Always a Lost Cause

This is a very strategic-level overview of what to consider when making a military. There's a ton more that goes into this, but these are some starting points.

What is the purpose of the military?

Militaries hold a lot of purposes depending on the strategic goals of the country or group. The obvious answer is fighting wars, but militaries have also been used to police their own people, respond to natural disasters, perform intelligence actions, and colonize other lands.

Where does the military operate?

Some militaries operate abroad/not on their own soil, some operate only on their own soil, and some do both.

Beyond that, there are a number of spaces that militaries can operate in:

On the ground

On water

In the air

In space

In cyberspace

There are other places that you could potentially imagine a military operating in a fantasy or sci fi story, like: underground, in a magic realm, inside of bodies, etc.

Where militaries will operate will depend on their geography and their technology level, as well as their strategic objectives. Navies are generally the most efficient way of moving a whole lot of people pretty fast across long distances and keeping them near where they want to be, while ground troops are needed to take and hold territory. Air forces can provide support to ground troops, carry out surveillance, and carry out fast infiltrations and exfiltrations over land. Space militarism can provide GPS, surveillance, more accurate missile targeting, colonization of other planets. Cyber-militarism can knock out infrastructure from a distance, including in non-permanent ways; provide access to strategic information; and provide misinformation to opposing forces.

Consider also what kind of terrain they’re fighting in. Urban warfare is way different from jungle, mountain, or grassland fighting.

What are the alliances?

Alliances provide militaries with additional support, deterrence against other attacks, and greater strategic reach. Consider the alliance between the US and Russia in WWII--it was one of the things that forced Germany to split their forces. It also allowed an approach on multiple fronts. Similarly, consider who the US now uses its numerous bases as ways to have troops within short reach of basically everywhere in the world at all times.

How do they manage supply chains?

In many ways, militaries live and die on their supply chains and logistics. Militaries need ways to get not only people but stuff (food, weapons, etc) to the warfront. In modern American warfare, it is common to use local contractors for at least some subset of these needs, which significantly shortens supply chains but creates risks if they are not vetted well enough.

Before planes, on-land vehicles, and ships were as good as they are now, long supply chains could become massive problems for militaries. They can become increasingly difficult to secure as they get longer, it takes longer to get stuff places, and if they are cut off troops at the front can become entirely cut off from supplies like food. Oceans can make this even more difficult, as old ships used to much more prone to sinking and could take months to get where they were going.

Is service voluntary?

The United States has a voluntary military, as of right now, which means that every one who serves signs up to do so. Previously, the US has used a draft, wherein some subset of AMAB people were pressed into service due to not enough people wanting to serve voluntarily (see: the Vietnam War). While the draft is gone, AMAB people between the ages of 18 and 25 in the US still have to register for selective service, which means they could theoretically be called up for service if the draft were reimplemented.

Countries such as Switzerland, Israel, and South Korea have conscription, which means that some subset of citizens (in some cases male, in some cases all genders) are required to serve in the military for some length of time.

There are advantages and disadvantages to conscription. Most notably, it leads to the military consistently being at least a certain size, especially when it or the war being fought are unpopular. On the other hand, the militaries have historically been less well-trained and suffer much more attrition.

Are they a standing military?

Most countries now have some form of standing military, but historically that hasn’t always been the case. It is expensive to maintain a standing military, and militaries were in some cases made up of militias or localized fighting forces that could be stood up as necessary.

Do they fight in uniform?

By Jbuzbee - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4835571

Many cultures have a representation of death, either as the cause of a person's death through the removal of the person's soul or as a guide to the afterlife (a psychopomp). Death is often also the guardian of dead bodies. Throughout this death as the end of life will be minuscule and Death as a personification will be majescule.

By Region:

Latin America:

By Unknown author - 1898 facsimile edition, online at FAMSI.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3975254

Aztecs view Death as a Queen of the Underworld (Mictlan), Mictecacihuatl, ruling over it with her husband Mictlantecuhtli. The Lady of the Dead, who was represented by a 'fleshless body…with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day', also kept watch over bones. Her ancient festivals morphed into the modern Dia de los Muertos as the Catholic colonizers took over.

East Asia:

By Unknown author - Source:Yama's Durbar and HellSize: 52 x 37.7 cm.Tempera on cloth pasted on wooden plank.Fine lines and beautiful colouring. It is probably from Kurnool.Purchased in 1924. Museum collection of Government Museum Chennai[1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15973687

In India, Death is King Yama (यम राज, Yama Rāja) also is the King of Karmic Justice (Dharmaraja). He rides a buffalo and lassos the soul to lead it to his home Naraka. He also has aids called Yamadutas (यमदूत) that bring in souls as well. King Yama judges the souls and decides what their next life should be or if they've reached moksha/nirvana (मोक्ष/निर्वाण).

By Riku Chuen 陸忠淵 - http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100087, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42896906

Yama (閻魔/閻摩), also known as King Yan (閻王/阎王) or Yanlou (閻羅王/阎罗王), came to China via Buddhism and ruled over the ten gods of Diyu (the underworld). He typically wears a judge's cap with the character 王 (king) on it. He determines the path that a soul will take, whether good fortune or suffering, before being returned to earth in the cycle of reincarnation.

By Originally uploaded on sv:wiki 10 April 2005 kl.18.50 by Lamré - From sv.wikipedia.org., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=626913

Yama entered Japan as the Greak King Enma (閻魔大王). He was only the judge. The personification of death was Izunami (formally Izanami-no-Kami 伊弉冉尊 or Izanami-no-Mikoto 伊邪那美命), who was burnt to death while she gave birth to the god of fire, Hinokagutsuchi. She's sent to Yomi-no-Kuni (the realm of night) where her husband Izanagi tries to rescue her but finds her no longer beautiful. They fight and she swears to take a thousand lives every day, becoming Death. She tives birth to Raijin (the god of lightning, thunder, and storms) and Fuujin (the god of the wind). There are minor death gods called shinigami (死神) that take care of the more personal tasks of death.

Western Asia:

By Rama - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2994550

Among the Canaanites of the 13th century BCE, Mot (Phoenician 𐤌𐤕 mūt Hebrew מות māweṯ Arabic موت mawt) was the psychopomp and god of the underworld. He is a son of 'El (the supreme god) and lives in a city called Mirey (hmry). Ba'al (Hadad, the storm and rain god) warned the other gods 'that you not come near to divine Death, lest he make you like a lamb in his mouth, (and) you both be carried away like a kid in the breach of his windpipe'. Ba'al is devoured by Mot, then buried by Shapash, goddess of the sun, and 'Anat, his sister and goddess of warfare and hunting, 'Anat attacks Mot, splitting him with a blade, winnowing (tossing him up in the air and sifting what remains), burns him up, then grinds him up before tossing him in a field for the birds to eat. 'El (also Ba'al's father) dreams that Ba'al is alive and sends Shapash to disinter him. Seven years later, Mot comes back, seeking his vengeance on Ba'al until Shapash warns Mot that 'El will take away his throne if he doesn't knock it off, so he does.

By Evelyn De Morgan - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by User:Melesse using CommonsHelper. and [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4394578

Among the Hebrews, Death is seen as an 'Angel of the Lord' who passes though camps and nations to slay their enemies, and as a 'destroying angel' and as Azra'il (עֲזַרְאֵל ʿǍzarʾēl, 'God has helped') and 'Abaddon' (אֲבַדּוֹן Ăḇaddōn, 'Destruction' or 'doom'). Death could also be another god that God could turn over Judah to as punishment for worshiping other gods, the group of angels, at times, that destroy those not protected by the guardian angels. It was thought that the soul escaped through the mouth, so Death waits by the head of the person. A cry goes around the world, even if people can't hear it. Death may wield a sword, a knife, a noose (cord), or hot lead. Death is also a shape-shifted, taking on the form most needed at the time. Gradually, this became six angels of Death, 'Gabriel over kings; Ḳapẓiel over youths; Mashbir over animals; Mashḥit over children; Af and Ḥemah over man and beast', which seems an extension of the shape-shifting ability.

By Gustave Doré - http://thelondondiary.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/gustave-dore/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9048383

Among early Christians, they adopted the form of death that was local to them as well as that presented in the Book of Revelations, where Death (Thanatos, as early Christian writers were very Hellenized) is one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. And the apostle Paul states 'O Death, where is your sting' in the first letter to the Corinthians. They viewed Death as impotent to them since they expected that the world would end soon and they would be granted Heaven (a type of paradise reserved for those who follow the teachings of Jesus). Sometimes, as in the book addressed to the Hebrews, the power of death is held by the devil (the spiritual enemy of believers). At the end of the mortal realm, after the apocalypse, Death is to be destroyed.

By Zakariya ibn Muhammad Qazwini (ca. 1203-1283)Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - Walters Art Museum: Home page  Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18854360

In Islam, the Archangel Azrael (عزرائيل) is the Malak al-Maut (angel of death) and is in charge of many others that do the work of removing souls from bodies and guiding them through their journey. Their exact appearance will depend on the type of life the person lived (beautiful for the good, for example). After the body is buried, two angels, Munkar and Nakir (منكر ونكير, 'The Denied and The Denier'), who test the dead and determine their afterlife. If the person answers correctly, they go on to live in peace, else wise, they are punished. Death itself is seen just as a transition rather than an ending.

Europe:

Greece:

By Jaime Ardiles-Arce (photographer). Krater by Euphronios (painter) and Euxitheos (potter). - File:Euphronios krater - front.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9746343

I absolutely love your blog and I‘ve taken a lot of the great advice you‘re giving!

I was wondering if you had any tips on the topic of writing plus sized characters.

I struggle with it because I find it hard to subtly hint at it without it feeling like that forced describing of throwing in sentences that have no real importance to the scene just to make clear that people have different bodies.

I‘ve been trying to show not tell, too but it‘s hard.

Would be very helpful if you maybe had some tips. :)

Thank you

Guide: Writing Plus-Sized Characters

I've been plus-sized for decades, so...

1) Plus-Sized Isn't "Different" or Unusual in Most Places

If you want to write a plus-sized character, you have to get past the idea that being plus-sized is "different" or "abnormal." While specific rates vary from place to place (and there are certainly areas with very low overweight/obesity rates,) in most places at least 20% of teens and adults are overweight or obese.

2) Plus-Sized Is Just a Way a Body Can Be

Think of being plus-sized the same way you think of a character being tall, having freckles, having brown hair, having pink hair, having attached ear lobes, having a pierced lip. Being plus-sized is just the way some people are and it doesn't have to be a huge deal. Your character's plus-sized weight can be a part of who they are but it shouldn't define them. They are more than just their body shape/size.

3) Mention Only When Relevant Like Any Other Characteristic

In much the same way as you don't want to constantly talk about your character's red hair, you don't want to constantly talk about your character being plus-sized. You can bring it up as part of the character's introduction, but after that you only need to mention it when it's relevant. For example, you might remind the reader that your character is a red-head by having him say he didn't like the way a yellow jersey looked with his red hair. In the same way, you could have a plus-sized character say they didn't like the way the jersey fit because it was too tight and their fat rolls were showing.

4) Some Struggles of Folks Who Are Plus-Sized

experiencing "fat phobia" from family, friends, media, and society

being teased, mocked, or bullied because of weight

"well-meaning" but hurtful/pointless diet/exercise advice

clothing isn't in your size or is out in your size

plus-sized clothing awkwardly cut and sometimes ugly

harder to find clothes/underwear you like/fits well in your size

can't fit into required uniforms/wedding-related clothing

may feel shy in swim suit or unflattering required clothing

can't fit easily (or at all) in tight seats in vehicles, rides, theaters...

can't fit through tight openings/areas when others can

car seat belt locks up more easily when you move in seat

exceed weight limit for bike, furniture, ride, horseback riding, etc.

body catches on things in narrow spaces

weak/broken chair/bench/etc. creaks or breaks when you sit on it

doctors who can't get past your weight regardless of specialty

fear of going to doctors because of their weight obsession

being coerced onto diets/meds that don't help/make things worse

The Frustration of People believing/assuming:

you're unhealthy because you're overweight

you have diabetes or heart disease because you're overweight

you choose to be overweight and don't try to lose weight

you don't exercise or are physically out of shape

you must eat overeat and/or eat terribly unhealthy foods

The Frustration of People believing/assuming thin people:

are always healthy because they're thin

never have diabetes or heart disease because they're thin

choose to be thin and work hard for it

always exercise and in good physical shape

always eat sensible portions and never eat unhealthy foods

5) Fat Phobia is Next Level Bonkers

No one is saying that all fat people are healthy. But, here's something a lot of people may find shocking: not all thin people are healthy, either.

Yes, being overweight does increase your risk for certain health problems, but MANY THINGS increase your risk for certain health problems. Smoking significantly increases your risk for lung disease, but that doesn't stop people from glorifying and romanticizing smoking.

You can get diabetes because you're overweight, even though you eat relatively healthily and exercise daily. You can also get diabetes even though you're thin, because you consume too much sugar and junk food every day.

Diet, exercise, and being thin are not a magical combination for everyone. Some people could consist on nothing but carrot sticks, run five miles a day, drink tons of water, and do cardio three times a week, and they would still be overweight. This is just a fact.

Fat-phobic thin people are angry at fat people because they believe fat people are getting something they're not. (Which is fundamentally absurd, btw...) They believe all fat people are sitting around watching Netflix, eating buckets of fried chicken, gobbling down full pints of Ben & Jerry's, and shoving slice after slice of chocolate cake down their gullets. Is this true for some overweight people? Sure. Is it true for all or most? No. Just like all thin people aren't thin because they eat nothing but kale smoothies and do Peloton three times a day.

Fat people can be food-obsessed couch potatoes. Thin people can be food-obsessed couch potatoes. Fat people can have diabetes and heart disease. Thin people can have diabetes and heart disease.

There are no absolutes in either case.

One final thought: if you want to write an overweight character, you should definitely read some books featuring overweight characters. One of my favorite overweight characters is Nina Zenik from the Six of Crows and Nikolai duologies by Leigh Bardugo. She does a great job of making Nina's weight a part of her character without making it her defining characteristic.

Other books to try: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding, This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado, Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson. It's harder to find books with good overweight male representation, but if you know of any, add them to the comments!

I hope that helps in your portrayal!

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Creating unique and interesting characters is essential to any good story. Here are some ideas for character personalities to help you develop your own characters:

The Rebel: A character who defies authority and rules, often causing conflict but also inspiring change. Stubborn, working for a greater cause, but often ignores those closest to them.

The Optimist: A character who always sees the bright side of things, even in the darkest of situations. They might be the comic relief, and they’ll tend to be naive in dangerous situations and often put themselves at risk of heartbreak because they see the best in people.

The Pessimist: A character who always expects the worst, often bringing down the mood of those around them. They might be very sarcastic, witty, and grumpy, and they can only be handled well by certain characters - they match well with softer, laidback personalities.

The Perfectionist: A character who strives for perfection in everything they do, often to the point of obsession. They’ll never really be satisfied with anything they achieve, no matter how good it is, and they have trouble with friendships and relationships.

The Joker: A character who uses humor to cope with difficult situations, but may also use it to mask their true feelings. They often feel a lot worse than they let on, and they put others ahead of themselves.

The Loner: A quiet character who prefers solitude and may struggle with forming connections with others, though they tend to be quite emotionally smart and observant.

The Leader: A character who takes charge and inspires others to follow them, but they can get carried away with the power in their hands. They’re confident and they know it, and they often end up hurting people with their behavior.

The Follower: A character who prefers to take direction from others and may struggle with making decisions on their own. These are often very passive characters who rely on help from others - typically from one specific protector.

The Nurturer: A character who is caring and compassionate, often putting others' needs before their own, and making sure that everybody else is happy. They have people-pleasing tendencies and will hide their own opinions if they find it might upset others.

The Adventurer: A character who is always seeking out new experiences and challenges. They may be impulsive and thrill-seeking, but also courageous and resourceful.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, the key to creating memorable characters is to make them unique and multi-dimensional, beyond the archetype of personality that they fit into!

The Character Bible and my two other Writer’s Toolboox are dropping in just 8 days! They’ll have masses of resources, materials, character theory and even customizable character sheets.

Callisto vs Storm 

In order to gain her mutant powers back, Callisto decides to go through the Crucible ritual by having Storm as her opponent. Unlike most matches, Crucible is about putting down the depowered mutant contestant so that he/she could regain the mutant powers when they get resurrected. Since Apocalypse is no longer around, there were a few changes in the Crucible. Silver Samurai is the host of the matches. The depowered mutant can choose which opponent he/she could fight. Callisto knows that she might die in a deathmatch but she does so because she needed her powers back. Before the match starts, Callisto refused to let the Fenris Twins fight her because they are Nazis (and not to mention, the twins have a creepy relationship with…Ewww). Then, Storm turns up to fight her even though she was reluctant about killing her in a match. As Callisto charges and tries to stab Storm with her blades, she is held back by Storm who stops her heart with a lightning bolt, killing her instantly. As Callisto dies in her arms, Storm sheds her tears in remorse. 

Later on, Callisto was brought back via Krakoaland’s Resurrection Protocols and she is happy to have her mutant powers back. 

Character Falls Out of Love

Falling out of love requires a huge emotional shift with one or both partners. This shift can happen gradually or suddenly, depending on the circumstances behind it.

Causes of a Gradual Shift

People grow and change over time. We're not the same people in our 30s as we were in our 20s. We're not the same people in our 40s as we were in our 30s. We typically fall in love with someone because of things like shared interests, shared experiences, shared beliefs, shared goals, etc., but those things can all change over time or from one period of life to the next. For people who want a lifelong partnership, that often means figuring out ways for each partner to accommodate the changes in the other partner so the relationship can grown and evolve with the partners. But sometimes people aren't willing or able to do that, and that's when relationships tend to fall apart.

For example, two career-driven adventurers may fall in love in their 20s, but maybe in their 30s, one partner's interests and goals shift toward homesteading and starting a family. If the other partner doesn't desire those things or isn't willing to meet in the middle somehow, the emotional investment on both sides will wane over time until it becomes necessary for the partners to go their separate ways.

Causes of a Sudden Shift

Sudden shifts can also be a result of the ways in which the partners change over time, it's just that instead of playing out over a series of different conflicts, it tends to happen over fewer conflicts or sometimes one big one. So, let's say we have the 20-something career-minded adventurers, and now they're in their 30s--lo and behold, parenthood is dropped into the lap of one partner either due to unexpected pregnancy or becoming the guardian of a related child. The other partner doesn't want to be a parent and seems (to the parental partner) to transform overnight into someone they don't recognize. This doesn't have to mean the other partner says or does anything really terrible, it's just that the parental partner can no longer look at this person and see who they fell in love with. It's like this trigger--the appearance of parenthood--has made them realize they no longer have anything in common.

And, sometimes there can be another trigger that causes this realization. It could even be that the one partner discovers the other partner has cheated on them, lied to them, or betrayed them in some way. This can have the same effect, making the person realize that this person is no longer who they fell in love with and is someone they no longer share anything in common with.

Alternatively, a partner may not realize that their mutual interests and goals have changed, but then they find someone who more closely aligns with their interests and goals now--someone who is a better fit for the person they became--and they fall in love with this other person without realizing they were falling out of love with their original partner. That doesn't have to mean that they cheat on them, but it would be something they'd need to address that could lead to the relationship ending.

So...

1) Start by looking at the things that brought your couple together. What were the shared interests, experiences, beliefs, and goals that brought them together and made them fall in love?

2) Look at how they've changed since then. See if you can find ways that their personal interests, experiences, beliefs, and goals have diverged over time.

3) For each thing that has changed, figure out why they can't find ways to accommodate these changes/meet in the middle.

4) Finally, figure out the specific triggers and conflicts that play out which lead one or both of the partners to realize they are no longer in love with each other.

Good luck with your story!

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SOURCE: https://wordsnstuffblog.com/post/180005732105/guide-to-writing-friends-to-lovers

post by @writingwithacutlass on instagram

Writing friends to lovers means you get to write lots of angst, sweet fluff, and emotional rollercoasters, which is why this trope is so appealing. I think this was a requested post? Anyways, here are some tips to write the perfect friends to lovers arc!

Make it a large part of the story

If your characters’ friendship is going to turn into something more than just friends, the reader will recognize this as an obvious trope. Tropes are totally okay, as long as you keep them enjoyable and unique. Friends to lovers will often be a slow-burn romance, as the two characters won’t switch immediately from being friends to being lovers. Meaning this arc should become a large part of the story, although it works great as a subplot as well.

Make the reader care

Your readers won’t be interested in this romance unless they care about the characters. Be sure to add obstacles to the romance, otherwise the reader will think ‘oh it’s a love story so everything will turn out all right’. Make them doubt that things will be okay. Make readers fear that the characters will make a wrong turn and cut the other out of their life. Make them care.

Get readers to ship the characters

Once the readers care about each character individually, you want to make them see how well they would work together. Let them see their chemistry, how their personalities complement each other. Show your readers how the two would be happy together.

Hint at the beginning of romance

The characters will do tiny things for each other at the beginning of the romance that may not seem romantic, but as it builds up in the reader’s memory, it should create that tone in their mind. Your readers will pick up on the littlest things, so make sure to include those.

Let it be awkward at first

The beginning of a friends to lovers romance will always be awkward. Even if they are deeply in love with each other, the shift from being platonic friends to lovers will be strange. Depending on the characters, this shift could be cute awkward, “spicy” awkward, funny awkward, or embarrassing awkward. Either way, the awkwardness should be at least a little entertaining.

Delay the romance

The romance should be slowed down by the development of their emotions and platonic relationship. They may resist the emotions they feel or try and push the other away because they are not ready for that switch from platonic to romantic. Remember this arc starts out as “just friends”, which means they won’t be pining for each other from the start.

Avoid instalove/lust at first sight

These characters are friends at first, and friends don’t lust for each other. In my opinion love at first sight does not exist, and since they are friends before they are lovers, they won’t be feeling any attraction when they first meet each other. These feelings develop after some time of deepening friendship.

Don't force it

Make sure the romance doesn’t seem forced. Let the characters lead it, slowly and bit by bit. You might want to take out some big scenes, but the little scenes add up too, so balance it out and keep it as natural as possible.

Establish their friendship dynamic

WE EAT TASTY TUMBLR USER!!!

Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti), male, EAT A TASTY FRUIT!!!, family Oriolidae, order Passeriformes, Australia

photograph by Glenn Bartley

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), male, EAT A TASTY BERRY!!!, family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes, WA, USA

photograph by Dale Ward

Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens), HIMS EAT A TASTY FISH!!!, family Ardeidae, order Pelicaniformes, Yucatan, Mexico

photograph by Mike Diaz

Blue-capped Rock Thrush (Monticola cinclorhyncha), male EAT A TASTY BUG!!!, family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes, Bhutan

photograph by Jainy Maria

Cuban Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium siju), EAT A TASTY LIZARD!!!, family Strigidae, order Strigiformes, Cuba

The Fresno kangaroo rat or San Joaquin kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to areas within and near the San Joaquin Valley of California in the United States. Habitat destruction due to agricultural development and urbanization has put this species at risk, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as “vulnerable”.

Marvel Boy / Justice - Vance Astrovik (E-616) 🇺🇸 American

First Appearance: Giant-Sized Defenders #5 (1975)

Attributes / Powers: • His latent mutant powers were activated when his future self travelled back in time and across realities to stop his past self of becoming a hero. • Psychokinesis. • Ability to levitate and manipulation objects with his mind. • Ability to generate a psychokinetic nimbus of energy and direct it to grasp his body, or other objects, lifting them into the air, applying the right pressure to the matter so he can move it in any direction. • Can generate a solid force field and/or concussive blasts. • Telekinetic flight. • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant.

Groups: New Warriors, Avengers, Avengers Academy, Counter Force, Secret Avengers, C.R.A.D.L.E.

Stuck on Delivering News of a Character Death

Since I don't know anything about your story aside from what you've mentioned above, I'll have to tackle this from a couple of prospective angles. Again, bear with me.

If the princess was sent away as a baby, she either grew up knowing who she was and who her mother was, or it was all a big mystery.

Assuming she knew, she probably believed her mother was fighting to protect the kingdom, waiting for her return. In this case, the uncle's news (lie) that her mother was actually to blame for the destruction would come as a pretty big shock. I can imagine the princess would probably ask to see her mother. At this point, you would have two options:

1) The uncle can immediately admit that her mother died and make it sound like she died a villain's death. Because, according to the uncle, she was the villain. This will all be shocking, but the big shock comes later when she finds out the uncle was lying, her mother was innocent, and that she was killed (presumably by the uncle or while fighting to protect her kingdom.)

2) The uncle can lie more and say the mother is locked away in the dungeons, or maybe he claims she was sent to some far off religious order. In either case, the princess can keep asking to see her and being denied but reassured the mother is fine. In this situation, the shock will come when the princess uncovers the truth and realizes her actually innocent mother died at the uncle's hands and/or protecting the kingdom.

Now, assuming the princess didn't know who she was or who her mother was and found out later, I think you could still go with either of the above scenarios, but before that I think you also have to find a way to bond/connect the princess with her mother. Otherwise the news of that death won't have as much impact. A good way to do that is to find someone who can fill in the gaps for her. This would be someone who knew the mother and the princess when the princess was a baby. This is someone who can tell the princess what her mother was like, how much she loved her baby daughter, etc. This could be someone like an older royal relative, a handmaid, a lady in waiting, a random courtier, or some kind of teacher/trainer/mentor. Now, depending on the needs of your story, this person might know the truth (that the mother is innocent) or might believe that the mother truly turned evil and destroyed the kingdom. Either would work. In the case that they know, they might openly reveal the truth to the princess (and that's how she finds out her mother's fate), or they might hint at the truth while pretending to believe the uncle's lie (so as to protect themselves.) Or, if they truly believe the mother is guilty, they might be the one that opens the princess's eyes to the strangeness of it all, inadvertently making her question why her mother would suddenly turn evil and destroy her kingdom. That could be the thing that sets her off on the path to discovering the truth.

Or, it's possible you have your story all mapped out and none of those scenarios are the case or would work. In which case I'm not sure what to tell you outside of the fact that you'll just have to think about when this information will have the most impact, how it would have the most impact, and what makes sense with the plot and within the confines of the world you've laid out.

Good luck with your story!

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Fan-Fiction: Writing a Crossover

1) Choose Your Fandoms

Limit the Number - While you can certainly cross any number of fandoms in one fic, it's a good idea to limit yourself to two or three, especially if you're using more than one character from each fandom.

Consider the Common Denominator - Some of the best crossovers are ones where there's a natural link between the universes or some other plot element. For example, they both might take place in Chicago, or they both might involve time travel. If you do happen to choose fandoms that have no natural link, your common denominator needs to be the characters themselves to the extent that they just make sense together.

Think About Possible Interactions - What are the possible ways these two fandoms can interact? What characters would make sense interacting? What situations from Fandom A make sense for someone from Fandom B to get involved in?

Determine How the Crossover Occurs - If your stories take place in the same general universe, like Marvel characters... let's say the MCU's version of Peter Parker and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Daisy Johnson... even though they more or less already exist in the same world, you'll want to consider how they actually cross paths. Does S.H.I.E.L.D. send Spiderman to work with Coulson's team? Do Peter and Daisy inadvertently end up tailing the same criminal? Try to choose something that makes sense for both characters. And, if you're combining two fandoms that don't exist in the same universe, you'll have to figure out how one gets to the other. If Peter Parker shows up on Star Trek: TNG, how? Did he somehow get sent forward through time? Or maybe you're doing a total character swap, where instead of Wesley Crusher, you have Peter Parker? (Sorry, Wesley!)

2) Choose Your Crossover Type

Same World Crossover - Fandom A character/s could easily exist in the same world as the Fandom B characters, so it's reasonable to assume they could cross paths. For example, the Supernatural brothers show up to help the Legacies kids fight weird monsters.

Transport Crossover - Fandom A character/s are somehow transported to the setting and situation of Fandom B. For example, while still chasing Garcia Flynn, Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus from Timeless travel back to 1912 and meet the Crawleys of Downton Abbey.

Fusion Crossover - The universe of Fandom A is fused into the universe of Fandom B. For example, after graduating from Hogwarts, Harry meets Tony Stark and is drafted into The Avengers.

Swap Crossover - Fandom A character/s imported into setting and situation of Fandom B without their original background. For example, instead of living in New York, being bitten by a radioactive spider, and becoming an Avenger, Peter Parker lives in 2045 and becomes an unlikely hero in a video game virtual world. He is "Peter Parker" only in name, appearance, and personality.

Pairing Crossover - Fandom A character is shipped with Fandom B character simply because they make a great pairing. This type of crossover may or may not adhere to rules from other types of crossovers. Sometimes they're just fluffy stories about the pairing.

Crackfic Crossover - There are really no restrictions in this type of crossover, but typically they involve crossing fandoms that have no logical way of being crossed. For example, Mulan, Katniss Everdeen, and T'Challa live together in a colony on Mars.

3) Things to Keep in Mind

Know Who You're Writing For - If you're writing for yourself or a group of friends, you don't have to worry too much about adhering to the conventions of whatever type of crossover you choose to write. However, if you're planning to post on a fiction-sharing site, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with your potential reader base. Have these two fandoms already been crossed over? If so, what's popular and what do those fans expect? What can you do differently while still giving them what they want? If you're creating a new crossover, consider what fans from both fandoms might be interested in or what they might not want.

Watch Out for Pitfalls - When combining two fandoms, it can be easy to fall into unexpected pitfalls. Beware of cultural appropriation, replacing BIPOC characters with white characters, or putting BIPOC characters into situations that directly conflict with racially or culturally sensitive realities.

Keep an Eye on the Comments - In case there are other tips from people who have read or written a lot of crossovers. :)

Best of luck with your story!

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Children in homeless shelters across the country often go without a birthday celebration or even a birthday gift — but Dallas resident Paige Chenault is out to change that.

In 2012, she founded The Birthday Party Project, which brings joy to homeless children one birthday bash at a time.

The Birthday Party Project started with the goal of celebrating the birthday of every homeless child in Texas. Four years after its inception, the organization has expanded to eight different cities across the United States including Kansas City, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City.

Each month, the organization’s volunteers, also known as “birthday enthusiasts,” head to numerous homeless and transitional facilities across the country to celebrate the children’s birthdays that fall in that particular month.

“A lot of these children don’t know how to blow out a candle or even make a wish,” Chenault said.

“My goal is that each child feels something that lets them know how important they are, how much they matter,” Chenault said. “They deserve to be celebrated, that in this moment of chaos in their life, this moment of confusion, that there is light and that there are people out there cheering for them.”

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