Taken out of context, I must seem so strange...

Pride

empty_tea — Wed, 30 May 2012 06:39:40 GMT

Marvel Pride by Rey Arzeno.

Rey,

Your talent makes me sick and ILU.

Smooshies,
Me

Mississippi Personhood Amendment

empty_tea — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:31:31 GMT

Reblogged from dorksideficker:

Originally posted by twbasketcase at Mississippi Personhood Amendment

Originally posted by gabrielleabelle at Mississippi Personhood Amendment

Okay, so I don't usually do this, but this is an issue near and dear to me and this is getting ~~very little~~ no attention in the mainstream media.

Mississippi is voting on November 8th on whether to pass Amendment 26, the "Personhood Amendment". This amendment would grant fertilized eggs and fetuses personhood status.

Putting aside the contentious issue of abortion, this would effectively outlaw birth control and criminalize women who have miscarriages. This is not a good thing.

Jackson Women's Health Organization is the only place women can get abortions in the entire state, and they are trying to launch a grassroots movement against this amendment. This doesn't just apply to Mississippi, though, as Personhood USA, the group that introduced this amendment, is trying to introduce identical amendments in all 50 states.

What's more, in Mississippi, this amendment is expected to pass. It even has Mississippi Democrats, including the Attorney General, Jim Hood, backing it.

The reason I'm posting this here is because I made a meager donation to the Jackson Women's Health Organization this morning, and I received a personal email back hours later - on a Sunday - thanking me and noting that I'm one of the first "outside" people to contribute.

So if you sometimes pass on political action because you figure that enough other people will do something to make a difference, make an exception on this one. My RSS reader is near silent on this amendment. I only found out about it through a feminist blog. The mainstream media is not reporting on it.

If there is ever a time to donate or send a letter in protest, this would be it.

What to do?

- Read up on it. Wake Up, Mississippi is the home of the grassroots effort to fight this amendment. Daily Kos also has a thorough story on it.

- If you can afford it, you can donate at the site's link.

- You can contact the Democratic National Committee to see why more of our representatives aren't speaking out against this.

- Like this Facebook page to help spread awareness.

RPG nonsense...

empty_tea — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:30:33 GMT

Fanart from my other major game, Gotham Year One, all by the lovely Kyndir.

Jean-Paul and Danielle Moonstar.

Jean-Paul and Simon Tam, based on this log.

Jean-Paul and Nightwing, based on this log.

Jean-Paul and (a very young) Jeanne-Marie.

FYI

empty_tea — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:28:22 GMT

I still need a 'nom' icon...

empty_tea — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 04:02:35 GMT

Dinner tonight:

Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Sauteed Green Beans

and Rice a Roni. Because we had it and I needed a starch. Shut up.

Prelim Hobbit Casting Announced

empty_tea — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:42:14 GMT

Arthur Dent is Bilbo Baggins.

cocoajava will understand exactly why I just laughed tea through my nose.

Ooops...

empty_tea — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:58:37 GMT

Lookit what born_normal and I did...

We can quit any time we want, honest!

House Cleaning

empty_tea — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:06:14 GMT

Anyone want a bunch of mixed DC/Marvel/Indie/Horror HeroClix? These don't have the cards and would just be useful as tabletop figs or conversion bait. Asking flat-rate postage, otherwise, all yours.

Meme again!

empty_tea — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:44:56 GMT

Yoinked from fullmetal_cute:

Go to my userpics and choose:

a. Your favourite icon.
b. Your least favourite icon.
c. One that makes you think automatically about me.
d. One that you think I should use more often.
e. One that you: don't understand/ you need an explanation/ you have no idea why I have it.

They try so hard...

empty_tea — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:47:17 GMT

Upset over the fact that Arizona's been a greedy bastard and hogging the dumbass spotlight for itself, the Texas GOP want to re-criminalize sodomy, make it a felony to issue SSM licenses within the state, and support jail time for straight proponents of SSM.

Can't go wrong with hate and fear-mongering, can you guys?

PSA

empty_tea — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:35:37 GMT

I'll likely expand on this later, but:

1. I am not offended or embarrassed that you've mistaken me for the wrong gender.

1a. No, not even if you mistook me for the wrong gender while hitting on me.

2. As such, apologies really aren't necessary.

3. "Apologies" that come with fashion/beauty tips on how I can stop it from happening again mean you can go to hell, K? I am well aware of how I look, and I'm cool with it. Any embarrassment here is your problem, not mine.

That is all.

Please continue to boycott us; apparently, we like it!

empty_tea — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:39:43 GMT

Mayor of Yuma, AZ doesn't want "lacey-drawered, limp-wristed" gays in the military.

It's like everyone decided that 2010 would be the year the entire state of Arizona failed at life, and then just didn't bother to tell me.

More meme...

empty_tea — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:51:28 GMT

the TV TROPES meme

I've left my LJ name in a comment. Feel free to reply there with any TV Tropes you feel apply to me.

My apologies for any productivity I've managed to kill by posting That Link.

Next, I'll wish for a pony...

empty_tea — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:17:20 GMT

Just when I start thinking that maybe I was being a little too harsh on Marvel, I see that David Mack has a new book out.

My cynicism is a warm, fluffy blanket of strangled hopes.

Heh...

empty_tea — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:57:31 GMT

Dear Eaglemoss,

Well, if your goal was to sucker-punch me in the wallet, this, plus these, and confirming Northstar for the next extension was an excellent way to go about it.

Grudging love,
Me

I'd laugh if it weren't too close to true...

empty_tea — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:31:03 GMT

We Are Respectable Negroes asks:

What Would US History Look Like If Written By Texas and Arizona?

"1660-1800–Triangular Atlantic trade continues to bring wealth and prosperity to America while giving opportunities to new immigrants."

"1776–War for Independence against the tyrannical, evil British empire. Colonists suffer oppression that is unprecedented in human history. Minutemen singlehandedly defeat the evil British Empire in 1783."

"1848–Mexico, in an act of friendship following their humiliation at the Alamo by the great Republic of Texas, gives their territories to the United States."

"1906–Using the Antiquities Act, Theodore Roosevelt establishes the National Park System. In one bold stroke Roosevelt establishes Socialist policies that steal land from the American people."

"1941–Patriotic Japanese Americans volunteer to place themselves in gated communities so that America will be safe from Imperial Japan."

"1974-Phyllis Schlafly, pioneer for the rights of women, takes a stand against evil Leftist feminists who want to ban motherhood, force mothers to work at jobs outside the home, join the military, become lesbians, and receive advanced educations which they do not need."

"2010–Barack Obama remains President although his rule is illegitimate. Brave patriots such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh continue to lead the people’s resistance against his tyrannical rule."

I really do wish I could laugh.

More nom.

empty_tea — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:58:33 GMT

Just some random recipes that I've been trying out.

OVEN BAKED SPARE RIBS

2 or 3 lbs. boneless pork spare ribs
salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste)
2 onions, sliced
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 c. catsup or 1/2 c. catsup, 1/4 c. favorite BBQ sauce, depending on if you want it sweet or not
3/4 c. vinegar

Select meaty spare ribs. Cut into servings or leave uncut. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Place in casserole dish and cover with onions. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat.

Cover with foil and bake in moderate oven at 350°F about 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover last few minutes to brown ribs.

(In my heathen opinion, the onions are the best part of this. They come out vingary and spicy and fantastic for sandwiches if you wind up with onions left over once the ribs are gone.)

CABBAGE BAKE

1 med. head cabbage, chopped
1 can cream of whatever soup -- I think mushroom works best for this, but chicken or celery work OK too
2 med. sized onions, sliced
Grated cheddar cheese

Layer in large casserole in order listed. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

(Cheap, lazy way to get in your veggies, and the cabbage isn't cooked to death.)

HONEY ALMOND CUSTARD

Vegetable oil spray
2 cups 2% milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until very hot but not boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, gently whisk together remaining ingredients, then gently whisk in milk (don't create foam). Pour mixture into the cups of the tin.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until knife, inserted halfway between cup and center of custard comes out clean (center won't be firm).

(Still playing with this one. 3 eggs makes way too soft a custard, 4 makes one that verges on being too egg-y. Hm.)

...<3

empty_tea — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:28:24 GMT

How much do I love gollumgollum tonight? I do not have the words.

Brain orgasms while breaking characters are the bestest.

Oh, dude...

empty_tea — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:33:57 GMT

Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer?

Apparently better suited to each other than people thought.

More here.

You know, I couldn't even get that pissed with James Cameron's "The Native Americans should have fought harder" bullshit -- every word that's come out of his mouth in regards to Avatar has been utter fail, so it wasn't much of a surprise. He's on my list of artists not to support monetarily, let's move on.

Gaiman's history!fail is so much more disappointing, though.

Fourth time's the charm?

empty_tea — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:02:30 GMT

The topic of how another Alpha Flight title could be made to work came up elsewhere, so what the hell?

-----

If there was an Alpha Flight relaunch, something I'd like to see avoided is the "All New, All Different Alpha Flight" take. A team that was half comprised of new characters didn't translate to sales under Seagle. A team that was almost entirely newbies did even worse for Lobdell. Alpha Flight does not have so large a fanbase that any book bearing the title can afford to be "A Bunch Of Guys You've Never Heard Of, Guest-Starring Alpha Flight" and hope that people warm up to the new cast.

What would likely work best for an Alpha Flight book in terms of generating interest would be to get the band (or what's left of it) back together -- to go heavy on the old guard to get as many of the hardcore Alphans and X-Fans as possible interested. Sasquatch, Box, the Beaubier twins, Snowbird, and Talisman make up a good starting roster, Mar could possibly have grown into something useful and has ties to Atlantis, and if the writer's feeling exceptionally generous, Earthmover could be used as something other than a joke. There's a good mix of interpersonal tension there -- things should not be smooth between Talisman and Earthmover, especially if Elizabeth is put in the position of having to pick up where her father left off in mentoring him, everyone would just be waiting for Plodex Jr. to go evil, and Box and Snowbird have both recently lost people they're close to, but while Madison is grieving the death of his wife and lost opportunities, Narya is rediscovering the joys of mortal life. There's even something of an inversion of the old Sasquatch/Aurora/Northstar triangle to be played with, as the twins are getting along well nowadays while Sasquatch is just the ex-flame, failed scientist and team-leader, and generally the odd man out.

As for what the premise would be, I'd say aim high. The joke about MU Canada has always been that, between Dept.H and Weapon X, snowy, benevolent Canada has the most evil government ever. So have a new department come in and get the old team together specifically with the goal of taking on these shadowy, clandestine weaponization projects that keep sprouting up. They're Canada's mess and Canada is going to clean it up, by God! It fits in with the theme of Marvel's upcoming Heroic Age, there's a variety of stories that could be told within that overarching arc with room for guest-stars and team-ups, and even the possibility of getting outside of Canada, depending on where the antagonists have their hooks. More importantly, it pits the team up against a legitimate threat that the majority of the readers are familiar with and, in doing so, refutes the idea that Alpha Flight is best treated as a joke team.

I'm not so sure I traded up...

empty_tea — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:44:54 GMT

My state is full of gun-humping fucktards.

My state is full of racist fucktards the first.

My state is full of racist fucktards the second.

I may be speaking to the SO about relocating. Possibly to Mars.

Music!

empty_tea — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:21:24 GMT

Some fun finds while trawling Amazon's free MP3 downloads:

Send Me You - The Butchies: I had no idea there was a music genre called "queercore", but I think I rather like it. Or at least this.

Angel Toes - Katy the Wonder Cub: Insubstantial little earworm.

Easily Bruised - Matthew Barber: A bit of twangy melancholy.

Counting Backward - Josh Preston: Very quiet, kind of hopeful and timid at once. Love the space imagery.

Dead Sound - The Raveonettes: Just needs to be danced to.

A new entry for the "There Is Something Wrong With My Species" file

empty_tea — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:24:22 GMT

Sonoma County, CA separates elderly gay couple, empties their home, and sells their possessions.

Some days, the needle goes right past "murderous rage" to "despair". No matter what redress the lawsuit brings about, it cannot possibly be enough to compensate for the evil done to these two men.

Can't sleep. Brain will eat me.

empty_tea — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:02:06 GMT

Up way too late. Brain winding down. Cat needs shot in five hours....

From aliasjack: Name ten favorite things of your given color. Mine was purple.

1. Steven! That would be the pointy-eared chap in the icon.
2. My favorite nightshirt.
3. Mexican poppies.
4. Blackberry-thyme ice cream.
5. The munny that Chelsea made just for me. <3
6. Grape bubblegum.
7. Kara Kilgrave. Yes, Mantlo's AF run was crap, but I still kinda like her.
8. My copy of Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.
9. My copy of Hot! International Gay.
10. The last five minutes between sunset and nightfall.

Ask and I'll give you a color too. In the morning. Possibly afternoon.

It's not against any religion/ To want to dispose of a pigeon.

empty_tea — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:59:42 GMT

Also, blackberry canes have been sighted poking out of the ground beside one of the other plants. Woot!

Unfortunately, the sparrows have set upon my cucumber seedlings, which means it is time for the annual tradition of ~~killing every fucking thing not authorized to be in my yard~~ waging war against the suburban wildlife.

Sorry, Cynthia -- your little sparrow is going down.