No, We Won’t Go Gentle Into the Night
Well rage, my friend. We’ll rage and riot against the dying light.
Welcome back to the Resilience and my first self-hosted trefika [1] since 2023, I think. Sir Bear and I have been sharing quarters and co-writing our logs and stories for so long now it feels exceedingly self-indulgent to have all this space to talk about myself and my work. So, how about we focus on something close to my heart instead?
Today, I’d like to talk about resistance, resilience, the community we’ve built together, and the reason we keep sailing forward. But before we jump into all of that, I have a quick message for our freeloaders and stowaways:
No one should have to face the storm alone. If you’ve been lurking in the rigging, consider this your invitation to claim a Deck Pass. It’s free, and comes with a hot cuppa and an even hotter crew. Subscribe Now
The Captain’s Quill: We Draw the Line at Fascism
In case you’ve missed this little nugget from our lore books, I’m the captain of ye olde ship. I built her in 2017 and, following Geralt of Rivia’s horse-naming convention [2], gave her the same name as her shipwrecked predecessor: The Resilience.
From her maiden voyage in 2009, she has been a non-denominational and non-party-political pirate ship. We’ve welcomed anyone who wanted to sail away with us, but I’ve had one unwavering rule: Don’t Be a Dick! [3]
It’s a simple creed, but it has kept our decks safe, our galley warm, and our friendships solid for all these years. We’ve never had to make a big deal out of it. Maybe we’ve been lucky. Maybe our focus on building a calm space where kindness, courage, and creativity are valued above all else has drawn the right people to book passage.
But as the winds have changed, so must we.
The world beyond our shores grows darker each day. I’ve written about this looming sense of danger before, but I think it’s fair to say that the past two weeks have thrown us into a whole new timeline. Fear and division threaten to take hold as people’s rights, freedoms, livelihoods, and security blankets are stripped away.
Still, the world keeps turning and we don’t go gentle into the night. We rage, my friend. We rage and riot against the dying light. [4]
Now, more than ever, it’s important to remind ourselves who we are and what we stand for. Under normal circumstances, we don’t care who you sleep with, who you pray to, or who you’d entrust your pets to in an emergency. We don’t care which bathroom you go to or how you identify. We’re not here to argue party politics or dictate how you should live your life.
But these circumstances are far from normal and we draw the line at fascism. Always have, always will.
The Resilience was built as a refuge—not just in fiction, but in spirit. If you are scared, if you are tired, if you are feeling lonely and longing for a moment of peace in the storm—we’ve got you.
The Resilience was built as a place of resistance and resilience. She was built to provide a merry band of rebels and revolutionaries a home, a safe harbour, and a way to harness the power of storytelling to get us through some of the hardest times of our lives.
Today, and every day for as long as it takes, we are dedicating part of our time together to the theme of resistance. Resistance to fascism and tyranny. Resistance through storytelling. Resistance through community building. And resistance, Messmate, isn’t just about fighting. It’s about holding the line, lifting each other up, and building the kind of world we want to live in.
Resilience riders stand and sail together as modern pirates—freedom fighters who believe in human rights, equality, and fraternity for all.
On that note, I want to share a piece our Ship’s Belle, F.K. Marlowe, wrote about this ship and her crew during another time of uncertainty and fear: The New Paris: A Revolution of Words
Belle wrote this in the shadow of the COVID pandemic, but her words ring just as true today. This is what it means to find your crew. This is why we keep writing, keep reading, and keep lighting our lanterns at night—no matter how dark or full of terrors it is.
Look for the light, Messmate.
Work In Progress? No, Let’s Talk About Boundaries
There are so many things I want to do right now. So many things I feel like I should be working on. Finish the book. Kiss a Bear. Start writing to-do lists again. Punch a fascist. Play Mario. Lead a rebellion. Overthrow the oligarchy. In no particular order. But first, we need to talk about boundaries.
If you want to learn something about boundaries and how to survive real, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching hardship—look to the marginalised people in your community. Look to black women, the disabled, the poor, the broken. Look to the people whose rights are never equal. See what they’re doing. Befriend them if you haven’t already. Take a leaf out of their books and pay them back in kind. Generously. They know the way.
Marginalised people know that, sometimes, No is a complete sentence. [5] They know that one of the most powerful words in any rebellion is No.
Being able to say no isn’t just a matter of self-care. It’s about survival. It’s about not letting the world suck the marrow out of you before you’ve even had your first morning cuppa. It’s about knowing when to stand your ground and when to walk away so you can fight another day.
If you find yourself exhausted, doom-scrolling, rage-typing into the void, or wondering how to stay sane in an insane world where everything seems to be on fire—this guide is for you. Take my hand and say it with me: No.
– No, thanks.
– How about no.
– No, I will not comply.
– No, I will not be silent.
– No, you will not touch my friend.
– No, I will not pretend that everything is fine when it isn’t.
For many of us, saying no feels wrong. Unnatural. This is especially true for those of us who were raised to be people pleasers. We feel like we’re letting people down. Like we’re severing ties or closing doors that should be open. We have been taught that to be good, we always have to be agreeable, flexible, and willing to compromise.
If this is you, let’s be honest here: How many of the compromises you’ve made to be a good girl or a good sport have actually served you?
I’m not saying we shouldn’t be good people who look after each other and our communities. Far from it. I loathe selfish people, but setting boundaries is not being selfish. It’s about survival. It’s about building walls—or a whole dang pirate ship as it were—to protect your energy, to stop others from using and abusing you, and to serve as a shield to hide behind when it’s all too much.
Saying no to fascism, burnout, toxic relationships, injustice isn’t selfish. It’s self-care. It’s caring for those who cannot fend for themselves. It’s doing the right thing. You are no good to yourself or anyone else when you’re broken, so let’s talk about how to set the kind of boundaries you need to resist, endure, and persist.
– Boundaries Against Burnout: The Right to Rest
You don’t have to be on or online all the time. You don’t have to be plugged into the doom-scroll, the fight, or the hustle every minute of every day. The world will not come crashing down if you switch off your phone. Trust me. I switched mine off for a whole year when I needed to.
Pirates don’t spend all their time at sea. We drop anchor, we restock, and we take the time to hang out, drink Sir Bear’s rum and tell our stories. Because rest is not a reward for productivity—it is a requirement for survival.
Consider this your permission to rest, if you need it. It’s okay to unplug. To step back when you need to. To say no to another exhausting conversation, another draining debate, another demand for your emotional labour. Just say no.
No need to justify yourself or your decision. No need to explain. Let no be a complete sentence.
– Boundaries Against Bullshit: The Right to Your Time and Space
I know it sounds harsh to “just say no” and leave it at that, but sometimes less really is more. People don’t necessarily want a debate and they’re not looking for a conversation. They want to erode you—to poke and prod until you doubt yourself and what you know to be true. They want you submit and say yes to whatever it is they want from you. Don’t.
You’re not obliged to engage. Not every conversation or comment section is worth your energy. There’s a huge difference between the kind of discussion that boosts your batteries and draining, demoralising discourse.
On The Resilience, we hold to our simple code: Don’t Be a Dick. We don’t entertain cruelty, bigotry, or bad-faith nonsense. We don’t decide what you read/write or who has access to your space, your thoughts, and your time. You do.
You can choose your battles, your tools, and your weapons. You can protect your fire. You can refuse to let the bastard(s) grind you down. Just say no.
– Boundaries for Your Own Flippin’ Sanity: The Right to Joy
Fascists don’t win by taking control. They win by making you believe that you have none. They win by making your world smaller. Making it seem so scary, so dark, so relentless that you stop believing the tide may turn. That things can change for the better. Don’t listen to them.
Joy is an act of resistance.
We need to laugh, Messmate. We need to dance, love, and create. We need to look for—and laugh at—the absurdity in all of the oppressors’ nonsense. Joy and carnal pleasures are not frivolous. They are the fuel that keep us going when everything else feels impossible.
Resistance is reading the books that nourish our souls.
Resistance is writing the stories that nourish other people’s souls.
Resistance is singing the songs of the people who’ve been here before.
Resistance is choosing to live and love in a world that wants you to shrink.
Resistance is finding and holding on to the people who make you feel seen.
So go ahead and say no. Set your boundaries. Refuse to live your life in fear. Just say no. Take the time you need to protect your energy. Say no to what drains you and what you know to be wrong.
Then turn around and say yes to the things that bring you back to yourself. Say yes to what sustains you.
So, What Am I Actually Working on Right Now?
Well, it wasn’t on my bingo card for 2025, but apparently, I’m writing another Procrastinator’s Guide series. [6] The section above? That was the first chapter. And now I turn to you, Messmate:
- What do you want to see next?
- What are your best tactics for surviving, resisting, and thriving against the odds?
Drop me a comment or reply with your thoughts, and we’ll write this book together.
But no, that’s not all. I’ve also set myself a writing challenge for the year. I want to write pulp fiction—short stories and novellas with a single purpose: To entertain. No grand themes. No deep, existential crises. Just pure storytelling for the hell of it.
I think of this project as a mental palate cleanser—a way to disassociate from the news cycle, clear my head, and reset before stepping into the Ninth Realm to battle the gods, giants, and spirits of old.
I’ll be publishing most of these stories right here on Substack, and I can’t wait to hear what you make of them. Even if the answer is no, no thanks, or absolutely not. I’ll consider it part of the resistance training. đź¤
Tips, Tricks, and Treasures for the Discerning Pirate
So, this is a standing feature in our Thursday Trefika motes. In keeping with the theme we’re sticking to this day, I’ve decided to focus on resistance and resilience related things I hope you’ll find useful.
Grab yourself a free Deck Pass and board The Resilience. Sailing through stormy seas is so much easier when you’ve got a crew to share the experience with. Come rest in your hammock, share a cuppa, and make yourself at home.
We have a space for memes, silly jokes, and pirate nonsense. We have a rage-and-rant space for days when you need to scream into the void and let off steam without judgment. You can talk (banned) books, look at hidden treasures, and be the first to hear about the stories that keep us going. If you want to tell stories of your own, we have a place for that too. And that’s not even half of it. Come check it out for yourself.
Find yourself a partner. My trick of the week is a continuation of the tip above. One of the most powerful tools you can have—whether you’re writing, resisting, or just trying to make sense of a world gone mad—is a partner. And no, I’m talking about romance here.
On The Resilience, we’re scattered across different time zones and continents. We have different perspectives and, between us, we see things unfold from the outside, the inside, and all the spaces in between. When you have that kind of crew, you don’t just stay productive—you stay informed.
Find someone to keep you accountable when your motivation wavers. Someone to share information with so you can compare notes when you can’t trust the news. Someone who sees the world from a different angle and inspires you to laugh and be creative. Someone who makes you feel like you’re not alone.
If you haven’t found your resistance partner yet:
- Join The Resilience and connect with our crew.
- If you’re more of a landlubber, reach out to someone you can build a safe harbour with.
And if you’re already riding for anchor somewhere else, follow my lead and drop a ladder for someone who needs a ride and a warm blanket.
So, this one happened overnight and is so fresh it doesn’t technically exist yet. But it’s so exciting I removed the book I was going to recommend. Here’s what happened:
Last night, Sir Bear and I were talking about banned books and how we wanted to amp up the resistance side of The Resilience again. This morning, I was talking to our Sea Witch, M.W. McLeod, about this Log. She asked if she could make a contribution to the content and we exchanged some links to important resistance reads. And the rest, as we like to say, is history.
We believe in books as resistance and stories for survival. That’s why we’re launching The Resilience Repository, a free, anti-fascist, online library inspired by the Free Little Library in February.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be building the Resistance Reads Collection [7] of works that have been challenged, banned, or forgotten. If you have a book that gave you hope, courage, or a reason to keep fighting, let us know and we’ll add that too.
Together, we’ll be smuggling these stories to every corner of the world. Because pirates don’t let censors fascists tell them what they can read. We literally—or literary—punch them in the face.
Thanks for reading The Resilience Ship’s Logs! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Next Port of Call
Well, that was an earful and a half, but here we are at last. At the end of all Thursday Trefika things for this week. But before I love you and leave you, here’s the TL:DR version of today’s log:
Resilience riders brave the waves together and we have a hammock and a cuppa with your name on them. Yes, we are living in difficult times, but you are not alone in this storm. Grab your Deck Pass, cross the gang plank, and consider yourself at home.
Next week, Sir Bear will be here to share some tasty bits from the galley and talk about a few banned books he’s been reading lately. But first, we have another Tarts and Tipples Society hangout at Smugglers Cove this Sunday to look forward to. Our Ship’s Belle will be your toast mistress and you know what that means. The bar will be open, the morsels will be of the scary kind, and you’ll have a really, really good time.
See you there, rebel!
//Linn 🤍
Footnotes
Please Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases via affiliate links, marked (aff) below.
1) Fika: An opportunity to sit down and enjoy the small things in life over a cuppa and a nibble (if you’re feeling peckish) before you get on with your day: [INSERT LINK]
2) Geralt of Rivia: The main character is Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy series about The Witcher. Geralt only rides red mares and he names all of them Roach, using the Polish word for a small type of fish.
3) Don’t Be a Dick! If you want to know more about our Code of Conduct and how to book a ticket for yourself or a friend, this is the link for you: [INSERT LINK]
4) Yes, I’m shamelessly paraphrasing Dylan Thomas who wrote, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Click here to listen to the whole poem read by the author himself.
5) No is a complete sentence: This quote is often attributed to Annie Lamott, but it first appeared in a column by Si Cornell in The Cincinnati Post in 1958.
6) The Procrastinator’s Guide to… is a series of self-help articles I’ve written over the years on all sorts of topics from how to deal with procrastination to how to write and publish a book.
7) The Resilience Repository: It may be brand new and we may change the name (do you have a suggestion?), but the first couple of links will be added today. You may want to bookmark the page.
8) The Little Free Library: A nonprofit Minnesota-based organisation with a vision that includes a Little Free Library in every community and a book for every reader. Check them out today to donate and start your own free library.