them had wings...

...and most of them had regrets...

But nearly all of them were friendly...

After a while Poe had to leave. Someone punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Good luck, buddy." "Be a leaf on the wind." "...so say we all."

(aka "I do not like this Game of Royal Stools")

So I finished Meji Part II the other day.

http://mvmediaatl.com/meji.html

And I liked it tho I think not as much as the first one. Some parts that weren't my favorite or just in general made me think, "This is probably what ASOIF is like?" Mostly the scheming and murdering people so your kid can be the ruler or whatever bits...

But IDK if I know people familiar with both who can speak to that?

The PTO is sending me repeated requests via email and Facebook and possibly papers in my kids' backpacks for donations to needy families for Thanksgiving. As one of the eligible families contemplating filling out the request form for the first time ever, I find this somewhat annoying. (While I was typing this I just got another forward of the same message, LOL)

They are trying to collect gift cards to grocery stores, which is a pretty good thing to give people, I think.

For Christmas, they instead take requests for clothes and toys and then fill them, which is annoying on several levels. It could be helpful with clothes, and I might do that... They have a space to fill in children's genders rather than just their toy preferences and clothing sizes/needs. And of course they give you two options, which are actually sexes... I'm sure you don't have to fill out that part, but it's still bullshit. (And it doesn't even say it's optional, so people probably do feel like they have to fill it out.)

They may also do gift cards to Target or whatever, which would be awesomely much better... I know some places do that...


What I really think they should do is give gift cards or credit or whatever for things actually related to school. So far, based on personal experience, I recommend


1. Books at the book fair.

(Book fair is today. This is one of the few things I am still borrowing from my parents for, because there is nothing like books and book-related stuff you yourself chose, without judgement or restriction. New books! Hardcover books! Coloring books! Posters! Fancy journals! Fancy pens! Things that look like books but really hide secret spy equipment! Books that, if you drop them in the toilet or spill hot chocolate on them, or trade them or sell them or rip them or break the spines or dog-ear your favorite pages, no outside authorities will bring their judgement/disappointment/consequences to bear on you...)


2. School supplies for the beginning of the year.

(That's a huge, concentrated expense! And there are all these charities you can get hooked up with that get you stuff, but it's never based on the list of required stuff from your particular school or even this town's district.)


3. Actual fucking help with childcare.

(So far AFAIK (after 5+ years of asking) there is NO sliding scale or scholarships for the school system's official after-school programming, which includes holidays, vacations, summer and now I think the many, many half-days that creep up. It is possible to get scholarships, at least for the summer, from charities and from the town's Emergency Fund*, which is run thru/with the Red Cross in some convoluted way that involve me having to go to an office in a church to request it.)
(There is a morning program but the kids can't bring their own food let alone have the free breakfast some qualify for but the school doesn't serve, and they charge for it and like a million things you can get that fee waived but no one communicates about this; you're supposed to just know...)


*I originally typed Emergency Funk, which is definitely a thing, I think...

(Watching this Jon Oliver segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8yiYCHMAlM&feature=share Good so far. I have had to stop halfway thru to scream...)


Look, White people. There have been too many centuries of us being represented by the very worst jackasses among us. Race Traitoring is hard, but how else can we have a sliver of self-respect?

And I think I am probably not the only one who reads about (dudes, usually) who remember growing up in "safe" "good" neighborhoods and wants to know exactly what was good about it.

Safe only means safe for straight cis white dudes.
Except not them, unless they're very rich.
Except not them, if they're disabled or neurodivergent.
Except not them if they have feelings in public. If they're not gender- and culture-conforming in exactly the right way every minute, which is impossible...
Except not them if they care about anyone else. Which of course they do because they're people.
Participation in an evil system destroys people and souls and potential and creativity and so many beautiful futures and exciting, fun journeys to get there.

If you're near the top it might not kill you.
It might not hurt you quite as much as others.
It might not make you hate yourself and all the things you are in quite the same ways.
But that's still nothing like winning.

(Watching Hamilton's America)
POTUS talks about Founding Fathers "flying by the seat of their pants." Which, YEAH, THAT.

That's the thing to get about history, and it's so hard. Textbooks don't do it. Primary sources can, and museums, and immersive living history stuff.

But none of those are nearly as effective as REINTERPRETATIONS, like Hamilton. Critical to religion, to history too, to storytelling in general.

Also this is something Heathenism desperately needs. Marvel did add a tiny bit, for those willing to dig out the gems. American Gods probably will, too.

But how fucking amazing and wonderful and reaffirming of a vibrant Heathen culture in the modern world would it be if we had multiple interpretations of the gods in our cultural context, in our vernacular?

This is necessary. Anything less abandons our connection to gods, wights, ancestors, mythic truth, to those who want it trapped in distant past they can recast in their own stupid, racist image.

So that's an ongoing goal for me, to look for the excellent modern stuff and spread it around, and commission it if I ever can...

Incorrect Edda is cool in this regard.

So are modern historical fictions like an awesome one a friend is writing...

And I know I've been involved in discussions and read articles about where the gods are really seen in our everyday lives, and how to meaningfully answer question like my "What Would Frigga Do?" shirt asks...